Xu Mingye is three years older than Mingyu. Ever since Mingyu's fifteenth birthday, Mrs. Xu's worries have become heavier. Her son is already eighteen years old, and many women with sons this old have already had grandchildren.
Find a wife for Xu Mingye as soon as possible, so that when her son's life event is completed, she can focus on finding a good in-law for Mingyu. Mrs. Xu has a clear mind. No matter how good her daughter is in her eyes, she is just a divorced daughter in the eyes of others. She does not ask for a rich and powerful family, but only asks that the future in-laws are all kind people, treat her daughter well, and give her more dowry.
As for the Marquis of Anxi who sent a mynah bird to her house, Madam Xu's eyelids twitched whenever she thought of him. She always felt that nothing good would happen if she got involved with him, so it would be better for her to marry Mingyu off as soon as possible and feel at ease.
The news that Madam Xu was going to arrange a marriage for Xu Mingye soon reached the ears of Mrs. Hu from the second wife's house. Mrs. Hu was very active. She sat at Mingyu's house for a long time and had an intimate conversation with Madam Xu. After she was sure that Madam Xu really wanted to find a daughter-in-law for her son, she patted her chest and said that she would take care of the matter and guarantee to find a beautiful and virtuous lady for her eldest nephew.
Madam Xu did not take Hu's words to heart. Now that the first wife had two official titles, the second wife also wanted to curry favor with them. But given that Hu had always been unreliable, Madam Xu did not expect her to bring about any good marriage. However, after all, Hu was a native of the capital and had a much wider network of contacts than she did. Having more people to act as matchmakers would always provide more options.
At the beginning of May, Mrs. Hu came to visit with a beaming face, took Mrs. Xu's hand and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, I came here to find a wife for my nephew. I know that my nephew is one in a million. These days, I have asked around for girls from several families. I think this one is really good, so I dare to tell you."
Madam Xu smiled and said, "Which girl is this?" If you dare to bring any cats or dogs from your Hu family here, you'll be in trouble!
Mrs. Hu had no idea what Madam Xu was thinking about. Seeing that Madam Xu was interested, she quickly said, "The girl's surname is Zhou, her given name is Qi, she is fifteen this year, her father Zhou Peng is a fifth-rank editor in the Hanlin Academy, she is the second daughter in the family, she has an older brother and an older sister, a younger half-brother, and three illegitimate sisters."
When she heard that Zhou Qi actually had four illegitimate brothers and sisters, Madam Xu smiled but frowned, thinking that Master Zhou Peng must have more than one concubine. She hated concubines the most. Look at those families with many wives and concubines, which family is not a mess
If the family environment is not good, it is difficult for children to have good character.
Mrs. Hu didn't notice Mrs. Xu's expression. She was concentrating on praising Zhou Qi and kept saying, "That girl has a very good temper, she is gentle and shy. Although she is from a wealthy family, she can cook and do needlework. She is a first-class hand. I was just chatting with a few ladies and Miss Zhou's aunt happened to be there, so I knew about this girl. If I hadn't had a close relationship with Zhou's aunt, I would have asked them to wait and not rush to arrange their daughter's marriage. I could come back and ask my sister-in-law what she thinks. Such a good daughter has already been engaged. Find a time to invite Miss Zhou out and let you take a look at her?"
The implication is that if it weren't for her reputation, it wouldn't have been Xu Mingye's turn.
Mrs. Xu was not very happy. She also heard from Mrs. Hu that Zhou Qi had many concubines and sisters, and thought that Zhou Peng's lifestyle was also problematic. Her impression of Zhou Qi dropped a lot, and she had no intention of meeting him. However, seeing Mrs. Hu's enthusiasm, she couldn't refuse him outright. She just smiled and said, "Yes, it's true, but Miss Zhou is only fifteen years old, a little young. My Mingye is already eighteen years old. If Lord Zhou and Mrs. Zhou want to keep her for another year, Mingye will be nineteen by the time she gets married. We can't afford to delay."
"How can she be young? She is just the right age!" Mrs. Hu said with a smile. "Ms. Zhou's second uncle Zhou Ren is a big shot. He is the Grand Secretary of Baohe Hall, a high-ranking official of the third rank! I heard that this Miss Zhou has been with the old lady of the Zhou family since she was a child and grew up in her second uncle's house. Girls raised in a Grand Secretary's family are superior to those raised in other families!"
Mrs. Xu pondered for a moment. She had heard that Zhou Qi's father Zhou Peng was a fifth-rank official, and Xu Changqian was also a fifth-rank official. She thought the two families were in similar situations. But she didn't expect that Zhou Qi had a second uncle who was a third-rank official. Thinking of this, she became somewhat tempted. If Miss Zhou was really a good person and was interested in marriage, then this marriage was still a high-ranking one for the Xu family.
"Since Miss Zhou is good in every way, why don't you ask your sister-in-law to invite her and her daughter to our house for a visit." Mrs. Xu said with a smile. No matter how good Miss Zhou's family background is, and no matter how powerful her second uncle is, Miss Zhou herself has to be good enough, otherwise she can't just hire any girl with a good family background as her daughter-in-law!
