Five days after the Zhuang family's banquet, Shu Fei came back from outside and brought back the news of the marriage between the Zhuang family and the Duke of Dai Jian's Mansion.
Jiang Changning propped up his chin and said, "I remember that the third lady of the Daijian County Duke's Mansion failed the preliminary selection and got married at the end of September."
"The one who is betrothed to Fourth Master Zhuang is Fifth Miss, the niece of Duke Dai Jian and the eldest daughter of the third house, Wen Zisu. She just came of age in the first month of this year." Shu Fei inquired in detail.
"The name of the Wen family is really hard to describe." Jiang Changning wanted to hold back from complaining, but he couldn't.
Shu Fei chuckled, "I heard that too!"
Mysterious, and unwilling to say.
"What's wrong? Tell me quickly." Jiang Changning raised his leg and kicked her lightly. Why did she act like the Crown Prince's Consort of Changshan
"My princess, please take it easy." Xiulan hurried forward and supported Jiang Changning.
Fang Ju stretched out her hand and pinched Su Fei's face, "You mischievous girl, you even dare to tease the princess. I won't give you lunch."
"If I don't give me food, I will starve to death. Miss Fangju, please spare my life. I know I was wrong." Su Fei said pitifully.
"You know you're wrong, why don't you just say it." Xiulan slapped her hard on the shoulder.
"Oh, Xiulan, you are so cruel." Shu Fei rubbed his shoulders, "Initially, the Wen family wanted to give the fourth daughter of the second house to the fourth master Zhuang."
"Why did you change people?" Fu Cui placed a bowl of peeled walnuts in front of Jiang Changning.
"The fourth girl from the second house is a concubine's daughter, and both Old Madam Zhuang and First Madam Zhuang are unwilling." Shu Fei said.
"The Wen family's behavior is too disrespectful. Master Zhuang is at least a third-rank official." Although Xiulan didn't like the people in the Zhuang family, she had to speak out. The Wen family was wrong in this matter.
"It's because Master Zhuang got a bad ranking in the autumn examination." Shu Fei felt that the action of Duke Dai Jian's Mansion was normal. After all, Zhuang Jike's future was uncertain.
"But the fourth girl is not the illegitimate daughter of Duke Dai Jian, but the illegitimate daughter of Duke Dai Jian's younger brother. What rank is Duke Dai Jian's younger brother?" Fang Ju asked.
"From the fourth rank." Shu Fei replied.
Xiulan sneered, "A fourth-rank concubine's daughter wants to marry a third-rank official's legitimate son. Isn't this insulting?"
"Mr. Zhuang's marriage is neither high nor low. Mrs. Zhuang almost gave in, but Mrs. Zhuang insisted. As soon as the list of the Spring Examination was released, the Wen family changed the candidate." Shu Fei clapped her hands, "It's settled."
"The Wen family is really uncouth." Xiulan said with disdain.
Jiang Changning laughed twice in an ambiguous manner and picked up a walnut kernel to eat.
For Jiang Changning, the marriage between the Zhuang and Wen families was just something to talk about, and she would not stop it.
When the King of Jin heard about it, he just said calmly, "It really is a straw curtain hanging on the firewood door."
But this was a little hard to accept for the three people involved.
Zhuang Jike has never been a man who follows the rules. When he knew that his family intended for him to marry the daughter of Duke Dai Jian, he secretly went to see several girls from the Wen family.
He fell in love with her at first sight, Wen Zizhi, the fourth and most beautiful girl in the Wen family.
He didn't mind that Wen Zizhi was born out of wedlock, but Old Madam Zhuang and First Madam Zhuang disagreed, so the marriage was delayed.
When the results of the spring examination were announced, he learned that the Wen family wanted to marry the fifth girl to him, and he strongly opposed it.
Wen Zisu's appearance can be described as dignified.
Zhuang Jike likes beautiful women and doesn't like Wen Zisu at all.
