Xu Zhi said, "But we just agreed on the marriage. What will Brother Zheng think if I marry into the family like this?"
Granny Lu said, "This marriage is just a temporary measure to prevent you from being dragged into a fire pit. Didn't the Zheng family's son say he wanted you to help take care of his sister? It's perfect that you marry into the family and live with his sister. Wouldn't that be the best way to take care of her?"
Xu Zhi said, "But I'm scared, Granny, I'm really scared."
Granny Lu said, "Don't be afraid. I'll accompany you when you get married. With me here, what do you have to be afraid of?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi was first pleasantly surprised, then felt a little embarrassed, and said, "Granny, you have worried about us for the past few years, and you accompanied me when I got married. I feel quite guilty."
Granny Lu waved her hand and said, "We made a promise back then that you would take care of me in my old age."
Xu Zhi nodded with red eyes. Granny Lu said, "You know about the matter. Your father has already asked the old lady for a solution. We'll see if the Zheng family can send someone to propose marriage. If not, then we'll have General Wei step in. After all, the young master of the Zheng family is now the only heir of the second branch of the Pingxi Marquis's mansion. From now on, the two of you will be the ones making the decisions in this family."
Hearing what Granny Lu said, Xu Zhi's face turned red again. Granny Lu said, "There are advantages and disadvantages to your marriage. The advantage is that you won't have any elders to look after you, so you won't have to serve this person or that person. You can just live your life well. The disadvantage is that you will eventually have to return to your home in the capital. Without a capable elder to guide you, you will not know how to handle things when they happen. That's for sure."
Xu Zhi nodded repeatedly. Granny Lu said, "These are all things for the future, and we don't know when they will happen. The most important thing now is to get through this difficult time. Just relax and prepare your dowry. As for other things, with Master and Madam and me, we can always take care of them for you."
Xu Zhi never expected that her marriage would cause her family elders so much worry. Zhang Zhaoci said, "Wipe your tears. This is not just your own business, but also our whole family's business. If you really are carried into the manor by the Third Prince, our entire Yongning Marquis's manor will be labeled as the Third Prince. Granny, this matter also reminds me that there are still several girls in the family who are ready to be married. We must not let anyone take advantage of the situation."
Granny Lu smiled and said, "Don't worry, before we left, the Marquis and the Old Madam had already discussed things. Even if the young ladies marry down, they will still be married into a respectable family as legitimate wives. Those concubines in the prince's mansion are just a nice name; in reality, they are still just concubines. The Old Madam said that there is no precedent for the young ladies of the Yongning Marquis's mansion to become concubines. If anyone breaks the precedent, not only will the young lady be disowned, but her parents will also be kicked out. The ancestral hall will be opened, the family genealogy will be requested, and her name will be removed from the genealogy."
This is the most severe way to handle it. Nowadays, everyone is associated with clans. If you don't have a clan, you will feel inferior when you walk around outside. Not to mention, what kind of family is the Xu family? They are a very famous family.
Zhang Zhaoci nodded and said, "The old lady and the marquis are both sensible people. We shouldn't get involved with any of the princes now; there's no benefit in it."
Granny Lu said, "The old lady and the Marquis understand the dangers involved. Alright, Ninth Miss, you can rest assured and wait for your marriage."
Xu Rao wrote the letter, arranged for his trusted confidants, and asked a guard to accompany him. They quietly left Ganzhou that night. In fact, Xu Rao and his men overestimated the Third Prince. He really didn't expect that a mere fifth-rank official would dare to plot against him. The Third Prince had always been arrogant and thought that as long as he was in charge, he would be invincible. However, he would never admit that the big setback he suffered in Hexi was his fault. Although no one said it, everyone knew that each of the brothers had paid compensation to Hexi. Because of this, the princes involved all felt that they had done nothing wrong and that the other side was at fault, and that they had only suffered an undeserved disaster.
The head steward of the Third Prince's residence was still in Ganzhou, so Xu Rao had no choice but to treat him to good food and drink for two days. Before leaving, he presented the steward with a large sum of gold and silver jewelry, asking him to say a few good words for the Third Prince.
The steward of the Third Prince came to Ganzhou not only for the matter of the Xu family's daughter, but also on the Third Prince's secret orders to investigate the Liao family's affairs.
The Third Prince heard some rumors and recalled what he had done in Ganzhou. He thought that if he could find that girl and bring her back to the capital, there would be fewer troubles if she were by his side.
The head steward naturally arranged for people to go to the Liao family to look for the person. The Liao family had moved long ago. When they inquired with the neighbors, they all said that a few years ago, the Liao family's daughter fell ill and passed away too suddenly. The Liao family patriarch couldn't bear it and fell seriously ill. After that, he sold the house and moved to the south. As for where they went, no one knew for sure.
The Third Prince's head steward was not a cautious person. After finding out that the Liao family had moved away, he was about to leave with his people. When he saw the things the Xu family had given him, the head steward didn't say anything, but he was thinking about how to smooth things over. He had taken their benefits, so he naturally had to do something for them.
After seeing off the people from the Third Prince's residence, Xu Rao felt much lighter on her shoulders. When she returned to the backyard, she saw Zhang Zhaoci rummaging through a jewelry box and knew that Zhang Zhaoci was feeling sorry for her.
This time, in order to get the head steward to say a few good words to the Third Prince, she brought out quite a few good things.
Xu Rao said, "Money can be spent and then come back. Don't worry about it. As long as this matter goes smoothly, what good things can't we get back in the future?"
Zhang Zhaoci rolled his eyes at Xu Rao and said, "You talk like you're some kind of corrupt official. Tell me, what have you brought back all these years? When things come to a head and you need something valuable, you come to me for help."
Xu Rao said, "I've converted all of those into silver, I'll give them all to you. Why don't you just buy whatever you want?"
Zhang Zhaoci simply slammed the things in his hand into the box and said, "What kind of people are these? With such lackeys under their command, they think they can achieve great things? They're like a toad trying to eat swan meat."
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