Su Xingze had spent five years in Jibei when, with an official transfer order from Yan Huisheng, he was called back to the Capital City to serve as the Minister of War.
He was the youngest Minister of War in the history of Daliang, having ascended the ranks faster than anyone else.
At the age of twenty-five, Su Xingze returned to the Capital City, accompanied by a young lady. This aunt was about sixteen or seventeen years old, and she had been pestering him since she was thirteen, continuing for four years. Although Su Xingze hadn’t deliberately avoided marriage, he wasn’t keen on taking a bride so much younger than himself, one who was even younger than his youngest sister. He felt it wasn’t quite right. However, the aunt was insistent, full of tricks, and over four years, it was enough for him to see that she had set her heart on him. Overwhelmed by her persistence and feeling it was time to take a wife, he finally relented and arranged their engagement upon receiving the transfer order that year.
The aunt’s surname was Liu, with the given name Yu; her family were imperial merchants, primarily dealing in fabrics and spices, with some connection to Ling Shan Weaving.
She was an only daughter and, although her parents doted on her, willing to give her the stars if she asked for them or the moon if she wished for it, they hadn’t anticipated their daughter’s capability. Just from delivering a batch of fabric to the General’s Mansion in Jibei, she laid eyes on Lord Su and took a liking to him, stubbornly pursuing him and insisting on marriage.
Master Liu and Madam Liu came to apologize, but Su Xingze politely invited them to tea and then saw them out of his residence without any trouble.
Master Liu quietly said to Madam Liu, "Our daughter Yu has to set her sights on someone, but she just had to pick Lord Su. Sigh, if you ask me, it’s hopeless. You better keep an eye on that girl!"
Madam Liu also fretted, "She’s been spoiled by you. If I had been strict with her when she was young, what would you have said? You said, with our big family business, our daughter can’t be too submissive, or she’ll be bullied. Better she’s lawless than weak and overly compliant. Now look where we are. She aims higher than the sky. She looks down on sons of merchants, but she’s set her heart on the moon in the sky. What status does Lord Su hold? Is he someone she can even aspire to? Even if it was a seventh-rank official, we could have a match, but now, we’re out of our league."
In the current world, among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants held the lowest status, even if they were imperial merchants. Although the Nanchu Princess’s rise to prominence through trade in Jiangning County elevated merchants’ status beyond that of past dynasties, they were still considered lowly.
They never dared to dream that their son-in-law would hold a high official rank.
The two sighed and resolved to be strict with their daughter, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t control Liu Yu. The moment they looked away, she would run to Su Xingze, climbing over walls, squeezing through dog holes, mimicking the flirtatious ways of playboy characters from romance novels to win the favor of an aunt, and sending gifts to Su Xingze every few days, always leaving him exasperated and face-palming.
And since she was an imperial merchant with silver to spare, she procured fine things from far and wide, some so novel that Su Xingze didn’t have the time or means to acquire. Finding them too fine to discard, he would always think of his young niece in Nanchu, who would definitely love them, and kept them to send to her. How clever Liu Yu was! The young aunt immediately seized on his soft spot, zealously scheming, and before long, four years had flown by.
Ever since Chu An learned to wield his little writing brush to pen letters, each one always began with "Dear Uncle, my favorite uncle," and he would express his special love for the toys sent by Su Xingze.
Su Xingze was helpless and thus indulged Liu Yu for four years, and gradually, he came to understand that this aunt was destined to be his wife.
Now that the marriage with Liu Yu was definitely settled, Master Liu and Madam Liu felt as if they were in a daze, as though a fortuitous rain had showered down upon them, striking them out of the blue. They were going to be Lord Su’s parents-in-law?
This was truly...
Their daughter was truly accomplished!
Not to say that Liu Yu was the only one daring enough to pester Su Xingze. There were countless young women in Jibei who had their minds on him, but none were as young and bold, nor as quirky as Liu Yu. In the Capital of Daliang too, many aunts pined for him, but all their thoughts were in vain. Su Xingze had turned down many prestigious ladies, but only Liu Yu managed to get close to him.
It really proved the words of the Eldest Lady of Su Family, "A man at eighty can marry an eighteen-year-old," she didn’t worry about her son’s marriage at all. And now, truly, without her worrying, a daughter-in-law had appeared.
She held the letter and chuckled to Su Rong, "Such a young aunt, even younger than you are, it must be hard for him to bring himself to do it."
Su Rong laughed, "Mother, ever since my elder brother sent those toys for Chu An four years ago, I knew this day would come. What kind of person is my elder brother? If he hadn’t opened that door, no matter how good or finely crafted the toys, they would never have reached Chu An’s hands."
Eldest Lady Su laughed in exasperation, "So, you’re saying a man in his twenties had set his sights on a young aunt in her teens long ago? Shameless," she added, "Couldn’t he truly have just sacrificed his own interests for the sake of his niece’s toys?"
Su Rong, hooking her arm in hers, said, "It must be that she caught his eye at first glance, for why else would such finely crafted toys, grudgingly, find their way into his hands, only to be given away to Chu An? "
The Eldest Lady thought about it and felt it made sense, and she laughed and scolded, "Well, what a thing to be proud of, liking someone so young."
With Su Xingze bringing Liu Yu back to the Capital City, naturally many noble ladies there were left disappointed and heartbroken; the high and lofty flower was now out of everyone’s reach. Each elder sighed deeply, regretting not having sent a resourceful young aunt to Jibei early enough to prevail over him.
This was, after all, a future Auxiliary Minister highly regarded by His Majesty, the very minister whom after letting the Fourth Young Master Zhou go years ago, the king had high hopes for as a lofty official with authority second only to one and above all others in the court.
No one had the fortune of the Imperial merchant Liu Family.
Fortunately, the Liu Family didn’t have a son, or they would have been transformed overnight, soaring straight up to great heights.
But everyone had guessed wrong; when Su Xingze discussed the marriage with Liu Yu’s parents, he had already made it clear that their future child would bear the Liu surname and inherit the Liu Family business. This brought tears to her parents’ eyes, and they nearly burst into tears in front of their prospective son-in-law.
What did they do to deserve such fortune?
Liu Yu never imagined, and in a private moment, she whispered to Su Xingze, "Actually, there’s no need. My parents don’t care that much. Compared to the family business, they care about me more."
Su Xingze smiled at her and said warmly, "It’s necessary. The family tradition of my family is to cherish girls more. You are the apple of your parents’ eye, and marrying me shouldn’t change that. No matter when, the vast business of the Liu Family will always bear the Liu name. Just as my sister is a Princess of Nanchu, married to Zhou Gu, though she hasn’t changed her name, the rivers and mountains of the future Nanchu will always be ’Chu.’ Zhou Gu would never allow his descendants ruling over the kingdom to bear the Zhou surname, and neither would I."
Liu Yu threw herself into his embrace, hugged his waist, and rubbed against him, contentedly saying, "Eldest Lord Su, I’m so blessed."
Su Xingze wrapped his arms around her, his brows and eyes full of smiles, "Then will you be good? After we return to the Su Residence in the Capital City, no more crawling through dog holes or scaling walls, okay?"
Liu Yu bargained, "Then you have to be good too? After we return to the Capital City, no looking at any other women—you are mine."
Su Xingze laughed, "Of course."
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