They complain that this person is ugly, that person is bad at studying, or that person speaks too loudly and is not gentle.
When it came time to choose the fourth person, the old princess, according to her standards, selected a handsome young scholar from the Hanlin Academy who was as good-looking as Pan An and spoke in a gentle voice. She thought that Chu Wan would finally be satisfied this time.
Unexpectedly, she said, "You can't even ride a horse, you're so stupid!"
If the old princess still can't see that Chu Wan is deliberately finding fault, then she has truly wasted over forty years of her life.
She summoned Madam Qiao and instructed her, "Go and find out who the young princess usually associates with. If you handle things well, I will make up for the few hundred taels of silver for you."
No matter how bad Qiao's mother was, she had been in the Prince's mansion for many years, had a solid foundation, and a wide network of connections. She quickly came to a conclusion: "The young princess doesn't have much contact with people outside the mansion, except for the two princes from Consort Jing's side, the Third Prince's wife, who is also the eldest daughter of the Jun family, our Princess's own sister, and Miss Sheng from General Qiao's mansion. However, there is one thing that is a bit strange."
"What is it?" the old princess asked with a stern face.
"This old servant has noticed that the young princess sends a letter to the Marquis of Runan's residence every few days. This is a habit that existed even before the new princess entered the household."
"Now that she's married into the family, isn't she? She's just a few steps away, so why bother writing letters? Besides, doesn't she spend all her time at Yuanxiang Hall?"
“Your Highness is right,” said Mama Qiao. “This old servant kept an eye out for this and found a clever servant boy to inquire at the Marquis of Runan’s residence. He learned that now, every time the young princess sends a letter to the Marquis of Runan’s residence, it only stays at the gatehouse for a short while before being sent to the firearms battalion. The Marquis of Runan’s adopted son, Wang Hongbo, just passed the exam to enter the firearms battalion this year. When the young princess was injured and unconscious, he stayed at our palace for a while. Many maids and servants saw him and said that he was handsome, refined, and polite. They also heard that he taught the young princess to ride a horse and even gave her two pairs of lambskin gloves specifically for riding, which the young princess cherishes very much.”
There was no need for Qiao's mother to say anything more; the old princess understood perfectly. It turned out that the reason Chu Wan was so picky about her prospective partner was because of the excellent example of Wang Hongbo.
"The Marquis of Runan's adopted son?" the old princess asked again. "Is he an orphan? Have you found out anything about his background?"
Mrs. Qiao immediately replied, "His father, Wang Siqi, didn't have much of a family fortune, but he was a scholar who passed the imperial examinations twice and served as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Zhejiang. His mother's maiden name was Shen, and she was a local gentry in Hangzhou. The year His Majesty made his southern tour, pirates caused trouble, and everyone in the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office was killed. That young master Wang escaped because he was playing at the Governor-General's Mansion, which was also the home of the Marquis of Runan's father-in-law. Later, because the Marquis of Runan's family took a liking to the child, they adopted him and have kept him by their side ever since."
The old princess was furious when she heard this.
In terms of family background, the Prince of Ying's family was second only to the emperor in the Qi Kingdom. Therefore, when the old Prince of Ying was still alive, he and his wife had an unspoken agreement that when choosing spouses for their children, they did not need to pay special attention to family background, as long as they came from respectable and honest families. The key was whether the children themselves were ambitious and sensible.
Although she was rarely in the capital, she always kept an eye on the official gazette. The Firearms Battalion was particularly valued by Emperor Deqing, so the entrance examination for the battalion was much more rigorous than that for other military camps.
So, Wang Hongbo's background is passable, and he himself is somewhat capable.
The only downside is—why is it another one from the Marquis of Runan's household...?
Could someone have done this on purpose?
"Go and invite the Princess over; I want to speak with her," the old Princess instructed her maid.
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Chapter 138 | Table of Contents
Chapter 138:
From Yuanxiang Hall to the main courtyard, it would take about half an hour by sedan chair. Wushuang pondered deeply, but couldn't figure out why the old princess had suddenly summoned her. [txt ebook download: Http://wW/]
She reported all matters, big and small, including the progress of Chu Pei's marriage, to the old princess during her daily morning and evening greetings.
