Chapter 417: Jing Jing Biao Ge, you really don't let people rest easy. [Thank you! Bow again.]

"So good!"

Ni Qiqiu sighed with a smile.

Hearing this, Wei Shuyi nodded in agreement.

Afterwards,

The two of them walked together to the outer room and sat down again.

Both Ni Qiqiu and Wei Shuyi came from scholarly families.

Although one had sold herself to save her father at a marriageable age, and the other had followed her master visiting households in Bianjing since she was young,

their similar family backgrounds made their conversation quite congenial.

"Sister Wei, will our Sheng family have any young boys or girls to roll on the wedding bed for Sister Xiaodie?"

Wei Shuyi smiled politely and shook her head: "The Madam said that all the children of appropriate age in the household were sold into the Sheng family; it wouldn't be good to have them roll on the bed for Sister Xiaodie, who has already had her slave status removed."

Ni Qiqiu nodded; the meaning of these words was that there were none.

Ni Qiqiu knew quite a bit about the situation in the Sheng family, but her husband Zhu Qinghu's influence was not yet great enough to have the rising young scholars of the civil service roll on the bed for the younger sister of his comrade-in-arms.

If it were Zhu Qinghu asking to marry the Madam, then perhaps it might be possible.

Ni Qiqiu nodded: "The Madam is right!"

Glancing at Wei Shuyi, Madam Ni continued: "Sister Wei, I was often at the Sun family before, teaching the Sun family's young masters and misses to read and write."

"Before I came, the Old Madam of the Sun family at West Water Gate let me go there once. The Old Madam said that if the Sheng family hadn't prepared, she would send two from the Sun family children I taught."

"Those comrades-in-arms of my husband have a life-and-death friendship with Sister Xiaodie's brother, so their children could also come."

"But I thought that since Sister Xiaodie is marrying from the Sheng family after all, it wouldn't be good to bring people to the Sheng family without a kinship relationship, so I settled on the Sun family's young master and miss."

"What do you think?"

Wei Shuyi nodded gently: "The Madam is thoughtful."

After speaking, she stood up and bowed: "When the time comes, please thank the Old Madam of the Sun family on my behalf."

Ni Qiqiu hurriedly stood up to support Wei Shuyi: "Sister Wei, what are you saying? I'm not doing this for my own brother's sake either."

After the two spoke a few more words,

Madam Ni left Jin'an Zhai and went to Weirui Xuan to bid farewell to Wang Ruofu.

Seeing her off to the second gate, Wang Ruofu waved at Ni Qiqiu, who had boarded the carriage.

Behind Wang Ruofu, Mama Liu said with some worry on her face: "Madam, you should inquire about the matters inside."

"Pah! If that Ni family member passes the prefectural examination, I will naturally step forward."

"But he is studying at the Li family and hasn't even passed the prefectural examination..."

As she spoke, Wang Ruofu shook her head: "You must know that even Changfeng, that concubine-born child, passed the prefectural examination!"

"Madam, but I heard from the mama of a relative's family that this young master of the Ni family is diligent!"

"Besides, not every family has a teacher as formidable as Scholar Zhuang! If it weren't for the Master's kindness to the Zhuang family, our family wouldn't be able to hire Scholar Zhuang."

"Besides, no matter how you put it, she is the biological younger sister of the Xie Zijue's wife."

Wang Ruofu nodded with some embarrassment; there was indeed Wang Ruofu's 'contribution' in the Zhuang family affair.

Watching the carriage leave the Sheng family gate, Wang Ruofu and Mama Liu turned and walked toward the courtyard, saying as they walked: "Hiss, you say how long has this Madam Ni been married? Today she doesn't look like she's pregnant either!"

Mama Liu nodded: "That's right! I heard from Cuichan that the wedding date of the Xu family's eldest miss and Xie Zijue Zhu wasn't far apart! How old is that Xing Ge'er now!"

"Tsk!"

Wang Ruofu looked up at the gray clouds in the sky and shook her head.

Shen Hour (around 4:00 PM).

The north wind whistled,

and the air was full of the scent of snow.

