My younger sister insisted on marrying me and made me the Marquis' wife.

Chapter 109 Don’t let the wealth go to outsiders

Qin Yuan had just woken up and was still a little dazed. Hearing this, she asked, "Which Miss Xu?"

Hongye whispered, "She's sitting outside. She's the Sixth Madam's niece, Xu Zhen."

"Oh."

Qin Yuan finally came to his senses.

It came so quickly.

"Why don't you come sit in the hall?"

Hongye whispered, "She said they are all women in the family, so they are waiting in the living room outside."

Qin Yuan stopped talking, and the expression on her face was not very good.

Hongye said hurriedly, "I have hinted to her several times, but she just seemed not to understand and just walked straight this way. It's lucky that the Marquis is not at home now. If he were at home, what would happen if he saw us? I didn't expect that she, an unmarried girl, could be so familiar with others."

If the host hadn't invited me, I really shouldn't have barged in.

Xu Zhen will continue to stay here for a while. If he breaks the rule once, it will become a habit.

Qin Yuan thought to herself that they were not that familiar with each other yet.

Even if you are familiar with each other, you shouldn't be like this.

Qin Yuan snorted and said, "Just this once. Next time you come, find a way to invite her to sit outside."

Hongye agreed with a bitter face.

Cui Ming was not around and Hong Ye was not very good at combing her hair, so Qin Yuan did not do any complicated hairstyle. She just tied her hair into a bun and inserted a gilded double-strand gold hairpin. The handle of the hairpin was inlaid with some colorful broken gems, which sparkled.

Qin Yuan pondered for a moment and decided to wear a shirt suitable for meeting guests. The lapels and cuffs were intricately embroidered, which made her smoky purple gauze skirt look more dignified.

It took about a quarter of an hour to get dressed.

Qin Yuan held Hongye's hand and walked out.

Xu Zhen was still wearing the same dress she had worn this morning. When she saw her coming, a flash of surprise flashed across her eyes. She stood up and said with a smile, "Madam Hou, I'm here at the wrong time. Am I disturbing your rest?"

As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person. Qin Yuan said, "It's okay. I'm not a sleepy person. I just want to lie down. It's time to get up at this time."

The two sat down as host and guest, and Xu Zhen said with a smile, "I've often heard from my aunt that Madam is well-read and elegant. Now I have the chance to see her in person, and it's true. Even the decoration of Madam's room is unique."

"Oh?" Qin Yuan pretended to be interested and asked, "How is it different?"

Xu Zhen said shyly, "I haven't read much, so I can't really explain it, but I just feel that the things in Madam's room are not as tacky as those in other people's rooms, and the fragrance is also very good. It's so hot in the summer, and I can calm my mind just by sitting there."

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "It's just that there is ice in the room. You just walked in from outside and you felt cool."

Xu Zhen smiled and said, "Aunt said that Madam is very knowledgeable and asked Zhen'er to come and talk to Aunt often to broaden her horizons. It turned out to be true."

Hongye couldn't help but secretly rolled her eyes.

If I have nothing to do all day, can't I just stick to the lady?

Qin Yuan asked, "Do you like painting or reciting poetry?"

Xu Zhen shook his head.

Qin Yuan asked again: "What kind of books do you like to read?"

Xu Zhen smiled ashamedly and said, "I didn't study much. My family said that my aunt married a good husband even though she didn't study much. I just read the Four Books for Women." Qin Yuan said, "In that case, your family is willing to let you study, which means they have high hopes for you."

Xu Zhen sighed and said, "My neighbor to the right is an old woman who has never married. She opened a private school in her home and made a living by teaching female students. She saw me often standing at the door listening to them recite, so she told my family that if the daughter could learn more words, marry into a wealthy family and manage the household affairs, and also recognize the account books, and not be fooled by the servants, then the family would be happy."

Qin Yuan asked: "Do you usually do more needlework? Your aunt said that she wants you to accompany Baozhu in embroidery. I have never seen what Baozhu embroiders, but from what they say, it should be better than Baozhu's."

Xu Zhen couldn't help laughing and said, "To be honest, Madam, I only know the common patterns. Baozhu has probably never even picked up a needle a few times in her life."

Qin Yuan couldn't help laughing and said, "Mother loves Baozhu so much that she hired a top-notch Suzhou embroidery master. I heard that a good Suzhou embroidery handkerchief in the capital costs dozens of taels of silver per square, and it's hard to get one. If she doesn't even pick up a needle, it's such a waste. If you can learn a thing or two from her, you will benefit a lot. I heard that many families pass Suzhou embroidery down to their descendants."

Since they can be passed down from generation to generation, they will naturally add weight to marriages.

Xu Zhen seemed to be thinking about something.

Seeing her expression, Qin Yuan handed over the fan in his hand and said, "Look, the pattern on this fan, plus the fan bones, is worth nearly a hundred taels of silver. We have to wait until the inner court has finished purchasing it before it's our turn to buy it. Don't you think it's amazing?"

Xu Zhen couldn't help but look at it again and again, amazed.

The two chatted for a while, and Xu Zhen didn't want to sit for long, so he said goodbye and left.

Hongye said, "If you come here every day, what will happen?"

Really worried.

Qin Yuan said: "It is human nature to want to find a good marriage, but she has not received much education, and her family background and character are not outstanding, so the second aunt will not agree."

In his previous life, although my cousin barely ranked at the bottom of the second class, he was still granted the status of a Jinshi.

It is rare to find a young and promising Jinshi.

No wonder my second aunt has such high standards and is so picky.

In this world, most women see marriage as a way out, and Xu Zhen's case is very common.

Didn't she also use her family background to try to get herself a Jinshi wife right under her stepmother's nose?
Of course, in this life, because of Qin Wan, she married better and became the marquis's wife.

Qin Yuan couldn't help but curl up the corners of her lips and gently shook the round fan in her hand.

Hongye said: "Since you have this idea, I'm afraid you want to have some relationship with the young master. It's better to be on guard."

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Well, until she does anything out of the ordinary, just treat her as a relative's little girl. My cousin hasn't met the old lady yet. I'm afraid that Sixth Master will have to interact with my cousin often in the future. I'll mention it."

The implication is that they are bound to meet each other.

Qin Siyuan can only pay attention to it himself.

If it's not possible, don't make people think about it.

To avoid embarrassment later.

From then on, Xu Zhen came more often and would stay in Wutong Garden for a while whether she had something to do or not. When Qin Yuan had time, she would talk to her, but when she didn't, she would ignore her.

Hongye had no choice but to tell the little maids to keep their eyes open and to make Xu Zhen sit in the living room as soon as she came, and not to let her enter the main room.

Several times, Xu Zhen would consciously go to the hall to wait, and occasionally bring her own embroidery to show Qin Yuan.

Madam Gu Liu would always ask Qin Yuan what she thought of her niece in the upper room, and always praised Xu Zhen. This made Madam Gu realize that something was wrong, so she avoided Qin Yuan and asked her, "What are you doing?"

Madam Gu Liu was very calm and said, "I heard that my third sister-in-law's cousin is a rare talent and has not yet married. I just want to keep the wealth within the family."

(End of this chapter)