Upset
The third year of Lianning.
Summer is coming to an end in Bianliang and autumn is approaching.
The pink lotus trees outside Dongli Pavilion have lost their color, but the gorgeous red maple leaves on their branches have replaced their beauty.
Such an elegant and beautiful scene was finally broken by the angry curses coming from inside the pavilion. The maid who was sweeping with her eyes down could not help but look up...
"You don't know how to appreciate it."
"This is simply outrageous. A small, powerless official of the sixth rank, the Imperial Household, dares to refuse my son's marriage? It's a great honor for our Earl's Mansion to look upon his daughter. He actually thinks he's that serious—"
Oh, it turns out that the mistress is angry about Erlang's marriage again.
How many times has this month happened?
It’s terrible, run away.
The maidservant seemed to be afraid of being implicated and quickly retreated.
But the noise in the house did not die down, the mistress Yu Yuelan was still chattering, and the incompetent matchmaker sat with his head down.
The depressing atmosphere was so overwhelming that no one present dared to breathe.
Only Yu Yuelan's personal Nanny Fu dared to dissuade her, saying, "Enough, my dear wife! Please stop talking. If your words get out, how will our Erlang ever find a husband? And where will the reputation of the Earl's Mansion be? We can't let the Second House laugh at us. Please calm down."
Unexpectedly, after hearing her words, Yu Yuelan not only did not restrain herself, but instead turned her spearhead towards her personal maid, "Fu Qile, you stick your elbows outward. What do you mean? Are you saying that my son's marriage is difficult and it's all my fault?"
The matchmaker curled his lips upon hearing this and thought to himself, "Look, this 'Firecracker Lady' is truly worthy of her reputation. Which family wouldn't immediately give up on the matter after hearing what the mother-in-law said, and what happened with the gossips of the Earl's Mansion? Why would they take on such a low-paying and high-work job? What a sin—"
Looking at Yu Yuelan's complaints just now, if it happened to someone else, they would definitely have a lot of complaints.
Madam Fu replied with a smile, "Madam, you are being too unfair to me. How dare I blame you? A morning fungus doesn't know the new moon or full moon, and a cicada doesn't know the spring or autumn. The Zheng family rejected our Erlang's marriage proposal. They were short-sighted. They missed out on a man as prudent as our brother. It's a huge loss for them. They should be crying. Why should we be angry with them? We don't want a daughter-in-law like that."
When Nanny Fu said this, Yu Yuelan's anger seemed to subside a little.
But she still leaned back on the couch and said angrily, "No, no! Then tell me, what should I do about my son's marriage? I finally agreed to let my son marry someone lower than me, but now I have to face such a terrible thing."
"Twenty, Fu Qile. My son is twenty." Yu Yuelan covered her face and pretended to be anxious.
Seeing this, Madam Fu took two or three steps forward and said, "Madam, let's switch..."
Unexpectedly, just as she said a few words, someone outside the Dongli Pavilion suddenly said, "Mrs. Fu is right, sister-in-law, let's change—"
The sharp voice fell into Yu Yuelan's ears, making her face turn green.
Nanny Fu turned her head and took a look.
Well, here comes the joker.
The second wife led her second illegitimate daughter-in-law, who followed her like a follower, and they walked into the main house with their heads held high, one in front and one behind.
But why is there a strange face following these two people?
Nanny Fu squinted at the man, wearing an elaborate veil and a dark purple brocade jacket. He looked like one of the matchmakers in the palace, seeking marriages with officials, a high-ranking matchmaker in the imperial court.
What's going on with the second room?
Nanny Fu was on guard, but Yu Yuelan was suppressing her anger and had no place to vent it. The people from the second house were probably caught in the crossfire.
Chu Fanghua came up to him in a pretentious manner, and the second daughter-in-law Zou Shuangtong followed suit.
"Sister-in-law wishes you all the best to your elder sister-in-law. How are you, elder sister-in-law?"
