"Xu we sent ginseng in the morning, and my aunt and grandmother returned the gift." Mother Xu comforted the eldest lady and personally went to welcome Mother Tao in.

Mother Tao really brought a few boxes of snacks, and greeted the eldest lady with a smile: "Say thank you for the ginseng of the eldest lady." ”

Xu's mother took the box, deliberately avoided it, and went to the east to put snacks.

Mother Tao took the opportunity to whisper to the eldest lady: "Madam said, Jiang Gui's wife has returned to Yanjing this morning, and you will take the young ladies to Huguo Temple tomorrow to burn incense." ”

Do you want to see each other?

The eldest lady was very confident in the appearance of her concubines, and she nodded: "Got it!" ”

Mother Tao's goal was achieved, and after chatting for a few words, she got up and said goodbye: "...... There have been a lot of things around Madame in the past two days. ”

The eldest lady naturally understood, did not keep her, rewarded her with twenty taels of silver, and asked Mother Xu to send her out. When Xu's mother came back, she instructed her again: "Tomorrow I will take the three young ladies to Huguo Temple to offer incense, and you go and talk to the big * grandmother." ”

Xu's mother left in response.

Laugh when talking back: "...... Uncle's classmate is really interesting. I heard that we were going to Huguo Temple in the morning, and I was very enthusiastic that I would go with us. He also said that after eating in our house these days, other favors can not help, but it is more than enough to lead the way, and it is more than enough to know a direction. ”

The eldest lady laughed when she heard this: "This is a courteous one. Isn't it a cannibalistic with a short mouth? ”

"That Mr. Qian is dignified." Mother Xu smiled, "It's just that a pair of eyes are too flexible, and they are not as stable as our brother Xing." ”

The two chatted for a while, but still sat down to settle the score.

The lady of the Xu Mansion over there had just sat down, and before she had time to take a sip of the tea in her hand, Xu Lingyi came.

Mrs. Tai looked at the tea in her hand, then at her son sitting opposite her, and couldn't help laughing: "I haven't seen you in such a hurry for many years." ”

Xu Lingyi smiled slightly.

Mrs. Tai instructed the people around her: "I have something to say to Master Hou!" ”

The maids bent their knees in response to "yes", and the fish retreated.

Mrs. Tai joked to her son: "Didn't you say that if the Jiang family didn't get a letter early this morning, don't mention the matter of getting married?" How? How? Afraid I'll mess things up? ”

"Look at what you say." Xu Lingyi said with a smile, "Mrs. Huang is your sister who has played since she was a child, you love to tell her if you have anything to say, and she is also familiar with the situation at home, so I invited her to come forward and go through the motions for Brother Zhen's affairs." I have something to worry about. I saw that you were back at this time, so I came to have a look. ”

"You still have a little filial piety." Mrs. Tai listened and nodded slightly, "Mrs. Huang left me there to wipe the cards in the afternoon, but I had something on my mind, so I came back." ”

Xu Lingyi was slightly stunned, and carefully looked at her mother's expression: "What's wrong?" ”

"Guess who I met in the Yongchang Marquis Mansion?" Mrs. Tai looked at her son with a smile.

Xu Lingyi pondered for a moment and hesitated: "Could it be that you met someone from the Jiang family?" ”

Mrs. Tai's expression was disappointed: "You kid, it's really ...... It's too straightforward! Can't you make me happy? ”

Xu Lingyi's eyes lit up: "In this way, you really saw someone from the Jiang family in the Yongchang Marquis Mansion?" Who did the Jiang family send to meet you? Is it Mrs. Jiang or the housekeeper's mother? ”

"Neither." Mrs. Tai shook her head, "It's a Qing guest surnamed Lu from the Jiang family." ”

Xu Lingyi's eyes showed appreciation: "I didn't expect this Jiang Bai to have such a means." ”

did not directly ask someone to deliver a message to him, but asked his advisers to visit Mrs. Tai when she went to the Yongchang Marquis Mansion. First, to express the importance he attaches to this marriage; Second, take this opportunity to tell yourself that our Jiang family has the strength to compete with the Xu family.

However, since this kind of evenly matched position has been put on, it is to negotiate the conditions!

He smiled happily.

How can you not be happy with such an ally!

"What did the Jiang family say?"

Seeing her son's look of hesitation, Mrs. Tai couldn't help but pour cold water on him: "That Mr. Lu said that although Jiang Bai really wants to form this family affair with our family, he is an uncle after all, and he still needs to discuss with Jiang Song." ”

"That's nature." Xu Lingyi didn't care, "The Jiang family has been far away from the center in recent years, and Jiang Bai is the only one who can peek into the situation between the DPRK and China." His proposal to marry our family will definitely cause an uproar within the Jiang family*, so naturally he has to give him time to maneuver. There is also Jiang Song, who hung up the seal and left, he must have been dissatisfied with the imperial court, and now let him marry his daughter to our family, I am afraid it will not be a simple matter. However, on the whole, I am very satisfied with Jiang Bai's reaction. At least one gesture to us. As for whether it will succeed or not, it depends on his ability. He can convince the people of the Jiang family, and I am naturally happy to see it; If he can't convince the people of the Jiang family, I will also give him a chance. ”

He talked eloquently, his tone was gentle, his expression was calm, and there was that kind of calm and calmness between his eyebrows, which made Mrs. Tai sigh: "How could the Jiang family think of seeking skin with you?" ”

