Fifty-two commoner girls hard to marry

  Jiang arrived at Yanshoutang, where Zou, Miao and Zhen were all present. Lady Li sat in the middle, with Cui Feng, Cui Ping and several respectable maidservants standing respectfully on either side.

  At this scene, Jiang's heart skipped a beat, why did it feel like a trial in three courts?

  She didn't dare to be negligent and quickly paid her respects to the old lady and greeted several of her sisters-in-law.

  Mrs. Li had the maids serve tea to Madam Chiang, as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but her face remained pale and stern, with a hint of majesty.

  Jiang didn't dare to mention what he had planned earlier, and instead sat quietly with his head bowed, sipping tea silently while rapidly thinking back on what he had done recently...

  Because she contributed many new things such as soap, wax pencils and candles during the Chinese New Year, this literary lady gained a lot of face in the gift exchanges with relatives and friends, so the old lady looked at her with different eyes now, and her status even surpassed that of the second lady.

  In addition to her son's recent success in the examination, the old lady was even more kind and affectionate towards her, and now her husband, Old Master San, also stood up straighter.

  But at the same time, it also attracted a lot of jealousy. The Zhens and Mias didn't need to be mentioned, even the Zous had an acidic tone when speaking.

  It's indeed the case, my 15-year-old son is not only more promising than both sons of my second husband, but also surpasses Wen Jingyue, the son of Mrs. Zou who was once a tutor to the crown prince, how can these sisters-in-law be at peace with themselves?

  Because of this understanding, she and Wen Chonghu were not dare to show any complacency even when they were in high spirits, and they were even more cautious when teaching their children.

  So she thought to herself recently... it seems like... there's nothing wrong with that, yeah, I'm sure!

  It wasn't until then that Chiang let out a silent sigh of relief.

  "Three younger brothers and sisters..." But before she could finish, Zou Shi, who was sitting opposite her, smiled and asked, "I heard that Eldest Brother's wife came over today?"

  Could it be that Yan said something she shouldn't have, this clever but not quite noble sister-in-law indeed has a bit of potential for causing trouble.

  Jiang's heart skipped a beat again, but on the surface, he still maintained a smiling expression. "Yes, my sister-in-law just left and brought over some watermelons. I was planning to send a few over to Old Lady and the sisters to try some fresh ones. Haven't had a chance yet."

  Is that all right then?

  "Hmm..." But as soon as her voice fell, Zhen Shi let out a low laugh, "The eldest aunt is indeed wealthy and lacking in refinement, starting to eat watermelon at this time... no, using watermelon as a gift for others. That watermelon is now very precious."

  Jiang's face stiffened at these words, it was clear that this was a sarcastic remark about her family's nouveau riche behavior.

  The Niao and Zou families naturally didn't intervene, but they had a look of schadenfreude and excitement on their faces, relieved that they had finally struck at the most powerful person in the mansion.

  "Fourth sister-in-law, if you want it, take it. If you don't want it, then forget it. Stop talking nonsense."

  However, at this time, there was one person who stood up for Chiang's justice, and that was Li Taijun, the highest power holder in the mansion.

  Now that Lady Li has spoken, who else dares to be presumptuous? Zhen Shi immediately shrank her head in fear, while Zou Shi and Miao Shi also hastily lowered their eyebrows and eyes, pretending to be innocent.

  Jiang looked at the old lady with a moved expression.

  The status of a merchant's wife made her always feel inferior in front of these sisters-in-law, which is also the reason why she worked hard to let her son and daughter study well.

  It just so happened that Mrs. Li didn't seem to need her gratitude, and with a wave of her hand, she dismissed the maid who was standing by, leaving only a few people, including her sister-in-law, before speaking to her in a severe tone, "I've been hearing some outrageous things these past few days, you'd better be more careful."

  As soon as these words came out, Jiang's face changed involuntarily, and his eyes stared at the old lady in horror.

  "What is most important in a daughter's family, reputation? But look at what's being spread around the mansion now - that you're going to marry off Ninth Sister to your own nephew, elevating her status by marrying down. Why would a good daughter from a noble family like ours have to marry into a merchant's household? Is it really as people say, because she's born out of wedlock and you don't want to provide the dowry?" The old lady spoke again in a stern tone.

  "Ah......no......" Jiang was frightened and immediately knelt on the ground, "Old lady, listen to me..."

