Chapter 71 Returning to Compete for Favor
Jin Yunning took a letter from the drawer and handed it to Xiang Ruzhen.
In fact, Xiang Ruzhen had left a deep impression on Jin Yunning last time in the college cafeteria.
Six months ago, Jin Xueqing broke into the academy without permission. After returning home, she was absent-minded and distracted all day long.
After being interrogated by Jin Yun Ning, he confessed everything. He even said that he wanted to marry Xiang Ru Zhen and hoped that his mother would give him her blessing.
Jin Yunning didn't take it seriously at the time, after all, Xiang Ruzhen's family background was somewhat inferior.
Although the Jin family is not considered a prominent clan, Jin Yun Ning holds a high position among the three most respected members of the family and is a veteran of two dynasties.
She was upright and highly respected, and served as the head of the Censorate for decades. Many of her protégés were promoted and supported by her. Numerous powerful and influential families in the court wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Jin family, and even members of the imperial family were interested in establishing such a connection.
Jin Xueqing was Jin Yun Ning's youngest son, and also her most beloved among her many sons. Although she admired Xiang Ruzhen's talent, marrying her son off to a poor family was still too risky.
Fortunately, Jin Xueqing is still young and there's no rush to get married. Therefore, Jin Yunning is just keeping an eye on her secretly, planning to observe her for two or three years before making a decision.
Last month, she saw her exam results and was shocked. She knew the intricacies of the process and privately thought that given Xiang Ruzhen's family background, she couldn't possibly rank second, so she was quite puzzled.
As it happened, she had a close personal relationship with Ling Zhixu, the dean of the academy, so she personally went to inquire and learned the reason behind it. Ling Zhixu praised the three students highly, and spoke especially highly of Xiang Ruzhen.
When Jin Yun Ning returned home, she wrote a letter to Jin Yi Huai, in which she mentioned that she wanted to arrange a marriage for Jin Xue Qing and asked Jin Yi Huai what he thought of Xiang Ru Zhen.
Today, Xiang Ruzhen came to offer her condolences, and Jin Yunning showed her the reply.
"This is Huai'er's last letter home. Take a look."
Thinking of her daughter, Jin Yun Ning's eyes reddened, and she quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, saying with emotion, "Two and a half of those three pages were praising you. Ever since Qing'er mentioned you to me half a year ago, I've been investigating you."
"To be honest, I've lived to be almost seventy years old and seen all sorts of people and things. I've met countless people, but I've never heard of anyone as upright, courageous, and righteous as you. Your friends stand by you through thick and thin, and even your enemies acknowledge your character and abilities."
"Huai'er said you even hit her, you two fought several times, but in her letter she praised you to the skies. She said you were excellent in both character and academics, both literary and martial arts, and that you were upright and trusted by everyone. She said that if you and Xueqing could become husband and wife, you would become brothers-in-law, and she would be very happy."
Jin Yun Ning choked up again as she spoke, "After hearing what you just said, I am even more convinced that what everyone said is true. You are indeed very good, extremely good."
She sighed, "Thinking back, you and Xueqing met because of Huai'er, and now you've met again at Huai'er's funeral. I believe this is an arrangement made by Huai'er's spirit in heaven. She was loyal to her country, and although I am deeply saddened, I also know that the deceased are gone, and those who are alive still have many things to do."
"Ruzhen, I am old and will pass away one day. The Jin family is full of elderly and weak people and needs a woman to support them. If I marry Qing'er to you, will you take care of the Jin family like Huai'er did after I am gone?"
Xiang Ruzhen looked at her with emotion and answered firmly, "I will. Xueqing's family is my family, and I will do my best to take care of and protect them."
*
Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin waited for a long time before Xiang Ruzhen finally came out.
The two hurried forward, "How is it? Lord Jin didn't fly into a rage, did he?"
Xiang Ruzhen shook her head. "No, she said she entrusted Xueqing and the fate of the entire Jin family to me, and asked me to come back in a month to propose marriage, and then rush to hold the wedding in three months."
Lu Jinlan was shocked. "So urgent?"
Xiang Ruzhen said, "I also think it's inappropriate. After all, Senior Yi Huai just passed away. I said I wanted to propose three months later and get married after the New Year. But Lord Jin said that she is not in good health and is getting old, so she doesn't want to wait too long. Senior Yi Huai wanted to make this marriage happen as much as possible when he was alive, so she wouldn't care if she knew in the afterlife."
Yan Wuxin thought about it and agreed, "That's good too. It's better to do it sooner rather than later, to avoid any unforeseen problems. If you don't do it soon, in three months, I'm afraid the number of people coming to the Jin family to propose marriage will be so great that they'll wear down the threshold."
Xiang Ruzhen sighed, "But I haven't informed my family yet, and I don't know what to prepare. Time is so tight, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Xueqing."
Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "Isn't that easy? You're in charge of informing the family, and Wu Xin and I will handle everything else. It's our holiday, so we have plenty of time. I happen to have experience with weddings, so you can just leave everything to us."
Yan Wuxin said, "That's right, I love doing this kind of thing the most. Jinlan, let's go back and make our own preparations. After the funeral procession the day after tomorrow, we'll start making arrangements."
The two readily agreed and left, leaving Xiang Ruzhen standing there, somewhat bewildered.
*
Upon returning to his residence, Lu Jinlan immediately spoke to Lin Cheng about the matter.
"Ruzhen's marriage cannot be taken lightly. This young master Jin Jiu is the younger brother of the late senior Yi Huai. From any perspective, he should not be treated poorly. Although Lord Jin is not opportunistic, many eyes will be watching. I don't want Ruzhen to be gossiped about. We must make sure it is a grand and respectable occasion for her."
