Qi Zhongkai went to find Lu Zhuo, and that very evening, Lu Zhuo told Wei Rao about the matter.
Given Qi Zhongkai’s temperament, since he had already promised Lu Zhuo that he would come to propose marriage, Wei Rao felt that the first stroke of the character “eight” had already been written.
Wei Rao passed the news to He Shi and He Weiyu, but merely to put their minds at ease. Before the Qi family sent a matchmaker over, it would be best for their first branch family of four to act as if nothing had happened, lest they reveal traces that would spread the news around. If the Qi family didn’t come to propose marriage after all, everyone would lose face.
From then on, He Shi and He Weiyu specifically looked forward to news from the Qi family of Marquis Pingxi Mansion.
Wei Rao wasn’t anxious about this matter—after all, it wasn’t her getting married. On the fifth day of the fourth month, when the court announced the results of the spring imperial examinations, early in the morning, Wei Rao sent someone to wait at the place where the results were posted. He Weiyu was Lu Zhuo’s cousin, but Zhou Huizhu was Wei Rao’s cousin, and the sister she had been closest and most compatible with since childhood. Wei Rao naturally cared about whether her prospective brother-in-law Zhang Xian had achieved success in the golden roll.
She waited in Pine Moon Hall, and when the sun was high in the sky, the servant she had sent out returned, happily telling Wei Rao that Zhang Xian had passed as a second-class jinshi.
For the prestigious families of the capital, having a family member pass the jinshi examination wasn’t anything worth a great celebration. But the Zhang family had produced only this one scholar, juren, and jinshi over several generations—he could be directly appointed to office. When the official messengers arrived at Cloud Mist Town to announce the good news, the entire town knew that the Zhang family had produced a jinshi master.
Though Wei Rao wasn’t present, she could imagine the Zhang family’s glory and her grandmother and cousin’s joy.
When her maternal family had joyous news, Wei Rao felt honored by association. When she went to pay her respects to Duchess Ying, she also told the old lady this good news.
Duchess Ying thought of Shou’an Jun.
When the Empress Dowager was alive, Shou’an Jun certainly had to avoid the Empress Dowager’s authority. For this reason, she would rather not enter the capital for twenty or thirty years. Later, when the Empress Dowager passed away and Xiao Zhou Shi returned to the palace to become Consort Noble, some people speculated that Shou’an Jun would surely return to the capital to enjoy good fortune. Yet Shou’an Jun remained at the leisure estate with a tranquil heart and few desires, and the marriage she arranged for her granddaughter was merely to a small household in Cloud Mist Town.
Unfazed by honor or disgrace, composed and measured, Duchess Ying truly admired Shou’an Jun.
If Duchess Ying were to choose, she couldn’t find a more suitable grandson-in-law than Zhang Xian. With a daughter who was a noble consort and a grandson who was a prince, if Shou’an Jun truly wanted her granddaughter to marry up, she could certainly find a suitable family in the capital. But doing so would invite suspicion of forming factions for the noble consort and her grandson. Would the three factions of the Empress, Consort Xian, and Consort De be pleased? More importantly, would Emperor Yuanjia be pleased?
Now, from Xiao Zhou Shi’s lineage, only Wei Rao and Zhou Huizhen had married into prestigious families in the capital. Zhou Huizhen was purely treated as a plaything by Han Liao—the Han family couldn’t possibly support the noble consort and Fourth Prince in anything. As for their Duke Ying Mansion and the Lu family, they had married Wei Rao into the family when the Empress Dowager was still alive, having nothing to do with factional struggles. Moreover, as long as Emperor Yuanjia was sufficiently clear-headed, he would believe that the Lu family had been loyal for generations and wouldn’t meddle in struggles between princes.
“Old Madam has excellent judgment. When Raorao goes to the leisure estate, have her bring a congratulatory gift from me as well,” Duchess Ying said with a smile. She wanted to meet Shou’an Jun now. Hmm, this year during the Double Ninth Festival, mountain climbing, she could visit along the way.
At Marquis Xiting Mansion.
Zhou Huizhen also learned the joyous news of Zhang Xian passing the jinshi examination and was very happy. She went to tell her mother-in-law, Marchioness Xiting, about it.
The Han family had never looked up to her. Now that she not only had a noble consort aunt but also a jinshi brother-in-law, surely her mother-in-law would think more highly of her?
Marchioness Xiting was entertaining her granddaughter Han Ying, who had returned home to visit.
Han Ying was Han Liao’s legitimate eldest daughter, who had married last year to a son of a noble family in the capital. The other party’s family background was cut below the Han family’s, so after Han Ying married in, even her mother-in-law treated her very courteously. When she wanted to visit her natal family, no one objected.
