Chapter 2402 Heartbeat
Old Madam Liu felt refreshed when she mentioned this matter. It was a pleasant surprise for the old couple that Liu Huan was granted a title. It could be said that with this title, it would be enough for Liu Huan to never serve in the government and just be a playboy for the rest of his life.
When the time comes to divide the family property, give him more real estate, which will be enough for him to live a peaceful and wealthy life.
Madam Liu was more friendly to Zhou Man and took the initiative to say, "I know that Mr. Zhou's time is scarce, so I won't keep you talking to us old ladies. Come, send Mr. Zhou to find Mr. Bai and the others."
Manbao left immediately, as she was afraid that they would bring up matters of marriage again.
After they left, only a group of old ladies were left here.
An old lady asked, "Sister, are you trying to find a husband for Huan'er?"
Madam Liu laughed and said, "Huan'er is not young anymore, isn't it normal for him to get married?"
It's normal, but it's not normal when told to Zhou Liru. What's the family background of the Zhou family, and what's the family background of the Liu family?
Why are there so many uninvited guests this time?
Naturally, it was because Liu Huan was granted a title, and many people wanted to arrange a marriage for him.
But after all, it was in public and there were so many people, so many things were difficult to say. So everyone smiled and turned to watch the storyteller in the pavilion telling the story.
After everyone had moved to another place or gone to rest, the sister-in-law who had the best relationship with Madam Liu followed her to sit in the side room of the main courtyard. "Sister-in-law, you're not really attracted to that little girl from Zhou's family, are you?"
Madam Liu said, "Even in a family like ours, even if the girls are taught from a young age, they may not be able to name a few chapters of the Kang Wang Zhi Gao, let alone memorize them. When it comes to marrying a virtuous woman, family background and other things can be put aside for now. I think she is a good match."
The Second Lady frowned, "But their family background is too poor. Before Zhou Man, their family were all peasants."
Madam Liu said nonchalantly, "They have a Mianzhou governor in their family, and Zhou Man is currently a fourth-rank editor. Their family background is a bit modest, but look at her abilities. Not to mention young ladies from aristocratic families, even young masters from aristocratic families, how many can compare to her?"
She said, "I'm not trying to belittle myself. We know our own children's true colors. Huan'er isn't a very capable person."
"To be frank, I'm going to say this. When the palace was selecting a consort for Princess Mingda, I thought about letting Huan'er try his luck," Madam Liu said. "I figured, since he's not a good student, but he's honest and straightforward, if he becomes a consort, even if he doesn't have the talent to enter government, there won't be many people in the capital who can bully him."
"But his grandfather disagreed, saying that His Majesty loved Princess Mingda so much that he would definitely look down on him. After a moment's thought, I also felt that Princess Mingda was too good. Although it's rare for a consort to hold a real official position, His Majesty certainly didn't want to wrong Princess Mingda too much. If she started finding fault with him and finding fault with him left and right, they'd be a pair of resentful lovers. So the matter was left unresolved."
"Originally, his grandfather and I didn't expect him to achieve much. We just wanted him to take the imperial examinations. If he failed, we'd have him become a county magistrate or some other minor official," said Madam Liu. "Then we'd marry him off to a wife who's good at household affairs. With his eldest brother and a few cousins to look after him, he could at least live a peaceful life."
In fact, the latter method was the one that was generally accepted by their family. Even Liu Huan had told Bai Shan and the others more than once, "When I enter the government through imperial favor and divide the family, I'll be able to call the shots. What good is being a consort? If you don't have a good relationship with the princess, you'll have to rely on the servants to report to you repeatedly before you can enter the princess's mansion. If you encounter some unruly servants, you'll have to stand outside and suffer their bullying."
"The Emperor is watching you, the Empress is watching you, and so are the other princes and princesses in the palace. Especially someone as favored as Princess Mingda. Being her consort would be too miserable."
Liu Huan felt terrified when he thought about how he had been controlled by his grandparents for the first half of his life and by the royal family for the second half.
Madam Liu naturally understood her grandson's thoughts and said to the Second Madam, "Look at the people attending this banquet and the families I mentioned. If you look closely, how many of them can compare to Zhou Liru?"
The Second Lady laughed, "What are you talking about, sister-in-law? How can they not compare?"
Madam Liu shook her head. "They really can't compare. Think carefully. How many of the girls they mentioned are truly a good match for Huan'er?"
The Second Lady was stunned.
"Let's not talk about Huan'er's grandfather. His father was also a fifth-rank official. But the girls they proposed had the same official rank as his father. They were either concubines or legitimate daughters. The legitimate daughters they proposed were either from uncles or cousins whose fathers and brothers didn't hold official positions and relied on them, or they were of very low official rank."
"I know. Even if Huan'er is granted the title of county baron, after meeting him, they still feel that he has no future. Besides, he has an older brother..." Madam Liu paused. She had to admit that she was biased on this point. The family's political resources basically tended to favor Liu Dalang, leaving very little for Liu Huan.
"Zhou Liru's great-uncle is the governor of Mianzhou and a world-renowned righteous man. He's well-known to His Majesty, not to mention Lord Zhou. Her aunt and uncle both have promising futures. If this marriage goes through, the relationship between Huan'er and the Zhou and Bai families will become even closer. Ultimately, marriage is a matter of profit, and the benefits she can bring to Huan'er are no less than those of the young ladies from official families."
He continued, "Putting aside the interests involved and looking at the mistress's character and methods, she's not bad either. You just saw it. In terms of education, even the young ladies you've raised can't compare to her, not to mention her methods. If she aspires to be a young lady like her aunt in the future, how could she not handle the household chores?"
The Second Lady stopped talking.
Mrs. Liu became more and more excited as she spoke. "I'll talk to his grandfather about this tonight."
The Second Lady asked, "Will Uncle agree? And Huan'er, will he agree?"
Madam Liu said, "Just ask and you'll know."
However, Madam Liu did not ask Liu Huan first, but hinted to Minister Liu first.
Minister Liu curled his lips and said, "A peasant? Counting back a few generations, who in our family wasn't born from peasants? We are a family of farmers and scholars, not just scholars. What are they thinking in Jinyang, actually offering a illegitimate grandson to propose marriage to them?"
He paused and said, "I'm not saying that Liu Yi's kid is bad, but I think they're unworthy. Zhou Man's niece is still studying at the Imperial Medical Bureau. Of her four direct disciples, one is now an assistant physician in the Imperial Hospital, and two are in local medical bureaus. Although their official ranks are lower, they are still ninth rank. With Zhou Man's current medical skills, even if they have the support of a powerful person, it's only a matter of time before they can enter the Imperial Hospital. In my opinion, Zhou Liru will achieve great success in the future."
"Liu Yi and Huan'er are about the same age, aren't they? He's already stopped studying and is only doing errands. What future can he have? This marriage isn't suitable. You should stay out of it, or we'll be embarrassed if Zhou Man blames us." Minister Liu said, "This guy is not one to show mercy. He even dared to confront someone like Lord Wei at the Grand Court."
Madam Liu asked, "If it's not suitable for Liu Yi, do you think it's suitable for Huan'er?"
Minister Liu was stunned for a moment. After he realized what was happening, he turned around and looked at his old wife. He couldn't help but shook his head and said with a smile, "You, you, just say it directly. Why are you going through so much trouble?"
It's too cold tonight, so I'll postpone the third day's work to tomorrow. I decided to buy a small table and put it on the bed to write tomorrow. The cold in the south is really hurtful. I urgently need Angela's fireball.
Good night
(End of this chapter)
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