lady, please calm down

On March 20th, the school is closed.

Maoer took this opportunity to ask Jier about the situation of the young lady from the Tang family.

Ever since Ji'er confessed to Concubine Yi in person that he had a girl he liked, he had been mentally prepared to answer his mother's questions. Mother and son are connected by heart, and Ji'er knew very well what kind of woman his mother liked, so he told her about Tang Wanwan's situation.

".Although Wanwan is a girl, she is very hardworking and has her own ideas. Ten years after the founding of the country, she secretly applied for the National Higher School without telling her father, and was admitted with the fifth highest score in the whole prefecture."

Ji'er tried his best to say these words calmly, but when he introduced the other party to his mother for the first time, he still couldn't help showing some of the looks of a young man in love.

Mao'er had already come over, and could naturally see what the young man was thinking. Ji'er looked like his father, and Mao'er couldn't help feeling a little dazed.

Ji'er was afraid that her story would not leave a good impression on her stepmother, so she added, "Unfortunately, Mr. Tang believes that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. He felt that Wanwan's years of studying with him were enough. He was very angry about Wanwan's secret application for a higher school, and he has not given her any tuition or living expenses in the past three years."

Since Mao'er had taken a liking to Tang Wanwan, he naturally knew everything about her over the past few years. It was precisely because Tang Wanwan's actions were in line with Mao'er's expectations of a daughter-in-law that Mao'er talked about her with his son.

But seeing that her son was in high spirits, Maoer pretended to be clueless and asked with a slightly surprised expression, "She is a little girl. If she doesn't have a father to support her, how will she get food and shelter? How will she pay for her tuition? Did you help her?"

Ji'er was a little proud when he heard this, and said, "Wanwan is self-reliant and usually doesn't want help from me. During the winter and summer vacations of her first year in high school, she earned money for food and lodging by sewing palace flowers for the Lu Family Silk Flower Shop on Xisi Street."

"Oh? The Lu family's silk flowers can be supplied to the palace, and the requirements for embroidery women's needlework skills are extremely high. I think this Tang family girl is a skilled one."

"Of course! Wanwan is not only good at studying, but also very good at needlework."

Taking the opportunity to praise his future wife, Ji'er said, "But silk flowers are paid by piece, and I couldn't bear to see her suffer too much, so last summer I asked Cao, the manager of Yurong Perfume Shop, to recruit summer workers at the school. So Wanwan got a part-time job to study, which not only made her work a lot easier, but also earned more than before."

Mao'er had already known all about this through investigation, but she still smiled gently and said, "My son is so concerned about this, he is indeed a passionate lover."

Ji'er blushed slightly at what his mother said, but still said: "Mother, my father often talked about how you managed the household and helped him achieve his career when he was poor in his early years. I feel that Wanwan is to me just like you were to my father. Wanwan is the one I have chosen, please help me, mother."

Jier mustered up his courage to say these words.

He was still unclear about his mother's plans and considerations, but he knew that as a crown prince, the chances of him being able to decide his own marriage were not very high.

That was why he revealed his true feelings to his mother before graduating, in case the decree of marriage came down one day, and then there would be no turning back for the sake of his parents' face.

Mao'er thought for a while and said, "How about this, after you graduate, let Madam Tang work with your Aunt Bailu for a year or two, and when you return from the army, I will arrange a wedding for you, how about that?"

Bai Lu rarely goes to the palace now, and puts most of her energy into the industries outside the palace. Mao'er does this, firstly to comply with Chen Chu's wish to let Ji'er go to the army for training, and secondly, to let the girl from the Tang family follow Bai Lu to get familiar with the huge business controlled by the two palaces.

To be honest, deep down, Mao'er didn't want her son to join the army. Although the situation around Da Chu has gradually become peaceful, joining the army is still dangerous and unpredictable.

However, when Ji'er heard that his mother had arranged for Tang Wanwan to follow Bai Lu for training, he couldn't help but feel excited. Aunts Bai Lu and Han Lu are the queen mother's most trusted confidants. Being able to follow them means that his mother has agreed to this marriage in principle.

Seeing her son's secret joy, Mao'er was also somewhat happy, so she took the opportunity to persuade her son again: "Your Majesty has allowed you to join the army for two years, and I will not stop you. Do you want to go to Henan Road or Liangzhe Road?"

The current commander-in-chief of Henan Road is Yang Zhen, who was recalled from Liaodong a few years ago. Mao'er can rest assured that he can leave his son to Yang Dalang.

Furthermore, Kaifeng Prefecture is located on Henan Road. Not only has this place been prosperous for a long time, but it is also under the eyes of the cat.

If I miss my son one day, it won’t be difficult to go and see him secretly.

