Chapter 116: Chapter 115: Their Intentions
Mrs. Shi’s words left Mrs. Miao momentarily stunned in place.
Old Mrs. Xia was taken aback and glanced over at Mrs. Zhen, who slightly shook her head, indicating she was unaware.
"Madam, do you mean..." Mrs. Miao forced herself to remain calm, her feet feeling as if they were nailed to the ground, her smile carrying a hint of uncertainty.
Mrs. Shi’s smile grew even more pleasant as she said, "Yun Ying has come of age; I just wanted to ask if any proposals have been made for her yet. If not, I might be able to make some inquiries."
Mrs. Miao’s eyes suddenly widened, hearing her own heartbeat pounding.
This mix of tension and excitement was even more intense than when she was younger and involved in proposals herself.
Du Yunying’s marriage had been a lingering worry for Mrs. Miao. Last year, it wasn’t as urgent; when marrying off a daughter, one should choose carefully and not hastily settle, for if she ends up suffering later, it would be too late for regrets.
But unexpectedly, while Du Yunying’s marriage had yet to be settled, Du Yunluo had jumped ahead.
With much fanfare, they accepted the imperial decree, bringing great honor to the Du family, which pleased Mrs. Miao, but...
But Du Yunying’s age was now an issue, creating a moment of awkwardness.
In the spring when she came of age, Mrs. Miao had asked Old Mrs. Xia and sought help from Mrs. Zhen, and it seemed a good match was looking promising for the summer, only for it to be disrupted by a fiasco during the Mid-Autumn Festival, causing great pain to Mrs. Miao.
The festival itself wasn’t the issue; anyone with eyes could see the facts clearly, but it involved the reckless Madam Miao!
The situation at the Fa Yin Temple caused Mrs. Miao to lose all face.
With the Miao family as her maternal relatives, other families hearing of Madam Miao’s outrageous behavior in front of the Bodhisattva would certainly have second thoughts.
Mrs. Miao was truly anxious.
She was unwilling to marry her daughter off into a lower status, yet unable to reach too high, and in the matter of choosing a suitable match, she had fretted for over half a year without finding a satisfactory one.
Mrs. Miao scrutinized Mrs. Shi carefully; Mrs. Shi was a reliable figure who wouldn’t joke about such matters casually. Since she had brought it up, Mrs. Miao felt Mrs. Shi must have someone in mind.
Mrs. Shi was quite well-connected within official families’ inner quarters. If she were matchmaking, the other family’s situation couldn’t be poor.
With this thought, Mrs. Miao turned and sat back down with a smile, saying, "To tell you the truth, Madam, Yunying hasn’t received any proposals, and I’ve been worried sick these days. Our family’s daughters are all around the same age: Yun Ru is married, Yun Hu’s wedding is set for next spring, and if Yun Ying is delayed, Yunuo and Yunluo will be of age next year too. Yunuo is not yet spoken for; as for Yunluo, isn’t the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion just waiting for her to come of age?"
Mentioning Du Yunluo’s marriage, Mrs. Shi’s smile broadened, nodding continuously: "A few days ago, I visited the Marquis Mansion and saw Sister Zhou. She mentioned Second Madam Lian is happily preparing to welcome her daughter-in-law next year; she’s so envious, wishing she could transition from daughter-in-law to mother-in-law as well, but wouldn’t dare to vie with the old lady over Yunluo."
The comment made Old Mrs. Xia feel completely pleased, and she laughed heartily. After laughing, she noticed Mrs. Miao’s eager eyebrows and helped to ask, "Madam, with you as the matchmaker, the old lady trusts you the most. As for Yunying’s matter, what do you think..."
Upon coming to the crucial point, Mrs. Shi’s voice lowered slightly, "The second son of the Chengyi Bo Mansion’s main branch will be seventeen after the New Year."
Mrs. Miao initially thought Mrs. Shi might propose an influential official family’s offspring, but hearing the Bo Mansion’s name left her completely stumped.
