Chapter 111 I would rather Song'er marry the granddaughter of the Rong family
The Yuan family, originally from Yueqing, Wenzhou, was a prominent family with a long history stretching back centuries. Yuan Zhixu was the most outstanding of his generation, perhaps even of several generations. He held a high position of power and renown, serving as a Grand Secretary in the Cabinet.
However, the rise of an aristocratic family cannot be supported by the efforts of one person alone; it can only be sustained by the emergence of talented people from generation to generation. And the one with the greatest hopes in this generation of the Yuan family is Yuan Song.
This child had been bright since childhood, his writing and sentence structure showing some of his former elegance. Unfortunately, the more intelligent he was, the less he would follow the rules. In this respect, he was exactly like his younger brother, Yuan Song's father, Yuan Zhijin.
Yuan Zhijin was born with considerable talent, but he loathed hard work. After passing the imperial examination, he declined to enter officialdom, claiming that since his brother was already serving the court, he would protect the ancestral home and provide a stable support system, thus fulfilling his filial duty. Years later, he suddenly wrote, expressing his desire to try again. Unexpectedly, he passed the exam and was transferred to Hangzhou Prefecture as the chief clerk. He then wrote to his brother, Yuan Zhixu, requesting that he send his honest and steady nephew back to Yueqing to succeed him as head of the family.
I remember when Yuan Song passed the imperial examination, Yuan Zhixu sent several letters, offering to bring him to his family and raise him personally. However, his younger brother declined, saying, "Song's son has already become a student of Master Rong of Yandang." Later, when Yuan Zhijin moved to Hangzhou, he brought up the matter again, but his younger brother declined again, saying, "The son wants to take the exam in Zhejiang." It wasn't until this year that Yuan Song finally arrived in Beijing.
But Yuan Song, now sixteen, had been raised by Yuan Zhijin and his wife to be outgoing and assertive, with a strong sense of purpose. Although Yuan Zhixu felt disappointed, he had to accept the situation. As long as the child was willing to serve as an official in the court and inherit his legacy, he would not care about anything else.
Who would have thought that he would propose marriage just a few days after arriving in Beijing!
Yuan Zhixu was so angry that he immediately shouted, "What kind of family is this Du family? How dare they set their sights on my Yuan family?"
As soon as the words fell, Mrs. Yuan, who was sitting quietly beside her, felt a tightness in her heart and thought to herself that something was wrong.
Yuan Zhixu had been away from home for several days due to official duties. When Yuan Song returned that day, he informed her that he was going to the Du residence to propose marriage. Her sister-in-law had indeed previously asked her to host a banquet after the Lunar New Year to entertain the Du family's second wife and Mr. Rong's granddaughter, who was staying at the Du residence. Although surprised by Yuan Song's suggestion, she couldn't openly object, so she simply said, "Your uncle hasn't been home for a few days. We'll have to wait until he returns to discuss the matter."
Who knew that as soon as she said this, her husband returned home the next day.
Although the Du family had lost contact with the powerful in Beijing in recent years due to the untimely death of Du Keqin, they had returned to the attention of the powerful ladies this year after their two daughters were selected to offer sutras at Bodhi Temple. Moreover, the Du family still had the last imperial scholar ready to rise, and their potential should not be underestimated.
Seeing her husband's anger and outrageous words, Madam Yuan hurriedly ordered tea and personally brought it to the table. She gently advised, "Master, please be patient and forgetful. The Du Mansion was once the residence of Xu Chongnian, the Minister of Rites, Du Keqin. The old lady of his family was from the Shen family, so she had some connections."
As she spoke, she observed Yuan Zhixu's expression. Seeing that he had calmed down a bit, she waved to Yuan Song and asked him to leave first.
Yuan Zhixu looked at his nephew's departing back, sighed, and said to his wife, "Why do you let him do whatever he wants?"
Although the words were a rebuke, there was no trace of anger in the tone. Madam Yuan sensed a gentleness in the tone, and her heart was soothed. Seeing that no one else was in the room, she called softly, "My husband, you also know that Song'er has a stubborn temper. If you forcefully suppress her, I'm afraid it will only backfire. Why not go along with her for now, neither agreeing nor refuting, and then make plans after the Spring Examination."
