Chapter 804 He Xiaocheng Settles Down the Marriage Arrangement
“A man should only kneel to heaven, earth, and his parents. There’s no reason for him to kneel to my cousin. Get up.”
After Cheng Wanwan said that, He Xiao realized that it was indeed a bit abrupt and quickly stood up.
“You are the eldest son of the He family, the current head of the He family, and a third-rank Zhaoyong General who is highly regarded by the Emperor. Cheng Fang, on the other hand, is just a farmer’s daughter, and was even originally a slave. Her best skill is cooking, and she knows nothing about the affairs of the inner quarters.” She slowly revealed the truth. “With her status, even if she were to become your concubine, it would be a great honor for her.”
“I’m redeeming her from her servitude, not to make her a concubine, but to make her the mistress of the house.” He Xiao’s eyes were filled with determination. “I beg you, cousin, to grant my request.”
Cheng Wanwan looked at him and asked, "Do you like Cheng Fang?"
He Xiao remained silent.
Does he like Cheng Fang? Probably not to that extent.
He just needs a wife right now to keep his nominal mother quiet and to make Luo Qi give up.
After making this decision, he really put in the effort.
He would visit Cheng Fang every three days, bringing her jewelry, rouge, clothes... all the little trinkets that women like.
When my cousin asked me that question, I suddenly felt ashamed.
Seeing his expression, Cheng Wanwan understood—He Xiao had no romantic feelings for Cheng Fang.
But judging from Cheng Fang's expression just now, he must have fallen in love.
When a woman falls in love, is it a good thing or a bad thing? She doesn't understand, and she can't see through it.
If Cheng Fang were to fall for a scumbag, she would definitely stop Cheng Fang from marrying him, but the object of her affections is He Xiao.
Marrying He Xiao is much better than staying by her side as a maid.
She continued, "Did Cheng Fang agree to marry you?"
“She said she needs my cousin’s approval,” He Xiao said. “Although there is no romantic relationship between Cheng Fang and me, I will definitely be a good husband. I will go through the proper wedding ceremony, including the traditional betrothal gifts, a grand wedding procession, and a lavish wedding. She is from Dahe Village, and I will respect the customs of Dahe Village. I will never take a concubine in this life.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Fang came out from the backyard and said, "Although my status is not worthy of Master He, I will try my best to learn how to be a good mistress of the house. I will also be a qualified wife, welcoming guests, handling household affairs, serving my mother-in-law, so that Master He will not have to worry about the affairs of the inner quarters, and I will also try my best to have more children for the He family..."
Cheng Wanwan looked at the two of them.
A 30-year-old single man, heartbroken by his first love, once decided to never marry.
A woman in her twenties, considered an "old maid" due to her reputation for bringing bad luck to husbands, once decided to remain unmarried for life.
In this era, whether one chooses not to marry or not to be married, one will face much criticism.
These two seem like a good match.
Although He Xiao did not fall in love, this era was full of arranged marriages, and how many husbands had feelings for their wives?
Being able to respect others is the greatest fortune.
"Since you two are both fine with it, I naturally nod my congratulations," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "You two are not young anymore, when do you plan to hold the wedding?"
He Xiao pondered for a moment and then said, "Going to Jinxiufang to make the wedding dress will take about a month. A month is enough to complete the formalities of marriage. How about we set the wedding date for a month from now?"
Cheng Fang was extremely surprised; this was far too hasty.
Cheng Wanwan was also somewhat surprised: "Scheduled for the end of July?"
“The Assab royal family will arrive in Beijing in early July. After Assab leaves, my cousin should also return to Dahe Town,” He Xiao explained. “I plan to hold a wedding in Beijing, then escort my cousin back to Dahe Town, and hold another wedding in Dahe Town, inviting all the villagers to a celebratory banquet.”
Cheng Wanwan understood; this was an attempt to make Cheng Fang look good.
Cheng Fang pursed her lips and did not refuse.
Her reputation for being a jinx was well-known in Dahe Village. Everyone in the village was convinced that she would never get married, and she accepted this fate.
