"Yu'er's marriage?"
"That's right, we should have started preparing long ago, we must hurry up!"
Wang, who was leaning against the low couch, suddenly had her eyes light up and instantly became more energetic. She quickly sat up straight and put aside the matter of persuading her second daughter-in-law to resign. She asked excitedly: "Whose daughter is she? Is she a good person? What's her appearance like? What's her physique like?"
"Grandfather," Guo Yu said in a low voice, holding the melon blankly, feeling quite uncomfortable, "I'm only sixteen years old. You don't have to be so anxious."
Her husband came to her rescue, successfully distracting her mother. Jiang Yushu glanced at him gratefully, then immediately put on a caring smile and said to her nephew, "Sixteen is not young anymore. It's best to settle the marriage first. You can wait two or three years before getting married."
"right!"
Wang looked at her precious grandson kindly. "Silly child, what do you know? Most men and women get engaged at the age of fifteen or sixteen, or even as children. You're already too late. If you keep dithering, all the good girls will be taken! Actually, your family has been considering you for a long time, but we just haven't found the right girl yet."
"Ah?" Guo Yu lost his appetite immediately when his elders talked about his marriage. He put down the melon and hesitated, not knowing what to say.
"Hahaha, are you embarrassed?" Guo Hongxuan patted his eldest nephew's shoulder vigorously and said with emotion: "Alas, time really flies. In the blink of an eye, you are getting married too."
The boy denied it awkwardly, "No, I'm not ashamed."
Several children were chattering and playing. Seeing this, Guo Honglei waved his hand and said, "Yu'er, take your brothers and sisters out to play for a while."
"Yes." Guo Yu felt relieved and immediately stood up. He picked up his youngest cousin and urged her, "The elders are discussing something. Stop making noise. Come on, I'll take you somewhere else to play."
"Okay!" The children ran away carefree, jumping and chasing each other.
In a blink of an eye, the servants also left, and only Wang and her son and daughter-in-law were left in the hall.
Wang was full of anticipation, "Honglei, please tell me quickly, whose daughter is this?"
Guo Honglei briefly explained, "The Northwest Education Commissioner, the granddaughter of Lord Nie, the fifth child. Miss Nie Wu's uncle is a soldier and is my friend. Yu Shu has already inquired about her general situation."
Wang couldn't wait and asked hurriedly, "How is the fifth lady?"
Jiang Yushu thought for a moment and then explained carefully, "After hearing Honglei's suggestion, I happened to meet the young lady while I was at the Xuezheng Yamen on business. She'd reached her marriage age at the end of the year. She's about my height, with a melon-shaped face, big eyes, fair skin, and quite pretty. After all, she's the Xuezheng's granddaughter. She's well-educated, polite, and courteous in her dealings with others. As for her true character, you'll have to spend some time with her to know; it's hard to see any flaws in a short period of time."
"Sounds good." Wang frowned, thinking intently. After a moment's deliberation, she asked seriously, "Is it a legitimate child?"
Most powerful people have wives and concubines, so they naturally pay attention to the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. Guo Honglei nodded, "Of course."
Wang nodded. "No matter how poor the Guo family is, they can't let their eldest grandson marry a concubine's daughter. I wonder what the background of Miss Nie Wu's mother is?"
Jiang Yushu replied, "Fifth Miss's maternal grandfather was a member of the Ministry of Works, but he died of illness more than ten years ago."
"So, what does her father do?"
"The current Jeju Tongpan."
"Yes, a family of officials." Wang's wrinkles relaxed, revealing a look of satisfaction. She leaned forward and asked, "Is the Nie family satisfied with our Yu'er?"
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "How dare we propose marriage without your approval?"
"If Mother agrees, we will go to the Nie family to propose marriage as soon as possible," Guo Honglei said gently to his mother. "If nothing unexpected happens, Nie Xuezheng and his son will agree."
"Are you so sure the Nie family will agree?" Wang Shi's suspicions flared up, and she couldn't help but murmur, frowning. "As the saying goes, 'A good girl is sought after by all families.' A family of officials, with a daughter both talented and beautiful, might not necessarily be interested in Yu'er. Or perhaps there's something wrong with that girl? Why isn't anyone interested in her?"
"Hey, mother, why do you say that?" Guo Hongxuan was very dissatisfied. "Our Yu'er is handsome and well-educated. He has already passed the imperial examination and may even pass the imperial examination like my third brother. How can he not be worthy of the granddaughter of the academician?"
Jiang Yushu and his wife understood the old man's worries and sighed inwardly.
"Alas," Wang sighed bitterly, feeling helpless and sorrowful. "Although Yu'er is handsome, well-read, and has a bright future, the only flaw is that both his parents are dead. Moreover, Hongyao was sentenced to death by the emperor for corruption, and Qiaozhen...it's even more difficult to tell others. We can only say that she died of illness."
