Chapter 553 I am honored, but I cannot give birth
Xue Ru was dumbfounded. She never expected that Madam Cui would fall for her. Even Tang Ning beside her was surprised.
It's not that she thinks Aru is bad. In her heart, Aru is the best in every way and is more than enough to match any man in the world. But some things are particularly realistic in the eyes of others.
Not to mention Aju's past with the Song family, the fact that she was a concubine's daughter with no relatives to rely on, and later "expelled" herself from the Song family and changed her surname, was enough to make some families who valued rules look down on her.
The Cui family is one of the eight great families, and Madam Cui is also from a prominent family. Families like them value family background the most and care more about a woman's wealth and background than her appearance and character. However, Madam Cui actually asked for Aju to marry on behalf of her only legitimate son.
Or marry her as a legal wife and promise her the power to manage the Cui family's inner house in the future, this...
Tang Ning didn't answer for her right away. Instead, he frowned and looked at Xue Ru: "Aru, since this is your marriage, what do you think?"
Xue Ru hesitated for a moment before looking at Madam Cui: "I want to know why Madam Cui chose me?"
Before Madam Cui could speak, she said softly:
"You don't need to tell me about my appearance or character. I know what I look like. I'm not ugly, but I'm not stunningly beautiful either. Besides, this is only our first meeting. Before that, I had a lot of bad reputation in the capital, let alone praise."
"Young Master Cui is the legitimate son of the Cui family. While the Cui family may have lost some face this time, their wealth is still there. If he wants to marry, there are probably many noble ladies in the capital who would be willing to marry him. The young lady would never choose a daughter like me who has betrayed her family and is an orphan."
Xue Ru was not as shy as before, and her words were not aggressive, but her meaning was very clear.
"I want to know why Madam Cui chose me?"
Mrs. Cui saw that Xue Ru looked calm, although a little confused, but she was quick-witted and quickly grasped the key point. She mentioned her past without any cowardice, and Tang Ning indulged and acquiesced while she was talking, obviously allowing her to ask questions herself.
Madam Cui was more satisfied. She said seriously, "Since you asked me so frankly, I won't lie to you."
"I had intended to arrange a marriage for my son before, and I also wanted to form alliances with several other families. But after this palace banquet, I realized that so-called marriages are useless to the aristocratic families. They will turn against each other when necessary and kick each other when they are down."
"My son was originally the legitimate son of the family, but because of my excessive talk at the palace banquet, his grandfather and father disliked him. Furthermore, the incident with Xuan Qin smeared the Cui family's reputation, and the families that had previously discussed marriages with my son suddenly became cold towards him..."
"So I am Madam Cui's second best choice?" Xue Ru asked bluntly.
"Of course not."
Madam Cui replied without hesitation, "Even if the Cui family suffers further losses, its foundation is still there as you said. If I want to settle for second best, even if I'm not a noble lady from an aristocratic family, there are many daughters of officials and relatives in the capital. If that's not possible, there's still the direct branch of my family. I chose you because I've gotten to know you during this time."
She paused.
"Let me first apologize. I sent someone to investigate your past."
There was no sign of anger on Xue Ru's face; she just listened quietly with clear eyes and brows.
Madam Cui was even more satisfied. She said in a gentle voice, "When the Song Tan couple were around, they didn't think much of you. Song Tan even treated you harshly because of your biological mother. But I've looked into your biological mother's affairs. She wasn't at fault for what happened between her and Song Tan. On the contrary, it was Song Tan who was to blame."
"When you were in the Song family, you were timid and cowardly, rarely meeting outsiders. The servants who were sold alive by the Song family didn't even have any impression of you, the concubine of the third wife. But when Princess Xiangning and Governor Xiao hated the entire Song family and destroyed the Duke's Mansion, they were able to save you. Afterwards, they kept you by their side and protected and cared for you in every way. I think there must be a reason..."
"Young Madam, be careful with your words!"
Tang Ning's face suddenly turned cold and he put down the snack in his hand heavily.
Madam Cui quickly said, "Princess, calm down. I'm not implying that Miss Xue is scheming. I just think that you and Governor Xiao are both intolerant of any injustice. Miss Xue must be of good character to be valued and respected by you."
"She had a difficult childhood and was treated harshly by the Song family. If she were an ordinary person, she would have become stubborn by now, but she was able to blossom in the mud."
When she looked at Xue Ru, her eyes were full of undisguised admiration:
"I've investigated the events leading up to the Song family incident, and naturally, I've also investigated the princess's relationship with her. When you went to the Song family to help her leave the clan, you kept telling everyone she was from the Rong family. If it were an ordinary person, they would definitely try every possible way to get close to the Rong family. As long as they were part of the Rong family, they wouldn't have a bright future, but at least they wouldn't have to worry about getting married."
"But after Miss Xue left the Song family, she took the surname of her mother, whose reputation was slandered and criticized. This alone is enough to surpass many people."
Tang Ning's anger subsided slightly after hearing what Madam Cui said, while Madam Cui said seriously:
"After the incident at Duke Song's Mansion, she entered Jiyun Lane. She did not sit back and enjoy the success of the Princess and Governor Xiao. Instead, she was extremely motivated."
"She's one of only two female students at Rongsheng Academy. She's made amazing progress since she enrolled. Furthermore, I heard that Miss Xue is managing some of the princess's businesses and family businesses. The Song family certainly wouldn't have taught her these things. She's been able to transform to this point in just six months. I can only say that she's an incredibly intelligent girl."
"The Cui family is already a prominent family, and my mother's family is also a prestigious family. What my son needs is a wife with good character, who can help him stabilize the family and is smart and capable."
"I like Miss Xue very much, so I took the liberty of asking for this marriage on behalf of my son. If the princess agrees, I promise you that my son will respect her in the future and will never bully her. He will also not allow anyone else to interfere in the Cui family's inner household except her."
Tang Ning looked at Madam Cui and was about to speak when Xue Ru spoke first: "Madam Cui, does what you just said have anything to do with the mineral that you gave to Governor Xiao?"
"Of course not!"
Madam Cui said without hesitation, "I sincerely want to ask you to marry me on behalf of my son. How could I treat this as a side issue? That would be disrespectful to you and a humiliation to my son. I truly and sincerely want to marry you to the Cui family as the head mistress."
Xue Ru smiled slightly after hearing this: "Thank you, Madam Cui, for your appreciation of me."
"Then this marriage..."
"I'm afraid I can't."
Madam Cui frowned slightly: "Why?"
She had already made the conditions very good, and she thought she valued Xue Ru enough. Moreover, marrying a concubine's daughter as a legitimate son of the Cui family was considered a low marriage in the eyes of anyone, which was enough to show her sincerity.
She thought Xue Ru would agree, but never expected her to refuse.
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