Chapter 151 I, as his maternal grandfather, am also willing to act as his matchmaker.
Wang Lingyan got so angry that she disembarked from the boat.
Now that she's here, nobody can indulge her.
Her appearance left no ripples.
Because of a major event that is currently on everyone's mind.
The six-month period for Jiang Xingyao and He Ran has come to an end.
“These are all wild ginseng, and this is bird’s nest. He Ran has two sisters-in-law, so there are three boxes.”
"Inside here is a set of red gold headdress for He Ran, as well as some other jewelry. I've put them all in this box."
Yao Shisan knew the prepared items like the back of his hand.
Dan Niang sat down beside Xiao Pang Xi, holding her in her arms. "Going to propose marriage is not the same as giving betrothal gifts. Preparing so many expensive items will make people think that you are forcing them to marry off their daughter."
"Is that so?" Yao Shisan was unmarried and unaware of the other customs.
After discovering she was pregnant at the Duke of England's residence, she immediately promoted a concubine.
Let alone a room full of red candles.
There wasn't even a single red quilt.
Seeing that she didn't understand, Dan Niang said, "Proposing marriage is about obtaining the woman's consent. This is Lord Jiang's first visit. The gift should be given out of courtesy, not because of its value."
"When you formally propose marriage again in the future, you can prepare valuable gifts to show that you value her."
“It’s a long journey from Dingxian to the border. The things you bring might spoil or be unsafe. It’s better to bring money and buy things locally.”
"You're right, these will be sent over when the betrothal is performed."
Yao Shisan then took out another stack of silver notes and stuffed them into his brother's hand.
"Don't be stingy with money. Buy whatever you need. Don't let General He think that his daughter is going to marry a poor county magistrate."
Jiang Xingyao smiled wryly, "I was originally a poor county magistrate."
Now his sister takes care of all his needs, from food and clothing to housing and transportation.
Yao Shisan rolled his eyes at him, "Where are we poor? When we were kids, we didn't even have enough to eat. Now we eat meat every meal!"
"And who bought all those useless little trinkets in Fu'er's room! I told you not to waste money."
"Oh, and wild geese too," Dan Niang instructed.
"Now is the season for catching geese. Lord Jiang, you can ask hunters to help you hunt geese then."
Yao Shisan asked curiously, "What if there are no geese in other seasons?"
Dan Niang said, "Poor families use wooden carved geese, while wealthy families use gold-cast geese. I've heard that even wealthier families raise geese in advance."
Thinking of this, she smiled. "Feiyang didn't have any money back then, and his parents didn't care about him."
"He hired an old carpenter for a month for free to carve a pair of wooden geese for him."
Duan Feiyang is an honest and kind person who treats her and her daughter very well.
He never said a word when she sent her daughter to school.
That's why she's tolerated the Duan family all these years.
Yao Shisan nodded. "I wonder when they'll get married. Maybe I should get some more wild geese to raise now."
Jiang Xingyao: "...it's not even close to happening yet."
Dan Niang smiled and said, "There's no rush for now. Let's wait until Lord Jiang returns."
Jiang Xingyao set off.
The heavy burden of the river fell on Wei Xun's shoulders. He was so busy that he was nowhere to be seen, and Shuang'er was also so busy that she was nowhere to be seen.
Wei Xun harbored deep resentment, while Shuang'er turned away resolutely, saying, "That's fine, it'll keep you from disturbing my money-making."
"..."
...
This was the first time Jiang Xingyao had seen the scenery of the frontier.
The scenery along the way ranges from mountains to plains, from greenery to yellow sand.
He Ran had received the message in advance and was already waiting at the city gate.
It's only been a few months since we last met.
He Ran had already been unable to contain her joy, but when she saw Jiang Xingyao, who was tanned dark, she paused.
What difference was there between her and those dark-skinned soldiers in her father's camp?
Jiang Xingyao's tan also conveniently concealed the shyness on his face.
"Brother He, Miss He."
Not far away, on a carriage, there were two young women, each holding onto one side of the curtain and peeking out.
"Didn't the third brother say he was a refined and cultured scholar? How come he's such a dark-skinned guy?"
"Has my little sister been spending too much time in the camp and lost her sense of judgment?"
Will my father-in-law agree?
"When has my father-in-law's opinion ever been of any use? As long as my mother agrees, that's enough."
"Too……"
Perhaps because their gazes were too blatant, Jiang Xingyao looked back warily.
He Ran followed his gaze and looked back. "Those are my two sisters-in-law. They also wanted to come and see."
Jiang Xingyao understood that this was not the right time for a formal meeting, but since he already knew, he couldn't pretend he hadn't seen it.
He nodded in greeting toward the carriage.
The two people in the carriage sat back down.
The eldest daughter-in-law of the He family said, "Alright, we've seen the person, let's go back."
He's second daughter-in-law said, "Let's go back. It's alright. The scholar is fine too. The martial arts master will be kind to people."
"Look at what you're saying, sister-in-law. Isn't your second brother loving enough?" The eldest daughter-in-law of the He family said sarcastically, looking at the high-necked shirt she was wearing today.
"Sister-in-law!"
The carriage returned, and the three people at the city gate finished their conversation.
The border was heavily guarded, and even with the young master and young lady of the He family by his side, they still examined Jiang Xingyao several times.
The next day, Jiang Xingyao bought all the items according to the gift list he had obtained from the innkeeper.
When he arrived at the door, he saw an unexpected person.
Mengyu Mountain.
