After careful consideration, Madam Ping nodded and said, "It seems that for us women to gain a foothold in the inner quarters, we not only need the favor of our husbands and mothers-in-law, but also our own abilities."

Xu Zhi smiled and said, "That's natural. If you don't have the ability, even if you have the favor of your husband and mother-in-law at the beginning, how long can that favor last? Sister-in-law, the filth in those big mansions can't be explained in a short time. There are so many families in the capital, how many of them have a truly harmonious relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law? We women are the ones who go to our husband's family later. Some mothers-in-law are sensible and know that their daughters have grown up and suddenly want to come and live with them, so they will naturally help Chen Jiu. Some mothers-in-law want to control their daughters-in-law, so they will set rules from the beginning and do whatever they can to upset them. They will stuff people into their daughters-in-law's courtyard and make their daughters-in-law serve them three meals a day. There are so many ways they can do that."

Xu Zhi shared what she knew, treating it as a gossip session with Ping Shi. Ping Shi listened intently, chanting Buddhist prayers. Finally, with lingering fear, she said, "How could there be such a mother-in-law? Sigh, we have three daughters. I'm so afraid my daughters won't find good husbands and will be mistreated after marriage. When I married my husband, our family was poor. My mother-in-law was bedridden, and my husband had to study. I took care of my sick mother-in-law by myself and also raised my younger brothers and sisters-in-law. I suffered so much, and I just wanted to make sure my daughters didn't suffer the same fate. But there are so few families we know well. He'er is almost of marriageable age, and if we don't settle down soon, I'm afraid people will gossip."

Xu Zhi wanted to help with matchmaking, and after considering the families she knew, she immediately thought of her maternal family, the Chen family.

However, when it comes to matchmaking, it's best if both parties are willing. Xu Zhi was a little apprehensive about doing this for the first time, but she couldn't bear to see such a good girl like He'er marry into a bad family and be mistreated.

After much deliberation, Xu Zhi couldn't come up with a good idea. Zheng Boyuan called her home for lunch, so she had to put the matter aside for the time being.

Back home, Zheng Boyuan asked her if she had any worries. Xu Zhi told him about wanting to be a matchmaker. Although Zheng Boyuan thought it was a good idea, he didn't dare to easily bring Feng Shaoli to his side through his children's marriage. Zheng Boyuan really liked Feng Shaoli, but how to use him in the future would have to wait until Xu Di arrived.

"Ah Zhi, we need to ask the Chen family's uncles for their opinions first, and the Chen family's cousin also needs to be willing," Zheng Boyuan said seriously to Xu Zhi.

Xu Zhi nodded, and said with some regret, "I just like He'er. She's such a good girl and deserves to marry into a good family. I really don't want He'er to marry into a bad family and be mistreated by her mother-in-law and rejected by her husband in the future."

Zheng Boyuan smiled and shook his head. Xu Zhi saw him shake his head and tugged at his sleeve, asking, "What does it mean when you shake your head?"

Zheng Boyuan said with a smile, "You're only a few years older than He'er, right? I just find it a little funny to see you worrying about He'er's marriage."

Xu Zhi pouted unhappily and said, "What's so funny about this? Haven't I been planning for Yuanyuan's marriage all along? You men don't know how difficult it is for girls. When they reach a certain age, if they can't find a good husband, even if they can stand on their own in the future, they will still suffer a lot of grievances."

Seeing that Xu Zhi was unhappy, Zheng Boyuan then told her his thoughts. After listening and thinking it over carefully, Xu Zhi said, "Actually, what you think makes a lot of sense. We can't just get off this ship easily once we're on it. There's really no chance to back out. Let's wait until our elder brother comes and discuss it properly before we talk about it."

The Ma family fleet sent over top-notch fighters from Xu Di's side. They weren't just skilled in martial arts; each of them had their own expertise. Some were good at disguise, some at espionage, and one was even good at accounting. These dozen or so people made Zheng Boyuan look at his brother-in-law with even greater respect. He really didn't know when he had started training these people.

Xu Di's journey was not smooth sailing.

The Miao River meanders through Miaozhou and flows for over a hundred miles before emptying into the sea. Before even reaching Miaozhou, a flood from the Miao River washed away a local stone bridge.

This stone bridge was a necessary passage, and even if one wanted to detour, it was uncertain whether the other bridge was still standing. Xu Di had no choice but to arrange for people to find timber and build a raft to cross the river. Afterwards, many places along the way were flooded, which greatly delayed the journey.

Xu Di was anxious, so he could only have his men escort the goods slowly while he himself rode quickly with a few guards.

Many sections of the dikes on both sides of the Miao River have been destroyed. Xu Di sighed repeatedly as he walked along the river. The restoration of this river would be a huge project. However, the crops on both sides of the Miao River are a very important grain-growing area for Daliang. If this river is not restored, Daliang's granaries will harvest much less grain.

After the Ma family's fleet delivered people to Miaozhou, they waited about a hundred miles away. This was something Xu Di had instructed them to do beforehand, so that they could deliver Xu Di to Miaozhou by water.

After picking up Xu Di, the Ma family's boat traveled upstream along the Miao River. Fortunately, the water in the Miao River had become much calmer, and in one day, they delivered Xu Di to the vicinity of Miaozhou City.

The water around Miaozhou City had receded, and the road from Miaozhou City to Miaohe River had disappeared. Xu Di rode his horse, following behind a guide, slowly making his way towards Miaozhou City.

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