The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 209 Visit

"She is the daughter of Lord Qin, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice. Her brother and I are colleagues. We are both newly-appointed scholars and work together as clerks in the Ministry of Revenue. I have met Miss Qin several times at Lord Qin's house and I think she is a good match for me. So I would like to trouble you to ask someone to go to Lord Qin's house to ask for marriage!"

Now that he had begun, Changping spoke out all at once.

Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice? He is a high-ranking official of the third rank. If I want to marry into their family, isn’t my family background a little low? Will the other party agree?

There was some worry on Chen Cui's face. It was not that she was belittling herself, but her family was really not that well-off. When she was in her hometown, she could barely be considered a middle-class family, but after coming to the capital, her family could no longer be considered a class-leading one.

No matter in terms of official rank or money, in this capital city where powerful and wealthy people gather, his family is at the bottom. It can only be said that they are slightly better than ordinary wealthy families, but if compared with the third-rank officials in the capital, they are far behind.

Moreover, there has always been a saying here that "raise your head to marry your daughter and lower your head to marry your daughter-in-law." This not only refers to the attitudes of both men and women in the marriage, but also describes the family circumstances of both parties.

When the girl's parents are looking for a son-in-law for their daughter, they are afraid that their child will have a hard life in the future, so they usually look for one whose family is better off than their own. However, it is not the same when the man is looking for a wife. Since he is marrying into his family, it does not matter if the girl's conditions are a little worse.

Chen Cui said worriedly, "Our family is not even a little bit inferior to that of Master Qin. Are you the only one who is eager to get married, or does the other party also have this intention?"

Chang Ping's blush had faded away by now, and he regained his usual composure: "Of course I told you when I had some clues."

"What do you mean?" Could it be that Lord Qin took a fancy to Changping and wanted to recruit him as his son-in-law?

"It's hard to explain it in a few words. Please send a note to the Qin family first, and I will tell you the details when I come back."

Changping is still keeping the secret.

Although Chen Cui was eager to know the situation, she had no choice but to do as her son said since he refused to tell her.

The next day, she went to Zhang Ruomei to inquire about Lord Qin's family. Because she had been in the capital for a short time, apart from her new neighbors, she only had Zhang Ruomei as a good friend.

"I have met Madam Qin twice at other people's banquets. She is a generous and gentle woman. She has two sons and one daughter, all legitimate. The sons have already become officials, and the daughter is still unmarried. Miss Qin is also well-born and seems to be a very polite girl. As for her true personality, it is hard to tell for a while."

No matter how much Zhang Ruomei disliked socializing, when she arrived in the capital, she had to attend many gatherings of officials' wives in order to fit in.

She has participated in several events such as the "Chrysanthemum Viewing Banquet" and the Autumn Garden Party. Even though the weather is getting colder now, she still received a post saying that the flowers in the greenhouse have bloomed and a flower viewing party is going to be held.

Although Wang Hengzhi's official position was not high, Zhang Ruomei was a cousin of the favored concubine in the palace. Because of this relationship, many families in Beijing would send her invitations to their banquets and gatherings.

Moreover, the emperor personally ordered Wang Hengzhi to join the Ministry of Revenue in order to put him in charge of the promotion of corn cultivation. In less than half a year since he came to Beijing, he had already met the emperor several times, which shows how much the emperor valued him.

Therefore, Zhang Ruomei is now considered a well-informed person in Chen Cui's eyes, so she naturally thought of coming to her to inquire.

However, she had not been in the capital for long after all, and had only met many of the officials' wives and knew their basic situation, but she was not very clear about the more in-depth information.

Chen Cui was not disappointed either. Knowing something was better than knowing nothing. As soon as she got home, she asked someone to deliver a letter to Qin's house, expressing her intention to visit him the next day.

The other party responded quickly and replied to the post immediately and agreed.

When Chen Cui saw this, she knew what was going on. The other person must have known her intention of coming and might even be waiting for her.

The next day, she took a few cans of fruit and some snacks and went to Qin's house.

The Qin family's location is a bit remote, and the house doesn't occupy a large area, but it is very neatly maintained, and you can tell at a glance that the mistress is a capable person.

Mrs. Qin was indeed as Zhang Ruomei described, a generous and gentle woman, with elegant manners.

It was the first time the two met, and they were cautiously testing each other, trying to find a common and relatively safe topic.

However, for middle-aged women like them, what could be more important than men and children? Especially since Chen Cui's purpose of coming today was to meet Miss Qin and find out the Qin family's attitude.

So, after a few polite greetings, the topic quickly turned to their respective children.

Mrs. Qin first praised Chen Cui for raising several children by herself and bringing up her sons into successful people. She is truly a role model for our generation.

Chen Cui was not to be outdone and praised Mrs. Qin's two sons as being outstanding talents who would surely have successful careers in the officialdom in the future.

Then it was finally time for today's important part. Without further ado, Mrs. Qin called her daughter out to meet the guests.

Miss Qin was not short, and was estimated to be about the same height as Chen Cui, about 1.6364 meters. She had a well-proportioned figure and a rosy complexion. Chen Cui was very satisfied with this. At least she was not a delicate beauty.

Moreover, Miss Qin was very graceful in her hospitality and her words were meaningful when she talked to people. She was not the empty-headed person, and Chen Cui felt happy again.

Miss Qin's maiden name was Ruozhi. Chen Cui only chatted with her mother and daughter for fifteen minutes in the hall before inviting Qin Ruozhi to visit their home the next day.

Although Qin Ruozhi was a little shy, she agreed after getting her mother's consent.

The first visit should not last too long. The purpose was achieved, and Chen Cui saw that the time was almost up, so she got up and said goodbye.

After returning home, she couldn't help but praise Miss Qin's appearance and conversation to Changping, praising him for his good taste.

Chang Ping smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "Your son is not bad either, and he is a good match for Miss Qin."

Chen Cui had seen him many times looking mature beyond his years, and it was rare for her to see him so relaxed and playful, which made her feel happy.

To be honest, she felt that Changping had been too calm and utilitarian since he started school. She was worried that he would use his marriage as a springboard and a tool for advancement, without paying any attention to his personal feelings and happiness.

When she first heard Changping ask her to go to the house of the Minister of Justice to propose marriage, she suspected that he had taken the trouble to choose such a marriage in order to take advantage of the other party's family background.

But when Chen Cui saw his reaction when he mentioned Miss Qin, she changed her mind.

In Changping's eyes, there was affection and joy for Miss Qin, rather than utilitarianism and calculation. It was obvious that he really wanted to promote this marriage.