In contrast to the meager gift in Jiang Xingyao's hands.
The courtyard was piled high with valuable gifts.
In the flower hall, General He wore a look of restraint.
General Meng, the benefactor who had once promoted him, came to his door with generous gifts, saying he was asking for his grandson to marry his daughter.
This assertiveness hardly resembles a marriage proposal.
It's as if they're determined to kidnap his daughter today!
"This is my grandson. He was in Ding County suppressing bandits. General He should have already met him."
Meng Yushan pointed at Jiang Xingyao, who had just walked to the door.
He Wenting's gaze swept over Jiang Xingyao. "Lord Jiang has come all the way to the border prefecture and even invited the Duke of Zhenguo. Why didn't you even give him a greeting?"
Jiang Xingyao didn't know where Meng Yushan had gotten the news from.
He clasped his hands together, carrying a full load of things, and said, "Your humble servant Jiang Xingyao greets the Duke of Zhenguo."
He then bowed respectfully to He Wenting, saying, "Junior Jiang Xingyao greets Uncle He."
Your humble servant is a junior.
The terms of address are clearly distinct.
He Wenting was somewhat surprised. Meng Yushan bringing so many things to Jiang Xingyao's door in person clearly meant he wanted to support him.
This kid is something else; he shows absolutely no intention of acknowledging his family.
"Uncle He, I am Jiang Xingyao, a native of Chuzhou. My parents are both deceased, and I have a younger sister who works as a merchant selling grain."
Jiang Xingyao never considered the so-called "recognizing his ancestors and returning to his roots".
"I have long admired Miss He and have come today to propose marriage. I humbly request your permission, Uncle He."
He Wenting saw that the gifts in his hands were all gifts prepared according to the customs of the border region for visiting relatives.
"Nephew Jiang, please rise."
After the two finished speaking, Meng Yushan stood up.
“Jiang’er, you want to marry the daughter of the He family. I have ordered people to gather all kinds of valuable gifts and specially waited for you to enter the city before delivering them to your door.”
He pointed to the gifts filling the yard and said, "You're humiliating me like this in front of your future father-in-law!"
Jiang Xingyao lowered his eyes slightly, "The Duke of Zhenguo is mistaken. Uncle He has not yet agreed. Miss He's reputation is of utmost importance."
Meng Yushan had always been proud and had never humbled himself before anyone.
His nostrils flared and his cheeks twitched before he said, "I won't argue with you if you're angry. Your marriage is the most important thing today."
Jiang Xingyao then looked up and stared directly at the old man who had driven them away.
A flash of hatred crossed his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
He has always kept it well hidden.
“Duke Zhenguo, you know that today is the day I am to visit the He family, so you should not have come.”
Meng Yushan tightened his grip on his cane.
Guo Fang, the deputy general who had been waiting outside, could only wipe the sweat from his brow inwardly.
Only Jiang Xingyao could humiliate the general three times in front of him.
A glint flashed in He Wenting's eyes.
The dignified Duke of Zhenguo was powerless against this young man.
But now this young man is asking to marry his daughter.
Wouldn't that be a way for him to control General Meng indirectly?
Thinking of this, he smiled and tried to smooth things over.
"The Duke of Zhenguo is also a benefactor of mine, He. Nephew Jiang has come from afar, so let's have a meal together."
"The rest, I'll talk about later."
Since it was a marriage proposal for his daughter, he naturally couldn't give in easily.
It was only when he took his seat that Jiang Xingyao saw the rest of the He family.
He's three older brothers sat neatly opposite him.
Especially his eldest brother, He Xun, who stared at him with a piercing gaze.
When drinking, he was the only one who kept pouring alcohol down his throat.
Only He Zhuo smiled silently and sipped his wine.
The first one to get drunk at the table was actually the eldest brother, who had the best alcohol tolerance, while Jiang Xingyao showed no signs of drunkenness at all.
He Xuan, the second brother of the He family, was dumbfounded. "A thousand cups without getting drunk?"
He Zhuo leaned closer to his second brother, "You guessed right, you can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."
The younger generation is drinking.
The older generation sat in the head seat.
Looking at the dejection in Meng Yushan's eyes, He Wenting thought of the Meng family's past glory.
It's heartbreaking that they can only rely on their grandson, who has already been kicked out, to continue their family line.
He spent his life on the battlefield, and the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion he built was his home.
Now, in the capital, it's just an empty house.
Meng Yushan turned to look at this former subordinate, who was also one of the few people who knew the inside story.
“Wen Ting, you’ve been with me for so many years, and you’ve seen a lot of good and bad things.”
"Perhaps, this child is so good because he didn't grow up in the Meng family. Even though he doesn't acknowledge me, I, as his maternal grandfather, am willing to act as a matchmaker for him."
“From now on, as long as their eldest son has the surname Meng, I will agree to whatever you ask.”
He Wenting chuckled and said, "Eat first, eat first."
Meng Yushan's hand holding the cane trembled.
Dingxian, the capital, and a border prefecture.
He had been traveling for countless days and nights, and the doctor had already told him to rest.
This child is completely unresponsive to reason.
He couldn't help but think of that rainy night.
Two children were kneeling at the door, but he didn't see them, nor would he allow anyone else to see them.
He is assertive and domineering.
No one in the manor could disobey him.
No one dared to help them.
The daughter's elopement not only harmed herself but also her child.
besides……
The deputy general he had the highest hopes for.
They all slapped him hard across the face.
Meng Yushan sighed softly to himself.
Does he regret it?
He must be regretting it.
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