0p0 Chapter 521 Adopted as a legitimate daughter?
Chapter 521 Adopted as a legitimate daughter?
The matter of arranging a concubine for Lu Shaofeng was thus put on hold.
To avoid putting his wife in a difficult position, Lu Shaofeng made a special trip to the prefectural government office to explain his intentions. He also subtly conveyed his anxiety about his younger brother's marriage.
Prefect He was a very intelligent man, and he immediately understood what he meant.
He simply disagreed with taking a concubine at this time, but did not oppose the marriage alliance between the two families, which made things easier.
Speaking of which, Magistrate He's daughter is still young, but he does have a niece who is quite nice.
Now that she is fifteen years old, it would be perfect for her to marry Lu Shaohua as his principal wife.
However, this niece has a good character, it's just a pity that she is born out of wedlock.
For several days, Magistrate He was sullen and unhappy. Seeing this, Madam He naturally became more concerned.
"Master, what's the big deal? If you feel that the concubine's daughter's status is not quite right, just have your sister-in-law take her in and recognize her as her legitimate daughter, wouldn't that solve the problem?"
Magistrate He shook his head. "Do you think I haven't thought about this? But you know what kind of person my sister-in-law is. She prides herself on coming from a prestigious family and takes the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children extremely seriously. Besides, she already has a legitimate daughter. Why would she want to adopt another illegitimate daughter into her own family? If it were to affect her daughter's marriage in the future, how could she be willing to do that?"
"But this is a major family matter after all. Surely my brother wouldn't let my sister-in-law act recklessly in such a situation?"
He Jiajun shook his head. "Who knows? The marriage alliance between our He family and the Lu family is inevitable. Although I will be leaving Yanzhou in a few years, some of the He family's roots were moved here many years ago. Now, although I am an official appointed by the imperial court, in reality, it is because of the He family's status in Yanzhou. Otherwise, why would they have sent me back here?"
Madam He was ignorant of politics, so she simply assumed that since the Lu family's status in Yanzhou was becoming increasingly prosperous, it would be good to win them over at this time.
“Master, I heard that the Lu family had completely broken away from the Xie family before. A few days ago, my elder brother wrote to inquire about this matter. Do you think my elder brother also intends to bring the Lu family back under his control?”
He Jiajun was taken aback for a moment, but naturally understood what she meant.
"To be honest, if it weren't for Madam Lu and Xie Yilin, things wouldn't have turned out this way! In the end, someone poisoned the bird's nest, which is why the Lu family was disheartened. This time, I intentionally sent you to test the Lu family's attitude to see if they still hold a grudge about this matter."
"I know about this matter as well. I heard that Liu almost used those bird's nests on her, but luckily it was Madam Lu who used them, otherwise I'm afraid..."
"The Lu family's separation from the Xie family is a huge loss for the Crown Prince."
"Master, what do you mean?"
He Jiajun glanced at his wife. The Lu family is not just about Lu Shaofeng and a hereditary title!
The Lu family's rice and grain—that's real strength!
If the Ming king doesn't rebel, that's fine. But if the Ming king does harbor any rebellious intentions, then the Lu family's grain supply could play a crucial role.
"Master, do you think we still have a chance to win over the Lu family?"
"Marrying a concubine's daughter into the family might not be enough to show our sincerity. On the contrary, it might make Lord Lu feel that we are looking down on them. To be honest, the Lu family's status in Yanzhou is second to none. I heard that the second master of the Lu family came back recently and had a good relationship with the prince and others."
Ultimately, it all comes down to the issue of legitimacy.
Madam He's eyes began to dart around. She thought that her daughter was still too young and that she would have to wait a few more years to arrange a marriage. If the Lu family was really as the master said, then if the He family won over the Lu family, wouldn't that be the same as the Xie family winning over the Lu family as well?
"Master, how about I go and have a proper talk with my sister-in-law first? If that doesn't work, we'll think of another way."
After thinking it over, He Jiajun realized that this was the only option.
Madam He didn't delay and went to the main residence of the He family early the next morning.
Because He Jiajun was the prefect, although he was the eldest son of the family, he had not inherited the He family's business, so he did not live in the main residence. In addition, since he was originally a prefect sent by the imperial court, it was only natural for him to live in the prefect's residence.
When Madam He met the eldest daughter-in-law of the He family, she didn't mince words and went straight to the point after a few simple sentences. Unexpectedly, the eldest daughter-in-law's attitude was very firm; she absolutely refused to agree. And since the eldest daughter-in-law, as the legal mother, disagreed, Madam He couldn't do anything about it; she couldn't very well force her to accept it, could she?
That evening, when Mrs. He told He Jiajun about the matter, her tone was inevitably somewhat unfriendly.
She's just the eldest daughter-in-law, what's so special about her?
No matter what, she was the wife of a prefect, and from the prominent Xie family of the capital!
She's repeatedly spoken rudely to me! Does she really think that just because she's my sister-in-law, she can boss me around? Doesn't she even know her own background? What prestigious family? Just a poor, fallen household!
He Jiajun had long anticipated that his sister-in-law would not agree, and he did not have high expectations for Xie's trip today. When he heard his wife say this, he simply said, "Forget it, I knew she wouldn't agree. Let's talk about it later."
"Master, how about we choose someone of good character from a collateral branch of the He family?"
He Jiajun shook his head. "You've met my eldest brother's daughter before. Do you think there's anyone in our He family better than her?"
Mrs. He was displeased upon hearing this and glared at him, "So our daughter is inferior to her?"
He Jiajun choked, "How can that be the same? I'm talking about women of marriageable age."
Mrs. He thought about it and realized that there really wasn't one!
To be fair, the niece He Jiajun mentioned is truly sensible and understanding. However, she has suffered a lot of grievances within the He family.
Therefore, Madam He herself never allowed the birth of those illegitimate children, thus avoiding many troubles later on.
If you treat your illegitimate children badly, you'll inevitably attract criticism. But if you treat them too well, you'll probably feel uneasy.
"My lord, I have another idea. How about we adopt that girl into our household? Then I can recognize her as our legitimate daughter and marry her to Lu Shaohua as the legitimate daughter of the prefect's family. Wouldn't that be a great honor for him?"
He Jiajun thought this was a good idea, and immediately looked at his wife with higher regard. Then he went directly to discuss it with his elder brother.