Not to mention that Liangzhe Road was a prosperous place, and Qin Shengwu, who had made great contributions in the northwest, was appointed as the governor-general of Liangzhe.

Ji'er works for his cousin, so why should he be worried?

The cat is doing this with good intentions.

Unexpectedly, Ji'er looked at his mother with a slightly guilty look, then lifted his front lapel, knelt down, and said, "Mother, I have made up my mind. I plan to serve in the navy under General Shi and go out to sea for some experience!"

When the cat heard this, his face immediately fell.

Due to the personalities of the Shi brothers, the navy has had a rebellious temperament since the day it was formed; coupled with the navy's mission of going through wind and waves, over the past decade or so, in order to seize shipping routes, they have fought with pirates, Luzon, Brunei, and even the Arab countries.

Relying on the iron cannons of the Great Chu, the navy won more battles than it lost, but it was also the most risky destination among all the armies of the Great Chu.

Although His Majesty hoped that Ji'er would join the army for training, he had never planned where he should go. Why did this child choose the most unsafe place?

"Mother~"

Seeing his mother's displeasure, Ji'er knelt down and took two steps, shouting like he did when he was a child.

Mao Er waved her hands and said angrily, "Don't act like a good kid here! Can't you feel sorry for your mother for once? Why do you have to risk your life on the sea when you can go anywhere else? How can your mother feel at ease if you join the navy?"

That’s true, two years is neither long nor short.

If Ji'er had gone to the navy, I'm afraid Mao'er would have trouble sleeping at night in the next two years.

Hanlu, who was standing behind Mao'er, stepped forward, helped Ji'er up, and said, "Your Highness, your Majesty has fought for half his life and finally brought peace and prosperity to our Great Chu. In the past, every time your Majesty went to war, your Majesty would lose her appetite and worry about him. How could she not lose a few pounds? Now that we have finally had a few years of peace, your Highness should not make your Majesty worry anymore."

Hanlu is not only Mao'er's close attendant, but also one of the family members who raised Ji'er.

What she said was what was in Mao'er's heart, and Ji'er would not be dissatisfied with Hanlu's persuasion.

But he stood up, sat down next to Mao'er with a smile on his face, held his mother's hand, and explained in detail: "Mother, my father said in his early years that the future of Da Chu lies on the sea, but the threat is also on the sea. Now, nearly 25% of our tax revenue comes from maritime trade, and maritime trade is reaching new highs every year. The first half of my father's words has come true. Although there is no sign of the second half for the time being, we must be on guard. If I inherit the throne in the future, how can I be ignorant of the important ocean areas?"

"Smiling like a frivolous kid! Just like your father in his past!"

Mao'er knew that what his son said made sense, but he got angry when he saw his look and raised his hand to pretend to hit him. However, Ji'er no longer ran away with his head in his hands like he did when he was a child. Instead, he smiled and took the initiative to show his back to Mao'er.

The hand that hit him finally landed lightly on Ji'er's back. Mao'er sighed and said with a slightly sad tone: "In the early years, mother was always worried about your father. Now it's your turn to make mother worry. You and your son are both worry-free."

The words of reproach were filled with deep maternal love, which made Ji'er unable to laugh. He only lowered his head slightly, as if he felt very guilty for making his mother worry, and he seemed to be struggling with his thoughts, wondering whether to continue to stick to his ideals or stay with his mother to fulfill his filial duty.

Seeing this, Mao'er suddenly smiled and said, "When you come back, mother will quickly arrange a marriage for you! From now on, let your wife worry about you. Mother is too lazy to care about you!"

Seeing that his mother's mood had improved, Ji'er felt relieved. After chatting with his mother for a while, he said goodbye and left.

The sun was shining brightly outside the palace. Ji'er's figure moved from near to far, from clear to blurry, and finally disappeared outside the palace gate.

At this moment, it is like a microcosm of life between mother and child. Raising a child is a process of watching the child drift away.

It seemed like just a blink of an eye was all it took for the baby who didn't want to leave his mother's arms to grow into a tall and ambitious teenager who was eager to break away from his parents' wings.

Hanlu saw that Mao'er looked a little lonely, and couldn't help but whispered: "Your Highness, His Highness was clearly shaken just now, why did Your Highness change her mind now?"

With a silent sigh, the cat withdrew its gaze and said, "Back then."

Mao'er paused suddenly, and the image of the young Chen Chu smiling in front of him emerged in front of him. Mao'er subconsciously raised the corners of his lips and smiled, "His Majesty was like this back then, unwilling to have a moment of peace. If you cry and whimper and forbid him to do this or that, he might listen to you, but if he is unhappy, I will be unhappy too. Ji'er is grown up now, and he wants to learn from his father to be a man, so let him go on his own."