"Put yourself in their shoes. When discussing marriage, which elder would prefer a child whose parents are both orphaned?" The past events were vivid in Wang's mind. She was overwhelmed with grief, tears welling up in her eyes. She choked up and said, "Yu'er is a treasure in our eyes, but in the eyes of outsiders, he is just an orphan."
"I've asked several relatives about their opinions, but they either declined or lied that they were already married, clearly disdaining Yu'er. My poor grandson, he has such a miserable life!"
——No matter how much the grandmother, uncles, and aunts love and care for an orphan, finding a marriage partner is more difficult for an orphan than for an ordinary person.
Wang looked down upon Guo Yu, whom she liked; and she despised the man who wanted to marry his daughter to an orphan in order to get close to his second son.
The mother-in-law was crying, and her son and daughter-in-law quickly stood up, surrounded her, wiped her tears from her back, and comforted her.
"Although Yu'er has lost his parents, he still has many elders to take care of him."
"There's no such thing as a perfect person in this world. Mother, please don't be sad."
"It doesn't matter even if the Nie family refuses. We can continue searching."
"There are so many good girls, why worry?"
"Don't be impatient, just listen to me first."
…
"Hmph." Guo Hongxuan suddenly slammed the table, his voice filled with pride, "Don't worry, mother. At worst, I can buy Yu'er a beautiful girl who is innocent and virtuous!"
purchase?
Everyone was stunned.
Guo Honglei raised his eyebrows and glanced at her sternly, "Are you buying a maid? Marrying a wife and starting a family is a big deal. It must be done in accordance with the rules and etiquette to be decent."
Wang came back to her senses and scolded angrily: "Stop talking nonsense, are we the kind of family that is so poor that we have to buy a wife?"
"Hehehe." Guo Hongxuan touched his nose, "It's just a joke."
"Yushu, do you have anything else to say? Come on, tell me."
Jiang Yushu nodded, choosing her words carefully. "Our Yu'er, having lost both his parents is indeed a huge drawback, but Miss Nie also has her flaws. According to investigation, the Nie family is a prominent and prosperous family in the local area. Each family has different fortunes, and over time, the gap between the rich and the poor has widened. Miss Fifth's family was already struggling financially. Unexpectedly, her eldest brother fell off a horse when he was young, breaking both his legs and his back. He lost consciousness in the lower half of his body, and he sought medical treatment everywhere, nearly draining the family's savings and living a tight life."
"ah?"
Wang asked with pity, "Paralyzed?"
Jiang Yushu nodded. "The injury is severe and incurable. Young Master Nie has been suffering from injuries and illnesses for nearly thirty years and still hasn't married. He needs to take medicine every day."
"How many brothers and sisters does she have?"
"She has a simple family background, with only two older brothers. Her second brother is married and works as a teacher at a college. I've met Madam Nie before; she's gentle and kind. I've heard that Judge Nie is honest and upright, so it's not difficult to get along with her."
"This..." In Wang's mind, the eldest grandson should have married a noble lady. The old woman could not hide her disappointment, but considering the child's huge shortcomings, she did not dare to be too picky. For a moment, her brows were furrowed, and she was silent and thoughtful.
After listening to this, Guo Hongxuan said casually: "Well, it doesn't matter if the Yue family is poor, as long as the girl is excellent."
Jiang Yushu nodded in agreement. "Honglei and I share the same idea as Fourth Brother. We focus on the girl herself. As for the amount of the dowry, it doesn't matter."
"As long as the girl marries into our family, the descendants of the Guo family won't be reduced to the point where they can't support their wives and children." Guo Honglei felt obliged to do so and said solemnly, "In a few years, we will help Yu'er find a government position. Won't that make her life easier?"
"Well, okay, you uncles and aunts, please take good care of your nephew." Wang changed the subject and asked worriedly, "That girl's eldest brother is paralyzed. Will he be a burden to our Yu'er?"
Jiang Yushu was about to answer when she heard her romantic uncle say magnanimously, "A burden? It's nothing more than borrowing money for medical treatment. Any trouble that can be solved with money is not a trouble! Just give more betrothal gifts."
"What? You're responsible for paying?" Liu Huiniang looked at her husband, hesitant to speak.
Guo Honglei took a sip of tea and said, "Sincerely asking for marriage, a betrothal gift is essential."
"In the long run, if Yu'er becomes the grandson-in-law of the academician, it will be beneficial to his future." Jiang Yushu said frankly, "Of course, if you don't care too much about family background, you will have a lot more options."
"We can't not care about family background!" Wang said without hesitation, "We can't let Yu'er down."
"What do you think of this marriage, mother?" Guo Honglei said patiently, "If you agree, then we should ask a matchmaker to propose."
"No hurry, let me think about it for a while."
Jiang Yushu has always been against blind marriages and suggested, "I have to go to the Educational Affairs Office in a while. Why not take Yu'er with me and try to get the two children to meet and see if they get along, then we can discuss the marriage."
