Even though the Right Chancellor was a man of deep thoughts, upon hearing this, he understood that his family's affairs had already been thoroughly investigated.
I've been busy with official duties lately and haven't been to my mother-in-law's house. The Right Chancellor knows about the death of a servant woman.
In wealthy families, let alone the death of an old servant, even if a maid or servant girl was beaten to death for doing something wrong, no one would care.
Prefect Lu nodded, indicating that he believed him.
"I understand. Right Prime Minister, please return. That servant woman will have to pay with her life. As for the servant woman's son and daughter-in-law in the Meng family, they should be compensated accordingly. The prostitute was sold to the brothel by beggars when she was young. I don't know how many people she passed through. Her family can no longer find out."
Prefect Lu made his meaning very clear: if the deceased's family cannot be found at the brothel, there is no need for compensation.
The fact that he and his wife were not publicly summoned after a murder case already constitutes favoritism.
The Right Chancellor rose and bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you, Lord Lu. I will certainly repay you for today's kindness in the future."
"You're too kind, Prime Minister. I don't deserve your gratitude. Just keep a close watch on the inner quarters and make sure no one dies. If I remember correctly, your daughter is not yet married. Your actions are somewhat detrimental to the marriage prospects of the young masters and ladies."
Governor Lu returned the greeting with a cupped hand, saying, "Please take your time, Prime Minister. I still have to go to the palace."
"Enter the palace!"
"Yes, go to the palace and report to the Emperor that foreign envoys have recently arrived in the capital. Any murder cases must be reported to the Emperor."
"How could I not know about this?" The Right Chancellor gasped.
If the Emperor finds out about Granny Huang's affair, he will surely think that the Cui family has failed to educate their daughter properly, and it will be impossible for their daughter to enter the palace.
The Right Chancellor wanted to ask Prefect Lu to cover up the murder, but in the end he opened his mouth but didn't say anything.
In today's case, Prefect Lu has already shown great leniency. To ask someone to bend the law for personal gain and then to ask someone to deceive the emperor would be utterly shameless.
Prefect Lu looked at the Right Prime Minister meaningfully, "There are no secrets in the world. There are unmarried young ladies in the household. Your Excellency, it would be best to arrange a marriage for them as soon as possible. That's all I have to say."
"Thank you for your help, my family is in trouble."
The Right Chancellor returned to his residence with a dark face and confronted his wife directly, "The Emperor will soon find out how well you have raised your daughter. Forget about her entering the palace. Quickly find a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for our daughter and get her married as soon as possible, the sooner the better."
Madam Cui's throat has recovered, but she has been unable to eat or sleep well these past few days. Although she had anticipated this outcome, she is still unwilling to accept it.
Hearing her husband's sarcastic words, a tear streamed down her face. "Husband, Die'er is deeply in love with the Emperor. How can I tell her this?"
"Why didn't you consult me before you did this? Did you think that just because your husband is a high-ranking official, you could do whatever you wanted and control everything?!"
“Foolish! If it weren’t for Lord Lu showing me some respect today, you and your family would be reunited in the yamen.”
The Right Chancellor grew increasingly angry as he spoke, and couldn't help but raise his voice.
"Was that all for my own sake? Don't you think about it? The Emperor has already announced that a special imperial examination will be held this autumn. In the future, the court will be full of talented people. The Emperor is still so young. It's hard to say how long you can hold the position of Right Chancellor."
“Our daughter is both beautiful and talented. If she enters the palace and wins the emperor’s favor, why should you fear that a young and talented man will soon take your place?”
"But that shouldn't be allowed to..."
Hearing that his wife's words resonated with him, the Right Chancellor's tone softened noticeably.
The maids outside the door peeked into the room. The head maid in charge of the courtyard heard the master and mistress arguing and quickly sent all the maids out.
Madam Cui had never been scolded by her husband like this before, and tears streamed down her face as she felt wronged.
The Right Chancellor slumped down, his entire body limp in the armchair.
After crying for a while, Madam Cui noticed that her husband did not comfort her gently as usual. She raised her hand to wipe away her tears and looked at the dejected Right Chancellor.
"Now that things have come to this, you can't blame me. As the matriarch of the Cui family, I believe I have done right by my parents and my children, including your illegitimate children. Ask yourself, have I ever mistreated them?"
“Madam, it’s pointless to talk about this now. If word gets out about what happened with Granny Huang, it will be difficult to find a good marriage for our daughter.”
Madam Cui usually does things methodically, but today she was so flustered that she lost her composure.
Reminded again by her husband, a glint of light appeared in her still tear-stained eyes.
"My husband has met many newly rich men, but do you know any whose sons are of upright character and have a bright future?"
"Does Madam mean for me to choose from among the young men who have recently entered officialdom?"
Madam Cui nodded, "Of course, are we supposed to keep an eye on those poor scholars in the academy whose futures are uncertain?"
"this……"
The Right Chancellor rarely met with young people who had just entered officialdom; the only person he frequently met in court was Chancellor Lin.
He thought for a moment and said, "Does Madam still remember the Minister of Revenue that I mentioned to you before?"
Madam Cui nodded, "I know. He was removed from his position as acting head and became the official head. He was a great meritorious official who made great contributions in Jiangzhou and was also a close minister of the emperor. I heard other officials mention him when I played mahjong with them."
"What is his character like? He became the Minister of Revenue at such a young age, so his future is bound to be limitless. Die'er likes a handsome and talented man. If he is too ugly, Die'er will not be willing."
No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Lady Cui understood her daughter's thoughts best. If the emperor she caught a glimpse of at the city gate had been an ordinary-looking man...
Even after she returned home, she would not secretly draw his portrait repeatedly.
The Right Chancellor said thoughtfully, "Young Master Lin's appearance is impeccable, not much less so than the Emperor's. He is indeed a handsome young man. However, he is not easy to get close to. He also came to the capital from Yannan."
The officials all speculated that he had a close relationship with the Emperor, but they hadn't usually seen the Emperor show him any special favor. This man was a good candidate, but they wondered if Young Master Lin would agree to a marriage proposal.
Upon hearing that the man was handsome, Madam Cui became interested. "Husband, since Die'er is not destined to serve the Emperor, tomorrow you should try to invite Young Master Lin for a cup of tea and find out if he is interested in marriage."
The daughter of the Prime Minister's family should naturally be the principal wife.
Looking around the capital, even the Right Chancellor couldn't think of any other young man who could catch his daughter's eye.
The child of the True Grand Scholar is quite good. He comes from a family of upright and honest people. If he hears any rumors in the future, he will definitely not tolerate his daughter.
The Prime Minister readily agreed, "I will go and sound out Young Master Lin's opinion tomorrow. Please take good care of Die'er; she may find this result difficult to accept."
The Right Chancellor was overthinking it. From the moment Granny Huang was taken away by the yamen runners, she knew it was time to wake up from her dream of being the wife of a concubine.
In the study, Cui Yudie finished painting a profile portrait, tossed the brush aside, and looked at the person in the painting with tears in her eyes.
Liu Xu felt sorry for her mistress who was so depressed all day long, and comforted her, "Miss, don't look at them anymore, put them away. I will accompany you to the City God Temple to burn incense and ask the Bodhisattva to bless you so that all your wishes may come true."
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