Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Madam Yang paced restlessly at home...
Madam Yang was pacing restlessly at home. Just now, the housekeeper came to report that Yang Xu suddenly picked up a box and rode out on a horse, without taking any servants with him. No one knew what he was going to do.
Now it was almost time for dinner, but Yang Xuren hadn't come back yet. For some reason, Mrs. Yang had a bad feeling in her heart.
She remembered the box, which was sent by the Princess of Jinning County to Yang Xu. The letters and things inside showed that the two had been communicating with each other for some time without her knowing.
The fact that Jin Shiyue had been actively pursuing the eldest son of the Xue family was already known to everyone in the famous families in the capital.
He has always had a bad reputation, and Madam Yang immediately thought that the reason why Yang Xu had a private relationship with Jin Shiyue was that Jin Shiyue had actively seduced him. Her son Yang Xu had never been interested in romantic matters. It was because he had never seen the methods of those guys that he was fooled by Jin Shiyue!
To be honest, this matter is still to blame my mother-in-law, Madam Yang! Madam Yang couldn't help but think in her heart: If she hadn't insisted on taking Yang Xu to the banquet at the Prince of Jinning's Mansion, how could Xu'er, who had always been well-behaved, have fallen into the trap of the Princess of Jinning County?
She was secretly complaining about her mother-in-law in her heart when she suddenly heard a noise coming from outside. The mother beside Madam Yang came over to report that the young master had finally returned.
As soon as Mrs. Yang heard that Yang Xu had returned, she rushed out impatiently.
It was only when I arrived at the gate of Yang Xu's yard that I heard that Yang Xu did not go back to the house after returning, but went directly to Madam Yang.
Madam Yang came from a scholarly family and was a famous talented woman before she married into the Yang family.
She followed Old Master Yang all the way to the capital to serve as an official. She was quite insightful and even offered many suggestions for the careers of Old Master Yang and Lord Yang. Although she no longer takes care of the household, she is still in charge of major family affairs, and Lord Yang respects her very much.
Madam Yang apparently holds the power of the housekeeper, but when things happen she is always restricted by Madam Yang, and she is somewhat dissatisfied.
When she heard that Yang Xu went to Madam Yang's house as soon as he returned, Madam Yang felt nervous and rushed over immediately.
As expected, just after entering Madam Yang's courtyard and before entering the house, I heard Yang Xu's voice coming from the door, saying, "Grandma, my grandson loves the Princess of Jinning County. Please take charge of the situation and help my grandson go to the Jinning Palace to propose marriage."
"No! Absolutely not!" Madam Yang immediately walked into the house and said, "There are so many girls and boys in the capital, aren't there enough for you to choose from? Why do you have to fall for a boy that no one wants?"
Yang Xu was unmoved when he heard Madam Yang's words. He just took a step forward, knelt down in front of Madam Yang and said, "Grandma, I beg you to go to the Jinning Palace to propose marriage!"
Yang Xu has been a worry-free person since he was young, and everyone at home praises him. Except for going to the palace to meet the emperor and kowtowing to elders during the New Year, he has never kneeled. Now she actually knelt down and begged her grandmother for a brother, which made Madam Yang gasp.
Mrs. Yang couldn't help but be moved when she saw her grandson begging her like this.
She also had some feelings for the Princess of Jinning County, but her own daughter-in-law really disliked him, so for the sake of family peace, she would not force it.
"Xu'er, get up first." Madam Yang stepped forward, helped Yang Xu up and said, "It's not that grandma doesn't want to help you. It's just that you can see that your mother really doesn't like that boy to come into the family. This marriage is not a joke, it's a matter between two families. If I agree with you and forcefully go to the Jinning Palace to propose marriage, wouldn't that be going against your mother? How can there be peace in our family?"
"Jinning County Lady has not offended my mother, and the Jinning Palace also treated my Yang family very courteously. I don't know why my mother hates Jinning County Lady so much? Is it because I like her?" Yang Xu said, "Since my mother doesn't like him to be married, then I can just marry him, move out with him and start a new residence, and try not to let him meet my mother."
With Yang Xu's temper, he would never say such words unless he was extremely angry.
How could Mrs. Yang bear to hear such words from her son? She felt dizzy and took two steps back, holding her chest. The mother in Madam Yang's room hurried forward and helped her sit on the chair.
