Song Xingzhi lived during the reign of Emperor Huizong

Chapter 19

Tang's mother was indifferent and ignored her, simply saying indifferently, "The young master and granddaughter's parents are not here, so I dare not make a decision on my own. Marriage is a major event that still needs the parents' approval."

“Mother, if you give the word, how can Second Brother not listen? This is a wonderful marriage; it would be a great pity to miss it.” Liu Shi seemed oblivious to Tang's mother's cold expression and continued to smile.

“It would probably be better if Lord Liu spoke directly to my son, Ziyuan, besides, my granddaughter already has someone she likes.” She tilted her head, and Shiyi Qiushui brought her a cup of hot tea. “The young master of the Cui family next door has already given me a token of his affection, and I have accepted it on his behalf. Breaking off the engagement is not a good thing.”

Madam Liu pursed her lips and smiled again, "Even so, it's not officially settled yet. If we miss out on my cousin's family, Guazi will probably regret it. Should we send someone to talk to Old Madam Cui?"

Liu Jinshan just sat there, not saying a word, watching her cousin persuade others with a half-smile.

"What did you send someone to tell me?"

As the curtain of the hall was lifted, an elderly woman with white hair and a kind face entered, accompanied by a boy who looked to be about ten years old. Granny Tian followed behind, discreetly retreating behind Tang's mother and nodding to her. Upon seeing the old woman, Liu Jinshan quickly rose and performed a courteous bow—it turned out to be Cui's mother with Cui Shiran.

Cui's mother held the title of a second-rank noblewoman. Upon her arrival, everyone except Tang's mother hurriedly stood up to pay their respects, which she acknowledged. She then sat in the seat that Liu Jinshan had offered.

Seeing that Liu Jinshan was seated, Tang's mother suddenly said, "Lord Liu, shouldn't you pay your respects to the young master of the Cui family?"

Liu Jinshan looked at her in surprise: "What do you mean by this, old lady?"

"Isn't Liu Guozhang a nominal disciple of Longhu Mountain? You should pay your respects to the senior for your father's sake." Tang's mother spoke calmly, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Liu Jinshan looked at his cousin in surprise. Liu nodded with a cold face. He then stood up and bowed to Cui Shiran: "May I ask which senior you are?"

“I belong to the Zong generation,” Cui Shiran said calmly. Liu Jinshan, hearing that this generation name was three or four ranks higher than his father's, had no choice but to perform a deep bow. Cui Shiran accepted it without question, ignoring him, and after bowing to him, he nodded as a greeting. He glanced at where He Sushi and his sister were sitting, then turned and stood beside his grandmother.

"Is the Liu family trying to steal my grandson's marriage?" Madam Cui asked casually as she took the tea brought by the maid.

"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Liu Jinshan wiped the sweat from his brow and said with a forced smile, "If I had known it was about me, I wouldn't have dared to even think of such a thing."

"Don't say I'm deceiving you. I think their eldest daughter is quite good, and you won't find anyone more suitable for your youngest son. Today, I'll take the lead and act as your matchmaker, how about that?" Madam Cui tested the tea temperature and said casually.

"Yuanfang, go and pay your respects to Lord Liu," Tang's mother said to her eldest granddaughter with a relaxed expression.

"I'm not going!" He Yuanfang said coldly. "Whoever wants to marry him can marry him. Liu Quanli is just a son born to a concubine. He's not smart and he's dull-witted. He's not even worthy of one of my fingernails. Don't even think about me marrying him."

Liu Jinshan awkwardly held the teacup, her face flushing red and then pale. Tang's mother simply instructed, "Granny Tian, the eldest young lady seems a bit dazed. She probably caught a chill last night and isn't feeling well. Please take her to rest."

Granny Tian responded and went out, taking Yuanfang with her as they prepared to leave.

Madam Cui asked casually, "Is Lord Liu's youngest son born to Consort He?" Liu Jinshan stood there, his anger unfounded, and could only nod, then said, "Although my youngest son was born to a concubine, he is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and will certainly not disgrace the He family's daughter."

Yuanfang stood there coldly. Several maids came to pull her away, but since she was their mistress, they didn't dare to be too rough. Yuanfang broke free and turned to Liu Jinshan, yelling, "Your son is a good-for-nothing, what talk of literary and martial arts?! Who are you trying to fool?! If anyone dares to let me marry him, I'll kill myself right here!" Seeing this, the old women quickly dragged her away. Liu Shi looked helpless. "Brother Jinshan, I've spoiled this child rotten. Her maternal grandmother dotes on her too much, making her unruly. I'm really sorry."

"It's alright, it's alright. Children are always prone to believing what others say," Liu Jinshan said awkwardly. "Since the grandmother spoils her, it's a good thing that the child has his own opinions."

During their conversation, the two seemed to have completely ignored Tang's mother, their own grandmother. But Tang's mother didn't respond; she simply accepted the newly served tea and sipped it slowly.