It's May in a blink of an eye.

Mao'er also knew that after students graduated from higher education, most parents would start looking for wives for their daughters. In order to prevent the elders of the Tang family from arranging a marriage for Tang Wanwan without her knowledge, they sent someone to find a matchmaker and went to the Tang family in Sanshilipu, west of Beijing, to inquire about marriage.

May 12th was a good day. Yue Niangzi, a famous matchmaker in Tokyo, wore a bright red dress early in the morning, brought a few helpers, and carried wild geese, sheep and deer, four kinds of Beijing fruits, four kinds of candies and other gifts as gifts. She asked around and found the door of the Tang family in Sanshilipu.

Unexpectedly, the young lady from the Tang family was quite popular and there were already two groups of matchmakers in her family.

Yes, not to mention that Miss Tang has an excellent appearance and figure, her status as a graduate of a higher education institution is very attractive. Those with short-sightedness may see that marrying Miss Tang means having one more person in the family who can earn a high salary.

Those with a long-term vision understand the significance of higher education schools. It is extremely difficult to get into this school. Past graduates either became officials or clerks. The worst of them could become shopkeepers in large trading companies.

This is the connection!

But Lady Yue was not panicking at all. The person who asked her to do the job this time was Lady Bai Lu, one of the five shopkeepers of Sihai Trading Company!

Not only is Lady White the widow of the martyr Bai Yutang, but there are also rumors that she was born to the Empress.
In short, this White Snake is not a simple person.

Yue Niangzi originally mingled among wealthy families and low-level officials, acting as matchmakers for their children. She was one of the more prestigious matchmakers.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Lady White found out about Lady Yue and asked her to act as a matchmaker.

Yue Niangzi naturally did not dare to neglect Bai Niangzi's instructions. Just by looking at the betrothal gifts that Bai Niangzi prepared today according to ancient customs, it can be seen that Bai Niangzi attaches great importance to this matter.

The only thing that made Yue Niangzi embarrassed was that Bai Niangzi not only did not give her the man's horoscope, but also did not tell her who the man was from. She only said that he was from a wealthy family with a kind father and a virtuous mother.
Although this was a bit difficult for Yue Niangzi, but considering the golden cake given by Bai Suzhenzi, Yue Niangzi had to get the matter done no matter what.

According to the rules, the matchmakers cannot enter the house at the same time.

Although Madam Yue had some reputation in the matchmaker circle, she would not break the rules. The matchmakers who were also waiting outside the yard recognized Madam Yue, and when they saw her coming in person and bringing a betrothal gift that far exceeded their own, they couldn't help but feel a little weakened.

"Oh! It's Miss Yue herself! Which young master invited you?"

The matchmaker outside the yard came forward to greet them, smiling coquettishly, but she was complaining in her heart.

Madam Yue was proud of her status and smiled without saying anything, with an attitude that said, "I'm here, and everyone here is trash."

At this moment, the matchmaker who entered the yard first came out holding gifts and looking frustrated.

Most of the matchmakers knew each other. When the matchmaker walked out of the courtyard and saw Lady Yue standing outside, she was startled and subconsciously said, "Hey, why did Lady Yue come to our country?"

Madam Yue continued to act arrogantly, smiling without saying anything.

It is said that people in the same profession are enemies. This matchmaker herself failed to do the job, so of course she did not want to see Madam Yue succeed in the matchmaking. She said sarcastically: "Madam Yue is going to run into a snag this time. Mr. Tang in the courtyard doesn't even like the second son of Mr. Ma from Majiazhuang. I don't know what rich son-in-law she is waiting for!"

For the last few sentences, the matchmaker deliberately raised her voice, as if she was afraid that Tang Jianqiu in the courtyard couldn't hear it.

Mr. Ma was a well-known landlord in the west of Beijing. However, after the land reform in Kaifeng Prefecture was launched in the 11th year of Fuchang, he was tactful enough to accept the court's plan of redemption.

After exchanging the land for a sum of money, Mr. Ma did not sit back and enjoy the wealth. Instead, he started a Huaibei fine cloth business. Today, he is still a well-known wealthy family within a radius of dozens of miles.

Considering the gap between the Tang family and the Ma family, the former can be said to be marrying above his station.

Unexpectedly, the old scholar Tang Jianqiu was so ungrateful that he politely declined the marriage proposal.

The matchmaker, who was originally full of confidence, had already made a promise in front of Mr. Ma. Now that the matter could not be fulfilled, she naturally felt resentful.

When the matchmaker who was waiting outside the courtyard saw this, she realized that the people she entrusted were far inferior to the Ma family, so she simply did not go in.

