Shengxia Chan put all the things her mother left her into her own storeroom, and then she told the Marquis's wife the people she would contact after entering the palace.
The marquis's wife went to see her daughter happily. Now that she had already obtained the connections, she had to make preparations early.
On the same day, the emperor issued an imperial decree for the selection of concubines, and every family with a daughter of marriageable age began to prepare.
Sheng Xiaming was naturally wholeheartedly preparing for the draft, but she did not forget Liu Zongcheng. She wrote a letter and gave it to a maid to deliver to the Minister's Mansion.
Liu Zongcheng's brows were twisted into knots as he read the letter from his sweetheart. He became more and more disgusted with the eldest daughter of the Marquis' Mansion, Sheng Xiachan. He felt that she was selfish and enjoyed the respect brought by the Yongxin Marquis' Mansion, but was unwilling to take her own responsibilities. Instead, she pushed her sister out of the beauty pageant. She was really deep-minded.
However, at the end of the letter, Sheng Xia Ming hinted that perhaps her elder sister pushed her into the palace just to snatch the marriage from him, and asked him to make plans early, either to find a more suitable marriage partner or to reject the proposal of the Yongxin Marquis' Mansion as soon as possible. In short, he must plan for himself. This made him feel that Xia Ming was too naive and did not know how to fight back after being bullied like this.
In the end, Liu Zongcheng decided to accept the proposal of the Marquis' Mansion and change his marriage partner to Shengxia Chan. After all, he was marrying with the Marquis' Mansion, so it didn't matter which lady he married, as long as she was the daughter of Marquis Yongxin. In this way, he could use his identity as a husband to punish this vicious woman.
Lianyi looked at Liu Zongcheng in her dream and thought that this man was so arrogant and disgusting. He really thought that Shengxiachan was eager to marry him. It was estimated that she didn't even want to see him.
However, this is in line with the development pattern of a sadistic love story, so she did not disturb the dream, but continued to weave the dream based on the imagination of the Midsummer Cicada.
When Sheng Xia Ming entered the palace for the selection, the old marquis's wife called Xia Chan over.
"Chan'er, take a look, these are some young talents I selected who are worthy of you."
"Thank you, Grandmother, for planning for Chan'er."
Shengxia Chan bowed and then took the business cards. He looked through them one by one. Liu Zongcheng's business card was mixed in among them, but Xia Chan directly skipped it.
The old marquis's wife's eyes flashed, but she didn't say much.
Xia Mingchan finally pulled out a name card and said without hesitation:
"Grandma, this newly promoted second-place winner Kang Jiuqing's granddaughter looks good."
The old lady took a look and said:
"Kang Jiuqing is a good person, but he comes from a humble family. He only has an old mother and a younger sister. His family is all in his hometown, Yu Province. He is seeking an official post in a remote area through his teacher. His character and talent are worthy of you, but his family background is not rich enough."
“Grandma, as long as he has the ability and is willing to make progress, it doesn’t matter if the family is not wealthy. I will make the Kang family wealthy.
Although my father has taken up a sinecure now, my sister has plans to enter the palace, and will inevitably be involved in court disputes in the future. If my granddaughter marries a poor student, it will also help the Marquis's mansion. You must not underestimate the poor. "
The old lady nodded and said:
"You have a point. If your sister is really chosen, you should not marry someone of high rank, so as not to arouse suspicion. If your sister gives birth to a prince in the future, people will be even more jealous of her."
Sheng Xia Chan nodded on the surface, but she was disdainful in her heart. All her words were just excuses, and the old marquis's wife bought into them. She probably wanted to send her away, so they had the same purpose.
"Grandma, now that you have chosen this person, I will trouble you with the rest."
Midsummer Cicada said shyly.
"Okay, go back and wait for my good news."
The old marquis's wife sent Xia Chan away, then called her personal maid and said:
"Send someone to contact Kang Jiuqing. If he is interested, ask him to ask a matchmaker to come and propose marriage."
The personal nanny hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"Madam, isn't this a bit hasty? How can a young lady from the Marquis's Mansion marry someone lower than her husband? Although Miss Xia Chan has a bad temper, her appearance, figure, and housekeeping skills are all good. If she marries well, it will be a help!"
The old lady waved her hand and said:
"You don't understand. This girl has lost her mind and wants to get rid of the Marquis' Mansion. If you really go against her wishes and marry her off to a wealthy family, with her ability, she will sooner or later bring disaster to the Marquis' Mansion.
Rather than this, it is better to follow her wishes and marry her off far away. She will have to bear the consequences herself, and she will not cause any harm if she is far away. After all, the Marquis's mansion has other children to marry off."
"What the old lady said is true. You have considered it carefully."
When the nanny knew the reason, she stopped trying to persuade him and went about her business.
Kang Jiuqing never thought that such a good thing would happen to him one day. After some inquiries, he learned about Shengxia Chan's temperament and situation, and he decided to meet this young lady from the Marquis's Mansion.
Shengxia Chan also wanted to make this marriage happen as soon as possible, so he readily agreed, and the two of them tacitly set the meeting place at Huguo Temple.
After Kang Jiuqing met Sheng Xia Chan, he was very satisfied with this young lady from the Marquis's Mansion. Both her appearance and conversation were first-class, and her words were meaningful, not an empty-headed beauty.
Shengxia Chan only pointed out her situation in the Yongxin Marquis' Mansion. After all, she was the stepmother in charge, and it was not easy for her to keep the dowry left by her mother. She also used her mother's connections in the palace to get herself a marriage that suits her. This was already the best result she could get for herself.
Kang Jiuqing felt that there was nothing wrong with Shengxia Chan's behavior and admired her perseverance, so he asked an official matchmaker to come to her house and propose marriage the next day after they met.
Because he was the new runner-up in the imperial examination, many people paid attention to him. When they learned that he went to the Yongxin Marquis' Mansion to propose marriage, they all said that he was a toad wanting to eat swan flesh. However, the result was shocking. The Marquis' Mansion actually agreed to the marriage and let the Marquis's legitimate daughter Shengxiachan marry him.
The news spread throughout the capital and everyone was talking about it. When Liu Zongcheng heard the news, his heart clenched. He felt like something had slipped away from his hands. He hurried back to the Minister's Mansion and went to find his mother.
Madam Liu was stunned after hearing her son's words, and then said unhappily:
"Cheng'er, what's wrong with you? You said you wanted to marry the daughter of the Marquis's family, even though you haven't even met her. What do you think?
The most important thing is that I heard that the marriage between the two families has been decided, and even the engagement letters have been exchanged. It is said that Kang Jiuqing is in a hurry to take up his post, and the date of the wedding has been set. What are you doing interfering now? You are making the dignitaries in the capital laugh at our Liu Mansion for nothing."
Liu Zongcheng knew that what his mother said was right. Even if he was unwilling, he could only give up the idea and feel regretful that he could not personally avenge Xia Ming.
Shengxia Chan looked at the engagement letter in his hand, felt relieved, thanked the Marquis' wife solemnly, and then returned to his residence.
Not long after she returned, good news came from the palace: Sheng Xiaming was betrothed by the emperor to the eldest prince, and the wedding date was set for half a year. She was a sure thing that she would be the eldest prince's consort. (End of this chapter)
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