Chapter 9, a sweet romance novel, is paired with a tragic fate according to the Eight Characters of Birth! ...
Turning her head, Zhao Xian instructed Granny He to spread the word, determined to prevent any path from being taken where the male protagonist in a tragic novel is paired with a vicious female supporting character.
Li Lianniang was the first to know about the news that had left Yunzhu Garden.
Danruo, stirring the incense burner, was someone who couldn't keep a secret: "Why did Madam suddenly decide to take Miss Cui as her goddaughter?"
Li Lianniang was also stunned. Logically speaking, Cui Tingyue had been in the Jiang family for half a year, and her mother-in-law had never mentioned this matter. But suddenly she said she wanted to take Cui Tingyue as her goddaughter.
Jiang Shuxiu, still an infant, was also puzzled. This hadn't happened in her previous life. Cui Tingyue and her bastard father had certainly angered her mother quite a bit.
Grandmother actually wants to take her in as her goddaughter. Won't she become even more unscrupulous in the future because of this status?
"Oh dear, Xiu'er has vomited milk, wet nurse." Chi Lan was teasing the child when she saw Jiang Shuxiu suddenly vomit a puddle of milk.
The wet nurse took Jiang Shuxiu away to clean her up, and no one knew that she vomited milk because she was angry.
-The family of Grand Secretary Lu of the Privy Council-
The servant reported, "Madam, Madam Jiang has declined both the invitations to the flower banquet and the tea banquet."
Madam Lu looked at her eldest daughter-in-law and said, "Why is it so difficult to find out what Madam Jiang is thinking?"
The rumors circulating outside have become increasingly offensive lately.
They even said that Madam Jiang was in love with her son and couldn't bear to be separated from him. They also said that when young Master Jiang took the imperial examination, Madam Jiang cried her eyes out at the entrance of the examination hall, losing all face.
Some say that Madam Jiang deliberately tormented her eldest daughter-in-law, preventing her from even having a peaceful postpartum period.
The rumors were quite detailed and convincing.
The rumors circulating outside made Madam Lu begin to reconsider whether to continue the marriage with the Jiang family.
I glanced at the red booklet on the table.
The matter of sending the children's birth dates to a master for matching has been resolved.
A perfect match, a union made in heaven.
But at this moment, she hesitated.
"Mother, why don't we go to the Jiang residence?"
Madam Lu looked at her eldest daughter-in-law with a puzzled expression.
The eldest daughter-in-law said, "My younger sister's marriage is the most important thing. Since you are worried about Madam Jiang's character, and she doesn't go out, why don't you go and find out the truth yourself? It just so happens that her eldest daughter-in-law has given birth, so we can bring gifts and go to congratulate her."
The Jiang and Lu families were discussing marriage, so it wouldn't be unusual for them to visit at this time.
Madam Lu was very pleased with her daughter-in-law's idea: "Quickly prepare a visiting card and send it over."
She was so anxious that she didn't believe what she heard. She should have gone and seen for herself.
"Daughter-in-law will go right away."
The invitation was sent to the Jiang family, and the next day the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went to the Jiang residence with their servants.
She did not bring her youngest daughter, Lu Zhaoying.
Although Lu Zhaoying and Jiang Heng, the second young master of the Jiang family, were discussing marriage, as an unmarried girl, she had no reason to visit him since it was neither a holiday nor a festival.
On the contrary, it would make people think they were too eager, and leaving a bad impression on Madam Jiang would be a loss.
Furthermore, Madam Jiang's reputation is currently not good, and Madam Lu does not want her daughter's reputation to be damaged before marriage, thus affecting the marriage.
Lu Zhaoying received the news just as her mother and sister-in-law were leaving.
"Miss, Madam and the others have gone out," the maidservant announced as she entered the room.
Lu Zhaoying nodded, took the nearly finished sachet from the embroidery frame, and began to embroider it stitch by stitch.
The maidservant who accompanied Lu Zhaoying was quite talkative and couldn't help but whisper, "Miss, do you still want to marry Young Master Jiang? Will Master and Madam disagree with this marriage?"
Young Master Jiang is a good person, a good match for Miss, and treats her well.
How could I have ended up with such a mother?
"Stop talking, come and split the silk." Lu Zhaoying said, pointing to the silk threads in the embroidery frame.
Whether this marriage can be denied is still unknown, but coincidentally, Jiang Heng is not in Jin'an.
