The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 433 A Marriage That Takes an Unexpected Turn

Magistrate Liu has come to arrange a marriage for Gu Jingzhe.

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "That's normal. Gu Jingzhe is the top scholar and will have a bright future. I'm afraid all the wealthy families in Pingchuan County want to use marriage to bring Gu Jingzhe, this potential star, into their fold."

Magistrate Liu was no exception.

It's just unknown which family's daughter Magistrate Liu was going to introduce to Gu Jingzhe.

It's impossible that he's the daughter of his superior, because Magistrate Liu's superior, Prefect Yao, is also a bachelor.

As for Prefect Yao's sister, she comes from a prominent family in Shengjing. If she wanted to marry a promising but unconnected man, she could choose any of the successful candidates in the imperial examinations. There was no chance for a mere scholar from Qinghewan.

Could she be one of the girls from the Liu family?
Tong Huaqiong was almost certain that otherwise, why would Lord Liu have come in person instead of having his mother do it? Because Lord Liu's mother had a grudge against the Liu family and would definitely not want the Liu family's daughter to benefit from her.

If that's really the case, Tong Huaqiong has made up her mind; even if it offends Lord Liu, she will refuse.

More importantly, Gu Jingzhe's heart is full of Lu Zhaozhao, and forcing him to be paired with other girls will only hurt them.

Tong Huaqiong asked with a smile, "Lord Liu, my Jingzhe is still young and has no official rank. Even if he has a girl he likes, it is not appropriate to consider her at this time. It would be a waste to delay her."

Tong Huaqiong originally refused Magistrate Liu's marriage proposal, but ended up hurting Gu Jingzhe.

He had promised Lu Zhaozhao in the prefectural city that he would propose marriage to her as the top scholar in the examination.

Now his mother says he's too young, too young.
Gu Jingzhe gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Liu, I have a girl I love."

Tong Huaqiong: "."

That's what the son said.

Gu Jingzhe thought that since Lord Liu had asked him, he should seize the opportunity. Lord Liu was Lu Zhaozhao's cousin, and he hoped to use this opportunity to persuade Tong Huaqiong to arrange a marriage between him and Lu Zhaozhao.

"You little brat, you're not learning anything good. What are you thinking about all the time?" Tong Huaqiong's face darkened.

Magistrate Liu said, "I think Jingzhe is doing just fine. Having a girl she likes doesn't interfere with her studies. Someone as determined as Jingzhe should settle down before starting a career. Aunt Tong, do you think you're like those common people who believe that your son's engagement, marriage, and indulgence in romance will interfere with his studies and his pursuit of fame?"

Tong Huaqiong said, "No, that's not it."

At the same time, he was cursing in his heart, "Well, Magistrate Liu, are you flattering me or digging a pit for me?"

Gu Jingzhe defended Tong Huaqiong, saying, "Lord Liu, my mother is mainly worried that I am now penniless and that Xinyue will suffer with me."

Lord Liu, intrigued, asked, "Which family does the girl you admire belong to? Would you like me to help propose marriage?"

At the same time, I felt a little regretful that the Lu family had missed out on a fine young man.

However, he was also moved by Gu Jingzhe's youthful sincerity and was willing to help Gu Jingzhe persuade Tong Huaqiong and her family.

Let's just settle the marriage proposal.

Gu Jingzhe stammered, "Yes, she is Miss Lu from the Lu family of the prefectural city, your cousin, Lord Liu."

Tong Huaqiong sighed inwardly, realizing she still couldn't escape the predestined marriage from her past life.

Lord Liu was so excited he almost jumped up from his chair.

Unexpectedly, the girl Gu Jingzhe admires is actually Lu Zhaozhao. "Jingzhe, you have excellent taste. My cousin is beautiful and virtuous, and I heard from my mother that she is now in charge of the family's rouge and silk business, which is thriving. Since Zhaoyang went to the capital, she has been managing the Lu family, handling both the household affairs and business matters very well."

Lord Liu praised Lu Zhaozhao repeatedly with great excitement.

