After Hao Ge’er’s hundred-day celebration had passed, considering the special circumstances of his birth, the Hou Manor closed its doors for a private family meal to mark the occasion.
In Liu Qingwu’s hometown, there was an old saying: “Three months to roll over, six months to sit up.”
Now that Hao Ge’er was over three months old, Liu Qingwu had begun trying to teach him how to roll over.
The chubby infant pressed his lips together tightly, straining to lift his upper body, one tiny foot trembling unsteadily in the air as he exerted himself.
Liu Qingwu’s heart stirred, and with a light tap of her finger, the little baby instantly tumbled back down.
The onlookers, including Fu Ling, cast reproachful glances at their mistress, as if saying: “Young Master has been trying so hard his little face is flushed red, and he was just about to succeed in rolling over. How could you do such a thing?”
Liu Qingwu remained unperturbed, pretending not to see their meaningful looks, inwardly affirming: If children aren’t meant to be played with, what’s the difference between them and a piece of char siu? Hehe, though this child wasn’t even born by her.
Just then, Cuiguo lifted the curtain and entered.
“Madam, a letter has arrived from Madam Liu.”
A letter from mother?
Liu Qingwu grew thoughtful. To her knowledge, she and her official mother Zhang Shi weren’t close enough to exchange letters for casual conversation.
She took the letter with one hand and turned toward the study: “I’m going to the study. Keep a good watch on Hao Ge’er.”
Liu Qingwu opened the letter and quickly scanned through it, reading ten lines at a glance.
In summary, Liu Fu and Madam Liu had found two potential marriage candidates for Second Sister Liu Qinghuan. One of them was Jiang Yueheng’s colleague, and they wanted Liu Qingwu to ask Jiang Yueheng about his character.
In respectable families, marriages should follow the order of seniority.
In Liu Qingwu’s family, Second Brother Liu Qingzhang had been delayed somewhat by his imperial examinations, but he was already engaged and would formally marry next March.
Theoretically, it should now be Second Sister Liu Qinghuan’s turn. However, Eldest Sister Liu Qingyu had encountered troubles, and Liu Qingwu had been thrust into marrying ahead of schedule.
To avoid gossip from outsiders, the Liu Estate needed to quickly find a husband for Liu Qinghuan, especially since marriage preparations took considerable time.
Looking at the candidates mentioned in the letter, Liu Qingwu secretly clicked her tongue. With such family backgrounds, Liu Qinghuan might not be willing at all.
But the selection of marriage partners had nothing to do with her—she was merely helping gather some information.
Usually, Jiang Yueheng was busy with official duties. When he returned late, he would stay directly in the front courtyard.
Liu Qingwu had grown accustomed to this. After all, she now had wealth, leisure, and a baby to amuse herself with, living quite contentedly. She hardly ever thought about that certain someone in the front courtyard.
As evening approached, Liu Qingwu sent someone in advance to wait at the entrance of the front courtyard, insisting they must invite the Shizi to the rear courtyard.
When Jiang Yueheng returned to the manor and saw the maid at the courtyard gate, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes: he recognized this maid as one who served Third Sister.
Lianxin stepped forward and bowed: “This humble maid pays respects to the Shizi. The Madam requests the Shizi’s presence in the rear courtyard for a discussion.”
As Jiang Yueheng entered the rear courtyard, he saw Liu Qingwu from afar, her skin like congealed cream, standing at the main room’s doorway eagerly watching for his arrival.
His heart stirred, and his footsteps unconsciously quickened.
Liu Qingwu stepped forward eagerly and linked arms with the newcomer: “Husband, please come inside quickly. I’ve prepared many of your favorite dishes today.”
Jiang Yueheng slightly lowered his head to look at the woman whose smile was like blooming flowers. The fingertips on the side away from Liu Qingwu twitched slightly, as if rubbing against something.
“Do you have something you need from me?”
As they spoke, the two had already reached the dining table. At a glance, most of the dishes were light and bland, clearly prepared according to Jiang Yueheng’s preferences.
Two lonely stir-fried spicy dishes seemed to betray someone’s inner turmoil beneath their calm exterior.
“Eat first, we’ll discuss matters later,” Liu Qingwu said without further ado, picking up food and placing it in Jiang Yueheng’s bowl. “This is a new dish from the kitchen, husband, please try it.”