Lin Cheng said, "You and she are like sisters, so it's only right. Fortunately, our family has both money and manpower, so you don't need to worry about these trivial matters. Leave them all to me. I'll treat it as our own happy occasion and prepare it like our wedding. Is that alright?"
Lu Jinlan smiled and took his hand. "No need for that. After all, the Jin family just went through such a thing. Being too extravagant and ostentatious would be bad, and Ruzhen would feel uncomfortable. Just follow the standards of a high-ranking family, don't make people feel shabby, just be respectable enough."
Rin Cheng hummed in agreement. "Whatever you say, my wife. Just give me your orders and I, your husband, will do them all. After the full moon celebration tomorrow, I'll have more to do."
Lu Jinlan kissed his cheek and said gently, "You've worked hard. If you're too busy, let Yu Mian and Qi Lang help you."
Lin Cheng thought for a moment, "Then forget it. Don't let outsiders think that I, as the legal husband, am incompetent and unable to manage the affairs of the manor on my own. The two of them can take care of their pregnancies and take care of their children. There are so many people in the manor that we can use. Let them stay idle."
Lu Jinlan chuckled and coaxed, "Then you're amazing! You manage the household while taking care of your pregnancy, handling everything with ease. How fortunate I, Lu Jinlan, am to have married such a capable husband!"
Rin Cheng was eager to hear this and said with a touch of pride, "Although I'm not perfect in everything, I always think of you and am very understanding. Wouldn't you call me a good husband?"
"Of course, you're not just good, you're exceptionally good. I've never seen a husband who's better than you. Most of them are ignorant and uncultured, how can they compare to you who are knowledgeable, reasonable and eloquent?"
Lin Cheng was so proud that he could hardly suppress the corners of his mouth. After the two cuddled for a while, he said, "You should go now. I need to go to bed early tonight. I have to be busy entertaining guests tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jinlan exclaimed, "Oh, you're kicking me out? You don't want me to keep you company anymore?"
Lin Cheng rolled his eyes at her. "It's not like you'd stay just because I asked you to. Sigh, he came out of his postpartum period early for you, enduring the pain all the way back from so far away. He's so worried, and you don't even care?"
Lu Jinlan sensed a hint of jealousy, but decided to feign ignorance and laughed, "He probably wants me to see the child sooner."
Lin Cheng snorted, "Come on, does he want you to see the baby sooner, or does he want to see you sooner? We're both men, I know what he's thinking."
Lu Jinlan asked with a smile, "What was he thinking?"
"What else could he be thinking? Of course, he's taking advantage of my pregnancy and Qilang's inconvenience to take care of us, and he's rushing back to compete for our favor. It's not that I'm petty, he hasn't seen you for a year, I'm not jealous if you keep him company, but he's already had a daughter."
As Lin Cheng spoke, he hugged Lu Jinlan's waist and pleaded softly, "Please don't let him get pregnant again."
Lu Jinlan clicked her tongue. "He just gave birth, what could he be pregnant with? Even if he got pregnant right now, he'd give birth after you. What are you afraid of?"
Lin Cheng said unhappily, "I don't even know if the baby in my belly is a boy or a girl. If it's a boy, I'll have to wait for the next pregnancy. By the time our daughter is born, all the good names will have been taken. Everyone else is having a daughter before me. I'm going to faint from anger."
Lu Jinlan touched his belly and asked the system in her mind, "Is Lin Cheng having a girl or a boy?"
System Granny: "Do you think I'm an ultrasound machine? Sorry, the system cannot provide fetal sex determination services."
Lu Jinlan sighed helplessly and comforted her, "It must be a daughter."
Lin Cheng: "Ideally, as long as I give birth to a daughter, they can have as many children as they want, I will not care."
Lu Jinlan nodded in agreement, "Okay, you were worried that all the good names would be taken? Then I'll reserve a name for our child first. East, South, West, or North—which direction do you prefer?"
Rin Cheng thought for a moment, "Bei, why do you ask that?"
Lu Jinlan smiled. "You'll find out tomorrow. I'm leaving."
She got up, straightened her clothes, and headed towards Yu Mian's courtyard. Halfway there, she saw Qi Lang practicing his sword in the courtyard, so she turned in and talked to him for a while.
Lu Jinlan: "Be careful, it's been five months already, how dare you do this?"
Qi Lang sheathed his sword and laughed, "It's alright, I've gained weight recently. If I don't move around a bit, I'll become a fat man. It's really strange, isn't it? My husband got pregnant a month earlier than me, but he hasn't gained any weight. Yu Mian just gave birth, and he hasn't gained any weight either. Why am I the only one who's gained weight?"
Lu Jinlan smiled and wiped the sweat from his face. "Didn't you ask them?"
"I asked, and the doctor said he's naturally thin and can't gain weight, while Yu Mian said he just sleeps all the time and gets thinner as he sleeps."
Looking at Qilang's innocent eyes, Lu Jinlan couldn't help but shake her head with a smile. Compared to the other two, Qilang was still too naive; he believed everything people said.
Lu Jinlan pinched his cheek. "Silly boy, I don't eat six meals a day like you. If you keep eating like that, I'm afraid you'll give birth to a ten-pound baby."
Qilang said, feeling wronged, "Wasn't I worried that the child wouldn't get enough nutrition?"
As the two were talking, Yu Mian came over, "So this is where my wife is. I've been looking for her for ages."
Lu Jinlan asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Yu Mian said, "The child hasn't seen you all day and has been crying and fussing, refusing to sleep."
Lu Jinlan gave him a meaningful look. "Is that so?"
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