Chapter 593 - 220: Making a Decision (2)

Chapter 593: Chapter 220: Making a Decision (2)

The betrothal at the Sheng family’s home went very smoothly. With an official matchmaker presiding, Xu Shiling and Xu Yanlin attended as the groom’s elders, while Mr. Sheng and Mrs. Sheng accepted the proposal as the bride’s parents. Furthermore, Mr. Zhou, acting as a highly respected elder, guided the process and read the marriage certificate and auspicious blessings aloud. The marriage was thus successfully settled.

Actually, the betrothal gifts should have been presented at this time as well. However, special circumstances allowed for special arrangements.

Xu Su Ying had explained that she had lost her memory and couldn’t remember what assets she owned, but her net worth was undoubtedly substantial. If she prepared betrothal gifts for Kaiyan based on their current financial situation, it would be an insult to the bride’s side. Yet, she truly had no idea how much wealth she could actually produce. Therefore, the betrothal gifts were temporarily owed. She would wait until she returned to the Capital City to retrieve her belongings, and then use houses and shops as betrothal gifts for Kaiyan.

Normally, no one would agree to such an arrangement. They would worry that the groom’s side was making empty promises and trying to scam them into marriage. After all, marriage certificates carried a certain degree of legal weight at this time. Once the certificate was signed, refusing to marry because of dissatisfaction with the betrothal gifts would leave you in the wrong, even if you took the matter to the government office.

However, Mr. Sheng knew the character of the Xu family, and Mrs. Sheng believed in Xu Su Ying’s integrity. Both knew that neither the Xu family nor Xu Su Ying would ever shortchange their daughter. So what if the betrothal gifts were delivered a little late? Although this move would invite gossip, people wouldn’t dare say it to their faces anyway, so they could simply pretend to be unaware.

With the two families in agreement on this matter, the marriage between Sheng Saya and De’an was officially finalized.

It wasn’t until the banquet ended and the Xu family was personally escorted out of the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office by Mr. and Mrs. Sheng that the people of the Prefecture realized Mr. Sheng had silently pulled off a major event.

He had betrothed his legitimate daughter to a poor, shabby Scholar!

To call this Scholar poor and shabby was perhaps an exaggeration. However, compared to the crowd of young young masters from prominent backgrounds who had come to propose, Chen Song, a Standard Sixth Rank Salt Transport Judge, truly didn’t stand out. De’an was his son, so calling him a poor Scholar wasn’t entirely unwarranted.

Some people muttered privately, "Mr. Sheng is known for being incredibly astute. How could he do something so foolish?"

"Could it be that the two youths did something scandalous, and to prevent it from becoming public knowledge, Mr. Sheng had no choice but to cover it up for them?"

"That’s going too far. Whether it’s Mr. Sheng’s daughter or Mr. Chen’s son, both are students of the Prefecture School. They wouldn’t disregard the rules of etiquette or forget all sense of propriety and shame."

"You should look at Mr. Xu and Master Xu! They are with the Chen family. Chen De’an’s mother might very well be a distant relative of the Xu family. With such a connection, it isn’t too hard to understand why Mr. Sheng would betroth his youngest daughter to him."

"That makes sense..."

The commoners were always in need of juicy gossip to accompany their meals. As soon as this news broke, everyone started discussing it. Although the families of officials were more reserved, they still had plenty of free time. Naturally, they pondered the matter behind closed doors, wondering if Mr. Sheng’s actions carried some deeper meaning.

In the Vice Magistrate Mansion, Mrs. Xie and Zhu Tongzhi were discussing this very matter.

Mrs. Xie was originally from the Capital City. She and Zhu Tongzhi were considered well-matched in social status, which was why they had tied the knot. Ever since hearing the rumors from outside, she had been somewhat distracted. After Zhu Tongzhi returned from the government office, she had someone invite him to her room to discuss it.

"I wonder if you still remember, my husband, that the Xu family once lost a daughter long ago."

Hearing this, Zhu Tongzhi paused slightly before giving a small nod. "There was indeed such a thing. It seemed to be their youngest daughter who went missing. Because of this, the Xu family formed a feud with the Yan family. Yan Cheng has remained unmarried to this day, and he has been suppressed so thoroughly that his career hasn’t advanced an inch in years."

Connecting this to Mrs. Xie’s words, Zhu Tongzhi chuckled softly. "Are you suspecting that Chen Song’s wife is the missing daughter of the Xu family?"

Mrs. Xie nodded. "Apart from this explanation, I can’t think of any other reason that would compel both the uncle and nephew of the Xu family to make a public appearance together."

"Perhaps they have set their sights on Zhao Jing. As you know, Zhao Jing became the top scorer in the provincial examination; he will undoubtedly achieve great results in the Imperial Examination."

Mrs. Xie nodded slightly at his words. Speaking of this matter, she still felt a small pang of regret in her heart. She regretted having warned Caiwei earlier not to associate with such poor, shabby individuals.

Who could have expected that Zhao Jing was far from a poor, shabby person? He possessed immense literary talent and was favored by the God of Literature. His future was truly limitless.

Mrs. Xie regretted warning Zhu Caiwei. If she hadn’t intervened and Caiwei had kept pestering Zhao Jing, even if it might not have yielded immediate results, how could Zhao Jing’s heart not be moved over time by a young woman admiring him so much?