"Mother, which family's young master am I meeting today?" The girl in the carriage asked shyly as the carriage moved forward. She pinched the handkerchief in her hand, put it down, put it down, and pinched it again, showing her uneasiness.
"Xiang'er, your father's idea is to choose a candidate who has become famous at a young age. Although his family background is not good, he is a very good person. Even if he is a little poor now, it doesn't matter. When he passes the imperial examination, your father will promote him and then accept you as his wife, and you will become a real lady of the Shangshu Mansion."
The middle-aged woman smiled and reached out to touch Liu Jingxiang's head. She knew exactly what her daughter wanted most now that she had grown up.
In fact, Mrs. Hua was not outstanding in appearance, at least not as good as Madam Liu, but she was very gentle. She spoke softly and slowly, in a very smooth and gentle manner, which made people feel comfortable listening to her.
"My father has always said that he would let my brother and I return to our ancestral home, but after so many years, this has never happened. As a result, I have not been able to find a good marriage." Liu Jingxiang pouted and said angrily.
If it weren't for her status, she wouldn't have found a suitable family yet.
"About this matter... your father can't do anything about it. Things will get better slowly now, and he will let you return to your ancestral home in the future." Hua advised.
This calmed Liu Jingxiang down a little: "Mother, but I don't want to marry a poor scholar. We are all father's daughters. Why can she marry the prince but I can't?"
Liu Jingxiang held the handkerchief in her hand and said unwillingly that she thought she was not bad looking and had her own merits compared to Liu Jingyu. Why could he marry such a good man while she could only marry a poor scholar
“There’s nothing wrong with marrying a scholar. Your father said that with his knowledge, he will definitely pass the imperial examination. If you get engaged to him now, you won’t be snatched away by others in the future. Your father was snatched away by others because of his talent and knowledge, so… so…” Hua said as tears fell. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief, a trace of unwillingness flashing in her eyes.
Of course, she would not be willing to be someone's mistress.
For so many years, she has been wholeheartedly being a mistress, just to avoid being a mistress in the future.
"Mom, I don't want to marry a poor scholar!" Liu Jingxiang twisted her body and said unhappily, "My father is the Shangshu Lord, why should he let a poor scholar marry me? Even if I want to marry a scholar, I have to marry a rich one."
"In fact, he is not that poor. As long as you marry him, your father will definitely take care of him. Won't it be easy to be rich and prosperous in the future? Your father has examined many candidates and found that this man is very good. He has good talent, good character, and excellent conditions in all aspects. If you don't like him now, you won't be able to get him in the future even if you want him. After all, your status..."
Hua sighed and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "I'm sorry for you. Otherwise, even if I couldn't marry into a wealthy family, at least I would be someone else's daughter."
As she spoke, tears began to fall again.
"Mother, don't cry. This is not your fault. It's all that bitch's fault. She was so obsessed with marrying father that she even asked for an imperial decree, forcing father to marry her. Don't worry, mother. I will help you vent your anger in the future." Liu Jingxiang said angrily, while comforting his mother, not daring to say she didn't want to anymore.
My father and mother were childhood sweethearts who grew up together. Later, they went to Beijing together. Unexpectedly, the Duke of Qi's Mansion got there first and even issued an imperial decree. My father had no choice but to obey, and my mother became
After having an affair, she and her brother became people who could not be seen in public.
She is also the daughter of a Shangshu family, but she is not treated like one. How can she not hate him
She had also peeked at Liu Jingyu, and was extremely jealous when she saw so many people serving the Lady of Jingyu County. Those people were originally hers, but now they all belonged to Liu Jingyu. Why!
The carriage stopped at a fabric store. Although they wanted to meet each other, they couldn't make an appointment openly because they hadn't decided on anything yet. It would be best if they met by chance.
This time I went out to see her under the pretext of buying fabrics.
The store was not small and there were private rooms upstairs. Hua took her daughter to the second floor. After sitting down in the designated private room, she drank tea and waited quietly.
Sure enough, not long after, a woman came in with a young man of extraordinary bearing. Seeing Hua who had the door of the private room slightly open, the woman immediately stopped and greeted, "Madam Hua, what a coincidence, I actually met Madam Hua here."
"Mrs. Gao, what a coincidence! How come you have time to come here today?" Hua stood up and said with a smile, "It's rare to meet Mrs. Gao. Would you mind coming in and chatting with me?"
"I originally wanted to disturb Madam Hua. This is my nephew from my mother's side. I brought him here this time to pick out some fabrics to make clothes. He stays in the study reading every day and never comes out for a walk. It happened to be a nice day today, so I brought him here." Madam Gao came in with a smile and twisted her waist, while asking her nephew to pay his respects to Madam Hua.
"This is my nephew Gao An!" Gao said with a smile.