Thinking of Jiang Heng, Lu Zhaoying knew perfectly well that he was the best marriage candidate she could find.
Lord Jiang is a favorite of the Emperor with a bright future, and Jiang Heng himself is also ambitious. Compared to those playboys from other families, the Jiang family's family tradition is what she values most.
Lord Jiang is thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, and still has no concubines in his harem.
She knew that men would take concubines, and her father was no exception, but there was still a big difference between having a few more concubines and having a few less.
With an elder brother to uphold the family's reputation, Jiang Heng was not so picky about the background of his wife.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been her turn.
This marriage should naturally be arranged. My father and mother are not people who can't tell the difference. It's just that Madam Jiang is being criticized like this, and the Jiang family's reputation is too bad, which is not good for her.
-Jiang Mansion-
Zhao Xian received Madam Lu and her daughter-in-law, Xiao Lu, in the waiting room.
Madam Lu made her purpose clear from the start: "I heard that the eldest young mistress of your household has given birth, so I have prepared some small gifts."
"Thank you for your kindness, please have a seat."
To be honest, Zhao Xian was still a bit confused when she received the invitation from the Lu family yesterday. It was only after being reminded by Granny He that she realized that the young lady of the Lu family and Jiang Heng were discussing marriage.
When Jiang Heng first transmigrated, he got angry at the original owner of the body because the original owner wanted to arrange a concubine for him since they were about to get engaged.
She spent the whole morning looking forward to meeting the female lead of another sweet romance novel.
The female protagonist in the book is described as a sweet and doting heroine who is pure, kind, gentle, and naive, commonly known as a silly beauty, and the most innocent little fairy.
Because it's a sweet romance novel, it doesn't feature too many annoying relatives, and the whole story is so sweet it'll make you smile like a doting aunt.
Compared to the typical female protagonist in abusive novels who is always the one getting bullied, resilient, and silent, and whose constant torment only makes the reader furious.
The female protagonist in this sweet romance novel is innocent and naive, with a charming and endearing way of speaking. Even the original owner's wicked mother-in-law is particularly fond of her.
Unfortunately, she waited all morning, but no one came.
The disappointment in Zhao Xian's eyes puzzled Madam Lu and her daughter-in-law.
After exchanging glances for a moment, Madam Lu took a sip of tea and said, "On the way here, my daughter-in-law was telling me how lucky the eldest young mistress of the manor is to have her mother-in-law personally take care of her child."
Zhao Xian waved her hand modestly and said, "How could that be? There are servants in the manor, so it's just a matter of me talking."
Madam Lu and her daughter-in-law, Madam Lu: "..."
When that failed the first time, Madam Lu continued to press the issue, saying, "Is the eldest young mistress's childbirth very dangerous?"
Zhao Xian picked up her teacup and took a sip. It was naturally dangerous, especially with a tragic male protagonist from a sadomasochistic novel adding fuel to the fire.
"It was dangerous! It scared me half to death and reminded me of the hardships I faced when I gave birth to Wei'er." I've already used this excuse once, so there's no harm in using it again.
"So that's why the lady took care of him personally?"
Zhao Xian glanced at the young Lu Shi who had spoken. Didn't she already say that there were servants, and that she was young but hard of hearing?
Madam Lu glanced at her daughter-in-law. It was one thing to be blunt at home, it was fine among family, but how could she be so direct in public? She quickly said:
“Taking care of a new mother is a tough job. Even with servants, you still have to keep an eye on her. It takes a lot of your energy. It’s only because you’re kind-hearted that I couldn’t do it.”
Zhao Xian smiled and said, "No need to worry. My daughter-in-law is gentle and my granddaughter is cute and obedient."
The new mother was served by maids and servants, and the baby was fed by a wet nurse.
The only thing that troubled Zhao Xian was the Jiang family's account books and Jiang Wei, the male protagonist in a tragic novel.
Housework and useless men, ugh, so annoying.
Madam Lu and her daughter-in-law, Madam Lu, exchanged a glance, both of them seeing the difficulty in their eyes. It was clear that Madam Jiang was quite difficult to communicate with.
There were questions and answers, but her answers were all different from what I expected.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Zhao Xian was unaware of what her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were thinking. On the contrary, she felt that Madam Lu was indeed the kind-hearted mother of the heroine in a sweet romance novel.
Li Lianniang had given birth more than half a month ago, and this Madam Lu was the first to come to visit.
She's now even more curious about the female lead in another sweet romance novel.
