Chapter 2522 Confidant
Minister Liu asked quietly, "Master Zhou, what private matter do you have with me?"
Manbao pondered for a moment, and decided that it would be inappropriate to ask in a roundabout way about this matter, so he simply asked directly, "Minister Liu, I had a drink at my house yesterday, and the Minister's wife was there. She mentioned the matter of Liu Huan and my third niece again. I want to know what you think."
Minister Liu was stunned. He didn't expect it to be this. For this kind of thing, since they have already gone to someone else's house to propose marriage, it naturally means that the elders in the family are interested in her.
What's there to ask?
The astute Minister Liu replied cautiously, "I do like your third wife very much. I heard that she studies very hard, has good grades, and is very talented. I'm just worried that Lord Zhou might not think highly of my Liu Huan."
Upon hearing this, Manbao immediately imitated her mother's politeness and said, "Liu Huan is not bad either. He treats people sincerely. Although he is a mean person and lazy, he is also talented. Most importantly, he has a good character, a broad mind, and an open temperament. This is the most rare thing."
Shangshu Liu felt that Zhou Man’s words were not entirely a compliment, but as a Shangshu, he still keenly noticed Zhou Man’s emphasis on “broad-mindedness and open-minded temperament.”
To be honest, this marriage has been proposed for nearly a year. During this period, his wife has hinted at it twice and always asked Liu Huan to send gifts to Zhou Liru and get along well with him.
But there has been no success.
If Zhou Liru hadn't proposed marriage to anyone who was interested, Minister Liu would have wanted to give up.
Since Zhou Man brought it up today, Minister Liu simply had a frank conversation with her, "Master Zhou, from what you said, you seem to be quite fond of my grandson. Why do you refuse to agree to this marriage?"
When Manbao heard him finally ask, he excitedly slapped his thigh. Then he realized that this was not a good idea. He looked around and simply pulled Liu Shangshu to squat under the bridge pier. He sighed and said, "If we just talk about the character of these two children, I don't have any objection. I think Liu Huan is interested, and my niece is not completely uninterested..."
Minister Liu also slapped his thigh and said, "Isn't that a perfect match?"
"Marriage isn't something that only requires two people to agree. You and I have both been through this and know it. This marriage is about uniting two families. In the future, our young lady will live in your Liu family, and your Liu family will have frequent visits to our Zhou family. As half-sons, it's an exchange between the two families." Man Bao said, "The happiness gained from the harmony between these two families is many times greater than that from discord."
Minister Liu looked up and down at Zhou Man, who had been married only two months, and was speechless for a long time.
The two were so engrossed in their conversation that neither noticed a shadow cast on the bluestone slab in front of them, undulating like mountain peaks.
Minister Liu took a while to find the words he wanted to form, "So you are worried about the discord between our Liu family and your Zhou family?"
Manbao nodded repeatedly, "I'm worried that our two families will not get along."
Minister Liu smiled modestly and said, "Master Zhou, you are worrying too much. Your Zhou family is a generous and charitable family. Although our Liu family is not bad, we still respect our in-laws."
Manbao then explained it more clearly, saying, "We are afraid of a disagreement in our ideas."
She paused and said, "Don't be offended, Minister Liu. You know I'm an upright person, and I'm not shy about it now. Our Zhou family is of commoner origin. In the countryside, it's normal for men to farm and women to weave. Women not only have to weave and spin, but also work in the fields with their husbands. It can be said that half of the family is supported by women."
Minister Liu nodded. As the Minister of Revenue, he naturally knew this.
"That's why our family doesn't have so many rules about poetry, literature, and etiquette. I'm smart, and my parents and brothers love me. I also happened to have the great kindness of a teacher, so I was able to start studying. So, I made it all the way to the court, and my parents and family didn't think it was strange. They just felt proud of it."
Minister Liu thought, they didn't find it strange. Oh, no, it was a little strange at first, but it has been so many years, and everyone has long been accustomed to Zhou Man's presence at the court meetings. Anyway, she seldom speaks once a year, so it doesn't make much difference whether she is there or not.
However, he was proud that a woman could be so Zhou Man, but her surname was Zhou, not Liu, and now her surname was Bai, which was even less than Liu.
Man Bao said, "So my family can marry Liu Yizhu. If she were to stand in my position in the future, the Zhou family wouldn't be surprised. Even Li Ru might be in my position in the future. The Liu family is a family that has passed down poetry and literature. I'm afraid they won't be happy with how we raise our daughter."
Minister Liu immediately understood why they had been refusing. He sighed, slapping his thigh and saying, "It turns out we didn't explain it clearly. Lord Zhou, am I such a shallow and narrow-minded person?"
He said, "If the third lady in your mansion could have the talent of Lord Zhou, we would wake up laughing in our dreams. Not to mention that she is just in your current position, even if she becomes a marquis or a prime minister in the future, we will only be happy. How could we not be disgusted?"
He said, "If we talk about the most capable woman in the world, it must be the eldest princess first, then your majesty's empress, and then there's the wife of Duke Li. Even the wife of Duke Su went to the battlefield to save her husband. I don't know how enviable each of them is. I am so happy that I can marry such a person for my grandson."
Manbao looked at him suspiciously, "But why do I occasionally hear some officials in the court privately scolding me?"
Minister Liu coughed awkwardly and whispered, "They're just jealous of you. Speaking of insults, who among us hasn't been privately scolded? If you don't believe me, just look at Lord Wei. From His Majesty to the clerks in the six ministries, who hasn't secretly scolded him? Everyone can say nasty things, but is Lord Wei really as embarrassed as they say? Do they really look down on him?"
Manbao clapped his legs excitedly, "Yes, they are jealous. They are jealous that they can't become Lord Wei, and they are also jealous that they can't become me."
Minister Liu felt something was amiss, but now was a good time to discuss marriage, so he thought it would be best to agree. He nodded, "Yes, they are just jealous."
Manbao felt like he had found a bosom friend. He patted Minister Liu's arm and said, "Minister Liu, I didn't expect you to be so open-minded. I underestimated you. To be honest, my niece has been studying medicine since she was young. Oh, by the way, she was also enlightened by the Thousand Character Classic and the Analects of Confucius. The more she read, the higher her ambitions will be. I can't let marriage hinder her future. You also have grandchildren, so you should understand the mentality of an elder. That's why I've been hesitant to make up my mind."
Minister Liu felt that their mentality should be different. If his grandson had this kind of ambition, he would not be anxious even if he did not get married for half his life. Unfortunately, Liu Huan did not have this kind of ambition. All he could do was get married and make the rest of his life easier and happier.
Manbao and Liu Shangshu held hands and looked at each other with tears in their eyes: Confidant
See you at 6pm
(End of this chapter)
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