"An meets Mrs. Hua and Miss Liu." Gao An also knew the purpose of his visit today. He said with a serious face, without any intention of glancing around, looking very upright.
His clothes did not look gorgeous, but they were washed very clean, and his appearance looked very handsome, with a hint of scholarly temperament. When he looked at people, his eyes were serious and very decent, which made people feel good about him.
Hua was very satisfied and nodded repeatedly, while asking them to sit down.
Coincidentally, Gao An was sitting next to Liu Jingxiang.
No matter what Liu Jingxiang said before, she couldn't help but blush when she saw the real person. The young man in front of her still made her feel good. He was the perfect young man in her mind. But when her eyes fell on his clothes, she couldn't help but sigh, why does such a person have such a poor family background
Always feel dissatisfied.
She lowered her head, holding the handkerchief in her hand, her face flushed, but she wanted to see more clearly, so she deliberately stole a glance at him. Unexpectedly, she was met with a pair of clear and elegant eyes. Her face flushed again for a moment, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at him any more.
Seeing her daughter act like this, Hua knew that it was enough, and she slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
After so many years, my daughter's marriage has become a difficult problem. How can a girl still not be engaged? What should I do if I delay it any longer
But my daughter just can't marry a man of high status or low status. To the outside world, the Liu family is just a merchant family. Although the family is well-off and seems to have money, it is a merchant family after all. How can she marry into a good family? My daughter used to want to marry a son of aristocratic family, but in Hua's opinion, that is really not a good idea.
Among the children of aristocratic families, there are many playboys, and besides, others look down on their own families.
The most important point is that although he is a son of a merchant family, his daughter will eventually get married and need his father to meet people. What should he do then
Many people in the family have met Minister Liu. What should we do then
But the daughters of ordinary merchant families did not look down on him, so this situation of being neither too high nor too low was dragged on until now. Now this candidate is very good.
As for Hua herself, she had no objection to marrying a scholar from a poor family. Minister Liu's family background was also very ordinary. Although it could not be said to be poor, he married the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qi. Her daughter was now marrying a scholar who looked like this and was said to be talented. This was a good marriage that was hard to find even with a lantern.
Her daughter was satisfied, and so was she. Then, Hua and Gao had a very pleasant conversation. In the end, Gao An even paid for a few pieces of material that Liu Jingxiang had chosen.
There is something about this that means things have been settled.
Liu Jingxiang shyly accepted it and expressed her gratitude again and again. Seeing that the matter was settled, Hua and Gao looked at each other and stood up together.
"Xiang'er, I'll go outside and pick a few more pieces for your brother." Hua smiled and said softly to her daughter.
"Yes!" Liu Jingxiang nodded softly, and the blush on her face that had just faded away came back again. She knew that this was her mother's way of giving her the opportunity to ask in person.
Mrs. Gao had a similar reason, and after saying something to Gao An, the two of them left together.
Liu Jingxiang's maid sent Hua to the door, and then tactfully stood guard outside the door, not going in to disturb the couple inside.
The room fell silent, as if neither of them knew what to say for a moment.
"Miss Liu." After a long while, Gao An finally spoke.
"Mr. Gao!" Liu Jingxiang said shyly.
"If I could marry Miss Liu, I would never let her down!" Gao An's eyes fell on Liu Jingxiang with some tender affection.
These words were said very bluntly. Liu Jingxiang's heart was beating wildly and she didn't know how to respond for a moment. She just looked up subconsciously and met those affectionate eyes. She felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. The handkerchief in her hand was crumpled into a ball without her realizing it.
"Mr. Gao...Mr. Gao, do you know about our family...?" Liu Jingxiang bit her lip and asked subconsciously. When she was about to speak, her face turned slightly pale. This was her family's secret and the secret she could not tell the most. But just now, the words came out involuntarily.
"Miss Liu, you are innocent of this matter, and so is Madam Hua. It is because... we didn't arrange it well that you and your daughter have not had a good life for so many years. But a kind-hearted woman like Miss Liu will not be looked down upon even if she is in the worst condition."
Gao An comforted her in a low voice.
"You...you knew?" Liu Jingxiang's eyes widened in shock.
"I know a little bit. It was said by the Shangshu Lord." Gao An nodded, his eyes still gentle. "The Lord has been very kind to me. No matter whether the matter succeeds or not, I will never let the Lord down. If Miss Liu shows her mercy, I will be loyal to Miss Liu for the rest of my life, just like today, and I will never change my mind."
Gao An reached out and held Liu Jingxiang's hand. His eyes became more and more affectionate, as if a burning warm current was flowing into Liu Jingxiang's heart.
Liu Jingxiang lowered her head shyly, her eyes falling. Ren Gaoan held her delicate little hand tightly. Since her father had chosen him and she thought he was good, then she would let him be!
This character is indeed worthy of praise...