Chapter 80 This marriage will not happen.
Lu Xinghe listened in a daze, scratched his head, and sighed sincerely.
"Sister Yuejiao, you've gone to too much trouble."
Shen Yuejiao covered her mouth and chuckled, with an innocent and carefree air that came from being pampered: "Brother Xinghe, what are you saying? My family is so poor that all we have left is silver. My mother said that a daughter should never suffer when she is away from home. This time when I came to the capital, she gave me a full 100,000 taels of silver notes, telling me to spend it as much as I want."
"Ten thousand...ten thousand taels?"
Lu Xinghe clicked his tongue in amazement again, his eyes widening in shock.
He knew that Shen's mother came from a merchant family and was very skilled in business. The Shen family was one of the wealthiest families in Qinghe County, and Shen's father was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. It was a true family of scholars and wealthy people.
The fact that he could casually give his daughter 100,000 taels of silver notes was beyond Lu Xinghe's imagination.
After the initial shock, remembering something, Lu Xinghe immediately put on a serious expression and gave her some instructions.
"Yuejiao, the capital is not like Qinghe County. There are countless high-ranking officials and nobles here, and the situation is very complicated. As a young lady carrying so much money, remember not to flaunt your wealth. When you go out, remember to bring more people with you and protect yourself, understand?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuejiao felt a sweet warmth in her heart. She blinked her clear, bright eyes and asked, "Then... will Brother Xinghe protect me?"
Lu Xinghe was taken aback by the question, and then patted his muscular chest without thinking.
"Of course! As long as I'm here, I will never let you be bullied! Since you call me brother, it is only right that I protect you."
Shen Yuejiao covered her mouth and chuckled, "Then thank you very much, Brother Xinghe."
Watching all this unfold, Lu's mother smiled even more broadly.
After a lively dinner, the family members returned to their respective courtyards.
Once the door was closed, Mrs. Lu helped Mr. Lu to bed. She sighed, "..."
"I think these two kids get along very well, so there's a good chance this will work out."
Mr. Lu leaned against the headboard, his expression no longer as relaxed as it had been at the dinner table: "Yuejiao is indeed a very good child, but by doing this, we've let Brother Su down..."
Madam Lu disagreed: "People strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill; it's only natural. My niece, Xiaoyu, is a good person and has a good appearance. My brother-in-law and sister both work in the Marquis's mansion, so she seems respectable to outsiders. But in the end, she's just a servant, doing menial work. How can she compare to the apple of the Shen family's eye?"
“We, Xinghe, are now the Valiant Cavalry Guards, a respectable official position. If we were to marry a maid, wouldn’t people laugh at us?”
Mr. Lu scoffed at her: "You're actually looking down on your own niece?"
"The marriage between the Lu and Su families was arranged by their elders. How am I supposed to explain this sudden decision to call off the engagement to Brother Su?"
Mr. Lu looked troubled.
A few days ago, they received a letter from Su Zhong, asking them to come to Beijing to discuss the marriage of their two children. The two families were relatives, and the marriage had indeed been verbally agreed upon by the elders of both families.
For so many years, the Lu family had always believed that Su Xiaoyu would become their daughter-in-law.
But the night before Mr. and Mrs. Lu were to leave, a highly respected old man from the Lu family, supported by his younger relatives and leaning on a cane, personally came to their door.
This old man had served as an official in his youth, possessing extensive knowledge and influence within the clan.
"Qiwen (Lu's father), this marriage with the Su family cannot go through."
Mr. Lu was stunned. "Uncle, why is this? The two families have a marriage agreement, and Su Zhong and his brother are trustworthy..."
The old man raised his hand to interrupt him; "That's precisely why I had to come here. Qiwen, do you know what's being talked about in the capital these days?"
"That Yongning Marquis's heir, Xiao Jingheng, risked his life to enter a dangerous place for the sake of a Su family girl! He was even impeached afterward. A master would go to such lengths for a maid. Don't you understand what that means?"
Father Lu's heart skipped a beat, and he tried to explain, "Perhaps...maybe it's just that the Marquis's son is kind and considerate of his servants..."
"Foolish!"
