Do you know: I am Qi Heng

After school, on the way to Shou'an Hall, Qi Heng glanced at Minglan and smiled, "What have you been busy with lately, Sixth Sister?"

"I haven't been busy with anything, just doing some needlework and reading books."

"Now that the weather is getting warmer, Sixth Sister should sleep in less and go out for a spring outing."

"Who...who slept in late?"

Minglan blushed; she didn't know how Qi Heng knew.

"Sixth Miss gets sleepy as soon as she starts reading, yet she says she's been reading lately, so she must have been sleeping a lot," Qi Heng said with a smile.

Minglan then realized that Qi Heng was teasing her, and said irritably, "Young Master, you should take care of yourself. Today, the scholar reminded you not to slack off because you passed the provincial examination, but I think you have already slacked off. Otherwise, why would you be in the mood to tease me?"

She mentioned Qi Heng last time, and Qi Heng not only admitted his mistake to her face, but also took the initiative to chat with her for a few minutes afterward.

However, each time it was on the way back to Shouan Hall.

At first, Minglan was unwilling to talk to him, worried that her two older sisters would cause her trouble.

Seeing that Qi Heng was only talking to her on the way to Shou'an Hall, and that it was just casual conversation, she gradually let go of her concerns.

Over the years, the two have maintained this way of getting along, neither too close nor too distant.

"I heard from Zemei that Old Madam He brought Brother He to the Sheng family as guests?" Qi Heng asked.

"Um."

Minglan nodded, a touch of melancholy rising in her heart. She didn't know where this melancholy came from, but she couldn't shake it off.

Qi Heng frowned slightly. Recently, Old Madam He had been visiting the Sheng family quite frequently.

He remembered that before the provincial examination after the New Year, Old Madam He had visited the Sheng family twice.

After careful consideration, Qi Heng decided to marry Minglan.

Rulan was not inherently bad; from a later perspective, she seems to fit the personality of women of that era.

Qi Heng, however, did not think so. He believed that the naivety and innocence of women in later generations was a product of the environment.

To truly align with the thinking of women in later generations, a woman should be intellectually awakened, more intellectual than someone as carefree and outspoken as Rulan.

Strictly speaking, Rulan's personality was spoiled, but because she was not a bad person, she developed a personality that at first glance resembled that of women in later generations.

There is a fundamental difference between the two. Under feudal ideology, it would have been impossible to cultivate women who were truly similar to those of later generations.

Of course, this doesn't affect the fact that after marrying her, the relationship between husband and wife will be very simple.

If Qi Heng chooses to lie low, marrying Rulan would naturally be the best option.

But if she wants to do something, she needs a capable wife.

Someone who can understand him, support him, and help him behind the scenes.

This is something Rulan clearly cannot do.

Minglan is intelligent, and when he becomes an official in the future, he will be able to handle the private interactions among the families of officials.

Moreover, Qi Heng has lived two lives, so it's one thing for him to marry a young girl, but at least he should be more mature in his thinking.

These are all suitable for Minglan.

It's not that Qi Heng is materialistic and doesn't consider feelings when choosing a wife, but rather that his mental age simply makes it impossible for him to date a young girl.

Without considering emotions, he naturally has to consider practical factors.

In addition, Hai Chaoyun is also quite good, but a noble family like that would never be able to form a marriage alliance with a family as powerful and wealthy as the Qi family.

However, Minglan's status is too low, and he hasn't figured out how to get Princess Pingning to agree yet.

Qi Heng wasn't in a hurry at first, but the frequent visits from Old Madam He recently made him feel a bit of urgency.

Because of him, the He family arrived in Bianjing early on, and the husband that Old Madam Sheng initially chose for Minglan was He Hongwen.

If Old Madam Sheng agrees in advance and arranges the marriage for the two, then there's no way to change it.

Gu Tingye was able to take advantage of He Hongwen's cousin for one reason: the two families had not yet formally agreed to the marriage.

Secondly, when the new emperor ascended the throne, he granted a general amnesty, which allowed He Hongwen's cousin to return.

But thanks to Old Madam He's efforts, He Hongwen's cousin's family was not exiled.

Given that He Hongwen arrived in Bianjing early on, it's likely he didn't have that kind of relationship with his cousin.

Qi Heng and He Hongwen had a good relationship, and Qi Heng didn't want to become enemies with him because of this.

Therefore, he had to find a way to intercept the marriage and arrange the engagement before the He family.

To achieve this, the problem returns to Princess Pingning.

The marriage proposal required the parents' involvement, and if Princess Pingning did not agree, there was nothing he could do.

To directly tell Princess Pingning what happened in the drama, or to throw a tantrum and beg, is the worst approach.

If he really did that, Princess Pingning might just pull another "lovers become siblings" trope for him.

Qi Heng did not tell Minglan what he was thinking.

She didn't need Minglan's consent; as long as she could persuade Princess Pingning to propose marriage to the Sheng family, the Sheng family wouldn't refuse.

Generally speaking, before a man proposes marriage, he will test the waters and only after receiving a response from the woman will he send a matchmaker to visit her.

He went directly to her door to propose marriage, and when he was rejected, he became a laughing stock.

When two families are well-matched in terms of social standing, a failed marriage can turn them into enemies.

The Qi family was of much higher social standing than the Sheng family, yet they were seeking to marry a concubine's daughter.

If the Sheng family refuses, they will offend the Qi family to the death.

Therefore, as long as the Qi family comes to propose marriage, even if Old Madam Sheng dotes on Minglan, she will not refuse.

Moreover, Qi Heng is outstanding in every way, so she has no reason to refuse him.

After having dinner at Shou'an Hall, Qi Heng returned to his rest room, racking his brains for a solution.

I was thinking about these things during class in the afternoon, and I got a little distracted. I even got scolded by Zhuang Xuejiu a few times.

Qi Heng composed himself and began to listen attentively to the lesson.

……

During dinner that evening, I overheard my parents talking again about the daughters of some powerful and wealthy families in Bianjing.

Qi Heng's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Father, Mother, marriage is a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's word. I shouldn't interfere, but seeing that you've chosen families of powerful and high-ranking officials in Bianjing, I feel something is amiss!"

"What's wrong with it?" Princess Pingning asked calmly.

"Does Mother know why our family has always been close to the royal family?" Qi Heng asked.

"Because your maternal grandfather saved the day!"

Princess Pingning looked somewhat proud when this was mentioned.

This is the cause, not the effect.

Qi Heng shook his head and said, "Because the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion and the Duke of Qi's mansion are just noble families. Noble families may seem prestigious, but their actual influence is ultimately limited."

No matter how many favors the Emperor and Empress bestow upon the Qi family, the Qi family will only enjoy some prestige; they will have neither real power nor any influence over the court.

Princess Pingning frowned slightly. She had always been proud of her father's achievements and the royal family's favor.

But Qi Heng's words were too blunt, almost saying that the royal family's favor was only because the Qi family posed no threat.

She wanted to argue, but she couldn't accept this reality.

Princess and Prince are of the same rank. If she were a boy, would the Emperor bestow the title of Prince upon her?

This is obviously impossible.

Even if the princes of the Great Zhou Dynasty had no real power, it was still impossible.

"What does this have to do with your marriage?" Qi Xuan asked.

"If my child only holds a sinecure in the future, it will naturally have no impact."

Qi Heng said, "But if I want to hold a real position and have a better future, I cannot marry into a family of equal social standing, whether noble or civil official!"