Chapter 62 Passerby A in Ancient Marriage Exchange Stories 7
"He's good to you, but his family background is too low. If only his family were of a higher social standing and could be a good match for us."
"Mother! I believe that with his own abilities, he will definitely achieve something great."
Seeing her daughter's confident expression, Madam Wang didn't show it on her face, but she sighed inwardly. She had asked Lord Wang about it, and he said that his essays were ornate but empty, all show and no substance. The current emperor disliked this kind of writing the most, and when the emperor has a preference, the examiners will naturally follow suit.
Moreover, he was arrogant and self-important, with high aspirations but low abilities. Three years ago, when he failed the imperial examination, Lord Wang gave him several pointers, but he didn't take them seriously and thought that Lord Wang was looking down on him. He thought he was hiding his true intentions very well, but little did he know that Lord Wang had been in officialdom for many years and had already seen through his little schemes. If it weren't for the fact that the die was cast, Lord Wang would never have let his daughter marry such a person.
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Jiang Yue and Jiang Ze coaxed Chen Shi to go cook. Jiang Ze put down his book box and came out with his brush, ink, paper and inkstone to finish the lessons the teacher had assigned for the day. While tidying up, Jiang Ze asked Jiang Yue, "Sister, you can't fool us for long."
Jiang Yue didn't stop what she was doing. She tentatively asked Jiang Ze, "Xiao Ze, if I were to start my own household and never get married, would you support me?"
Jiang Ze paused, nearly dropping the inkstone. He hurriedly caught it and placed it on the desk, then glanced back at Chen Shi. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Chen Shi hadn't heard him. He hadn't expected his sister to have this idea. Jiang Ze had thought that his sister had high standards. Of course, Jiang Ze also thought that the people being asked to marry her now were not good enough for his sister. He was thinking that it wouldn't matter if they waited a few years until he passed the high school entrance exam and could find his sister a better brother-in-law.
"Sister, it's no use even if I support you! Parents will never agree! And why do you have this idea? You're like this..." Jiang Ze didn't know what to say. After all, nowadays very few people don't want to get married or have a wife. Generally, women who establish their own households are widows or people who really can't get married.
"I just don't want to get married. So, do you support me?" Jiang Yue finished speaking and stared intently at Jiang Ze with her bright eyes. Jiang Ze tried to look away, but couldn't, so he could only nod helplessly: "I support you, but you have to convince your parents first."
“I’m confident that my father will agree. I’ve mentioned this idea to him over the past few years, and three out of the four family members have already agreed. My mother has always listened to my father, so there won’t be any problems. Things are going to be great.”
Seeing Jiang Yue's confident demeanor, Jiang Ze didn't try to discourage her. This decision wasn't easy for his parents either; being young, he had little say and could only focus on his studies. He was currently a junior student, but if he passed the county-level exams and eventually obtained a minor official position, he could support and protect his sister even if she didn't marry. He sighed and decided to continue studying. His teacher said he was still a bit short of passing the provincial-level exams, which were for students who passed the county-level exams (xiucai).
When Mr. Jiang returned home for dinner with his family of four that evening, his mother, Chen, brought up Jiang Yue's marriage again. Mr. Jiang put down his chopsticks and said, "Da Ya, tell your father and mother what you think, so we can make arrangements for you."
Jiang Yue took a deep breath, raised her head and looked at her father seriously: "Father, I don't want to get married. I want to establish my own household."
Chen looked at Jiang Yue in surprise and said vehemently, "Nonsense! What kind of woman doesn't get married!"
Jiang Yue quickly said, "Mother, why must a woman get married? I can support myself and take care of you."
Jiang Ze chimed in, "Even if my sister doesn't want to get married, I can still support her."
Although Jiang's father was somewhat prepared, he still disagreed when the time came. However, he still spoke to Jiang Yue in a gentle tone: "Da Ya, if you don't want to get married now, I won't force you, but let's forget about establishing a female household."
Seeing that her father's attitude had softened, Jiang Yue said sincerely, "Father and Mother, I know you are worried about me, but I really don't want to get married. I want to live on my own."
After Jiang Yue finished speaking, Jiang Ze said, "Father, I will study hard and strive to be able to protect my sister in the future."
After a moment of silence, Father Jiang said, "Alright, since you're so determined, I won't stop you. Tomorrow I'll go to the county government office to ask about the specific procedures."
Jiang Yue was overjoyed and quickly thanked her father. Although Chen was still somewhat reluctant, seeing that her father had already agreed, she didn't say anything more.
That night, Chen tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Suddenly, she sat up and looked at Jiang's father: "Father, how could you agree to let Daya establish a female household? Do you even know what kind of person would establish a female household?"
“I know, but Da Ya has had this idea for a long time. She mentioned it to me indirectly a few years ago. At that time, I thought she was just asking out of curiosity. I guess she made up her mind a few years ago and hasn’t changed her mind over the years. How can we change her mind after just a few words?”
"Besides, Daya has always been a person with her own opinions. What can we do if we disagree? Force her to find someone to marry? Can she be happy then?"
“But we can’t just agree right away. If we drag it out, maybe in a few years…” Chen couldn’t finish her sentence. She knew it was unlikely; she knew her own child quite well.
"If she doesn't want to marry, then she doesn't have to. We've saved up some money at home. When the time is right, we can buy a few acres of fertile land, which will be enough for her to live on. Besides, she has a skill to rely on, so her life won't be too bad."
"Oh, that's nothing. The main problem is whether she can handle the gossip and criticism from others in the future."
"I have to bear it even if I can't. I have to finish the path I chose, even if I have to crawl on my knees! Go to sleep. I'll rest tomorrow and go to the yamen to see how to file a petition. Whether it can even be filed is still uncertain."
The next morning, the family went to the yamen (government office) without even having breakfast. After asking the yamen runners and paying some money, they found the relevant person in charge. After explaining the situation, the person didn't say much. The laws in this dynasty were quite lenient in this regard, not to mention that the relevant articles had been revised five years ago.
The person in charge asked for their household registration, and after paying the fee, the process was completed in no time. The family was still a little dazed after leaving the house, thinking that this process would be difficult. After the process was completed, Jiang Yue also relaxed. The group found a small stall to have some breakfast. They had just found a table, sat down, and ordered four bowls of wontons and a sesame seed cake when four people sat down at the next table.
The woman's head was completely covered by a hood, and a maid with a bun hairstyle was following beside her. Jiang Yue looked at the woman and wondered who she was. Jiang's father, Chen Shi, and Chen Ze stared at the man in front of them, looking a little excited. At this moment, the man also noticed their family and gestured to the three of them. Jiang's father, Chen Shi, and Chen Ze nodded excitedly, their bodies trembling.
The man, realizing he'd been discovered, gave up on eating. He said goodbye to the woman opposite him and prepared to leave. The woman glanced at Jiang Yue curiously, nodded to her, and got up to leave. After walking a short distance, a young boy with a Taoist-style hairpin ran over and took out four peace charms from his pocket, handing them to Jiang's father. Jiang's father accepted them with trembling hands, then pulled Jiang Yue and her family together, bowed to the man, and rushed home without even eating.
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