Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Update.
The next day, matchmaker Cai came to visit again. Tian was no longer as dazed as she was the day before. She was clear-headed and said:
"No wonder the matchmaker's words can cause such a ripple! Yesterday you praised the imperial physician to such high praises, but that's not true at all. His official rank is only a little over two hundred dan.
My daughter is now more powerful than the 600-stone official Tang Guancheng. I don't covet any high-ranking marriages, but I want to find a husband who is of equal status, good character, and handsome!"
Matchmaker Cai slapped himself, then came over again, talking and laughing:
"The doctor from the Seventh Doctor's family yesterday was somewhat inferior to yours, so I expected Madam Tian to look down on him. If his wife hadn't repeatedly asked me to come, I wouldn't have proposed such a bad match."
Every family with eligible men and women does not want to have a quarrel with the matchmaker. They are talkative and who knows what they will say outside, which may hinder their own marriage.
So Cai the matchmaker made it clear, and Tian Shi could no longer bear it. She ordered Jin Dou to make tea and invited Tian Shi to sit on the couch. Cai the matchmaker said again:
"I came here today to make a truly good marriage."
"I can't believe your mouth."
Tian was coaxed by her for a while, but she only listened with half belief and half doubt. Matchmaker Cai said:
"Mrs. Tian, listen to me. I'm not making this up. The man's husband is the Left Supervisor of the Imperial Guards. He has met your daughter before. He said that during the plague six months ago, your daughter was working as a cook in a shelter in the eastern suburbs."
That's right. Her daughter stayed there for fifty days, only to hear the matchmaker Cai continue:
"The Imperial Guard's Left Supervisor, Gu Qiu, is also at the shelter. He leads a team that specializes in identifying infected civilians and bringing them to the shelter. He also works there. He's even had the soup and marrow cakes your daughter made. He might be harboring feelings for her, so he's told his parents and asked me to arrange a marriage."
Matchmaker Cai drank the tea and said:
"As for his family, they also had military nobility. Although it was purchased by the generation of my great-grandfather, it was also purchased by donating 12,000 dan of millet. 12,000 dan! That is enough food for a family of seven to eat for a lifetime. Gu Qiu's great-grandfather, who has passed away, was a wealthy family with many fertile fields at that time, so he could afford it and was awarded the eighteenth-level nobility title - Da Shuzhang.
The title of Grand Shuzhang is higher than that of the Fifth and Seventh Great Officials. It goes without saying that you can be exempted from military service. The title of Grand Shuzhang is hereditary. If you have grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren... they can all inherit the title and be exempted from military service."
Tian was fascinated by what she heard. If military rank could be inherited, then her daughter's descendants would not have to suffer the hardships of military service!
Think about her deceased husband, the grandfather of her children. Although he was not a good person, he was a soft-hearted person in front of his parents. He was filial to his wife and daughter even if it meant wronging them, and he would not argue over anything.
When Tian contradicted her aunt and uncle for her own family, he would criticize Tian and even fight her. Fortunately, Tian was a tough girl but tall enough to fight back.
He couldn't get the upper hand, so he threatened to divorce her. If his family had the money to marry another woman, he would have kicked her out long ago. Therefore, Tian was not sad when he died.
The reason I thought of him now was because Cai the matchmaker told me about Chengjue's exemption from military service.
Ji Gui was working as a substitute for others to build a plank road in order to earn some money to build a house, and was killed by a falling rock.
In her opinion, military service carries great risks. Many men in her hometown have lost their hands and legs due to military service, or even died without returning, leaving behind a widow with children. Life is extremely difficult.
Therefore, when she heard that this family had the hereditary title of Da Shuzhang, which would exempt their descendants from military service and labor service, she was deeply shaken and took the matchmaker Cai's hand, ready to agree to the man's family's proposal and marriage proposal.
Fortunately, Yindou was watching beside him. He coughed and said:
"I still have to ask the young lady about this."
"Alas, the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words are the same. Madam, please don't be too indulgent with your daughter. With such a good match, what else can you choose? The young lady is nineteen years old, so you must seize the opportunity."
The matchmaker advised.
Tian finally regained some of her rationality and said:
"My daughter has always had her own ideas. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to become an official. So, I'll try to persuade her. I'll definitely persuade her and then give you, Matchmaker Cai, an answer."
After seeing off Matchmaker Cai with a smile, he was also cautious and went to Qiu Gu's house to inquire about the family of Gu Qiu, the Left Supervisor of the Imperial Guards. What Qiu Gu said was not much different from what Matchmaker Cai said.
And there is another point, Tian also asked:
"What's the rank of the Left Supervisor of the Imperial Guards?"
"Well, the rank is 600 dan, which is one rank higher than Xu Niang's 600 dan."
After hearing what Qiu Gu said, Tian was completely relieved and just waited for her daughter to come home from vacation to tell her the good news.
"Have you heard that the general intends to marry his daughter to the current Guanglu Xun? Who is Guanglu Xun?"
Little Gourd's status is now extraordinary because Ji Xu has been promoted. Although he is one year old, he still serves as the chef, but Tang Guancheng has too many things to do and is too busy to handle it.
Therefore, Tang Guanling and Ji Xu discussed it and sent two experienced cooks here, one named Diao and the other named Zhuo. Ji Xu taught them the method of making yeast and the recipe of the local cakes.
