That night, Jiang Mingzhi slept soundly in her aunt's warm room. She was a good drinker. Although she was a little drunk, she hugged her aunt and cried, or hugged her and acted like a spoiled child. Zhang really felt sorry for this child. When she returned to the inner room, she ordered Du Ruo beside her, "Call Madam Qu over."
Nanny Qu was the nanny in charge of Zhang's dowry.
When she heard that the lady was looking for her so late at night, Nanny Qu immediately put down the half-finished account book in her hand, straightened her clothes, and got up to go to the main courtyard.
The moon is dim and the lights are dim, the faint scent of mugwort fills the air, the willows in front of the house are swaying slightly, the wind lanterns under the eaves are turning slowly, and the room is full of silence.
Zhang sat on the big kang by the window and slowly finished a bowl of bird's nest. Madam Qu stood quietly by the side, waiting for her instructions.
"Find a few reliable maids among our people. I can use them."
Madam Qu nodded and said, "Then I'll go pick it out tomorrow and send it to Madam."
Zhang had no doubts about her people's ability to do things, but she thought about the special nature of this matter and added, "If you want to be smart, send it to the Jinyi Marquis's Mansion to the second cousin."
Upon hearing this, Nanny Qu knew that this matter was probably extraordinary, and she became even more concerned about it. She responded solemnly and retreated.
Jiang Mingzhi slept soundly all night. When she woke up, she heard rustling sounds outside the house. She peeked through the half-open window and saw Ping'er outside. She was a little confused. It was already so late, and Ping'er didn't even call her to get up.
She slipped on her shoes and got out of bed, and Qingwu Qingsha walked in, "Miss, you're awake!"
It seemed as if she was surprised to wake up. Jiang Mingzhi couldn't help but complain in his heart that she just drank a little wine, not took any poison.
"Why didn't you call me earlier? I have to go to Prince Yong's Mansion today!"
Qingwu and Qingsha exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads and smiled in tacit understanding, which made Jiang Mingzhi look confused. "But what happened?"
"Miss, don't listen to them!" Ping'er heard the noise and walked in. She explained to Jiang Mingzhi, "It was the eldest lady who told us not to call you. She has already sent someone to the Yong Palace to tell His Highness that you are not feeling well today and has asked for a day off for you."
Jiang Mingzhi felt relieved and was about to ask her who she was talking to outside when she heard a burst of cheerful laughter. Wang Qiang came to her quickly like a rabbit.
"I was wondering why the magpie was calling so early in the morning. It turned out to be a matchmaker visiting!"
Wang Qiang covered her mouth with her hands, smiling slyly. Jiang Mingzhi was slightly startled, then immediately pulled Wang Qiang to sit on a chair beside him, "Tell me quickly, what happened?"
It was rare to see her sister, who always acted in a free and unrestrained manner, display such an expression. Wang Qiang was overjoyed and deliberately joked, "What could possibly happen? It's just that someone has set their sights on my cousin and has specially invited a matchmaker to come and ask for her hand in marriage!"
Jiang Mingzhi immediately knew what was going on.
Her aunt has always been worried about her marriage. She probably celebrated her birthday yesterday with the intention of letting her show herself in public. With the Wang family giving her face, her status is different from before, and it is inevitable that some people will be tempted.
"Whose family is it?"
Wang Qian looked her up and down with her almond-shaped eyes, and seeing that there was no shyness on her face, she felt a little discouraged.
"Well, you are not an ordinary person!" She sighed and spread her hands. "It's the Changyuan Marquis's Mansion. They asked Mr. Zhou from the Hanlin Academy to act as a matchmaker. They want to marry you to the Changyuan Marquis's son."
At this point, Wang Qiang's joking expression disappeared, revealing a different coldness from usual. "This Changyuan Marquis's family is just trying to take advantage of others. Don't worry, my mother will definitely not agree. They are just snobs. Other things are fine, but I heard that the Changyuan Marquis's son already had a wife and a legitimate son, and now they dare to set their sights on you!"
On the contrary, Jiang Mingzhi, the person involved, did not have too many emotions. Lady Qin, the wife of the Earl of Changyuan, hated her so much, but the Earl of Changyuan wanted to marry her to her son. It was obvious that the Earl of Changyuan and his wife were not in harmony. The Earl of Changyuan wanted to curry favor with the Wang family, but Lady Qin was dissatisfied with her because of the discord between her and Han Qingyue.
Jiang Mingzhi had no doubt that his aunt would not agree.
Furthermore, although the attitude of the Marquis of Jinyi Mansion towards her is very ambiguous, her biological father, the Marquis of Jinyi, is not dead yet. Even if the Marquis of Changyuan Mansion really wants to marry her, they should go to the Marquis of Jinyi Mansion instead of ignoring the Marquis of Jinyi Mansion and coming to the Wang family. It can only be said that the real intention is not the marriage. This is clearly a marriage with impure motives, and naturally it cannot be counted.
After knowing the general situation, Jiang Mingzhi felt relieved and comforted Wang Zhaojun. Thinking that he didn't have to go to Prince Yong's Mansion today, he couldn't help but stretch comfortably.
Seeing her like this, Wang Qiang felt a little amused. After all, she was not as steady as her cousin. No wonder her mother always asked her to learn more from her cousin's understanding.
"It's getting hotter day by day. It's so boring to stay at home." Thinking that she had been in Kyoto for some time and had no chance to go out for fun, Wang Qian rested her chin on her elbow, feeling a little distressed. "It would be great if my eldest brother and his friends could come to Kyoto too. Brother Quan is really good at having fun. If he were here, we could let him take us out to play."
Quan Ge'er is the eldest grandson of the first wife. He is now over the age of marriage and lives with his parents in Dongjun. Jiang Mingzhi has never seen him once.
Jiang Mingzhi smiled and said, "Where do you want to go? We can go by ourselves. I heard there are many fun places around Kyoto."
Heard? Wang Qiang keenly grasped Jiang Mingzhi's choice of words and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her cousin.
The girl's most tender years were confined to that corner. Although she was born and raised in Kyoto, she was not as good as her, who had just arrived.
"Why don't we go boating? I heard the lotus flowers on Minghu Lake are about to bloom. Let's go to the First Class Restaurant, prepare a table, cruise the lake, taste delicious food, drink tea, and chat. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Jiang Mingzhi was stunned when he heard this. This way of having fun was not new, but it was mostly done by men, and few women were so unrestrained and happy.
She couldn't help but think of the Wang family's way of educating their children. Jiangnan was a land of rich poetry and literature, so many women in Jiangnan were talented. The Wang family's family tradition of learning was also extraordinary, so the young ladies they brought up were less pretentious than those of the Kyoto aristocracy and more generous and bold, which was unique to aristocratic families.
"Okay, today is worse than tomorrow. The weather looks good today, why don't we go there soon?"
When Wang Qiang heard this, her eyes suddenly curved with smiles. She had always disliked people who took a long time to come, and she also had this idea, so she agreed to this proposal immediately. The two sisters asked someone to inquire and heard that the Lord Zhou invited by the Changyuan Earl's Mansion had already left, so they went to Zhang's place together.
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