Chapter 65 Compromise
"Why don't I have a say?"
Li Chengxiu rushed in and saw Wan Jie'er looking at him, his face flushed.
"Wanjie and I are good brothers and sisters, so good that we can kowtow to each other and become sworn brothers! Mom, please stop trying to match us up. What's going on..."
Qiao wanted to raise his hand to hit him.
"What are you talking about? Get out now!"
"I won't leave!"
Li Laosi's neck stiffened and he knelt down.
"She and I are not a good match, Mom, don't let your imagination run wild!"
"What's wrong with that?"
Qiao was so angry that his true colors were exposed.
"She wants to marry a simple man and live a simple life. Isn't your mind simple enough?
She doesn't want to share a husband with someone else. Do you dare to marry another wife or concubine behind your wife's back?
It just so happens that your father wants to marry his children to her father's, so doesn't that mean they are a perfect match? How can they not be a good match?"
This was indeed what Mrs. Qiao truly thought. She had been thinking about this for a while. After all, the fourth child had his older brother to support him, so there was no need for him to fight for the right to establish a family. He could just live a peaceful life and be considered filial.
Just as Zhao Yu'e had said, the Jiang family's eldest daughter possessed a sense of pride and responsibility, which made Qiao increasingly satisfied the more she saw her. This girl's temperament was very similar to her own back then.
"Madam Lingguo, what do you think? I can put this on the table. If your sister is married to my fourth son, I promise not to interfere with their lives.
You told Wanjieer to find someone else to marry, or to marry the eldest or second son. Who knows whose daughters they'll be fighting with in the future. It would be better to marry her to my fourth son!
You know my son's temperament to some extent. He's a little silly, but he's definitely not a bad kid. I'll discipline him more in the future, and he'll definitely live a good life with Wanjieer!"
Xu turned around and looked Li Chengxiu up and down, left and right many times. The more she looked, the more she felt that what the imperial concubine said seemed to make sense.
Compared to the eldest prince, the second prince and the third prince, the fourth prince obviously has a much simpler brain and is definitely not capable of escaping the eldest girl's control.
She turned to look at her daughter. Jiang Wan understood what her mother meant and lowered her eyes to think.
In the original book, Li Laosi had no wife and was very domineering. Especially after Li Laosan was killed, he became very aggressive and annoyed Li Laoliu, but he didn't have the brains to scheme.
It just so happened that he had a high status and military merits, otherwise Li Laoliu would not have had to sacrifice his wife to completely crush him.
If I really take over, it doesn't seem impossible.
If she had to choose a husband from among the princes, then Li Laosi would definitely be more suitable for her than anyone else.
She turned to look at Li Chengxiu who was kneeling beside her.
"Do you have someone you like?"
"No."
"You think I'm not good-looking?"
"Who said that? Is it that bastard called Mahjong again? I'm going to beat him up!"
Li Chengxiu was very loyal, so Jiang Wan curled her lips. Xu Shi, understanding her meaning, nodded to the Imperial Concubine.
Mrs. Qiao happily brushed her sleeves and stood up.
"That's fine, you two can go back first. I'll go and talk to the Emperor."
"Yes, I'll take my leave!"
"I'll take my leave!"
As soon as the mother and daughter of the Jiang family left, the mother and son of the Li family started making a fuss.
"Mom, don't go tell my dad that I really can't marry Wan Jie'er!"
"Let go! My sister is such a beautiful girl, it's good enough that she's willing to give up to you, a silly roe deer. How dare you find fault with her and despise her? Who gave you the face to do that?"
"I don't dislike her!"
Li Chengxiu pouted in frustration.
"I know she's smart and pretty, but she's really mean! We can be brothers or sisters, but how can I beat her as a couple? How can I live like that from now on? Whose mother are you, anyway?"
"You're such a good-for-nothing, how can you not pass?"
Mrs. Qiao glared at her son fiercely.
"Why don't you think so? If she can beat you now, she can conquer the world in the future!
If I weren't your mother, could I, in a clear conscience, marry such a talented and beautiful girl to you?
Don't take advantage of me here and act like a good boy. Let go of me and don't force me to slap you."
"Mother~"
Mrs. Qiao pulled her sleeve back from her son's hand, smoothed it out, and then turned to look at him helplessly.
"Cheng Xiu, I always say that you are naughty when you are little, but you are already a grown-up boy. There are many things that your mother should know, and you actually understand them in your heart.
The Jiang family's status and position are not ordinary, and your father is worried about betrothing Jiang Wan to someone else. Your third brother is already in love with the Song family girl and it is already established, so what do you think we should do? Your second brother's status is not enough, so Jiang Wan can only be betrothed to your eldest brother.
Her voice suddenly lowered a lot.
"Let's not even talk about whether Wanjieer will be treated well or not. This is just pushing a helping hand over for nothing. Do you understand?"
The words were obscure, but Li Chengxiu was not really a fool, so how could he not understand?
He opened his mouth to say something, but after going back and forth several times, only a dry murmur came out.
"Wanjie'er, she can find someone better than me."
Mrs. Qiao patted him with a smile.
"I knew you, brat, had already set your sights on her, and you're still pretending to be so in front of your mother."
Li Chengxiu blinked his eyes, and his face, which had not yet truly matured, was filled with childishness and sincerity.
"Mom, I know Wanjieer doesn't like me."
When the young man talks about the girl he likes, even his tone of grievance is slightly sweet.
"She is good-looking and likes good-looking people. I am not good-looking enough."
"What nonsense?"
Mrs. Qiao helped her son straighten his collar, and with a smug look on her face, she boasted about her products.
"I was beautiful as a flower back then, and your father may not be very smart, but at least he had a pretty face. How ugly can you be?
Don't worry, my son is a handsome young man!"
"You lied to me again! Two days ago you scolded me for not being as good as my brother, and today you're saying the opposite?"
"No."
My mother is a sincere person and speaks her mind.
“It’s true that you’re not as good-looking as your brother, but compared to the average person, you still have a pretty good look.
In the future, when I have nothing to do, I will go to Jiang's house more often. It would be better if I can get in through the door, but if I can't, squatting on the wall is also a solution.
There's an old saying that a strong woman is afraid of a clinging man, and besides, Wan Jie'er isn't tired of you, so she'll eventually grow fond of you. Don't worry!"
Li Chengxiu looked at his mother with some questions in his eyes.
"Mom, how come you are so experienced? Is this what my dad did back then?"
"...Get away from me!"
Qiao paused and roared like a lion.
It scared away the birds squatting on the wall and a silly roe deer in its own home.
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