Chapter 547 - 204: Bickering Couple (Part 3)
’Countless men want to marry the Lord Prefect’s daughter, but you’re the first one to be so presumptuous as to send someone to his door. And calling it presumptuous is putting it lightly. Don’t you know your own place?’
The official matchmaker had no desire to take this job, but the amount of silver Xu Su Ying had pressed into her hands was simply too much.
Who could argue with silver?
Besides, Xu Su Ying had promised, "This is half of the payment. Regardless of whether you succeed or not, I’ll give you the other half afterward."
Dazzled by the gleaming silver, the official matchmaker asked, "In that case, shall I go and make some inquiries for you?"
"Oh, I guarantee it won’t be a wasted trip. Please, just go and ask on our behalf. Afterward, I’ll even send you some fine incense."
Swayed by the promise of incense and silver, the official matchmaker actually went to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.
To her surprise, she was granted an audience upon her arrival. However, she didn’t stay long and was escorted out in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
Yet the official matchmaker showed no signs of disappointment. The moment she saw Xu Su Ying, she grasped her hand. "Mrs. Chen, this is wonderful news!"
Joy was written all over Xu Su Ying’s face. "Don’t tell me the Lord Prefect agreed?"
"Of course not! We’re talking about the Lord Prefect’s daughter. He would never agree so readily."
Seeing the disappointment on Xu Su Ying’s face, the matchmaker hurriedly explained, "You don’t understand the way these things are done, Mrs. Chen. When proposing a marriage to a young lady from a noble family, they will never agree right away unless there’s already a mutual understanding. Even if they are interested, they hold back, or it would make their daughter seem too eager. But the Lord Prefect didn’t reject you outright, and that means there’s a chance! This is great news for you, madam. You may very well become in-laws with the Lord Prefect!"
As she spoke, the official matchmaker couldn’t help but size up Xu Su Ying, mulling over the Chen family’s circumstances.
Weren’t all official matchmakers the type to have their eyes and ears everywhere?
They knew exactly which families had daughters of marriageable age and which had fine young men ready for a match.
The Chen family was new to the Prefecture, having arrived just this year. They had one married daughter. Of their two sons, one was still young and attending a private school, while the other was a Scholar who had been preparing for the Provincial Examination.
Unfortunately, he had failed the Provincial Examination...
’With a background as plain and unremarkable as that, what in the world did the Lord Prefect see in them?’ The official matchmaker couldn’t wrap her head around it.
’Could he have taken a liking to their son-in-law?’
Then, the official matchmaker recalled that the Chen family’s son was said to be studying at the prefectural academy. The Magistrate’s daughter also attended the academy, and it seemed the two were even in the same study hall.
’Could it be that love grew over time? That the young lady fell for the young master first?’
The official matchmaker couldn’t figure it out, but that didn’t stop her from changing her tune. She became warm and attentive toward Xu Su Ying, respectfully calling her "Mrs. Chen."
Seeing it was getting late, Xu Su Ying prepared to leave, and the matchmaker personally escorted her out.
Finally, she added, "Rest assured, I’ll be paying close attention to this joyous matter for your family. If I hear any word from the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office, I’ll let you know immediately."
’As for rushing things, she would never dare. What if she had misread the situation? What if the Lord Prefect was simply giving his subordinate some face, planning to issue a rejection in a couple of days?’
’So, I’ll just have to wait. I’ll probably find out how things will turn out in a couple of days.’
Xu Su Ying and Chen Wanqing returned home.
「Back at the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.」
Sheng Mingchuan had his daughter summoned.
Classes at the prefectural academy had already begun, but Sheng Saya hadn’t attended for the past few days.
A young woman always has a few days of discomfort each month. She had gotten her period, so she had been resting at home for the past couple of days.
When the maid came with the message, Sheng Saya didn’t feel like moving. But after lazing in bed for a little longer, she decided to get up and see what her father wanted.
By the time Sheng Saya shuffled into the front courtyard, Sheng Mingchuan had already finished his tea. He frowned when he saw that his daughter had come straight over without washing up or fixing her hair. "You’re a grown young lady now; you should pay more attention to your appearance. What if you ran into someone here at the government office? Would it be proper for them to see you like this?"
"This is the government office. Can outsiders even get in? And if you’re seeing me, you can’t be seeing anyone else. Since no one else can get in, no one will see me like this. Besides, I’m in my own home. Can’t I be comfortable?"
Sheng Mingchuan couldn’t win an argument against his daughter. He was left speechless after she retorted like that.
He laughed in exasperation. There was nothing he could do about his daughter, so he decided to drop the subject and get straight to the point.
"The Chen family sent an official matchmaker to our door. They want to ask for your hand in marriage for their eldest son."
Sheng Saya didn’t even have time to register whether it was the Chen family, the Wang Family, or the Li family. She retorted reflexively, "Just because they’re asking, does that mean I have to marry him? Haven’t I told you I’m not in a hurry to be marr— Wait. Dad, first, tell me... which Wang family?"
Sheng Mingchuan decided to tease her. "Does it matter if it’s *that* Chen family? After all, you’re not in a hurry to be married!"
Sheng Saya’s face instantly turned bright red. She stomped her foot and glared at her father. "Dad! How can you be like that!"
"Like what? Weren’t those your words? I just repeated them back to you. What did I do wrong?"