Chai family,

Qiusheng Yuan.

On the walkway in the courtyard,

a group of people was walking.

Among them, a maid wearing a brocade cloak held an oil-paper umbrella, shielding Madam Chai, who was holding a hand warmer in front of her, from the falling light snow.

When they reached the entrance of the main room,

a maid in the group called out with a moderate voice: "The Madam is here!"

As soon as the voice fell, the silk cotton curtain at the entrance of the main room was lifted by the people inside.

"Madam!" The maid who lifted the curtain bowed while holding the curtain.

"Where is your young lady?"

"In the inner room."

Saying this, Madam Chai stepped inside.

Pausing slightly to let the maid remove her luxurious and thick cloak and take the hand warmer, and then changing into indoor shoes, Madam Chai walked toward the inner room.

"Mother, you went to your maternal grandfather's house, why are you back at this time?"

Chai Zhengzheng, also dressed in home attire, stood at the entrance of the inner room and said.

Looking at Madam Chai's complexion, Chai Zhengzheng hesitated: "Mother, what's wrong with you?"

Madam Chai shook her head and waved her hand behind her.

The two mamas who followed stopped their steps and stayed at the entrance of the inner room.

After Madam Chai and Chai Zhengzheng entered the inner room, they closed the partition door of the inner room.

Then these two mamas took the other maids outside.

In the inner room,

Chai Zhengzheng, who was standing to the side supporting Madam Chai as they walked inside, looked at her mother's complexion and said with distress in her eyes: "Mother, what's wrong? Are maternal grandfather and maternal grandmother not feeling well?"

Madam Chai glared at Chai Zhengzheng reproachfully: "Your maternal grandfather and grandmother are in very good health!"

Chai Zhengzheng's complexion immediately turned from cloudy to sunny, relieved: "Oh!"

She looked at Madam Chai again: "Then Mother, why is your complexion not good?"

Madam Chai shook her head: "It's the Xu family..."

"Mother, what happened to the Xu family!? Did the Xu family's young master get into a fight again?"

Chai Zhengzheng asked urgently with wide eyes.

Madam Chai glared at Chai Zhengzheng irritably, with an expression of 'Are you saying it or am I saying it' and 'Do you want to listen or not'.

Chai Zhengzheng immediately shut her mouth, looking at her mother's appearance, with some panic in her eyes, seemingly afraid that Madam Chai would say something that would make her feel uncomfortable.

Madam Chai understood Chai Zhengzheng's expression, and after stretching Chai Zhengzheng for a while, she said: "It's the matter of the Zhu family, relatives of the Xu family, which can also be considered our family's distant relatives."

Chai Zhengzheng's mood and demeanor relaxed completely, and in a flash of thought, she said: "The Zhu family? The one where the Xu family's young master's aunt is?"

Madam Chai nodded.

Madam Chai's sister-in-law from her maiden family, and the cousin of Chai Zhengzheng's maternal aunt's maiden family, were surnamed Ni; he was Ni Qiqiu's father.

"Mother, what happened to the Zhu family?"

Chai Zhengzheng asked suspiciously.

Madam Chai sighed: "Hearing from your maternal aunt, the Madam of this Xie Zijue's family entrusted your maternal aunt to find a family with a known background, wanting to find..."

Madam Chai didn't continue.

Chai Zhengzheng looked at her mother, her eyes full of the question 'what are they looking for'.

"Looking for someone to hire a concubine."

"Ah!? Why?"

Chai Zhengzheng asked urgently.

Madam Chai sighed: "Xie Zijue Zhu has been married for many years and still has no offspring."

"But that cousin hasn't been married for long either!"

"It's been three or four years! Don't spread this matter!"

"En en! But, Mother, I heard that after Xie Zijue Zhu returned to the capital, he was busy helping Marquis Yongyi reorganize the Tianwu Army, and later he was stationed at the border all year round, so how could it be so easy to conceive..."

Chai Zhengzheng didn't continue; it wasn't good for an unmarried girl in the boudoir to talk too much about this.

