Seeing Madam Guan's inquiring expression, Song Lan slowly explained to her, "Aunt, you don't know, but Yan Yuzhi is the eldest son of the Yan family. Although we both studied at Bishui Hall, the Yan family rarely interacts with ours. I wonder why you're asking about him?"
Mrs. Guan was thinking that if Yan Yuzhi didn't work out, she could still get along with Song Lan. So she just nodded and smiled perfunctorily, "Just asking casually. I wonder which high-ranking official's son in the capital is he?"
Song Lan looked at Mrs. Guan and had already seen what she was planning, but he did not expose her.
Song Lan now looked at Madam Guan's family. After all, they had not done anything inappropriate to the General's Mansion. Since they were relatives, he did not hide it and just responded honestly, "Their family is not an official, but has been doing business for generations. With their current industry, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are the richest in the capital."
"Businessmen..." Madam Guan frowned, a little disappointed. After all, only officials could make a living in the capital these days. Businessmen were always less respectable than officials.
Take the Pei family, for example. Having been imperial merchants for many years, they were also extremely wealthy, but ultimately not as powerful and admired as the General's Mansion. However, compared to other families, the Pei family had connections with the officialdom and was a family friend of the General's Mansion, which made them much more powerful than the Yan family.
Mrs. Guan was a little surprised when she thought of this. She looked at Song Lan and said, "Brother Lan, doesn't Bishuitang say that only children of officials of the fourth rank and above can study there? Then why can Yan Yuzhi, whose family is in business, also study there?"
Song Lan's expression was calm as he explained to Madam Guan, "The Yan family is wealthy. Nowadays, there is nothing that money can't do. As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. It won't be difficult for the Yan family to enter Bishuitang."
Song Lan looked at Madam Guan and asked calmly, "Aunt, is there anything else you want to ask him?"
Madam Guan only smiled faintly and waved at Song Lan, "That's all, that's all. I was just asking casually. Brother Lan, there's no need to take it to heart."
Mrs. Guan got the result and quickly turned around to discuss it with Guan Surong.
Mrs. Guan was now somewhat dissatisfied with Yan Yuzhi. She looked at Guan Surong and said, "My dear daughter, I've asked around. Yan Yuzhi's family is in business. Although he's the richest man in the capital, he's still not as easy to talk to as someone in official circles. I think he's not as good as your cousin Lan. Your cousin Lan is also a handsome man. His family also has a powerful general. He has a bright future."
Guan Surong hesitated when she heard what Madam Guan said. She looked at Madam Guan and said, "Mother, I originally thought that Yan Yuzhi was the legitimate son of an official family, but I didn't expect that he was from a business family in the capital."
As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, the status of doing business nowadays is far inferior to that of the general's mansion.
Mrs. Guan now began to persuade her earnestly, "In my opinion, it would be better for you to go back to your cousin Lan."
Guan Surong looked annoyed. "Mother, Cousin Lan already has a sweetheart. They're in a very happy relationship right now, how can I interfere?"
"You're such a blockhead." Madam Guan reached out and poked Guan Surong's forehead, whispering, "Now that you have someone you like, let's use some tricks. If things are already done, not only your cousin Lan, but your uncle will definitely give you an explanation. By then, who cares whether he has a sweetheart or not? After so long, are you still worried that you can't persuade him to change his heart?"
"Mother, but now, Yan Yuzhi is so handsome that I really like him. I really..." Guan Surong sat on the stool, feeling a little unwilling. "Besides, Yan Yuzhi has me in his heart, unlike cousin Lan who is so cold."
Madam Guan was disappointed with her son, "Silly child, think about it carefully. No matter how rich the Yan family is, it can never match the power of the General's Mansion. Although the General's Mansion doesn't have the gold and silver that the Yan family can spend in several lifetimes, it is still rich after all. Your cousin Lan is a general. The Yan family is rich now, but how many generations can they keep it?"
"Think about it carefully, my daughter." Guan Surong also began to feel conflicted. She looked up at Madam Guan and said, "Mother, instead of worrying about me, you should think about how to find a good job for your brother."
When Madam Guan heard Guan Surong say this, her face was filled with sorrow. "That's true, but I asked your uncle last time, and he said Wen Yan wasn't fit to be a general. Those generals who went into battle all started training at a young age, and your brother hasn't always been that strong."
Guan Surong now directly denied it, "Mother, please don't let my brother become a general. The swords on the battlefield are blind. Can't you ask uncle to find him a civil servant?"
"How can this be so easy?" Madam Guan sighed. "Most civil servants nowadays are those who passed the imperial examinations. Those who are granted titles and privileges come from noble families. How can we arrange a position for your eldest brother?"
"Isn't my uncle a first-rank general? It shouldn't be difficult to get an official position for my brother, right?" Guan Surong curled her lips. "You're just unwilling to put in a little more effort to help my brother."
Mrs. Guan had now made up her mind. "Right now, I'm thinking of letting your eldest brother work in the Prime Minister's residence. Maybe after a while, his talent will be discovered and he can be promoted and get a position by the Prime Minister's side. But right now, I haven't figured out how to talk to Sister Ning."
Guan Surong expressed her own opinion on this end, "Cousin Ning is very thoughtful, but she may not let my brother go to the Prime Minister's Mansion to work. When I wanted to go to the Prime Minister's Mansion, she flatly refused."
"Now, if we don't go to the Prime Minister's Mansion, other mansions..." Madam Guan looked at Guan Surong and said slowly, "I can't even think of any other family to go to now."
Guan Surong now remembered someone and looked at Madam Guan and said, "Mother, isn't cousin Shi married into the Marquis of Zhongping's mansion now? That's still a mansion. I was a close friend of cousin Shi when I was little, so it shouldn't be difficult to get her help now. Didn't cousin Ning also mention before that the Marquis's mansion is now a powerful and influential family, so it must be an excellent place to go."
"You are right. And your cousin Shi, how could I have forgotten her now? Since it is a marquis's mansion, it must have a title. There are not so many families with titles in the capital." Mrs. Guan stood up with a smile.
Mrs. Guan had been away from the capital for a long time and really didn't understand the twists and turns of the officialdom. Seeing that the Zhongping Marquis' Mansion was a marquis' mansion, she thought it was a good place.
However, she didn't know that her choice now was exactly what Song Wanning wanted.
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