Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 107 Taking action after hearing the news
Not only the Tan family thought so, many families in the four counties of Hexi thought so.

Shentu Zhuo made a splash at the year-end sacrifice with his painting of the "Qianjin Canal". Later, the governor of Chi County gave him the important task of digging ditches and diverting canals. Anyone who was well-informed heard the news and took action. The reputation of this dandy young man immediately reversed, and he became a promising husband in the eyes of many unmarried women.

Some say that once, with his elder brother's protection, the second son of the Shentu family was content to be a playboy, earning an idle job in the music bureau, living a life of pleasure, and waiting for his brother to be appointed a general and a marquis, so that he could live a carefree life. Unfortunately, Shentu Heng died young, and only then did he realize his mistake. Under the spur of his mother, he took on the family business and was forced to work hard to bring honor to the Shentu family.

Some also say that the second son of the Shentu family's dandyism was merely superficial; he had always been the wisest of the family. While his elder brother was earning his keep in the army, he contentedly enjoyed himself. Consequently, his elder brother, a man of both civil and military talents, was reduced to a pile of bones in the desert, while he, while preserving himself, rightfully became the next head of the Shentu family.

Moreover, he had been dormant for years, never making a move, but when he did, it was a "Thousand Gold Channel" that shook the four counties. Producing such a detailed scroll was no overnight achievement; it must have expended years of painstaking effort, all for the sake of a single moment of success. Leveraging his achievements in governance to enter the imperial examination system was far wiser than his brother's. (Note: Governance: A component of the imperial examination system that examined one's ability to govern a complex county.)
No matter what people speculate, it all comes down to one sentence: A prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold, and it will be too late if you don’t bet on this good man who is like a pearl in the ocean!

Therefore, recently there have been many matchmakers coming to the door of Shentu Mansion. Even on the day when the old lady ordered the mansion to be closed, there were two matchmakers waiting outside, looking in the eye, for fear that someone else would get there first.

The two matchmakers learned that the old lady in the mansion was furious, but they didn't know why. After all, to outsiders, a young man who had been favored by the county governor and was on the verge of being recommended for the throne would be a valuable addition to the family, so why would he be forced to kneel and be scolded? Later, word got out that the second young master seemed to have a young lady he loved, but unfortunately, they were not a good match. The old lady was afraid that he would be dragged down by the young lady, so she sealed the mansion and punished him.

This rumor is half true and half false.

Little did he know that the old lady would rather Shentu Zhuo continue to be a playboy than have him get any chance of becoming an official. Little did he know that he did have a young lady he loved, but it was not because of any social status that prevented them from marrying, but because his younger brother coveted his sister-in-law and wanted to snatch her away from his deceased brother's memorial tablet.

The matchmakers gossiped, "Could it be that the second young master's favorite is Lady Fei from Lanying Pavilion? It's said that he's written several little songs for Lady Fei."

Another person cracked melon seeds and said, "Not likely. The Second Young Master hasn't been to Lanying Pavilion much in the past few months. I guess it's the musicians and dancers from the Music Bureau. Many of them are slaves from impoverished families, and they have quite a bit of background. Not only can they play the zither and the qin, but they can also write poetry. That's the kind that's most alluring."

However, these rumors were harmless. While they speculated about the Second Young Master's ideal, they worked even harder to find a matchmaker for the Shentu Mansion. Unfortunately, although Old Madam Shentu appeared to be amiable in her reception, she never gave a single firm answer, simply claiming that Zhuo'er was busy with official business and not at home, and that she couldn't make the decision for him.

Outsiders don't know that the old lady actually wants to choose a good bride for Shentu Zhuo, especially after he made those unfilial and unbrotherly remarks about stealing his sister-in-law, so she would deal with these matchmakers in a good manner.

But she wanted to completely extinguish Shentu Zhuo's desire to participate in the imperial examination, and then consider these romantic affairs. Otherwise, the young lady came here with the intention of becoming an official's wife, but in the blink of an eye, her husband's path to an official position was blocked. It would be inevitable that she would feel resentful, and the family would be in turmoil, which would also be a troublesome matter.

