Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Who would she marry? Wen Shu was stunned.
The lady opposite, who had been calm all night, finally showed some signs of anxiety. The old man from the Wen family still couldn't kowtow, and his expression was unclear, but his back was obviously tense.
The eldest lady thought that the old lady didn't want to give a dowry and deliberately made such a threat. She couldn't help feeling sad and said self-deprecatingly, "I don't think the minister of the master is that powerful. In the end, even two dowries are difficult for him. The Ming family next door is also a scholarly family, but their official career is not as good as ours. The governor's family has no rank or rank, but they can put up a 120-carriage display. I can't blame anyone, it's my fate that I, the eldest lady, have a miserable life. I don't deserve such parents..."
It's useless to just curse Uncle Wen openly.
The old lady ignored her, asked the old man to stand up, and continued, "The purpose of the marriage between the old man of the Xie family and my Wen family is to unite the Zhu and Chen families and continue the friendship of the ancestors. He did not name a particular young lady. When you and your wife presented the birth date and horoscope of the eldest lady, you were the county magistrate of Zhongzhou, and the Xie family was the deputy envoy of Zhongzhou. You said that it was a good opportunity given by God to marry into the Xie family. You did not ask for much wealth and honor in the future, but only for a place in Zhongzhou."
"For this position, I followed your wishes and promised the marriage to the eldest lady. Over the years, the whole Wen family has been working hard for you. The second son has been away from home all year round. When he was young, he was a handsome man with a face as white as jade. Now, his face gets darker every year. I'm afraid he's almost as black as charcoal in the stove ash after this trip. He has made a lot of money, but you know where it all went."
Uncle Wen had just raised his knee halfway when it went limp again.
"You are capable and have worked hard. Now you have become the Minister of State. Your original wish has been fulfilled. The rest is just icing on the cake."
The loss of this marriage was not a big loss for his first wife.
The old lady first asked for his consent, "Just consider it as my painstaking effort as a mother. Giving this marriage to the Second Lady can be regarded as a little compensation to the Second House. Do you have any objection?"
His words were like thunder, and one could hear a pin drop in the house.
Wen Shuse didn't have time to think about how the eldest wife felt at this time, and decisively refused, "Grandma, marriage is not a joke."
In addition to reclaiming the land and building the attic on the farm outside the city, there was one more thing she didn't mention.
She specially enshrined a statue of Bodhisattva, hoping that it would ward off disasters and misfortunes from now on. She also made her requirements for her future husband clear at the same time. She was afraid that too many wishes would make her seem insincere, so she made up her mind and spent a lot of money to make a golden statue for it.
She was confident that she could marry a man of her dreams even without having to fight for him.
The old lady pretended not to hear and did not say anything. She looked calm and waited for Mr. Wen's reply.
The old man's expression had already changed a thousand times. The old lady's words today were a veiled threat, which was enough to show that she had been dissatisfied with him for a long time.
The overwhelming shame made him unable to raise his head and he dared not look directly at the old lady.
All the glory in his life, including his life, were given by Master Wen and Madam Wen. In ancient times, Wang Xianxiang offered his life to express his filial piety to his stepmother, Madam Zhu. Moreover, Madam Wen treated him impeccably, and treated him like her own daughter.
Perhaps it was because of this that he gradually forgot the boundaries that should be maintained between mother and son, and between brothers.
The eldest lady then realized that the old lady was not joking. She looked panicked and called her mother. She thought it was ridiculous. She turned around and looked at Mr. Wen who looked guilty. She felt something was wrong. "Master, the eldest lady is your biological daughter..."
Uncle Wen knocked his head to the ground, making a dull "dong" sound. "Please let mother decide everything. I am unfilial and have caused mother so much trouble. Please punish me."
—
The bride was suddenly replaced on the eve of the wedding.
The servants in the mansion shuttled back and forth between the two courtyards, moving things out and sending things in, and they were very busy.
The eldest lady was urged to take off her wedding dress in a hurry, take off the phoenix crown on her head, sit in front of the dressing table in plain clothes, with some makeup still on her face.