Han Ying liked returning to her natal home because she couldn’t let go of her full brother Han Chengsi. Although Han Chengsi was already sixteen and understood reason, Han Ying still worried that her brother would be harmed by those concubine-born sons, harmed by the young and beautiful stepmother Zhou Huizhen. Zhou Huizhen looked very stupid, but Zhou Huizhen had Nanny Liu by her side. Han Ying had always regarded Nanny Liu as a major threat, fearing that once she married out, Zhou Huizhen and her servant would make their move to harm her brother.
On this point, Marchioness Xiting was of one mind with Han Ying and was very gratified by the deep sibling affection between her granddaughter and grandson.
The grandmother and granddaughter were chatting happily when Zhou Huizhen arrived.
Seeing her, Han Ying didn’t even stand up, clearly treating Zhou Huizhen the same as those unseemly concubines of Han Liao’s.
Zhou Huizhen was used to this and went straight to bow to her mother-in-law.
Marchioness Xiting’s expression was indifferent: “Why are you here?”
Zhou Huizhen finished her bow, clutched the handkerchief in her hand, and forced a smile: “Mother, my sister Huizhu is getting married mid-month. She’s marrying Zhang Juren from the town. Today, the spring examination results were announced, and Zhang Juren passed as a jinshi. I want to go home to congratulate my sister.”
Going home to congratulate was secondary—the most important thing was coming here to show off that her prospective brother-in-law was accomplished.
Both Marchioness Xiting and Han Ying saw through Zhou Huizhen’s little scheme. However, would they care about a mere small jinshi?
“Passed as a jinshi? What tremendously joyous news! You should hurry and go,” Han Ying said with a radiant smile, but her words carried endless sarcasm.
Marchioness Xiting was even more direct, waving Zhou Huizhen away and telling her to simply stay at the leisure estate until Zhou Huizhu’s wedding was over before returning.
Zhou Huizhen was stunned.
Nanny Liu stepped forward to support her arm, using hand pressure while making eye contact with Zhou Huizhen, helping her out of the hall.
Zhou Huizhen’s expression was unspeakably ugly.
Nanny Liu said nothing—some things Zhou Huizhen needed to understand for herself.
While Zhou Huizhen was dejectedly preparing to go to the leisure estate, Han Ying had someone bring over a maid, saying the maid was skilled at massage and she wanted to send her to serve Marchioness Xiting.
Marchioness Xiting looked over with a smile, but her heart was shocked.
That maid had a tender, innocent, flower-like face like a young girl, but her figure was voluptuous with a full chest and slender waist, most alluring. At first glance, she didn’t seem like a maid meant only for shoulder rubbing and back pounding.
Marchioness Xiting understood her granddaughter’s meaning—she wanted to arrange a beauty to compete with Zhou Huizhen for favor.
Since Marchioness Xiting was also dissatisfied with Zhou Huizhen, she might as well keep the girl.
Han Ying was delighted.
This maid called Lian Niang was a Yangzhou courtesan; she had spent heavily to select. She surpassed Zhou Huizhen in every aspect. She refused to believe her father wouldn’t like her.
At Marquis Pingxi Mansion, the Qi family—Qi Zhongkai’s mother, Marchioness Pingxi, had also bought a beautiful and charming maid from a human trafficker.
When her son wanted to marry Wei Rao, Wei Rao was at least the legitimate daughter of an earl’s mansion, and her mother Xiao Zhou Shi was about to regain favor, so she agreed to the proposal. This time her son wanted to marry that unremarkable cousin of Lu Zhuo’s, He Weiyu. Marchioness Pingxi refused no matter what.
The mother and son had been at an impasse for several days. Marchioness Pingxi had a flash of inspiration and thought of the “attack beauty with beauty” method. Didn’t her son want a beauty? She would first arrange a beautiful bed warmer for her son, then slowly select a lady from a prestigious family to be her son’s legitimate wife. She refused to believe that He Weiyu could be so beautiful that her son wouldn’t want even an easily obtained beautiful bed warmer.
Marchioness Pingxi directly sent the beauty to Qi Zhongkai’s courtyard.
Qi Zhongkai was on duty with the Imperial Guard during the day and returned to the mansion in the evening. As soon as he returned to his courtyard, he saw his attendant leading over a beautiful maid.
Qi Zhongkai looked at the maid over twice, then looked at his attendant.
The attendant wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained: “Second Master, this is a tea-serving maid the madam sent for you.”
