Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Han Qiao noticed the twoâs strange expressions on their faces, and her thoughts changed slightly.
She instantly understood.
County Magistrate Wu told Heng Yi about his eldest son, but the county magistrateâs wife had brought her nephew instead.
âMadam, Young Master Wu, please come in.â
That day at the banquet, when the county magistrateâs wife brought up the topic of marriage, she was also being vague.
And she still wanted to fool people today.
Han Qiao snorted coldly in her heart.
She asked Han Chi to bring Peng Xingzhi around the residence while she talked to the county magistrateâs wife.
Entering the hall, the county magistrateâs wife drank tea first, and Han Qiao praised Peng Xingzhi, whom she still referred to as Young Master Wu, for his talent.
Her words were telling the county magistrateâs wife that the Heng family wanted to marry into the county magistrateâs Wu family and thought that the person she brought today was the young master of the Wu family, not the young master of the Peng family.
The county magistrateâs wife thought for a moment and said, âMadam Heng, Xingzhi is my nephew.â
Han Qiaoâs face sank and she replied coldly, âYour husband made it clear that he was offering Young Master Wu for my daughter. What is all this, Madam Peng?â
âIâll take the liberty to ask Madam again. Is this nephew of yours a legitimate or illegitimate son?â
Han Qiaoâs question was very straightforward.
She wasnât completely without a backup.
If something really happened, she could go to Heng Congshan or the Feng family to ask a favor.
She was polite before resorting to force, and no one could find fault with her.
After all, County Magistrate Wu said that his wife will bring his legitimate son today, but instead, she brought her nephew here. Who was insulting who?
âDoes legitimacy matter?â The county magistrateâs wife asked.
Her expression also soured from Han Qiaoâs accusations.
âOf course it matters. Otherwise, why would marrying with the same status be so important? Donât you think so, Madam?â
What Han Qiao said was not wrong.
However, the county magistrateâs wife thought that Han Qiao wouldnât know about it.
The Peng family was not low. Even if he was a bastard son, he was worthy of her children, the daughter of a peasant woman.
Moreover, he was interested in learning, was gentle, and treated people well.
âMadam Heng, you have a point. Although he is a bastardâs son, the Peng family has some reputation in Great Yong. Even if he is a bastard, with me, his aunt, helping him, he wonât be living a life of mediocrity.â
âThen let me ask, Madam, will you choose a concubineâs daughter for Young Master Wu to be his wife?â Han Qiao asked.
These words stumped the county magistrateâs wife.
She would not let that happen.
Yes, she would never want her son to marry a daughter of a concubine. She would choose a noble daughter for her son, the kind that loved her parents and had a good family background.
âYouâre not even willing to do this yourself. Why should I let her marry my daughter to your nephew?* Han Qiao thought to herself.
Why would she marry her daughter off to a family like theirs? She was clearly pushing her daughter into a fire pit.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was very tense.
The county magistrateâs wife couldnât answer Han Qiao.
Han Qiao had said that her husband and Heng Yi were talking about the eldest son of the family. She had been ambiguous with her husband about her request, which meant that she had violated her husbandâs orders.
âMadam, we are all mothers, and we all have the heart of a loving mother. All we want in our lives is for our children to be happy.â
âI had an unhappy early marriage. I donât want my children to live that kind of life again. Therefore, when it comes to choosing their husbands, 1 will be extremely cautious and would not hastily decide on any marriage.â
âWe were born like this. To be honest, 1 donât have any prejudice against family status. No matter who they marry, they are considered to have married into high status. If they are in love with each other, I still have to consider whether their mother-in-law is kind and their sisters-in-law is easy to get along with.â
âIn the end, itâs all true. The hearts of parents in the world are pitiful.â
Han Qiao was giving the county magistrateâs wife a way out.
If it wasnât for Heng Yi, she would have turned hostile and told the county magistrateâs wife to get lost.
If she still did not know what was good for her, the worst that could happen was a failure in connection in the future.
The county magistrateâs wife quickly agreed.
She finally understood that Han Qiao wasnât easy to fool, let alone control.
That was true. How could a woman who was brave enough to divorce her ex-husband and marry so well with her three children be a weak and useless person?
âThatâs right.â
The two of them tacitly decided not to mention the marriage anymore.
Meanwhile, Peng Xingzhi met Sun Xiu.
Sun Xiu only glanced at him lightly, but she used her eyes and manner to show that she didnât like him.
Peng Xingzhi didnât mind.
He had originally thought that the Heng family was too lowly for his status and that the Heng familyâs young lady wasnât worthy of him. However, his aunt insisted that he follow her, so he couldnât refuse. So, he followed her wishes.
He didnât care if the girl liked him or not.
He was still young and was already a teenager. When he was admitted as a scholar, his family background would rise.
The Heng family was just a country bumpkin. What was there to be proud of? What was the use of being pretty? There were many beautiful girls these days. If possible, he wanted to choose a wife with a good family background who could help him climb higher.
As for the red sleeves beauties with enticing fragrances, there would be plenty of them when he was successful in the future.
All in all, Sun Xiu and Peng Xingzhi didnât fancy each other.
They both secretly despised each other.
Because the marriage did not go through, it could be said that they had parted on bad terms. The county magistrateâs wife drank her tea and left with Peng Xingzhi. She did not even stay for lunch.
On the carriage back, the county magistrateâs wife asked her nephew, âDid you meet Miss Heng?â
âYes, sheâs beautiful, but Auntie, sheâs not Chief Hengâs biological daughter and Madam Heng is pregnant.â
The county magistrateâs wife was silent for a moment before she smiled, âYouâre right. Sheâs indeed not worthy of you.â
County Magistrate Wu had been waiting for good news, but when he returned to the manor and saw his son there, he learned that his wife had brought her nephew to Heng Manor. He was so angry that he cursed, âThat stupid, stupid woman!â
Why did he want to matchmake this marriage?
In fact, there was an official document from Chenzhou, asking Heng Yi to work there.
His official position had already been decided. He would be the general in charge of a hundred people and could be considered to have officially stepped into the ranks of generals.
Furthermore, Heng Yi had the Feng family behind him, and Heng Conshan, the former head of the Heng family, to support him.
Heng Yiâs bright future was already set in stone.
He would be sent there in May at the latest.
Now that the official document was in his hands, he wanted to settle the marriage first and then announce the official document.
But his stupid wifeâ!
Seeing the Madam and his nephew return, County Magistrate Wu asked Peng Xingzhi to return to his courtyard first.
His wife, Madam Peng, called out to him softly, âMaster.â
âStupid woman!â He slapped the dumb womanâs face.
âDo you think Iâm too high up in the hierarchy? I told you to bring our eldest son, but you had the gall to bring your nephew. Who are you looking down on?â ââ¦â Madam Peng covered her face.
Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
After being married for so many years, she had raised two sons and two daughters. Even though there were many concubines in the back residence, and there were also children of the concubines, no one dared to cause trouble with her. She believed that her position was stable.
She did not expect to be slapped in the face today.
âWhy do you think a hunter like him could sit in the position of chief constable? He wouldnât sit there for nothing.â
âBecause heâs capable enough because heâs made great contributions to the raid. The higher-ups want to promote him step by step and give him enough time to grow. Do you think heâll stay in the position of chief constable of Puyi County for the rest of his life?â
âToday, you look down on others, but in the future, you wonât be able to climb up..â