The eldest lady's eyes were swollen from crying. When she saw her like this, tears welled up again. "I have said it before, this adopted son is just an adopted son. How can you really compare him with a biological son? Putting a hat of 'unfilial piety' on your father's head will drive him to death, not to mention his career..."
"Mother, please be careful with your words." Wen Suning's personality is not like her mother's. She is like her uncle, calm in the face of things, and even if she has complaints in her heart, she will not show it on her face.
"Am I wrong? She thinks that the Second Lady will be happy once she gets into the bridal sedan tomorrow? She is just trying to change the subject. If the Xie family knew about it, I don't know what would happen..."
"What can I do?" Wen Suning interrupted softly, "We are considered family once we get married. As time goes by, we can still live in harmony. Since this marriage has to be given up even if we laugh or cry, why should mother leave a bad impression on me? As long as father has his official position and reputation, there is nothing to worry about. It is not worth it for mother to have a bad relationship with the second house."
Wen Suning had calmed down long ago.
Although Deputy Envoy Xie has great power in Zhongzhou, he is only an envoy to a foreign land and cannot be compared with the rank of the imperial court. Moreover, the imperial court’s recent actions have shown a trend of taking back the military power of various military governors.
The one that the Xie family can count on in the future is the eldest son of the Xie family.
With the talent of the eldest son of the Xie family, it would certainly be a guarantee for her to marry him. But even if the Xie family was gone, she would not have to worry, because her father was a fourth-rank minister of the Ministry of Works. If he went to the capital to find a husband, the man might not be worse than the eldest son of Xie.
The marriage can be arranged, but you cannot lack money for your future career.
My second uncle has made a fortune in Fuzhou in recent years and has acquired properties everywhere. Half of the teahouses in Zhongzhou are under his name, and his wealth will only accumulate more and more.
Money is not everything, but when you go to a place like Dongdu where every inch of land is worth a lot of money, you can't get away with it.
But the eldest lady wouldn't listen.
I had always been optimistic about the character of the eldest son of the Xie family and predicted that he would have a great future. Now that he has been snatched away, I feel that he is even more of a popular commodity.
"We are really living the life of someone else. Your father has been in Dongdu for half a year. If it weren't for the marriage with the Xie family, you and I would have entered Dongdu a long time ago. I don't want to stay in this family for a moment. Let the second wife be filial to her. After tomorrow, we will all leave..."
He simply won't listen to anything.
Wen Suning occasionally felt powerless towards her mother and didn't want to talk to her anymore. "I'm tired. Mother, please go back first."
—
The eldest lady was full of resentment, and Wen Shuse was no exception.
On the way back, I was looking forward to seeing the bride's funeral, but ended up becoming the bride myself.
It happened so suddenly that I haven’t recovered even after putting on my wedding dress.
In order to make this wedding dress for Wen Suning, the second master of the Wen family found dozens of sea pearls from various places, and the first lady had them all inlaid on the wedding dress, so the size of the chest was made a little bigger.
Wen Shuse and Wen Suning were born on the same day of the same month of the same year. Wen Shuse was only a few hours younger than her, but he was two fingers taller than Wen Suning, and his chest was more plump.
The wedding dress seemed to be tailor-made for her and was more suitable than that of an older lady, but Wen Shuse had no intention of appreciating her own beauty. She tried to find out more about the young man she had just "robbed".
The eldest son of the Xie family, the magistrate of Zhongzhou County, is as famous as the eldest lady of the Wen family. She has never met him in person.
However, she had met the third son of the Xie family.
A month ago, Madam Zhou, the wife of Prince Jing, fell in love with Ming family's second daughter, Ming Wanrou, and asked a matchmaker to propose marriage. When her son Zhou Kuang learned about it, he secretly handed Ming Wanrou a token of love without telling his elders and asked her to meet him.
The Ming family has been a scholarly family for generations. Ming Wanrou usually never leaves the house, so how could she dare to meet a man outside her family in private? She was at a loss for a moment and found Wen Shuse.