"You...you..." Madam Yang said with tears streaming down her face, "You actually disobeyed me for an outsider? Did the county bishop tell you that?"
"No one taught me to say anything!" Yang Xu sighed and said, "It's because you are too prejudiced, mother, and it's hard to communicate with me. Besides, I'm an adult and will be working soon, so it's not strange for me to move out."
"The scholars who entered the Hanlin Academy with me all came from other places and had already set up their own offices."
"They are all scholars from outside the capital, just country bumpkins. How can they be compared with the young men in Beijing? Do you think they don't want to live at home?" Mrs. Yang couldn't help but speak.
"My grandfather was also a Jinshi who passed the imperial examination and became an official in the capital. Could he also be a country bumpkin?" Yang Xu frowned and said, "Mother, you are speaking out of turn!"
Madam Yang accompanied Old Master Yang to Beijing from other places. When he heard Madam Yang's words, his heart sank and he became very angry.
When she was choosing a marriage for Lord Yang, she looked at many people, but Madam Yang was not the one with the most prominent family background.
It was because her family was also a scholarly family in the capital. Although her family was not rich, all her sisters and brothers were educated. In addition, when they met, Mrs. Yang obviously fell in love with Mr. Yang at first sight, so Mrs. Yang specially chose her to be the daughter-in-law of the family.
Over the years, Madam Yang gave Lord Yang a pair of children. Although she was not very generous in her work, she still did her best and treated her mother-in-law with respect. Madam Yang then handed over the power of the housekeeper to her and retreated behind the scenes.
However, the words that came out of her mouth today made Madam Yang realize that this daughter-in-law who was born in the capital actually looked down on their Yang family, a noble family that came to Beijing from other places!
"You are such a bastard!" Madam Yang slammed the table and said to Madam Yang fiercely, "The old master has passed away a long time ago, but he can't tolerate you being so reckless!"
Madam Yang knew that she had said the wrong thing, and now she did not dare to say anything more. She just quickly explained to Madam Yang: "Mother, I was wrong. I said the wrong thing in a moment of haste, and I did not really mean to be disrespectful to the old master and you!"
"If my Yang family had been as picky as you, there would have been someone with a better family background and more talent to marry into. Don't you know that?"
Mrs. Yang didn't dare to speak. She could only cry and wipe the tears from her face with a handkerchief.
Madam Yang looked at her with disdain, and then said to Yang Xu: "Since you like the Jinning County Lady so much, then I will make the decision and help you propose marriage."
But this matter is a major event in your life, and you need your father's consent. When he comes back, you can talk to him yourself.
"Thank you, Grandmother!" Yang Xu's eyes lit up when he heard that, and then he helped Madam Yang up and said, "Mother, you go back and rest."
Madam Yang didn't dare to stay any longer, so she followed the steps handed to her by Yang Xu and said goodbye to Madam Yang and left. After leaving Madam Yang's courtyard, he said to Yang Xu, "Xu'er, do you really want to marry the Princess of Jinning County? Are you going to ignore your mother's reputation?"
"Take everything I said seriously." Yang Xu said to Madam Yang, "Including moving out and opening another residence. Mother, you are so prejudiced against the Princess of Jinning. If you let him live with you, I'm afraid there will be constant conflicts. For the sake of everyone, it's better for the child to move out with him and open a separate residence."
"You! You..." Madam Yang kept saying "you" for a long time before finally giving up and saying, "Okay, okay, you've become too independent and I can't convince you. I'll go find your father and see if he agrees!"
"Okay, I will also convince my father." Yang Xu said very seriously.
When Lord Yang finished his errand and was returning home, he was stopped by Madam Yang as soon as he got off the carriage. After that, she pulled him into the room and didn't come out until an incense stick of time had passed.
When he came out, he saw Yang Xu standing outside the house. At this time, she looked at him and sighed, "You must have something to tell me, right? Come to the study."
Yang Xu and Lord Yang walked into the study, while Madam Yang was still standing guard outside the door, worried. Just now, she used both soft and hard tactics to persuade Lord Yang to support her and refuse to agree to the marriage between Yang Xu and Princess Jinning.
Lord Yang usually doesn't take care of household affairs, and most of these things are up to her, and this time should be no exception.
After closing the door, Lord Yang said to Yang Xu, "A man should put his career first and marry a virtuous woman. Do you really want to go against your mother? Will you marry the Princess of Jinning and cause unrest in the family?"
Yang Xu then said, "Father, I really like him, and my marriage with the Princess of Jinning is not a rash decision, but the most prudent path I think after thinking for a long time."
"What's the safe way?" Lord Yang asked after hearing this, with a look of disapproval on his face: "The Princess of Jinning has a bad reputation, and that's why your mother opposed you marrying her, fearing that it would bring shame to the Yang family."
"Father, mother is a concubine, so she can only see the superficial things about marriage. However, you are in the court, so you should understand the situation in the court better."
"The court seems peaceful now, but in fact, it is full of dangers." Yang Xu said, "Take the day I went to the Jinning Palace for a banquet. It seemed that refugees from the suburbs of Beijing were causing trouble, but in fact, the reason why the Jinning County Lady and I were attacked was because we were traveling with the Xue family's eldest son's fiancé Lang Chenxuan on the road."
"That's why Brother Shen escaped on horseback, and the bandits chased him, sparing me and the county lady."
"The Xue family's eldest son has been leaning towards the Ye family and the second prince in recent days, and his fiancé is in danger."
"If Chen Xuan had died that day, this matter would have been impossible to conceal. The Ye family, who were responsible for guarding the outskirts of Beijing and comforting the victims, would be held accountable first. The Xue family's eldest son, as her fiancé, would also be unable to clear his suspicion and would probably be deposed."
"This method is actually aimed at the Second Prince's lineage behind them. It can be seen that the relationship between the First Prince and the Second Prince in the court is like fire and water."
"Your analysis is indeed reasonable, but what does this have to do with your marriage?" Lord Yang asked with narrowed eyes after a moment of contemplation.
"That day, the eldest prince's men let Princess Jinning and I go, wasn't it because we don't belong to any of these lines?" Yang Xu said, "Prince Jinning has a special status. He has always been an idle prince and does not participate in any government affairs. He poses no threat to any of their factions."
"And the other powerful officials are more or less involved in the struggle between the two parties. Does marrying into a certain family mean that we will side with one of the parties? We will definitely be involved in this struggle!"
"Emperor Wu of Jin is already old. If a prince ascends the throne in the future, it would be fine if he is from our lineage. But if he is not from our lineage, wouldn't our Yang family be implicated as well?"
"It would be better to marry the Princess of Jinning County and stay away from these disputes. No matter who ascends the throne in the future, they will win us over, which is more secure!"
After listening to Yang Xu's words, Lord Yang was silent for a long time before he said, "According to you, marrying the Princess of Jinning is actually the best choice?"
"I do think so," Yang Xu said.
"So did you marry him for the sake of the Yang family, or did you really like him?" Lord Yang asked again.
Yang Xu then stepped forward and said, "It's the best of both worlds. Please help me, father, and convince mother. I will take the Princess of Jinning out to open a government office and support myself. I will not let the Yang family suffer from unrest."
When Lord Yang heard this, he stroked his beard, sighed and said, "You are finally grown up, and now you can make your own decisions."
Having said this, he waved his hand and said, "Forget it, you can move out. A man must be independent when he starts a family and a career. Since you like the county lady and marrying her will also have its benefits, I have no objection."
"But your mother is unhappy after all. I can't force her to do this. I won't get involved in this matter. Just ask your grandmother to propose marriage for you."
"Thank you, father, for your help!" Yang Xu showed a hint of joy on his face when he heard that.
When he pushed the door open happily, he saw Mrs. Yang standing at the door. Seeing the happy expression on his face, Mrs. Yang's heart skipped a beat. He hurried over to Lord Yang and said, "You won't agree, will you? How can you ignore your son's marriage?"
Lord Yang then rubbed his nose and said, "He has a strong opinion on this matter, and I can't argue with him. Besides, my mother has agreed, so how can I, as a son, disobey her?"
He pushed the matter back to Madam Yang, and there was nothing Madam Yang could do.
She could only cry again while speaking harshly to Yang Xu: "I won't give you any betrothal gift for your marriage. Just go and propose marriage and see what the Jinning Palace thinks of you! And if you want to open a palace, you need money to buy a house. We don't have that kind of spare money at home. Now that you're strong enough, you should find a way to do it yourself!"
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