Chapter 55: Marriage at Prince Xian's Mansion

The girls' school in the government mansion was right next to the Chuihua Gate. If Lu Ji could catch up with the private school's closing time when he returned, he would wait for Qin Xiaoning in the small bamboo forest.

Qin Xiaoning and the other young ladies walked along the path in the bamboo forest. Halfway through, the sharp-eyed Fifth Young Lady pointed ahead and said, "Isn't that Second Brother?"

As he said that, he nudged Fang Silan and said, "Hurry up and take a look."

"Where is it?" Fang Silan pushed through the crowd impatiently and tiptoed to look outside the bamboo forest.

"Second brother is here to pick up Sister Qin." The Sixth Miss turned around and urged Qin Xiaoning: "Sister Qin, please go over quickly, don't let Second Brother wait anxiously."

All the young ladies' eyes instantly focused on Qin Xiaoning, who smiled calmly, "Then I'll go first."

Having said this, he said goodbye to everyone and quickly walked out of the bamboo forest.

By the time everyone followed them out of the bamboo forest, Lu Ji and Qin Xiaoning had already walked far away.

There are two figures from their backs, one tall and one short. The man is as tall and straight as a pine tree, and the woman is slender and delicate. They combine strength and softness. Just looking at their backs, they are a perfect match.

After staring blankly for a long time, Fang Silan said to the Sixth Miss: "Your second brother looks good in his official uniform, too."

After a pause, he added: "Sister Qin is also pretty."

"They two are such a good match."

"Come on, stop being crazy here. It's still early today, come sit in my room." The Sixth Miss pulled Fang Silan to the front yard and warned her, "My second brother is a cold person with a bad temper. It's okay for you to take a sneak peek, but if you run into him, don't go up to him to provoke him. Otherwise, if he gets angry, it's not a joke."

As they were talking, they saw the eldest grandmother Li Lanchun politely leading a well-dressed woman out of the inner house. Fang Silan poked the sixth girl, "Isn't that the official matchmaker? She was the matchmaker for my brothers' marriages."

The Sixth Miss nodded and said, "She must be here to act as a matchmaker for my second brother again."

After Li Lanchun escorted the official matchmaker out of the inner house, the Sixth Girl came forward and asked, "Sister-in-law, which family is this girl from?"

Li Lanchun glared at the Sixth Girl and said, "Little girl, stop asking about these things."

After saying that, he went straight to the Anju Hall where the Duke's wife lived.

Ever since her niece came into the family, the Duchess gave her the power to manage the household, and all social interactions in the mansion were decided by Li Lanchun.

However, since it concerns the marriage of the Crown Prince Lu Ji, Li Lanchun must report to the Duke's wife.

When the Duke's wife heard that the official matchmaker had come to matchmake for her son again, she replied, "Didn't I say that for the time being, Ji'er's marriage will be put on hold."

A few days ago, her son had been unhappy with her because of his blind date with the Jiang family. Afterwards, the Duke's wife also asked her son about it, and Lu Ji had already made it clear that there was no rush for marriage at the moment.

Although her son has already reached the age for marriage, the Duchess's wife is looking forward to him getting married and settling down on Sunday. But since Lu Ji is unwilling, the Duchess's wife does not want to force him. She does not want to create a rift with her son because of this matter. Besides, the Duchess's wife knows Lu Ji's character very well. Her son is a very opinionated person. No one can force him on such matters.

Li Lanchun replied: "I have rejected all other proposals directly, but the marriage proposal mentioned by the official media today is beyond my control."

The Duke's wife was surprised when she heard this: "Whose house is this?" "It's the Prince Xian's mansion."

The virtuous King Qin was kind and upright, and had a good reputation. He was also a brother respected by the saint. Upon hearing this, the Duke's wife was silent for a long time, and murmured, "It's a good match."

Then he asked his niece, "I remember that the virtuous prince only has one daughter?"

Li Lanchun replied: "Yes, the little princess is named Huayang and has just turned seventeen."

"Do you know what his temperament is like?"

The Duke's wife knew that her son was not a gentle person, and her ideal daughter-in-law was a gentle and virtuous type.

Li Lanchun said, "I don't know much about these young noble ladies in the capital, but I did meet Princess Huayang at a palace banquet. She was pretty, but judging by her features, she looked like someone powerful."

When the Duke's wife heard this, she felt that it was not very suitable for her son.

The aunt and niece were talking about this when the Sixth Miss entered the room. Li Lanchun turned to ask her sister-in-law, "Sixth Miss, you often go out to have tea parties with the noble ladies. Have you ever been in contact with Princess Huayang of the Xian Prince's Mansion?"

When the Sixth Miss heard this, she didn't even bother to sit down and asked directly, "The official matchmaker came just now. Could it be that he wanted to introduce Princess Huayang to my second brother?"

Li Lanchun nodded: "That's right, I'm just discussing it with my mother, I wonder what kind of person and temperament the princess is like?"

"Sister-in-law, please reject this marriage proposal."

As she spoke, the Sixth Miss started to talk like a bamboo tube pouring out beans: "That Huayang is superficial and arrogant, she looks down on everyone, she is arrogant and conceited, relying on the fact that she is the only daughter of the virtuous prince, she really doesn't take anyone seriously, in our circle of noble ladies, there is no one who doesn't annoy her.

The Sixth Miss was very annoyed with Huayang. When she mentioned her, she couldn't help but bring up the past: "Last year, Huayang got a set of Shu brocade skirt and wore it to show off at the tea party. She also secretly mocked my apricot blossom shirt for being outdated. It's just Shu brocade, what's so great about it? My second brother gave me a piece of it a while ago, and the pattern is better than hers. I cut three sets of skirts. In two days, the county magistrate Huaran will hold a tea party in the other garden. I will wear that Shu brocade skirt to make her angry. Humph! This year, I must get angry back."

Seeing her daughter getting angrier and angrier, the Duke's wife interrupted her and said, "Be more generous and don't get angry."

The Sixth Miss's face turned red with anger: "Mother, if you really agree to let Princess Huayang be my second sister-in-law, I will run away from home."

"What nonsense are you talking about, kid?" The Duke's wife pulled her daughter over and said angrily, "Your sister-in-law and I only considered this marriage because of the loyalty of the virtuous king and the princess. Your second brother's wife is the future wife of the crown prince and the wife of our clan. It is a very important matter. If the girl has a bad temper, we cannot agree to her no matter how good her family background is."

As he spoke, he glanced at his daughter's flushed face and said distressedly, "My daughter is so angry just after the marriage is mentioned." Then he said to Li Lanchun, "Let's report to the official matchmaker tomorrow and tell them that we have consulted a master and Ji'er is not suitable for marriage in the next two years. Let's just forget about it."

In Prince Xian’s mansion.

After receiving the letter from Duke Ningguo's Mansion, the official media immediately went to Prince Xian's Mansion.

The wife of Prince Xian was in very poor health and had never been able to take care of things. Matters concerning her only daughter were all handled by Princess Huayang's wet nurse.

"Old sister, there was no response from the Ningguo Mansion."

As soon as the official media said this, before waiting for the waiter to finish, the nurse changed her expression and said, "Our princess is a golden branch and jade leaf, why shouldn't the Ningguo Mansion respond?"

(End of this chapter)