Chapter 3 Chapter 3 As for Ah Xu, he needs to find a good family as soon as possible...
As soon as he said this, Marquis Yong'an felt a little regretful.
There are too many rumors about Duan Wenpei outside, and few of them are pleasing to the ear.
Even if Nan Xu’s ideal match is not Li Zhan, it should not be Duan Wenpei in front of her.
Just as I was thinking about how to save the relationship, Duan Wenpei had already coldly declined.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord. Wen Pei has no plans to marry for the time being."
He stretched out two fingers to press against the iron certificate of immunity from death, his eyes becoming more and more threatening.
Marquis Yong'an did not want to stay any longer and stood up to say goodbye.
Only when he could no longer see the back of Marquis Yong'an did Liu Hui retract his neck and pour out all the words that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time.
"Master, although the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion is not as good as it used to be, the girls there are not bad. I heard that this daughter of the Marquis's Mansion is a rare beauty in Kyoto. Since the Yong'an Marquis is willing to marry her, why not?"
He thought simply and was only concerned about his uncle's lifelong affairs.
Duan Wenpei glanced at him and said calmly, "She and Li Zhan are childhood sweethearts, don't you know?"
Who in Beijing doesn’t know about this?
But, so what? Li Zhan is going to marry the queen.
It did not delay the happy marriage between his uncle and the second girl from the Nan family.
As the night deepened, the candlelight in the side room reflected Duan Wenpei's flickering eyes.
He knew very well the real intention behind Marquis Yong'an's suggestion to marry his daughter off.
When the Marquis' Mansion lost power, they looked for a new backer.
This is the same as finding a new son-in-law when Li Zhan is gone.
However, he is not stupid, nor is he interested in women, so why would he get himself into trouble for no reason?
*
After a few days, Nan Yiling was released.
This imprisonment came suddenly and wore away half of Nan Yiling's pride.
Nan Xu felt sad when she saw her second brother's depressed look.
That night, Madam Hou prepared several tables of banquets in the yard to celebrate Nan Yiling's safe release from prison.
All three families were present, but there was no laughter and joy as usual during the meal, only the constant clattering of bowls and chopsticks.
Yao'er from the eldest wife's house somehow dropped a glass cup and started crying loudly. The eldest young lady Yin Wu quickly hugged Yao'er to comfort him.
When one child cries, a whole group of people will cry.
The wet nurses couldn't comfort the baby, and the whole yard was filled with the sound of children crying.
Nan Yiling put down his chopsticks irritably
"Cry, cry, cry, just cry!"
"The Marquis' Mansion hasn't collapsed yet! It's not time to mourn yet!"
The children were frightened by him and hid behind their nanny, continuing to sob quietly.
Yin Wu was getting anxious and said with a gloomy face, "It's not our Yao Ge'er who caused you to be imprisoned and lose your official position. No matter how dissatisfied you are, you can't take it out on the child."
As soon as these words were spoken, Uncle Nan Yicheng's expression changed slightly. He pulled Yin Wu's sleeve unhappily, signaling her to stop talking nonsense.
Nan Yiling, however, sneered as if a firecracker had been lit. He said sarcastically, "If big brother can no longer inherit the title, I wonder if big sister-in-law can still remain as calm as she is now."
The title was a sore spot in Yin Wu's heart that she could not touch. She brushed away Nan Yicheng's hand and retorted, "Whether or not I can inherit the title is not up to Second Master. If Second Master has time to worry about us, why don't you think about your own future?"
Seeing the uncle and sister-in-law arguing with each other, Yong'an Hou slammed the table.
“That’s enough!”
"Don't you think our mansion has enough troubles?"
The marquis' wife quickly asked the wet nurse to take the children away, and she took the female relatives to the wing room behind the partition.
Yin Wu realized belatedly that he shouldn't have argued with Nan Yiling in front of everyone, and walked at the back in a sullen manner, not daring to look at Second Young Madam Zhao Yuqin.
Nan Xu saw this and asked the maid who was moving the stools to move the two of them further apart.
After we sat down, we heard the voice of Marquis Yong'an coming from the main hall in front.
"Second brother, during the past few days in prison, your wife has been in tears all day long, and it was your eldest sister-in-law who accompanied her and comforted her, and sent supplements to your house like water. You are depressed, and no matter how unhappy you are, you shouldn't lose your temper in front of your family."
