After giving his instructions, he thought he should at least inform Zhao and ask her to pass on a message to the Grand Madam. So he excitedly set off for Zhao's courtyard.
Madam Zhao watched as the maids took out a box of small gold locks and bracelets from the storeroom.
Since Dongge'er was raised under the name of Third Sister, as his maternal grandmother, she naturally had to show some appreciation. When Dongge'er's 100-day celebration arrived in a few days, she would have to prepare an even more generous gift. Despite her deep dislike for illegitimate children, there was still a sense of dignity for the daughter involved, so she had no choice but to endure it all.
Despite all this time of treatment, Third Sister's belly still hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy.
Zhao was anxious, but dared not show it in front of San Niang. Although Yun Shen and San Niang's relationship had returned to normal, she could only truly feel at ease if San Niang gave birth to a legitimate son soon.
We should also inquire whether there are any good doctors...
There's also the matter of Jiu Niang.
Although Zhao was looking at the red lacquered and carved box in front of her, her mind was filled with a thousand thoughts.
Ninth Sister has now risen to a high social status; her marriage is the most respectable among the concubine's daughters, even better than Fifth Sister's. Zhao Shi couldn't help but feel a little regretful. If she had arranged a marriage for Fifth Sister two years later, she might have been able to marry Fifth Sister into the Pingyuan Marquis's household.
It was just that the Ninth Sister, who had just returned to the Marquis's mansion, got a free ride.
The future Lady of Pingyuan Marquis is Ninth Sister, who is even more capable than Sixth Sister and the others. Zhao recalled Third Sister's repeated instructions to prepare a good dowry for Ninth Sister and to ensure that she was married off in a grand and glorious manner, and a sense of relief arose in her heart.
Third Sister and Ninth Sister have a good relationship, and they can support each other in the future, which will also benefit Fifth Sister and Brother Yu.
Although Yu-ge'er is young, and there are two older illegitimate sons ahead of him, with his elder sister San-niang keeping him in check and his half-sister Jiu-niang helping him, he won't be bullied.
Zhao had already sided with An Ran, so she was also preoccupied with preparing Jiu Niang's dowry.
Although the specific wedding date hasn't been set, judging from Lord Chu's demeanor, whoever is eager to get married will definitely do so this year. It seems time is running out. She was about to instruct her maid to bring the account books so she could carefully review them and decide what dowry to prepare.
At this point, her thoughts were similar to those of the Third Sister. After all, it was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, and there would likely be rewards from the palace. The Marquis of Nan'an's mansion couldn't be too shabby. She would be the first among the concubine's daughters, receiving only slightly less than the Fifth Sister.
Before she could send anyone over, An Yuanliang had already entered with a beaming smile, lifting the curtain behind him.
"What is Madam busy with?" An Yuanliang's deliberate attempt to please did not come across as obsequious. He was already tall and handsome, and his smile was gentle and refined, making him instantly likable.
Even though she had lived with An Yuanliang for over twenty years and knew his temperament inside and out, Zhao's heart still stirred slightly when she saw him like this.
"Send some trinkets over to Dong-ge'er." Zhao told the maids to take the box away, then welcomed An Yuanliang to sit on the kang by the window and brought him tea. "Now that he's being raised in Third Sister's room, he should at least give Third Sister face."
An Yuanliang nodded in agreement.
Then he couldn't wait to tell us his plans. "Now that we don't have to worry about Ninth Sister's marriage anymore, we should start to worry about Sixth Sister and Seventh Sister's marriages."
In the past, An Yuanliang hadn't paid much attention to the affairs of his concubine daughters, which Zhao found somewhat strange. At first, Zhao assumed it was because he felt the two of them couldn't marry after Jiu Niang, so she said her own plan: "I was just about to tell you, Mother, that Liu Niang and Qi Niang are also of marriageable age, and it's not good to keep delaying them any longer."
"I have a nephew on my mother's side—"
Before Zhao could finish speaking, An Yuanliang asked anxiously, "Did you mention it to Mother?"
Zhao looked at An Yuanliang strangely. Could it be that he had found a better candidate? She shook her head and said, "Not yet. I only mentioned it briefly to my sister-in-law."