"Niece-in-law pays her respects to my aunt, my aunt—"
Yu Yuelan put down her hands that were covering her face, and when she saw the smug look on the second wife's face, she became furious.
"An, your eldest son just married the Lady of Lingshan County, so who would want to greet you with a second wife? It's neither too early nor too late now, you really know how to choose the right time. Shulang's wife, tell me, what kind of greeting are you offering? I think it's like a weasel greeting a chicken, with no good intentions."
Yu Yuelan really didn't hold back her words, she spoke frankly, and look at Chu, she was so angry that her face turned purple.
Nanny Fu shook her head, thinking that her daughter really couldn't afford to suffer any loss.
The eldest wife's face was green, the second wife's face was purple, and the two of them together looked like a purple eggplant. The scene was really funny.
But even though it was Yu Yuelan who made the sarcastic remarks first, Chu Fanghua could not openly oppose the Countess.
To put it bluntly, not only did the eldest son inherit the title, but his uncle even rose all the way to become a third-rank Hanlin scholar and became the Minister of Internal Affairs. Meanwhile, the unsuccessful son of his own family had only been a minor official in the Ministry of Examination for many years.
No matter what, the first wife always has the upper hand over the second wife.
Although the second branch had temporarily gained the upper hand in the matter of the eldest son's marriage, Chu Fanghua still had to rely on the first branch for his livelihood, so he had to endure it.
But when she spoke, her smile was always dagger-in-hand, not a hint of weakness. "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? What's your family, my family? Uncle is filial. As the old lady said, as long as our Earl's Mansion is still alive, our family will not be divided. Uncle is kind and filial, do you still want to separate from your sister-in-law?"
Split up the family?
Second wife, you are great.
This matter is the master's taboo. If Chu Fanghua's words were to spread, Yu Yuelan would inevitably be lectured.
Yu Yuelan is a person who always complains about everything and even cats and dogs on the street would run away from her for three miles, but she is only afraid of her nagging husband.
So when Chu used this trick, she was defeated.
Seeing that he had calmed down, Chu Fanghua continued, "Sister-in-law, don't be upset. It's true that my son has just married, but my sister-in-law has been worrying about my second brother. My second brother is the only legitimate son of our eldest son. His marriage is a major event in the Earl's Mansion. How can I bear to watch him make a fool of himself?"
"Sister-in-law, I'm here to help you solve your problems."
"Solve my problems? How can you help me solve my problems?" Yu Yuelan said.
Chu Fanghua frowned a little more and hurriedly signaled to Zou Shuangtong. The second daughter-in-law turned around and led the matchmaker over. "Sister-in-law, do you know why our second brother hasn't gotten married yet?"
"Why? Because of me."
Yu Yuelan turned her head to look at Nanny Fu and curled her lips. Nanny Fu smiled helplessly and didn't say anything.
Chu Fanghua shook his head, "Why is it because of my eldest sister-in-law? My eldest sister-in-law is straightforward. Who wouldn't say you are straightforward? And think about our second brother who is young and promising, and the Earl's Mansion is prominent and wealthy. How could anyone not want this marriage? In my opinion -"
Chu Fanghua turned her head and glanced at Qian, the matchmaker that the eldest wife had found. She felt a sense of awe and said, "That matchmaker must be incompetent. So my sister-in-law thought about it and decided to change the matchmaker! Now my sister-in-law has searched all over Bianjing and found the best matchmaker, Zhang, for my eldest sister-in-law."
"She has proposed marriage to the Prince of Han's Palace."
As he spoke, Matchmaker Zhang bowed.
Yu Yuelan's expression changed immediately when she heard that he had a prominent background. "Are you really planning a marriage with a member of the imperial clan? Are you sure you can arrange my son's marriage?"
Nanny Fu stood beside Yu Yuelan and fanned herself, thinking that the mistress, who loved her son so much, might not be able to hear the mockery in the second house's words, but she could see clearly that Chu was disgusted with the first house for its poor use of people and wanted to show her majesty.