"What child doesn't cry? Doesn't Brother Wen cry?"
Wen Ge'er is Nan Yiling's youngest son, two years younger than Yao Ge'er.
The child has been crying for a father these days. Second Madam Zhao Yuqin is a weak person. She is in tears herself and has no time to take care of the child.
Yin Wu helped the Marquis's wife manage the miscellaneous affairs, and when he had time, he would take the eldest wife and Yao Ge'er to take care of them together.
Only after Yong'an Marquis spoke did Nan Yiling calm down and suppress his anger.
With red eyes, he reluctantly shouted into the partition, "Don't blame me, sister-in-law. It's my fault. I apologize to you."
Then he stood up and apologized for his crime.
Nan Yicheng helped his brother up on behalf of his wife. Inside, Zhao Yuqin also bowed gracefully, and Yin Wu hurried forward to pull her up.
The farce was settled with just a few words by Marquis Yong'an.
But the current predicament of the Marquis' Mansion is still on everyone's mind.
Nan Yiling's face was full of resentment. He was the best student in the marquis's mansion. He did not rely on the protection of his ancestors, but relied on his own efforts to pass the imperial examinations and work his way up to the Ministry of Personnel.
Now that he has been dismissed from his official position, I don’t know if he will ever be reinstated.
"Father, I just can't understand why Your Majesty is so worried about our Marquisate when the Prince of Yi has already been enfeoffed and the Dowager Consort lives peacefully in the palace."
"Don't tell me, are you going to let us go until we dig out our hearts and throw them under the throne?"
Not only did he not understand, but Marquis Yong'an also didn't understand.
When Emperor Xuanwu was still a prince, he depended on the Queen Mother and affectionately called him uncle.
Now that he has ascended the throne, he is exempted from entering the palace to pay his respects to the Queen Mother, and is only called Marquis Yong'an.
He wanted to take back the certificate of immunity from death, but was unwilling to lose face, which was criticized by the ministers.
So he came up with a way to imprison Nan Yiling.
If this continues, one day when he completely loses the emperor's trust, he will be at the mercy of others.
Nan Yicheng, the old man who had been silent the whole time, hesitated and said, "We have to think of a way. We can't just sit there and wait for death."
Third Master Nan Yihuai shook his head. "The Li family abandoned the Marquisate, the Yin and Zhao families are weak, and my second uncle holds an idle position in the court. If I want to find a way out, I have to win over the new nobles in the court. But, how can it be so easy?"
Among the three brothers, Nan Yihuai was born out of wedlock and was in charge of the farmland and mansion of the marquis.
Just this one sentence, no more words.
Nan Yiling's eyes lit up, and he turned to look at the vague figure on the other side of the partition, thinking, "If you want to win over the new nobles, why not try marriage."
There are several younger sisters in the family. Nan Xu is the most beautiful one, and the other two half-sisters, Nan Yun and Nan Qi, are also beauties.
He was too concerned about his own gains and losses, and his words were somewhat inappropriate. "Those old ministers who are favored by His Majesty, just pick any son of their family. As long as the sisters use their tricks, there will be no one they can't get."
He stared at the partition eagerly and did not notice the furious expression on Marquis Yong'an's face.
“Bang!”
Although Marquis Yong'an was a scholar, he was very powerful.
The slap was loud and crisp.
"Treason!"
Yong'an Hou was so well-educated that he almost couldn't catch his breath. He pointed at Nan Yiling and scolded him harshly, "You've read so much sage's book that it's like a dog's stomach! If you want to fight or compete, do it with your own ability. Why bother with your sisters?"
The lords are particularly concerned about their own reputation.
Marquis Yong'an had already reached his limit by talking about marrying off his daughter in front of Duan Wenpei.
Now that he heard his son say it so blatantly, how could he bear it anymore?
With such despicable actions, the Marquis' Mansion will be defeated sooner or later without waiting for the day when His Majesty will despise them.
Nan Yiling was not convinced.
He was about to retort, but was stopped by his eldest brother, Nan Yicheng, who dragged him out. "Second brother also suffered an unexpected disaster. It was a moment of desperation. Father, please don't blame me."
As he spoke, he winked at Nan Yihuai.
The meal ended in a bad mood. If I didn't leave, I would be scolded by my father if I stayed here.