Old Mrs. Xia furrowed her brow, puzzled: "Why would a young gentleman from the Chengyi Bo Mansion..."
The Chengyi Bo title was conferred at the founding of the nation, hereditarily passed down to this day.
The last three generations of Chengyi Bo weren’t particularly accomplished, not unpresentable but not as outstanding as other noble families.
However, the Bo Mansion maintained its position steadily, passed down through generations. Even if a promising heir emerged, they might secure a leisurely official post, unlikely to rise high, but unlikely to fall.
To Old Mrs. Xia, this was truly a clever household; having endured from the founding era to now without falter demonstrated the grounding in stability for their survival.
If Du Yunying married into the Bo Mansion, one thing was certain: she wouldn’t worry about having a stable life.
Mrs. Miao thought along similar lines.
Finding a suitable match for a daughter isn’t easy; Du Yunhu marries down, and his future prosperity relies on whether Second Young Master Shen can achieve success and fame.
Mrs. Miao herself had endured for so many years without seeing Du Huaiping top any golden lists. Reflecting on her sisters-in-law, their husbands were indeed officials, but how far their careers could go was uncertain.
And as for Du Yunluo, marrying up into the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion adorned her as Princely Heir’s Wife, as Marchioness, with all the apparent glory, but it was wealth attained through risk. According to Mrs. Miao, she wasn’t bold enough to gamble on it.
But if the Chengyi Bo Mansion, for the second son, the title wasn’t in question but guaranteed a life of stability.
Like Mrs. Zhen being a junior wife, without the burden of household duties, only needing to care for her husband and in-laws, with children around her knees, was akin to a fairy-tale life.
With such a good match, Mrs. Miao wouldn’t foolishly push it away.
Yet, she still felt a bit puzzled.
In the Chengyi Bo Mansion, lacking ambition in political rank and power meant they wouldn’t view Du Yunluo’s marriage or Du Gongfu’s standing in the Eastern Palace as particularly significant. Why, then, would they choose a bride from the Du Family?
Seeing the expressions of Old Mrs. Xia and Mrs. Miao, Mrs. Shi understood their thoughts.
The reasons, albeit somewhat difficult to explicate, needed clarification.
Mrs. Shi gave Old Mrs. Xia a gentle smile.
Old Mrs. Xia understood, instructing Lanzhi to stand guard outside and Nanny Xu to guard the inner room.
"The origin of the matter traces back to the Duke Jing Mansion," Mrs. Shi said.
Upon hearing it involved the Duke Jing Mansion, Mrs. Miao felt her whole head about to explode. Old Mrs. Xia took a sip of tea, waiting for Mrs. Shi to continue.
"Just at the end of last month, Princess An Ran stopped Lady Jiarou outside the palace gates. I wonder if the old lady and the two sisters are aware of this?"
Princess An Ran had intercepted Mu Lianhui; Du Gongfu witnessed it firsthand. Given the relations with the Liao Family, both Old Mrs. Xia and Mrs. Miao, along with Mrs. Zhen, were aware, and knew that Princess An Ran had been placed under house arrest.
Seeing their nods, Mrs. Shi continued, "The Old Master wants to settle the County Princess’ marriage early, believing that once married, with a husband’s family governing her, she wouldn’t act as she does now. Given the County Princess’ reputation, marrying well-matched is difficult, yet marrying too low would fail to temper her temperament.
Chengyi Bo, during his youth, received favors from the Old Master. The Old Master hasn’t spoken directly, but the Old Uncle fears that should he ever ask, the Bo Mansion wouldn’t be able to refuse, preferring to settle the second son’s marriage first. When Mrs. Bo spoke with me, she mentioned requirements such as being of official family background, well-mannered, preferably of age yet unmarried. Once both families reached an agreement, they could discuss the wedding date and marry early."
By this point, Old Mrs. Xia also understood.
In the capital, finding someone of official family background and well-mannered wasn’t difficult, but finding someone who had come of age yet remained unmarried was quite rare. It was no surprise that Mrs. Shi would think of Du Yunying.
