Before the Dragon Boat Festival, the hottest topic in the capital was the marriage of the eldest son of the Marquis of Yongping.
It is said that, with the approval of the Marquis of Yongping, the Marquis's heir sought a marriage between his eldest son and the eldest daughter of the Left General of Liaodong Prefecture.
This matter came very suddenly, and many families in the capital knew about it. For the sake of the eldest son's marriage, the wife of the Marquis of Yongping had been carefully selecting a match, but the marriage had not been arranged even when the son was over twenty years old.
Some of the families who knew Xu Shao actually looked down on her, thinking that she was a vain person who had a powerful family and a large dowry. She was capable of living a good life, but she was controlled by her mother-in-law. Over the years, she had used up her dowry to fill the bottomless pit of her husband's family. There was no one in the entire capital who was more foolish than Xu Shao.
Therefore, once Xu Shao's eldest son's marriage was settled, even people who didn't get along with Xu Shao on a regular basis were very interested in inquiring about the details.
The commotion outside was in full swing, and the Yongping Marquis's residence was also in complete disarray.
The Marquis and Wu Muyue personally invited the Marquis of Yongping to a meal. No one knows the specifics of their discussion, but after returning to his residence, the Marquis of Yongping told his heir that he had arranged a marriage for his eldest grandson and asked his son, Zhao Ziqi, to handle the wedding arrangements for Zhao Sixing.
Marquis Yongping was a man with little ambition, much like Marquis Pingxi, Lord Zheng. He spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun, ignoring all the mundane affairs of the mansion and letting his wife run wild. Otherwise, the once grand mansion would not have turned into what it is today.
As for Zhao Ziqi, the heir of the Marquis of Yongping, he was almost exactly like his father. He was a pleasure-seeking man who also loved beautiful women. He never cared about family affairs. Back then, he relied on his handsome looks to bewitch Xu Shao, who insisted on marrying him and caused quite a scene. Wu Shi had always regarded Xu Shao as her precious daughter. When Xu Shao became a nun, she gave her a lot of dowry, both openly and secretly.
Relying on Xu Shao's dowry, Zhao Ziqi lived a life of luxury for several years. Unfortunately, in the past year or two, Xu Shao's dowry had dwindled, and Zhao Ziqi's attitude towards her worsened. To be honest, Zhao Ziqi had once considered marrying Zhao Sixing, hoping he would find a wealthy merchant's daughter with a substantial dowry. However, Xu Shao was fiercely opposed to the marriages of the three legitimate children in the family. As soon as Zhao Ziqi showed this intention, Xu Shao, who had always been gentle and considerate towards Zhao Ziqi, immediately went crazy and scratched Zhao Ziqi's face, causing him to stay home for several days.
When Zhao Ziqi heard about Zhao Sixing's marriage proposal from his own father, he immediately wanted to refuse, saying, "Father, that shrew is very strict about Sixing's marriage and doesn't usually let me get involved."
Lord Yongping sighed and said, "Do you know who arranged this marriage? It was your father-in-law who arranged it. Tell me, is your father-in-law an ordinary person?"
Marquis Yongping and Marquis Yongning have known each other since childhood, so Marquis Yongping naturally knows who Marquis Yongning is. Although he is usually very nice, he is capable of fighting to the death when it comes to matters. Back then, many of the sons of marquises in the capital followed their elders to the battlefield, and Marquis Yongning was known for his relentless fighting spirit. Unfortunately, for some reason, Marquis Yongning later closed his doors to guests, and even he gradually distanced himself from those friends who had fought alongside him on the battlefield.
Zhao Ziqi nodded with lingering fear and said, "Father's words make sense, but shouldn't this matter be discussed between my father-in-law and Xing'er's mother? Why did they come to you?"
Marquis Yongping sighed deeply and said, "It's all because of your mother. Ever since your wife entered the family, the two of them have been at odds. You know your mother; she's stingy and loves to take advantage. Tell me, how much of your wife's dowry is left? Your father-in-law told me with a stack of pawn tickets that if I don't handle this matter properly, he'll go to the Emperor for judgment. My child, I'm already this old, and I really can't bear the shame. You should find a way to get your wife to agree to this marriage."
Zhao Ziqi looked troubled and said, "Father, it's not that I don't want to, but Xing'er is already over twenty. At his age, how many noble families in the capital are still unmarried like him? Isn't it because Xing'er's mother has too high a standard? Father, why does my father-in-law suddenly want to introduce Xing'er to a girl from a military family? Have you considered the reasons behind this?"
Marquis Yongping looked at his son with lingering fear. Although his son usually indulged in play, he was actually quite far-sighted when it came to matters.
Marquis Yongping said, “How could I not have thought of that? It’s all because your wife has been running around trying to arrange Xing’er’s marriage. She may have offended someone without even realizing it. Your father-in-law is afraid that his daughter will cause a big mess, so he’s just trying to cut off the source of the problem. What I’m afraid of now is that if Xing’er marries a girl from a military family, our household will become more and more chaotic in the future.”
Thinking about the current situation in the mansion, Zhao Ziqi felt a surge of irritation. He wanted to give up and ignore it, but now even his own father had been invited by his father-in-law because of his son's marriage. If he really did nothing, given his father-in-law's temper, who knew what he would do to him?
With a head full of worries, Zhao Ziqi left the study in the front yard and headed to Xu Shao's courtyard in the back yard.
Xu Shao lived in a relatively secluded courtyard in the backyard. When they got married, because Xu Shao had a lot of dowry, her mother-in-law arranged for Xu Shao's new house to be in this courtyard because it was large. At that time, it was said that when the heir apparent inherited the title, Xu Shao would move to the main courtyard. More than 20 years have passed since Xu Shao married into the family, and the old couple, the Marquis of Yongping, are still alive and well. Xu Shao has been living in that secluded courtyard ever since.
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