The young master and his servant carried the food box together and ran into the third young master, Gu Ting, as they went out. The two nodded slightly in greeting.

Gu Ting hasn't been actively pursuing an official position yet. He said he wanted to go to the Hanlin Academy, but his grades weren't good enough, so the Hanlin Academy wouldn't accept him.

Lately, it seems they've been eyeing officials in the capital again, any seventh-rank official will do, as long as they can stay in the capital.

It seems that his father has agreed to Gu Ting and his father's request, and now he goes out every day to visit relatives and friends to pave the way for Gu Ting.

He shook his head slightly and sighed softly, wondering why his younger brother was so arrogant.

Hopefully, my father can find a way to fulfill his wish; otherwise, the second master of the family will cause quite a commotion.

In Xiuxia Courtyard, Concubine Yang stood up excitedly, "Is what Master said true?"

Second Master Gu Xiao picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and said smugly, "How could it be fake? Now we're just waiting for eldest brother to arrange a position for Gu Ting."

Afterwards, by leveraging the influence of the Marquis's family, he could secure a position in the Hanlin Academy, promising a bright future.

…………………………

Madam Zheng was sitting inside drinking tea when Gu Xiao entered with a delighted expression. He didn't cause any trouble, nor did he ask for money, but his words were quite surprising.

"Madam, please get ready quickly. We're going with the matchmaker to the Anbo Mansion to 'insert hairpins' for the Third Miss."

Choose a presentable hairpin, lest someone look down on you.

Zheng choked on her tea and quickly grabbed a handkerchief, covering her mouth and coughing for a long time.

"What nonsense is the master spouting? He wants to have Gu Ting examined? But what does this have to do with the Anbo Mansion?"

The second master excitedly told Madam Zheng about his visit to the Earl's residence that day to arrange a marriage between the two families' children.

"You have no idea, that girl was so afraid of offending me that she defied her father in public. It gave me a chance to vent my anger."

Zijuan wanted to come up and change the handkerchief for the second wife, but the second wife waved her hand and sent her away.

Upon hearing this, Zheng unconsciously clenched her handkerchief so tightly that she almost tore it to shreds.

He looked up at Gu Xiao again and found that he was genuinely surprised.

"Master, are you joking? Wouldn't acting like this offend the Anbo family? Wouldn't Dalang and his brothers needlessly incur hatred?"

Gu Xiao dusted off his sleeves. "Madam, there's no need to worry. Their daughter is doing it willingly. Who can they blame?"

After saying that, he became a little impatient, "Let's hurry up and get ready, lest we delay the important matter!"

Madam Zheng hurriedly spoke up to stop them, "No, even if we're going to put the hairpin in the hair, the two families should exchange engagement letters first."

"Why not send the official matchmaker first to exchange the engagement tokens, and then we can discuss other matters."

Gu Xiao thought for a moment and readily agreed. Madam Zheng saw him off politely. As soon as he left...

Madam Zheng then brought two maids, Zijuan and Zijing, carrying a basin of melons and fruits to the First Madam's courtyard.

"Sister-in-law, Gu Xiaogang told me that he was going to go to the Anbo Mansion to propose marriage on behalf of Gu Ting, but he's gone mad and is talking nonsense?"

Lady Hou was taken aback. "I have never heard of this, but now you have sent an official matchmaker?"

The second wife stood up anxiously and stamped her feet. "Sister-in-law, where is it? I made an excuse to stop them, but what exactly happened? I'm still completely confused and have no idea what's going on."

Lady Hou pondered for a moment, then said, "I'll send Granny Hua to inquire first. You go back and wait for news from the matchmaker..."

The second wife quickly assured her, "Of course I won't send a matchmaker at this time. I'll wait for my sister-in-law's reply before discussing anything else."

Granny Hua brought a box of snacks made by Granny Sun to the Anbo Mansion and was brought before Jiang Shiyi.

“Our lady remembered that the aunt liked these kinds of snacks, and it just so happens that the maid in the courtyard made some new ones. We came especially to deliver them to the lady.”

Jiang Shiyi glanced at the box brought by Granny Hua, then at Granny Gui. Granny Gui, understanding the meaning, stepped forward and handed over a wide gold bracelet with pear blossom patterns.

"Please thank your wife for me. We might have another marriage proposal in a couple of days, but my family is busy with the matter of adopting a son."

"I don't have time to discuss the marriage arrangements with my elder sister (Lady Hou) yet; let's do it later!"

