A Meeting

He looked at his father. "Father, although Zhuangyuan Zhao's character is trustworthy, it's still only one side of the story. People always subconsciously favor their relatives and say the nice things. We should inquire more and, ideally, get to know Zhao Jingli, so as not to ruin my sister's life."

Master He nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

He Yuqi blinked, feeling a warmth in her heart. Her father, after all, loved her.

Lady Wang said, "I heard from Zhuangyuan Zhao that she will be setting off for Gusu in four days, and the old lady and madam of the Earl of Suiping's Residence will be going with her. Since Zhuangyuan Zhao proposed this marriage, and the decision is being made by the Wife of the Earl of Suiping, you should gather information quickly and make a decision within a day or two. Otherwise, once Zhuangyuan Zhao and the others leave, even if we are willing, we won't know who to approach to propose. We can't very well send a matchmaker to propose to the second branch of the Zhao Family, can we?"

A girl should be dignified and not rush into marriage. The man should always propose to the woman; otherwise, she will be looked down upon.

"Leaving the capital so soon? Isn't there a one-month term for taking office?" Master He asked in surprise.

When he spoke with Zhao Ruxi, he already knew that Zhao Ruxi had sent the Assistant Magistrate of Linjiang Prefecture, Anzhou Province Nanyang Prefecture.

"The Earl of Suiping is serving as the Vice Prefect of Gusu Prefecture. Zhuangyuan Zhao must first visit his father and personally deliver the good news before he goes to take up his post," Lady Wang explained.

Master He frowned and nodded. "Alright, let's investigate in the next day or two. I'm telling you, she's rushing things too much. Could there be something wrong with the second branch of the Zhao Family?"

He Yuqi said, "Zhao Zhiwei isn't that kind of person. She told me everything about this marriage, good and bad. If she wanted to deceive me, she would only say the good things and not the bad."

"That's true." Master He nodded and immediately summoned several capable servants, assigning them the task.

Several servants went off to inquire, and after comparing and summarizing the information they gathered, they were able to basically find out the true situation of the second branch of the Zhao Family.

After the servants left, Lady Wang brought the topic back to the present. "If the situation is true, do you agree to this marriage?"

He Zhi then looked at his father.

Master He. He must make the decisions.

He first asked He Yuqi, "If you marry into that family, how do you plan to handle their affairs?"

He Yuqi said, "Zhiwei said that Fourth Miss Zhao is older than me, and Sixth Miss Zhao is the same age as me, so they will be married within the next year or two. Therefore, these two girls are not a problem. As for the rest, let's take it one step at a time."

"Anyway, you've arranged quite a few marriages for me during this time, but none of them are perfect. There's always some problem with this or that. At least there's no mother-in-law in the Zhao Family, so I can be in charge from the moment I enter. If the Eldest Young Master Zhao is reasonable, clear-headed, and supports my going out to work, I think this marriage is acceptable. After all, nothing is perfect, and we can only make choices."

Master He. He nodded.

He basically agreed to the marriage.

The marriages he originally arranged for He Yuqi were either for scholars or those who had passed the imperial examinations.

Those who pass the imperial examinations at a young age are generally proud and arrogant, believing they have a bright future. Therefore, when they marry, they try to climb the social ladder by marrying the daughters of successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations or minor officials, hoping to gain some support from their in-laws. Those who can marry the daughters of such successful candidates usually have one or more problems in their families.

There are a few excellent students among the Xiucai (scholars who passed the county-level imperial examinations) in various aspects. However, it is not easy for a Xiucai to pass the provincial-level imperial examinations and become a Juren (successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations).

Master He felt that his daughter was beautiful and talented, no less so than those scholars. If a scholar never passed the provincial examination and became a licentiate, he would be unworthy of his daughter. A scholar's wife would be a step below the wives of licentiates and jinshi, and would not be respected anywhere.

Whether one is a scholar who has passed the county-level imperial examination or a provincial-level imperial examination, the ultimate goal is to become an official. Zhao Jingli did not have an official title, but he had already entered the Ministry of Revenue and was highly regarded. In this respect alone, he was no less than those provincial-level imperial examination graduates. Not to mention that he was originally groomed by the Marquis's family to be the heir apparent.

This kind of person, whether in terms of talent, cultivation, way of dealing with people, or the connections he had built up, was far superior to the scholars and licentiates from these small county towns. If he hadn't become a phoenix fallen from grace, He Yuqi would really not have been able to reach his level.

Furthermore, Zhao Ruxi was the child switched at birth with Zhao Jingli. Logically, Zhao Ruxi should hate Zhao Jingli; even if she didn't hate him, she wouldn't help him.

It's possible that Zhao Ruxi, despite her busy schedule, still managed to arrange a marriage for Zhao Jingli. She had previously personally taught Zhao Jingli mathematics and even helped him get a job in the Ministry of Revenue through her influence, which shows that the two had a good relationship. This demonstrates that Zhao Jingli's character and personality are absolutely impeccable.

This is a huge advantage for Zhao Jingli, far better than simply having a noble title. Those newly appointed scholars who wanted to curry favor with Zhao Zhiwei couldn't even manage it.

After he had thought it through, he shared his thoughts with his family.

After saying that, he added, "If the information the servant brings back is the same as what you said, then this marriage can be agreed to."

He Yuqi said, "I'd like to meet with Eldest Young Master Zhao first."

Marriages in this era were not entirely arranged by matchmakers, nor were they based solely on what the matchmaker said.

Before the formal marriage proposal, the parents of both the man and woman would take their children to a temple to offer incense and meet each other.

Alternatively, when the man visits the woman's home, she can peek out from behind a curtain, and her parents will also get a feel for their future son-in-law. The man's mother will also find an opportunity to meet the woman to confirm that her appearance, behavior, and personality are indeed as the matchmaker described.

Only when both parties are satisfied and all the conditions regarding the betrothal gifts are met will the man come to propose marriage.

Therefore, when Master He. He heard He Yuqi's request, he didn't find anything wrong with it.

He said, "Of course we should meet. When you reply to Zhuangyuan Zhao, mention it to her. She will make the arrangements."

Zhao Ruxi was their matchmaker, so naturally she had to mediate between them.

Because Master He had a time limit, several servants returned before the city gates closed in the evening and reported the information they had gathered to Master He's family.

Upon final review, the He Family discovered that everything Zhao Ruxi said was true, without a single lie.

Master He made the final decision. "Zhuangyuan Zhao pressed for time and has many matters to attend to before leaving the capital, so we shouldn't take up too much of her time. How about this, tomorrow morning, have someone send her a visiting card, saying that our family plans to visit us around noon. Tomorrow is a day off, Eldest Young Master Zhao doesn't have to go to the yamen, Zhuangyuan Zhao can arrange for everyone to meet."

With no objections from the rest of the family, He Yuqi sent an invitation to Zhao Ruxi the following day.