The old man slammed his cane heavily on the ground. "Is it necessary to be so considerate of servants? That's the heir of the Marquis's mansion, the future Marquis of Yongning. How precious is his reputation? Now he's tied to the name of that Su family girl. Don't you understand the implications of this?"
The old man lowered his voice, each word piercing to the heart: "If you go to discuss marriage now, it's like snatching food from a tiger's mouth. If that young master is really interested in the Su family's girl, wouldn't it be suicide for the Lu family to step in now? Not only will we offend the young master, but we will also offend the entire Yongning Marquis's Mansion."
"Xinghe has just started to make progress in the army. Can he withstand such a storm? Is our Lu family's meager foundation enough to even crack a finger of the Marquis's mansion?"
These words were like a wake-up call for Mr. Lu, making him suddenly understand.
He turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.
He was just a scholar; how could he have thought about such complicated matters?
Finally, seeing that he had taken it to heart, the old man softened his tone, revealing a kind of worldly-wise helplessness.
“I know that breaking the engagement is a breach of faith, but compared to the survival of the family and the future of Xinghe, this faith must be abandoned. If Su Zhongruo is a sensible person, he should understand you. This marriage is a hot potato right now.”
'But...' Mr. Lu still wanted to struggle.
"No buts!" the old man said firmly. "Unless you want the Lu family to be utterly destroyed."
"I heard that the girl from the Shen family has been interested in Xinghe since she was a child. The Shen family is wealthy and comes from a scholarly family, so they are a perfect match. If the two children are destined to be together, then it is fate. We can also use this as an excuse to completely resolve the troubles here."
In the end, Lu's father had no choice but to agree to the old man's suggestion and bring Shen Yuejiao to the capital, saying that they would stay for a while.
Mr. Lu sighed heavily, "For Xinghe's sake, for the sake of the Lu family, we can only... apologize to Brother Su..."
After thinking for a moment, Lu's mother said, "I will go to see my sister tomorrow and sound her out first."
...
Meanwhile, at the Marquis's residence, in the Ink Rhyme Studio.
"Your Highness, a messenger reports that Lu's parents arrived in the capital this evening and are currently staying at a house in Huaihua Lane. As expected, the Shen family girl also came with them."
Changfeng's tone was full of admiration.
Xiao Jingheng gave a faint "hmm," as if he had expected this.
Changfeng scratched the back of his head. "Young Master, your move was brilliant! Did you know all along that Miss Shen would come to the capital, so you bought the house in Huaihua Lane in advance and put it up for sale at three times the market price?"
He had initially thought that no decent family would do such a losing business.
So they had calculated that Lu's parents would buy it.
Xiao Jingheng put down the secret report in his hand, the candlelight illuminating his handsome profile.
"Lu's father is a cautious man, with the pride of a scholar in his bones. When they received Su's letter, they were certainly tempted, but they were also afraid of the dangers in the capital and even more afraid that they would not be able to find a suitable place to stay in a hurry and lose face for no reason."
“The Shen family is wealthy, and their daughter is clear about her feelings for Lu Xinghe. Lu’s mother, Zhao, is also opportunistic, so she won’t refuse the Shen family’s overtures. Plus, the price is fair, so they will naturally make the most suitable choice.”
Changfeng's eyes lit up as he listened, and he couldn't help but flatter him: "Master, you are truly a genius! You even figured out what Old Master Lu was thinking."
Xiao Jingheng raised his eyelids slightly: "It's all just a matter of weighing the pros and cons. Fortunately, there are still some sensible people in the Lu family."
He did nothing but spread the 'news' from the capital to the Lu family first.
Sure enough, the old patriarch of the Lu family personally stepped forward, risking betrayal, to stop the marriage.
After Changfeng figured it out, he felt a chill run down his spine. He was once again filled with awe at his master's methods.
"Sir, what should we do next?"
Xiao Jingheng parted his thin lips slightly and coldly uttered a single word.
"wait!"
When the Lu family took the initiative to propose annulment of the engagement.
When Shen Yuejiao got close to him, she completely stirred up Lu Xinghe's heart.
Once Su Xiaoyu saw reality clearly, she completely gave up any thoughts about that marriage agreement.
...
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