Who would want to eat bitter food if they could eat sweets?
Unfortunately, she dressed at the wrong time; the heroine of a sweet romance novel wasn't married yet.
"No wonder I haven't seen you at any of the banquets. You've been at home taking care of your granddaughter." Seeing the tense atmosphere, Madam Lu changed the subject somewhat awkwardly.
Zhao Xian nodded, her smile softening as she mentioned her granddaughter: "I really want you to meet my Xiu'er. She looks just like her mother. She'll definitely grow up to be a beauty. It's a pity she was born prematurely and isn't ready to meet guests yet."
"It's alright, it's alright." Madam Lu's smile was already somewhat forced.
Madam Lu and her daughter-in-law sat for a while before getting up to take their leave, without even having lunch.
The conversation was off-topic, and they couldn't directly ask her why she moved into her daughter-in-law's room or when she planned to move out.
Not daring to mention her daughter's marriage to the second young master of the Jiang family, Madam Lu thought it best to postpone it for now.
Her father was only a fifth-rank official, while Lord Jiang was young, promising, and held a high official position. It would be a loss for the Lu family to miss out on such a potential in-law.
But this Madam Jiang...
After seeing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law off, Zhao Xian didn't think much of it, assuming they had simply come to offer their congratulations.
That afternoon, Granny He came in carrying a red booklet and said, "Madam, the results of the compatibility analysis of the birth dates of the Second Young Master and Miss Lu, which we sent to Huguo Temple last time, have been obtained."
Zhao Xian put down the rattle drum she used to amuse the child, took the red booklet, opened it, and saw eight words: "A doomed relationship; union brings ruin and death."
"..."
I've only ever heard of a perfect match or a union made in heaven, but this is the first time I've seen such a direct curse. What kind of cursed pair are these?
Is this passage in the book? She has no recollection of it at all.
Zhao Xian began to doubt whether she was actually living in the authentic storyline.
Noticing that the madam's expression was somewhat off, Granny He whispered, "What did the master say?"
Zhao Xian closed the booklet. "What was that Lu family girl's name again?"
The booklet says she is the third daughter of the Lu family, but it doesn't give her a given name.
Granny He replied truthfully, "This servant remembers her name is Lu Zhaoying."
Lu Zhaoying, that name matches the heroine of a sweet romance novel.
She gripped the booklet tightly, but the unfolding plot was taking her by surprise.
Thinking of Madam Lu who came to visit this morning, could it be that she had already received the news and came to cancel the marriage proposal?
But Madam Lu never mentioned the marriage between the two families' children throughout the entire meeting.
Granny He glanced at the booklet in Zhao Xian's hand. It said that the second young master and Miss Lu's horoscopes were incompatible.
She had her suspicions, but since the lady didn't say anything, she couldn't very well ask directly.
"The second son should be back soon," Zhao Xian said, putting the booklet into her sleeve.
It's illogical, utterly illogical, for such a mismatch in birth charts to appear in a sweet romance novel.
Granny He nodded: "Judging by the days, the Second Young Master should be back from the city guard camp in two more days."
Jiang Heng disliked studying, and being the second son with an older brother who had already studied for the imperial examinations, he had more freedom. He didn't waste his days, but instead joined the city guard camp at a young age for training, returning home once every twenty days for a four-day rest before leaving again.
--
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Hengtian set off before dawn and was among the first to enter the city when the gates opened.
His attendants followed him, skillfully navigating the winding road to the residence of Lu, the Grand Secretary of the Privy Council.
Jiang Heng dismounted, tossed the riding whip to his attendant, and skillfully scaled the wall into the Lu family's residence.
The attendant dismounted, took the reins, and skillfully tied them to a tree trunk nearby.
It is evident that the master and servant had done this many times before, which is why they were so skilled at it.
At dawn, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Jiang Heng avoided the servants of the Lu family and went to the bamboo grove behind Lu Zhaoying's boudoir.
The bamboo grove was surrounded by gauze curtains, and the zither platform seemed rather empty. Jiang Heng leaned against the zither platform and weighed the three small pebbles in his hand.
From the position of the piano stand, you can see the closed windows in the attic.
After the pebbles tapped the window twice, Lu Zhaoying pushed open the window shutters, but no one appeared.
Before long, Lu Zhaoying's maid entered the bamboo forest, her face expressionless, and said, "Young Master Jiang, please go back. My young lady is not available to see you today."
Jiang Heng straightened up involuntarily and asked, "Why?"
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