"This, this..." Wang was about to shake her head, hesitated for a while, but nodded and sighed: "Forget it, it doesn't hurt to meet. It depends on whether Yu'er likes it or not. You arrange it."
"OK!"
So, after celebrating Wang's birthday with great fanfare, a few days later, Jiang Yushu and his wife, along with their eldest son and eldest nephew, set off back to Yongzhou.
Three months later, the eldest grandson of the Guo family and the granddaughter of the Northwest Education Commissioner were successfully engaged and decided to get married two years later.
Every year after the autumn harvest, just as the tax and grain accounts have been settled, the north wind starts to blow at the border and light snow begins to fall.
"Alas." Jiang Yushu stole a half-day of leisure from her busy life, sat in front of the window to admire the snow, and sighed with her chin in her hand.
Guo Honglei was admiring the calligraphy. "Why are you sighing for no reason?"
She replied distressedly, "The old lady said I've been busy for three years, but haven't been promoted or moved up. So what if I'm busy for another three years? I might still just be a county magistrate! What if, after six years in office, I'm still a county magistrate? What should I do?"
"Now that you're here, make the best of it. The imperial court has its own considerations when appointing officials. Just do your duty."
"That makes sense." Wang Shi advised in her letters and pressed her in person. She was nagging so much that she couldn't help but grumble, "My mother-in-law always urges me to resign. She seems to despise my low rank. Oh, I really want to experience the feeling of promotion."
Guo Honglei smiled. "How difficult is that? Just wait patiently. If nothing unexpected happens, the court will confer you the title of Fourth Rank Consort in a while."
"Kyouto?"
"Hmm."
"That's great! Thank you."
"Thank you for what? You deserve it."
Gongren is a title bestowed by the court on the wives of officials. Being granted an imperial decree is the glory that countless women dream of. But in Jiang Yushu's mind, it's good for a wife to be honored by her husband, but it's even better for a wife to be honored by her own ability!
She wrapped herself in a thick blanket, her hands resting on her chin, staring blankly at the clouds flying in the sky outside the window. "But I still really want to get promoted so that my mother-in-law will take notice of me."
Guo Honglei consoled him, "Mother is old and sometimes likes to nag. You don't have to take her advice to resign seriously. You should never resign your official position lightly."
"I understand." The wind brought snowflakes, and Jiang Yushu reached out to catch them and play with them, muttering, "Three years after three years, won't I be a county magistrate for the rest of my life?"
"What are you thinking about?"
Guo Honglei put down the calligraphy, walked to the window, and hugged her from behind. "You have performed your duties diligently and achieved remarkable political achievements. The court must be aware of this. Perhaps, since this is their first time appointing a female official, they are naturally cautious and have given you a few more years of experience."
"real?"
"I guessed."
"Tsk." Jiang Yushu couldn't help laughing, she pinched a small snowball and pretended to attack.
"Isn't it cold to be enjoying the snow in the north wind?" Guo Honglei closed the window without hesitation. "Be careful not to get your hands frozen. If you get frozen, how will County Magistrate Jiang review the documents?"
Jiang Yushu threw away the snowball, clapped her hands, and stood up. "Yes, I have to go review the documents! I'll be re-elected and re-elected. Let's see what the court will do in three years. Who knows, they might even promote me!"
"We'll see."
The county magistrate, who was dedicated to his duties, had little free time at all. Time passed quickly while he was busy.
In the first year of her re-election, she tried every possible way to continue recruiting refugees, urging them to reclaim wasteland, and encouraging them to engage in farming and sericulture. During the routine inspection at the end of the year, she was rated as "competent" as she wished.
In the second year of his re-election, the magistrate thought he could have an easier time. However, the refugees from outside and the local people fought over the barren hills and water sources, refused to give in to each other, and started fighting. There were casualties in the fight, and the matter was brought to court. The government mediated for a long time before stabilizing the situation.
As a result, due to years of exhaustion, the magistrate fell ill after serving for three years in office.
That year, on the eve of the winter solstice, Guo Honglei took time out of the camp to visit his sick wife.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yushu went out of town.
In the dead of winter, Guo Honglei, still wearing his cloak and his hat covered in snow, asked in a deep voice, "What's the emergency? Tomorrow is the winter solstice, and she's sick. Why is she leaving the city?"
The clerk, with a bitter face, replied respectfully, "Alas, the refugees who arrived last year are fighting with the local villagers again! General, you may not know that in the past, when the harvest was poor, the people were reluctant to reclaim wasteland, no matter how much the government called for rewards. But now, not only are the potatoes a good harvest, but they can also be sold to the mills, so they're rushing to reclaim the wasteland."
"In order to fight for wasteland and water sources, villagers dared to pick up hoes and sickles and fight to the death!"
"So, as soon as Lord Jiang received the news, he immediately gathered his men and rushed out of the city to stop it."
Guo Honglei was very worried, "Which village is causing trouble?"
"yes--"
Guo Honglei interrupted and ordered, "Find someone to lead the way, I'll go take a look!"
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