Chapter 243 Marrying Off the Cousin
After exchanging pleasantries, the Lady of Zhenbei said earnestly, "Madam, General's wife, I apologize for disturbing you today, but it concerns the lifelong happiness of our two children. I am deeply concerned and must come in person to show my sincerity."
To be honest, my son's marriage has been fraught with difficulties because of his grandmother's selfishness. And Beifeng, that boy, is simple-minded and has only been focused on leading troops into battle all these years, never taking marriage to heart.
Unexpectedly, when he returned from Taijue Temple that day, he took the initiative to tell me that he wanted to marry the girl in my household. As his mother, I was overjoyed. This was the first time my son had ever taken the initiative to ask to marry a girl.
"I can see that my son, Beifeng, is truly sincere this time, genuinely loving your daughter and showing absolutely no neglect. It's for this reason that I, as her mother, have shamelessly visited time and time again. Of course, I've met your daughter, and I'm extremely satisfied with her."
She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over Old Madam Ning and Yu Qingci, her tone becoming even more sincere:
"My mother is getting old and may make mistakes, but we parents will not be confused. Rest assured, this time we will not allow anyone to ruin my son's marriage again."
As for your concerns, I'll make this clear today: regardless of what my matriarch thinks, I've decided to send Lin Chuchu back to her own home. As for taking a concubine, there won't be any. We don't want our Marquis's mansion to raise such a troublemaker after all these years.
If you agree to this marriage and are willing to marry your daughter into my household, I will treat her as my own daughter and will never let her worry about the slightest thing related to household affairs.
Madam Zheng chimed in, "Yes, Madam, General's wife, we are absolutely sincere this time. My sister and brother-in-law are also determined to send our cousin away despite the old lady's objections."
"And the promise that he will never take a concubine was made to us by Beifeng himself. If he fails to keep it, we elders will not let him off easily, even without you saying anything."
Yu Qingci maintained a faint smile throughout, waiting for the maid to fill the teacup, for her to taste it, and only after setting the cup down did she speak:
"Look at what you two ladies are saying, we dare not agree."
You said you could arrange for the cousin to leave, so why didn't you do it before?
Even if you send them away now, who can guarantee that your matriarch won't come back and bring them back after they get married?
"If they then resort to crying and making a scene to force the prince to take her as a concubine, or even use the excuse that the principal wife should be virtuous and magnanimous to pressure my sister-in-law into voluntarily taking a concubine for her husband, are we supposed to go to your door to argue with you, or bring my sister-in-law back?"
Madam Zheng was secretly surprised. This general's wife looked so young, yet her words were so sharp and to the point. It was clear that she truly protected her sister-in-law.
Madam Zheng chuckled awkwardly, "How could that be? My sister-in-law, the Lady of a Marquis, personally guaranteed it, and you still don't believe her?"
Yu Qingci's eyes were clear: "I'm sorry, but this concerns my sister-in-law's lifelong happiness, so we really don't dare to easily believe your one-sided story."
Lady Zhenbei and Madam Zheng exchanged glances. Lady Zhenbei opened her mouth to say something, but Yu Qingci interrupted her before she could speak:
"Madam Hou, we don't want to hear empty promises. To be honest, we are actually very satisfied with Prince Li. If it weren't for Miss Cousin, we would have no complaints about this marriage."
However, there's a cousin standing in the middle. If we want the two families to become husband and wife, this issue must be resolved, but it's definitely not as simple as just sending the cousin back, as you've suggested.
Lady Zhenbei: "I wonder what your idea is, Madam? Please speak freely."
Yu Qingci smiled and said, "I heard that young lady is almost twenty now, right? I imagine that her marriage has been delayed for several years, and both the old lady of the mansion and she herself must be getting anxious about getting married. It is rare to see a girl of such age who is still unmarried."
If your family is truly sincere in seeking to marry my aunt, why not act as matchmaker for your cousin first? Once your cousin marries and leaves the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion, there will be no problem with this marriage.
We will not agree to this marriage as long as that cousin remains unmarried.
Lady of Zhenbei: ...
Meanwhile, while everyone was busy with Yun Chu's marriage and had no time to pay attention to her, Luo Yi left the General's Mansion alone that day, turned into the bustling commercial street, and went into a small teahouse on the side of the street.
The waiter immediately stepped forward and greeted her: "How many are you, young lady? Upstairs or downstairs?"
Luo Yi: "Are there any private rooms on the second floor?"
"Yes, yes, yes, please come with me, young lady."
The waiter courteously led the person to the second floor and opened the door to a private room facing the street.
"Please, young lady."
Luo Yi took out a silver ingot from her pocket and stuffed it into the waiter's hand: "Bring a pot of good tea and two plates of snacks. There's a traveling doctor coming in downstairs for tea later, so bring him up."
The waiter happily accepted the money and went to his room.
Luo Yi sat alone in the private room for a short while when someone knocked on the door. The waiter brought in an old man who was carrying an old medicine box and a worn-out cloth banner that read "Miraculous Healing Hands." He looked travel-worn and was clearly an itinerant doctor.
The waiter bowed and said, "Miss, the doctor you've been waiting for has arrived."
Luo Yi nodded slightly: "Thank you for your trouble. You can go now. I'll call you if I need anything."
The waiter acknowledged and left, closing the door to the private room behind him.
With no outsiders around, the old man excitedly looked at Luo Yi and called out:
"My daughter, I'm so glad to see you again."
Upon seeing her biological father, Luo Yi didn't show much excitement. She stood up, walked over, and said in a low voice with a hint of displeasure:
"Father, why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to show your face and to wait until I've established myself in the General's Mansion before we acknowledge each other? What if the General finds out you're not dead and refuses to marry me now?"
Old Man Luo's agitated emotions were interrupted by his daughter's barrage of questions, and he stammered:
“My dear daughter, I just can’t stop worrying about you. I took your advice and hid in the mountains to make it look like I had fallen off a cliff. I’ve been hiding here and there, searching for you everywhere. It’s been a really tough time.”
"General Lu is truly benevolent. Seeing you as a helpless orphan, he didn't abandon you and even brought you back to the General's Mansion. It seems you're doing well now, so I'm relieved."
Luo Yi gave her father a disapproving look, then stepped forward to place the medicine box on the table for him. Her eyes swept warily over the closed door before she lowered her voice and said:
"Father, you're being foolish! What kind of place is the General's Mansion? It's full of people and eyes watching us! If you come out to see me like this and someone recognizes you and it gets back to the General, we'll both be finished!"
I've finally managed to gain a foothold in the household, and the General and the Old Madam have taken pity on my lonely and helpless state. The Old Madam has already offered to take me in as a concubine on behalf of the General. You absolutely mustn't show your face now!
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