Zhao Qianyu seemed not to have expected Jiang Ling to ask this question. He blushed and stammered for a long time, clutching the hem of his clothes.
Jiang Ling could tell that Zhao Qianyu was aware of the situation from his actions. She looked at Zhao Qianyu and guessed that he was not going to say anything. A silent game of strategy was about to begin between the two of them.
"I..." After a long while, Zhao Qianyu suddenly looked up at Jiang Ling.
"I want to marry Suihe!" Zhao Qianyu said with a serious expression, his eyes wide.
"you……"
"No! I disagree!" Before Jiang Ling could finish speaking, Jiang Yaojie pushed the door open angrily, followed by Jiang Suihe, whose face was flushed, and Shen Congxin, who was also somewhat angry.
"Husband! Hurry back! You..." Shen Congxin, holding the child, grabbed Jiang Yaojie's arm and tried to pull him back.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yaojie, who is usually mild-mannered, became as stubborn as a bull.
"Let go!" Jiang Yaojie said, glancing at Shen Congxin.
"Well, you've got some nerve! My mother treats you like her godson, and you've got the nerve to try and take advantage of my sister! You think you can just sit here and do whatever you want..." Jiang Yaojie grabbed Zhao Qianyu by the collar and was about to strike him.
Seeing this, Jiang Ling quickly stood up, grabbed Jiang Yaojie's raised fist, and said, "What are you doing? Put your fist down! We don't have brainless kids in our family!"
After being reprimanded by Jiang Ling, Jiang Yaojie seemed to calm down a lot. His face flushed red as he released the hand that was gripping Zhao Qianyu's neck, but his fist did not fall.
"Jiang Yaojie! What are you doing?" Jiang Ling was a little angry. She knew that Jiang Yaojie meant well, but climbing over the wall and inexplicably hitting her still made her furious.
After being scolded by Jiang Ling, Jiang Yaojie calmed down a bit. Chen Congxin quickly grabbed Jiang Yaojie's fist and whispered, "What are you doing! You've made Mother angry!"
Jiang Yaojie regretted his impulsiveness earlier, but looking at Zhao Qianyu made him furious. He stared intently at Zhao Qianyu's chest as it heaved.
"Yaojie!" Shen Congxin was worried that Jiang Ling would be angry, so he quickly tugged at Jiang Yaojie again.
"You all go out for now. I have a few words to say to Qianyu!" Jiang Ling said, glancing at them with a serious expression.
Whether it was Jiang Ling's tone that was too stern or her expression that was too gloomy, Jiang Ling's words immediately scared all the children away, leaving only Zhao Qianyu standing there dumbfounded and trembling.
"Alright, Qianyu, sit down there, let's have a good chat!" Jiang Ling said, pointing to the seat next to her after everyone had left.
“Godmother…I…I…this…” Zhao Qianyu was even more bewildered now, swaying back and forth in the chair as if sitting on pins and needles.
Jiang Ling smiled faintly and looked at Zhao Qianyu, saying, "Yes, repeat what you just said!"
"Just now? Repeat it again?" Zhao Qianyu was so frightened that he sprang up from his chair like a spring.
Jiang Ling nodded and said, "Yes, so what? You won't dare to do it again?"
“I…no! I! Godmother! I will marry Suihe! I promise you, I will absolutely, absolutely treat Suihe well! I swear I will never have a second heart in this life, I will only love her!” Zhao Qianyu didn’t know where the courage came from, and he blurted out all his words in one go.
Jiang Ling was very satisfied upon hearing this. She nodded and looked at Zhao Qianyu, saying, "Our family has always believed in free love and has never followed the old system of arranged marriages. Therefore, I need to consult Sui He's opinion!"
"Also, Qianyu, let me ask you, after Suihe marries you, can she continue her studies? Continue taking exams? Or even become an official in the future?" Jiang Ling asked, looking into Zhao Qianyu's eyes.
Hearing Jiang Ling agree, Zhao Qianyu breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Jiang Ling with a firm gaze and nodded, saying, "Godmother, don't worry, I agree to everything you said. I know that Suihe's ambitions are not in matters of love and romance. If she agrees to my request, it's a blessing I've accumulated over several lifetimes!"
Listening to Zhao Qianyu's words, Jiang Ling nodded in satisfaction. At least from his words, Jiang Ling could tell that this child really cared about his girl.
Jiang Ling might have been wary before, after all, Zhao Qianyu was the county magistrate's son, while she was just a country bumpkin. If Suihe were to be bullied after marrying him, she would have no way to defend herself.
Now, her official rank was far above Zhao Tianqi's, and by a significant margin. Although she lacked real power, her influence was considerable. Thinking of this, Jiang Ling continued to inquire, "Does your father know? After all, you are the county magistrate's son, while our Suihe is, by all accounts, a peasant girl!"
Zhao Qianyu nodded repeatedly and said, "Godmother, why do you belittle yourself? Meeting the Emperor and going to Persia? Let alone my father, I doubt even the prefect of Qingzhou could have done it. My father knows about this, but he's a little embarrassed because he targeted you before. So, he wanted me to ask about the situation first. If you agree, that would be great. If you don't agree, then... then I'll be Suihe's godbrother for life!"
Seeing Zhao Qianyu scratching his head in frustration, Jiang Ling smiled faintly, patted Zhao Qianyu's shoulder and said, "Alright, you go back first today. I will naturally discipline Yaojie. As for Suihe, I need to ask her opinion. I can't guarantee that the child will agree!"
Despite saying that, Zhao Qianyu was very happy. He had known about Suihe's opinion for a long time. In fact, the two had been secretly dating for a long time, but Suihe had never dared to tell Jiang Ling, which delayed things for so long. If Jiang Yaojie hadn't found out this time, it's probably been a long time before this matter came to light.
Zhao Qianyu left with a happy expression, while Jiang Yaojie's face was as long as a donkey's. He sat in a chair, sulking, while Chen Congxin played with her daughter. Jiang Suihe would occasionally steal a glance at Jiang Yaojie.
“Sister-in-law, my brother…” Jiang Suihe was worried that Jiang Yaojie might get sick from anger, so she quickly leaned close to Shen Congxin and whispered.
Shen Congxin gently stroked the child's little hand and comforted him, "Don't mind him, your brother's gone crazy!"
Jiang Ling came out of the house and smiled when she saw Jiang Yaojie, who was still fuming. She said, "What? Still angry?"
Jiang Yaojie stood up and, barely suppressing his anger, said to Jiang Ling, "Mother! How can I not be angry? How could my younger sister get married at such a young age?"
Jiang Ling smiled faintly and teased, "What? When you married Shen Congxin, Congxin was only sixteen. Your younger sister has already reached marriageable age, so she can't get married?"
“I…I…men and women are different!” Jiang Yaojie said, pouting.
Jiang Ling was now experiencing firsthand what "double standards" meant. She smiled and said to Jiang Yaojie, "Alright! Still angry? Are you angry that Mommy was talking to you? Or are you angry that Mommy stopped you from hitting Zhao Qianyu?"
"Mother, I...I didn't, I didn't!" Jiang Yaojie still respected Jiang Ling from the bottom of his heart, and when he was told this, he immediately became a little flustered and kept waving his hands to explain.
"Then why did you hit Zhao Qianyu just now?" Jiang Ling continued to press.
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