Chapter 307: Forced to Become a Concubine
When the onlookers heard this, the whole place was in an uproar.
"If you take a concubine, you can get a dowry of one thousand taels of gold. This is one thousand taels of gold!"
One tael of gold, ten taels of silver.
Thousand taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver.
The people around him wished they could take his place.
You can get a beautiful concubine and great wealth. Where can you find such a good thing?
Just when everyone thought that Gu Mingda would definitely agree, Gu Mingda slowly shook his head and said, "One man's honey is another man's poison. My wife and I have already made a promise to be together forever and never take another woman. Although I have never met your daughter, I think that as a woman, no one is willing to be a concubine. She will definitely find her true love in the future."
Gu Mingda's words were relatively tactful at this time.
But the merchant was judging others by himself, and said with a smile: "Master, is there a fierce mother tiger at home? Don't worry, my little girl not only has a dowry of a thousand taels of gold, but she is also virtuous and gentle. She will definitely be humble and serve her parents well, and will not cause trouble for you, Master."
Gu Mingda was getting a little impatient at this point. It was as if this person didn't understand what he was saying. He frowned and said, "Don't mention her gentle nature, let alone the price of a thousand taels of gold. Even if it was ten thousand or a hundred thousand taels of gold, there's no need to mention it. My wife and I have a deep relationship and I have never thought of taking a concubine!"
After saying this, Gu Mingda was afraid that this man would continue to pester him, so he whipped the horse and made it take two quick steps away from here.
Some people regard taking concubines as a vicious act, while others flock to it.
The runner-up glanced at his attendant in the crowd, who immediately stepped forward, grabbed the merchant who was determined to marry off his daughter, and said, "Sir, you don't have to hang yourself on a tree. If the champion refuses, my master is willing to help."
The merchant thought of his daughter, who was obsessed with looks. People said she would either be the third or the first place in the imperial examination.
The third place winner has not married yet, but everyone in the capital knows that he is the son-in-law of the Grand Lord. No merchant dares to offend the Grand Lord, so after much deliberation, only the first place winner with a weaker foundation can give it a try.
But he changed his mind and realized that since the second place candidate's wife had just died, it would be more beneficial for him to have his daughter as a second wife rather than a concubine.
"Okay, okay, if the runner-up is willing to marry my daughter, I will increase the dowry by 30%."
Hearing the merchant's words, the attendant frowned slightly.
Others didn't know how the second place candidate lost his wife, so how could the long-servant not know? This gentleman of our family was only waiting to marry a rich and powerful man after passing the imperial examination, so how could he be willing to marry the daughter of a businessman?
"Sir, you are joking. Why should a woman who doesn't even want to be a concubine of the top scholar want to be my master's wife? If this gets out, will my master still be able to serve as an official in the future?" The long-time attendant said with a cold face.
When the merchant heard this, he immediately thought to himself, "Oh no!"
But worse was yet to come. He would not have initiated this conversation. Otherwise, he would not have been threatened.
The long-servant knew his master's temper and said viciously, "Your daughter is willing to be the concubine of the number one scholar, but she is unwilling to be the concubine of my master? Do you look down on my master? Are you determined to offend my master?"
When the merchant heard this, he was immediately shocked.
The long-servant continued, "Not only must your daughter become my master's concubine, but she must also bring a dowry that is three layers thick! Otherwise, you are deliberately trying to offend my master!"
Gu Mingda didn't know that the merchant's daughter would eventually become a concubine. When he came back from the parade, his family members were already waiting for him.
Everyone heard clearly what he said when he refused the marriage proposal.
Niuniu clapped her hands and said happily, "Daddy remained calm in the face of danger! So amazing!"
When Gu Mingda heard this, he was immediately furious and said, "Don't just use that word randomly. Being calm in the face of danger means not panicking when faced with danger..."
Gu Mingda's characteristic of being a teacher was revealed again. When he heard his daughter quoting idioms at random, he couldn't help but correct her.
Niu Niu was used to her father showing off his knowledge. She didn't feel annoyed and continued to listen attentively.
"Daddy taught my daughter today, and I remembered that this word cannot be used. Then which word should I use?" Niu Niu asked.
Before Gu Mingda could answer, Sun Jiaxing said, "Silly boy, what other words could it be? Of course, it's sitting on a woman's lap without getting tempted. It's like Liu Xiahui is alive!"
As he was talking, Sun Jiaxing couldn't help laughing. He bowed to Gu Mingda and explained, "Last year, when I was ranked second in the imperial examination, there were also merchants who blocked my way. They also wanted the number one scholar, but they were happy to accept him. They couldn't be as calm as Brother Gu!"
Sun Jiaxing deliberately quoted the idiom that Niu Niu said incorrectly in order to tease Gu Mingda.
Gu Mingda rarely got teased by his friends like this, and he didn't show any shyness. Instead, he turned his head and glanced at Zhang Yunniang, saying, "There are many people here today, so I'm not afraid of being laughed at by others. My feelings towards Yunniang are always the same."
When Zhang Yunniang heard this, her cheeks turned slightly red and tears welled up in her eyes.
Gu Mingda reached out and held his wife's hand.
The only thing he was worried about was not his wife's misunderstanding, but his mother's possible resentment.
After all, that was a thousand taels of gold, and I was afraid that Old Lady Gu would always be thinking about it.
Gu Mingda added: "A thousand taels of gold are not as good as a family staying together and working together."
Gu Mingda thought he would say a few more words, but he didn't expect that Old Lady Gu didn't realize that these words were directed at her at all.
She even clapped her hands and said, "Second brother, it's good that you understand this. A harmonious family is the root of everything. No matter how many concubines you have, they can't be as good as your original wife!"
Gu Mingda didn't expect that his mother would suddenly have such an awareness.
Old Lady Gu said, "These days, I've been wandering around the market every day and heard a lot of stories! The most amazing one is that the wives and concubines of the previous dynasty quarreled and even caused a prime minister to have his family confiscated and his family exterminated! It can be seen that it is better to have peace in the backyard!"
"Besides, Yunniang has worked hard for so many years to run the family business, serve her parents-in-law, and raise the children. I can't find a better daughter-in-law than her!"
Gu Mingda had no shortage of children. Although old lady Gu was heartbroken over the loss of the thousand taels of gold, she also knew that Zhang Yuniang was filial to her. If it were another daughter-in-law, she might even look down on her as an old country woman!
No one expected that Old Lady Gu was so far-sighted. Li was so envious that she could not stop talking about it. She just kept thinking in her heart, how could such a good mother-in-law not be her own?
Niuniu is young and speaks directly. She threw herself into Grandma Gu's arms and said, "Grandma knows a lot of truths! Grandma is really the pillar of the family! I will learn more from her in the future! But, grandma didn't tell me many stories. When will you tell Niuniu the story of the quarrel between wives and concubines?"
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