Nan Yihuai suddenly realized something, and rushed forward to pull Nan Yiling out together with Nan Yicheng.
*
In the side room, the women looked at each other, and finally turned their attention to the girls.
Nan Xu was relatively calm, Nan Yun twisted her handkerchief awkwardly, and Nan Qi looked at the Marquis' wife sitting above her in confusion.
The Marquis's wife held her forehead and sighed.
A good family is disturbed by these bad things.
She forced a smile and said, "Your second brother has lost his mind. Don't take his words to heart."
Whether or not to take it to heart depends on the individual.
To those who are concerned, although Nan Yiling’s words are unpleasant to hear, they do make sense.
Nan Yun glanced at the calm Nan Xu, pinched her palm, and said casually: "We are all family. Second brother's future is also related to us. If we can contribute to the Marquis' Mansion, we will naturally..."
"Naturally what?"
Halfway through the conversation, the Marquis' wife interrupted him coldly, with no warmth in her eyes.
Nan Yun swallowed the last part of the sentence "I am willing to do so" with a lump in her throat.
Having worked under the Marquis' wife for a long time, she could quickly discern what to say and when to stop.
But how could she hide her thoughts from the Marquis' wife?
"I'm still here! It's not your turn to decide your daughter's marriage!"
"Don't say these words anymore. If I hear you again, don't blame me, your stepmother, for being ruthless!"
These words were not spoken lightly. Nan Yun bit her lower lip embarrassedly, lowered her head and whispered "yes".
She hid her emotions very well and no one noticed the resentment that flashed across her eyes.
The Marquis's wife glanced at Nan Xu, who had a calm expression, and waved her hand wearily.
"Let's go."
After everyone had left, Mrs. Hou's mother, Lu, who was beside her, walked behind her and slowly massaged her forehead.
Seeing the Marquis' wife close her eyes tiredly, she asked gently, "Madam, are you worried that the third young lady has other thoughts?"
Madam Hou hummed calmly, "When Concubine Zhou was young, she was always competitive and aggressive. After giving birth to Yi Huai, she became even more arrogant, even daring to challenge me. It wasn't until that incident that she calmed down. After that, Nan Yun was born." She patted Madam Lu's shoulder, motioning for Madam Lu to press another spot. "Over the past few years, I've also seen Nan Yun's temperament clearly. She's very similar to Concubine Zhou when she was young."
"A Xu didn't say anything, why is she so anxious?"
"Your ambition is as high as the sky, but you don't know the horror of a large house."
"The Marquis said long ago that we needn't worry about Ah Xu's affairs, but Nan Yun and Nan Qi are the ones that need to be given more thought. Although they live in the Marquis's mansion, they are the daughters of a concubine. Marrying up might not guarantee them a reliable husband, but marrying down is also a concern for them. It would be better for them to follow the example of those elegant people and choose a husband from the list. Find someone with a clean family background, who knows how to care for others and is willing to make progress. Life would be so much more comfortable then. Do you think she looks like someone who can live a peaceful life tonight?"
Mother Lu nodded, and then listened to Madam Hou continue, "As for Ah Xu, she needs to find a good family as soon as possible. I think what the second son said tonight shows that his mind has been deviated. I'm afraid that if he gets ruthless, he won't care whether Ah Xu is his sister or not."
Nan Xu is the apple of the eye of the Yong'an Marquis and his wife's eye. The Marquis's wife gets a headache when she thinks of what Nan Yiling said that night.
Daughters are not like boys who can build a career with great fanfare.
If you can't marry a good man, even if you are a lady worth millions, you will only end up wasting your time in misery.
The Marquis's wife didn't want her daughter to end up in that situation.
Mother Lu wanted to share her worries and asked tentatively, "Madam, do you want to see the girl in person?"
The Marquis's wife shook her head, then nodded. After a long moment of contemplation, she said, "I remember there's a picture album in Kyoto that records the handsome young men from various aristocratic families. It's divided into three volumes: upper, middle, and lower. The middle and lower volumes are all about the young men from ordinary families who are good at studying. Tomorrow, you can go find it and bring it to Xiefangyuan. Accompany Ah Xu to pick out the men in the album. I don't ask for great wealth or status, just a kind, polite, and caring man."
Mother Lu nodded and said yes, and Mrs. Hou breathed a sigh of relief.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
