The 20th of the eleventh lunar month was an auspicious day. The city of Yujing, which had been gloomy for days, began to clear up on this day. Soft, fluffy clouds floated on the distant horizon, and the sun shone down. Although there was still a chill in the air, the sky finally brightened.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was extremely lively today. Everyone was busy, and people were coming and going like a flowing river. One moment people from Baozhen Pavilion came to deliver gold and jade hairpins, the next people from Cuipingfang came to deliver brocade robes and cloud-patterned boots, and then people from Shangqingzhai came to deliver sachets and jade pendants...
The servants in the mansion were also diligently sweeping the courtyard, striving to keep it spotless so that their young master could get into the carriage without a speck of dust on his feet.
Passersby couldn't help but stop and stare for a while, then turned to their companions with curiosity and asked, "Didn't the Duke of Zhenguo fail to become the Grand Secretary? Why is his residence so lively today, as if the Duke of Zhenguo has received another reward?"
"Just because they didn't become the Grand Secretary, does that mean their family can't have happy events? That's a very biased question."
The two people speaking were servants from the Xie family in the alley. A family that could live next to the Duke's mansion was naturally a noble family, a high-ranking household. Servants who served in such a mansion seemed to naturally develop more shrewdness than others. Although they could not know all the social interactions between different families, they were quite knowledgeable about them.
The one who answered was someone who served the head of the Xie family, and thus had even better access to information.
Seeing his companion's curious expression, he was kind enough not to keep him in suspense and explained directly, "I heard that this Third Young Master has found a girl he likes. Today's commotion, with people from Shangqingzhai in Cuipingfang coming and going, must be all for this Third Young Master's good news."
There are many shops in the capital that make clothing and jewelry, each with its own advantages. One shop uses the most precious materials, while another has the most exquisite designs; in the end, none can surpass the others. But only Baozhen Pavilion, Cuipingfang, and Shangqingzhai have the advantage of good feng shui.
It is said that the owners of these three shops consulted feng shui masters to select the locations before opening their businesses, which is why they were able to ensure their businesses prospered. Later, somehow, this story gradually spread, and wealthy and powerful families would buy ordinary clothes for good luck, but if they were buying for imperial examinations, weddings, birthday celebrations, or long journeys, they would definitely buy from these shops.
As the two were talking, they saw a famous matchmaker from the capital come out of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Walking beside her were none other than the Duke of Zhenguo and the recently renowned young Minister.
The custom of marriage proposals in Daye has always been this: when a man goes to a woman's house to propose marriage, he must be led by a matchmaker, and the father and son must go to the woman's house together.
Another clause stipulates that the woman must not appear in public.
Therefore, Zhu Jiayu was sent to her aunt's house by her father early in the morning.
While Zhu Congjian was waiting at home for the Wei family to arrive, Zhu Jiayu was talking to her aunt.
"Ayu? Ayu!" Xiao Wan sat in the room and finished speaking, but her niece did not answer. She stretched out her hand, spread her five fingers, and waved it in front of her. When she still did not react, she finally couldn't help but raise her voice.
Zhu Jiayu then came to her senses: "What's wrong?"
Xiao Wan said irritably, "What's wrong? I was about to ask you something! You've been teasing the little fish in the tank with this blade of grass for almost the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, without moving an inch. What are you thinking about? Oh—" she drawled, "I know, daughters should look out for themselves when they grow up. Are you afraid that if Lord Wei comes to propose marriage, your father will make things difficult for you?"
Zhu Jiayu blushed: "No, I didn't. Father thinks I started this relationship and then abandoned him, so why would I make things difficult for him?"
She suddenly realized that her father didn't seem to know Wei Qinglou's true identity...
“Since you’re not worried about him, then answer my question. Chang Beiqiu was defeated, so why didn’t the Duke of Zhenguo become the Grand Secretary?” Xiao Wan asked curiously. “Then who has taken over the position of Grand Secretary now?”
Zhu Jiayu threw the grass in her hand into the fish tank and said, "It is precisely because Chang Beiqiu was defeated that everyone in the court is wary of Wei Qinglou's methods. That's why they jointly submitted a memorial, hoping that the emperor would carefully consider the candidate to succeed as the chief minister."
"In their view, if the Duke of Zhenguo became the Grand Secretary, Wei Qinglou would become even more lawless in the future. The Emperor had no choice but to make an exception and promote Wei Qinglou to Minister of Justice as a way to make amends to the Wei family."
"As for the chief minister, Ye Dengyun was promoted to succeed the second minister. The position of second minister was filled by Lord Xie, who is related to the Duke of Zhenguo. This is also the Emperor's way of making amends to the Wei family."
As soon as she finished speaking, a servant came to report that someone from the Zhu family had come to invite her back.
Xiao Wan smiled and said, "I'm afraid the marriage proposal is already finished. Your father is busy calling you back to discuss your dowry. The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is large and wealthy, and Lord Wei likes you, so the betrothal gifts he'll give you will certainly be substantial. If your dowry isn't enough, people might look down on you in the future. You should go back first and tell your father that when you get married, our Ning family will provide 100 loads of gifts. This was agreed upon by your uncle beforehand. You are my niece, and he treats you like half a daughter. And there's also the Xiao family..."
She paused for a moment, then said, "My mother told me a few days ago that she wanted to give you an extra hundred loads. Although the ancestral hall hasn't been opened yet, you visit them often, and in their hearts, you are no different from their own granddaughter. Both of you are well-off, and they are willing to dote on you, so just accept it without worry."
Zhu Jiayu nodded his thanks, knowing that Miss Xiao was probably involved.
To protect her, Wei Qinglou outwardly claimed all the credit for the Hu Wangzu case, but people like Old Master Xiao naturally knew the truth. Not to mention, they also found the account book from Hu Wangzu and uncovered Miss Xiao's whereabouts from back then.
Unfortunately, after tracing the case, it was discovered that Miss Xiao had been bought by a powerful figure in the north, and later died in that man's mansion.
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