Jia Mu was sitting on the Arhat bed. She had just had lunch and was talking to Mrs. Wang, Aunt Xue, Mrs. Xing and Feng Wan who came to say hello.
Sister Feng had a beautiful face, a bright smile on her fair and rosy face, and said softly: "I will go to the garden later in the afternoon."
Jia Mu smiled and said, "Let the heat go down a bit. It's quite hot today."
At this time, Ping'er took the watermelon with a smile and said softly: "Old lady, the watermelon is cut. Eat some watermelon to relieve the heat."
Jia Mu asked, "Brother Heng, why haven't you seen him these two days?"
Sister Feng's smile paused slightly, and she whispered: "It's not like the wedding is approaching. Brother Heng has to go to the palace more these days."
Li Wan was on the side, and when he heard this, he couldn't help but secretly pay attention. Ever since Jia Heng pissed on her in the toilet that day, Hua Xin's young wife was very embarrassed. In Daoxiang Village, she was often teased by Cao, which was not a bad thing in the dead of night.
Miss that person.
Mother Jia said: "A wedding in the palace is a bit complicated. Brother Heng, he shouldn't neglect it. He is a princess and a princess of the Tian family. He has a high status and the wedding must be glorious. You can't let others choose the gifts."
Even after many days, Jia's mother was still secretly amazed that a princess and a princess from the Tian family were marrying Jia Heng. This was really a talkative thing.
Mrs. Wang sat aside, feeling uncomfortable on her face.
She was angry when she thought about it. No wonder when she asked Uncle Heng to match up her Baoyu family with the princess of Jinyang Princess Mansion, Uncle Heng resisted.
Turns out I kept it for myself!
She now suspected that Uncle Heng had intentional intentions, otherwise he would not have ruined the good things of her girl and the Prince of Chu's family.
I heard that Princess Zhen Qing of Chu had an accident in Jinling, and all her children who had been raised for several years were gone. If her daughter had become a concubine the year before last and gave birth to a son and a half, there is no guarantee that she would be able to be rehabilitated.
Over and over again, they all complained about Uncle Heng.
Mrs. Wang didn't know that Yuanchun was not married, so Jia Heng kept it for herself.
Aunt Xue also felt a little unnatural on her face, and she sighed secretly in her heart.
It would be great if the girl who is married is her girl. It would be better for her and Lin Yatou to share a Ningguo mansion and a Rongguo mansion than this ignorant noble girl from the Tian family.
At this moment, the maid outside reported: "Old lady, Uncle Heng is here."
When Mother Jia heard this, a look of suspicion appeared on her old face, and she said softly: "Why are you, Brother Heng, here?"
While he was talking, he saw that the young man in python suit had entered the hall with Xia Shouzhong.
Sister Feng felt her heart tremble, and her legs under the horse-faced skirt couldn't help but move closer together. Under her curved willow-leaf eyebrows, her red and phoenix eyes were charming, and her legs couldn't help but feel waves of moisture.
And Li Wan looked at the young man. For some reason, he might have just drank a little too much water, and he felt a urge to relieve himself. He took a deep breath, and saw that face, which was not smeared with any rouge, but was already as beautiful as a red apricot.
My son, I feel a little hot.
What has this man been busy with these days?
In fact, this kind of thing is like this. Jia Heng's enthusiasm that day gave Li Wan the illusion that he cared about himself and was obsessed with his body.
During my free time these past few days, I have been tossing and turning and thinking about it terribly.
And the people in the entire hall, because they were all looking at the eunuch in red robes behind Jia Heng, did not notice the ups and downs of Feng Wan's heart.
"Old lady." Jia Heng bowed his hands and said softly.
Xia Shouzhong also held a silver whisk and bowed politely to Jia Mu. Although he was the eunuch in charge of the Sixth Palace, he still had to maintain some respect when facing the older generation of Mrs. Wu Xun.
Jia Mu smiled and said, "My father-in-law, please take a seat quickly."
Because he is an eunuch, the ladies and daughters-in-law in the house do not need to avoid him.