The Lu family had a family tradition that men couldn’t take concubines without cause, but the Qi family didn’t. However, their family education was also quite strict, not permitting young masters to indulge in feminine pleasures. So both Qi Zhongkai and his elder brother Qi Bowei had only received one bed warmer each at age fourteen, plain-looking ones. Qi Zhongkai had been scared by him, crying and unwilling, so Qi Zhongkai drove her away. Later, devoted to martial arts, he never thought about finding women.
This Qi Zhongkai didn’t even look like someone who would like women, so later, Marchioness Pingxi never arranged another bed warmer for him.
Now that Qi Zhongkai wanted to marry He Weiyu, and Marchioness Pingxi suddenly sent him a beauty, could Qi Zhongkai not guess what was happening?
“Get lost!” Qi Zhongkai’s lion’s roar sent the maid running. Even when she reached Marchioness Pingxi, she was still trembling with lingering fear, crying and kowtowing, begging Marchioness Pingxi to spare her life and not make her serve the second master again, as if she regarded Qi Zhongkai as a flood or fierce beast.
Marchioness Pingxi was so angry that her head hurt, and she couldn’t sleep well that night.
Marquis Pingxi laughed at her: “You’re strange. Before, you always hoped Second Son would marry early and have children. Now that he has someone he wants to marry, you’re unhappy again.” Wasn’t this asking for trouble?
“What do you understand? What’s our family’s status? The He family doesn’t even have a proper scholar. What right do they have to marry in? That Miss He could at most be Zhongkai’s concubine.”
“As a concubine? You’re dreaming. She’s Shouchen’s cousin. If she’s truly beautiful, would Shouchen be willing to let his sister be someone’s concubine?”
“If he’s unwilling, that’s perfect. Let her marry someone else—I don’t want her anyway.”
“You don’t want her, but your son does. The problem is, with you mother and son fighting at home constantly, Miss He might not be willing to marry.”
“Unwilling? What’s she unwilling about? Would Zhongkai be wronging her?”
“The family background certainly wouldn’t wrong her, but what about the person? You’ve arranged for Zhongkai to meet so many times—which beauty has taken a liking to him?”
Marchioness Pingxi fell silent.
Her son wasn’t ugly, just too robust and imposing. Not to mention anything else, just that evening roar at the maid—she could hear it from here. Now she understood why her son could frighten enemy soldiers just with his voice on the battlefield.
The Emperor surely liked generals like her son, but young ladies—truly, not many would like him.
That cousin of Lu Zhuo’s—could she not fancy her son? If Miss He truly didn’t want to marry, and her son stubbornly insisted on marrying her, delaying a few more years, her son would be thirty!
Marchioness Pingxi suddenly compromised.
The next day, she went to consult Old Madam Qi about the matter.
Old Madam Qi was advanced in years and more eager than she was to hold great-grandchildren from the second branch. After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law discussed, they decided to first meet He Weiyu. If He Weiyu merely had a low birth but good character, marrying her would be acceptable. He Shi could give birth to such a fine son as Lu Zhuo—perhaps He Weiyu could also give the Qi family a mighty heir.
Old Madam Qi sent a visiting card to Duchess Ying.
Duchess Ying initially didn’t know what Old Madam Qi wanted until Old Madam Qi mentioned He Weiyu. Only then did Duchess Ying understand, smiling as she sent someone to request the aunt and niece.
He Shi brought He Weiyu over.
The aunt and niece looked as if cut from the same mold, except that the years had made He Shi more composed, while He Weiyu was still quite naive.
However, He Weiyu had lived in Duke Ying Mansion for so many years and understood basic etiquette. Apart from nervousness, she made no mistakes.
Both Old Madam Qi and Marchioness Pingxi could see that although He Weiyu was beautiful, she was someone who knew her place, not the type who would rely on her beauty to stir up trouble in the inner chambers.
After the aunt and niece left, Old Madam Qi revealed her intentions to Duchess Ying, saying that Qi Zhongkai had encountered He Weiyu while offering incense at the temple that day and was determined to marry her. She wanted to ask Duchess Ying’s opinion of He Weiyu.
Duchess Ying was surprised by the fate between He Weiyu and Qi Zhongkai. One was her daughter-in-law’s maternal niece, the other was an old sister she had been close friends with for decades. Duchess Ying remained impartial and fair, saying, “Weiyu is gentle. If she truly marries Zhongkai, she might not be able to help you with household management, but Weiyu is tender and simple—she would certainly take very good care of Zhongkai.”
Flowers have thousands of beautiful forms, and each has their temperament. In Duchess Ying’s eyes, He Weiyu and Wei Rao were completely different types of people. The former was a delicate, boneless vine flower that must cling to a man to bloom safely; the latter was a wildflower on a cliff that could stand firm no matter how fierce the wind and rain.
These two types of flowers had no superiority or inferiority—placed in suitable locations, both could bloom beautifully.