When Mrs. Hu saw that there was a chance, she immediately promised to invite the person to her home, and left happily, walking with a breeze, as if the marriage was already a done deal. She was a great contributor to Xu Mingye's marriage, and she also became a relative of a third-rank official.
Mingyu secretly stood in the inner room and heard clearly. As soon as Mrs. Hu left, she ran out, took Mrs. Xu's hand and said, "Mother, don't listen to Second Aunt. She always talks about running... carriages! Miss Zhou is definitely not as good as she says."
Madam Xu smiled and touched Mingyu's little face. "I just don't know what the girl is like, so I asked her to come home to have a good look and talk to her. What if she is a good one? Wouldn't it be a pity for your brother to miss her? Besides, the girl's second uncle is a third-rank official. If they become in-laws, how can he not take care of his niece-in-law in the officialdom?"
Thinking of Xu Mingye, who appears to be elegant but is actually unruly, being someone else's prospective son-in-law, Mingyu could not help laughing and said with a pout: "Don't say that to him. My brother is very conceited and proud. He looks down on those who rely on their family background to climb up the social ladder!" If this was due to relying on Miss Zhou's second uncle, then that wouldn't be nepotism, which would make Xu Mingye even more unhappy.
Mrs. Xu thought of her excellent son, not knowing whether she was happy or sad. She leaned back in her chair and sighed softly, tapping Mingyu's forehead, "You kids, how could you know how hard life is! Each of you is like a newborn calf who is not afraid of a tiger. When he hits a wall and waits hard for promotion, he will understand how good it is to have someone protecting him! Like your father..."
Madam Xu shook her head and sighed, "How many county magistrates are like him, working diligently and exhausting themselves all their lives? In the end, he stayed in Lu'an for nearly twenty years? If there was someone else in the Xu family who was an official in the court and could speak for him, he wouldn't have ended up like this."
"Brother is different." Mingyu comforted Mrs. Xu. She knew that Xu Changqian's failure to achieve his ambitions throughout his life was a pain that both husband and wife felt. "He is much more tactful than dad! And brother is still young, he won't be like dad."
"You silly girl!" Madam Xu smiled helplessly. "Our family is not a big deal in the capital, but after all, we have two successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and the father and son are both officials in the court. We run those two shops and everything is going smoothly. No one has ever come to the shop to cause trouble, right?"
Mingyu nodded. She had always thought that the reason for this was because the security in the capital was good...
"Look at those businessmen whose families are not officials. They are constantly being beaten from morning till night by ruffians, scoundrels, and petty officials who demand taxes, levies, and donations... What they earn in a day is not enough to pay them off! Isn't it the same in the officialdom? If you want to gain a firm foothold, you still have to have a strong backer. Only if you have a strong backer, no one will dare to touch you or plot against you."
On the tenth day of the fifth lunar month, Mrs. Hu brought Zhou Qi and her mother, Madam Zhou, to the house. Madam Zhou was about forty years old, a little plump, with a fair face, thin eyebrows, and slightly upturned eyes, which made her look a little stern even when she smiled.
Miss Zhou was about the same age as Mingyu, but a little taller than Mingyu. She was wearing a thin apricot-yellow shirt and skirt. Her hair was black and cloud-like, with a crystal hairpin inserted diagonally in her hair. She had a fair face and rosy cheeks, and a slender waist. She seemed a little shy. After entering the room, she only looked up at Madam Xu, then lowered her head with a blushing face, bowed, and retreated behind Madam Zhou.
Mrs. Xu glanced at Zhou Qi and thought that although Mrs. Zhou was not very good-looking, Zhou Qi was a good-looking girl. She looked shy and stood there quietly. She should have a good temper and would not be the kind of person who would cause trouble. Mrs. Xu began to have a good impression of her and warmly invited Mrs. Zhou and Miss Zhou to sit down. She also asked Mingyu to take Zhou Qi to the room to talk so as not to neglect the guests.
After Mrs. Zhou entered the house, she first looked around the small courtyard of the Xu family's main house. The courtyard was not big, but it was tidy and clean, with lush vegetation. The house was also half-old, but the tea sets used were made of fine porcelain, and the gauze on the windows was bright in color and fine, and it was obvious that it was of high quality, as if it was newly pasted on this year. She thought the family should not have difficulty in making ends meet.
After looking around the Xu family's house, Mrs. Zhou looked at Mingyu again and was stunned. This Miss Xu was a beautiful girl. Her sister was so beautiful, so her brother must be not much different. She felt a little satisfied.
Mingyu took Zhou Qi to her room. Zhou Qi's face was still red. Mingyu talked to her with a smile and asked her what she liked to do on weekdays. Zhou Qi's voice was very low. Mingyu got close to her and heard her say that she liked embroidery. When asked anything else, Zhou Qi simply lowered her head and smiled shyly.
Mingyu was embarrassed. If Xu Mingye knew that Madam Xu had found him such a shy daughter-in-law, she didn't know how the arrogant Xu Kongque would react. At this time, she missed Fu Lemei. She was used to Fu Lemei's noisy and chattering. She was not used to Zhou Qi's one-man show. She didn't know how she developed such a shy and timid personality.