Chapter 121
"There's no need to rush." Old Madam Wei disagreed with her son's approach. She still believed that marriages were decided by parents and matchmakers. Even though the incident at the palace banquet had forced Yi Ning to make a decision, she still had to be cautious. She advised her son, "Please be patient. I'll go talk to Old Madam Fu and your aunt Yuan. Let's see if there are any suitable men of the right age. If there are, we'll ask a matchmaker to go and talk. Yi Ning is a girl after all - marriage is something that needs to be handled with caution. She's fourteen, and she's already old enough to be engaged. Why not take this opportunity to finalize her marriage?"
Wei Ling took a sip of tea and pondered for a moment.
What Old Lady Wei said did make sense. He didn't care, but did Yi Ning care? What would people outside say? He couldn't let her suffer any injustice.
As for the betrothal since childhood, if they don't say it, who knows if it was actually true? When the time comes, just discuss it with the other party and agree on the story. The Emperor won't ask about it in detail.
"I'm just worried it'll be hard to find one," Wei Ling sighed. "My family is aristocratic, so the dowry we give to Yi Ning will certainly be generous. Even if the future son-in-law doesn't have an official position... I'm willing to help him plan. But if he colludes with us, that would be the same crime of deceiving the emperor. How many people would dare to do that? I'm afraid even the good families wouldn't dare to take on the challenge right now."
At this point, he was a little distracted. He had brought his daughter home for a year, but she still hadn't warmed up in his arms. He really couldn't bear to let her get married now.
"It would be best if the person I told her about is nearby, so Yining can come back to visit often." He hesitated and said, "She's still young, and I'm always worried that if she gets married, her in-laws might be mean and bully her..."
Old Mrs. Wei understood her son's reluctance to leave. After all, she was her only daughter. She looked at the three-legged Qilin incense burner with burning incense in the house. The smell of sandalwood made her feel peaceful.
She continued, "There are a few suitable candidates. The fourth son of Duke Chang of Jiuxiang Hutong next door is fifteen years old. Duke Chang and his wife are both good-tempered, but they don't have a close relationship with us. In the early years, your father had a conflict with the old Duke Chang because our farm was adjacent to that of the Duke Chang's mansion. There is also the second son of the He family who lives in the same alley. I remember that the second son of the He family just passed the imperial examination and is quite ambitious. He is two years older than Yining. Old Madam He has always had a good relationship with us, and she has always liked Yining, so she will definitely agree."
Wei Ling felt that all this was a bit unfair to Yi Ning. He was only the fourth son, so even if the family had any resources, he wouldn't get much. Furthermore, the Duke Chang's mansion consisted of five branches, making the personnel complex. As for the He family, they were only considered average among the aristocratic families in the capital. The second son of the He family had passed the imperial examination, but Wei Ling really looked down on that mere juren.
Wei Ling told Old Madam Wei about this, and she sighed, "It's hard to find anyone suitable right away! Besides, what's wrong with Second Young Master He? He's a humble man, and he certainly won't treat Yi Ning unfairly. You know what, several matchmakers have proposed marriages to Second Young Master He, but no one has agreed. Given our family's status, if the He family marries Yi Ning, we'll just support her."
Wei Ling sighed and said, "I'll go back and think about it! You can try to discuss it with Mrs. Fu and Auntie tomorrow."
He stood up, straightened his robe, and walked out of the inner room. As he emerged, he saw Yi Ning leaning against a small table, eating dates, the pits piled on a small plate. She was dazed, staring out the window. When she saw Wei Ling, she stood up and bowed to him, "Father, Yi Ning wants to say a few words."
This was an unprovoked disaster for her. A woman like her was nothing more than a pawn in the hands of those in power, an ant in the eyes of them, to be manipulated at will.
But she wanted to decide her own marriage, and even if she did marry, she wanted to choose a family of good character and harmony. So what if she didn't have the luxury of wealth? With the Duke of Ying's family at her back, no one dared treat her unfairly. She had no expectations of her future husband; what kind of man could she possibly marry? She just wanted everything to go smoothly, and stability was paramount.
In the study, Wei Ling remained silent after hearing her words. He patted her head and said in a hoarse voice, "Daddy is still useless."
"Who said you're useless? I'm the first to disagree!" Yi Ning said firmly, pulling his hand and jokingly saying, "I heard you tell Grandmother that you were planning to find a son-in-law for me?"
Wei Ling smiled bitterly and let his daughter pull him along: "Daddy said so, but how many outstanding men would marry into someone else's family?"
Anyone with a little talent and backbone would not be a son-in-law who marries into the wife's family.
Of course, Yi Ning knew that live-in sons-in-law weren't good. In her previous life, her fourth uncle's family had only three daughters, and her fourth aunt had never conceived a son. Eventually, with no other options, the eldest daughter found a son-in-law to live with her. This son-in-law was timid and submissive, barely saying a word to visitors, leaving everything to his father-in-law. Her cousin, even pregnant, had to support the family.
Yi Ning watched the orange sunset sinking outside the window, and she lost all desire to joke. She wasn't that anxious, having died once before, what was there to fear? Nothing would work out in the end. She was just afraid of implicating the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, and Wei Ling.
The lights in the Qianqing Palace were bright, and the emperor was still summoning Lu Jiaxue.
"...The Oirat tribe is colluding with ministers at court. This is something I cannot tolerate." The emperor stood behind the long desk and pondered for a moment. "Lord Lu, I can only trust you with this matter. Wei Ling's memorial alleges a problem in Datong, and the traitor must be there. I grant you the title of Governor-General of Xuanda and send you to Datong for an inspection. What do you think?"
"I have no choice but to accept this position," Lu Jiaxue replied, kneeling down. The Governor-General of Xuanda was in charge of military affairs for Xuanda, Shanxi, and other regions, as well as managing food and supplies. His power was immense, and not easily accessible to ordinary people. Even the Emperor had to weigh the pros and cons before giving him the position.
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