After she was taught well, she only needed to come here occasionally and didn't have to do everything herself. Three more kitchen maids were added. Xiao Hulu was in charge of the key here and, like Zhou Ping in the past, was the head kitchen maid.
After hearing what Little Gourd asked, the new chef said:
"Oh, that's the General of the Imperial Guards who once captured the Xiongnu King Outuo alive. He later investigated the plague and was promoted to the rank of Guanglu Xun. At such a young age, he's already one of the Nine Ministers. He'll definitely be able to assist in government affairs in the future. I heard he's in his twenties and still unmarried! But he'll be married soon. The general is interested in a marriage and wants to betroth his daughter to him."
Ji Xu came to the side room where cakes were made and happened to hear these words. When the two cooks saw Tang Guancheng coming, they stopped talking and concentrated on making cakes.
"When using bread yeast to make dough, you need to knead it to expel all the air." Ji Xu looked at the dough in the chef Zhuo's hand and said.
After teaching them here for a while, he went to the cake and food room, fruit and vegetable room, wine and soup room next door and looked at them one by one.
She cooks less often now, and mostly gives instructions. She only cooks herself if it is some new dish or the forbidden area specifically asks her to cook something.
She was responsible for the transfer and performance evaluation of the food officials here, as well as consultations with other officials and guides, including the arrangement of bamboo signs in each room, etc.
In the past, there was a vacancy for the position of Tang Guancheng here, so the arrangements for some dishes, wine and beverages were temporarily taken over by the Food Supervisor of the Guidance Office. Now that she has filled this position, she also has half the decision-making power.
Tang Guanling was old and had the idea of retiring, so he sent an old nanny to teach her. Ji Xu had a lot of work to do every day, but it was also fulfilling. Only when she took a day off did she have time to rest.
Tang Guancheng's salary was 600 dan, and 60 hu per month. She was currently on probation, not receiving her full salary, but only half. After a year, when her official title was officially granted, she would receive her full salary and the black ribbon.
Fortunately, she was given treatment in advance for travel. She had a carriage and coachman provided by the government office, so she didn't have to go to the street to hire a carriage to go home.
Moreover, if it is an official trip, according to the standards of an official with a salary of 600 stones, there will be two mounted officials leading the way in front, with a guide car and a follower car in front and behind. However, if it is a trip on leave, there is no need to mobilize such a large number of people.
The coachman drove her home along Xiangshi Street, out of the city from Qingming Gate, and when they reached the bank of Wei River, he suddenly stopped the horse.
The driver's surname was Zou. Ji Xu called him "Old Man Zou" because of his age. He lifted the curtain and asked:
"Uncle Zou, why did you stop?"
"Two cars collided on the road ahead and are entangled. The road is blocked. I'm afraid they are waiting for the Sili Xiaowei's men to come and deal with it."
Ji Xu looked and found that it was just as he said. The road was narrow and "car accidents" often happened. The people of the Sili Xiaowei were in charge of the road order in the capital. It would take a while for them to come, or they would have to take a longer detour.
It wasn't far from home, so Ji Xu simply got out of the car and said:
"Uncle Zou, please go back the way you came. My home is not far away. You can enjoy the sunset and the water view and then walk back."
"Hey, Tang Guancheng, please watch your step when you walk." The driver bowed to her, turned the car around and left.
The two carriages that collided here were both decorated with precious stones. The driver of one of them said:
"You rushed out too fast!"
Another driver said:
"You're distracted!"
There were also some spectators acting as judges, pointing and talking.
Ji Xu passed by and not far away, he saw an official carriage with red lacquer wheels parked under the willow tree. The wheels on both sides were also red, which must be the ceremonial carriage of a two thousand stone official.
There were mounted officials in front. One of them lifted the curtain and Zhuang Gaiyi got off the carriage. He was wearing a dark brown official uniform and a green ribbon pouch around his waist. He must have come back from some official business.
The mounted official and the coachman went far away. They talked under the willow tree like old friends, at least that was what Ji Xu thought. She told him about her demotion, and he congratulated her.
But he was a man of few words, and unless it was about business or her chatterbox, they would be quiet.
The water rippled as the willow branches brushed against it, and Ji Xu said:
"Wait at home, I'll go back first."
"Have you heard the rumors outside?"
Zhuang Gaiyi, who seldom spoke, called her and said,
"I have already declined the general's request."
"Um."
Ji Xu nodded. In fact, she had a vague feeling that something was going on, perhaps even earlier than now, when he helped her unblock the restaurant and sent an official to deliver the golden plaque. Or perhaps even earlier, as early as when they were still in Qingzhou, but it just lacked a little confirmation. Now that he said this in front of her, she was even more certain that he was waiting here for more than just a small talk.
"You won't ask me why?"
"You don't have to tell me the reason, I already understand."
After looking at the ripples made by the willow branches on the water, she turned around and said,
"It's just that my heart isn't in this. I just want to get through this year of trial defense and become truly competent. Thinking about other things will only distract me."
"good."
Zhuang Gaiyi originally had something else to say, but she blocked his words and they got stuck in his throat, and his face darkened.
"If you meet someone better and change your mind, just tell me. I won't force you to wait for me."
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