Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 128

“What is it about?” As soon as he heard there was money involved, Yu Hanshan perked up instantly. He sat up and asked.

Madam Zhao saw how eager he was, her eyes gleaming with calculation. “Mother and I came up with an idea. We’re thinking of starting a pork butcher’s business. You go talk your second brother into joining us. If he agrees, we’ll definitely be able to squeeze some silver out of that wretched girl Meng Yujiao.”

After a long discussion, Madam Zhao and Yu Hanshan hatched their plan. Yu Hanshan was so excited he couldn’t sleep, his mind entirely occupied with how to rope Yu Mengshan into it.

The next day, Madam Zhao invited Matchmaker Wang over for tea to discuss a marriage proposal for Yu Jinshu. Upon hearing this, the first wife, Madam Zhang, also came to the main hall to accompany Matchmaker Wang. The old master and old madam were only concerned about Yu Jinshu’s marriage, Yu Zhizhou wasn’t even in their consideration. Madam Zhang had to look out for her own son.

“We’ve been meaning to invite you for a while now, but we’ve been busy with the wheat harvest. Only now have we found the time,” Madam Zhao said with a smile as she poured tea for Matchmaker Wang and brought over two plates of seeds and pastries.

Madam Zhang immediately undercut her, saying, “Third sister-in-law didn’t really help much with the wheat harvest. What were you busy with? You’ve always had plenty of free time.” Without giving Madam Zhao a chance to respond, she smiled and turned to Matchmaker Wang. 

“We’ll be planting sweetcorn in a few days too. I hope it hasn’t inconvenienced you, Auntie Wang. The autumn imperial exam is just around the corner, and I want to settle Zhizhou’s engagement before the provincial exam. I’ll have to trouble you to look into it.”

“No trouble at all, no trouble at all,” Matchmaker Wang said, nibbling on a piece of mung bean cake. When Madam Zhao invited her, she figured it was to arrange another match for Yu Jinshu. Now hearing that Madam Zhang was also looking into a marriage for Yu Zhizhou was news.

She smiled and said, “All your sons are scholars. Their marriages should be easy to arrange. Doctor Yu, the eldest, has a fine reputation in these parts for his medical skills. Any girl who marries into your family is truly blessed.”

As expected of a seasoned matchmaker, her words put smiles on both Madam Zhao and Madam Zhang’s faces. Madam Zhao quickly added, “We’ll be counting on you to keep an eye out for good matches. You’ve met our Jinshu. Even if he doesn’t pass this autumn, he’s well-educated and could easily work as a bookkeeper.”

But bringing up failure before the exam even started made her seem lacking in confidence. It didn’t leave the best impression, especially since the last engagement with the Liu family girl, arranged by Matchmaker Wang, had already fallen through.

Matchmaker Wang kept a composed expression and replied with a smile, “Your second son is handsome and capable. I like him already, let alone the young ladies.”

Madam Zhao beamed even more.

Madam Zhang added, “My Zhizhou has a good temperament. He doesn’t talk much, but he’s steady and dependable. Any girl who marries him will never be mistreated. I’m not picky either, just want a girl with a good nature who’s willing to live a grounded life. I’ll count on you, Auntie Wang.”

Matchmaker Wang responded cheerfully, “I’ve been keeping tabs on all the unmarried girls in the surrounding villages. There are three or four suitable ones. One lost her parents early and was raised by her widowed sister-in-law, she’s hardworking, though not very good-looking.”

“Another has a beautiful face, but her mother is sick, and she delayed her engagement to care for her, she’s already seventeen. The last one lost her mother young and has a stepmother now. The stepmother is quite demanding, and past matches fell through because they asked for too much betrothal money. But your family’s situation is good, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”

Despite all the talk, none of the candidates pleased Madam Zhao. Compared to the Liu family girl from the previous engagement, these were all a step down.

Madam Zhang, on the other hand, seemed satisfied. She smiled and said, “The first girl sounds capable and mature, the second one is clearly filial, and the third has had a hard life, probably very sensible. Which villages are these girls from? If they’re close by, I’d like to go have a look.”

Matchmaker Wang was used to reading people and could tell from Madam Zhao’s expression that she wasn’t interested. So, she turned her attention to Madam Zhang, chatting warmly with her. They agreed on a date in a few days for Madam Zhang to visit the girls’ homes under some pretense. Madam Zhang was quite pleased and personally saw Matchmaker Wang out.

Just as they reached the gate, a donkey cart pulled up outside the Yu household. Zhang Laosan, dressed in a coarse jacket, jumped down from the cart. He’d been to the house a few times, so Madam Zhang recognized him and hurried back to call Yu Jiao.

Yu Jiao was inside, teaching Yu Fuling embroidery. Hearing the commotion, she put down her needle and thread and stepped out. Seeing Zhang Zhuangtou looking flustered and dripping with sweat, she asked, “What brings you here? Has Qi’er’s condition acted up again?”

“No, Qi’er’s condition is fine.” Zhang Laosan wiped the sweat from his face, looking anxious. “Miss Meng there’s trouble!”

Seeing how out of breath he was, Yu Jiao quickly brought him into the main hall and poured him a cup of cool tea.

Zhang Laosan gulped it down in one go and exhaled heavily. “I don’t know how it happened, but word got out about you treating Young Miss’ private illness. And it just so happened that Young Master Shen found out.” 

“The Shen family came by today to break off the engagement. They even accused Young Miss of being impure. My master and madam are furious. I was just at the estate when I heard about it, so I rushed over to inform you.”

Yu Jiao raised an eyebrow, a wave of unease passing through her heart. She replied coolly, “Her condition being made public didn’t come from me. You came here in such a rush, are you saying your master blames me for this?”