Chapter 618 Mother and daughter argue again
"Exactly!" A Shuang said indignantly, "The matchmaker said that the Dowager Lady of the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion asked her to come to the door to propose marriage for the Marquis's son, Wen Jue, and to take Qiao Ning as his concubine."
"Third Grandmother immediately sensed something was wrong and reminded the old lady that Qiao Ning had said she would not be a concubine."
"But the old lady said, what does a little girl like you know? Can the concubine of the young master of the Yongchang Marquis's mansion be compared with the concubines of other families?"
"It's obvious that she's interested."
"Later, it was Third Madam who made excuses, saying that since Qiao Ning was staying at our residence, her marriage could only be decided after discussing it with you. That's how she managed to get rid of the matchmaker."
“I noticed earlier that the old lady seemed to be in a very good mood when she came over. She obviously approves of this marriage.”
"Now, the old lady is probably going to tell you about this."
After hearing Ah Shuang's words, Qiao Qinghe's face darkened completely.
Does the old lady think that because she was able to rise from a concubine to the principal wife, Qiao Ning can also follow in her footsteps?
"Madam, please don't upset yourself..."
Ah Shuang tried to persuade her, but before she could finish, Qiao Qinghe raised her hand to interrupt her, saying, "I know, you don't need to persuade me."
"Let's go listen to what the old lady has to say."
The following sentence is full of sarcasm.
When the two entered Qiao Yuanyao's room, Old Madam Qiao was already getting impatient.
Upon seeing that the person had finally arrived, he immediately scolded in an annoyed tone, "Why did it take you so long? You've kept me waiting."
Qiao Yuanyao helplessly shrugged at Qiao Qinghe, indicating that she had done her best.
Qiao Qinghe gave the old lady a reassuring look, smiled, and sat down next to her. "Why are you in such a hurry to see me? What do you want to say to me?"
Grandma Qiao glared at Qiao Yuanyao, "You little brat, why aren't you going out to play?"
Qiao Yuanyao grinned and said with a smile, "Grandmother is right. I'm just a child. I'll go out now and let my mother come in to talk to you and Aunt."
Without waiting for Grandma Qiao's objection, he quickly ran out the door.
Before a moment had passed, and before Old Madam Qiao could even formally begin to discuss Qiao Ning's matter with Qiao Qinghe, Zhou Shi walked in with a smile.
"Yuanyao was afraid that you might have some unexpected needs but wouldn't be able to say so, so she asked me to keep an eye on things."
As he spoke, he sat down next to Qiao Qinghe.
We're all family, why would we be embarrassed to ask if we need anything?
Besides, both Old Madam Qiao and Qiao Qinghe have servants around them. Why would Zhou, the mistress of the house, need to take care of them personally?
It's all just an excuse.
However, since Zhou was already seated, Old Madam Qiao couldn't very well send her away. Thinking that what she wanted to say would also be good for the second branch of the family, she tacitly agreed to let Zhou stay.
"Perfect timing, I have some good news to share, second son's wife, you should hear it too."
"Good news? Oh dear, I must listen carefully then." Zhou replied with a smile, looking at Old Madam Qiao with curiosity.
Zhou's reaction improved Old Madam Qiao's expression considerably. She smiled and said, "Earlier today, just before we left this morning, the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion sent a matchmaker to our door, saying that the Grand Madam of the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion has taken a liking to our Qiao Ning and wants to marry her!"
Zhou was startled and turned to look at Qiao Qinghe.
She had heard about the matchmaking between the Yongchang Marquis's family and the Qiao family at Fahua Temple from Yuanyao.
Because neither Yuanyao nor Qiao Ning were willing, Qiao Qinghe rejected the marriage proposal from the Yongchang Marquis's family.
Why would the Yongchang Marquis's mansion suddenly send someone to propose marriage after such a long time?
Is there some story behind this?
Sure enough, Qiao Qinghe's face turned ashen as she coldly asked, "Mother, have you found out clearly who the Marquis of Yongchang's family is proposing marriage to?"
Seeing Qiao Qinghe's unpleasant expression, Old Madam Qiao's smile faded slightly, but she still said, "Young Master Wen Jue of the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion."
"Then, Mother, are you sure that the marriage proposal involves all the formalities of marriage, including the three letters and six rites, an eight-bearer sedan chair, and that Qiao Ning will be the principal wife?" Qiao Qinghe asked coldly.
Old Mrs. Qiao's face darkened, and she glared at Qiao Qinghe with displeasure. "No. The messenger said they wanted to take Qiao Ning as a concubine."
"Ah! This is the happy event Mother was talking about?"
Qiao Qinghe scoffed, "Although I am a woman with no real power and no one to rely on, my title of Second Rank Lady was personally bestowed by the Emperor!"
"My grandniece is going to become someone's concubine. Where does that leave my dignity?"
"And what about Jingyao and Jinglian's future? Has Mother considered their future?"
"Although their official positions are not high, they are still genuine court officials! They serve in the court, yet their nieces are given away as concubines! What do you think their colleagues will think of them?"
Do you think they still have a future?
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Qiao immediately retorted, "I only wanted to marry Qiao Ning off for their future!"
"Now everyone with eyes can see that His Majesty trusts the Yongchang Marquis's family the most and values Young Master Wenjue the most. The Yongchang Marquis's family is also the Empress's maternal family."
"Although the Crown Prince has been deposed, the Empress still has a legitimate son, the Prince of Chu, who is highly regarded by the Emperor."
"If nothing unexpected happens, the King of Chu will be the next crown prince."
"No matter how you look at it, the Yongchang Marquis's family is a top-tier family now and for the next few decades."
"What's wrong with me letting Qiao Ning marry into the family in exchange for the Qiao family's support for the next few decades?"
"Hehe, Mother actually knows these things?" Qiao Qinghe smiled bitterly. "Then does Mother know that I am raising the eldest son of the Prince Qi's family?"
"As long as the King of Qi remains determined to seize the throne, regardless of whether we participate or not, the Qiao family will inevitably stand on the opposite side of the King of Chu?"
"And the Yongchang Marquis's residence."
"When Mother was thinking of seeking refuge in the Yongchang Marquis's mansion, did she never consider that the Lady of Enping Marquis was my adopted granddaughter? And that the Marquis of Enping was my adopted granddaughter's husband?"
"And Jing Yao and Jing Lian's current military achievements were all earned by following behind Marquis Enping?"
Grandma Qiao was taken aback and asked, puzzled, "What's the use of you saying all this? What does it have to do with what I'm saying?"
Zhou couldn't hold back any longer and explained with a frown, "Mother, now the Enping Marquis's Mansion and the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion are on equal footing. Whether it's Qinghe or the children, they are all closely connected with the Enping Marquis's Mansion."
"We cannot be greedy and want more than we have; otherwise, we will end up pleasing neither side."
"Moreover, making Qiao Ning a concubine is not a good thing. It is to throw Qinghe, the entire Qiao family, and even the face of the Enping Marquis's Mansion and the Qi Prince's Mansion on the ground, allowing the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion to trample on them!"
"Can't you even see this much?"
Grandma Qiao's eyes were filled with shock and astonishment. "How did this get involved in these things?"
"I was thinking, if Qinghe can do it... Qiao Ning can also make something of herself in the future..."
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