Granny Hua was taken aback for a moment, then quickly apologized after realizing what had happened. She even slapped herself in the face.

Jiang Shiyi wouldn't hold it against her, and had Granny Gui send her away politely.

……………………

At Yiqing Courtyard, Xu Shaoqing listened incredulously to the message delivered by Granny Wu.

"My father wants to give me to my third uncle as his adopted daughter? Is what the nanny said true?"

Granny Wu squatted down and gave a curtsy.

"The master and mistress have already packed their luggage, and we will be setting off to return to our hometown of Jingyang soon."

"Miss, if there's anything you need to take, please have the maids prepare it early. We'll be setting off first thing the day after tomorrow."

Without allowing Xu Shaoqing to argue or make a fuss, Jiang Shiyi and his wife quickly and decisively set off back to their hometown.

I spent a month in my hometown of Jingyang, and the dates were planned well in advance.

They had barely arrived at the old house when the very next day they went to the ancestral hall to write the official documents.

Adopting a son requires returning to one's ancestral home. This is the fundamental principle of human life and the way of honoring lineage. Only the main branch of the family is qualified to adopt a son.

The patriarch personally wrote the succession document and read it aloud in front of the clan elders and neighbors in the ancestral hall.

Xu Shaoqing was not much more lucid than the seven or eight-year-old child in her family. She was pushed around in a daze throughout the entire process.

From this day forward, she was no longer the third young lady of the Anbo family, but the legitimate daughter of the merchant Xu Yan. Her biological parents became her uncle and aunt.

Xu Shaoqing looked at her parents, who were greeting the elders and relatives to take their seats at the banquet. A surge of grievance welled up in her heart, and her eyes reddened, on the verge of tears.

Gui Xiang's heart trembled. She stepped forward to support the young lady's hand and gently comforted her, "Why are you doing this, young lady? The master and mistress are only thinking of you."

In this way, even if she marries into the second branch of the Marquis's family in the future, no one will say that the third young master of the Gu family has ulterior motives. Your statuses are a perfect match.

"The young lady can have her wish fulfilled while also preserving the Gu family's reputation. How wonderful!"

Xu Shaoqing unconsciously frowned, somewhat lost in thought. That's what she said, but it just didn't seem to make sense!

“But, Guixiang, I…” she stammered, not knowing what she was trying to say.

Gui Xiang's mind went cold. Regardless of what she wanted to say, her only thought now was to appease her and prevent her from losing her composure in front of so many guests.

“Even if the young lady has any intention of speaking to the lady, she shouldn’t have chosen this time.”

"Master and Madam are very busy right now. Shall we go and pay them a visit after today?"

Xu Shaoqing glanced at her parents and saw that they were indeed constantly busy dealing with guests, not even having time to drink tea.

He hesitated for a moment, struggled with his thoughts, and then fell silent, sitting obediently at the table to eat with his adopted younger brother.

After finishing all the tasks, it was already dusk, and the night wind was still a bit chilly.

Xu Shaoqing wore a primrose-colored brocade cape. She and Guixiang sat under the gardenia tree outside her parents' residence, waiting for Jiang Shiyi.

Seeing Jiang Shiyi return, she quickly stood up to greet her, "Mother, I..."

Before she could speak, Jiang Shiyi interrupted her with a smile.

"It's getting late and the dew is heavy. You'll catch a chill. Go inside first, so you don't get cold outside."

Once inside, Granny Gui personally poured Xu Shaoqing a cup of tea.

"Mother, I do not wish to be adopted." She only said these words before tears streamed down her face.

Madam Jiang looked at her and sighed, "Alright, if you're willing to cancel your marriage with Gu Sanlang, I'll grant your request."

Xu Shaoqing was taken aback. "What does this have to do with him? Why does Mother have to play the villain? Father agreed to this marriage."

Seeing her so self-righteous and acting foolish, Jiang suddenly lost interest.

"What does it matter whether you have an heir or not? It's just that the legitimate daughter of this Earl's family has a much better reputation than a merchant."

"Are you really unaware that Gu Ting coveted the reputation of the Anbo Mansion?"

Xu Shaoqing was rendered speechless. She wanted to retort, but Jiang waved her hand. She could only bow and take her leave.

After stepping out the door, Xu Shaoqing turned her head and glanced at Jiang Shi, who was rubbing her temples, looking extremely tired.