Sееing аn unfamiliar yоung girl in Оld Madаm Guo's roоm, dеliсаtе аnd tender likе a flower, not only bеаutiful but alsо adоrаblе, Qin Shоuyuе wаs sоmеwhаt surprisеd. Howevеr, sinсe Оld Madam Guо did not ask thе girl to leаvе, hе sаid nоthing mоrе and insteаd smilеd as hе bоwеd to Оld Mаdаm Guo, taсtfullу stating, "First Мaster has writtеn a letter frоm thе сaрital."
If it were аn оrdinаry fаmilу lеttеr, Qin Shоuуue wоuld hаve dirеctlу presеnted it instеаd оf first hinting to Оld Маdаm Guo.
Only thеn did Old Madam Guo fеel it was somеwhat inaрprорriatе to have kept Zhou Shaojin, but since the girl was already there, she couldn't very well ask her to leave now.
Without overthinking it, she nodded.
Qin Shouyue took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Zhenzhu, who was serving nearby.
Zhenzhu passed the letter to Old Madam Guo, then turned to fetch a silver paper-cutting scissors.
Old Madam Guo opened the envelope, and Zhenzhu brought over reading glasses. Holding the glasses, Old Madam Guo began to read the letter.
Everyone feared disturbing Old Madam Guo and tried their best to remain silent, holding their breath. The room was so quiet that not a sound could be heard.
Zhou Shaojin quietly chewed on a piece of melon.
Old Madam Guo looked up, her brows tightly furrowed, and said to Qin Shouyue, "Do you know why First Master wrote this letter?"
"I do," Qin Shouyue lowered his head slightly, speaking respectfully and cautiously. "First Master also wrote a letter to this old servant, asking me to persuade Fourth Master..."
Fourth Master? Cheng Chi!
Zhou Shaojin pricked up her ears.
"This old servant thought that Fourth Master has always been decisive, and his actions must have deep meaning," Qin Shouyue's tone carried a note of deliberation. "But First Master has long resided in the capital and would not act without cause. This old servant is momentarily unable to decide, so I volunteered to deliver the letter to you, Madam, also hoping to seek your advice on how best to handle this matter..."
Old Madam Guo sneered and said, "How did First Master come to know of this matter?"
Qin Shouyue bowed his head even lower. "The Old Ancestor of the Second Branch wrote a letter to First Master... saying that giving some silver to Wan Tong is not excessive, but a hundred thousand taels... is a bit too much..."
Zhou Shaojin's mouth fell open.
A hundred... a hundred thousand taels of silver... given to Wan Tong... that eunuch...
In her previous life, when she married, she had a dowry of about five thousand taels of silver. Whenever Lin Shisheng's mother mentioned this, Old Madam Lin would be very proud and happy, while others would look on with envy... her dowry should have been quite substantial... yet it was less than one-twentieth of what was given to Wan Tong... Uncle Chi, this is really too much... it's practically bribery...
She recalled the words Old Madam Guo had angrily spoken that day when she happened to run over.
No wonder the Old Ancestor of the Second Branch was furious!
If things were as Old Madam Guo had just said, with the Eastern Palace empty, then this was indeed somewhat inappropriate... What if Wan Tong was backed by some prince? Wouldn't the Cheng family be taking sides prematurely?
In her previous life, the Emperor had established the Imperial Grandson as the heir, but in the end, it was the Fourth Prince who succeeded to the throne.
Because of this, nearly all the court officials were purged.
Her father, having not involved himself in such messy affairs, not only remained unharmed but was even promoted to the rank of Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a first-rank official.
The Cheng family also seemed not to have taken sides.
That was why Cheng Jing entered the Grand Secretariat...
Only, she didn't know whether in her previous life the Cheng family had given Wan Tong a hundred thousand taels of silver as they were doing now... Her own appearance had caused many things to differ from her previous life...If only the events of this life were no different from the previous one.
Then she could know whether the Cheng family would face any trouble or not...
Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat vexed.
Old Madam Guo said bluntly, "I knew it was him. He really has nothing better to do after a full meal!"
Everyone in the room pretended not to hear. Zhenzhu and the others even tiptoed away, withdrawing discreetly.
But Zhou Shaojin couldn’t simply leave like Zhenzhu. She could only shrink her shoulders, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, and continued listening to their conversation as if sitting on pins and needles.
After a long while, Old Madam Guo finally mused, "However, a hundred thousand taels of silver may seem like a lot to other families, but to ours, it’s nothing... Now that the Eastern Palace is vacant, the Eldest Master’s concerns are not without reason... You needn’t worry about this matter. I’ll speak to Si Lang about it!"
Although the old madam still shielded her youngest son in everything as before, at least she agreed to persuade Fourth Master.
Qin Shouyue breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "This household’s affairs still cannot do without you, Old Madam!"
Old Madam Guo laughed and said, "No need to flatter me. I know my own limits. When one grows old, courage wanes, and insight is not what it used to be. It’s better to stay quietly within my own little domain, relying on my age and seniority to get by. Pointing fingers in front of the younger generation would only invite ridicule!"
"Look at what you’re saying," Qin Shouyue chuckled. "If it weren’t for you stepping in personally, how could Second Elder Master’s matter have been resolved so quickly? The masters are filial and fear troubling you, which is why they dare not disturb you."
These words were rather sycophantic, yet he delivered them with an air of neither humility nor arrogance.
Truly worthy of being the chief steward of Nine Prosperities Lane!
If only one day I could speak like Qin Shouyue.
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Afterward, Qin Shouyue lavished more flattery on Old Madam Guo before rising to take his leave.
Old Madam Guo instructed Zhenzhu to see Qin Shouyue out.
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly finished her melon in a few bites.
Seeing her cheeks puffed out like a Wuxi lucky doll, Old Madam Guo couldn’t help but laugh and took a handkerchief to wipe her hands. "Don’t rush, be careful not to choke!"
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t speak at all and kept nodding.
Zhenzhu returned and said, "Old Madam, Old Madam Li from the third branch has arrived."
Cheng Jia’s grandmother.
What is she here for?
Zhou Shaojin knew it was inappropriate for her to stay any longer. She hurriedly wiped her hands, stood up, and took her leave.
This time, Old Madam Guo did not ask Zhou Shaojin to stay.
Upon leaving, Zhou Shaojin ran right into Old Madam Li, who had come to visit Old Madam Guo.
She quickly curtsied in greeting.
Old Madam Li smiled and said, "It’s Shaojin! Here to copy scriptures for the old madam?"
Zhou Shaojin respectfully replied, "Yes," but felt that Old Madam Li’s smile was not as kindly as usual. Instead, it seemed somewhat forced and insincere.
She took note of this quietly. When Biyu came to see her later, she asked, "...What did Old Madam Li from the third branch come for? I ran into her at the door, and she didn’t seem very happy!"Biyu glanced around. Shi Xiang and Xiao Tan were sitting at the main entrance sorting threads. Only then did she lower her voice and whisper to Zhou Shaojin, "The third branch wanted to marry Miss Pan to Eldest Young Master Xu, but Old Madam Guo politely declined. She said children are debts, and she no longer wishes to interfere in such matters. Eldest Young Master Xu's marriage will be decided by his mother. Old Madam Li was very displeased, muttering this and that, implying that even if Old Madam Guo didn’t take charge, she could at least put in a good word for Miss Pan in front of his mother. This angered Old Madam Guo..."
When the scheme failed, they resorted to direct confrontation!
The third branch truly has thick skin!
Zhou Shaojin clicked her tongue in amazement. Seizing the opportunity, she brought up the third branch’s affairs: "...They’ve always been in business, so why don’t they sit for the imperial examinations? A county magistrate can ruin a family, a prefect can wipe out a clan. No matter how wealthy they are, it’s never as dignified as being an official!"
