Mrs. Guo had everything ready in just two days.
They invited Gu, the daughter-in-law of the old man's student and the president of the Hanlin Academy, Wu Zaoxiu, as the bridegroom, and went to Baoding Prefecture with the official matchmaker to propose marriage.
The Gu family was a branch of the Haining Gu family. Cheng Zheng's husband, Gu Xu, was the Junior Chancellor of the Chancellery and also a scholar of the Hanlin Academy. So among Cheng Jing's relatives, the first one to know about Cheng Chi's marriage was Gu Xu.
Because Wu Zaoxiu's family had six generations living together, and Gu was a well-known family in Beijing with complete happiness, many people approached her for marriage proposals, but Gu Xu didn't take them seriously. It was not until the Zhou and Cheng families exchanged engagement letters and prepared to propose marriage that Gu Xu asked Cheng Zheng one morning, "Uncle Chi is getting married, and the old lady is old, don't you want to go over and help?"
"What?" Cheng Zheng was stunned. "Uncle Chi is getting married? Who told you that? How come I don't know? Whose daughter is Uncle Chi going to marry?"
Cheng Chi’s marriage is the Cheng family’s business, and they are the younger generation, so naturally there is no need to say anything to them.
But legal principles are nothing more than human feelings. Cheng Zheng is the granddaughter that the old lady values the most. When there was something happening at home in Jinling, Old Madam Guo would write to Cheng Zheng to tell her that Cheng Chi was going to get married. For such a big thing, it was reasonable and moral for Old Madam Guo to tell her in advance even if she didn't discuss with Cheng Zheng which girl was suitable.
The couple couldn't help but exchange glances.
Cheng Zheng immediately got off the kang and said to Gu Xu, "I might be back a little late today, so don't wait for me."
Gu Xu said, "I heard that she is the second daughter of the Baoding prefect Zhou family. She is the second cousin who was once raised in the old lady's room.
Cheng Zheng's mind suddenly exploded.
Why would my grandmother ask for Uncle Chi to marry the second daughter of the Zhou family
Jiashan he...
How will we get along with each other when we eat from the same pot in the future
Shao Jin is a dozen years younger than her
Not to mention that Uncle Chi had not married yet, so it was normal for him to find a girl who was a dozen years younger than her. But Zhou Shaojin was the granddaughter of the fourth room, and she was a generation apart from Uncle Chi? Before the division of the clan, that was impossible in any case... But after the division of the clan...
Something flashed through Cheng Zheng's mind but she couldn't catch it.
She had a splitting headache.
Although the two families are not as close as before, they have been in-laws for such a long time, so there are still some things they should take into consideration.
But Uncle Chi is about to take up a government post... Isn't this handing someone a handle to use against him
Cheng Zheng stopped, turned around and looked at Gu Xu steadily: "Is this news reliable?"
"I heard from Lord Wu." Gu Xu didn't think as much as Cheng Zheng, but he felt that this matter was a bit unreasonable. Cheng Zheng should go back to see if something happened at home. "You also know that Lord Wu's third daughter-in-law is a girl from the Gu family. She gave birth to five sons and three daughters, and she is often married to others. I heard from Lord Wu."
Of course, when Gu Xu was in the Hanlin Academy, Lord Wu took good care of him, and the two families became very close.
Cheng Zheng nodded randomly, settled her son down, dressed herself up, and hurried to Chaoyang Gate.
Mrs. Guo was talking to Wu Zaoxiu's daughter-in-law, Mrs. Wu San: "So, the master didn't say anything?"
Mrs. Wu San smiled and nodded, saying, "Not only did the master of the family say nothing, but even when the wife of the family saw us coming to propose marriage, she couldn't stop smiling. It's obvious that the Zhou family is very satisfied with this marriage."
Mrs. Guo was very happy.
If her in-laws were satisfied with the marriage, they would also be satisfied with her son, and she would feel proud.
She temporarily doubled the amount of money and gave it to Mrs. Wu San: "Thank you for your trouble."
There are rules and etiquette for the matchmaker to receive the red envelope as a thank you gift, and it cannot be refused.
Mrs. Wu San smiled and thanked her for taking it. She discussed the wedding date with Mrs. Guo: "This is the date predicted by my father-in-law. When do you think it is suitable?"
Mrs. Guo saw that all the dates were for next year, so she closed the letter and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to make another trip. We want to set the wedding date this year. As you know, our Silang is much older than the second Miss Zhou, and he will be in Jining soon. He won't be back for three to five years. By that time, the second Miss Zhou will be too old."
Mrs. Wu San was not surprised and said with a smile: "The master-in-law didn't say anything, but the girl is not yet of marriageable age, and it's not like we are too poor to raise her. I think we should give the master-in-law some respect - it would be best if we hired a matchmaker to urge the marriage."
In this case, Song Jingran and Zhang Hui would have to go to Baoding Prefecture in person.
Both of them were important ministers of the court, especially Song Jingran, the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He didn't even have time to go home for dinner, so how could he have the time to go to Baoding Prefecture in person
Madam Guo was also a little hesitant and said, "Then I will discuss it with my son first."
Mrs. Wu San also knew that this matter was quite tricky, and said, "However, we can invite the second old master of your house to come over! It's just to let outsiders see the sincerity of the Cheng family. They married the second young lady of the Zhou family in such a short time, and they didn't mean to neglect her. The Cheng family just wanted to marry her as soon as possible."