Jiang Yueheng obediently lowered his head to eat. No sooner had he finished the food in his bowl than another pair of chopsticks holding food appeared at the edge of his bowl. Following the direction they came from, he saw Liu Qingwu watching him eat with a smile.
After swallowing the food in his mouth, Jiang Yueheng met her attentive gaze and slowly said, “As long as it’s not excessive.”
This was his agreement.
Hearing this, Liu Qingwu smiled even more brightly. Without regard for the unfinished food in Jiang Yueheng’s bowl, she added another serving: “Husband, eat more.”
“You should eat too.”
After saying this, Jiang Yueheng lowered his head and fell silent.
Liu Qingwu also stopped speaking and began to focus on her meal, though she occasionally added another serving to Jiang Yueheng’s bowl.
After the meal, Liu Qingwu led Jiang Yueheng to the study and explained in detail the matter entrusted by her legal mother Zhang Shi.
Jiang Yueheng recalled the name mentioned by Liu Qingwu – Zhang He, the eldest son of the Dali Temple Minister’s concubine, currently serving as Ministry of Justice Secretary.
Since the Ministry of Justice occasionally collaborated with the Dali Temple on cases, Jiang Yueheng had some interactions with his father.
After pondering for a moment with his head lowered, he shared his impression: “Zhang He, the eldest son of Dali Temple Minister Lord Zhang’s concubine, is Lord Zhang’s first child. Before the legitimate son was born, the Zhang family had high hopes for him. Even after the legitimate son was born, Lord Zhang didn’t abandon him.”
“He’s quite reliable in handling affairs and shows proper discretion in interpersonal relationships.”
Liu Qingwu nodded silently to herself, carefully noting Jiang Yueheng’s words. Based on her understanding of him, this was already high praise.
“Thank you, husband.”
Liu Qingwu first offered pastries and tea, presenting them to Jiang Yueheng.
She then rose and walked to the writing desk to grind ink, preparing to reply to her legal mother.
The next day, at Liu Estate.
While Zhang Shi was listening to the steward’s report in the courtyard, she saw the maid Mudan approaching with a letter.
“Madam, it’s a letter from Third Sister.”
Surprised, Zhang Shi took the letter, skipped over the initial greetings, and went straight to the latter part.
Reading Jiang Yueheng’s evaluation of Zhang He, Zhang Shi felt somewhat reassured – he seemed like a suitable candidate.
However, the letter had arrived unusually quickly. She had only sent someone to deliver the message to Hou Manor yesterday afternoon, and she received the reply early this morning. Liu Qingwu was too lazy to wake up early.
This meant Liu Qingwu had already written the letter last night. It also indicated that she and Jiang Yueheng were getting along reasonably well.
A flicker of relief passed through Zhang Shi’s eyes. This made her feel more at ease, especially since Hao Ge’er was under their care. If the parents were harmonious, Hao Ge’er could grow up in a good environment.
Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since she last saw Hao Ge’er.
Zhang Shi put away the letter, planning to show it to Liu Shangshu that evening.
She also ordered the maids to pack some fresh produce from the manor, along with various items she usually prepared for Hao Ge’er, and had servants deliver them to Hou Manor.
In the evening, upon receiving the message, Liu Shangshu returned to the estate and went straight to Zheng courtyard.
After finishing their evening meal, the two sat down beside the Anji.
Zhang Shi took out the letter written by Liu Qingwu and handed it to Liu Shangshu.
“Master, this is Wu Jie’er’s reply. Take a look,” Zhang Shi watched as Liu Shangshu opened the letter and summarized: “Huaijin’s evaluation of Zhang He is quite favorable.”
Liu Shangshu skimmed through the letter quickly and exchanged the information he had gathered with Zhang Shi: “Regarding that newly appointed scholar Lü Wen I mentioned earlier—both his parents are merchants. His elder brother has taken over the family business, while he has dedicated himself to an official career.”
Liu Shangshu paused, weighing his words carefully: “Lü Wen’s current official rank is indeed low, but if a marriage alliance were to be formed, it could be arranged to his advantage.”
Zhang Shi nodded in agreement: “Coming from a merchant family means they lack no silver. It would be quite suitable for Huan Jie’er to marry into such a household.”