Xia Shouzhong sat down, with a slight smile on his fair face, and said softly: "Mrs. Madam, we have come here to discuss something with Madam."
"Oh?" Jia Mu concentrated her thoughts and asked doubtfully.
Xia Shouzhong asked: "Baoyu, the second son of your family, is he of marriage age, right?"
When Mrs. Wang heard this, she raised her eyebrows, with a hint of surprise in her eyes, and a thought came to her mind.
Could it be that Manager Xia wants to play matchmaker for her family's treasure?
It seemed that God was in favor of Mrs. Wang, and as expected, Xia Shouzhong said: "Mrs. Madam, since the second young master of your house is not yet married, why don't we help be a matchmaker?"
When Mrs. Wang heard this, her heart beat wildly. She was so excited that she didn't stand up for a long time, and she clenched the beads in her hand a little tighter.
Could it be that the daughter of a high-ranking clan fell in love with their jade, so she asked Eunuch Xia to come here as a matchmaker?
At this moment, Jia Heng picked up the tea cup and took a sip. Suddenly something happened in his mind. He raised his eyes and saw Li Wan opposite him, meeting those panicked and charming eyes.
Resentment, longing, shame, and other expressions overflowed in those beautiful eyebrows.
Jia Heng's face paused slightly, with a strange look in his eyes.
It seems that I haven't seen my sister-in-law for a few days. She must have had a bad idea.
In fact, at this time, the woman is clingy, but Jia Heng really can't spare any time, and there is no suitable time. Unlike Sister Feng, because Sister Feng often has affairs in the two houses to go to Jia Heng, which is both public and private.
.
Mrs. Wang's face showed a look of ecstasy, and she looked at the red-robed eunuch expectantly, her mind racing with thoughts.
If Xia Shouzhong is the matchmaker, it is more likely that she is from the Tian family clan. Could it be the intention of the queen in the palace? Through the mouth of this eunuch Xia, what princess or princess was promised to her family treasure?
The smile on Jia Mu's face faded a bit at this time. Her old eyes fell on Xia Shouzhong's face and asked, "I don't know which family Eunuch Xia is talking about?"
If you are the princess or county lord of a clan family, it will be difficult for you to match Baoyu. If you really can't do it, you can just ask the girl.
Xia Shouzhong said with a smile: "Mrs. Tai, she is a niece of my clan. She is a girl from the Xia family. Her maiden name is Jin Gui. Their family is engaged in the osmanthus business in the sacred city. The Provincial Osmanthus Bureau also entrusted them with purchasing.
Already."
When Jia Mu heard this, she was shocked, but her face showed no trace of it.
It turned out that she was not a noble girl from the clan, but a member of the same clan as Manager Xia. This was not a marriage from a high family, but a marriage of a daughter from a small family.
The merchant's daughter...
Not only does Baoyu want to find a noble daughter of the clan as his wife, he must at least be a wealthy lady from an official family. How about finding a merchant's daughter as his head wife?
That is to say, Brother Heng doesn't pay attention to these backgrounds.
As Mrs. Wang listened to Xia Shouzhong's words, her expectations dropped slightly, and she was secretly disappointed.
Immediately, he remembered something and his eyes flashed.
The girl from the Xia family is related to the celebrity next to the queen, so it's actually not too bad.
Jia Mu said: "Eunuch Xia, Baoyu, we are still young, so we are not in a hurry to get married. I want to wait until he wins the election in the future before we make a marriage arrangement."
Xia Shouzhong smiled and said: "Madam, I don't know how long ago it was. Our niece has a gentle temperament and knows both cold and heat. There is another advantage. She has no brothers around her, and the millions of wealth belongs to her alone."
of."
He was anxious and looked at what the madam meant. Did she look down on his niece?
Mother Jia smiled and declined, saying: "I have raised our Baoyu from childhood. I originally wanted to keep him by my side for a few more years, so I am not in a hurry for these two years."
When Mrs. Wang saw this scene, she couldn't help but feel anxious.
