Chapter 340

Chapter 345: Turmoil (Part 1)

Elevenniang remained silent, but that didn’t mean Lady Li would let the matter drop.

She looked at Elevenniang with pointed meaning and said, "The Marquis is on good terms with Fan Weigang, the Xuantong Regional Commander. Back then, the former Xuantong Regional Commander was impeached for corruption. His Majesty appointed Lord Fan to take over the position and investigate the matter alongside officials from Dali Temple. At the time, it was just after the new era name was adopted, and the former Xuantong Regional Commander was a relative of the Empress Dowager, so people hesitated in handling the case. Lord Fan recommended Vice Minister Liu from the Ministry of Punishments to preside over the trial. As a result, Vice Minister Liu was promoted to Chief Minister of Dali Temple." She chuckled and glanced at Elevenniang. "That’s why my husband often says that in officialdom, luck is the most important thing. If he could be transferred to the position of Fujian Regional Commander this time and take our Jier along to gain experience, it would be a rare opportunity for him. Who knows? It might be the start of his rise to become a general or marquis."

After all that roundabout talk, this last sentence was the real point.

But what was Lady Li’s intention in saying all this?

To ask Lord Xu to put in a good word? But Lord Xu was a marquis currently in retirement at home and under the emperor’s suspicion—did he even have that kind of influence? This involved the transfer of a frontier military governor! Or was she trying to imply that Li Jier only needed an opportunity to rise swiftly? But success depended not just on personal effort—seven parts were personal striving, three parts depend on opportunity!

Elevenniang pondered silently but continued to engage Lady Li politely: "If it works out, that would indeed be a good thing!"

"Does Madam agree?" Lady Li’s face brightened slightly. "If we’re talking about the Regional Commanders of Da Zhou, none can compare to my husband in terms of ability, character, or years of service. Others may not know, but my husband was once a general under the Marquis—Lord Xu knows him best." Her expression darkened slightly. "But these days, when Da Zhou promotes officials, ability, character, and years of service aren’t the main considerations. What really matters is having connections in the imperial court. My husband lacks nothing except those connections!"

Since when did official appointments not rely on connections in the imperial court?

Elevenniang nodded. "Connections are indeed very important."

Lady Li agreed, then glanced around and lowered her voice to a whisper. "My husband has sought help from Grand Secretary Liang."

Elevenniang was slightly surprised.

Lady Li covered her sleeve and chuckled softly.

"But since nothing is certain yet, it’s hard to speak openly." Her voice rose just a little. "I just thought that if this works out, our Jier would have better marriage prospects."

That was certainly true. But since Lady Li had her sights on Zhenjie, Elevenniang, as Zhenjie’s mother, had to be careful not to give the wrong impression.

She simply smiled faintly.

Seeing that Elevenniang didn’t respond, Lady Li’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. She wondered inwardly: *Does the Xu family really have no interest in Jier at all? If not, why has he been in such high spirits since returning from their house? Jier is a steady boy—he hasn’t said anything, but if he wasn’t somewhat confident, why would he act this way?*

*Come to think of it, although the Yongping Marquis has two sons, the eldest has been studying diligently at home with private tutors since childhood and is now attending the Jinshi Academy—clearly destined for the imperial examinations. The second son, the heir, is of delicate health. Even if he were to gain military experience, it would only be for show. Lord Xu rose to prominence through the military, returning victorious from two campaigns. Countless officers gained wealth serving under him, and many earned promotions through those military merits... To speak bluntly, some junior officers might not even know who the emperor is, but every one of them could laugh and tell a few anecdotes about the Yongping Marquis. If Jier could become the Marquis’s son-in-law... Even if Elevenniang bears a son, that’s still over a decade away. If Jier can’t establish himself in the military by then, he’d truly be hopeless. Better to give up any grand ambitions early and live a peaceful life.*

*Back when I first suggested the marriage proposal to my husband, he was hesitant.*

*"Even though she’s a daughter born of a concubine, the Marquis only has this one girl. Who knows how many people are eyeing her..."*

*At the time, I was both anxious and annoyed: "How would you know without trying? Maybe everyone else thinks the same way, making it harder to find a suitable match. Otherwise, why do the grooms chosen by the Ministry of Rites for the princesses always leave everyone stunned?"*

*Who would’ve thought the Shao family would suddenly get involved...*

The thought made Lady Li grit her teeth.

"So whether this succeeds or not depends entirely on your word, madam!"

She spoke softly, her tone tinged with pleading.

Elevenniang was taken aback.

Lady Li continued, "Right now, the Grand Secretaries are embroiled in debate over lifting the sea ban. Southern officials naturally oppose it, while northern officials support it. Grand Secretary Chen is particularly inflexible. Grand Secretary Liang is more accommodating, but even he must heed the emperor’s will. However, having one of our own in Fujian would allow us to stay a step ahead, no matter how the situation changes. It’s precisely because of this that Grand Secretary Liang agreed to mediate for my husband. But Grand Secretary Chen is still the Senior Grand Secretary. From what my husband gathered, Grand Secretary Liang implied that if the Marquis were to say just one word—no, even if he didn’t speak but merely indicated his position—this matter would be settled." She chuckled. "Grand Secretary Chen is currently facing opposition from all sides, and the Marquis hasn’t said a word against him. No matter how he calculates, Grand Secretary Chen would have to weigh this carefully!"