This is more certain.
Mrs. Guo nodded.
The little maid came in and announced that the eldest aunt had returned.
Mrs. Wu San took the opportunity to say goodbye.
Mrs. Guo personally saw her to the door, and only then did she meet Cheng Zheng.
Cheng Zheng had never been shy with Mrs. Guo, so she stated her purpose straight away.
Madam Guo smiled and said, "Come to think of it, it was your mother who reminded me of this. I had never thought of asking your uncle Chi to marry Shaojin before, but your mother mentioned Fang's sixth daughter Axuan to me a few days ago. I thought that Zhou Shaojin was about the same age as her, and I knew her well. I watched her grow up with my own eyes. Instead of marrying someone like Axuan who I had only met a few times, it would be better to marry Shaojin. As for Jiashan, he still has a long life to live, and he will encounter more unpleasant things in the future. He should learn to be patient and compromise in some things." At this point, Madam Guo's tone became cheerful, "Hasn't your mother always wanted Jiashan to be appointed as a prime minister? This matter can be regarded as a training for him!"
But how cruel is this kind of training!
Cheng Zheng didn't even dare to think about it.
A light bulb went off in my head.
Could it be that Uncle Chi has taken a fancy to Zhou Shaojin? !
Is that why grandma let Zhou Shaojin in
She thought of how Cheng Chi had asked her to take care of Zhou Shaojin.
Uncle Chi was very sincere at that time, but how come everything changed after not seeing him for just one summer
Cheng Zheng's face was full of confusion.
Madam Guo's smile faded, and she said, "A Zheng, I will live with your uncle Chi in Chaoyangmen from now on. We will live far away from each other and only meet during festivals. You don't have to worry too much about Jiashan!"
If it was really Uncle Chi who took a fancy to Zhou Shaojin, this matter would make sense.
But when did Uncle Chi take a fancy to Zhou Shaojin
Cheng Zheng was helpless.
So what if she knew
The matter was done, and there was no point in her saying more.
What's more, this matter involves her mother.
As for the discord between their mother and grandmother, the sisters could not see it when they were young. But after they got married and took charge of the household affairs of a family, they naturally began to notice some of the problems.
She murmured in agreement, "Does my mother know about this?"
"After all, your uncle Chi's matter is still a little bit behind, so I didn't say much." Madam Guo said indifferently, "Now that the marriage is in sight, I should tell your mother and your second aunt. But your mother has been busy with Jiashan's wedding these days, and I'm afraid she has no time to take care of this matter."
In other words, although Madam Guo exempted Yuan from the morning and evening visits, Yuan really seldom came, and she seemed to complain that Yuan only cared about her own son and not her brother-in-law.
Cheng Zheng blushed with embarrassment.
She was torn between her grandmother who raised her and her mother who gave birth to her.
Madam Guo had no intention of letting Yuan go, and said, "Since you are out today, why don't you go back? See how the preparations for Jiashan's wedding are going? And by the way, tell your mother about your uncle Chi's engagement, so that she won't be worried about it all the time!"
With Fang Xuan's incident, the old lady's use of the word "concerned" became a little subtle.
Cheng Zheng didn't know what to say, so she smiled and changed the subject, saying, "I wonder if there's anything I can do to help with Fourth Uncle's marriage?"
Mrs. Guo smiled and said, "Wait a few days! Once the wedding date is set, you sisters must come back to help." She seemed very happy when she said this.
Cheng Zheng went to Xinglin Hutong with a wry smile.
A strange woman was standing in the hall talking to Yuan, who was surrounded by maids and servants.
Yuan waved at Cheng Zheng with a smile on her face: "You came at the right time. A manager recommended this antique shop to me. This is a wall screen made of Ru kiln fragments in their shop. How about you come and take a look? I want to hang it in your brother's study..."
He was actually putting all his effort into decorating Cheng Xu's new house.
Cheng Zheng thought of the expression on Mrs. Guo's face when she spoke just now, and suddenly felt a little resentful towards her mother.
As a daughter-in-law, no matter how busy she was in Xinglin Hutong, she should take time to go and pay her respects to her grandmother. She really didn't go when her grandmother asked her not to go, and she didn't even know that her fourth uncle was getting married.
She answered a few questions randomly. Seeing that she was in a bad mood, Yuan thought something had happened in her family, so she sent the antique shop owner away and went to the inner room to talk to her.
Cheng Zheng told Yuan about Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin's engagement.
Yuan was struck on the head, she jumped up and shouted, "How come I didn't know about this? Why did you tell me now? I have already made an appointment with the second wife of the Fang family to match your uncle Chi and A Xuan..."
Cheng Zheng became more and more dissatisfied with her mother and said, "How long has it been since you last went to pay your respects to Grandmother? Grandmother told me about Uncle Chi's marriage when I went to visit her today. I thought that since Grandmother came to the capital, it would be a good time for you to be filial and know about Fourth Uncle's marriage. I was going to ask you what was going on, but I didn't expect that you didn't know either."
As for the words "I have already agreed with the second wife of the Fang family", she didn't want to mention it at all.
My fourth uncle’s parents are not both dead, and his eldest sister-in-law is like a mother to him, so he needs my mother’s help to arrange his marriage.
Since when did it become my mother's turn to take charge of Uncle Chi's marriage
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Hey guys, today's update.
PS: The update will be around 5 o'clock in the evening, the usual time.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)