Returning to Dahe Town for the wedding was like shedding the shackles that had been binding her. Perhaps only then could she truly say goodbye to the original "Xu Mei".
And so their marriage was arranged.
Cheng Wanwan also forbade Cheng Fang from staying in the kitchen. Instead, she had Granny Qi teach Cheng Fang the rules of school and Yan Hong teach Cheng Fang how to read the account books. When she went out to attend banquets, she would take Cheng Fang with her, not as a maid, but as a niece, so that Cheng Fang could gradually get in touch with this circle and not be looked down upon after she became Madam He.
At the same time, she also prepared some dowry for Cheng Fang. First, it was two-tenths of the shares of the Daheyan branch in the capital, then a farm in the suburbs of the capital, plus a small shop in the capital, and then she asked Granny Qi to buy two maids, two old women and two errand boys from the brokerage... In addition, there was three thousand taels of her private savings.
Upon receiving the dowry, Cheng Fang's hand trembled involuntarily: "Madam, this won't do, I can't accept it..."
“You are now marrying into the He family as my niece, so you can’t be without a dowry. I only prepared this much because I was afraid you would refuse,” Cheng Wanwan said with a gentle smile. “The Dahe Zhao family’s skincare business hasn’t reached the capital yet. If you can open up the market in the capital, I can give you 50% of the profits. That will require your own efforts. You are the future Mrs. He, so you must have money in your hands. Otherwise, wouldn’t you be looked down upon? Looking down on you is a small matter, but it’s not good if people talk behind your back that I, Mrs. Sui, am stingy.”
Cheng Fang sniffed and immediately knelt down: "I will forever remember your great kindness, Madam. Even if I become a member of the He family, I will always be your person..."
"Alright, alright, get up." Cheng Wanwan said helplessly, "Xiaoman brought me the reading room's account books this morning, could you take a look at them for me?"
Cheng Fang nodded, immediately took the ledger, and began to look at it carefully.
She had been working at Dahe Banquet for three or four years. Although she wasn't the accountant, she would sometimes help Zhao Dawang clear accounts, and she learned this skill very quickly.
Cheng Wanwan entrusted Cheng Fang with some household chores in the mansion without worry.
The following day was the first monthly exam at Xiao Qin Academy.
The exam consists of six subjects: three foreign languages and three basic courses, and lasts for two days.
The 54 students were dispersed to different classrooms for the exam, mainly to prevent cheating and plagiarism.
Because it was the first exam, the King of Qin took it very seriously. He canceled all gatherings and came to supervise the exam in person. For two whole days, the King of Qin did not leave the school.
The two-day exams ended quickly, and all students were given a holiday, while all the teachers stayed behind to grade the exam papers.
"Peng Wang is indeed a scholar who passed the imperial examination. His handwriting is beautiful, his paper is neat, and he has his own insights into the questions."
"Among this year's students, only Peng Wang is somewhat talented. If he were to take the imperial examination again, he might be able to become a tribute student."
“If Peng Wang takes the imperial examination, then our Xiao Qin Academy will have no talent.”
“Who says there are no talented people?” Cheng Wanwan picked out a test paper and said with a smile, “Dou Qingsong is very good. He got full marks in the subject of Xirong language.”
All the teachers crowded around, and although Dou Qingsong's handwriting was a bit messy, he answered every question correctly.
Dou Qingsong was once one of the most notorious playboys among the second generation of wealthy young men. No one expected that he would be able to learn the Western Rong language so well.
“His grandfather died on the battlefield fighting against the Western Rong. He hated the people of the Western Rong and turned that hatred into hard work, which is why he was able to do so well in his studies,” Cheng Wanwan said. “Pang Jie and Li Jian’s test papers were also okay, not as bad as I had imagined.”
Not only these two, but the rest of the spoiled brats were all doing alright, and none of them produced a blank paper.
Dr. Tao has been at the Imperial College for so many years, and during the quarterly assessments, there were always some people who submitted blank papers, but now there is no such situation at all.
He sighed inwardly, thinking that such an excellent teacher as Lady Sui should be at the Imperial Academy; it was a waste for her to be teaching these spoiled brats at Xiao Qin University...
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