Although this Xia family is not a noble daughter of the clan, she is closely related to the palace. If Baoyu can marry the Xia family's daughter, will she be able to talk to the queen in the palace?
Since the multiple-choice question of whether to choose Dai Yu or Chai Chai, after Aunt Xue revealed that Bao Chai and Jia Heng were privately engaged for life, and after the affair between Dai Yu and Jia Heng spread in the house, Mrs. Wang no longer had any confusion.
Mrs. Wang thought about it, her eyes flickered, and she had an idea in her mind. She said, "Old lady, Baoyu is quite old. It would be good if we could make a decision as soon as possible."
Mrs. Wang couldn't say she agreed openly, so she just kept beating the drum.
Hearing this, Mother Jia frowned and felt a little unhappy. She looked at Mrs. Wang with her old eyes and asked, "Baoyu mother, what do you think?"
Xia Shouzhong looked at Mrs. Wang, his heart couldn't help but secretly thought something, and said with a smile: "Madam, my niece is always very capable when she is at home. Even the business at home, my clan brother usually lets her take care of it.
idea."
When Aunt Xue heard this, her eyes flashed and she immediately looked at Mrs. Wang.
She was a little moved when she heard about this young lady from the Xia family. If their Pan'er could find such a strong-minded person who usually helped with business, she would be a good wife.
Thinking of Xue Pan, Aunt Xue couldn't help but cast her eyes on the old man sitting not far away, with a somewhat complicated look in her eyes.
Pan'er has been in the Wucheng Army and Horses Division for so long? As a brother-in-law, he didn't want to think of a way to release Pan'er. Now it was time to get engaged. He had been in prison, how could he talk about marriage?
Mrs. Wang asked: "Old lady, should we wait until the master comes back to discuss the matter about Baoyu?"
Xia Shouzhong said: "Then the old lady should think about it carefully. Let's go back to the palace first."
Jia Heng put down the tea cup at this time, with a nonchalant expression on his face, and said softly: "I'll send Eunuch Xia off."
Xia Shouzhong thanked him and followed Jia Heng out of Rongqing Hall.
After Xia Shouzhong left, Jia Mu raised her eyes to look at Mrs. Wang and asked, "Baoyu mother, what do you think?"
Mrs. Wang carefully considered her words and said: "Old lady, this Xia family sounds good. Baoyu is not young anymore. This always delays things. I don't think there is a way. The eldest girl delayed it in the first place.
"
Jia Mu shook her head and whispered: "I don't think this Xia family is suitable."
Since Aunt Xue is here, it's hard to say anything about a merchant's daughter not being a proper wife.
Mrs.
Jia Mu's eyes lit up, she thought for a moment and said, "That's right, Brother Heng has always had his own opinion."
Mrs. Wang frowned and clenched the beads in her hand a little tighter.
If that uncle Heng had his own ideas, he would not let the eldest daughter of her family end up without a place to live.
With that said, he ordered Yuanyang: "Yuanyang, go and call Brother Heng over."
Yuanyang responded softly with a "Hey" and then left the hall.
On the other side, Jia Heng and Xia Shouzhong returned to Jia's house again. They were walking along the Chaoshou verandah. It was a summer afternoon, with cicadas chirping and the heat forming waves.
The sun shines on the rugged rocks in the courtyard, and the sycamore trees droop their leaves under the harsh sun.
Jia Heng said: "Eunuch Xia, the old lady is used to doting on Baoyu. Even the second master of Xifu cannot interfere in the marriage. I think the old lady has a family she likes."
Xia Shouzhong smiled and said: "I'm going to mention it today. It seems that the old lady is still hesitant, so let's take another look. We don't have much left at home, and we have to return to the palace to report to the Queen."
"Father-in-law, don't leave in a hurry." Jia Heng nodded, and under Xia Shouzhong's surprised gaze, he took out the banknotes prepared in the room from his sleeve and said, "It's not easy for father-in-law to come, and it's even more difficult today.
Could you please Eunuch Xia to tell me the number of the big wedding? These father-in-laws will take it to tea."