The Wen sisters had known about this marriage for a long time. Wen Zizhi was delighted to know that she could marry the son of a third-rank official. However, her family changed their minds after the spring examination.
"Why? On what grounds?" Wen Zizhi was so heartbroken that she hid in her room, crying until her eyes were swollen.
Her aunt also cried and said, "My poor child, it is all because of you that I have dragged you down."
"The Duke has made the decision. It's not up to you to give in or not." Her aunt sobbed.
"Aunt, you have to help me." Wen Zizhi said, holding her aunt's hand.
"What should I do?" Her aunt only gave birth to her and treated her as her life.
Wen Zizhi leaned over to her aunt's ear and whispered a few words. Her aunt asked hesitantly, "Is this okay?"
"It will work. It will definitely work." Wen Zizhi said firmly.
"In this case, the Fifth Miss won't be able to marry, but the Duke may not let you marry him."
Wen Zizhi said, "This marriage was originally mine. Wen Zisu is shameless for snatching my cousin's marriage. The Duke will definitely let me marry him to save his reputation."
"Okay, I'll find someone to do it."
"Look for the most reliable person."
The other party involved was Wen Zisu, and she was very happy.
Zhuang Jike will definitely be able to become an official. With the support of the Daijian County Mansion and the Zhuang family, Zhuang Jike's career will surely be smooth, and if she marries him, she will be an official's wife.
Although she didn’t marry as well as her eldest sister, she was definitely much better off than her third and fourth sisters.
Just as she was happily waiting for her marriage to be finalized so that she could get married, a rumor spread in the market that "sisters could get married easily" in the mansion of Duke Dai Jian.
The sisters' easy marriage was both a scandal and a gossip, and it also triggered various versions of speculation.
Someone said, "The Wen family is too picky. How can they propose a marriage to the younger sister that they had previously proposed to the elder sister?"
"I'm afraid the younger sister has taken a fancy to the brother-in-law and wants to steal his hand in marriage."
"I heard that this sister is a concubine's daughter. How can this concubine's daughter compete with the legitimate daughter?"
"This illegitimate daughter of the Wen family is really pitiful. Such a good marriage was snatched away just like that."
The people sympathized with Wen Zizhi and despised Wen Zisu, but Zhuang Jike's reputation was not damaged.
Upon hearing the news, Jiang Changning was surprised and asked, "Why did the sisters get married so easily? Didn't they decide before?"
Nanny Feng explained her confusion, "When the Duke Jian's Mansion and the Zhuang family arranged a marriage, although it was not stated which Miss Wen the Fourth Master Zhuang would be engaged to, they always chose the older one first and then the younger one. How could it make sense to betroth the Fifth Miss before the Fourth Miss is engaged?"
"Pregnancy will make a woman stupid for three years. I couldn't even think of this simple truth." Jiang Changning patted his head.
"With such bad rumors, can the two families still get married?" Fu Cui asked curiously.
"The marriage must be arranged. Let's see how the two families can resolve the issue." Jiang Changning said.
Indeed, neither family wanted to give up the marriage, but if Wen Zisu married into the family, it would confirm her reputation as "stealing her sister's husband", and she would probably be laughed at for the rest of her life.
But as for letting Wen Zizhi marry him, Mrs. Zhuang firmly disagreed, "Jico is a legitimate son, how can he marry a concubine's daughter?"
Zhuang Jike said, "As long as the girl is good, what does it matter whether she is born of a legitimate wife or a concubine?"
"How can it not matter? A concubine's child is inferior to others and is very petty." Old Mrs. Zhuang put the concubine's child into the mud.
The marriage between the two families came to a standstill because of Mrs. Zhuang's attitude.
When a person is unlucky, even drinking cold water will get stuck in his teeth. I was walking on the road and a caterpillar fell on my neck. I didn't know it and just slapped it, and the caterpillar died. My neck was itchy and it didn't get better even after applying medicine.
(End of this chapter)