After a lackluster meal, the young talents who were interested in Zhu Jiayu made excuses and bid farewell to Zhu Congjian and his daughter.
After everyone left, Zhu Congjian's smile finally crumbled. He pointed at Zhu Jiayu with trembling fingers, stammering "you you you" for a long time without being able to utter a complete sentence.
What can we do?
He only has himself to blame for trusting his daughter too much, which led to his downfall.
These young men were carefully selected by him from a large pool of suitors, but he never expected that his daughter would scare them away with just a few words. Isn't that a bit too capable?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but grumble inwardly at those young men. They were truly useless, unable to withstand even the slightest test. No wonder they couldn't catch his precious daughter's eye.
Zhu Jiayu looked at him calmly, then smiled and poured him more tea: "Father, don't worry, let's talk about it slowly."
Although she said those words, the meaning in her eyes was very clear: you fell for my trick.
Zhu Congjian snorted, puffing out his beard and glaring, and downed the tea in his cup in one gulp. Only then did the anger in his chest subside. He looked at Zhu Jiayu and said, "It's fine if you look down on someone, but why do you have to belittle them like this?"
Zhu Jiayu lowered her head, stroking the pattern on the cup. After a while, she looked up at her father, her smile fading slightly, and asked him, "Do you know something?"
She had just carefully reviewed the matter and finally realized that something was amiss: she had already told her father that she did not want to get married. Even if her father really wanted to arrange a marriage for her, there was no need for him to be in such a hurry. He arranged a meeting for her before she had even caught her breath after returning to Suiping. He was too hasty.
It was precisely because of his haste that Zhu Jiayu became suspicious. If there was nothing wrong, her father would never have rushed into this whole affair.
But what could it be?
Zhu Jiayu could only think of the matter that the old lady of the Qiu family had once intended to do for her and the front line of the Marquis of Kaiping's mansion when she was still alive.
Seeing that her father seemed slightly dazed but still didn't speak, she tapped the table with her finger.
In the somber hall, the "tap-tap" sound was exceptionally clear, making everyone on edge.
Zhu Jiayu didn't wait any longer and asked, "Could it be that the old lady's letter was also delivered to you?"
She asked the question, her eyes fixed on her father, until she saw him lower his head, pick up his chopsticks to eat, and then deny it. Only then did she realize what she had been thinking.
"Whenever you hide something from me, your eyes instinctively avoid my gaze. So, my guess is true?" Zhu Jiayu said, though she was clearly certain of the answer.
Zhu Congjian smiled bitterly and sighed.
He didn't know when it started, but his daughter had become so perceptive and worldly-wise. He had lived decades longer than her, yet in the end, he couldn't even hide the smallest things from her.
Zhu Jiayu gripped the teacup in her hand tightly.
She was initially wary that the old lady would target the properties she had acquired in Heling, so she befriended Gu Heguang and persuaded her to open a shop. However, she never expected that the old lady would extend her reach to Suiping and even let her father know about it.
She kept quiet about it because she didn't want her father to worry!
"When did you find out?" she asked softly, pursing her lips.
Zhu Congjian replied, "Just when you were preparing to open a branch in Heling, our embroidery workshop was suddenly squeezed and targeted by several shops. Later, your Uncle Liao went to investigate and found out who was behind it. It turned out that it was the Qiu family who sent people."
"Immediately afterwards, the old lady's letter arrived, informing me of the Marquis's affairs. She said that the old lady of the Marquis's mansion liked you very much and wanted to betroth you to the heir of the Marquis's mansion. However, you were unwilling, so she hoped that I would write to Heling to persuade you."
After he finished speaking, his expression revealed an undisguised frustration.
During that period, the embroidery workshop was plagued by problems and was almost unable to operate. The reputation and goodwill that Jia Yu had built for the workshop before leaving were almost ruined by various incidents.
He and Lao Liao were extremely worried about this, but they never expected that it was all because the old lady wanted him to write a letter to persuade Jia Yu to marry into the Marquis's mansion.
He felt both sad and indignant.
What saddened him was his utter incompetence. Such a huge matter, yet his daughter, not wanting him to worry, bore it all alone, keeping it a closely guarded secret and not revealing a single thing in her daily letters.
What is infuriating is that the Hou family and the Qiu family have gone too far in bullying people. They actually tried to use such underhanded means to force a young girl who did not want to marry into submission by targeting their own relatives. Under such power, ordinary people have no room to resist.
Even so, Zhu Congjian still did not agree. He had even prepared for the worst, just so that his daughter would not have to do something she didn't want to do because of him.
He finally breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that the old lady had passed away and the marriage with the Marquis's family had fallen through.
After eagerly awaiting news of his daughter's return, Zhu Congjian's first thought was to select a handsome young man from among the previous suitors—one who was of good character, family background, appearance, and talent—and arrange a marriage for his daughter.
It's too slow to look at them one by one. It would be better to gather them together and let my daughter choose the one she likes and is most satisfied with.
Just a few days ago, his daughter sent a letter to the county magistrate, asking him to open the city gates to take in the refugees. Later, she proposed a work-for-relief program, which would not only give Suiping City a good reputation for being friendly, but also allow the refugees to be relieved without having to use the city's granaries. This wonderful thing, which killed two birds with one stone, has spread to every street and alley, and is known to women and children alike, thanks to the county magistrate's instructions.
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