Xia Shouzhong glanced at the thick stack of silver notes and estimated that there were eight thousand taels of silver notes. He was surprised and happy, and said with a smile: "The Duke of Wei has really ruined our family. The Duke of Wei married the princess."
Lian Li, you will be our master from now on, how can our family be so virtuous and accept this?"
Jia Heng said: "Eunuch Xia made serious remarks. These are just superficial words. Eunuch Xia can just accept them."
He was always generous in his dealings, so he gave him a total of ten thousand taels of silver. This money was also used for emergencies. It was not only to give Xia Shouzhong a good word around Empress Song in the future, but might it have other uses?
Not sure, check again.
Xia Shouzhong declined twice, and finally stuffed it into his sleeve. The depressed mood of being rejected by the Jia family was swept away. He looked at the young man in the python suit, secretly praised him, smiled, raised his hands and said, "Mr. Wei Guo
, then our family will go to the palace to return to the throne."
"Eunuch, go slowly." Jia Heng said warmly.
Xia Shouzhong was very happy, entered the hall, called the inner prison, and left Ningguo Mansion with satisfaction.
Jia Heng sat in the hall for a while, took a cup of fragrant tea and took a sip. Suddenly a maid announced: "The mandarin duck is here."
Jia Heng put down the teacup and looked at the girl in green dress who entered the hall from the eaves. She hadn't seen him for a while. The girl with an oval face was tall and tall, her black hair was tied into a braid, and her eyes under her willow eyebrows were full of joy.
.
Yuanyang smiled and said, "Uncle, please come over to the old lady."
Jia Heng stood up, walked towards Yuanyang, and said with a smile: "Well, let's go right away."
The two of them left the hall and turned back along the corridor towards Rongguo Mansion.
Yuanyang looked at the young man beside him and said in a low voice: "Uncle, has Eunuch Xia left?"
"Let's go." Jia Heng naturally took Yuanyang's hand and said softly: "Yuanyang, what have you been busy with these days?"
"What else can I be busy with? Serving the old lady." Yuanyang said softly with a blush on his cheeks.
Jia Heng said: "Are you still free in the afternoon?"
"The old lady should take a nap in the afternoon. I'll rest in the house for a while." Yuanyang said with red cheeks and a voice like a mosquito, "I'm alone."
They hadn't seen each other for a while, and she missed him a little.
Jia Heng smiled, and while talking, he and Yuanyang returned to Rongqing Hall.
Jia Mu was talking to Mrs. Wang when she saw Jia Heng come in and asked, "Brother Heng, has Eunuch Xia been sent to the palace?"
Jia Heng said: "It has been sent back."
After saying that, he sat down and the maid served him some tea.
Jia Mu nodded and said, "Brother Heng, what do you think of the Xia family?"
In fact, with Jia Heng's current position of power, Jia's mother still wanted to hear Jia Heng's opinion even on Bao Yu's marriage, but of course she didn't want Jia Heng to make all the decisions.
It's like if there is an official in a family, other members of the family will listen to this person's opinions first.
At this moment, even though Mrs. Wang had been disdainful before, she secretly listened to what the boy in the python suit said.
Jia Heng did not answer directly, but asked: "Old lady, who do you want Baoyu to marry?"
Jia Mu smiled and said: "For a family like ours, we don't talk about being a noble daughter of the clan, but we must be a scholarly family who is well-educated and filial to our parents-in-law."
Although it was not elaborated, it was vaguely revealed that at least one had to be a young lady from an official family to be worthy of Baoyu.
However, Mrs. Xing interjected and said with a smile: "Baoyu will definitely find a girl from an official family. No matter what, she cannot be the daughter of a merchant."
Aunt Xue: "..."
No, the merchant's daughter provoked you? If you don't find a merchant's daughter, how can you find a small family?
I couldn't help but take a peek at the young man in the python suit. Seeing that his expression did not change, I thought to myself, no wonder Brother Heng can achieve great things. He has never mentioned Bao Yatou's origins and promised to be his wife.
