Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity

Chapter 933 - 769: Absurdity

"Mother! Haven’t I told you before? An unwilling melon is never sweet. Even if the Eldest Princess were to make the Commandery Princess a nun by shaving her head, she wouldn’t agree to give her daughter to our family. Please don’t mention it again to avoid damaging the young lady’s reputation."Things had almost come to a breaking point before; the Eldest Princess probably has quite a few objections to him and his mother. She may not hate them, but she certainly doesn’t think highly of them.

"What do you know? That Commandery Princess is gentle and virtuous, I just think she is good. As for your Miss Yao, we haven’t even met her, who knows what kind of temperament she has? Moreover, the girls left by the previous wife in the family—aren’t they either timid as a mouse or overly aggressive? Their temperament mustn’t be pleasing."

Gu Chengyu was finding it both amusing and exasperating. To him, Yao Mengxian seemed to have a decent temperament.

Gu Chengyu knew his mother valued the Commandery Princess’s high status, seeing it as a potential aid in his future official career. For that, she was even willing to endure the grievances faced before with the Eldest Princess.

But he didn’t want to endure it, and he didn’t want his parents to endure it either.

Pity the hearts of parents all over the world, willing to abandon even their dignity for the sake of their children.

"Moreover, who knows how much dowry her family will give her? Haven’t we heard that she’s often supported by her maternal grandfather?"

The more Mrs. Lv thought about it, the more dissatisfied she became, harboring some prejudice against Yao Mengxian, her soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

"How can supporting one’s own granddaughter be called support? Don’t you think about reaching up to that status, since she’s Xiao Bao’s teacher’s granddaughter, her upbringing must be good. Her status isn’t low either, so don’t stir up any trouble."

Mr. Gu, upon hearing that the Emperor wanted to grant the marriage, understood that dissatisfaction or not, the marriage had to be accepted.

After all, she is also a legitimate daughter from an aristocratic family, how is she unsuitable for Xiao Bao? Yet his wife seemed captivated by the Commandery Princess, indulging in unrealistic fantasies.

He guessed it must have been the times when the Commandery Princess, with her flowery words, often invited his wife out that got her head turned.

Gu Chengyu squinted slightly, wondering how his mother knew about being supported by her maternal grandfather.

Seeing Gu Chengyu sizing her up, Mrs. Lv’s gaze was a bit evasive, increasing Gu Chengyu’s suspicion.

Upon hearing Mr. Gu’s words, Mrs. Lv quickly retorted, "What do you mean I’m stirring up trouble? My son’s marriage, I can’t decide as a mother, and now I can’t even voice two words?"

Seeing Mrs. Lv getting angry, Mr. Gu quickly said, "Aren’t I just reminding you? I’m afraid you might make things difficult for Xiao Bao!"

"Xiao Bao! So when are we going to propose marriage to her family? That matchmaker for Fang—will she be presentable? Didn’t we hear there’s an official matchmaker? Should we find someone like that?"

As Mrs. Lv was about to get angry again, Mr. Gu hurriedly asked about his youngest son’s marriage proposal.

At this point, Gu Chengyu felt a bit embarrassed.

"Father, we must wait. Wait until the Holy Decree comes, then we can make arrangements, and we can have the teacher help organize things."

Propose marriage? The Duke Mansion isn’t even aware of this matter yet; Mrs. Ke is still expecting to become Prince Jing’s mother-in-law! Who would have thought he intercepted it.

He could foresee that even with the Holy Decree, when his family discusses the marriage with the Duke Mansion, they won’t be treated warmly.

By then, it’s inevitable that his parents might suffer some grievances, and thinking of this, Gu Chengyu felt a tinge of displeasure.

"That’s good, since your teacher is a scholar and has served as an official, he surely understands the etiquette better than us. Although the Gu Family used to be farmers, it’s different now. We should present ourselves properly, lest people mock us for not washing off the mud on our legs."

Thinking of those aristocratic families, Mr. Gu felt a bit insecure. They were aristocrats under the Imperial City, with some having a heritage of over a hundred years. Their etiquette and demeanor couldn’t be compared to those from the countryside like them.

It’s said that the rules of such families are extremely strict, he feared breaking them, being looked down upon, and bringing shame to Xiao Bao.

"Let’s talk about these things once we have the Holy Decree!" Gu Chengyu was pondering whether to remind his parents, for fear they’d end up aggravated by the Duke Mansion people.

But then he thought that if he brought it up now, his parents would surely feel even more dissatisfied.

His mother was already not very enthusiastic about Miss Yao, if she knew the Duke Mansion disagreed, she’d surely be hopping mad.

However, if he didn’t mention it, wouldn’t it be a surprise when proposing marriage?

Also, there were rumors in the Capital recently, disclosed by Mrs. Ke, about forming an alliance with Prince Jing. If his mother heard it, it would indeed be troublesome.

He didn’t believe that even if his mother seldom left the house, she had no clue about external affairs. Considering she knew those things earlier, he had to wonder where she got her information.

After some thought, Gu Chengyu decided to drop a hint.

"The Duke Mansion currently doesn’t know about my marriage to Miss Yao, so it’s not suitable to propose marriage for now. But when the Holy Decree comes, even if they want to object, it won’t be possible. So this matter is settled, and we should prepare in advance."

Gu Chengyu felt a bit uneasy talking about preparation, mainly meaning preparing the engagement gifts.

Since Yao Mengxian was only thirteen this year, and he was just fourteen, both were still too young.

In modern terms, it meant getting engaged and becoming a betrothed couple.

As for the wedding, it would naturally have to wait until after Yao Mengxian came of age; otherwise, they couldn’t consummate the marriage.

In ancient times, girls who married before coming of age and consummated weren’t unheard of, but it would harm the girl’s health greatly, affecting future childbirth.

Marrying at fifteen was already very young, the body wasn’t fully matured yet.

Gu Chengyu couldn’t understand why some men would target girls not even fifteen, what kind of perverse psychology was that.

Of course, there are exceptions, like for celebratory purposes or heirs.

Generally, parents who cherished their daughters wouldn’t agree to such things, because not only could the girl not live long, childbirth later could potentially claim two lives.

After all, in ancient times, giving birth was like crossing the gate of hell, encountering postpartum hemorrhage or a breech birth was life-threatening.

"What? You say the girl’s family doesn’t know? Didn’t your teacher inform the girl’s family before? How could he decide his granddaughter’s marriage, it’s simply preposterous."

Mr. Gu angrily slammed his smoking pipe on the table, not expecting Xiao Bao’s teacher to be so unreliable.

This is a matter of marriage, how could it be treated as child’s play?

This time, Mrs. Lv wasn’t as agitated as Mr. Gu. She narrowed her eyes, "Could it be that the girl’s elders also disagree?"

...

"Have you heard? There’s a Holy Decree coming to our mansion today to grant a marriage!"

A maid dressed in peach-red garments, holding a tray, said cheerfully to another maid walking beside her.

"Where did you hear that? I didn’t expect your news to be quicker than mine!"