Chapter Thirty, Hidden Matters

The "Propaganda Officer" function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now! He Su sat in an inconspicuous spot watching Yuan Fang being dragged away, feeling that things had taken a very sudden turn for the worse.

She never expected that it would be Liu Jinshan, nor did she expect that he would want to arrange a marriage with someone from the household. What she didn't expect was that he would set his sights on her. And now the focus has shifted to Yuanfang, who seemed to be living a peaceful life.

Actually, if He Yuanfang had kept quiet, she would have been fine. Liu Jinshan seemed to be arranging a marriage for his son, but his real purpose was clearly to get closer to the second branch of the family. She just hadn't expected that He Sucheng was already engaged to Cui Shiran, nor that Cui's mother would bring her grandson, and she certainly hadn't expected He Yuanfang to blurt out anything without thinking.

After taking a sip of tea, and seeing that no one in the hall spoke, Madam Tang said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Lord Liu. My granddaughter has been spouting nonsense, having heard rumors from who-knows-where. But her heart is good. What do you think?"

“Well… the eldest daughter is straightforward, which is certainly a good thing, but she is a bit too old.” Liu Jinshan looked regretful. “How about this, the younger son’s birth mother has a lower status, but my third daughter is thirteen years old. How about we arrange a marriage between her and the young master of the manor? What do you think, Madam?”

He Suchen gave his older brother a strange look. He couldn't even find a wife, and now he had to marry off his daughter? Were the two of them, brother and sister, really that sought after?! Did this guy just have a problem with the second wife?

Liu Shi changed her expression and looked up, "Mother, I've met that third young lady. She's my cousin's biological daughter. She's excellent in character, appearance, and talent. Even the Empress often praises her. It's truly a blessing for Shi Ge'er to marry her. They're a perfect match."

"Even the Empress often praises him, how could our child be worthy of him? Don't ruin his life," Tang's mother said indifferently.

"What do you mean by that?" Liu Jinshan asked impatiently. "Your young master is both talented and renowned. Our two families are well-matched. Why does the old lady have to be like this?"

"Mother, what are you really thinking?" Liu asked.

“The He family is not qualified to arrange a marriage for the young master, Lord Liu, you should stop thinking about it.” Cui’s mother, who had been sitting and drinking tea, suddenly said, “I vaguely heard the Empress Dowager say that she would personally arrange a marriage for the eldest son of the He family. If you are really interested, you might as well go to the palace.”

Liu Jin was stunned, and Liu Shi also suddenly turned her head, looking completely bewildered—even the Empress Dowager had been brought up, so what kind of marriage was this!

She put down her teacup and said, "Sister, I was planning to talk to you tonight, but I didn't expect you to have guests here, so I'll head back now. Come over and visit in a few days if you're free." After she finished speaking, she pointed to Cui Shiran and said, "My brother-in-law needs to see your Shi-ge'er. How about letting him stay at your place tonight?"

Tang's mother smiled and agreed, then stood up to see her off. Everyone in the room bowed and greeted her. Liu Jinshan followed along with a gloomy face, and later, using the excuse that it was getting late, they simply left together.

---This is the legendary scene-changing dividing line---

"This is just a temporary measure, I hope you won't take it to heart."

The He Mansion under the cover of night was shrouded in darkness by the new moon, which was obscured by clouds. The night also obscured the artificial hill, the bamboo outside the corridor, and the elegant scenery of the day.

Once Cui Shiran started speaking, he felt it wouldn't be difficult to continue. "Please don't worry, saying that Su Chen and I are engaged is just a cover-up." He smiled gently. "Because of some things between adults, we children have now been involved. In order to avoid being dragged into it, my sister can only suffer a little."

He Suchen was still embarrassed, but after hearing this, she breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, "It's okay, I know."

In fact, Cui Shiran's words were somewhat irresponsible. Since she had already said that He Suchen was engaged to her, it would naturally spread, and it was unlikely that anyone would propose to her again.

The second room wasn't far, just a few minutes' walk away. Although He Sucheng had countless things to say and countless questions to ask his brother, he could only grit his teeth, smile, and say goodbye before returning to his room because Cui Shiran was there. He Sushi and Cui Shiran stayed up late that night in the study by candlelight before finally falling asleep.

The next day, not long after she had finished washing up, Dongkui came in and asked, "Young Master and Young Master Cui are waiting for you in the side hall for your meal. Are you ready?"

"Granny, is it convenient? That's a young man." He Suchen turned her head to look at Granny Sun, who was tidying the bed. This old lady was very particular about the separation of men and women, and she didn't want to go out and be dragged back.

"It's alright, that young master isn't an outsider, just treat him like your own brother." Granny Sun straightened up. "The old lady said that there's no need for such formalities between the He and Cui families, and besides, young master Cui is the most polite person around."

……cold……