The psychological shadow cast by Grand Scholar Gu was too great. Although the man sitting before me was a refined and handsome young Hanlin scholar, for some reason, my mind kept conjuring the stern face of Grand Scholar Gu and his particularly thick ruler.
I desperately wanted to flee.
I barely managed to sit through one cup of tea with him.
Just as I could no longer bear to sit still, wet nurse Jiang and Axiu finally returned. I seized the opportunity to excuse myself, and the matchmaking session came to an end.
Wet nurse Jiang naturally went to find Madam Gu the Second. I had no interest in listening to scriptures, so I proposed returning to the side room.
Wet nurse Jiang said, "Perhaps your mother is also listening to scriptures with my madam?"
I could only say that wet nurse Jiang didn't understand my mother at all. How could my mother, a woman who loved and enjoyed life, sit still and listen to scriptures at this hour? As expected, as soon as I returned to the side room, my mother leaned in with a gossipy expression, "How was it, Nannan? Did the young man catch your eye?"
I pushed her head away a bit. "He's good-looking, and his conversation is pleasant, but it's a pity..."
"A pity for what?"
"He's Grand Scholar Gu's favored disciple."
"If it weren't for that connection, would your father have presented him to you? This Li Yuan Ning is talented. In time, the Hanlin Academy will likely have a place for him."
"How do you know that?"
"If Grand Scholar Gu didn't value him, why would he have his wife act as a matchmaker?"
A noble son from a humble background with a promising future did sound like a good choice. But I still shook my head firmly. "Let's not. As soon as I see him, I think of Grand Scholar Gu's thick and heavy ruler back then."
"Nonsense. A mentor isn't a parent. You just need to pay respects on festivals. What are you afraid of?"
"Does Mother think highly of him?"
"That's not necessarily true. It's just that someone suitable has appeared, and I want you to observe him further. If you don't like this one, we can move on to the next."
It's difficult for the impoverished to produce nobles, but not impossible. My mother stated that the Spring Imperial Examination was approaching.
I was speechless. "Mother, you just told me that the scions of noble families in the capital are well-known, so why are you now so focused on the imperial examinations? 'Righteousness often comes from the humble, betrayal from the learned.' Have you forgotten the cautionary tale of Miss Zeng the Second?"
Miss Zeng the Second, Zeng Weiyang, was the concubine-born daughter of the Marquis of Pingning, and also the Emperor's half-sister.
However, the Empress had lived in a foreign land in her youth for various reasons and did not have a deep affection for Miss Zeng the Second. Furthermore, she later helped the Marquis of Pingning plot against the Empress, so the Empress did not favor her.
This was also someone with considerable means. She had been a concubine to Prince Ning, but unfortunately, Prince Ning died early. She sacrificed her daughter and escaped Prince Ning's mansion, taking charge of the Marquis of Pingning's household.
Although the family held no noble title, they possessed property and businesses, making her a small, wealthy woman.
The imperial court encouraged remarriage. Even though she had been a prince's concubine, her wealth was irresistible. Suitors and matchmakers flocked to her door. But this woman, good heavens, was solely focused on climbing the social ladder. What high-ranking noble family would look favorably upon her meager assets? If her relationship with the Empress were good, she might have gained some benefits based on her brother-in-law's status.
But who in the entire court didn't know that the Empress and her younger half-sister were estranged?
To put it bluntly, it was already an act of mercy that the Empress hadn't dealt with her. What else could she hope for, like promotion? She must be dreaming!
"If you repay kindness with resentment, how will you embrace virtue?"
Miss Zeng the Second was unwilling and wasted several years. Not only did she not get married, but she also became a laughingstock among the capital's elite circles. Determined to achieve prominence, she couldn't break into the ranks of the wealthy and powerful, so she turned her attention to scholars coming to the capital for the imperial examinations.
With the mindset of casting a wide net to catch more fish, she sought to befriend impoverished scholars, offering them some financial assistance, and of course, subtly hinting at affection.
There are no difficult tasks in the world, only those with a will.
That year, she did manage to catch a fish, though the quality of this fish was not very good.
A Juren was quite valuable in earlier years, as income from leased fields alone could be substantial.
Unfortunately, after the scandal of leased fields, the Emperor gradually reduced the tax exemption limits for Juren and court officials. The poor scholar who became a Juren was a thing of the past. A scholar was still a poor scholar, but a Juren could no longer be gilded. This particular Juren became Miss Zeng the Second's live-in son-in-law. He was well-fed and cared for, but lost all his ambition, failing to pass the examinations for two consecutive cycles.
Miss Zeng the Second was extremely frustrated and declared that if he failed again, she would divorce him and marry someone else.
Perhaps something in her words spurred the Juren on. In the third cycle, he actually succeeded, though his ranking was quite low. At the final palace examination, he was only awarded the rank of Tong Jinshi.
A Tong Jinshi could still become an official. Miss Zeng the Second spent money and pulled strings, securing him a position as a county magistrate.
A seventh-rank county magistrate was truly nothing to brag about, but after so many years, Miss Zeng the Second's lofty ambitions gradually wavered. She had lived like a joke in the capital's social circles for years. Those high-ranking noble ladies had often used her as a negative example to teach their daughters. She desperately wanted to leave the capital in a grand and glorious manner.
Far from the emperor's reach, a county magistrate held absolute authority in a small town.
As the county magistrate's wife, although not an Empress, she imagined she would be respected there.
So, she happily sold off her family property, packed her belongings, and prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, her newly minted county magistrate husband packed his bags and quietly went to take up his post alone. Before leaving, he left a letter of divorce, stating how he had endured humiliation and suffered under her constant pressure over the years.
If not for the fact that she was the Empress's sister, he would have sent a letter of dismissal, not divorce.
After that, Miss Zeng the Second never appeared in the capital again. Rumors said she couldn't swallow her pride and went to chase after the county magistrate to demand an explanation.
But I knew that she, feeling too ashamed to face anyone, had taken her fortune to Jiangnan to seek refuge with her mother's family, the Ban clan.