The news of Consort Jian reached the Empress half a beat later, but soon, everyone who needed to know, knew.
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's foolish scheme, she happily pounded her small fists on the chaise lounge for a good while. Dogs fighting dogs, with fur all over their mouths. Once they were both battered and bruised, the imperial throne would be within her son's grasp.
However, Situ Jue did not think so. How important was money these days? The thought that Situ Yan, a prince who had only recently entered the fray, was richer than him made him utterly uncomfortable. It was a disgrace that the Marquis Qi Ying's estate, which prided itself on being a prominent family, had the dowries of two daughters combined worth less than a tenth of a merchant's daughter.
Pah.
Yet, after pondering for a while, he still went to the Marquis Qi Ying's estate.
If one were to speak of generating wealth, it would have to be Jian Shizhao.
Previously, Jian Shizhao's reputation had been severely damaged due to his instigation of servants to seize others' property. He had distanced himself from him for a long time. And because of the incident involving the Jian sisters, he had almost broken off relations with the Marquis Qi Ying's estate.
If it weren't for the good daughters they raised, how could he have earned the reputation of being heartless and unjust?
However, he still needed them now, so it wouldn't do to neglect them for too long. Today, he would offer them a way to mend fences, as the matters of Lingyan Pavilion should also be set in motion.
Cheng Beizheng could handle Cheng Beiming, but finding a husband for his sister had yielded no promising results for the moment. He could only ask Lu Nianfu to help with the matchmaking.
Lu Nianfu had no idea how to go about matchmaking. This was Cheng Jiaojiao's lifelong happiness, and if they were to have a disharmonious marriage, wouldn't Cheng Jiaojiao resent her forever? However, since Cheng Beizheng had come to her, she had to offer some help. She discussed it with Situ Yan and decided to create an opportunity for Cheng Jiaojiao to choose for herself.
She opened a blank invitation card, and Situ Yan stood beside her, grinding ink. "Just inviting one female guest would seem rather strange, wouldn't it?"
"It is a bit. Then why not write a few more?"
"Let's rewrite it. And let's not just invite male guests; let's invite female guests as well. One is a match, and a group is also a match. It will be a good chance to drag Ouyang here to take a look. The old matriarch has mentioned it to me several times."
"Old matriarch?"
"The old madam of the Duke Zhenguo, Ouyang's grandmother. I'll take you to meet her when there's an opportunity. When I was down on my luck, the old matriarch helped me quite a bit." Situ Yan's gaze carried a hint of nostalgia. Although the old lady strongly opposed her grandson practicing martial arts, people from military families seemed to have a natural liking for martial artists. He had even learned a set of spear techniques from the old matriarch.
Lu Nianfu said, "Since she helped you, why didn't you take me to pay a visit earlier?"
"You were in mourning earlier, and after the mourning period, there was no peace, so it dragged on until now, wasn't it?"
"Then perhaps we should also send an invitation to the old matriarch?"
"No, she rarely leaves her residence. Sending an invitation might not be appropriate."
"Understood. After the guests have been invited, we can find another day to visit. Where were we just now?"
"To find a match for Ouyang as well. Do you think any girl would take a fancy to Song Ming and Da Mao? Meng Changdong is also not young anymore." The more Situ Yan counted, the more distressed he became. Why were all the bachelors around him?
Lu Nianfu: "...... There should be many minor officials who want to curry favor with His Highness the Prince. However, their official rank must be below the fifth rank."
Officials below the fifth rank did not have the qualification to send congratulatory gifts to Prince Rui, and it would be inconvenient for them to send invitations to such individuals.
Situ Yan saw her furrowing her brows and reached out to stroke them. "I was just saying it casually. This is a banquet to express gratitude, not a matchmaking session."
"It would be best if a match could be made." In her past life, why were noble ladies so keen on hosting various banquets if not for matchmaking? If one attempt failed, they would look again and again until they found a suitable candidate. However, she was pregnant now, and it wasn't suitable for her to always be the host. She could only bring Cheng Jiaojiao with her to make appearances when attending banquets.
She wondered how many noble ladies would dare to invite a pregnant woman like her to their estates.
After discussing for a while, they drafted the list for matchmaking. As for other guests, Qingmiao and Mian'er would handle them.
Winter in the capital always arrived exceptionally early. Barely October, and the first snow had already fallen.
Feng Xin Yao, wrapped in a cloak, her palm-sized face half-hidden by the hood, carried a revolving lantern. Under its light, she stepped on the thin layer of snow and knocked on an inconspicuous courtyard gate in a bluestone alley.
The knocking was three long and two short, sounding particularly crisp in the quiet night. After knocking, she stood with her head bowed by the gate. After waiting for a while, she heard a creak.
The gate opened.
The man who opened the gate wore a ghost mask.
Feng Xin Yao knew she had found the right place and breathed a sigh of relief. Understanding the rules, she handed over a bank note: "This humble girl, Shenggge, has come specially to seek the Ghost Doctor for medicine."
Ji Jin glanced at the front of the note. One thousand taels.
He subtly moved aside. "Miss, let's discuss inside."