Chapter 155 Yu Qingyan's Marriage

Seeing her daughter change the subject, Madam Wen continued, "That's right. Our Qingyan is no longer engaged to the General's Mansion, so it's time to find her a suitable match. This child is outstanding in appearance, and you have taught her manners and etiquette very well. We must choose her marriage carefully."

At this point, Madam Wen smiled sincerely: "To tell you the truth, I have already chosen several young men. I will send invitations to the Empress Dowager in the palace. If I can be betrothed by the Empress Dowager, that would be the greatest honor and the best possible marriage."

Upon hearing this, Madam Qiao was delighted and rose to bow to Madam Wen, saying, "Then I'll trouble you, Mother."

Yu Jingsheng frowned and said, "I think it's better not to trouble the Empress Dowager. It's safer for us to make the decision for the child ourselves."

Given his current status in the court, the Earl of Nanping's household does not actually need the Empress Dowager's favor of arranging a marriage. He is even afraid that the Empress Dowager might be confused and accidentally match the couple together, which would be terrible.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wen's face darkened again. What a wretched son-in-law!

Madam Ruan picked up her chopsticks and placed a piece of venison, which Madam Wen usually loved to eat, on her plate. She said in a gentle voice, "Qingyan is a wonderful child no matter how you look at her. She is also the eldest daughter of the Earl's family. If we just let slip a hint, I believe that the door will be thronged with suitors. Wouldn't we have plenty of good young men in the capital to choose from?"

These words pleased Wen Shi, who nodded in satisfaction.

"That's natural."

The atmosphere in the main hall eased, and everyone continued eating without saying anything more.

Only Yu Qingyan, who was bowing her head and acting shy, tightened her grip when she heard Madam Ruan mention the words "eldest daughter".

Her mother is now only a concubine, so her status as the eldest legitimate daughter may seem unchanged, but in the eyes of outsiders, she has already lost much of her former status.

As dusk fell, the family prepared to return home. Everyone rose to see them off. Qiao Shi noticed a jade pendant hanging from Yu Qingying's waist and couldn't help but ask:

"This jade pendant looks just like the one Ning'er wore around her waist this morning. How come it's on you now?"

Yu Qingying lowered her head, touched the jade pendant, and said with a grin, "My aunt loves me so much that she gave me this jade pendant. Cousin Ning'er agreed to it too, right, Cousin Ning'er?"

Qiao looked at Ruan and Qiao Ning, and Ruan quickly stepped forward and said with a smile:

“This jade pendant does indeed belong to Ning’er. Today, when the cousins ​​were playing together, Qingyan gave her pearl bracelet to Ning’er. Since Qingying likes this jade pendant, I decided to let Ning’er give it to Qingying. It’s more harmonious for the cousins ​​to exchange gifts.”

Madam Qiao could naturally tell that the jade pendant was a rare treasure. Upon hearing this, she gave her daughter a reproachful look, then plucked a pair of ruby-encrusted hairpins from her hair, walked over to Qiao Ning, gently inserted them into her hair, and turned back to smile:

"Qingyan's bracelet isn't worth much, it can't compare to your jade. We can't just take Ning'er's good stuff for nothing."

This hair ornament is a new style from Ruyilou before the New Year. Let Ning'er wear it and play with it; consider it a New Year's red envelope from her aunt. Sister-in-law, don't you think this hair ornament looks pretty on Ning'er?"

Seeing the pair of ruby-encrusted hair ornaments on her daughter's head, which looked expensive but were actually old-fashioned and unsuitable for a young girl's age, Madam Ruan still said with trepidation:

"Sister, this is too much. I've already given the children their red envelopes. Now you're giving Ning'er such nice things. How can a young girl like her accept this?"

She was about to step forward and pull it out when Qiao stopped her, saying:

"Is my sister-in-law trying to be distant with me?"

These words silenced Madam Ruan, who dared not make another move and could only stammer:

"Sister, you're too kind. Ning'er, hurry up and thank your aunt."

As she spoke, she gently pushed her daughter.

Seeing Ruan's timid and hesitant manner, Wen couldn't help but say, "Alright, exchanging a jade pendant for two good things, Ning'er is the one who benefits."

Ruan's face turned pale and she dared not say another word.

The Qiao family members escorted Yu Jingsheng and Qiao Shi out of the gate and onto the carriage. They watched them leave before turning back.

Wen glanced at Ruan, who was supporting her, and said, "Don't always act like you're not presentable. Even if Ning'er's jade pendant is worth some silver, it's fine to give it to Qingying if she likes it. You shouldn't accept your sister's and Qingyan's nice things."

Ruan replied meekly, “Mother is right. I will have Ning’er take off the hair ornament and bracelet and put them here with you in a little while.”

Madam Wen waved her hand casually: "No need. Since you've already accepted it, it's for Ning'er. You must remember that the most taboo thing for a lady of a good family is to be petty. Your family is of humble origin, so in the future, tell Ning'er to have less contact with your nieces and more with her aunt's family."

Wen looked down on Ruan and despised her family even more, and she never concealed these thoughts when talking to Ruan.

Ruan lowered her eyes and said nothing more.

As Qiao and others had predicted, after the New Year, women from prominent families began to frequently visit the Nanping Earl's residence.

These people were all there to inquire about Yu Qingyan's marriage. Some were noble ladies who were on good terms with the Zhang and Qiao families, while others were official matchmakers sent directly by the family.

During this time, Qiao returned to her parents' home several times, but she usually went back alone to discuss with her mother, Wen, which family would be suitable for her daughter to marry into.

Madam Wen actually preferred to go to the palace to ask the Empress Dowager to grant her granddaughter a marriage, but her son-in-law did not agree. As the maternal grandmother, she did not dare to overstep her bounds. Besides, there was the old lady of the Earl's Mansion there. As the maternal grandmother, she could only help her daughter to privately choose a suitable candidate.

After careful selection, three families were quickly chosen from among the suitors:

The first family is the heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei. He is twenty-one years old and has been protecting the country with his father, the Marquis of Zhenbei, for many years. Although the heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei is not as famous as the young general Lu Yunqi, he still holds military power and can be called a young hero.

This son-in-law was naturally the one that the Earl of Nanping himself preferred. He was a civil official, but subconsciously he still hoped that his daughter would marry into a military family to make up for his regret of not being able to become a military general and fight on the battlefield.

Most importantly, Cheng Niang and her two children encountered trouble on their way to the capital, but fortunately they met the heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei who helped them, which allowed them to reach the capital safely.

Later, when he made a special trip to express his gratitude, he met the young master and immediately took a liking to him. Now that he had the opportunity to become in-laws with the Marquis of Zhenbei, he was naturally very pleased.

However, as soon as this candidate was proposed, it was met with strong opposition from Madam Zhang and Madam Qiao. Having experienced the changes in the marriage of the Ningyuan General's Mansion, they were now unwilling to let their granddaughter/daughter discuss marriage with a military family again. What if the heir of the Zhenbei Marquis was also short-lived and died for the country on the battlefield? Wouldn't Qingyan have fallen into another trap?