Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 199 The overall situation is the most important thing
Madam Yan: "What nonsense are you talking about? She's already engaged to Qu-ge'er!"

“It’s just an engagement, not a wedding.” Madam Jiang glanced at her. “Jia’er grew up in a small merchant’s family in a small place like Shawan. What knowledge or skills does she have?”
"You actually trust her so much, thinking that a crude and ignorant girl can be a good spy? Aren't you really afraid that she might mess things up instead of being a good one?"

"Absurd!" Madam Yan stood up. "Since you know she's so vulgar and uncouth, does she even deserve to be my daughter-in-law? What are you up to!"

“Of course I meant well.” Madam Jiang also stood up. “At first glance, she doesn’t seem to be a good match for the Yan family, but isn’t my sister-in-law here to handle important matters? So we should prioritize the overall situation.”

"What does it matter if Jia'er is not good enough for Qu'er? The Yan family is marrying the Lu family's daughter to strengthen the family ties and make the Yan and Lu families so close that they cannot be separated."

"She is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Lu family. Isn't that enough?"

"If Brother Qu isn't satisfied with her, he can just take more women into his room. What kind of woman can't he have? What can Sister Jia say?"
"Ying'er grew up by my and Lan Chu's side since she was a child. She is smart and has read a lot of books with her father, so she has a lot of knowledge. If there is anyone who can take on this task, it has to be her."

"Not to mention that the Lu family can't find a second one, even in the entire capital, there aren't many young ladies who can compare to her."

"Since you say this matter is absolutely necessary, sending Jia'er would be a complete risk; it's more appropriate for Ying'er to go!"

Madam Yan, her face ashen, tensed up completely.

Madam Jiang stretched her back and softened her tone: "I only have one daughter, Ying'er. This trip is clearly a perilous one. If she is not careful, this weak woman might lose her life at the hands of the Shen family."

"How could I not be happy to let her marry into the Yan family and enjoy a life of luxury?"

“I really don’t know if I can let Jia’er go.”

"If she messes it up, a good thing will turn into a bad thing. In that case, it will implicate a large group of us."

"My sister-in-law used to be so shrewd, how come she can't even bear to make this small sacrifice now?"

Madam Yan's gaze deepened.

“Madam,” the maidservant announced through the curtain at the door, “Master has sent word that he will not be home for dinner tonight. He has a meeting with Grand Secretary Liu and the others.”

The two people inside the room both looked towards the doorway.

Madam Jiang withdrew her gaze first: "Eldest brother has had it tough too. Godfather is getting old, and eldest brother has shouldered many responsibilities. He can't even return home in this freezing weather."

"But unfortunately, my elder brother is not qualified to join the cabinet, so the burden on his shoulders is even heavier."

Madam Yan's cheek twitched, she glared at her, and then sat down.

Regardless, it is a fact that the Yan family will soon face a difficult situation as the old man ages.

It is a fact that the Yan family is currently fighting against the Shen family.

Madam Yan took a sip of tea: "The birth mother of the eldest son of the Shen family was on good terms with the Dowager Consort in the palace. After all, Jia'er is the eldest daughter of the first wife, and her uncle is a virtuous official in the court. If the Dowager Consort intervenes, the Shen family has a high chance of agreeing."

"This is something we've thought about."

"And behind Yingjie'er are your Jiang family and our Yan family. Although the Shen family is not affiliated with either side, they are not necessarily willing to get involved."

"What methods do you have to get the Shen family to agree?"

"Sister-in-law already knows how to use the connections of the imperial concubines, so how could such a trivial matter possibly stump you?" Madam Jiang's lips curled up. "As long as our godfather intervenes and asks the Emperor to grant us a marriage, doesn't Grand Commandant Shen pride himself on being loyal to the Emperor? Can he defy the imperial decree?"

Madam Yan traced the rim of the cup with her fingers, her expression inscrutable. "You seem so confident; it appears you've had a plan all along. When the two families were discussing the marriage before, you had many excuses to delay, but this time it seems you're determined to get your way. You... you don't even think much of our Qu-ge'er!"

Jiang withdrew her stance: "Sister-in-law, you flatter me. If it weren't for the protection of the Yan family, how could I be where I am today? Heaven and earth can bear witness, I have never had any disloyalty towards the Yan family."

“I can make the decision to send Ying’er. But if I send Jia’er, no one can persuade Lan Chu. She is his daughter, and he will never listen to me.”

Her words trailed off with a hint of self-deprecation and sarcasm, and after she finished speaking, the room fell silent.

The only sounds were the rustling of clothes and the occasional clinking of cups.

Madam Yan stared at her for a long time before turning her gaze away from her face.

"Even so, many people in the capital know that Yingjie and Quge are engaged. If they were to suddenly change their partners, it would be difficult to explain to the Shen family."

Madam Jiang gazed intently at her: "Since it is an arranged marriage, what can the Shen family say?"
"Ying'er is a true lady of a prominent family, while that young master Shen is disabled and weak. We should not even pick on him, but they still come to pick on us?"

Madam Yan disagreed: "That's no ordinary weak young master. If he were really weak, why would Shen Bo be so eager to ask for a title for him as soon as he returned to the mansion and let him inherit the title?"

"Don't forget, before Shen Bo returned to the capital, the Shen family, under the Minister of War, only had one master, and that was this eldest son."

"If someone really wanted to choose a wife, they might not choose your daughter."

Jiang said, "Did you call me over to make things happen, or to put me down?"

Madam Yan sneered: "Is this what you call trampling on you? When you voluntarily came to serve the old lady soup and medicine, and knelt down to tell us that you were willing to marry into the Lu family, why didn't you say that we trampled on you then?"

Under the dim light, Jiang's face was somewhat pale.

Madam Yan stopped looking at her and instead slowly waved away the fragrant mist in front of her, then pulled out her gold hairpin and brushed away a piece of incense ash that was about to fall.

Shortly after, Madam Jiang released her hands from under her sleeves and picked up the still-hot cup: "If you are really worried that the Shen family will have objections, I have another idea."

In that instant, she was composed and spoke in a relaxed tone, as if the thorns that had just been erected on her body had never existed.

The people having this conversation now are once again a pair of sisters-in-law who get along well.

"tell me the story."

Madam Yan blew on the hairpin and set it aside.

Her nonchalant attitude suggested that the other person's mindset was completely outside her concern.

Madam Jiang said, "Our Lu family's young ladies rarely go out, and not everyone is fortunate enough to see them. How could the Shen family possibly recognize the eldest and second young ladies?"

"In my opinion, there's no need to make a fuss about this. We should just ask our godfather to go to the Emperor and ask for a decree to grant a marriage between Miss Lu and the eldest son of the Shen family."

"We'll just wait until the crucial moment arrives, then pull off a clever switcheroo. From then on, the eldest young lady will be the second young lady, and the second young lady will become the eldest young lady!"

At this point, Jiang's usually dignified face was now filled with malice.

Upon hearing this, Madam Yan involuntarily stopped what she was doing.