Meng Zhao had already guessed Wang Pozi's identity from her clothes and speech, and had a general idea of her purpose. So he poured a cup of tea and handed it to her, saying, "Aunt Wang, please have some tea first."
Granny Wang took the teacup, smiled and looked Meng Zhao up and down, saying, "If I'm not mistaken, you're the sister-in-law of this year's top county scholar, right?"
Meng Zhao nodded, and Granny Wang smiled and praised, "I've long heard that Madam Meng is good at business, and seeing her today, I can see that she is indeed a clever person."
Meng Zhao didn't want to continue with pleasantries and asked directly, "Aunt Wang, what brings you here today?"
Granny Wang put down her teacup, her face beaming with smiles. "I've come here today because I have some incredibly good news to tell you."
Meng Zhao nodded, signaling her to continue.
Granny Wang said mysteriously, "As the saying goes, 'A family with a daughter is sought after by a hundred families,' and the same goes for men. Ever since your second son passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, we matchmakers have been practically worn down our doorsteps. But who in this county doesn't know that the Shen family's second son is not only handsome, but his sister-in-law is also a capable woman. If ordinary families came to us, wouldn't that be like a toad trying to eat swan meat? We simply didn't even bother to accept them. But today is a little different. Can you guess who has taken a liking to your second son?"
Meng Zhao's curiosity was piqued, and she raised an eyebrow slightly, "Who is it?"
Granny Wang slapped her thigh, her voice rising eight octaves, "She's the daughter of the Li family from the east of the city! Not only is she beautiful, but she's also proficient in all the arts, from music and chess to calligraphy and painting, making her a perfect match for your second son. Moreover, the Li family said that if this marriage goes through, he doesn't need any dowry and is even willing to provide a dowry of a thousand taels to support your second son's journey to the capital for the imperial examinations!"
Upon hearing this, even Meng Zhao was stunned. How much did this Scholar Li fancy Shen Qinghe? He didn't even want a bride price and brought so much dowry.
Moreover, the other party was a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). Although there is only one provincial examination between a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level civil service examination) and a Juren, the difference between the two is like heaven and earth. I have only ever heard of poor Xiucai, never poor Juren.
Because even the top-ranked scholar could only receive a monthly stipend from the imperial court, and be exempt from kneeling, corvée labor, and land taxes. But a successful candidate in the provincial examination not only enjoyed all the benefits of a scholar, but those with better rankings could even become county magistrates. Even those who were second-ranked candidates were reserve officials of the imperial court. If there were vacancies in county positions, they would be filled by suitable candidates.
Therefore, becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations) was equivalent to stepping into officialdom, while a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations) was merely a person of some standing in the eyes of ordinary people.
What's more, Li Juren was willing to let Shen Qinghe continue taking the imperial examinations, not worried that he would forget his daughter after passing them. This was truly considerate.
Shen Qinghe, who was inside the house, heard the commotion outside suddenly stop and his heart clenched. Why didn't his sister-in-law just refuse? Did she really want him to marry someone else?
If Meng Zhao hadn't known Shen Qinghe's future circumstances beforehand, she would have thought it was a great joy. But she knew that Shen Qinghe's future was far more than this, and his marriage shouldn't have been arranged so early.
Meng Zhao pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "Auntie, the Li family is certainly very good, and I have heard of Miss Li before. She is a rare and wonderful girl. However, it is not up to me to say for sure. I will have to ask my mother for the specifics."
Although she was Shen Qinghe's sister-in-law, Gu Shi was still alive, and Shen Qinghe's marriage was not her place to decide.
Granny Wang, however, disagreed and waved her hand, "Hey, an elder sister-in-law is like a mother, it doesn't matter who says it. I've heard that the Shen family is all arranged by you. As long as you agree, this marriage is already half done."
Even if Shen Qinghe listens to her, she won't make decisions for him. After all, everyone has to live their own life. If things don't go well in the future and he blames her, then it will be hard to explain.
So he said, "Since you've brought this up, I'll just pass on the message. I can't guarantee whether it will work out or not. Please don't make any promises to anyone beforehand, and don't tell anyone about it. If it doesn't work out, it won't be good for the girl."
Granny Wang immediately beamed with joy, "Don't worry, Madam Meng. I, Granny Wang, have done plenty of matchmaking work, so I know these basic rules."
After finishing discussing Shen Qinghe's matter, Meng Zhao thought of seeing the guest off, but Wang Pozi did not get up. Instead, she looked Meng Zhao up and down a few times.
Since she had come to propose marriage, she naturally inquired a little about the Shen family and learned that the eldest son of the Shen family had been gone for two years, which made her think about it.
She looked at Meng Zhao with a smile, her tone tinged with a hint of probing, "Mrs. Meng, I feel we have a connection, so I'll say a few words from the heart. What we women want in this life is nothing more than to be a good wife and mother, and live a peaceful life, right? That eldest son of the Shen family was unlucky; he left us too soon. A woman as good as you deserves to be matched with a better family. I have many promising young men in the county; would you like to take a look?"
Meng Zhao was stunned. Granny Wang was really ambitious. She was already eager to start the next project before the previous one had even made progress.
Not wanting to say too much, she simply used the same excuse she used on Meng Dashan and Xu Yunrong: "Aunt Wang, I'm still in mourning right now, and I really don't have the mind to think about such things, so please don't bring it up again."
Old Mrs. Wang listened with a look of disapproval, "You're mistaken. My first husband also passed away early. At first, I was suicidal every day, but what happened later? I remarried when I was supposed to. After I actually got married, I regretted it to death. What did I regret? I regretted not remarrying sooner! He's already dead, why should I still think about him? Living a good life in my later years is the most important thing. At worst, I can find someone else in the next life."
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