Xue Jinluan quickly covered Xiao Tao's mouth, glared at her fiercely, and warned in a low voice, "Keep your voice down, this is the ancestral hall, don't attract people here."
"Miss, is this set of jewelry worth two thousand taels of silver?"
"Of course, the price was personally offered by the young master of the He family."
"So, the young lady wants me to sell Qingcheng tea for two thousand taels of silver?"
"I don't expect to sell it for two thousand taels of silver in Qingcheng. I'd be lucky if you could sell it for a thousand taels of silver for me."
**
Two days later, Xue Jinluan came out of the ancestral hall. Lin Yuyan came to visit her and offered some perfunctory words of comfort.
"This is bad luck for everyone, Jinluan, you don't need to take it to heart anymore. Even Young Master Wei's family came to apologize in person, didn't they?"
"What good will it do to take it to heart? Am I going to run to the Green City Lord's mansion and settle scores with that woman?" Xue Jinluan laughed self-deprecatingly.
Lin Yuyan smiled awkwardly, eager to inquire about Xue Qingluan.
"Jinluan, you know, life is so unpredictable. I thought Qingluan would end up with Young Master Wei, but I didn't expect her to end up with this Young Master He."
Xue Jinluan's expression froze. "Huh? What did you say?"
Lin Yuyan covered her mouth with her embroidered handkerchief and exclaimed, "Oh dear! I forgot about you, Jinluan. You've been forced to kneel in the ancestral hall these past few days, so you probably don't know about this."
When I came to see you today, I saw that Madam He had come to the door with quite a few gifts. What could Madam He have to do with all these gifts? It must be about Qingluan and Young Master He.
The way the young master of the He family treated Qingluan was obvious to everyone; he was clearly interested in her. It was just unexpected that he would come knocking so quickly.
Xue Jinluan's expression changed, and she froze. "W-what? Madam He has come to visit?"
"Yes, that's why I said the He family wants to compete with the Wei family for the Azure Phoenix."
As soon as Lin Yuyan finished speaking, Xue Jinluan couldn't sit still and stood up abruptly.
"Hey? Jinluan, what's wrong with you? Why are you so agitated?" Lin Yuyan was surprised by Xue Jinluan's strong reaction.
Xue Jinluan's face paled, and she sat back down somewhat awkwardly, forcing a smile. "I... I just can't quite believe it."
Lin Yuyan picked up a piece of mung bean cake and sighed.
"Yes, I also find it hard to believe. I thought Qingluan would end up with Young Master Wei, but it turns out that Young Master He snatched her away."
I wonder how heartbroken Young Master Wei must be.
At that time, in the main house of the Xue family, Madam Xue sat upright and was receiving Madam He. Her smile was appropriate and showed no sign of dissatisfaction.
But she felt really awkward and uncomfortable. Her Xue family and the Wei family had always had a friendly and harmonious relationship. Anyone with eyes could see that her Qingluan was going to be paired with the Wei family's young master in the future. How could the He family be so blind as to suddenly come and interfere?
The Xue family has not expressed any intention to become in-laws with the He family.
The He family has really done something ugly.
"Madam He, it's not a holiday or festival, why send these gifts? You should take them back with you this time. We can't accept gifts without merit, and the Xue family can't afford such lavish gifts." Madam Xue glanced at the gifts piled up in the hall, her smile faint.
"Oh dear, if we become in-laws in the future, how could we not accept these gifts? I would rather these vulgar things being delivered to your door is embarrassing for you, Madam."
The Xue family is, after all, a distinguished family, and for these things to be delivered to their doorstep is truly unbearably vulgar.
However, Madam Xue, please don't be disgusted. Although this ceremony is common, the sentiment is genuine. Our He family has truly taken a liking to you, our eldest daughter, and sincerely wishes to marry you into our family.
I only have one son. If Miss Xue marries into my He family in the future, she won't have to deal with those mundane troubles.
However, my He family is quite large and powerful now. If Miss Xue were to marry into the family, managing her would be a real headache and a lot of work.
Madam He's words were quite meaningful. The implication was that if Xue Qingluan married into the He family, she would become the head of the household, the matriarch, and the entire family would be under her control.
To become the mistress of the household as soon as you enter the door is a huge honor.
He's already wielding such immense power as the head of the family upon entering, and besides, the He family only has one son. In the future, all the family's assets and wealth will surely belong to Young Master He.
There will be no disputes over family property or division of assets; you can live a very peaceful life.
Madam Xue could easily understand the meaning behind those words. However, no matter how large and wealthy the He family was, they were still just a vulgar merchant family.
How can this compare to aristocratic families?
She certainly didn't want her excellent daughter, whom she had raised, to end up marrying into a vulgar merchant family.
She was still happy to associate with the Wei family.
The Wei family and the Xue family were both prominent families, and their interactions were always respectable and well-known.
It's much better than marrying into a vulgar merchant family.
Besides, her daughter would have no worries about food and drink after marrying into the Wei family; she would never go hungry or cold.
A life that is both wealthy and dignified is the kind of life that suits Qingluan.
Madam Xue smiled, her face displaying a dignified and proper smile, but what she said was somewhat unsatisfactory.
"Isn't it a bit abrupt for Madam He to say such things so suddenly? Madam He should know that my Qingluan has always been quite close to the young master of the Wei family. In the future, if there are no unexpected events, she should become in-laws with the Wei family."
My Qingluan and Madam He's son rarely interact, and they don't know each other very well, let alone have any feelings for each other. As for marriage, that's even more of a pipe dream.
Mrs. Hercules's sudden remark struck me as rather absurd.
Upon hearing this, Madam He's smile faltered slightly. What did the Xue family mean by this?
They accepted the gifts; doesn't that mean they were happy to receive them?
Or is this an attempt to get something for nothing, to take things from the He family for free?
If it were just some small trinkets, she wouldn't have mentioned it. But she accepted something worth two thousand taels of silver. Isn't that what she meant?
If this gets out, the Xue family will lose face. After all, they are a prestigious family, yet they act like commoners.
Aren't the Xue family afraid of being gossiped about behind their backs and called shameless?
Two thousand taels of silver is no small sum.
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