Chapter 75: Cold Melon, Hot Melon—Please Eat the Melon [Thank You All for Your Support

After some thought, Sun Shi said:

“Sister, what do you think of the eleventh son of the Hu Yan family? Does he have any concubines or outside mistresses? How is his family?”

Wu Dangzi said:

“She’s still a mother with some conscience.”

Sun Shi gave her a light slap, displeased.

Wu Dangzi said: “If you won’t listen, I won’t speak. Hmph.”

Bai Shi, sitting nearby, chimed in:

“Sister, I want to hear.”

“I haven’t heard of any concubines for the eleventh son. Besides the main house, the other two branches are decent too. The second son of the Jinghai Marquis died young; he only has these four sons. The fifth son controls maritime trade in Dengzhou, while the third and fourth hold shares in the grain transport routes.”

“Why would the main house be like this?” Sun Shi asked, curious.

“Hmph, isn’t it because the Marquis’s first lady favors the eldest son? After all, the Jinghai Marquis title goes to the firstborn. With three branches supporting him, why bother striving?”

Sun Shi listened, weighing the words in her mind.

Wu Dangzi continued:

“Pan Dangzi of the fifth branch has been in Dengzhou all along; I don’t know her well—you’ll have to judge for yourself. But I’ve noticed she may not come from a grand, noble family, yet her bearing is unmistakably refined. She reminds me a bit of Bai’s younger sister.”

Bai Shi nodded and said: “Sister, are you saying this first lady was raised in luxury?”

Wu Dangzi raised her teacup toward Bai Shi, tilting it slightly—a gesture meaning: clever.

Bai Shi told Sun Shi: “Sister, there’ll be less family scheming over wealth. When the time comes, your sister Wu and I will stand by you.”

Sun Shi: “Then I’ll leave it to the two of you.”

“Good. I’ll tell the Hu Yan family.”

“Thank you, sister.” Sun Shi bowed deeply, sincerely.

“I’m off.”

“If this match is settled, it truly would be a fine union,” Bai Shi said.

Jinghai Marquis Mansion

Hu Yan fifth branch

Hu Yan Jiong sat at his desk, bouncing his leg. After a while, he stood and walked to the main hall.

“Has Mother returned yet? How long has she been gone?”

“Young Master, the mistress has not returned.”

He returned to his study, picked up a book on shipbuilding, read a few pages, then sighed heavily.

“Fu Ding, do you think Mother was turned down?”

The servant Fu Ding replied:

“Young Master, the mistress wouldn’t go straight to the point at another Marquis’s mansion—after all, we’ve turned down Wu Dangzi’s matchmaking several times already.”

“That’s true.”

He turned to go outside to look at the flowers and birds.

After glancing for a moment, he walked to the second gate.

His eyes strained with anticipation—he finally saw his mother’s carriage.

He hurried back to his courtyard, picked up a book, and pretended to read.

Hearing the voices of servants and maids, he knew his mother had entered the courtyard.

He walked over, feigning calm.

He said in a low voice:

Mother, was it smooth?

This first lady was surnamed Pan; the Pan family in the Donglu region, from Dengzhou to Mizhou, were genuine magnates, having amassed fortunes through maritime trade with eastern vassal states.

After marrying into the Jinghai Marquis family, their power surged further; they helped their husband control maritime transport.

Hu Yan Jiong had always been raised under her watch; his older brothers had strong ties with the noble families of Bianjing, so for Jiong, there was less urgency to climb the social ladder.

After investigating the family morals of potential matchmakers and listening to her son’s wishes, Pan Dangzi had turned down many noble families from Bianjing.

Most assumed the fifth branch, long settled in Dengzhou, didn’t understand Bianjing’s inner circles, and their marriage proposals were insincere—so none succeeded.

She had assumed Jiong was too young to care about marriage.

But yesterday, her precious son had said Xu’s younger daughter was admirable.

Pan Dangzi thought they’d exchanged private tokens; she interrogated Fu Ding, her son’s servant, and learned it was her own son’s doing.

They’d barely seen each other—only glimpsed through a screen’s crack—and her foolish son was already bewitched.

She couldn’t just show up unannounced, so Pan Dangzi brought a box of South Sea pearls to visit Yongchang Marquis Mansion.

She circled around, carefully explaining her purpose.

Wu Dangzi had originally been cold-faced—she’d visited the Hu Yan family several times, only to be rejected each time, leaving her embarrassed.

But Pan Dangzi subtly hinted at the moral failings of those other families,

and seeing the large South Sea pearls she brought, along with her humble, pleading tone—especially upon hearing it was the Xu girl—

Wu Dangzi instantly changed her demeanor: from stiff, dismissive, and unseeing, to fully attentive, nodding repeatedly, her words overflowing with praise for Pan Dangzi’s choice.

Still, Wu Dangzi didn’t promise anything outright—she only said she’d go to the Xu family to inquire.

Pan Dangzi naturally replied: “If it works, best of all; if not, these pearls are still my goodwill and apology.”