Xu Lingyi was slightly stunned, and then laughed: "Mother, you regard the Jiang family too seriously." Don't forget, what did the Jiang family rely on? The so-called emperor, to put it bluntly, is a powerful minister. If it weren't for Jiang Bai sitting in the position of the master of the academy, he couldn't move for 14 years, and if it weren't for the fact that three of the emperor's seven princes were born to the queen's mother, how could Jiang Bai make up his mind to fight? ”

"I know." Mrs. Tai said with a straight face, "I'm thinking that the Jiang family has always maintained neutrality in the court, and this marriage with our family will inevitably be labeled as a strip of the party in the future." The Jiang family has paid such a big price, and when the time comes, I am afraid that what we want will be huge, but I am afraid that we will not be able to afford it! ”

"What can't afford it!" Xu Lingyi smiled, "Want to be an emperor again?" Now that the emperor has seven sons, who knows whose family the flowers will be? Even if I wanted to, he wouldn't dare. Want to join the Cabinet? Just by virtue of his courage in dealing with Brother Zhen's marriage, it is enough to match. I just recommend him, and I don't pay the imperial court! ”

Mrs. Tai couldn't help laughing: "From this point of view, Jiang Bai has made a loss-making deal."

"Not necessarily." Xu Lingyi said with a smile, "The first emperor liked to flatter his courtiers in his later years, he is a child of the Jiang family, how can he do such a thing." So every time the first emperor saw him, he would do the opposite, and tell the first emperor about the sages with a straight face. After a long time, everyone knows that Jiang Bai is a righteous gentleman who is outspoken and daring. Therefore, after the emperor ascended the throne, although he wanted to flatter the holy will, he was not famous...... Getting married to our family is equivalent to getting a chance that can be changed without losing face. With his ability, Soaring is just around the corner. In contrast, we lost it. ”

Mrs. Tai shook her head when she heard this: "You men, everything has been counted!" I just didn't count the sadness of the people around me! ”

Xu Lingyi was stunned.

"Before I went to the Yongchang Marquis Mansion, I went to see Yuan Niang." Mrs. Tai's tone was abrupt, "She is always Brother Zhen's mother." I think I'd better tell her about it......"

"Mother," Xu Lingyi interrupted Mrs. Tai's words very rudely, "how can you talk to her about this." Don't you know her personality yet? I have never been the only one who has no one else ......" As soon as the words fell, he felt that he was speechless, and a look of annoyance flashed between his eyebrows, and he asked his mother, "Did you tell her what I meant?" ”

"Nope!" Mrs. Tai watched her son lose her temper and was a little unhappy, "I just tried her to see if I could make her change her mind." ”

Xu Lingyi saw that her mother's face was not worried, and she knew that she was acting inappropriately, so she hurriedly smiled and changed the topic: "Mother, although Mrs. Huang is friendly with you, but we are so troublesome, we still have to talk about the etiquette that should be talked about." Do you think that's going to work? One day, I asked Mrs. Huang that there was a shortage of salt warehouse ambassadors in the Shandong Salt Envoy Division, although there was no inflow, but the salt warehouse was inspected by the ambassador, which was a fat shortage. To see if there is a suitable person in their family, I will talk to the officials. ”

"You're a typical slap on the wrist and give a date." Mrs. Tai laughed when she heard this, "Don't worry, Mrs. Huang won't go out and talk nonsense." However, if you have this heart, I will still move your words. As he spoke, he said, "Since you have this ability, why don't you get an errand for your father-in-law." Speaking of which, the Luo family was also kind to us back then. What's more, everyone is a relative, so it's always hard to say. ”

Xu Lingyi couldn't help frowning: "Mother, don't worry about this matter." I know it. ”

"Are you afraid that Yuan Niang has any ideas, so you can use this matter to negotiate terms with her, right?" Mrs. Tai said bluntly, "I don't care what kind of guns the two of you are playing, but you can't mess around with the affairs of the master of the family." If you don't show up, I'll do it! Xu Lingyi said that he would not give up if he did not agree.

"There are some things you don't know." Xu Lingyi was a little helpless, "The emperor adopted Chen Gelao's suggestion and prepared to implement a new tea tax. My father-in-law has always opposed Chen Gelao's tea tax law...... This is also what the emperor meant. After a while, I will mention it to the emperor again. Don't get mixed in anymore. ”

"Then did you tell your in-laws about this?" Mrs. Tai was very surprised by this result, and seeing that her son didn't want to talk about it, she couldn't help but say, "You better give the in-laws a thorough understanding." He knows what to say and what not to say in the future. ”

"Why didn't I say it." Xu Lingyi said, "Instead, my father-in-law gave me a lot of examples, saying how Chen Ge Lao's method is not feasible and how it works for the people and hurts money...... I can't go deeper, so I'll do this for the time being. ”

"Then you tell Yuan Niang about this." Mrs. Tai pondered, "Let Yuan Niang persuade the master of the in-laws - they are father and daughter, and it is better to talk than you." ”

"What's there to say about that." Xu Lingyi disagreed, "Maybe she thought this was an excuse that I didn't want to help her father!" There are many differences in political views, so why can't you be an official if you have different political views? It's clear that I want to save face, and I don't do my best to ask for help. Otherwise, a dignified uncle of the country, how could he not even do this little thing! At the end of the sentence, there was a mocking tone.

Mrs. Tai's eyes sank when she listened, and she stopped talking, and finally shook her head and turned into a sigh.