A Request
After returning from Beining, Zhao Ruxi stayed at home and didn't go anywhere.
There were many banquets before the New Year. Whether it was due to the favor of the Princess of Zhennan and the excellence of Zhao Ruxi, or the instruction of the Princess Pingyang, the Earl of Suiping's Residence received a lot of invitations this year, many of which were ones that the old lady and Lady Zhu had tried their best to get into in the past.
But the old lady remained unmoved and simply pretended to be ill. Lady Zhu naturally stayed at home and declined all invitations, including those from her two daughters' in-laws' families.
Filial piety is the most important of all virtues. The reason of caring for the sick was compelling, and no one could find fault with Lady Zhu and Zhao Ruxi.
Zhao Yuanliang, however, couldn't sit still any longer. He brought his four children to the Earl's residence to visit the ailing man. After their visit, he went directly to Zhao Yuanxun and said, "Elder brother, I want to ask you for a favor."
Zhao Yuanxun no longer felt any brotherly affection for his second brother, who would side with anyone who offered him benefits.
He asked casually, "What is it?"
"Brother, as you know, someone like me, a nobody official with no woman to manage the household, doesn't get any decent banquet invitations. But my four children are all grown up; Miss Rui has already reached marriageable age, and the other three will be next summer, yet none of them are married yet. My heart is restless like a cat scratching at it."
"Mother caught a cold, but it doesn't seem too serious. A few doses of medicine will make her better. If she recovers, when you and your sister-in-law go to the banquet, could you take the four children from the second wife's side with you? Putting aside other aspects, the four children are quite good-looking. Jingli is someone you raised with great care; his character and talent are impeccable. If you take them to the banquet, maybe someone will take a liking to them and arrange a marriage for them?"
As Zhao Yuanliang spoke, he looked at his elder brother with hopeful eyes.
Previously, the four children were not very old, and the eldest branch of the family had Zhao Ruyu, Zhao Ruzhu, and Zhao Ruxin's marriages planned ahead. Every year at the banquet, Lady Zhu would bring those three children to the banquet, rarely bringing the children from the second branch. Even if she did bring them, she would not take the initiative to arrange their marriages.
Lady Wei did attend the banquet, but she didn't care much about Zhao Rurui and Zhao Ruyu. She had high expectations for Zhao Jing'an's marriage and always felt that her son was too young, so she didn't think about arranging marriages for her children.
Now that the family has split up, this heavy responsibility has fallen on Zhao Yuanliang, who doesn't have to worry about anything.
Thinking that his four children would soon become old maids and bachelors, and that finding them good marriages would be extremely difficult, and that getting them married would cost a lot of money, Zhao Yuanliang couldn't sleep at night, constantly blaming Lady Wei in his heart.
Why stir up trouble before the children are even married?
If both daughters are married and both sons are married, with their wives managing the household, and the family struggling financially, they can rely on their dowries, and he won't have to worry so much.
Since his father's death, Zhao Yuanxun has taken over the family business and consciously shouldered all the responsibilities. Before the family was divided, he and Lady Zhu had worried a lot about the marriages of their four children.
Now that the family has separated, Zhao Yuanliang is also worried about the children's marriages.
But no matter how worried I am, I still have to refuse him.
"Second brother, you don't know, Mother's health hasn't been as good as it used to be since her stroke. This cold isn't serious, and she should have felt much better after taking her medicine yesterday. But today, she doesn't seem to be getting any better. Until Mother recovers, we definitely won't go anywhere; we'll stay home to take care of her. The children are growing up year by year, and we can't afford to delay. I can't guarantee I can attend the banquet, so you should see who else is going and have them go with her."
The invitation has a name on it; he can't go, nor can he give his own invitation to Zhao Yuanliang.
Fearing to offend someone, they dared not say that the old lady was seriously ill; they could only say that she had caught a cold.
A cold can be a minor or major illness, and can last for a short or long time. Symptoms such as headache and fever are not obvious, and there is no need to call a royal physician for treatment. It is most suitable for the old lady to pretend to be sick.
Therefore, Zhao Yuanliang felt that the old lady was fine, but Zhao Yuanxun knew that the old lady's "illness" would not be cured for a while. At least until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month next year, they would all have to stay at home to take care of her.
He said these things sincerely because he cared about the children of his second wife. But Zhao Yuanliang heard them as mere excuses.
"Brother, I know you have reservations about me and the children because of the Lady Wei. But the children and I didn't want this either. Especially Jingli, you raised him with such care, how can you just abandon him like that? That child has always looked down on me, but he truly considers you his father. You can't Jingli, can you? If he marries a good wife, you and sister-in-law can finally rest assured about him, right?"
Speaking of Zhao Jingli, Zhao Yuanxun felt a pang of bitterness.
"This is all the fault of you two. Don't put all the blame on Lady Wei. You are the head of the second branch of the family, and she is your wife. If she makes a mistake, you bear half the responsibility."
As Zhao Yuanxun spoke, he stood up and said, "Besides, what's wrong with a boy getting married later? If he's upright and ambitious, someone will naturally want to marry him. As for Ruyu, isn't she getting along well with that boy from the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence? I suppose you don't need to worry about her marriage. You only need to arrange Rurui's marriage now. Find a newly promoted scholar, someone reliable and ambitious. With your official position, family background, and connections, marrying Rurui off won't be difficult."
Those who ranked lower in the second class of the imperial examinations would only become minor officials of the Ninth Rank if they stayed in the capital.
Zhao Rurui could be considered a young lady from an aristocratic family. She was literate, literate, and dabbled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She had no serious problems with herself. Although Zhao Yuanliang's family was separated and his own official position was not high, his contacts were still there, and he usually made friends with many dandies from aristocratic families.
If Zhao Yuanliang is willing, those second-class Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) without connections should be quite happy to form this marriage alliance.
After saying this, Zhao Yuanxun ignored Zhao Yuanliang and left the side hall, returning to the backyard.
Zhao Yuanliang was furious at his brother's heartlessness, but there was nothing he could do.
He naturally didn't want to marry his daughter to those second-class graduates.
Those from well-to-do families who achieved the second rank in the imperial examinations have long been snapped up. Those from poorer families, even those from humble backgrounds, can't even afford a house in the capital; their meager salaries aren't even enough to feed them. Are they expected to support their son-in-law's entire family after marrying their daughter into the family?
When they're short of money, they ask him for it; when they're in trouble, they ask him to solve it. Did he marry his daughter off to a son-in-law or to a powerful figure? Why should he arrange a marriage with someone who offers him absolutely no benefit?
Zhao Yuanxun rejected Zhao Yuanliang, while Lady Zhu was also entangled with Zhao Ruyu and Zhao Rurui.
Zhao Rurui had been working under her stepmother since she was a child, and she was a woman who was willing to go to any lengths. Seeing that Lady Zhu did not agree, she disregarded her shame and knelt down before Lady Zhu.