Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 425 - 423

Marquis Shengping’s Mansion

Today, Mrs. Liu from Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion and Di Shaowei’s mother Mrs. Lu paid a visit.

Di Shaowei had already greeted Xiao’er.

Mrs. Liu was aware of their intentions, but Ming Jingya’s situation was a bit complex. She was a county magistrate’s illegitimate daughter, and although her brother now holds a post at the Hanlin Academy, he is just a compiler.

Most importantly, Ming Jingya ran away from a marriage to come to the Imperial Capital, and news of this...well, to put it plainly, it mattered not if people didn’t mind, but if they did, it was a sin punishable by death.

And Di Shaowei is the only male descendant of the Di family! He will be the future heir to both the Marquis Zhongyong Mansion and the General Mansion, and he is the only nephew of the empress.

With such an illustrious lineage, it’s perfectly suitable for him to marry a princess.

Mrs. Liu treated Shen Nirui as her own niece, and Ming Jingya, being Shen Nirui’s young sister-in-law and her own daughter’s close friend in the boudoir, naturally hoped that she could have a good future.

Mrs. Liu couldn’t have been more satisfied with a boy like Di Shaowei. If Xiao’er hadn’t been engaged, and Yun’er hadn’t had Brother Ri, and since Xi’er was too young to mention, she’d like to take such a good boy as her own son-in-law.

Mrs. Liu has always treated people sincerely. The Di family could definitely find out the truth if they wanted to investigate someone. So, after praising Ming Jingya, she also revealed her true situation, and lamented sadly, "What a pity for such a good girl not to have a better birthright. It’s like she’s being pushed into a sea of suffering by her narrow-minded legitimate mother."

Then Mrs. Liu casually mentioned how the county magistrate’s wife treats Ming Zhijie and Shen Nirui.

"That Mrs. Ming treats her husband’s illegitimate son and daughter terribly! It’s good that she ran away from that engagement! She could never marry such a scoundrel!" It’s fortunate she didn’t go through with it, otherwise, Mrs. Liu wouldn’t have a daughter-in-law. Mrs. Liu’s grandson had told her about Miss Ming’s situation, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about Mrs. Ming.

Now it seems they’ll have to find a way to successfully propose marriage! Otherwise, Mrs. Ming would probably try to stop it!

As for her reputation? In Mrs. Liu’s view, as long as the girl they bring back as their daughter-in-law has a good relationship with her grandson and is loyal and faithful, can withstand the loneliness of her husband’s long-term battlefields, that’s enough.

It doesn’t matter if she’s the legitimate daughter or an illegitimate one! Running away from a marriage is not the same as being previously married, and she’s still a virtuous girl, so what does it matter? It shows that she’s a decisive person who dares to make the right choice for her own happiness!

In the future, the mistress of the Di family cannot be someone without a mind of her own, someone who follows others blindly! Otherwise, when the men are defending the country outside, if there’s no woman in charge at home, disaster will surely strike!

Mrs. Lu, however, remained silent. She was not happy with Li Mingfang initially, and it was only after her son had returned from the battlefield and voluntarily broke off the engagement that she chose to celebrate. If the situation hadn’t been inappropriate, she would have even lit firecrackers to celebrate!

She had originally intended to marry her niece from her mother’s family, who was not only beautiful but alluring. Unluckily, her son refused outright, saying that if he had to marry his cousin, he would station himself in the south, then would return only after he had married a wife and had a son.

Her son might seem accommodating at first glance, but he’s as stubborn as his father and there’s nothing she can do about it, so she has no choice but to continue to help him find a wife.

The ones she finds for him, he doesn’t like, and the one he finds for himself is not only illegitimate but also a runaway bride! She feels a bit frustrated that her excellent son is matched with such a woman as his wife!

Another reason for her frustration was that she recently went to Yuelao Temple, where she drew a very good fortune stick. The monk said that her son’s marriage star had moved, indicating that Elder Yue was personally arranging an excellent marriage for him. Breaking off this destined marriage would result in death for one side and a lonely old age for the other.

She had promised at the time not to break off the good marriage that Elder Yue had arranged personally. And to thank Elder Yue, she donated 10,000 taels! Now she’s not sure if she can get those silver banknotes back! What a scam!

She lamented...how unlucky her son was! He was always on the bad side of Elder Yue, who didn’t seem to care who he tied the red knot to, without checking who the person was!

If they didn’t comply, they would either die or spend the rest of their lives alone. This was like tricking her out of 10,000 taels and not letting her revoke it!

The collapse of the General’s wife’s inner world was unknown to anyone.

Seeing her silent, Mrs. Liu said:

"Isn’t that the case? Who would want to marry into such a situation! Jingya has a good temper and is beautiful if only Rui’er were not more than three years younger than her. I would have wanted her as my own daughter-in-law. Alas, she couldn’t control her birth. Perhaps it’s a match made by destiny. The day Miss Ming escaped from her wedding and arrived outside the Imperial City, she encountered danger and was saved by Shaowei. It’s clear they’re destined for each other."

"When did Miss Ming arrive in the Imperial Capital?" Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lu asked.

After thinking for a moment, Mrs. Liu gave a date.

The General’s wife felt even more upset!

She decided she would never go to Yuelao Temple again in her life! The day she went to Yuelao Temple was the day her son met Miss Ming. She strongly suspected that her donation of 10,000 taels had touched Elder Yue, who immediately arranged a marriage!

Her son had just broken off an engagement, and Miss Ming was running away from her marriage! Elder Yue probably paired them together to save trouble!

Oh well, she was still virtuous!

She could tell that her son sincerely liked that girl. He had never even felt this way about Li Mingfang.

Having accepted reality, she asked: "Marriage relies on the command of the parents and the words of the matchmaker. Has Miss Ming’s engagement been broken off yet?"

"Young Master Ming has already written a letter back home asking his father to break off the engagement, and it seems the engagement has been eliminated," said Mrs. Liu. Hearing this, Mrs. Liu knew that the matter was almost settled and she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Shaowei had personally begged her to persuade his mother.

"Since that’s the situation, let’s find a matchmaker and propose a marriage in Shengping County. I’m getting older and I’m afraid I won’t live for many more years. I wish to hold my great-grandson before I step into the coffin, otherwise, I won’t be able to rest in peace. My grandson finally found someone he fancies. How about we settle this matter of Xi’er as soon as possible?"

"As a daughter-in-law, I will listen to what the elderly lady has to say." How could she refuse at this point? She had put it like that! Since he was a child, her son could say the sun came out in the evening and the moon was up during the day, and his grandmother would always smile and agree with him, never going against his wishes. She could never discipline her son.

When his son told his grandmother that he had someone he liked but there was a gap in their family status, his grandmother laughed and said that family status didn’t matter to him. Even if her grandson liked a sow, she would help him marry it, as long as he truly liked it!

Now Elder Yue refuses to let them break off the engagement, while the old lady agrees with it. What else can she do?

"Great! One of my worries is finally resolved!"

"I should send a letter home too, asking my sister-in-law to lend a hand."

"It’s really inconvenient for you." The old lady was pleased to hear this.

"It’s what I should do."

"In that case, we’ll take our leave. I need to go back and find a good day for them to get married as soon as possible. I’ll be able to embrace my grandson sooner." The elderly lady stood up.

Mrs. Liu quickly stood up as well, urging them to stay for dinner.

But the elderly lady was not in the mood to eat at all. She was eager for a daughter-in-law to serve tea, eager to hold her grandson, and didn’t feel like eating until the date was set.