Pei Yunzhou was only one year younger than Pei Yanzhi, and was indeed not young. He was of marriageable age, but although he was the legitimate son, he had no right to inherit the throne. He failed the autumn examination and went to the martial arts school.
I don't know about the future, but there's definitely not much development in the next few years.
Thus, he was stuck in a limbo, unable to find a suitable wife, but of course, with the Marquis's family's status, finding a woman from a good family wouldn't be a problem.
However, the first thing Wen said was that Pei Lingyu had previously married a woman from a prominent family.
This is absolutely insane.
You should know that the young lady from that aristocratic family is the granddaughter of the Minister of Personnel, a high-ranking official of the second rank in the current dynasty. She is a true third-generation official and a noble lady from an aristocratic family.
A woman of such status, born of the principal wife, could enter the palace as an imperial concubine or marry a prince as his principal wife. What right does Pei Yunzhou have?
Jiang Shuwan swallowed hard; it wasn't that she looked down on Pei Yunzhou.
The Wen family's ambitions were truly sky-high.
"Madam, this is probably going to be very difficult."
Jiang Shuwan bit her lip, not daring to accept the task.
"What do you mean? Yunzhou is your uncle, and you're not even willing to find him a wife? Do you have a problem with him?" Madam Wen raised her eyebrows and her face turned cold again.
Oh my wife, this is not how you ask for a favor!
The head maid, watching anxiously from the side, quickly tugged at Wen's sleeve. Realizing her lapse in composure, Wen quickly regained her composure and said gently, "Wan'er, what Mother means is that Yunzhou is Yanzhi's younger brother, and the Old Madam dotes on Yunzhou. Presumably, the Old Madam also wants Yunzhou to have a good in-law family and support. Now that you are in charge of the household, consider it as sharing the Old Madam's burdens, don't you think?"
“What you say is true, but my brother-in-law is only a minor martial arts student and has no official title or position. It is really difficult to meet your request.”
"You mean, my Yunzhou is not even as good as Pei Lingyu, who dresses like a spoiled brat every day?" Madam Wen was clearly angry again, but she clenched her hands tightly and still suppressed her anger.
Honestly, she's never been this humble in her entire life.
What's more, the other party is Jiang Shuwan, whom she has always looked down upon for coming from a humble background.
Pretending not to see the disdain in Madam Wen's eyes, Jiang Shuwan spoke calmly, "Madam, it's not that I'm being nosy, but back then, Minister Guo's granddaughter cried and begged to marry the young master. If it were just a matchmaking meeting, how could the Earl's family possibly be worthy of her?"
What she said was entirely true. The Ministry of Personnel was a powerful department, not to mention Minister Guo, who was in charge of it.
That is to say, Pei Lingyu does indeed have the ability to be a social butterfly; otherwise, how could the eldest daughter of the Guo family have married into the Earl's mansion?
The Guo family and the Earl's Mansion are still sworn enemies, but the Wen family is even trying to harm the Guo family's daughter.
Of course, it's also very difficult for women of the same social standing.
And also...
"You may go down first. I need to say a few words to my wife."
She waved to the maids and servants around her, who looked at each other, not daring to move without Wen's order.
"Madam, what do you think?" The head maid went to ask Madam Wen for her opinion.
"Go down," Wen said dismissively, waving her hand.
Although she and Jiang Shuwan were constantly fighting, she didn't believe Jiang Shuwan would dare to do anything to her.
Jiang Shuwan didn't really intend to do anything to her; she was just sitting there analyzing the situation with her.
“Madam is currently at Lotus Manor and may not know the situation in the capital. The situation in the court is even more severe now. A few days ago, half of the officials in the Ministry of Revenue were punished by His Majesty, and the Vice Minister of Revenue even committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Now everyone is in danger, and our Marquis’s Mansion is walking a tightrope. We dare not be careless.”
"In the previous dynasty, the eldest prince and the crown prince were irreconcilable enemies. In the harem, the empress regained control of the imperial seal, which made Consort Gao resentful. Although I rarely set foot in the palace, I know that the harem is not peaceful at all."
"But His Majesty's attitude is ambiguous, and he has not given any clear instructions. At such a crucial moment, how can our Marquis's family form a marriage alliance with a powerful family?"
"After all, no one knows who is backing these powerful families."
"Besides, the new commercial tax that the Crown Prince is in charge of has offended many people. Even if we go against His Majesty's wishes and arrange a marriage with a powerful family, and the other party takes a liking to my uncle, we are afraid that we will marry a knife instead of an ally!"
Jiang Shuwan's words silenced Wen Shi.
Before Jiang Shuwan married into the family, she was in charge of all the welcoming and sending off of guests in the mansion.
Since the mistress of the house associated with the wives of officials, she naturally heard about events in the previous dynasty.
Fearing trouble would arise in the inner quarters, even though the old Marquis hadn't stayed in her room for the past few years, he would still tell her about the current situation in the court and the Marquis's plans, so that she would know how to treat different officials' wives.
Therefore, she has quite good political insight.
In fact, the reason she never sought a husband for her beloved youngest son during the years she was in power was because she knew that if she were to find a noblewoman from a prominent family, the old Marquis and the old lady might not agree.
She endured it all, thinking that she would look for a marriage partner when the situation improved.
Even so, she has already lost power, and this opportunity has not yet arrived.
"Madam, take your time thinking. I'll take my leave now." Jiang Shuwan didn't disturb her and went home.
As soon as she left, the head maidservant rushed in to serve her. Seeing that Madam Wen had a sullen face and was holding Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, she did not dare to say a word.
"Madam, Miss has arrived."
As the servants announced her arrival, Pei Jing indeed came again. As soon as she entered, she buried her face in her hands on the table and burst into tears, smashing pots and bowls, cursing either that vile woman Jin Jiaoniang or that old witch, the Duchess.
She was just like a resentful woman, which only made Wen feel annoyed and upset.
"Cry, cry, cry! All you do is cry! You can't even handle a Jin Jiaoniang, and you can't help me get back to the Marquis's mansion. What use are you to me!"
Seeing the look of disgust on Madam Wen's face, Pei Jing felt wronged. "Madam's words are truly hurtful. I want Madam to go back more than anyone else. After Madam left, I went to the old lady to plead for her. What could I do if the old lady disagreed? And Jiang Shuwan, my daughter didn't even ask her for help when she encountered difficulties. Don't you think I'm thinking of Madam?"
"If Jiang Shuwan had helped, Jin Jiaoniang would be nothing but a fart; she would have been dealt with long ago."
As Pei Jing spoke, she recalled how Jiang Shuwan had helped her deal with Jin Jiaoniang before.
It's really strange. Jiang Shuwan only went to the Duke's mansion once, and she managed to sow discord between her mother-in-law and Jin Jiaoniang, and then sent Jin Jiaoniang to the estate.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have had such a good time recently.
Now that Jin Jiaoniang has returned from the estate, she has been obsessed with the young master. She originally wanted to ask Jiang Shuwan for help.
However, when she thought that if Jiang Shuwan could successfully help her resolve this matter, it would be even more difficult for Wen Shi to return to the Marquis's mansion, she forced herself to endure it.
"I'm living like this because of my wife."
"If it weren't for my wife, I would have asked Jiang Shuwan for help long ago."
"Madam, Yan Zhiqiu came first in the imperial examination, which is a great joy, yet you hit him. Have you gone mad?"
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