Wen Shuse and she had been friends since childhood. Both were delicate girls from wealthy families, but their personalities were very different. One was indecisive, while the other was full of determination. After hearing what Madam Ming said, she already had some guesses in her mind.
Making an appointment in private without informing the elders at home is not fair no matter how you look at it.
Due to the other party's status, she was also worried that if the marriage really went through, Ming Wanrou would have offended her future husband before she even got married, and he would deliberately make things difficult for her in the future, making her life difficult.
After a compromise, Wen Shuse came up with a solution.
If the other party really showed his sincerity, it was not impossible for him to meet her before the engagement. He could see her outline through the curtain and say a few words to get to know each other. Yu Mingwanrou was also a good thing. If he wanted to act like a lecher, then don't blame her for being rude.
That day, Madam Ming arrived at the meeting place first, and Wen Shuse hid in the dark to spy.
Zhou Kuangsheng really had no good intentions. He was not the only one who came, but was followed by three other men.
Xie Shao, Cui Nian, Pei Qing.
Xie Shao was the only son of Xie Pushe, the second branch of the Xie family. Five years ago, Xie Pushe resigned from his post and moved his family back to Zhongzhou. From then on, he no longer cared about state affairs and lived a life of idleness. However, his son gradually emerged in Zhongzhou, with both good and bad reputations, and his name spread far and wide in Zhongzhou, and everyone knew him.
Cui Nien was the son of a wealthy businessman in Zhongzhou and had nothing to do all day long.
Pei Qing's father was the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. It was said that the father and son had a bad relationship, so Pei Qing did not go to the Eastern Capital, but one of them stayed in Zhongzhou and got a position as an inspector in the government office.
The four of them often walked side by side on the streets, calling themselves the Four Talents in front of others, and being called "young and frivolous" behind others.
——哖Shao Qing Kuang.
Wen Shuse had heard of the names of these people. As a young lady, she should not have caused trouble. However, she could not ignore the bullying of her childhood friend. She lay on the wall and took a closer look. When these people arrived, she opened the door and let the dog out.
Unexpectedly, the four men who were usually so powerful actually climbed up the beams and pillars when they saw the dog.
No matter how Wen Shuse explained to his grandmother afterwards that those big black dogs did not bite people at all, and that the piece of meat that fell off Zhou Kuang's butt was scraped off by the tiles when he climbed on the roof, it was all in vain. He was first punished to kneel, and then driven to a village outside the city, where he stayed for a month and just returned to the city today.
How big of a difference can there be between two people who come from the same nest?
Xiangyun saw through her thoughts and advised, "Don't worry, madam. I have seen the eldest son of the Xie family. He is of good character and appearance, and is different from the third son of the second branch of the Xie family."
Although the eldest son is at a disadvantage in terms of appearance, appearance is the most unreliable thing. If one is too good-looking, it will easily attract many other men.
This had some effect.
Compare her with the eldest lady. One is dignified, quiet and far-sighted; the other lives for the present and never thinks about the next meal after the current one.
The differences between people are indeed huge.
Wen Shuse's stiff neck softened a little, and the nanny immediately grabbed her chin and twisted the fine cotton yarn into her face.
She cried out in pain, and Xiangyun beside her continued to comfort her, "Besides, the old lady loves you so much, how could she harm you? She must think that the eldest son of the Wen family is kind-hearted, and you will be protected for the rest of your life if you marry him... Although the third son of the Xie family is not a good person, he will have to call you 'sister-in-law' after you marry him."
—
As night fell, the lights in the theater were turned off, and the noisy voices were reflected in the lights and came out from the railings and hooked windows, and the bustle was unabated.
A carriage stopped in front of the teahouse. The bookboy standing on the blue stone door had been waiting for a long time. When he saw the carriage, he turned around and went into the house. Soon he came out, followed by a young man in brocade clothes and jade belt. He walked towards the carriage, climbed in, lifted the curtain, and got in. He looked up at the person in the carriage and called out enthusiastically, "Thank you, brother."
