Gu Qian got straight to the point and stated his purpose.
At the same moment, Qiu Xu stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting, saying:
"Lord Sun, Madam Sun, although I, Qiu Xu, have no wealth or fortune, I have a sincere desire to marry Miss Sun. Today, I have prepared a small gift, and I respectfully request that you accept it."
Madam Sun's squinting, smiling expression was completely different from her previous fierce and angry demeanor, making Qiu Xu extremely wary.
He was afraid that she might suddenly change her expression and hit him with a bamboo stick again.
This put him in an awkward position in front of his brother-in-law.
After his initial surprise, Minister Sun scrutinized Qiu Xu for a moment, and after a brief pause, a smile appeared on his previously stiff face.
He had already learned from his wife that Qiu Xu had been mistaken for a lecherous scoundrel who had mistakenly entered the Sun residence the other day, and had almost offended him.
Of course I knew that Qiu Xu and my daughter were very close.
However, he did not know when his daughter and Qiu Xu had met.
It really surprised him.
A few days ago, he took some time to ask his daughter what she thought of Qiu Xu.
He could see right through his daughter's behavior.
Coincidentally, Qiu Xu came to propose marriage today, accompanied by General Gu.
He had long planned to snatch a son-in-law from the imperial edict.
He cherishes talent, and Qiu Xu being his ideal son-in-law is naturally to his liking.
"Wan'er, what do you think?" Minister Sun turned to Sun Wan and asked for her opinion.
Sun Wan smiled shyly, lowering her head and looking down:
"Everything is up to my parents to decide."
Minister Sun had never seen his daughter with such an expression before, and thought to himself,
A daughter is like a tree that grows up and cannot be kept at home.
He looked at his wife again.
Madam Sun remained silent, her eyes still narrowed as she smiled at Qiu Xu's features.
Minister Sun coughed twice, but Madam Sun acted as if she hadn't heard him and remained silent.
Knowing his wife's temperament, Minister Sun simply ignored her.
"Very well, then Father will agree to this marriage today."
"Prepare tea quickly," Minister Sun said gently to his attendant beside him, then smiled at Gu Qian and Qiu Xu.
"Look at me, I got so caught up in talking. Your Highness, Young Master Qiu, please come in..."
Immediately afterwards, Minister Sun instructed that these gifts be sent to the storeroom.
Gu Qian nodded and, led by Minister Sun, went to the guest hall.
Before Qiu Xu caught up, he glanced at Sun Wan, who lowered her eyes slightly, twisting the handkerchief in her hand, her cheeks burning.
The atmosphere between the two was subtle and sweet.
But at that moment, Madam Sun suddenly said...
"Qiu Xu, come here. Don't come with me yet. Let me take a good look at you."
Then, she reached out her hand to Qiu Xu.
Madam Sun's sudden movement caused Qiu Xu to involuntarily step back.
He feigned composure and was about to step forward.
But before the others could move,
In the blink of an eye, Madam Sun was already standing in front of him.
"Are you trying to put on airs with our Wan'er?"
Sun Wan: "Mother, does he have one?" What is her mother going to do now?
"Absolutely not." Qiu Xu shook his head repeatedly, completely baffled by Madam Sun's nonsensical statement.
"How could I not have seen you? Why haven't I seen you even once in all this time?" Ever since the day she kicked Qiu Xu out of the mansion, Madam Sun had been thinking about seeing him again.
"...It was my fault. Even if I'm busy, I should have taken the time to visit Wan'er. I hope Madam will forgive me." Qiu Xu's reply brought another smile to Madam Sun's face.
"You're quite clever; you even know how to shut me down with your words."
Qiu Xu: "This junior dares not."
“Let them talk. Come with me, I have something to ask you.” Madam Sun pointed to the stone table in front of her.
Qiu Xu glanced in the direction his senior brother had left, and could only respond.
"yes."
He then followed Madam Sun and sat down on the stone bench.
As for what Madam Sun wanted to see him about?
Of course, they're checking household registration.
Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, he heard Madam Sun ask him:
"Qiu Xu, where do you live? Are your parents still in good health?"
As Madam Sun inquired, Sun Wan, who was closely following behind her, also listened attentively.
Qiu Xu clasped his hands in a fist salute, and without hesitation, replied to each question:
“I was born in Baiyang County, Huaiyuan Prefecture, and grew up in the countryside. My parents passed away when I was young.”
"Both parents are gone?" Madam Sun looked at Qiu Xu again, with more sympathy.
Qiu Xu nodded, “I lost my mother when I was five and my father when I was ten. It was my older sister and second uncle who raised my sister and me to adulthood.”
Madam Sun originally thought that Qiu Xu's family must be quite good because of Qiu Yan's status as a princess, but she never expected that his background would be so tragic.
At the same time, considering that Qiu Yan was only a few years older than Qiu Xu, he felt more favorably toward her.
"From now on, be good to your sister and your second uncle."
Qiu Xu: "That's for sure."
"Besides your sisters, your second uncle's family, are there any other people in your household?"
"And my fourth uncle and my youngest uncle." Qiu Xu really didn't want to bring up the past, but Madam Sun's gossipy nature just wouldn't stop.
Even Sun Wan, who was standing to the side, gradually became embarrassed.
Sun Wan carefully tugged at her mother's sleeve, but after being glared at by her mother, she sheepishly withdrew her hand.
Madam Sun pressed on, "Have your other uncles helped your family?"
When choosing a son-in-law, one must know oneself and the other.
"My second uncle is like a father to me, and my fourth and fifth uncles are also very good."
"That's alright, your family relationships seem pretty good. But what about your grandparents? Don't they care about you?"
Qiu Xu... Madam Sun, are you going to tell me about all eighteen generations of your ancestors?
My grandparents passed away early.
Where is your third uncle?
"...disappeared."
"Missing? Didn't any of you go looking for her?"
"No."
"They've gone missing and we're not even looking for them?" Mrs. Sun thought that was unacceptable.
Why did they go missing?
"Fearing conscription... he ran away." Qiu Xu didn't want to mention Qiu Dayong at all, but Madam Sun pressed for details. For her daughter's sake, she was truly going to great lengths.
"They escaped?" Madam Sun shook her head.
"Then why bother looking for him? His character is definitely not good."
"..." Qiu Xu made no judgment, after all, he had long forgotten about Qiu Dayong's family.
"..."
Madam Sun went so far as to curse Qiu Xu's ancestors for eighteen generations.
Finally, the floodgates were closed.
"Qiu Xu, you three siblings have really had a tough life." Your grandparents and parents all died when you were young.
Thinking about it, it's really tough.
Like their Wan'er, she was a girl who grew up in a honey pot, getting whatever she wanted.
"From now on, you must treat my Wan'er well." Madam Sun said earnestly.
Qiu Xu nodded earnestly.
"I will definitely do it!" Qiu Xu wanted to say, but he didn't say anything more about the hardships he was going through.
For example, his stepmother mistreated him, his third uncle and aunt exposed his mistreatment, and his sister was almost sold. He and his sister suffered inhumane treatment from a young age.
Even so, it still moved Madam Sun to tears.
This left Qiu Xu and Sun Wan somewhat dumbfounded.
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