Biyu whispered, "I heard that the ancestors of the third branch were merchants. They are well-versed in business and have their own methods. But to become an official, one must be scholarly and also know how to navigate social relations. Perhaps the third branch lacks such talent!" At this point, she paused briefly before adding, "However, I once heard Old Madam praise Young Master Zheng, saying that if he could succeed in his studies, he would have the makings of an official. First Madam Lu took these words to heart, which is why she still hasn’t arranged a marriage for Young Master Zheng to this day. From the sound of it, she seems to want to find him a wife from an official family, so he could receive support from his father-in-law or brothers-in-law in the future. First Madam Lu even sought our Old Madam’s help in this matter, but Old Madam hasn’t been active in social circles for years, so she couldn’t immediately think of a suitable match."
In her past life, Cheng Zheng married the daughter of a Vice Minister of Personnel.
It was just unclear who arranged the match.
Could it have been Old Madam Guo?
Lost in thought, Zhou Shaojin chatted idly with Biyu until Feicui came looking for Biyu to fetch the key to the storeroom: "...The sixteenth young lady of the Gu family from Plum Blossom Lane is getting engaged on the tenth day of the seventh month. Old Madam said to send the boxwood wine set from the storeroom as a congratulatory gift."
Biyu stood up.
Zhou Shaojin asked Feicui, "Has Old Madam Li left?"
"She has!" Feicui replied, hesitating slightly before adding, "Since Old Madam Guo didn’t agree to the third branch’s request, Old Madam Li seems to have gone to Accumulated Truth Hall to seek out his mother."
It seems they still haven’t given up!
Zhou Shaojin smiled and nodded, instructing Shi Xiang to see Biyu and Feicui out.
Early the next morning, when she went to pay her respects to Old Madam Guan, she encountered Cheng Xian’s personal maid.
After Si’er escorted the maid out, she asked her grandmother, "Why did Aunt Xian’s attendant come so early? Has something happened on Aunt Xian’s side?"
"Nothing has happened," Old Madam Guan replied. "She said they received a letter from Uncle, who has already settled into his post and wants them to set off for Shandong as soon as possible. Old Madam Li consulted the perpetual calendar and found that after the eighth of this month, the next auspicious day for long-distance travel isn’t until the twenty-second of next month. After discussing it with your cousin Zhuo, your Aunt Xian decided to depart for Jinan Prefecture on the eighth. She sent her personal maid to inform us and will formally bid farewell tomorrow!"
Pan Qing is finally leaving!
The happiest person should be Cheng Jia!
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but feel delighted as well.
She asked her grandmother and sister, "What local specialties should we send as gifts?"“Let’s just give Cousin Qing a couple of handkerchiefs.” Zhou Chujin knew that Zhou Shaojin had embroidered several handkerchiefs recently, and she didn’t want her sister to go through the trouble of making something new, so she suggested giving something ready-made.
Zhou Shaojin truly couldn’t bring herself to feel close to Pan Qing, so naturally, she had no interest in preparing anything special for her. She nodded in agreement. In the afternoon, after returning from Cold Green Mountain House, she selected two handkerchiefs, four pairs of shoes and socks, and two gold hairpins, handing them all to her sister to be sent to the guest quarters of the third branch in the name of Fragrant Garden Residence.
She didn’t make a point of waiting for Pan Qing—when Cheng Xian took Pan Qing and Pan Zhuo to bid farewell to the eldest branch, Zhou Shaojin was doing needlework at Fragrant Garden Residence; when they came to the fourth branch to say their goodbyes, she was copying scriptures at Cold Green Mountain House.
No matter what Pan Qing thought, Zhou Shaojin felt this was just fine.
She no longer wanted to accommodate others at every turn.
It wouldn’t be fair to those who liked her and had shown her kindness.
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Sisters, tonight’s update is tentatively scheduled for around midnight, but I’ll try to update earlier… o(n_n)o
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
!!
OpenNovel