The person who came was Zhou Kuang, who had just returned to the city tonight.
Xie Shao moved a little further in, leaning his back lazily against the wall of the carriage. He swept his wide sleeves embroidered with auspicious clouds and brought them back to rest on his knees. He cast his pair of black eyes over and watched the joke leisurely.
This man, both in appearance and demeanor, will surely become a high-ranking official in the future. It's a pity that, like Zhou Kuang, he is using his energy in the wrong direction.
It eats nutrients from towering trees, grows into a crooked neck, and only cares about growing side branches.
Every time Zhou Kuang saw his handsome and noble but actually unruly face, the phrase "He looks like a dog but he looks like a human being" would always come to his mind.
After a month of treatment, although Zhou Kuang's buttocks healed, it left a shadow in his heart. He paused before sitting down, and as soon as he sat down, he couldn't wait to complain, "What a shabby farm it was. There wasn't even a decent bed. There were so many mosquitoes at night that they almost killed me..." He spoke with great sorrow, and he hated the culprit who caused all this.
Not only Wen Shuse was punished to go to the manor, but also Zhou Kuang.
When Mrs. Zhou found out, she felt that he had brought disgrace upon the Zhou family, so she had him carried away that day, not caring that his butt was still rotten, and sent him out of the city.
He had heard of and seen the second lady of the Wen family.
She is indeed a beautiful goddess.
But her good looks could not make up for the lost flesh on her buttocks, nor could it erase the suffering he had to endure.
Especially the day when he was hanging on the eaves, the "giggle" sounds like silver bells he heard could not be shaken off.
"It would be narrow-minded and rude of me if I, a grown man, took revenge on a young lady. I'll put the blame on her first. When she gets married, I'll go find her husband and tear off a layer of skin from him." He suddenly remembered his marriage tomorrow and stopped talking in time. It would be difficult to handle the matter since the two families would become relatives in the future. But he was unwilling to let him forget the grudges with a smile, so he hesitated for a long time before reluctantly saying, "If it weren't for your face, I would have to..."
On the day he was injured, Zhou Kuang was wearing a light-colored shirt and robe. The bruise on his buttocks looked as if it had been splashed with cinnabar dye, and was extremely eye-catching.
It hurts just thinking about it.
Xie Shao was not without sympathy. "No need to give me face. My Xie family married Madam Wen."
The implication was that he could go and collect the debt from Madam Wen without any worries.
Zhou Kuang glanced at him hesitantly, then recalled that he was not the only one who suffered at that time, and suddenly understood, so he leaned over and asked, "Brother Xie, are you afraid of dogs too?"
Seeing Xie Shao's gaze fixed on his face and then gradually become distant, he had a feeling that he would not get any good results.
As expected, "I thought you had lived alone for a month without even a drink, so I specially booked a private room in Zui Xiang Lou. Now it seems that you don't care anymore..."
A private room in Zui Xiang Lou, with a set of musical instruments, singing, and delicious food, would cost at least a hundred taels of silver.
But the Third Young Master Xie in front of him was extremely wealthy. Not only did he support the entire Xie family, he was also recognized as a fat sheep by all the merchants in Zhongzhou.
When the former Minister of State resigned, the emperor rewarded him with 50,000 taels of gold for his contribution to the court. His mother's family, the Ruan family, was the largest spice family in Yangzhou. Their wealth was even greater than that of Prince Jing's mansion.
Money can control ghosts, let alone people.
"Slap your face." Zhou Kuang slapped his cheek in a pretentious manner and apologized in time, "Tomorrow there will be a happy event in your house, I guarantee it will be lively..."
Suddenly, a voice of "Third Young Master" was heard from outside.
Xie Shao turned his head and pushed open the lattice window beside him. The jade crown on his head tilted slightly. The servant in front of the old lady of the Xie family almost squeezed his head in, with a panicked look on his face, "The old lady is sick..."
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