"The Old Xie Zijue Zhu died in battle, and now the Zhu family still has no heir, so it's no wonder Madam Xu is anxious."

"Then, Mother, did the maternal aunt and the others find anyone?"

Madam Chai shook her head: "There are so many people in Bianjing, it's not easy to find! They are all persuading her to wait until Xie Zijue Zhu returns!"

"Mother, I remember you told me before that the cousin from the maternal grandfather's house might marry into the Ni family..."

"It can't be done anymore!"

"Ah? Mother, why? Isn't it said that the young master of the Ni family studies diligently?"

"Sigh!!!"

Madam Chai sighed heavily.

"Hearing from your maternal aunt, the young master of the Ni family didn't know where he heard it, but he found out about his sister wanting to hire a concubine, and it happened to be before the prefectural examination, and as a result... he failed the examination."

"Ah!??? This... is too much of a pity."

"Who's to say it isn't! This young master of the Ni family didn't pass the prefectural examination, so no one can say for sure about the future. A few months ago, when Madam Ni went to the Cheng family again, she vaguely broke off this matter and looked for another family."

Chai Zhengzheng nodded.

The two families only had intentions, and since the engagement papers hadn't been exchanged, naturally it was nothing.

"Mother, daughter thinks it's actually nothing; the young master of the Ni family can just continue to study."

Madam Chai looked at Chai Zhengzheng and said: "Zheng'er, I'm not distressed about this. I'm distressed because I see Madam Ni has no children and feels bad, yet she still has to find a concubine for her husband!"

"She's having such a hard time, and as a result, her younger brother failed the examination! As the eldest sister, she still has to be busy with her younger brother's marriage."

"If she had parents, she shouldn't have to bear these things at her age."

Chai Zhengzheng nodded empathetically.

'If I don't have children in the future and still have to give... phew phew phew!'

Chai Zhengzheng spat out the thought in her heart.

"Zheng'er, what are you thinking about?"

"Mother! Uh... daughter isn't thinking about anything, just listening to what you said, is the marriage of the young master of the Ni family settled?"

Chai Zhengzheng hurriedly changed the subject.

"En, settled! Your eldest maternal aunt said it's the own younger sister of a comrade-in-arms who died in battle with Xie Zijue Zhu. She had her slave status removed in Yang Zhou before, and later she had been working as a managing maid in the Sheng family where Heng Ge'er studies."

"Oh! Oh!"

"Zheng'er, don't think about it anymore; this kinship is a bit distant, so our family doesn't need to go."

"Oh," Chai Zhengzheng said with some disappointment.

Looking at Chai Zhengzheng's appearance, Madam Chai stood up, preparing to leave.

After walking two steps, Madam Chai stopped and said: "Just talking about these things, I almost forgot. Tomorrow is the wedding of your Cheng family's seventh sister and the eldest son of the Earl of Chengping. You accompany me there then."

"Understood, Mother."

"En."

Madam Chai walked outside, and her personal mama put the cold-proof cloak on her again. Looking at Chai Zhengzheng, who saw her off to the outer room, she nagged:

"Come to my courtyard for dinner in the evening!"

"This winter, there will be plenty to be busy with."

Watching her mother disappear behind the cotton curtain, Chai Zhengzheng walked back to the inner room.

The maid Yun Mu looked at her young lady's complexion and whispered: "Young lady, Mother is right! These days, our family has received several wedding invitations alone, and it's hard to say if we'll be able to be idle even when the twelfth lunar month arrives."

In the evening,

Quyuanjie.

Because the street stalls had all extinguished their candles and packed up,

most of the street was plunged into darkness.

There was a bright area around the two large lanterns hanging at the entrance of the Xu family gate.

The lantern light illuminated the snowflakes,

and looking at the drizzling snowflakes, they were very dense.

"Hee-hee-hee~"

Hearing the neighing of the horse,

the Xu family's gatekeeper walked out from the side door next to the main gate.

Looking at the rider covered in wind and snow, the gatekeeper hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "It's snowing, why are you still delivering letters!"

The courier dismounted and said with a smile: "An urgent letter! Even if it were raining knives, I would have to deliver it!"