  "Alright, alright, don't say anything more," Li Taijun exhaled softly, her tone also becoming gentler. "This marriage cannot be done. Don't you see how many officials in the capital have married concubines from merchant families? How can you marry Ninth Sister to a merchant? In the future, when Third Uncle, as the son of the Duke's family, mentions having a brother-in-law with a merchant background, won't people burst out laughing?"

  "Yes...yes, wife knows..." Jiang Shi naturally hurriedly nodded in agreement.

  "Ah, there's something else you might not know, which I just heard myself. The Wang family, who are also imperial merchants like your Jiang family, just sent their eldest daughter to be a concubine of the Wei Yuan Wang two days ago. Think about it... think about that useless Fifth Sister of ours. We'd rather swallow our teeth than do something so humiliating, you understand?" At this point, the old lady spoke with a tone of resignation.

  As soon as she finished speaking, not only Jiang but also Zhen on the other side was shocked. Miao's face was even more complicated, while only Zou continued to drink tea slowly, seemingly a prior informed person.

  As soon as she walked out of the gate of Yanshoutang, Jiang's family finally let out a sigh of relief.

  "Ah, madam..." Mrs. Zhou came forward to greet her, but seeing Jiang's unpleasant expression, she swallowed back the words she was about to ask.

  Jiang certainly knew what she wanted to ask, but at this moment, being scolded by her mother-in-law, she had no mood to deal with her.

  Mrs. Zhou, who was always well-informed and tactful, naturally didn't dare ask more questions, stretched out her hand to carefully support Madame Chiang, and the two of them walked forward in silence.

  "Hehe......" But just then, I suddenly heard a few laughs behind me, and then saw Miao Shi and Zhen Shi leading several maidservants to follow up.

  "Third Sister!"

  "Third brother and sister!"

  The two called out to Jiang and then smiled as they walked past him.

  Watching the backs of the two people, Jiang couldn't help but clench her fists for a moment.

  "Madam, it's better to yield to the crowd!" Old Mother Zhou had naturally seen all this and immediately began to persuade her in a soft voice.

  Jiang was taken aback for a moment, then let out a faint sigh.

  Yes, jealousy is indeed the root of all troubles. These people must have been envious of her good fortune and that's why they came up with such a vicious plan. In the past, Miao Shi had even planned to marry Fifth Sister off to the Jiang family, and Zou Shi was also involved, having taken Eighth Sister to meet Yan Shi on her own initiative.

  When it's their turn, everything they do is wrong.

  What a pity! A good marriage was ruined just like that.

  Thinking of her promise to Jiang's sister today, Jiang felt even more depressed, as if she had a thousand-pound boulder on her feet while walking.

  "Third Brother and Sister!" Just then, a voice called out from behind him.

  By the sound of it, she knew it was Zou. Jiang turned her head, preparing to accept the second wave, but what made her unexpected was that Zou not only didn't gloat over her misfortune, but also comforted her for a while.

  She's really being spoiled rotten...

  "These girls are just trouble, thinking about it now, I'm worried about Xiaobao's affairs too. Ah... although she didn't come out of my belly, but was raised in my courtyard, just like a biological daughter, I naturally want to find her a good place to go, only... it's really not that easy to say, ah..."

  Zou's two sighs made Jiang, who was also a legitimate mother, find resonance in an instant.

  Indeed, she agreed to let the ninth sister marry into her natal family not only because her nephew had a liking for this ninth sister, but also for another very important reason - the problem of this concubine-born daughter's difficulty in getting married.

  The reality is right there, she also has a biological daughter who is several months younger than her, and it's hard to take good care of both, but she can't be careless either. Public opinion is one thing, and Mrs. Li's place is even more impossible to fool.

  So she thought this was a good way, and even if she had prepared her dowry, she wouldn't have minded.

  I didn't expect...

  "In fact, what's been worrying me is not just Xiaobao," Jiang said with a worried expression at this time. "Liu Jie is the same everywhere."

  "Sixth sister?" Upon hearing this, Jiang Shi was taken aback, "The marriage of Sixth Sister is a rare find, I wonder if Elder Sister..."

  "Marriage is a matter of picking one from thousands, but..." Before she could finish speaking, Mrs. Zou spoke up, but after saying half a sentence, she closed her mouth and looked around before and after, then said to Mrs. Jiang, "Third sister-in-law, go sit in my room for a while!"

  Jiang was taken aback and hastily nodded...

  ……

  Digression

  That watermelon was quite expensive during off-season sales, no need to say more!

  Alas, another promising marriage arrangement has fallen through...