Tong Huaqiong was both amused and exasperated. This wasn't Lord Liu praising Lu Zhaozhao for Gu Jingzhe at all; it was clearly an attempt to improve Lu Zhaozhao's image in front of Tong Huaqiong.

It's estimated that Magistrate Liu was afraid that she, as the candidate for mother-in-law, would not agree.

However, Magistrate Liu was overthinking things. Had he forgotten that Lu Zhaozhao had already visited Tong Huaqiong's house twice, and that she knew Lu Zhaozhao very well?

She would naturally be willing to marry Lu Zhaozhao, but she was afraid that Gu Jingzhe would repeat the mistakes of her previous life and that she would not easily agree to Han's marriage proposal last time.

Seeing how excited Magistrate Liu was, Tong Huaqiong instantly realized that the marriage he had proposed to Gu Jingzhe was Lu Zhaozhao, not some girl from the Liu family.

After a long pause, Magistrate Liu said to Tong Huaqiong, "Aunt Tong, there's no point in me saying this. You know my cousin well. Jingzhe and Zhaozhao are the same age, and you were Zhaoyang's savior. After Jingzhe goes to Shengjing, Zhaoyang can take care of him. I think the two children are quite good. How about I act as matchmaker and arrange their marriage?"

Gu Jingzhe's face was flushed, and his eyes looked at Tong Huaqiong with longing.

Unable to withstand the pressure, Tong Huaqiong finally relented and said, "Then I'll trouble Lord Liu to make a trip to the Lu family. This matter still depends on the opinions of Old Master Lu and Zhaoyang."

Gu Jingzhe's eyes lit up instantly.

Magistrate Liu said, "Jingzhe is such a talented person, they will definitely be willing. I will act as matchmaker."

Tong Huaqiong said, "Thank you, Lord Liu, for acting as matchmaker."

Lord Liu was overjoyed.

As expected, he and Aunt Tong had an inexplicable connection. He was just about to act as matchmaker for Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao when Gu Jingzhe found a girl he liked. Just when he was feeling regretful, things took an unexpected turn and the girl Gu Jingzhe liked turned out to be Lu Zhaozhao.

Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao's predestined relationship from their past lives is unbreakable.

Lord Liu talked for a while longer before leaving Tong Huaqiong's house. He needed to rush back to the county to report the good news that the matchmaking was on the horizon to his mother.

Grandpa Gu was completely bewildered, unable to get a word in edgewise when Magistrate Liu and Tong Huaqiong discussed arranging a marriage between Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao.

There was no chance to help Gu Fengnian get a job as a yamen runner in the county government.

After Magistrate Liu and his entourage left, only Old Master Gu and Gu Honglian, two outsiders, remained at home.

Grandpa Gu coughed, adopting the airs of an elder, and asked, "What kind of family is the Lu family that they arranged Jingzhe's marriage?"

From Magistrate Liu's words, he learned that the Lu family was a business family, and the girl Jingzhe was fond of ran the shop, which displeased Old Master Gu.

"From what Magistrate Liu said, the Lu family is in business?"

Tong Huaqiong said, "The Lu family is not an ordinary merchant family; they are imperial merchants."

When Old Master Gu heard that the marriage was with a merchant, he thought it was alright. He wished the marriage were with Gu Ruinian, as it could help Gu Youtian turn his life around. However, the Gu family already had an eldest daughter-in-law who was in business, and he couldn't bear the thought of another granddaughter-in-law who was out in the public eye.

In his opinion, both Gu Jingzhe and Gu Ruinian should be paired with a daughter of an official.

Grandpa Gu said, "Logically speaking, the marriage of one's children is a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's words, and I, as their grandfather, have no right to interfere. But Jingzhe's father is gone, and I should help my son take care of Jingzhe. He's only fifteen and just passed the imperial examination. It feels like it would be a waste for him to marry a merchant's daughter. Even if she's a royal merchant, she's still a merchant. Our Jingzhe is destined to be an official. Why don't we look at a few more families?"

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself, "I know I have no right to interfere, yet I still do."