Madam Zheng said to Madam Chen, "Let's leave it at that. Don't bring it up again. You're not as sensible as a child. If you have any problems you can't solve, go to the Marquis. The Marquis is a grown man, yet he can't handle things as well as two children in their teens. What kind of logic is that?"

Looking at Xiao Chen's expression and then at Zheng Yunyun sitting silently in her chair with her head down, Xu Zhi instantly understood what Xiao Chen was about to do.

In the past few days, Xu Zhi has been taking Zheng Yuanyuan to parties hosted by high-society ladies, so that these ladies can meet Zheng Yuanyuan and get to know her better. If they want to find a suitable marriage in the capital, why keep her at home and not let outsiders see her? Who would sincerely come to propose marriage?

Because of this matter, the servants in the mansion have been busy with Zheng Yuanyuan's departure in the past few days. The Pingxi Marquis's mansion and the Zheng residence are separated by a wall and connected by a small side gate. The servants in the two residences all know each other, so they often talk about the affairs of the mansion.

What about Madam Chen? Zheng Yuanyuan is less than a year older than Zheng Yunyun. I heard that Madam Chen has always wanted to find a noble marriage for Zheng Yunyun. Logically speaking, the Pingxi Marquis's Mansion is a proper marquis's mansion with a high social standing. Unfortunately, the real noble ladies in the capital look down on Madam Chen. Back then, Madam Chen was on good terms with some people of similar age in the capital. This time, when Xu Zhi took Zheng Yuanyuan out, she met several ladies who were on good terms with Madam Chen back then, and they reminisced with Zheng Yuanyuan for a long time.

Over the years, Madam Chen has failed to break into that circle. She can't even get into the inner circle. Who would sincerely want to marry their own daughter? Besides, Marquis Pingxi is unambitious. To put it bluntly, he's just a lazy bum. Would marrying such a person be like gaining an extra ally or an incompetent teammate?

When it comes to marriage, some people prioritize financial gain. Both parties in the marriage should be able to benefit from it. If the married couple can treat each other with respect and live in harmony, then it is an excellent match. Even if the couple is only superficially compatible, as long as they can maintain a facade of harmony, it is still a decent match.

After several years of trying, Ms. Chen was getting increasingly anxious as her daughter was about to reach marriageable age in two years. With her daughter getting older year by year and still no match in sight, Ms. Chen was becoming more and more worried.

Just then, a servant from the mansion said that the eldest daughter next door had been going out with the eldest mistress of the mansion these past few days in order to meet more of the mistresses of the household and find a good marriage. Madam Chen's heart was moved. She thought that taking one of her sisters-in-law out was the same as taking two of them out. Why not take her own daughter with her?

Madam Chen didn't dare to mention it to Xu Zhi herself. Knowing that Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan were coming to pay their respects to the old lady of the mansion that evening, she brought her daughter to the old lady's courtyard early in the morning.

When Xiao Chen told her mother-in-law about her idea, Old Madam Zheng immediately rejected it. She told Xiao Chen to take Zheng Yunyun back and find a suitable family for her. Old Madam Zheng knew Xiao Chen's character well and knew that Zheng Yunyun, under Xiao Chen's tutelage, could not compare to Zheng Yuanyuan. Although Zheng Yuanyuan had not been seriously taught in the past few years, she had been well-educated in etiquette and character by Xu Zhi's side in recent years.

Out of respect for Madam Chen, the mistress of the house, Old Madam Zheng kept her personal maidservant in the room and sent the rest to the courtyard, far away from the room, just in case Madam Chen said something unpleasant and wanted to save face for her.

Standing in front of the kang (a heated brick bed), Madam Chen looked extremely unwell. She said to Old Madam Zheng, "Mother, you are Yunyun's grandmother. Our Pingxi Marquis's mansion is getting worse year by year. Why not let Yunyun find a marriage that is not too expensive, so that our Pingxi Marquis's mansion can be looked up to by others?"

Old Madam Zheng patiently said, "You know that the Pingxi Marquis's family has not been as well off as it was a few years ago. If that's the case, why insist on marrying Yunyun into a high-ranking and wealthy family? You must understand that although it is said that a high-ranking family marries off its daughter and a low-ranking family marries off its daughter, if the two families are not of equal social standing, how will Yunyun live in her husband's family? Marriage is not a simple matter; there are many considerations. If you feel that you cannot find a suitable candidate around you, I will ask the Marquis to help you find a few promising young men who are not yet engaged from families of similar social standing. You can choose carefully, okay?"

Madam Chen's expression grew increasingly grim. She said to Old Madam Zheng, "Mother, Yunyun is the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family. How can you let her marry just anyone? You yourself said that it must be a marriage between equals. Since it's a marriage between equals, you should ask Madam to take Yunyun to meet the mistresses of some noble families. Mother, I've always known that many mistresses in the capital look down on me, their stepmother. But since ancient times, how many stepmothers have had an easy time? I myself don't want to go out and have people trample on the face of our Marquis's family. But what about Yunyun? Why should Yunyun be dragged down by me, her mother?"

Zheng Yuanyuan was so frightened that she clung to Old Madam Zheng's arm. Xu Zhi, having heard what Xiao Chen had to say, understood everything. But Xu Zhi didn't want to agree to this, nor could she.

While talking to Old Madam Zheng, Madam Chen secretly observed Xu Zhi's expression. Seeing Xu Zhi's calm demeanor, she felt a surge of bitterness. This was the wife that Marquis Pingxi had risked offending the Third Prince to marry for his stepson. With this wife by his side, her life had become increasingly difficult. Madam Chen felt that Xu Zhi was her nemesis.

Madam Zheng said in a deep voice, "Alright, that's enough. Let's pretend nothing happened today. Come to me tomorrow and tell me what kind of marriage you want with the second young lady. You've inquired about quite a few families' children. Let me hear which family's child you've taken a liking to. If they're suitable, I'll swallow my pride and help you negotiate the marriage. What do you say?"

Madam Chen was speechless after being silenced by Old Madam Zheng's words. Taking advantage of Madam Chen's silence, Old Madam Zheng said to Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan, "You should go back first and get some rest."

Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan came out of Madam Zheng's courtyard and walked along the path by the garden toward the side gate. Halfway there, Zheng Yuanyuan couldn't hold back any longer and grabbed Xu Zhi's hand, asking, "Sister-in-law, what exactly did Aunt mean just now?"

Xu Zhi said, "Shut up. This is not our business, so don't say anything more. Just pretend you didn't see or hear anything today, okay?"

Following behind the two, Granny Wang nodded upon hearing Xu Zhi's words, but sighed inwardly. Her young lady still needed to be properly trained. Granny Wang had accompanied them into Old Madam Zheng's room and had clearly seen everything that happened that night, including the expressions on everyone's faces.