The matchmakers, frustrated by repeated failures, didn't give up completely. The old lady greeted them indifferently, inviting them to sit in the tea room and wait. It didn't matter if they made a few more trips; who knew they might find the right match.

After meeting so often in the mansion, the matchmakers all knew who the other was representing, and would occasionally exchange a few insults, whether it was overt praise or subtle criticism, or teasing or joking, all of which were common tactics used by each other to gain a good verbal pleasure. And today, a new matchmaker appeared, a familiar face from the previous matchmaking.

The last time these people came to propose marriage, it was for the marriage of the eldest son Shen Tu Heng. And this Yu Po was the matchmaker who had brought together the eldest daughter of the Tan family and Shen Tu Heng.

The other matchmakers exchanged glances, stunned. No way! The last time they arranged a marriage, the son died, and the bride was temporarily replaced with a concubine's daughter. That soul-calling and wedding ceremony had caused quite a stir in the city. Could it be that they hadn't given up yet and were planning to marry the legitimate daughter back into the Shentu family?

A matchmaker asked, "Grandma Yu, you're not here for the Tan family's daughter again, are you?"

Grandma Yu said with a fake smile, "Isn't it? The two families are truly destined to be together. It's just that the two brothers' fates got mixed up, causing the matchmaker to almost tie the wrong strings. If they were straightened out now, it would still be a beautiful story."

The matchmakers rolled their eyes inwardly. What's with the wrong connections? It's obvious that the legitimate daughter didn't want to be a widow, so she found a hapless concubine's daughter to marry her in her place. And what a good story! Where did that come from? Everyone knew that the marriage was arranged by summoning a spirit, and the Qinglu ceremony with the coffin was truly a disaster for the young lady!

But they were also helpless. Old Madam Shentu always seemed to look at the Tan family differently. This time, she didn't let bygones be bygones and politely invited Grandma Yu in.

They had no idea how extravagantly Yu Po's words had sung. All they knew was that within two days, Old Madam Shentu invited Mr. and Mrs. Tan to her house for a chat, and of course, she also asked them to bring their daughter, Tan Anfu, with her.
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At this time, Tan Huaike had just bought the five shops on Huaqi Street, cancelled his indentures, and went to the county magistrate's office to discuss with Guan Bai Niangzi the preparations for going to Andu. In the midst of his busy schedule, he received a message from Pei'er saying that the old lady asked her to return home as soon as possible.

It was a rare opportunity to enter the mansion through the main gate, so Tan Huaike was immediately led into the main hall.

Seeing the three arrogant Tan family members, and thinking back to the matchmaker she had heard about earlier, she vaguely understood that today's event was specially prepared for her by Jun Gu...

In fact, Mrs. Shentu was also quite conflicted.

When Mrs. Yu came to her house that day, she had intended to ridicule her, but Mrs. Yu was so eloquent that she became hesitant halfway through her speech.

After Heng'er's death, it would have been fine if the two families had canceled the engagement. However, the Tan family changed their previous friendly and flattering attitude and insisted on using their concubine's daughter to marry off in order to evade the betrothal gift.

Even more egregious was the original agreement between the two families, which had envisioned the Shentu family providing escorts for caravans and access to Yangguan Pass, while the Tan family would develop trade in the western border to secure a place as an imperial merchant. This agreement was completely nullified with Shentu Heng's death in battle. From that point on, the Tan family never again looked upon the Shentu family, treating the marriage as if it no longer existed, even abandoning their own daughter's marriage.

Since then, the old lady has lost interest in the Tan family.

This time, when Mrs. Yu came again to try to be a matchmaker, she had just mentioned how beautiful and virtuous the daughter of the Tan family was, and how it was all arranged by the matchmaker, when the old lady coldly retorted, "You still want another marriage? The Tan family is truly insatiable!"
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　Next chapter: It is a beautiful thing for sisters to be paired with brothers.

　　(End of this chapter)