Besides that, the most important thing in the Prince's mansion lately is probably the matter of Chu Wan's selection.
However, marriage is a major event that is decided by parents. It is only natural for the old princess to choose a husband for Chu Wan while she is at home, and it is not her place to interfere.
Moreover, Wushuang had heard Chuwan complain about the candidates several times, and felt that the old princess was quite open-minded in this matter, not arranging a marriage without consent, and giving her daughter the right to choose.
Upon arriving at the main courtyard, the old princess immediately asked about Wang Hongbo.
Wushuang didn't understand his meaning and gave a somewhat reserved answer, but she didn't forget to praise his strengths: "...Brother Bo just joined the firearms battalion at the beginning of spring. At first, he was just a junior officer in charge of ten men, but because of his outstanding performance, he has recently been promoted to captain. It is said that the higher-ups value him very much and want to promote him again during the year-end evaluation."
The old princess nodded and said, "Although the rank of captain is a lowly position, if he can be promoted two ranks in less than a year after joining the camp, he must be very capable and very good at maneuvering, right?"
The beginning was full of praise, but towards the end, the tone shifted, taking on a slightly sarcastic tone.
Wushuang paused for a moment, then retorted, "Brother Bo has always been upright and honest; he's not the kind of person who likes to scheme."
The old princess disagreed: "He is your sworn brother, so of course you think he is wonderful. But men are often two different people at home and in officialdom. How would you know how he treats people and conducts himself outside?"
This statement seems reasonable at first glance, but it actually criticizes Wang Hongbo.
Wushuang was unwilling to agree and was about to say a few words in his defense when she suddenly changed her mind and asked, "Why is Mother so concerned about Brother Bo?"
The old princess snorted, "At least you're not too slow-witted." She then recounted the matter of Chu Wan's private correspondence with Wang Hongbo, saying, "People say that an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. Since I'm not home, you should be watching over Wanwan. How could you let her exchange letters with a man outside the family in private?"
So that's what it was all about. Wushuang smiled and said, "Mother, you don't know this, but Wanwan's correspondence with Brother Bo was just to ask him about her studies. The Prince knows about this too."
"Homework?" The old princess glanced at her and asked rather rudely, "There are Grand Scholars giving lectures in the Imperial Study, and tutors at home. What kind of homework do you need to ask a martial arts master for?"
Wushuang couldn't stand anyone speaking ill of Wang Hongbo, so without thinking, she replied, "Brother Bo was one of the top students among his classmates when he was studying at Xishan Academy. It's just that, influenced by my father, he aspired to make a name for himself in the military." [qiushu.cc updates quickly, has a clean website layout, few ads, and no pop-ups. I love this kind of website! Definitely a good review!]
The old princess said, "To make a name for yourself in the army? Hmph, that's a good idea. It's certainly much faster to get promoted and ennobled through military merit than to accumulate seniority through the imperial examinations. If you're lucky, you might even be ennobled after just one battle. If you marry a princess, wouldn't you rise even faster?"
He was promoted to high office and then married a princess.
Where do these things even belong?
Wushuang was slightly confused. After a pause, she said truthfully, "A man should naturally have lofty aspirations. There's nothing wrong with hoping to make a name for himself someday. As for marriage, Brother Bo has always said that he wants to consider it after he has achieved success and has no intention of taking advantage of his future in-laws..."
She was sure she hadn't said anything wrong, but the old princess's face was as gloomy as if it were about to rain. She interrupted Wushuang and said, "So, you're saying that you don't benefit from the Yue family's influence? Does that mean your future brother-in-law isn't considered part of the Yue family?"
What future brother-in-law?
Wu Shuang was even more confused: "I don't quite understand what Mother is saying. My parents have never arranged a marriage for Brother Bo, so where did this future brother-in-law come from?"
The old princess swept her sleeve, knocking cups and saucers off the table: "Stop pretending! Why should the Marquis of Runan and his wife go to all this trouble? You two sworn siblings have already completely fooled Wanwan..."
She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, realizing her words were inappropriate.
Wushuang already understood.