Inside the courtyard, Tang Jianqiu, who had worked as a private school teacher for many years, was filled with anger after hearing the matchmaker's slander outside the door.

He has had a lot of setbacks in his life over the years.

Although he caught up with the land reform when he moved to the west of Beijing in the first year of the founding of the country and was allocated some land, Tang Jianqiu had been making a living by teaching and was not good at farming.

In the first few years, the family lived a good life by relying on the tuition fees from the private school they opened at home to supplement the family income.

But since the sixth year of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Miss Zhao promoted compulsory education in the vicinity of Kaifeng Prefecture, and the number of students in his private school quickly dried up and he could no longer operate.

Tang Jianqiu was unhappy about his job being taken away, and naturally he did not agree with the messy courses in the primary school.

As if to prove which teaching method was better, Tang Jianqiu ignored his increasingly impoverished family and devoted himself to teaching his two children knowledge so that they could compete with the students in that school in the future.

But, eight years after the founding of the country, his son Tang Yinglin secretly joined the army without telling him!

This made Tang Jianqiu very angry.

Two years later, just when Old Tang had recovered, his daughter, whom he had spent so much effort to educate, applied for the National Higher School without his knowledge.

This time, Old Tang was furious.
To him, this was betrayal!
Not only did he betray the principle of "father's orders cannot be disobeyed", he also betrayed his educational philosophy!
For this reason, Old Tang was so angry that he cut off his daughter's living expenses and tuition fees. He thought that his daughter would admit her mistake and come home after losing her money.

Unexpectedly, my daughter was also stubborn and managed to study till the last year on her own.

This made Old Tang feel even more frustrated.

In fact, when the matchmaker proposed marriage for the second son of the Ma family today, Old Tang was willing in his heart. In his opinion, the Ma family was rich and his daughter would live a good life if she married into the family.

After all, she is his own flesh and blood, and Old Tang wants his daughter to have a good future.

But Tang Jianqiu also knew that his daughter was not only opinionated, but also extremely stubborn and independent. If she didn't like it, even if Old Tang agreed to it on behalf of his daughter, there would probably be trouble in the future.

Therefore, Tang Jianqiu did not agree on the spot, but waited for an opportunity to ask his wife to find out what his daughter thought.

As a father, it was frustrating enough that he couldn't make the decision for his daughter. Unexpectedly, the matchmaker mocked him in a sarcastic tone as soon as he left the hospital. How could Tang Jianqiu not be angry?

Just when he was feeling depressed, he saw Miss Yue, dressed in gorgeous clothes, walking in with her help.

Tang Jianqiu knew what the other party was up to, so he just said, "You guys go back first. My daughter's marriage will be discussed later."

"Mr. Tang, your daughter has reached the age of maturity. Don't miss the opportunity. The other party is a noble person in Beijing."

Just now, the matchmaker scolded him for trying to find a rich husband, and now Miss Yue was talking about a nobleman in the capital, which touched Tang Jianqiu's sensitive heartstrings.

Although he didn't want to be seen as someone trying to cling to the rich, Tang Jianqiu still suppressed his displeasure and asked for his daughter's sake, "Whose son?"

"Don't ask who the young master is, anyway, he is from a good family." After that, Madam Yue glanced at the slightly dilapidated courtyard, smiled and said, "Mr. Tang, please give me your daughter's horoscope first. I will do my best to make it happen. Then, you won't have to stay at your private school without students. I guarantee you will enjoy happiness with your daughter!"

Although Tang Jianqiu suffered repeated setbacks, he still had some scholarly arrogance in his bones. The matchmaker just now had already made him unhappy. Now that Miss Yue came to propose marriage, she couldn't even clearly state who the man's family was, and she asked for her daughter's horoscope as soon as she opened her mouth. He couldn't help feeling despised.

The anger in my heart could no longer be suppressed.

Tang Jianqiu suddenly stood up, picked up the gifts in the yard and threw them out, "Go! Go! Although I, Tang Jianqiu, am poor, I will not sell my daughter! Get out!"

Lady Yue was frightened and hurriedly stood up and backed away. She didn't know why the poor teacher was so angry, so she continued, "What the hell are you crazy about! That's the family Lady Bai entrusted to her. Even if he's not the son of an official, he's at least a wealthy man!"

Hearing this, Tang Jianqiu became even more annoyed. Fortunately, his wife heard something was wrong and walked out of the house quickly to hug him. However, Tang Jianqiu pointed at Yue Niangzi and scolded her, "It doesn't matter if you are an official or a rich man, you won't marry me. Even if the emperor comes, my daughter will not marry the family you mentioned!" (End of this chapter)