Nanny Fu saw that the situation was not right. Without waiting for Matchmaker Zhang to respond, she spoke first, "Matchmaker Zhang is truly outstanding. In that case, we will not settle for less. I hope Matchmaker Zhang can find our Second Young Master a marriage that is worthy of him."
Nanny Fu took the initiative, and her words touched Yu Yuelan's heart.
She looked up at Matchmaker Zhang and asked, "Qile's meaning is exactly what I mean. What do you think, Matchmaker Zhang?"
The master and servant sang in unison, but matchmaker Qian felt very uncomfortable.
Matchmaker Zhang confidently pulled out several lists and said, "I will naturally follow your instructions. Please carefully select them and let me know if you find anything you like."
Nanny Fu took the list and placed it in front of the mistress.
But Yu Yuelan had just picked up the first one when she lost interest instantly after seeing the words "Zou Shuangye, daughter of the eighth-rank Tokyo County Magistrate" written on it.
Yu Yuelan casually threw the Zou family's roster onto the corner of the table and said angrily, "Second House, what are you thinking? All these small families want to get close to my son? Some people don't think that just by joining the Earl's Mansion, they will really rise to prominence. Even if my son doesn't marry, he will not become an in-law to this small official donated by a merchant."
Chu Fanghua looked at the person on the couch, not knowing what to say. It seemed like she was unaware of this matter.
But the second daughter-in-law standing behind her looked a little embarrassed. She seemed to be trying to help her parents in this matter, but she ended up losing more than she gained.
Although the aunt said such harsh words, Zou Shuangtong, as a concubine's daughter-in-law of the second wife, did not dare to say much even if she had complaints.
This family always likes to divide people into different levels, and she has no say at all.
After hearing this, Yu Yuelan leaned against the couch with her arms folded, no longer looking through the list.
Chu Fanghua reached forward and picked up the discarded booklet, startled and muttering, "Fool!" He quickly hid Zou's booklet in his sleeve. Chu took the opportunity to make amends, "You're so rude! What kind of husband is our Yun brother? The only one worthy of our Erlang is someone like..."
"The girls from these families."
Chu Fanghua diligently handed the booklet to Yu Yuelan.
Yu Yuelan looked around and saw that all they saw were court officials of the fourth and fifth ranks. She was not very satisfied with their status as neither high nor low.
It was not until the name of Tai Shi Zheng, the daughter of the second-rank Huainan Jiedushi, appeared that his eyes finally lit up.
"The Taishi family?" Yu Yuelan looked at her silent matchmaker. "Matchmaker, how come I didn't know there was such a family in the city?"
Upon hearing this, the matchmaker stood up tremblingly, thought for a while and replied, "My lady, the Taishi family just rejected the marriage proposal from the County Duke's Mansion a few days ago. I'm thinking..."
Unexpectedly, Matchmaker Qian was interrupted by Matchmaker Zhang halfway through her words, "If you lack the ability, just say so. Don't make excuses. Man proposes, God disposes. Even though the Duke's Mansion didn't work out, it didn't mean our Earl's Mansion couldn't work out."
"Madam, you have a very good eye. Do you know the origins of this Taishi family? The head of this family is the elder brother of the late Emperor Shunhe and Empress, the old uncle of the state, Taishi Zhengjiang! The old uncle of the state has a son and a daughter. A few years ago, the eldest son took over the old uncle's duty at the border, and now he is left with only his daughter, Taishi Zheng. Although the old uncle of the state has been retired for a long time and usually keeps a low profile, the Taishi family's influence still remains. If the Earl's Mansion can marry into the family, it will be a great story."
What a nice family.
Matchmaker Zhang praised the couple in such exaggerated ways that Yu Yuelan was somewhat moved.
But to be cautious, she still took the other lists and carefully considered them with Nanny Fu.
While the two of them were discussing,
The maid outside the house brought in the message that Erlangjun was here to pay his respects.
