Daily Life of a Powerful Official Supporting His Wife

Chapter 20

Chapter 20
Compared to the peace in the Xie family, the Gu family was in turmoil.

Madam Gu wanted to raise Li Jiao and spread her good name through Madam Su so that she could arrange a marriage that would satisfy her. Unfortunately, those wives of officials were not pushovers. After a little inquiry, they found out that Li Jiao's surname was Li, not Gu. The Li family was a famous family in Tongzhou, but not in Kyoto. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. A local tyrant like that might not be as powerful as a seventh-rank Hanlin official in Kyoto.

Moreover, Li Jiao's biological mother had passed away, and she held little weight in the Li family, her status being neither awkward nor awkward. Who would dare marry such a woman with no support? To put it nicely, her maternal grandfather's family was from the family of the Minister of Revenue, but if we really wanted to talk about support, wouldn't the Gu family, seeing the situation was not right, say that Li Jiao was a member of the Li family and that they had no right to intervene?

Therefore, those wives of officials who were on good terms with Li Jiao praised her for her steadiness and beauty, but turned a deaf ear and dumb when it came to their children's marriages.

Previously, some wives of lower-ranking officials had taken a liking to Li Jiao and tried to test her intentions, with genuine intent. They even sent their eldest sons to propose marriage, promising her the title of imperial concubine. Unfortunately, Madam Gu, at the time, was too proud to marry Li Jiao off to a wealthy family. She declined, stating that Li Jiao's parents were in Tongzhou and that she needed to write a letter home to discuss the matter.

After a while, the other people's interest faded. Li Jiao was stuck like this, neither high nor low. After a while, Mrs. Gu understood. Her wishful thinking was dashed. Seeing that Li Jiao was about to die, and even without a proper marriage, she was so anxious that her mouth was blistering.

It so happened that Lord Gu wanted to win over his student Qi Xiulin. Qi Xiulin was a fourth-rank official who could attend court and enter the palace. If we really talk about his family background, Li Jiao was still marrying up.

If Qi Xiulin had not been forty years old, in middle age, and his first wife had not passed away, it would not have been Lord Gu's turn to match him with Li Jiao, who had no one in the family looking for a job in Kyoto, as his second wife.

Mrs. Gu thought about it and decided that compared to Lord Gu's previous plan to marry Li Jiao to Xie Junling, a seventh-rank editor of the Hanlin Academy, it would be better for her to follow Qi Xiulin. After all, she had him as her son-in-law to help her, and she could stand on the same side as Lord Gu and be united in dealing with external affairs in a timely manner.

Thinking of this, her mind became active, and she waited for Qi Xiulin to invite a matchmaker to come and officially settle the matter.

But when Li Jiao heard about this, she was so frightened that she couldn't even do her needlework. The sharp needle pierced her finger, leaving a bloody hole. She put her finger between her lips, wiped away the blood, and asked the maid Meihua, "Did the old lady really say that?"

"How could it be false? Miss, you'd better think of a solution quickly! I heard that Master Qi is already forty years old, isn't he older than Master Li?" Meihua was the maid who accompanied Li Jiao from Tongzhou. She originally thought that Li Jiao could marry a good family in Kyoto, and she would also benefit from it. If her husband's family was prominent, when Li Jiao became pregnant, she would recommend herself and get her brother-in-law's approval, and maybe she could even be promoted to a concubine, right?
If I really follow Qi Xiulin, who would like a man of that age?

Li Jiao bit her lower lip, thinking, "Since this news was leaked to me through Meihua, it must be that the old lady knew about it! I originally thought that the old lady would arrange a noble marriage for me, but I didn't know that she would walk into a wolf's den and use me as a bargaining chip to sell to the powerful family! Instead of that, I'd rather marry that seventh-rank Hanlin Academy editor Xie Junling! After all, he's still young and has a bright future!"

Li Jiao couldn't just sit there and wait for death. She had to find a way to plan a way out for herself. She thought of her cousin Gu Feiran from the Gu Mansion and said to Meihua anxiously, "I have something for you to do!"

"What's the matter, Miss?" Meihua asked in surprise.

"Go and invite the Second Young Master Gu over. I want to talk to him about something."

Meihua had no idea what Li Jiao was thinking, but the fact that she was being asked to call Gu Feiran, the young master of the Gu family's second branch, was a matter of utmost importance. Meihua didn't dare delay and quickly found him. Gu Feiran had met up with a few friends for drinks. He had barely passed the imperial examination this year and, thanks to his grandfather's connections, had been appointed a scholar-official and now worked in the Hanlin Academy. He was a little annoyed when Li Jiao called him. Then, remembering something concerning this cousin, he didn't dare ignore her, so he held his breath and went to find her.

As soon as he entered Li Jiao's yard, Gu Feiran asked, "What's the matter that you had to call me to tell you?"

Li Jiao took advantage of the fact that no one was around and asked Gu Feiran fiercely, "Do you remember your lover in Chunyuan?"

Gu Feiran was startled and asked her, "Did you see everything?"

Chunyuan was a famous place for prostitution in Kyoto, or, to put it bluntly, a more elegant brothel. Gu Feiran fell in love with the top prostitute in Chunyuan, and would go there to meet her privately from time to time when no one was around.

But one day, when he entered through the back door, he saw Li Jiao's carriage passing behind him. He was startled, fearing that Li Jiao had seen him coming to Chunyuan and would tell Mrs. Gu. But after several days, there was no movement from Li Jiao, so he thought she might not have seen him.

Who knew that Li Jiao was deliberately using this matter to threaten him!

Li Jiao sneered repeatedly: "Of course I saw it!"

Gu Feiran's legs immediately went weak as he said, "You can't tell Grandfather! If he finds out, your cousin's legs will probably be crippled!"

Li Jiao scoffed at Gu Feiran's useless appearance. She finally understood why Lord Gu was so anxious to use her to win over others. It was clear that the Gu family could not rely on the younger generation to gain a foothold in the court in the future. If they wanted to become prominent, they naturally had to find another way.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything." Li Jiao smiled slightly, "But if you want me to keep my mouth shut, I have to ask my cousin for a favor."

She whispered the plan to Gu Feiran, who broke out in a cold sweat and said, "This...this isn't good, is it?"

"Don't worry, if anything goes wrong, I will take the blame, and you don't need to do anything. If you don't agree, I will tell my grandfather about all the good things you have done in Chunyuan, and we will see who will be more miserable." Li Jiao felt that instead of marrying Qi Xiulin, she might as well take a gamble and become the wife of a top scholar.

She planned to cheat and force Xie Junling to marry her! If he really wanted to marry her, his grandfather would naturally find a way to get rid of the eldest wife, Lu Baoer, so she wouldn't have to worry about it!
After all, she was a daughter of the Gu family. How could she possibly become a concubine? Becoming a co-wife was a gift to Xie Junling, and he should be grateful! Otherwise, Li Jiao would expose his deception. Such a dishonest person would be feared by the emperor, and his future would be jeopardized. Xie Junling was no fool. Didn't he know how to make the decision?

"Okay, wait for my news." Gu Feiran gritted his teeth and agreed. After all, it was Li Jiao who did such a shameless thing. What did it have to do with him? He was just a matchmaker. He followed Li Jiao's advice and invited Xie Junling to his house for a drink. Whatever else happened, it had nothing to do with him!

(End of this chapter)