Chapter 80 Distinguished Guests
Half a month later, the Xu family welcomed a distinguished guest.
Mother Xu had changed her usual decadent demeanor and dressed very elegantly. She sat in the main hall, smiling at the mother and daughter sitting next to her, and said, "Feng Ping, Shiwen has reached the age of marriage now, and she has come to the capital to choose a man. The choice must be better than that in Chuzhou City. As her aunt, I will naturally help her in any way I can."
"It's amazing that your aunt still remembers Wen'er. I had planned to find a husband for her in Chuzhou, but I would be even happier if Wen'er could marry back to the capital. After all, I married far away and often miss the capital, and the conditions in Chuzhou are naturally not as good as those in the capital. But now, Wen'er's father and brother do not hold high official positions, and I don't know what kind of family she can find in the capital." Xu Fengping looked at Xu's mother and smiled.
Xu Fengping is Xu's father's younger sister. She married and moved to another place very early. Because the distance was too far and her parents died early, she did not return to the capital often.
In fact, when Xu Qingyan and her husband got married last time, Xu Fengping felt that the travel expenses were too high, and she would have to spend money on gifts, so she didn't come at all, but just had someone send a wedding gift to get things done.
But half a month ago, she suddenly received a letter from Xu's mother, saying that the Xu family was doing well in the capital, and her brother intended to support her relatives and arrange a marriage for her daughter in the capital.
When Xu Fengping heard about such a good thing, she naturally rushed to the capital without stopping.
Her husband's ability was only mediocre. He was only a seventh-rank official after a lifetime in the small place of Chuzhou. His son had been taking the examination for the scholar for four years but still failed. If her daughter could marry a good family in the capital, she might be able to help her whole family.
"You don't have to worry about this. Wenshi's cousin is the prince's wife now. As long as she is willing to help, why should you worry about not being able to find a good family?" Mother Xu smiled faintly as she looked at Xu Fengping and her daughter.
"That's right! With Qingyue's achievements, she must be living a good life in the Duke's Mansion! When the time comes, we must let Qingyue, the Crown Prince's wife, take Shi'er to attend more banquets and meet people. That will help her broaden her horizons. Get to know people!" Xu Fengping said with a flattering smile.
Xu Fengping still didn't know about Xu Qingyue and Xu Qingyan's exchange marriage, and still thought that Xu Qingyue was the prince's wife.
At this point, Xu's mother's face darkened uncontrollably. She took a deep breath, then sighed awkwardly and said, "Feng Ping, you are wrong! On the wedding day, they got on the wrong sedan chair, and now Qingyan is the wife of the prince of the Duke's Mansion. And this girl is more capable than Qingyue. She coaxed the young master into the bridal chamber as soon as she got married. Even if she knew she was wrong later, it was a done deal. She grew up in the countryside and behaved freely. Now the young master dotes on her!"
At this time, Xu Fengqinping was surprised and asked, "You said Qingyan married the young master? And the young master doted on her very much?"
"That's right. Because of her, the young master is unwilling to take even a concubine. They've been married for several months, but her belly is still not pregnant. No one in the Duke's Mansion says anything about her. This Qingyan is more capable than her own mother!" Mother Xu sighed sourly.
On the surface, her words seemed to be praising Xu Qingyan, but in fact, she was hinting at Xu Qingyan's unscrupulousness and her use of seductive methods to charm the young master of the Duke's Mansion.
Xu Qingyan grew up in the countryside. She had never learned any arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, nor had she learned any rules. Yet she was able to live such a happy life. How could these well-educated young ladies of wealthy families be any worse off?
Upon hearing this, Xu Fengping instantly gained confidence in marrying her daughter off into high rank. As long as her daughter was smart enough, she might even become a prince's consort!
Zhao Shiwen, who was sitting on the side, lowered her head and frowned, as if she was thinking about something. Her aunt was not a fool, and her cousin Xu Qingyue was not a simple person either. Could the two of them let someone change the position of the Crown Prince's Consort right under her nose? This matter might not be that simple! Now, they asked her to come to the capital. Would they really be so kind to help her?
"I think Shiwen is no worse than Qingyan. Maybe she can even marry someone better. As long as you are not picky about appearance, there will be no problem. If you want to pick a man who is more handsome than the young master, that may be a little difficult. Generally speaking, Qingyan has the best fate among the sisters!" Before Zhao Shiwen and the others could speak, Xu's mother began to look at her again and sighed.
This sound directly caught Zhao Shiwen's attention. She couldn't help but ask in confusion: "Aunt, how handsome is the young master that cousin Qingyan married? Could he be as handsome as Pan An? If he is really that handsome, and his status is so high, why didn't he marry a princess? This young master's status must be very noble!"
"Speaking of this, I have to say again that Qingyan is really lucky! A sixth-rank official in our Xu family is naturally not worthy of the young master's noble status. But the young master had a strange disease before, and the purpose of marrying into our Xu family was to bring good luck, but I didn't expect that this time of bringing good luck would actually work! Now, the young master is in good health and loves Qingyan very much. Don't you think this is a good life?" Mother Xu smiled again.
Xu Fengping and her daughter finally understood the key point. It turned out that the young master was dying. No wonder Xu Qingyan was able to marry him. This was also the reason why it turned out to be a wrong marriage. They also guessed the reason.
However, they also felt that Xu Qingyan was lucky. After she got married, the young master's illness was really cured. Wasn't she getting a good deal for nothing?
Especially Zhao Shiwen, she had countless thoughts in her mind instantly. The young master was young and handsome, and his status was noble. Marrying him was better than marrying those rich and powerful old men!
Now, her aunt asked her to come over, probably because she wanted her to get close to the young master. She didn't believe that she would be so kind as to introduce a husband to her. However, with the young master's good conditions, she didn't mind being a bad woman to get the upper hand.
So, Zhao Shiwen smiled gently and agreed: "Hearing this, cousin Qingyan is indeed lucky. I am very envious of what she said! Now that I think about it, I haven't met my cousin yet. I wonder if she will still meet us poor relatives now that she is the wife of the prince?"
When Xu's mother saw Zhao Shiwen being so understanding, she was delighted and said hurriedly, "You are her cousin, how can she not see you? And your mother is her aunt, as long as you go to the Duke's Mansion and send a letter to her, she will definitely see you."
"Then we'll need my aunt to introduce us. After all, we haven't had any contact with this cousin for so many years." Zhao Shiwen hesitated for a moment and then smiled.
Xu's mother did not refuse, but she certainly could not go to see Xu Qingyan. The relationship between the two had already become strained, and even Xu Qingyan's identity as a legitimate daughter had been spread. How could she dare to go to the Duke's Mansion? Therefore, she went to find Xu Qingyue and asked Xu Qingyue to help bring her aunt and cousin into the Duke's Mansion.
After learning about her mother's plan, Xu Qingyue met her cousin Zhao Shiwen again. Seeing that Zhao Shiwen was charming, smart and clever, she thought it would be a good thing if she could go and cause trouble for Xu Qingyan.
Therefore, Xu Qingyue naturally had no reason to refuse.
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