“I mentioned him to you last time, a younger generation who sent those gifts.” An Yuanliang brought up Chen Qian again. “His ancestral home is Yangzhou. He started his business in the silk trade. Ten years ago, his family helped the current emperor raise military funds, so he can be considered to have made some contributions to the emperor’s rise to power. Now he has become a royal merchant.”
“I think he’s a promising man. He’s even expanded his business to the capital and has a considerable fortune.” An Yuan praised Chen Qian highly and said to Zhao Shi, “This young man is extraordinary. He is humble and polite, yet he is also very worldly-wise and adaptable. He is righteous and is a good choice for a son-in-law.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao found it somewhat strange. How could she not know that the Marquis of Nan'an's household had such a relative? If they weren't relatives, how did An Yuanliang know him?
She voiced the question that had been bothering her.
An Yuanliang opened his mouth, about to praise Chen Qian for his "righteous assistance" at Changchun Garden, but the words caught in his throat and he swallowed them back. If he were to mention it, wouldn't he expose himself? He had spent a lot of money supporting actors, and if Madam Zhao found out, it would cause another uproar, and the Grand Madam wouldn't be on his side either.
Thinking it best to avoid trouble, An Yuanliang simply said that he had met Chen Qian through an introduction. He changed the story of the ten thousand taels of silver he had given to the actors at Changchun Garden to that he had lost his purse at Zhenweixuan Restaurant, which Chen Qian had found and returned to him.
Zhao simply nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
An Yuanliang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Although they are a merchant family, they are now famous imperial merchants in Jiangnan, with several businesses in the capital, and they own shops, land and houses.” An Yuanliang omitted the generous conditions that Chen Qian had proposed at the time. He wanted to keep them as his private treasury for future convenience.
“I originally wanted to marry Jiu Niang off there. You know, Jiu Niang’s reputation was completely ruined back then. If she could marry far away to Yangzhou, it would be a good place for her, as it is a place she is familiar with and she can stay far away from the rumors in the capital.”
Unexpectedly, the emperor bestowed a marriage upon Lu Mingxiu.
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao frowned slightly and asked, "Does the Marquis wish to propose to him the Sixth Sister or the Seventh Sister?"
Seeing that Zhao Shi was actually on the same page as him today, An Yuanliang couldn't help but say happily, "Who does Madam think is better? I think Seventh Sister is very good."
Zhao felt that what he said was unreliable. "Sixth Sister is a year older than Seventh Sister. It's fine if Ninth Sister gets married first, it's an imperial marriage, and no one can say anything about it. But we can't let Sixth Sister be ranked after Seventh Sister!"
An Yuanliang smiled knowingly and said, "Speaking of Sixth Sister, I also have plans in mind. A few days ago, didn't Third Sister introduce Fang Ting, the eldest son of the Marquis of Dingbei's concubine, to Ninth Sister? It was only because of rumors in the capital that they broke off the engagement. Sixth Sister is just as beautiful; could you perhaps ask the Marquis of Dingbei's wife again—"
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Zhao.
"I think this is very inappropriate." Even though Madam Zhao disliked her illegitimate daughter, she still felt this was wrong. She disapproved, saying, "Are our family's girls unable to get married? They're so eager to marry Fang Ting! Where will our Marquis's mansion's reputation be then?"
An Yuanliang muttered resentfully, "Does anyone else know that Jiu Niang and Fang Ting have discussed marriage? Besides, Jiu Niang is the future Lady of Pingyuan Marquis, and the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion is much more powerful than the Dingbei Marquis's mansion. Wouldn't it be more respectable to let their illegitimate son marry the Lady of Pingyuan Marquis's half-sister? It's a win-win situation for both families!"
Zhao still didn't quite agree.
She hadn't really cared much about the concubine's daughter, especially when An Ran had just returned. She'd basically given up, figuring everything would be arranged by the Grand Madam anyway. However, she felt An Yuanliang's words were really inappropriate, so she intervened.
"If the Marquis thinks it's good, just tell Mother." Zhao Shi was still not too concerned. She deftly said, "As long as Mother nods, I will immediately prepare dowries for them."
Upon hearing this, An Yuanliang felt a tremor in his heart.
Although his mother helped him clean up a lot of messes back then, she also used many methods to discipline him.
If the Dowager Madam discovers his intentions, he'll likely be in deep trouble. Chen Qian's marriage is relatively easy to resolve, but he's truly uncertain about the marriage to the Marquis of Dingbei.