Yuan Zhixu was pleased to hear this and nodded, saying, "You've thought it through."
He paused, a hint of doubt still in his eyes. "But, the Du family is originally from the capital, and they are related to the former Duke's Mansion. How did Song'er get to know his daughter? And what made her want to propose marriage?"
Madam Yuan explained with a smile, "He's not interested in Miss Du, but Miss Su from Yandang Academy. That girl is Mr. Rong's granddaughter. Mr. Rong's youngest daughter married into the Du family a long time ago and is now the second wife of the Du family. Miss Su lives in the Du family. She will also have a place at the scripture offering this year."
Yuan Zhixu nodded upon hearing this and said, "He has quite a good eye. Mr. Rong does have a good reputation, and I think the granddaughter he raised will be no bad either."
Madam Yuan was slightly surprised when she heard this and asked tentatively, "So, my husband is planning to fulfill Song'er's wishes?"
Yuan Zhixu laughed: "I only said that he had good taste, but I didn't say that this marriage would be successful."
He dropped his smile and spoke slowly, "Although Mr. Rong has a good reputation, he was framed because of it and had no choice but to resign. In this world, fame without power is ultimately unreliable. If I really let Song'er marry her, how will his future career be smooth? With his unruly and flamboyant personality, he needs a stable Yue family besides me to make it long-term."
At this point, his tone paused, his eyes darkening. "Don't forget, our Ying'er is the head of the Yuan family. If Song'er is unstable, Ying'er will also suffer. The Yuan family's survival for a hundred years has never relied on friendship, but on people who can see the situation clearly."
Madam Yuan naturally understood the pros and cons of this, but she still had some doubts in her heart, so she asked tentatively, "Does your husband have a favorite? I think Wenqing from Xu Chongnian's family is not bad."
Unexpectedly, Yuan Zhixu snorted coldly and said, "Xu Chongnian? If I really had to compare the two, I would rather Song'er marry the granddaughter of the Rong family. She has no power or influence, but she can show the emperor that we know when to advance and when to retreat, and we are willing to restrain ourselves."
When Mrs. Yuan heard this, she thought of her husband staying at the Shangshu Province Office for the past few days, and her heart moved. She asked hurriedly, "What happened?"
Yuan Zhixu was upset, but seeing that his wife was sharp-witted and trustworthy, he no longer hid the truth and told her the whole story: "Minister of War Zhang Qian was seriously ill, and Xu Chongnian, hiding it from me, secretly recommended himself to the Emperor to take over the Ministry's seal. As soon as the Emperor issued the decree, I persuaded him to resign. But he complained insinuatingly that I had suppressed him for years, and now he was just asking for a promotion."
"I told him that the Emperor has long been suspicious of us and the Empress, and that his self-recommendation and his intervention will only make him more wary and make him believe we have ulterior motives."
"I had a big argument with him. To prevent the situation from escalating, I asked Song'er to send some local specialties to his house under the pretext that she was in Beijing, as a gesture of appeasement."
"But after just a few days, something unexpected happened. News of unrest at the border was reported, and General Pei Yuanshan, the Northern Guard, deliberately concealed the news, causing military reports to be delayed for several days. Xu Chongnian, acting in charge of the Ministry of War, actually helped to conceal the news. As a result, Dingyuan Marquis Lu Zhi sent someone to present a secret letter exposing the matter. The emperor was furious upon receiving the letter and severely scolded Xu Chongnian."
"Although this matter has nothing to do with me, His Majesty has long recognized him as a member of my faction, so I naturally cannot escape the responsibility."
At this point, Yuan Zhixu's face darkened even further, and he said in a cold voice, "For some reason, rumors have spread that Xu Chongnian wants to choose a husband for his daughter through the imperial examination. But his 'son-in-law' is already engaged. Our dynasty has always had a rule that 'those with poor personal morals will not be allowed to take the imperial examination.' This news has now reached the ears of the emperor, and he has ordered a thorough investigation and even granted Xu Chongnian a few days of vacation."
"I only heard about this before returning home, and I've already sent someone to investigate."
Yuan Zhixu sighed heavily, his brows full of fatigue. "Xu Chongnian has done a lot of things behind my back over the years. This 'son-in-law' thing is the first time I've heard of it. Let's wait for the report and see whether Xu Chongnian will save me or not."
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