Chapter 612 Madam Zheng's Three Requests
Qiao Qinghe looked at Madam Zheng with sympathy. "Alright, I'll talk to Marquis Enping about it later. However, I can't guarantee whether it will work out."
"It's alright. I believe Marquis Enping won't refuse." Madam Zheng smiled; she wasn't worried at all. As long as Marquis Enping wasn't foolish, he wouldn't refuse.
"Didn't you say you needed my help with a few things? What else?" Qiao Qinghe kindly reminded her, a rare occurrence for her.
After talking about her eldest grandson, Madam Zheng's tone became a bit lighter. "I heard that your second sister-in-law's daughter is quite good at painting. I would like to ask her to teach my eldest granddaughter when she has time."
This trip was motivated by Qiao Yuanyao's reputation as a master painter.
Qiao Qinghe readily agreed: "Okay, I'll talk to Yuanyao about it later. But like I said, I can't guarantee whether it will work out. I'm just here to relay the message."
Madam Zheng didn't insist, saying, "Just pass on my message."
"One last thing..."
Madam Zheng paused for a moment before smiling and saying, "As usual, you'll just be responsible for delivering my message."
Qiao Qinghe lay down, no longer struggling, and said weakly, "Fine, who are you delivering a message to this time?"
Madam Zheng said apologetically, "I'd like to send two young girls to learn from Doctor Mu. I don't expect them to master everything, but if they can even pick up a fraction of Doctor Mu's skills, I'll be perfectly satisfied."
Whether it's by my side or my granddaughter's side, having a maid who understands medicine is a great thing.
My eldest granddaughter is still young. In a few years, when she gets married, the little girl will have learned enough medical skills and can accompany her as part of her dowry.
Qiao Qinghe was too tired to complain anymore. She pointed at Madam Zheng with her finger and readily agreed.
After finishing her story, Madam Zheng seemed to just remember something, lightly patted her forehead, and said with an embarrassed smile, "Look at me, I was so busy talking about myself. I didn't even ask what brings you here today?"
Qiao Qinghe pursed her lips, giving him a look that said, "I'm watching your act." After a long pause, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "The Yongchang Marquis's Mansion is not only trying to win you over, but also causing me trouble."
Madam Zheng was startled. "What did they do?"
After thinking it over, Qiao Qinghe felt there was no need to hide anything, so she told him about Madam Wen's plan to force Qiao Ning to become her concubine, and also mentioned her own plans.
"This is outrageous! How come I never realized that someone surnamed Wen could be so shameless?"
Madam Zheng, filled with righteous indignation, berated Madam Wen before asking Qiao Qinghe, "You didn't come here today just for Qiao Ning's marriage, did you?"
Qiao Qinghe nodded helplessly: "That's right. I remember when we attended the banquet at Princess Huaiyang's residence before the New Year, you seemed to have introduced a suitable candidate to my Qiao Ning. I've been so busy these past few months that I forgot to ask you."
"Whose family were you referring to at the time? Why didn't you inform us at all later?"
Madam Zheng's face visibly darkened. "Don't even mention it. I originally thought that family was quite nice, but after testing the waters, they found out she was your maternal grandniece and immediately said they wanted to find a girl from a scholarly family for their son."
Qiao Qinghe felt a pang of heartache. This family looked down on Qiao Ning because of her merchant background, and also because Qiao Ning had a great-aunt with an extremely bad reputation!
Madam Zheng, unafraid of upsetting Qiao Qinghe, said earnestly, "It might be a bit difficult for your grandniece to find a good family in the capital."
"Time is of the essence, and this is probably going to be difficult to handle."
Qiao Qinghe felt a lump in her throat again.
Then Madam Zheng frowned and asked, "How old is your grandniece this year?"
Qiao Qinghe didn't know why Madam Zheng suddenly asked this question, but she still answered truthfully, "Thirteen."
Madam Zheng hesitated for a moment before speaking hesitantly, "If we really can't find a suitable candidate, why don't we arrange for my eldest grandson to be engaged to your grandniece for the time being? My eldest grandson is twelve years old this year, which is a suitable age at the time."
"However, there are some things we need to say upfront. First, I need to discuss with my son and daughter-in-law and get their opinions on whether this matter can be accomplished."
"Secondly, this matter can only be temporary. Once we help you get through this crisis, your family will need to take the initiative to break off the engagement."
"As you know, my son is a good-for-nothing, and the Duke of Jin's mansion has no hope for him. But my eldest grandson is the hope of our entire family. Therefore, my eldest grandson's marriage will definitely be sought from a family of equal social standing."
"I hope you can understand. Of course, it's not that I dislike your Qiao Ning, it's just..."
"You don't need to explain. I understand."
Qiao Qinghe interrupted Madam Zheng, smiling as she said, "I appreciate your kindness. However, things haven't gotten that bad yet."
"Engagement is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly."
"We cannot allow the reputation of our two children to be tarnished just to avoid the schemes of the Marquis of Yongchang."
"Especially your eldest grandson."
"You said it yourself, your eldest grandson is the hope of your entire family. How could you have the nerve to come up with such a wicked plan to harm your own grandson?"
"Aren't you afraid that his reputation will be damaged, or that he'll have trouble finding a partner in the future and blame you?"
Madam Zheng was embarrassed. "I... I was just trying to help you solve your problem! Humph, you're biting the hand that feeds you!"
Qiao Qinghe smiled and said, "I appreciate your kindness. I will find a way to arrange Qiao Ning's marriage myself."
"It's getting late, I'll head back now."
Madam Zheng quickly urged them to stay, saying, "It's almost noon, have lunch before you go back."
"No, thank you." Qiao Qinghe firmly refused. "I've already had lunch and I'm used to taking a nap. I won't trouble you any further. I'll go to the banquet at the Yongchang Marquis's residence with you after I've finished dealing with Qiao Ning's matter."
"Alright then." Madam Zheng didn't insist. After thinking for a moment, she advised again, "Marriage is a lifelong matter and shouldn't be taken lightly."
"Don't be too anxious. If you really can't find a suitable one, you can simply not let Qiao Ning go to the banquet."
Qiao Qinghe sighed, "This flower banquet was proposed by His Majesty himself. Judging from what Princess Huaiyang said, all eligible unmarried women from residences of the fifth rank and above are required to attend. I'm afraid Qiao Ning can't avoid it."
Madam Zheng frowned and said, "Isn't Qiao Ning your maternal grandniece? Isn't your maternal family's official rank only eighth grade?"
Qiao Qinghe shook her head. "My eldest brother's nephew is indeed an eighth-rank official, but my second sister-in-law's nephew is a fifth-rank official. Moreover, Qiao Ning has always lived in my residence, and the first time she appeared in the aristocratic circles of the capital, she was by my side."
"If I don't go, people will talk about me."
"Of course, it's not a big deal if people have something to say about it. What I'm afraid of is that the Yongchang Marquis's family will exaggerate the story and report it to the Emperor. I don't care about that, but I'm afraid it will affect the future of my two nephews."
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