Chapter 470: Saving my life, repaying it with my life
However, she had contact with Jia Cong several times in the mansion, but Jia Cong actually had no interest in the You sisters.
Even when she was in the courtyard, she mostly stayed with Youshi, and there was no impoliteness between her and the second and third sisters. Old Lady You certainly had her own ways, but she also knew how terrifying this Marquis was, so she naturally didn't dare to use any means to plot against a Marquis of such a high status, so she could only give up the idea.
Since he couldn't continue to establish , he naturally had to find another way. Moreover, his two daughters staying at the Jia family for a while, not to mention their close relationship with the Jia family, also made him look a bit higher in status. Therefore, taking this opportunity to find a good family would be a good thing.
However, before Old Lady You could respond, Third Sister You suddenly stood up and shouted, "I won't marry! If you want to marry, let Second Sister do it. I will stay in this mansion with Eldest Sister and never marry!"
Having said that, he ran straight back into the room!
You Erjie's face also showed some difficulty. She stood up and said to You Lao Niang, "I'll go see Third Sister."
Old Lady You watched as her two daughters left, and was a little dazed for a moment. On the contrary, Mrs. You looked at the backs of her two sisters and understood .
These days, her third sister, in particular, has mentioned the master to her frequently. Furthermore, when she came back earlier, the way she looked at the master was a little off. If she was right, her sister already had some thoughts in her mind. As for her second sister, she had no idea what she was thinking.
"Mom, this matter isn't something we can rush for a day or two. Let's think about it carefully first. After all, even if we have to find someone, we can't let our two sisters suffer."
Old Lady You was helpless. She had suffered all her life, so why didn’t her daughter understand her thoughts?
She knew her daughters also felt that she despised the poor and loved the rich, but was that wrong? She had endured a lifetime of hardship to get to this point, so how could she let her two daughters suffer the same way?
"Alright, then please take care of this matter, big sister!"
In the east wing, Third Sister You leaned on the couch, with a half-embroidered sachet pressed against her chest.
You Erjie entered the room and sat down beside You Sanjie. After a while, You Erjie finally whispered, "Third sister, are you...are you interested in the Marquis?"
Third Sister You nodded without hesitation. "Is there any man in this world better than the Marquis? Even if it means being his concubine, I will be his. Moreover, if the Marquis hadn't rescued us, who knows what would have happened to us! He was even punished by the Emperor because of our misfortune."
"My life belongs to the master. If the master wants me, I will accept it, whether as a concubine, a slave or a maid. If the master doesn't want me, then I won't marry. The worst that can happen is that I will stay with my elder sister for the rest of my life. What else can I do?"
At this point, the third sister's face flushed, and then she said firmly, "I've heard a storyteller say that if you can't repay someone for saving my life, I should give myself to you! I know that I'm far from being worthy of you, Master, but even if I can only serve you, I'd be happy to do so."
"But I won't agree!" You Erjie said hesitantly.
"I don't care whether I'm willing or not. This is my business, and I don't need to worry about it!" Third Sister You said crisply, "Then I will go and ask my eldest sister. As long as my eldest sister doesn't drive me out of the house, I won't be afraid. The master is going to the war, so I shouldn't cause him trouble. When the master comes back, I will tell him that I will accept him whether he wants me or not ."
You Erjie looked at her younger sister with some admiration. She had never been able to match her third sister's courage in this regard.
"Besides, even if I don't marry, don't I still have you, my second sister?" Third Sister You said leisurely, "Let my eldest sister find you a good family to marry into, and you can live a good life with me. It doesn't matter if I have you."
"I...I..." You Erjie's face flushed red after being told this by You Sanjie, "I won't marry either!"
Third Sister You was not surprised at all, and raised her eyebrows to look at her second sister. They were all sisters from the same family, so who didn't know what was in each other's mind?
…
The emperor had spent most of the last few days in the Fengzao Palace. He knew his wife was upset about her son's departure, but the empress was understanding and hadn't made a scene. Therefore, he came to accompany her every day.
On this day, after court, the emperor returned to Fengzao Palace again.
As soon as they sat down, the Queen said, "Your Majesty, we originally set a date for Xiao He'er's betrothal ceremony. However, it's obviously too late now. Although he doesn't need to do anything for the betrothal ceremony, I think it would be more appropriate for him to be here at least."
The emperor was stunned. He had been busy with state affairs recently and almost forgot about this matter.
"What does the Queen mean?"
"Let's change the date and have the betrothal ceremony before Xiao He'er leaves for the war."
"Alright!" the emperor nodded in response. "Then I'll have the Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculate which day would be most suitable."
"Also, we need to inform the Lin and Xue families ahead of time," the Queen said. "How about Your Majesty summon the two families to the palace and discuss matters face to face? This will prevent people from accusing us of not caring about our in-laws."
"That's easy. I'll personally go and talk to Ruhai. As for the Xue family, there's only a widowed mother, so only the Queen can go and talk to her. Tomorrow, when the date is calculated, I'll issue an order for both families to enter the palace. Once everything is settled, we'll perform the ceremony."
The Queen nodded and said, "Your Majesty, this is the only time Xiao He'er will marry a wife. Although it's not a grand wedding, I don't want Xiao He'er and those two girls to suffer any injustice."
Emperor Longxing laughed heartily, "Don't worry, Queen, I will never let our son be chosen as a gift."
After the decision was made, Emperor Longxing immediately asked the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to calculate the date and summoned the Minister of Rites Guan Jian to meet with the emperor in the palace.
In the Dragon Head Palace, Guan Jie was somewhat suspicious. The court had already ended, so why did the emperor summon him again? He had also been busy with Jia Cong's expedition recently, and hadn't heard of anything else happening.
"Your Majesty, I, Guan Jie, pay my respects to you!"
Emperor Longxing nodded with a smile, "Please take a seat!"
After Guan Jie sat down, Emperor Longxing smiled and said, "You also know that the Empress and I arranged a marriage for the Marquis of Guanjun."
Guan Jie certainly knew that as the Minister of Rites, all matters related to etiquette were related to him, not to mention such a big event as the emperor granting a marriage?
"I had the Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculate the date before, and originally planned to hold the ceremony in August. However, the war is urgent, and the Marquis of Guanjun will lead his troops to war in six or seven days. Therefore, I plan to have the Marquis of Guanjun hold the ceremony of accepting the bride's hand in marriage in the next few days. I have already asked the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to calculate the date, but I still need your help with the specific details of accepting the bride's hand in marriage."