Besides, the Qin family is not the daughter of a small family? Isn’t she also the wife of the Duke of the country?
Sister Feng was drinking tea at the side and observing the reactions of several people. Danfeng's eyes flickered, mostly focusing on the face of the young man in the python suit.
Jia Heng thought for a while and said: "In this case, the Xia family is not suitable in terms of status. The old lady can discuss it carefully with the second wife."
He didn't want to interfere in Baoyu's marriage. He didn't act as matchmaker and guarantor, so as to avoid incurring resentment.
Jia Mu frowned and said, "Baoyu's mother thinks this girl from the Xia family is feasible."
Jia Heng glanced at Mrs. Wang, who looked unnatural, but said nothing.
Mrs. Wang had no choice but to bite the bullet and said, "I was thinking that Baoyu is not young anymore and should get engaged. This girl from the Xia family is not too bad."
Jia Heng raised his eyes to look at Jia Mu and said, "Does the old lady have other candidates in mind?"
In Jia Mu's eyes, among the girls with foreign surnames in the house, Chai Dai and Xing Xiuyan were already engaged with him.
lifelong.
Baoqin himself was also a merchant, so Jia's mother must also have doubts about this.
In other words, according to Jia Mu's logic, the daughter of a small family and a merchant can be a concubine, but a full wife cannot.
This is also the trend of the marriage and love market in this era.
The rest is Xiangyun. Xiangyun is Jia Mu's grandniece from her natal family, but Xiangyun is not technically the daughter of a prince. Both of her parents died when she was young. Jia Mu is probably also riding a donkey in search of a horse.
Jia Mu thought for a while and said: "I don't have a choice. I just think about Baoyu's age and wait another one or two years. I won't be in a hurry. I will choose slowly. It won't be too late to make a marriage decision after entering school. Brother Heng,
You should also worry more."
Jia Heng nodded and said, "If that's the case, then wait another year or two."
In fact, according to the completion time of the Grand View Garden, it was only one or two years later that the girls in the garden began to talk about marriage, and then the Jia family began to decline rapidly.
But if Jia Mu continues like this, I'm afraid Xiangyun will also...
The matter is put on hold for now.
Jia Mu suddenly said: "Brother Heng, the eldest girl has been in the south for so long, has her marriage been settled?"
She is also a little puzzled now. With Brother Heng's ability, the eldest girl's marriage should be easy to handle. How come it can be delayed until now.
It has indeed been two years since Yuanchun proposed marriage, and Yuanchun is considered to be one of the first batch of Jinchai who is actually married to Jia Heng.
Mentioning this matter, Mrs. Wang cast a slightly cold gaze at the young man, and there was already a surge of resentment in her heart.
I don’t know who said it at first, but it’s been two or three years since the eldest girl’s marriage fell on him!
Jia Heng said: "Old lady, I told my eldest sister that she has been thinking about escaping from the world in the past two years, and I don't know how to explain it."
Yuanchun's matter can only be hidden for a while. Now, he can actually protect Yuanchun at the Jia family level.
That is to say, even if Jia Mu knew about it, she would help him hide it, and Mrs. Wang could only hold her nose and admit it.
When we get to Jiangnan, let Yuanchun have a child first.
Hearing this, Mother Jia looked sad, sighed, and said: "The eldest girl was sent to the palace as a child, and she had these thoughts. We can't help her, and let her have nothing to do with her life-long affairs."
For a girl of this age, unless she chooses to marry from a small family, she will be completely delayed.
Mrs. Wang took a deep breath and felt an uneasy feeling of resentment in her heart. She said: "When the King of Chu came here to ask for marriage, the Jiang family of Datong asked for marriage. If he had accepted the request, we would not be where we are today."
Jia Mu: "..."
Mrs. Xing, Aunt Xue: "???"
This is obviously an attempt to counterattack Jia Heng through the marriage.
Jia Heng looked at Mrs. Wang calmly and said, "The second wife is blaming me for blocking the eldest sister's marriage in the first place?"
Mother Jia's heart trembled, and she smoothed things over with a smile and said: "Brother Heng, Baoyu's mother didn't mean this. Even if it hadn't happened at the beginning, the big girl still had the desire to escape from the world."
It wouldn't be a good thing if there was a stalemate.
Mrs. Wang held the prayer beads, her face was pale, and there was a surge of anger in her heart.
At first, you said you were too powerful with the King of Chu, but what about now? Haven’t you become a brother-in-law with that King of Chu, and haven’t the two girls from the Zhen family made you concubines, so that you can marry yourself? Our eldest girl will
Can't marry?
If you are worried about the fierce competition for the heir, you are marrying both a princess and a princess. No wonder you were asked to go to the eldest princess's house to win over Princess Qinghe, but you tried to avoid it in every possible way.
Of course, Mrs. Wang only resented these words in her heart and did not dare to say them out.
Jia Heng looked at Mrs. Wang and said: "Don't you know why the King of Chu asked to marry the eldest sister in the first place? It was just for our family's military power in the capital camp. As for the Jiang family, in terms of recent border affairs, if not
How can I get through safely if I open my net?"
Jia Mu frowned and said, "Baoyu, brother Heng, haven't you done enough for this family? I know that the eldest girl's affairs have become a worry for you, but I can't blame Heng."
On my brother."
Not to mention other things, which one of the four families of King Jia Shi and Xue has not benefited from Brother Heng? Zheng'er was promoted to an official position for this reason, and even the Wang family made a comeback through Brother Heng.
You can't blame Brother Heng for what happened to the eldest girl.
Being scolded by Jia Mu, Mrs. Wang turned pale and felt a sore nose. She choked and said: "Old lady, I..."
As he spoke, tears fell like rain, and he cried: "I gave birth to two sons and one daughter. The eldest son passed away early and left a pair of widows. Now the eldest daughter wants to become a monk and has given up the idea of getting married. How can I
Is life so miserable?”
Mrs. Wang cried, feeling sad and her eyes welled up with tears.
At this moment, Sister Feng saw a pair of red phoenix eyes under Liu Shao's eyebrows looking at Jia Heng, concern appearing on her beautiful face, and she immediately said: "What are you doing, Mrs. Second, crying?"
Jia Heng looked at this scene, his brows furrowed slightly, his face darkened, and his expression was silent.
Mrs. Wang's move was clearly a moral kidnapping, but in the case of Yuanchun, honestly speaking, he was somewhat in the wrong.
After all, judging from the results, Yuanchun became his woman and followed him without any name or status.
Seeing Jia Heng's expression seemed to be unfazed, but it made Jia's mother feel awe-inspiring.
Li Wan sighed, looked at the ugly-faced young man in a python suit, clenched the handkerchief in his hand, and felt worried for a moment.
Why does the mother-in-law insist on complaining about him? He has done a lot for the government, and he doesn't owe the government anything.
At this time, Aunt Xue also persuaded Mrs. Wang and said: "Sister, the big girl can still persuade her, so there is no need to worry. A wealthy family like ours can always find a good family."
After all, Jia Heng is his son-in-law.
Mrs. Wang also had an emotional breakdown. She cried a few times and wiped her tears.
Mother Jia looked at the silent boy in the python suit, sighed and said, "Brother Heng, Baoyu's mother is also feeling uncomfortable, so don't take it to heart."
Jia Heng looked calm and said: "It's nothing. I'm also very worried about my eldest sister's life. If the old lady has nothing else to do, I'll go back home and get busy."
Mrs. Wang also wiped her tears and said, "Old lady."
Jia Mu looked at Mrs. Wang and felt a little frustrated for a moment. She waved her hands and said, "I'm tired too. You guys should go back and rest."
Seeing this, Sister Feng sighed quietly, feeling a little worried about that person, but at this time she could only follow Li Wan to help Mrs. Wang back to her room.
Mrs. Xing's eyes flickered, and she thought to herself that she would wait for the time to talk about Xing Xiuyan later.