"No, how could I dare!" Rong Fangqing glanced at the old man and said earnestly, "You have four grandsons, but I only have one. No one wants Heng'er to marry a virtuous woman more than I do, but the master said that girl is not simple."
"Alas, if I hadn't gone to burn incense and worship Buddha, I would have been able to pretend I didn't know. But now, after hearing what the master said, I'm so panicked."
Rong Fangqing patted his chest and said, "It's better to believe it than not to believe it. Old man, let's get Heng'er's wedding arranged as soon as possible!"
Old Master Ling stared at Rong Fangqing for a long time, and only after making sure she wasn't lying did he wave his hand in frustration, "Forget it, if he's willing, then let's do it. As long as he doesn't regret it later, it's fine!"
Rong Fangqing raised her hand to appease the old man: "As the saying goes, when the moon is full, it will wane, and when the water is full, it will overflow. Our Ling family is rich enough, so marrying an ordinary woman may not be a bad thing."
Old Master Ling nodded and said, "It's all my fault. I have no ability and can only rely on the legacy of my ancestors to maintain my wealth. My children and grandchildren are also not talented. Not a single one of them has become an official."
"The master said that Heng'er..."
"Humph, that little bastard can't even write an article, except for a few poems. His business is a mess too. If it weren't for the Ling family's reputation, he would have squandered the family fortune!"
Having said that, the old man still loves his grandson Ling Jiheng.
He patted his wife's hand and asked her to go find a matchmaker: "The three letters and six betrothal gifts should be there, don't let people look down on our Ling family."
The old lady rolled her eyes again and again, thinking that the Ling family had already lost all their face since the little grandson had started having an affair with the fire-making girl.
***
Rong Fangqing acted quickly and invited a matchmaker to her house for a chat that same day.
The matchmaker thought that the Ling family had set their eyes on some rich girl, but the old lady hesitated and asked her to be a matchmaker between her grandson and the fire-making girl.
The matchmaker's face changed immediately, and he suspected that there was something wrong with his ears.
After she was sure the old lady wasn't joking, she stood up in surprise: "How can this be possible? That girl, it's already a great achievement to be a concubine!"
The old lady had no words to express her grievances, so she could only mumble, "Heng'er is willing, so how can I say no? Besides, our Ling family doesn't value family background, as long as the children are willing, that's all that matters."
The matchmaker scoffed at this, but had no choice but to agree. However, she was reluctant to let her act as a matchmaker because it would damage her reputation.
The old lady also knew that this marriage was somewhat shocking, so she took out a silver note and handed it to the other party.
The matchmaker saw that fifty taels of silver was enough to arrange two or three marriages for her. So, for the sake of money, he bent over backwards and promised to make the marriage a success.
"Then when will we get married?"
The old lady had Ling Jiheng summoned and asked him, "The 25th of next month is a good date. How about setting the wedding date then?"
Ling Jiheng bowed to the old lady and greeted the matchmaker before saying, "Grandma, I want to marry Xingyue as soon as possible. It would be best if the wedding is completed within the next few days!"
"So hasty?"
"My grandson can't wait to marry her in the next second!"
The old lady was choked and glared at Ling Jiheng several times, then her expression changed and she looked at the matchmaker with a smile: "Big sister..."
***
Matchmaker Qi has been doing matchmaking for all these years, but she has never seen anyone so impatient.
It would be fine if you said you were attracted to a stunningly beautiful woman, but the person you are going to marry is the lowest-ranking fire-making maid.
If she had known earlier, she would have introduced her girl to the Second Young Master Ling!
She went out angrily, wanting to complain to her old sisters. But the banknotes in her arms reminded her: "Don't talk nonsense, don't talk nonsense."
So he adjusted his expression and looked at everyone with a smile.
Some people who were paying attention to the Ling family's movements hurried forward and asked Matchmaker Qi which daughter Old Madam Ling had taken a fancy to.
The answer made them drop their jaws.
"What? It really is that girl who makes the fire?"
Matchmaker Qi nodded confidently: "Young Master Ling and Miss Chi hit it off right away and are deeply in love. I want to welcome them into my family right away."
But as the rumor spread, it took on a new meaning. It was said that the fire-making girl was so skilled that she had seduced the Second Young Master Ling so much that he couldn't get off the kang and wanted to marry her right away.
Of course, this reason is untenable. After all, a concubine can also be affectionate day and night.
The more rational people analyzed: "It is probably because the girl is pregnant. Old Master Ling was afraid that what happened back then would happen again, so he allowed the fire-making girl to come in."
"But Dad, I won't accept this. Why can a lowly person like her enter the Ling family, while I, the daughter of the Zhang family, can't? Dad, can you help me talk to the Ling family? Even if I can be a concubine, it's fine!"
"Nonsense! How can a daughter of the Zhang family be someone's concubine? If you don't find it embarrassing, then I am!"
Although this is the mentality of most families, there are still some people who are not very smart and come to the Ling family with flattering faces, trying to force their daughters into the Ling family.
First, Ling Jiheng is indeed a handsome man, and second, of course, he covets the Ling family's wealth.
However, Ling Jiheng rejected all of these, saying that he was steadfast in his love for Miss Chi.
When the third wife heard this, she laughed so hard that tears came out.
Holding the visiting card, he muttered to himself: "Shu Muyun, Shu Muyun, you have a daughter-in-law who works as a fire-making girl. Let's see how you can compare with me!"
The first wife was also gloating over the misfortune. After all, the second wife was a strong contender for the next head of the family.
"That's great now. Without the protection of my wife's family, let's see how that kid Ling Jiheng compares to my son."
***
After the marriage was finalized, Ling Jiheng immediately left the house to handle some matters. He was busy until the moon was at its highest point before returning.
By this time, Chi Xingyue had already fallen asleep. Not only her, but few people in the entire Ling Mansion were awake.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Chi Xingyue woke up from her sleep, hid the dagger under the quilt, and stared at the door closely.
Soon, the knocking sound stopped and was replaced by the sound of picking the lock.
Chi Xingyue was shocked and immediately put on his shoes and got out of bed.
However, before she reached the door, Ling Jiheng came in.
Seeing the man's face clearly, Chi Xingyue breathed a sigh of relief. He put the dagger back into the space and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing? You scared me to death!"
Ling Jiheng touched his nose awkwardly: "I'll take you to collect the things!"
Chi Xingyue liked to hear this, and immediately put on a smile and followed the other party to the secret room hidden in the garden.
"I discovered this by accident when I was a kid playing around. It contains the blood and sweat of more than a dozen generations of the Ling family."
Ling Jiheng fiddled with the mechanism while explaining to Chi Xingyue, "Put it away in advance to avoid any unexpected events."
Chi Xingyue deeply agrees with this.
If this wasn't her home, she would have emptied the Ling Mansion long ago.
In the novel, the behavior of waiting until the night before the house raid to take action is simply crazy. If the government takes action in advance, nothing will be gained.
The secret room in the garden is very large, and at first glance it seems to be at least two or three hundred square meters.
Boxes of various materials were neatly stacked, and each one was covered with a thick layer of dust.
With the help of candlelight, Chi Xingyue opened one at random, and was then captivated by the jewels and treasures inside!
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