Chapter 776 Madam Li Proposes Marriage
The day before the imperial examination, Cheng Wanwan and Lu Yingxue were tidying up clothes for their two children.
Since one is going to the palace to meet the emperor, what clothes one wears is very important; one cannot be too impolite, nor too shabby.
"This bright red undergarment is a scholar's robe that I specially ordered from an old tailor in the capital. I had two made," Lu Yingxue said proudly. "It is said that the previous scholars were chosen by the emperor because they wore his clothes. There are too many people looking for the old tailor to make clothes this year. Luckily, I was smart enough to go there in advance, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have been able to get a turn."
Cheng Wanwan picked up the scholar's robe. The workmanship was excellent, and the material was very soft and skin-friendly, making it quite suitable for wearing next to the skin.
"Forty-eight taels of silver for a set," Lu Yingxue exclaimed. "That much money could buy more than twenty acres of fertile land in Dahe Town."
Cheng Wanwan couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. Although the materials and workmanship were good, forty-eight taels of silver was ridiculously expensive.
Even at such a high price, many parents are still willing to pay for it for their children.
As the two were talking, Granny Qi came over and said, "There is a Madam Li outside with Young Master Li requesting an audience. They say they want to thank you in person."
Cheng Wanwan thought for a while before she remembered who Madam Li was.
The boy who disappeared with Donghua last time seems to be the third young master of the Li family. After being rescued, the third young master of the Li family has been recuperating at home. Now that he has come to visit, he must be much better.
She put down what she was holding and walked towards the reception area.
Madam Li was in her early forties, while the third young master looked to be in his late teens, still resembling a boy.
"Greetings, Madam Sui." The two members of the Li family bowed simultaneously. Madam Li said sincerely, "My son has been ill, so I only came to express my gratitude today. If it weren't for Madam Sui asking General Ruan to search the entire capital, my son might have died long ago... Madam Sui's great kindness to my Li family will be forever etched in our hearts. Although my Li family is of low rank and power, we are willing to go through fire and water for Madam Sui's word."
"Madam Li, you flatter me," Cheng Wanwan quickly said. "I didn't come here specifically to save Young Master Li, so I don't deserve such gratitude."
Madam Li presented the gifts of gratitude, including exquisite jewelry, precious ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms, as well as antiques and famous paintings... It seemed that she had brought everything that the Li family could offer.
Cheng Wanwan knew that if she didn't accept it, Madam Li would definitely not be at ease, so she had no choice but to let Granny Qi accept it and register it in the warehouse.
She'll send a similar gift back when Young Master Li gets married in the future.
"Actually, there's another matter I've come to discuss today," Madam Li said somewhat apologetically. "The girl who was imprisoned with my son at the residence of the Ministry of Justice official is Madam Sui's niece, isn't she? Because this girl is related to Madam Sui, what I'm about to say might be seen as an attempt to curry favor with Madam Sui, but please understand, Madam Sui, that my Li family has absolutely no such intention."
Cheng Wanwan put down her teacup: "Madam Li, please speak frankly."
“Let me explain,” Li Haoyang coughed, somewhat awkwardly. “Miss Zhao and I spent the night together in the attic, and there were many other contacts that went beyond propriety. Her reputation has been damaged, and I am willing to take responsibility for it. Therefore, my visit today with my mother is also to propose marriage.”
Cheng Wanwan was completely stunned.
Unexpectedly, Donghua's disappearance led to a chance encounter with a potential marriage.
However, Donghua's parents are still alive, and her grandparents are also alive, so it's not up to her, as her aunt, to decide how this girl should get married.
She stood up and said, "I can't make that decision. Madam Li, please sit for a while."
She went out and told Granny Qi to hurry to the backyard and bring Old Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Sun over.
The two arrived looking completely bewildered, but after Cheng Wanwan explained the situation, their bewilderment turned into shock.
“The Li family?” Madam Sun’s eyes widened. “I remember that young master Li is the son of Li Jiantao of the Hanlin Academy. I think the position of Hanlin Academy Jiantao is a seventh-rank official. Doesn’t that mean Donghua is going to become an official’s wife?”
"What are you dreaming about?" Old Mrs. Zhao glared at her irritably. "The official is Lord Li, not Young Master Li. What kind of official's wife is she? Besides, didn't you hear what your sister-in-law said? Young Master Li only came to propose marriage because he felt it affected Donghua's reputation. He doesn't really want to marry Donghua. He might just be trying to climb up to your sister-in-law. We can't send Donghua into a fire pit."
"Yes, yes, Mother is right." Madam Sun slapped her forehead. "Let's go in and meet the Li family."
She strode inside, and Grandma Zhao, afraid she would say something inappropriate, quickly followed. Cheng Wanwan, as a bystander, also went in.
"These must be Madam Zhao and Madam Zhao the Third," Madam Li said with a smile. "I presume Madam Sui has already informed you both of the purpose of my son and my visit. May I ask..."
Sun stared intently at Li Haoyang. This kid was good-looking and tall enough; it was a real pity that he was paired with that brat Donghua.
Could it be that she's trying to use Donghua as an intermediary to curry favor with her sister-in-law, who is known as Madam Sui?
Thinking of this, Sun's gaze turned hostile.
She sat down on the chair and said in a carefree manner, "We are all villagers. We don't care about a girl's reputation in our village. If a girl is working barefoot in the fields and a boy sees her, who knows how many boys that girl will marry. Young Master Li, is this all the reason you have to ask me to marry my daughter so far away? I can't agree to that."
Grandma Zhao softened her tone and said, "Although marriage is decided by the parents, in our village, it's more common for two children to get married if they like each other. The main thing is that the children have to like each other for the marriage to count. Don't you think that makes sense, Mrs. Li?"
Before Madam Li arrived, she had already inquired about Madam Sui's niece's family, but she only knew that they were farmers and nothing else.
Listening to Sun's words and seeing her like this, she immediately matched the image of a shrewish and unreasonable peasant woman in her mind. If her son had such a mother-in-law, his future days would probably be difficult...
She glanced at her son.
Li Haoyang stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “If I have no feelings for Miss Zhao, I can simply pretend that nothing happened. No one will know, and no one will ask me to take responsibility for it. Miss Zhao and I have only met once. To say that I like her would be an exaggeration, but I must admit that I have feelings for Miss Zhao. I have been thinking about this for many days, and the result of my thinking is that I am willing to marry Miss Zhao as a member of the Li family.”
"You actually like Donghua?" Madam Sun couldn't help but ask, "What do you like about her?"
Although Donghua was her own daughter, she couldn't see a single good quality in her. The girl was too noisy, greedy, and petty. She had worried that Donghua would never get married... Who would have thought that Donghua would be engaged even before Qiuhua...
Li Haoyang blushed: "Miss Zhao has bright eyes and white teeth, is gentle and virtuous, kind and lively..."
Sun: "???"
gentle?
Virtuous and gentle?
Kind?
Is this definitely referring to winter jasmine?
Cheng Wanwan carefully observed Li Haoyang's expression. This child was young and had no scheming or cunning. His words were clearly from the bottom of his heart.
Seeing so many wonderful qualities in Donghua, it seems that the boy does indeed have some affection for her.
She knew a little about the Li family. Lord Li was incorruptible, and Madam Li was tolerant and generous; the family had a very good tradition.
She said, "This is a major life event for Donghua, shouldn't we call Donghua over and ask her about it?"
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