Back at the Hu Yan household,

seeing her younger son’s forced composure, Pan Dangzi said nothing, only sighed deeply, avoiding direct eye contact with Hu Yan Jiong.

Hu Yan Jiong studied his mother’s expression; his calmness slowly crumbled into panic.

“Mother, has she already been betrothed?”

Pan Dangzi remained silent.

Outside, the servant Fu Ding saw his young master’s state and quickly slipped to the side of the main hall, took a bowl of sweet soup from one of the mistress’s maids, and carried it inside.

“Ahem, Young Master.”

Hu Yan Jiong, pale-faced, looked at the tray and realized he’d been rash—

He hadn’t even greeted his mother before forgetting her, not yet married and already neglecting filial duty.

He quickly picked up the sweet soup:

“Mother, please take a moment to rest.”

“That’s better.”

Pan Dangzi accepted the sweet soup.

She glanced at her son, exasperated:

“Stop pretending. Wu Dangzi didn’t say Xu’s daughter is betrothed—she’s already gone to the Xu family. We’ll know soon enough.”

Hu Yan Jiong quickly lowered his head to hide his ecstatic expression.

He said cheerfully: “Thank you, Mother.”

“Hmph. You haven’t even met her, and you’ve already lost your soul. You’re making me proud.”

“Mother, I—I haven’t.”

In the evening, the fifth branch of the Jinghai Marquis Mansion received a note from Wu Dangzi, inviting Pan Dangzi to the Yongyi Marquis Mansion for tea.

That night, Sun Shi sighed in her courtyard:

“What sin have I committed? Every time our children’s marriages come up, my husband is never home.”

She wrote another letter, paid silver, and sent it by express courier to the Western Army.

She glanced at Xu Anmei, still playing with Xu Zaijing in the room, and said:

“An’er, come here. Mother has something to say to you.”

Xu Anmei, unconcerned, replied: “It’s just a few aunts coming for tea, right? I know, Mother—I won’t be rude.”

The Great Zhou Imperial Palace.

The Prince is healthy; the Empress, in better spirits, seems to be growing younger.

Though Imperial Consort Rong is much younger than the Empress, the two standing together appear nearly the same age.

Moreover, the Empress’s complexion rivals even the young Imperial Consort Rong—everyone’s eyes are inevitably drawn to her.

It’s not that Imperial Consort Rong isn’t beautiful, but she lacks something in aura.

The palace attendants could tell; the Emperor felt it even more acutely.

These days, the Emperor has gone nowhere else—he sleeps only in the Empress’s palace. But the Empress has grown weary of him and urges him to visit other concubines.

Today, irritated by her insistence, the Emperor went straight to Imperial Consort Rong’s palace.

The Empress, meanwhile, gently patted the Prince while listening to her attendants’ report.

“Your Majesty, Wu Dangzi sent word early: the younger son of the Jinghai Marquis, Xiao Jiong, is interested in Xu’s daughter, Anjie. Tomorrow, they’ll go to the Xu family for a meeting.”

Hearing “Xu,” the Empress’s lips lifted slightly as she looked at her son.

“Jiong?”

“The eleventh son of the Hu Yan family,” the attendant replied.

The Empress paused, then said:

“His mother is from the Pan family of Dengzhou, yes?”

“Yes.”

“They’re among the wealthiest families in the east. Tomorrow, pick a good time and send two baskets of the black jade watermelons from our household to the Xu family.”

"My lady, we've sent nine baskets from home."

"No need to worry, just send them over."

"Yes."

That day,

the hour of Wei (1 p.m.)

Wu Da Niangzi and Pan Da Niangzi arrived together at the second gate of the Xu residence.

At the second gate, Bai Shi and Sun Shi stood together; behind them was Xie Er, wife of Xu Dalang, holding Gu Tingyi by the hand.

"The weather has grown hot; thank you for waiting here so long, sister."

"Sister, you speak too formally."

After exchanging pleasantries, they entered the main hall together.

Inside the hall, large blocks of ice cooled the air, and maids fanned with reed fans; the atmosphere was refreshingly cool.

Pan Da Niangzi glanced at Bai Shi, who sat beside them as hostess, her eyes sweeping over Bai Shi’s clothing and jewelry, assessing: immense wealth—slightly surpassing even the Pan household.

As they chatted, sharing gossip Pan Da Niangzi had never heard, the room grew warm with harmony.

Twenty minutes later,

the maid Xiao Dan hurried to the hall’s entrance:

"My lady, the palace has sent imperial gifts."

A fleeting smile passed through Wu Da Niangzi’s eyes.

Sun Shi looked slightly startled.

After a brief apology, Sun Shi hurried out to welcome the palace emissaries.

Pan Da Niangzi’s expression remained unchanged, but her eyes held a thoughtful gleam.

For the first time seeing her own work on the category recommendation list, she was extraordinarily excited.

More than that, she felt deeply humbled.

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(End of Chapter)