When Yu Yuelan heard that her son was visiting, her whole demeanor changed immediately. "My son is here? Quick, let Erlang in."
The maid led the person in.
When the bamboo curtain was lifted, a tall, slender, fair-skinned and elegant young man in official uniform appeared in front of everyone, standing in the mottled light and shadow.
Cui Zhijun glanced calmly at everyone in the room, picked up the calligraphy and painting he had sought for his mother, and greeted them formally: "My son greets my mother, and Zhijun greets my aunt. Is there anything the elders need? If so, I'll come back later."
"It's okay, we're talking about you. Erlang, come over and listen." Yu Yuelan spoke lightly, waving her hand and inviting him to sit down. Cui Zhijun walked forward, but seeing his aunt and sister-in-law standing, he didn't dare to sit down.
"My business?" Cui Zhijun was confused.
"Of course it's your big deal. Erlang, look, these are girls from families that are comparable to ours. Have you carefully considered whether there is any that you like? Mother will send someone to mediate for you." Yu Yuelan said as she took the list back from Nanny Fu's hand and handed it to her son.
Talk about kissing...
Cui Zhijun suddenly felt that he had come at the wrong time.
He pondered the words of excuse for a long time, but never uttered a word.
But he knew he couldn't escape. Remembering that his previous marriages hadn't been finalized, he feigned obedience and replied, "In ancient and modern times, parents decide, matchmakers decide. Marriage is entirely up to my mother."
"Brother Yun is so filial. If our second wife can be half as obedient and motivated as him, I won't ask for anything more." Chu Fanghua flattered him whenever she had the chance.
But the question was thrown back to Yu Yuelan, but Cui Zhijun had already said this, so she didn't dare to ask any further.
After weighing it over and over again, Yu Yuelan simply gritted her teeth and chose the Taishi family, which had the least hope.
Yu Yuelan thought that instead of running into obstacles everywhere and being bullied by those small and insignificant people, it would be better to give it a try. After all, it wouldn't matter if she had to do it this once.
If it doesn't work out this time, she will give up that unrealistic fantasy and will accept her son marrying a girl from a good family.
Matchmaker Zhang watched the book from the historian's family getting closer to her, and then she raised her hand to take it. For some reason, Yu Yuelan suddenly withdrew her arm.
Could it be that she wants to go back on her word?
Matchmaker Zhang and Chu Fanghua were puzzled.
Unexpectedly, Yu Yuelan slammed the roster on the table and shouted, "Wait a minute. Qian, Zhang, I want you two to go together to discuss this marriage."
"Madam, how can this be possible..."
"Yu Shuren, this is against the rules..."
"Why not? What's against the rules? My son's marriage is naturally my decision. Okay, it's settled. You two will each try your best. Whoever can arrange this marriage will be rewarded handsomely. Go quickly, I await your good news."
Qian and Zhang were both helpless and in a dilemma.
Nanny Fu was even more anxious. She really didn't know what her daughter was thinking. From ancient times to the present, there had never been a family of in-laws who proposed marriages in this way. It was bound to make a fool of herself.
But seeing that the master has made up his mind, who can argue anymore? They can only follow orders.
At this moment, after Yu Yuelan made this decision, the atmosphere in the room began to become subtle.
Nanny Fu was feeling uneasy, the matchmakers looked at each other, Zou Shuangtong was ashamed and angry, while Chu Fanghua just smiled and said nothing, as if she was watching a play.
Everyone has his or her own thoughts.
Standing among them, Cui Zhijun seemed to be on the outside. Alone. At that moment, the autumn wind blew through the unclosed window, opening the list on the desk. The three elegant characters, painted in fragrant ink, reflected in Cui Zhijun's eyes in the afternoon light, which had lost its scorching heat.
In an instant, a sense of nothingness of a fateful meeting emerged, and this strange feeling isolated Cui Zhijun from their noise.
He couldn't help but think of...
Taishi Zheng.
What kind of person is he?
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