Shen was not surprised by Wen Ye's reaction.
He did not give her too much time to think, and said, "Your aunt mentioned your cousin Shen Cheng's marriage to me a few days ago. Although my nephew is a concubine's son, he has a good reputation and is an official in the court. You and him are a good match."
Shen's elder brother was a romantic and amorous man. With the help of his ancestors' influence, he got a fourth-rank idle position. His heart was only occupied by the beauties in the backyard. Shen's sister-in-law had given up on him long ago and was only focused on raising a few legitimate children.
As for those illegitimate sons and daughters in the backyard, they were left alone and allowed to fight with each other.
Among more than ten illegitimate sons, only Shen Cheng was the best at studying and entered the officialdom at an early age.
However, the Shen family is a big melting pot and has never been divided. As a promising illegitimate son, Shen Cheng's marriage is bound to be disturbed in such an environment.
Wen Ye was not surprised by this choice, and said seriously: "Cousin Shen Cheng is indeed a man of extraordinary character and appearance."
In fact...she had long forgotten what this cheap cousin looked like. She had only seen him twice.
Shen glanced at Wen Ye, but didn't expose her. She continued, "There are many outstanding students in this year's spring exam. Your father found a good one for you. His surname is Wu. Although he comes from a poor family, he is quite talented. He is a second-class Jinshi and ranked high. He is handsome and has a simple family with only an old mother."
Wen Ye still had no reaction.
Shen thought she minded that the Wu family was from a poor family, so she said, "If you choose the Wu family, I will prepare more dowry for you."
To be honest, Shen's mind is beyond the reach of ordinary people as her stepmother has done so much.
Wen Ye was also very tactful. She curled her lips for a moment and said, "Thank you, mother, but I still want to hear from a third family before making a decision."
However, compared to the complicated Shen family, this poor boy named Wu is indeed more pleasing to Wen Ye.
In the Jin Dynasty, the term "poor family" generally refers to lower-class aristocratic families. They may not be wealthy, but they are definitely not poor. Those who are truly poor will call themselves common people.
Speaking of the third family, Shen paused for a moment, a complex look flashed across her eyes, and she said, "The third family is Duke Xu's Mansion."
Wen Ye was shocked again. Duke Xu's Mansion?
Did she hear it right?
Shen said, "The second master of the Xu family's first wife died early, leaving behind a son. Duke Xu and his wife are planning to remarry him."
After the shock, Wen Ye regained her composure and immediately pointed out the strangeness of the matter: "It's impossible for a concubine like me to be the second wife of the Duke's Mansion, right?"
Even though she seldom went out, she had heard of the otherworldly second master of the Xu family, Xu Yuejia.
The fifteen-year-old top scholar was the first in the history of Dajin. In his senior year, he rode a horse through the streets in a gorgeous robe and a red crown, and countless women fell for him.
Now, although he is only twenty-three, he is already a third-rank vice minister of the Ministry of Justice. He can be said to be a promising young man.
Shen glanced at Wen Ye.
Wen Ye curled her lips and smiled, continuing to play dumb.
Shen: “…”
Shen sighed and said, "As for why Lady Xu would like you, I don't know either."
Having said this, she looked at Wen Ye again, "You don't have much time to consider."
Wen Ye raised her eyebrows slightly: "My daughter understands."
"Oh, right." Shen suddenly thought of something and called Wen Ye, who had already reached the doorstep, and said quietly, "Your second sister's husband will be promoted and return to Beijing soon. It won't be long before you and your sisters can be together."
Wen Ye paused, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
There is no such thing as a gathering of sisters. I'm afraid they are here to take her life.
Duke Xu's Mansion, main courtyard.
Duke Xu, who was too tall to stand, sat at the top, with his wife, Lu, next to him.
Mrs. Lu was holding a naive child of about two years old in her arms, with a look of dissatisfaction on her face.
The young Duke Xu looked at his wife's face, sighed, and asked the man sitting below: "Have you seen the concubine of the Wen family somewhere before?"
And then you fell deeply in love?
The person being questioned was the second master of Duke Xu's mansion, Xu Yuejia.
"No." The man had an indifferent expression and his voice was as cold as the cold moon.
Duke Xu didn't understand: "Why? Even if you don't do this for yourself, you should consider Xuan Ge'er. If the concubine's daughter of the Wen family marries into the family, can she take good care of Xuan Ge'er?"
Mrs. Lu echoed from the side: "Which of those daughters of noble families that I picked a few days ago is not better than the illegitimate daughter of the Wen family who is still unmarried at the age of 20?"
And there was another reason why she was dissatisfied with the concubine of the Wen family. When she mentioned this matter to the wife of the Wen family, she actually said vaguely that she would consider it? !
What else does a concubine's daughter of a third-rank official need to consider when she can marry the second master of a duke's mansion as his successor?
However, Lu did not tell these to the two brothers in front of him.
The second brother's wife died young, so it can be said that Huaili was raised by Lu alone and she had long regarded him as her own son. But she also knew that no matter how much she loved Xuan'er, she was always just his aunt and could not replace his mother's position.
That's why she carefully selected five or six daughters of noble families who had good upbringing and background, hoping to choose a good stepmother for Xuan'er.
If she had known that she would meet the concubine of the Wen family at the Yongcheng Marquis's mansion, she would not have gone to the banquet.
It's okay to go to the banquet, but there's no point in saying anything in front of my second brother when I get home.
Lu now has only one feeling: extreme regret.
"I am considering this for Xuan'er's sake." Xu Yuejia said calmly, "Three years ago, the emperor ordered me to investigate the case of the Ninth Prince's remnants. I found out that there was a concubine in the Wen family who had an intersection with the Ninth Prince."
