She made the Marquis household’s boys stand up; Wen Qingwan’s main aim was the unexpected surprise from the Merit Mall, while letting them eat meat at every meal was only incidental.
“The Marquis household’s status is indeed not low; Second Brother is handsome and elegant, and he’s no longer young—he should have long since married and established himself.”
“Since you haven’t yet married, you should first establish your career. If it were two years earlier, you could still get away with the excuse of ‘too young to marry.’”
“If two more years pass and you still don’t take a wife, our Marquis household’s sons, won't they become the laughingstock of the capital?”
Madam Xiao, the old Marquis, and the grown sons of the Xiao family were all startled to the core by Wen Qingwan’s words.
The Marquisate of Cheng’en holds only an empty title, with no real footing in the imperial court.
It could be said that the Marquis of Cheng’en is a thorn in the Emperor’s eye, a stab in his flesh. If not for the great merit earned by the heir three years ago, the Xiao family would not have been able to keep its title.
Although the Marquis household’s children were not raised in luxury from childhood, they are still far stronger than ordinary commoners.
At least they don’t have to toil for their daily meals; though they only eat meat every few days, they are still people attended by servants.
In the eyes of those outside the capital, they are a prestigious century‑old family, full of honor.
As for their frequent meals of husks and coarse vegetables, not even the capital knows of it.
Without the status of being sons and daughters of the Marquis household, whether they could survive would be in question.
This is also why the Xiao family lives in constant fear of being struck from the clan records.
Xiao Libo often used the title of Marquis’s son to trick young girls in the capital, but when it came to actually marrying into the Cheng’en Marquis household, they refused!
He asked a bit anxiously: "Sister‑in‑law, are you saying we should immediately invite a matchmaker to arrange my marriage?"
“Not today. Your sister‑in‑law and I are going back to her family today. Just tell me whether you’re willing to raise pigs.” Xiao Jin asked Xiao Libo with a blank expression.
“Of course… willing.” Hearing the King of Hell question him, Xiao Libo nodded instinctively, though he had no desire at all to raise pigs.
But who can deny the King of Hell’s power?!
When he was young, he had a concubine mother; with no mother to shield him, the King of Hell would pin him down and beat him in places adults couldn’t see.
His concubine mother secretly gave him food. In his childish ignorance, he flaunted it before the King of Hell—only to have it snatched and eaten.
Once he even tattled to his concubine mother, but then his elder brother beat him harder. After it happened many times, he grew especially fearful of this elder brother—older by just three months.
Their grandmother and father never managed affairs, and no one in the household had the ability to kill the eldest brother. His concubine mother cursed him daily, saying his life was too hard, that he was a baleful star.
His elder brother’s fate was indeed hard; several stepmothers wasted away and died, and even his concubine mother has been gone for two years.
And not only did the elder brother survive, he even married a noble lady as beautiful as a flower, and now he has been granted a title!
And what about him?!
Several times he sent matchmakers to propose at the Yun household, but each time he was driven out. Later, when they heard it was the second son of the Cheng’en Marquis proposing, he couldn’t even get through the gates of the Minister’s residence.
Unable to get in, Xiao Libo walked dejectedly along the street, feeling lost, not knowing what to do.
Why is everything so different from what he imagined?
He is the second son of the Marquis’s household—yet these people actually look down on him…
At this moment, Xiao Libo placed all his hopes on Wen Qingwan, and so he truly wanted to raise pigs.
In Wen Qingwan’s mind, a voice resounded: [Host has successfully recruited two livestock keepers. The Merit Mall awards five hundred merit points, plus one livestock‑raising manual.]
"Since none of you object, I have here a livestock manual. Third Brother, copy a few and distribute them to Second Brother and the others."
While giving instructions, Wen Qingwan casually drew a booklet from her sleeve, her brows and eyes full of laughter as she handed it to Xiao Libo.
Another five hundred merit points credited—how could she not be delighted?
She could already see those delicacies beckoning to her, inviting her to taste them.
Xiao Jin saw the little girl radiating joy all over her body, and the entire hall became beautiful because of her smile.
“The tutor should have arrived. Those studying should go register and get familiar; those raising pigs should go read Third Brother’s copied livestock manual. Jin Lan went to distribute cloth to the concubine mothers. Today they began making clothes for the young masters of the household, and the girls over ten followed along to learn tailoring."
“Eldest Sister‑in‑law, can we choose the fabric for our clothes ourselves?” asked eleven‑year‑old Xiao Jinting as she stepped forward.
Her looks did not inherit the Marquis Cheng’en’s fine features; at best she was above average, likely taking after her concubine mother.
“That concubine was the daughter of a merchant, and Xiao Jinting’s manners were probably learned from her—neither proper nor fitting, with her head full of hair ornaments swaying three times with every step.”
Wen Qingwan especially disliked such women, so her tone was icy: "If you want to choose, go to the cloth shop outside."
“I don’t want to go out. People outside despise the Marquis’s young ladies, saying that we…”
Xiao Jinting was about to speak, but Wen Qingwan cut her off: "Those noble young ladies said your bearing is worse than their maids’, didn’t they?"
“Eldest Sister‑in‑law, how did you know? But I really am a Marquis’s daughter, and I’ve worked hard to learn the rules, yet they still… mm…”
Xiao Jinting still wanted to complain, but her elder brother covered her mouth: "Tingting, don’t talk nonsense—you’re wasting Eldest Sister‑in‑law’s time."
Wen Qingwan cast a deep look at the boy who covered his sister’s mouth—he looked about thirteen.
His features perfectly inherited his father’s strengths—handsome and fair like porcelain, with full lips that left a fine impression.
He chose to study, so outside he must have been mocked plenty!
“Today’s task has been issued. Do your best, and don’t let your elder brother down.”
“Big Brother, Eldest Sister‑in‑law, rest assured—we will never let you down,” the boys said in unison.
Seeing that Wen Qingwan had finished giving her instructions, Xiao Jin spoke softly: "My dear, it’s getting late. Let’s go back, change clothes, and set out for the return‑to‑family visit."
“‘Mm." At that moment Wen Qingwan remembered it was the day of her return‑to‑family visit. In her previous life, after marrying into the Eastern Palace, she had never gone back to the Wen household.
To the point that she had completely forgotten there was such a thing as returning home!
Seeing the little girl’s dazed look, Xiao Jin chuckled and shook his head, unable to describe his feelings—complicated, to say the least.
He considered himself more handsome than the Crown Prince; even with a lame leg he was no less. He had carefully washed and groomed himself, afraid of embarrassing the little girl.
Wen Qingwan did not dress up deliberately; she only brushed on a light powder and touched her lips with a hint of red.
Her beauty was already exquisite, and the light makeup only added a touch of natural grace.
And with a floor‑length crimson pleated skirt, a white brocade belt across it, her slender waist looked as if it could hardly be grasped.
When Xiao Jin saw her, his eyes lit up involuntarily, and he sighed inwardly—his little girl had already grown into a stunning young lady.
In early summer, the courtyard was full of wildflowers—red, purple, pink, and yellow—like brilliant spots embroidered on a vast green carpet.
Swarms of bees bustled among the flowers, sipping nectar and flying tirelessly back and forth.
Wen Qingwan walked straight ahead without glancing aside. When she reached the Marquis’s gate, she boarded the carriage alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment