Chapter 698 - 700: The Match is Made
Chapter 698: Chapter 700: The Match is Made
Lady Wu sized up Gu Yi. He had the air of a scholar and stood as straight as a pine. She said with a smile, "It’s quite all right. Mistakes are bound to happen when things get busy. It’s perfectly understandable.
I didn’t expect to find such a handsome scholar in Mrs. Gu’s residence."
Jin Qianqian introduced them to Gu Yi. "This is the wife of Assistant Wu, Lady Wu. Standing beside her is Miss Hou, and the other two are the Misses Wu."
Gu Yi bowed his head in greeting. As he looked up, his gaze lingered on Miss Hou for an extra second.
"Give me the Buddhist Scripture. Thank you for your trouble, Brother Yi."
Using the excuse of a misdelivered message, they had orchestrated a brief viewing. It would be inappropriate for him to stay any longer.
Gu Yi excused himself and quickly withdrew, keeping his head respectfully lowered all the way to the door.
"My sincerest apologies for disturbing you all. That is my husband’s clan cousin. He is currently studying with a tutor in the front courtyard."
Though the introduction was brief, Lady Wu had a look of complete understanding.
’The young man’s appearance and etiquette were flawless.’
’Even if he barged in rudely, it was merely the butler’s incompetence.’
The smile on Lady Wu’s face deepened. "He’s a fine young man."
"Miss Hou, please take a look at this line..."
Jin Qianqian, committed to the act, randomly pointed to a Buddhist phrase.
Hou Tian’er explained it in her own words, concluding with, "Madam, this is just my humble opinion. Please forgive me if my explanation is incorrect."
Jin Qianqian had achieved her goal. She slipped a bracelet from her own wrist onto Hou Tian’er’s. "I think your explanation is excellent and quite similar to my own understanding. Thank you for your help today."
Hou Tian’er turned to look at Lady Wu. Seeing her smile and give a slight nod, she then whispered her thanks.
As soon as she had seen her guests out, Jin Qianqian immediately sent for Gu Yi.
"So, what did you think?"
Gu Yi replied, "...I will defer to Brother Qi and Seventh Sister-in-law’s decision."
Jin Qianqian was speechless. ’...He agreed just like that? What could he possibly have seen in one second?’
Regardless of her inner turmoil, Jin Qianqian proceeded to tell him about Miss Hou’s situation.
In an era of arranged marriages where couples never met, Jin Qianqian was already being very progressive by at least finding an excuse for them to see each other first.
But Gu Yi had his own worries. "To be honest, Seventh Sister-in-law, I’m just a boy from a farming family. I’m afraid I’m not worthy of Miss Hou."
He had been turning it over in his mind for the past few days and still felt uneasy. ’Her family is only willing to consider this marriage entirely for Gu Wenheng’s sake.’
’Otherwise, with his own qualifications, he really had little to offer.’
"If they are only agreeing out of respect for Brother Qi and you, then we should refuse this marriage. I can’t put you in a difficult position."
Jin Qianqian looked at him, stunned. "Why would you think that?
Didn’t Brother Qi talk to you about this?"
The clan had entrusted them with arranging the marriages of several members, which was also an indirect way of laying a foundation for Gu Wenheng.
In the entire Gu family, Gu Wenheng was the only one who had achieved success so far. A lone boat like him needed a few good oars to navigate the official circles.
Gu Wenheng had initially rejected this proposal, but the Old Clan Leader had a long and deep discussion with him before he finally agreed.
While it might seem like the Gu youths were getting the better end of the deal, the other families weren’t losing out either.
The young men would gain influential in-laws, which was far better than finding a spouse back in their mountain village.
As the Old Clan Leader’s own grandson, Gu Yi naturally knew all this. "He did mention it," he said. "Although I rarely go out, I know that Brother Qi doesn’t need to use marriage alliances to secure his position."
As soon as Gu Wenheng took office, he had Liu Xuan thrown in jail and uncovered numerous loopholes in the accounts. He had already sounded a warning to the local officials, making sure no one dared to underestimate him.
"Don’t worry, Brother Qi knows about this and approves." Jin Qianqian passed the responsibility directly to Gu Wenheng. "If you don’t believe me, you can ask him yourself when he gets back from the government office."
Gu Yi couldn’t stay in the rear courtyard for long, so he returned to the front courtyard with a hesitant heart.
It was unclear what Gu Wenheng said to him, but that night, Gu Wenheng told Jin Qianqian that the marriage could be arranged.
"The original plan was for one of the Wu family’s daughters from a concubine, but switching to Miss Hou is fine too." For Gu Wenheng to issue government decrees more effectively here in the future, maintaining good relations with these aristocratic families was essential.
Although the Hou Family was middle-of-the-pack among the aristocratic families, they had been established in this area for over a century. Besides, this didn’t mean completely sidelining Wu Haicong; they would still be connected by marriage.
Jin Qianqian remained silent. It wasn’t that she was being overly sentimental, but a perfectly good marriage felt more like a transaction.
The one who knows you best is often the person sleeping beside you. Gu Wenheng knowingly stroked her head. "Don’t get hung up on these things.
Their situation is already quite good. At least you let them get a glimpse of each other. Many marriages are decided directly by the parents, and the children have no right to object at all."
Jin Qianqian rested her head on his shoulder. "Sigh, I know that.
It’s just that I’ve been to so many banquets recently, and seeing all those daughters of concubines... it leaves a knot in my chest.
I know they’re innocent, and it’s a life they didn’t choose.
But in an era where having a mistress is legal, how could the first wives not feel resentful?"
Perhaps it was because of this that Jin Qianqian had skipped over all the daughters of concubines when screening potential candidates.
"That can’t be helped," Gu Wenheng said, stroking her back. "As long as we discipline our own clan’s young men, and others see the benefits, they will naturally follow our example."
Gu Wenheng, however, was already thinking, ’Later, I’ll go to the study and write a letter back to the clan. I’ll decree that no girl from our clan is to become a concubine, so as not to bring misfortune upon future generations.’
’Just like this time, I only had to casually mention a clan rule for several people to start making inquiries. This is invisibly adding bargaining chips to the marriages of the clan’s younger generation.’
&
Regardless of the disputes in the imperial court, Gu Wenheng set a precedent and secured the first round of construction funds.
Zhou Shicong, who received the Holy Decree, had a dark expression the entire time. He could already imagine how various regions would now come up with all sorts of excuses to demand money from the Ministry of Revenue.
No matter how conscientious he was, he wouldn’t be able to hold back the hordes of people demanding money.
The Emperor was putting him in the hot seat. He was letting the Emperor play the good guy, while Zhou Shicong himself had to be the villain.
He even began to wonder, ’Shouldn’t I just take a step back? I could submit my memorial to retire with honor. Let someone else deal with this mess.’
’But he was unreconciled. Why should they have to yield just because Zhou Shixiong’s branch of the family was on the rise?’
’If Zhou Shixiong were willing to return to the clan, with the Empress and him at the forefront, then his own retirement wouldn’t be out of the question.’
’But as things stood, he was the only one in his branch struggling to hold on. His sons and nephews were merely minor local officials who had made no progress for years. If this continued, they would have no foothold left in Shangjing.’
He couldn’t help but feel a little envious of Cao Xiangqian. The man was clearly a martial artist, yet after following the late Emperor into a few victorious battles, he even received a noble title in his old age. Meanwhile, he himself could only retreat from the court in disgrace.