mtl008 Chapter 428: Remarrying, Proposing to Shen Wenting
Chapter 428: Remarrying, Proposing to Shen Wenting
It has been a while since Shen Wenting and Chen Shuhua divorced, and the position of the lady in the mansion has been vacant. She can't always let an old woman run the Shen Mansion, right? Besides, the mansion still owes Chen Shuhua so much money, and she has to find a way to pay it back, so the old lady decided to arrange a blind date for Shen Wenting and remarry him.
"Wen Ting, the Shen Mansion cannot be without a mistress forever. It has been some time since you and Chen Shuhua divorced, and Runiang has been brought into the mansion. Isn't it time to marry a new wife?" The old lady called him over and asked.
"Everything is up to mother." When Shen Wenting heard that he was going to get married, he was very happy. For so many years, because of Chen Shuhua, the backyard of the mansion was empty and deserted. Now that they were divorced, he was too old. If he married a few beautiful concubines, had some children, and then found a wife whose status and position could help him, then there would be no need to worry about the Shen family's recovery.
"Okay, then I'll go and make some arrangements for you, marry a wife and bring her back to expand the family."
The old lady happily spread the news that Shen Wenting was going to remarry, and soon a matchmaker came to the door with a portrait. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. Although Shen Wenting was demoted, he was still an official appointed by the court after all.
"Madam, take a look at this one. She is the daughter of a wealthy man. Although she is a little older, she has never been married and is still a virgin. Her appearance is one in a million. Look, the most important thing is that she has a big butt, so she can have babies..." The matchmaker kept praising her.
"With such good conditions, why haven't you gotten married?" asked the old lady.
"Well, I missed it. I had been engaged to someone, but he suddenly got sick and died, so the marriage was called off and it has been delayed ever since."
"No, no, it's a jinx." The old lady shook her head.
"Then take a look at this one and this one. They are both girls from honest families."
The girls introduced by the matchmaker were all from humble families, who were not to the old lady's liking. They could be considered as concubines, but forget about being a lady. After looking around for a whole day, she didn't find a suitable one. The old lady had a headache, so she asked the matchmaker to go back and continue tomorrow.
The headache was getting worse and worse. In the past, it would only occur a few times when things were not going well or the situation changed. Now, it occurs once or twice a day. The old lady rolled around on the bed in pain. Mrs. Hu's medicine had no effect. The pain was still there. The old lady asked someone to ask Doctor Hu to come and see her, but he was nowhere to be found. He was told that he had gone to the Princess's mansion and was invited by the Princess to remove her scars.
The old lady was in so much pain that she asked Yao Qingnian to come over and give her two injections, but she could not be found. When she came back, she locked herself in the courtyard. The old lady's people went to her several times but could not find her. She could only lie on the bed and cry out, and the court doctor could not do anything. In the past, even if the old lady had a headache, it was not so serious, and she would be fine after a rest, but now, the pain would take several hours to ease.
The next day, several matchmakers brought a batch of portraits. The old lady chose for a long time and finally found a suitable one.
The girl's name was Yan Huan, she was the daughter of a merchant. She had nothing else in common but was rich. Her family ran businesses, including money houses, grain shops, cloth shops, tea shops, etc. They were involved in almost every industry and profession, making them a true merchant family. However, since ancient times, agriculture has been valued more than commerce, so they had no status in the capital.
But what Shen Wenting wants now is not status, but money. The matchmaker said that Yan Huan had always been spoiled by her parents. She had been proposed to several marriages before, but they all ended in failure. The fortune teller said that her fate had not yet arrived and told her not to worry. But in the blink of an eye, she has become an old maid. How can she not be anxious? People of lower status than them look down on them, and people of higher status look down on them. They have been delayed again and again until now.
The old lady was very satisfied. The girl had a clean family background and was a wealthy merchant. Her low status made her easy to deal with, which was just the right thing to do to solve the family's current financial difficulties. She also looked decent and generous, so after Shen Wenting came back, she showed him the girl's portrait and found no problem. The next day, she couldn't wait to ask a matchmaker to go to the girl's house to propose marriage.
There were matchmakers who had suggested matchmaking for Yan Huan before, but the Yan family never agreed. This time, I heard it was the former Minister Shen, but he was demoted because of his divorce from his wife. However, his daughter has married into the Prince Rui's mansion, so it is only a matter of time for her to turn things around in the future.
Yan Huan also heard about Shen Wenting's story and was moved by the fact that he had not taken a concubine for decades. She thought that it was Chen Shuhua who was ungrateful. Dowry was not a big deal. If she was nice to her, she could spend the money freely. Besides, she saw Shen Wenting's portrait. Although he was much older than her, he was handsome and not inferior to some young men.
"Huan'er, what do you think?" asked Yan's parents.
"A few days ago, the affairs of the Shen Mansion caused a sensation in the capital. Everyone said that Lord Shen was unreliable." Yan Huan thought that if he went there and held his heart firmly in his hands, he would never have such an opportunity.
"If you ask me, it's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Chen has been married into the Shen family for so many years, but he doesn't have a single concubine in the backyard. Lord Shen has done his utmost, and it's normal for them to divorce. In my opinion, it's a good choice." Master Yan said, stroking his beard.
"What your father said makes sense." Mrs. Yan agreed.
"Besides, the Shen family is a simple population. Apart from that concubine, you were her only wife. You are young and beautiful, are you afraid that you can't compare to that middle-aged woman? If you have a child in the future, you will have the final say in the Shen family." Master Yan didn't worry at all that his daughter would suffer. With her personality, it would be fine as long as she didn't bully others.
Yan Huan was also satisfied with Shen Wenting. It was not easy for her to meet the right person at her age, so she told her parents about her idea. The whole family thought that this marriage was good and agreed.
Master Yan was also a smart man. He knew that Shen Wenting had a history of stealing his wife's dowry, so he made it clear in advance that in addition to giving Shen Wenting a generous sum of money, the rest of the dowry had been registered with the government. Unless Yan Huan allowed it, Shen Wenting was not allowed to touch a single cent.
Shen Wenting had no objection. If he could please Yan Huan, he would have the final say on how much silver to pay. It was said that their merchants really had money. In addition to the dowry, the silver they offered was a full 50,000 taels, which immediately solved the Shen family's embarrassing predicament. The old lady finally dared to eat meat boldly.