"Quick, take out two strings of cash!"

The gatekeeper shouted toward the inside of the gate, and after taking the letter from the courier: "Please wait a moment."

Then he entered the gate and walked toward the inner courtyard.

Not long after,

a servant put the silver money into the courier's hand: "Thank you for your trouble! Please buy some wine to warm yourself!"

"Hey! Thank you, Marquis's Mansion, for the reward!"

After cupping his hands to thank them, the courier mounted his horse and disappeared into the dark night.

Xu family inner courtyard,

the hall was warm and lively.

The maids and mamas were busy serving dishes,

and Xu Zaijing and Zaihang were teasing the two nephews.

Madam Sun and the two daughters-in-law didn't know what gossip about Bianjing they were talking about; the three of them were talking one sentence after another.

At this time,

the letter sent from the outer courtyard just now was handed into the room by a mama.

When handing it to Madam Sun, the mama also said: 'Sent by urgent courier, the gatekeeper rewarded two strings of cash.'

Xie Shi, who was on the side, nodded: "This matter was handled very correctly, this matter is noted."

Madam Sun also nodded, looked down at the envelope, and then said to the others in the room: "It was sent by your cousin."

Saying this, she opened the envelope, and after unfolding the letter and looking at it, Madam Sun's brows gradually wrinkled.

Holding Xu Xingdai, Zaihang said: "Mother, what's wrong?"

Madam Sun let out a long breath and said: "It's nothing! Tomorrow for the happy event at the Earl of Chengping's house, just you and Jing Ge'er go!"

Zaihang: "Mother, what about you?"

"I have other matters. Eldest son's wife, second son's wife, you two accompany me tomorrow as well."

"Yes, Mother-in-law."

Xie Shi and Hualan looked at each other and responded.

They finished dinner with no appetite.

Xu Zaijing returned to his own courtyard.

About a quarter of an hour later,

Qingcao, with Yunxiang and Huaxiang, the three maids, returned to the courtyard dejectedly.

Xu Zaijing, who was pacing back and forth in the room, looked at the appearance of the three and said: "What, did you not find any news?"

The three maids lowered their heads and nodded, Qingcao said:

"Young Master, the mama beside the Madam didn't let us help serve, and sent us back."

Xu Zaijing let out a breath: "My mouth has always been tight, why didn't Mother let me know either?"

"Forget it, ask Third Brother tomorrow."

Xu Zaijing himself on the bed

tossed and turned for half the night, which will be skipped for now.

The next day,

early morning, the sky was still dark.

When Xu Zaijing was still exercising at the horse racing track, he saw the carriage horses in the stable being led out.

Soon, the harnessed carriage drove toward the Xu family's second gate.

"So early!"

Xu Zaijing put away the refined steel long spear in his hand and watched the carriage with lanterns hanging on it go to the second gate.

"Young Master, do the three Madams have any urgent matters?" Qingyun on the side asked.

Xu Zaijing shook his head: "Don't know! Only know it's a letter from Jing Jing Biao Ge, he really doesn't let people rest easy."

"After breakfast, you go directly to the Sheng family and ask Changbai to help ask for leave from the scholar."

"Yes, Young Master."

Finishing the exercise,

Xu Zaijing went to Madam Sun's courtyard,

looking at Zaihang sitting behind the table, Xu Zaijing hurriedly leaned over: "Brother, did Sister-in-law tell you anything?"

Zaihang shook his head: "Hualan said Mother's tone was very stern, she didn't dare to reveal a bit."

After finishing the meal,

about two hours later,

Si Hour (around 10:00 AM).

The two brothers changed into new clothes and rode the carriage toward the Earl of Chengping Zhu family.

On the way,

"What exactly happened? The servant went to Jing Jing Biao Ge's house once and didn't even enter the gate."

Zaihang said, still puzzled.

Xu Zaijing lifted the carriage curtain, looking at the Bianjing streets after the winter snow: "Brother, Mother shouldn't be like last time... causing a misunderstanding based on a few words, right?"

Zaihang: "No, this time it's a letter."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 418 =====