Chapter 197 Something's fishy
It was early morning that day.
It was the fifteenth of the month, and the younger generation of the family all went to Shou'an Hall to pay their respects to Madam Gu. The atmosphere was joyful and harmonious.
Madam Gu looked at her eldest daughter-in-law and asked gently, "Eldest daughter-in-law, have you and your parents discussed and decided on a wedding date for the auspicious days previously proposed by the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion?"
Madam Zhang replied, "Mother, the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion has set the wedding date for August 25th, after the autumn imperial examinations. The Marquis of Wu'an's heir will then marry Xuan Yi."
After she finished speaking, she looked at her smiling daughter and felt bitter. The family environment of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion was complicated, and this was not a good marriage. However, her daughter was head over heels in love and would not listen to any advice. The Marquis of Wu'an's wife suggested August 25th.
She felt that August 25th was too rushed and wanted to postpone it to next year so that she would have more time to properly educate her daughter and prevent her from being taken advantage of in her husband's complicated family environment. However, her husband held her back and made the final decision, setting the date directly for August 25th.
Madam Gu nodded, having no objection. She then turned to Madam Chen and asked, "Second daughter-in-law, what about Xuanling's wedding date?"
Madam Chen replied gently, "Mother, Xuanling's wedding date is set for the sixth day of the tenth month, but it hasn't been finalized yet. We were just about to discuss it with you today. What do you think of this date?"
After a moment's thought, Madam Gu replied, "The two sisters' wedding dates are a little over a month apart, so the timing isn't too rushed. We can set it for the sixth day of the tenth month."
Madam Chen replied, "Yes, then I will inform the Liu family that it will be on the sixth day of the tenth month."
Looking at her two granddaughters, who had grown into beautiful young women, Madam Gu sighed, "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, the little girls who were just learning to walk are now getting married."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xuanling lowered her head shyly, a faint smile on her lips, clearly satisfied with the marriage her stepmother had chosen for her.
When Gu Xuanyi saw this, she curled her lips in disdain. She thought that a concubine's daughter was just a concubine's daughter, shallow-minded. Master Liu of the Liu family was just a minor official, a mere assistant in the Imperial Academy. Young Master Liu hadn't even entered officialdom yet, so what future could he have? Young Master Liu was a scholar, and he said he was very ambitious. But which scholar didn't say he was ambitious?
Madam Gu suddenly remembered that her grandson was still unmarried, so she asked, "Second son's wife, Xiu Hong is seventeen now. Have you found a suitable girl for him?"
Chen replied, "Mother, Xiu Hong says he wants to wait until he passes the imperial examination before getting married."
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu was slightly surprised, but then she smiled kindly and said, "It's a good thing that Xiu Hong has such ambition. It seems that he is confident in this autumn examination. He might really pass the imperial examination next spring."
Gu Xiuhong hurriedly said, "Grandmother, I don't really have much confidence. I just want to gain some experience in this autumn examination."
Madam Gu said gently, "Don't underestimate yourself. I've heard that your teacher often praises you. This time, just do your best regardless of the outcome. If you always feel that you're not good enough, it will affect the final result."
Gu Xiuhong nodded and said, "Yes, Grandmother."
Gu Xiuming listened to their conversation, thinking that his grandmother would bring him up later. Unexpectedly, his grandmother changed the subject. He was a little disappointed, knowing that he had not done enough. Only if he made the list in this autumn examination would his family truly value him as before.
Everyone says that his second brother is talented and his eldest brother is hardworking, but he doesn't think he's any worse than his eldest or second brother. He's 90% confident about the autumn examination results. Once the results are released, it will be clear who is more outstanding.
We left Shou'an Hall.
The younger generation walked behind their elders. Gu Xuanyi walked up to Gu Xuanling and saw the faint smile on Gu Xuanling's face. She said disdainfully, "Second sister, you're so happy that you're about to marry the son of a minor official? You're a girl from a marquis's family. How can you even be interested in the son of a minor official?"
Gu Xuanling was used to being bullied and mocked by her cousin, and she had always swallowed her anger. But when she heard her cousin slander her fiancé, she couldn't help but retort: "Marriage has always been a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's words. I trust Father and Mother's judgment. Young Master Liu is a learned man, and he will definitely be successful in the future. But eldest sister, is it really a good thing for you to go against Aunt's wishes and get involved with her?"
Gu Xuanyi felt a little embarrassed, but she scoffed at her protectiveness: "A concubine's daughter is a concubine's daughter, a shallow thing. The Marquis of Wu'an's son is handsome and dashing, what's wrong with that? I'll be the wife of the Marquis when I marry him."
Gu Xuanling's lips twitched slightly, but in the end she didn't respond. She didn't want to argue about this issue. She had heard from her father and mother that her grandmother didn't approve of her eldest sister's marriage. Her aunt, after being advised by her grandmother, also felt that the marriage was not good. However, her eldest sister took it upon herself to secretly associate with the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an. She even fell into the water and was rescued by him. She wondered if her eldest sister would regret her stubbornness in the future.
Just then, Gu Xiuming's voice came from behind them: "If you ask me, both of you sisters' fiancés are good in their own way, so there's no need to argue about it."
The sudden sound startled the two sisters. They turned around at the same time and saw their third brother, Gu Xiuming, standing behind them. Behind him was their third aunt, who was walking slowly and speaking softly to a maid. The aunt was a little further away and probably hadn't heard what they had just said.
Seeing the three people ahead stop, Meng Jinyao quickened her pace and asked gently, "What are you three siblings talking about?"
When Gu Xuanyi saw her third aunt, she was reminded of her fair and just third uncle. She still vividly remembered the scene of her third brother being beaten half to death in the ancestral hall under family discipline. She hurriedly shook her head and said, "No, it's nothing, Third Aunt. I have something to do, so I'll take my leave first."
Gu Xuanling didn't want to cause trouble, so she said, "Third Aunt, I also have something to do. Please do as you wish."
Watching the sisters leave in a hurry, Meng Jinyao couldn't help but be curious and asked in a low voice, "Son, what were you talking about just now? Why did they run away when they saw me?"
Gu Xiuming, now a dutiful son who answers every question, truthfully replied, "Mother, they were just talking about their fiancés, and it seems they all think the other's fiancé is not good."
Meng Jinyao then asked, "So, who do you think is better, the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an or the young master of the Liu family?"
Gu Xiuming replied without hesitation, "If I had to choose between the two, I think the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an is better."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao suddenly turned her gaze to him and continued to ask, "How do you know?"
Gu Xiuming smiled and said, "The heir of the Marquis of Wu'an is outstanding in appearance, comes from a prestigious family, and is the heir. He will naturally be much better than the young master of the Liu family in the future."
Meng Jinyao saw that her rebellious son had a smile on his lips, but the smile did not reach his eyes. His eyes were slightly cold, with a hint of mockery. This subtle expression was hard to see, but she was good at reading people when she was at her parents' home, so she could tell.
She was taken aback, feeling something was off. Her brother didn't approve of the marriage, but he said his future brother-in-law was good. What did that mean?
She glanced at Gu Xiuming with a probing look, but seeing that he had returned to his harmless appearance and she couldn't tell what was going on, she had no choice but to suppress her questions for the time being.
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