When Duke Xu heard this, he frowned and said, "Isn't this what we are talking about now?"
Duke Xu knew his younger brother Xu Yuejia well. He was not interested in romantic affairs, was dedicated to the public, and was impartial. Even Xuan Ge'er only occupied a small corner of his heart.
Duke Xu was really afraid that he was holding on to the Wen family for official business.
"She was the second concubine of the Wen family." Xu Yuejia said, "But soon, she was married off to Xianzhou by her stepmother."
Mrs. Lu didn't understand: "What does this have to do with your marriage? Since the Wen family has been involved with the Ninth Prince, why do you want to choose their concubine's daughter?"
Xu Yuejia explained calmly, "Brother and sister-in-law, you don't know that if it weren't for this Fourth Miss Wen who discovered the slight difference between my concubine sister and the Ninth Prince, the Wen family might have already ceased to exist along with the Ninth Prince's family."
Duke Xu showed admiration in his eyes: "It seems that the Wen family is not bad."
In the later years of the late emperor, several princes were fighting each other, and the Ninth Prince was the most prominent among them. Nearly half of the ministers at that time fawned on him. The fourth illegitimate daughter of the Wen family was able to keenly detect the difference between her illegitimate sister and the Ninth Prince and was able to make the correct response in time, which was considered smart.
However, the Wen family did not join the powerful Ninth Prince, but chose to be a loyal minister, which was consistent with the political views of their Xu family.
Xu Yuejia slowly stood up from the chair, her figure like a cypress.
He said calmly: "I remarried for Xuan'er. As long as she can truly accept Xuan'er, her status is not important."
Wen Si's handling of the matter between her concubine's sister and the Ninth Prince was insightful enough, showing that she was not a short-sighted woman who only cared about short-term interests.
That's enough.
He didn't need a troublesome wife, and Xuan'er didn't need a troublesome stepmother.
Lu opened her mouth and wanted to say something.
Duke Xu patted the back of her hand and shook his head at her.
Wen Mansion.
Wen Ye didn't let Shen wait too long. He gave Shen her own choice just one day later.
Shen was slightly shocked and asked, "Have you thought about it?"
Wen Ye nodded: "I've thought about it."
Shen didn't say anything else, just said: "Go back and prepare. In a few days, the Xu family will come to the mansion to propose marriage."
Wen Ye stood up and bowed to Shen: "Thank you, mother."
Shen had looked much more tired recently because of Wen Ye's matter. She waved her hand and said, "Go back."
Hengwu Courtyard.
Ever since Wen Ye said she wanted to choose the Xu family, Aunt Chang didn't quite agree.
At this moment, Wen Ye came back from the main courtyard, his face full of good mood. When Aunt Chang saw clearly, her heart skipped a beat and she hurriedly dragged him into the house.
"Did you really tell your mother that you wanted to choose the Xu family?" Aunt Chang asked nervously.
Wen Ye said calmly: "Of course."
She lay back on the couch under the window, picked up her silk fan and waved it gently, eating some cakes, and said quite comfortably, "Is the Xu family not good?"
She felt that they were better than her cousin from the Shen family and the poor Wu family.
Aunt Chang frowned tightly, "What good is that! You will be a stepmother after you marry her! Ye'er, it's hard to be a stepmother these days, why are you doing this?"
"It's better to marry a newly-minted scholar who can be the head of the family." Aunt Chang found out that the mother of the scholar surnamed Wu was too old to manage the family's backyard.
Wen Ye swallowed the last bite of mung bean crisps and said, "This newly-appointed Jinshi has a cousin who grew up with him."
Aunt Chang: "...Where did you know this?"
She didn't even know...
"Guess what, Auntie?" Wen Ye flicked the remnant on her fingertips and said in a leisurely voice, "Mother Wu doesn't take care of the family because her little cousin is in charge."
These were all what she had asked Taozhi to find out yesterday when she went out of the house.
A cousin whose parents are still alive has lived in her cousin's house for more than ten years, wow...
Wen Ye didn't mind her husband taking a concubine in the future, she just didn't want to deal with the trouble. It would be strange if the backyard could be peaceful if she took in a childhood sweetheart like this cousin.
This was clearly not how she had expected to live her life.
Aunt Chang also understood what was wrong. She choked and said, "Then there is your stepmother's cousin..."
Wen Ye drank another cup of tea and said, "There are too many people at home, there are two mothers-in-law alone."
Shen Cheng's aunt is alive and well, and Brother Shen has too many concubines. Shen Cheng seems to have inherited this trait from his father. He hasn't even married yet, but he already has four maids in the house.
Wen Ye was too lazy to deal with both the concubine and the aunt.
And no one knows whether she can live there after she gets married.
Aunt Chang: “…”
Wen Ye put down the teacup, lay back down, and continued, "This assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice is different."
Aunt Chang: "What's the difference?"
Wen Ye sighed, "Both my parents are dead, I have a sedan chair to drive away, the house is big enough, I have a brother and sister-in-law above me, and a son below me. If I marry into the family, I won't have to take charge of the family expenses, nor will I have to bear children."
"As for the kid, I don't need to worry about him. As the saying goes, an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. The Duke's wife, Lady Lu, is at least half the kid's grandmother."
"With her here, she will definitely be able to raise the little cub well."
For Wen Ye, marrying into the Xu family meant just moving to a different place to continue lying down and being a salted fish and rice bug. Such a perfect pie was falling on her head, so why not choose it?
Aunt Chang: “….”
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