Elevenniang finally understood.

So the Li family had sought Grand Secretary Liang’s help, but Grand Secretary Liang, unwilling to shoulder the responsibility alone, wanted Lord Xu to indicate his position!

But why Lord Xu, of all people?

She narrowed her eyes slightly as she gazed at Lady Li.

Even Regional Commander Li knew that suppressing the Fujian rebellion was an opportunity, let alone someone like Grand Secretary Liang. With such a favorable chance, who wouldn’t want to place their own people? The fact that Regional Commander Li sought out Grand Secretary Liang meant there was an eighty to ninety percent chance he was dropping Lord Xu’s name—perhaps even privately hinting to Grand Secretary Liang that the two families were negotiating a marriage match.

But what kind of person was Grand Secretary Liang? He must have encountered such situations countless times. Yet words alone held no weight; proof was needed. If they claimed ties with Lord Xu, then Lord Xu should step forward to vouch for them. This would test the truth of their claims. If Grand Secretary Liang had his own plans, he would also weigh the potential gains and losses, thereby increasing Regional Commander Li’s standing in his eyes.

The Li family certainly knew how to scheme!

In Eleven Miss’s experience, while such people need not be befriended, they also shouldn’t be offended.

“In truth, I don’t quite understand what Lady Li is saying,” Eleven Miss adopted a humble stance to avoid further entanglement, adding apologetically, “Besides, Lord Xu dislikes the women of the household getting involved in such matters…”

Lady Li, of course, knew this.

What man would want his womenfolk getting involved in such matters? But she and her husband had no other choice!

“Madam,” she said earnestly, “I don’t understand these matters either. I only worry about Ji’er’s future. These things are just what I overheard when discussing our children’s affairs with my husband.” She gave Eleven Miss a meaningful look, hinting, “As a mother yourself, you naturally plan for your child’s future. If Lord Xu knew, he’d only be pleased—how could he blame you?”

Using Zhenjie’s marriage as an excuse?

Eleven Miss thought skeptically but kept her expression neutral, smiling as she replied, “Then I’ll pass along your message to Lord Xu as you’ve said.”

Lady Li wasn’t satisfied with Eleven Miss’s reply. Recalling her earlier reaction upon hearing about Lord Xu’s encounter with bandits in Shandong, she hesitated briefly before whispering, “I say this for your own good, madam. As the saying goes, a son-in-law is like half a son. With a capable son-in-law, you’d have someone to rely on in the future. It’s far more convenient than always having to instruct the outer courtyard managers.”

This Lady Li truly had a silver tongue like Su Qin and Zhang Yi!

Eleven Miss nodded eagerly, saw Lady Li out, and immediately sent Amber to inquire, “Go see where Lord Xu is.” Then, as if nothing had happened, she returned to Elder Madam.

“What gift did you refuse to accept?” Elder Madam took advantage of the moment when the children played cat’s cradle on the heated bed, with Fifth Madam watching nearby, to quietly ask Eleven Miss away from the others.

“A pure gold tiger figurine,” Eleven Miss gestured its size. “Amber said it was entirely solid.”

Elder Madam smiled, clearly pleased with Eleven Miss’s handling of the situation.

Eleven Miss sat by the kang, joining Fifth Madam in watching the children play.

Sister Wei brought in mulberry tea.

The children climbed down to drink, while Fifth Madam and Eleven Miss remained seated, served tea by the maids.

Fifth Madam held her blue-and-white porcelain teacup and suddenly remarked, “Zhenjie should be considering marriage, shouldn’t she?”

Her guard went up.

A flat refusal might breed resentment—and they saw each other daily.

“We’re already discussing it,” Eleven Miss replied cheerfully. “Several prospects have come forward, and Lord Xu is having each one investigated.”

Fifth Madam chuckled. “My aunt’s nephew is just the right age for Zhenjie, so she asked me to inquire.” She then described the young man’s background.

Naturally, matchmakers emphasized only the positives. Eleven Miss couldn’t verify the details, but one thing was clear: Fifth Madam’s aunt’s nephew came from a military family and held a hereditary rank of battalion commander.

“I’ll discuss it with Lord Xu.”

Fifth Madam nodded and went over to Elder Madam, needling Zhun’er, “Did Master Zhao give you another day off?”

“No,” Zhun’er quickly defended. “The master had me trace twelve characters. I finished early and did well, so he gave me a day off. It wasn’t because of my birthday. He said we mustn’t use excuses to skip lessons.”

Fifth Madam chuckled. “He takes holidays for every major and minor occasion, yet claims it’s not an excuse!”

“It’s not an excuse!” As his elder, Zhun’er couldn’t very well argue, turning red as he mumbled, “The master says it’s about alternating exertion and relaxation.”

“Seems our Zhun’er really likes Master Zhao!” Fifth Madam continued needling him.

Meanwhile, Eleven Miss’s thoughts drifted far away, wondering what was keeping Amber.