The Lucky Farmgirl

Minister Liu lowered his voice and asked, "Lord Zhou, what private matter have you come to discuss with me?"

Manbao pondered for a moment and felt that no matter how she tried to circle around it, this wasn’t something easy to ask indirectly, so she simply came straight out with it, "Minister Liu, yesterday we had a drinking feast at home, and Madam Minister also came. She brought up the matter of Liu Huan and my third niece again. I’d like to know what you think about it."

Minister Liu was taken aback. He hadn’t expected it to be this. With this kind of thing, once people had already gone to the girl’s home to propose, that naturally meant the elders in the family were in favor.

What was there to ask?

The shrewd Minister Liu answered cautiously, "I’m very fond of your Third Lady. I’ve heard she studies diligently, does well in her work, and is very gifted. I’m only afraid that Lord Zhou doesn’t think much of our Liu Huan."

On hearing this, Manbao immediately copied her mother’s polite tone and said, "Liu Huan is quite good too, sincere with others. Though his ambitions are small and he’s a bit lazy, his aptitude isn’t bad. Most importantly, his character is good—he’s broad-minded and open in temperament. That’s the rarest thing of all."

Minister Liu felt that this sentence from Zhou Man was not entirely praise, but as a minister of one of the Six Ministries, he still keenly caught the emphasis in "broad-minded and open in temperament."

To tell the truth, this match had been on the table for almost a year. During this time, his wife had sounded things out twice more, and she often had Liu Huan send things to Zhou Liru and told him to get along well with her.

But there had never been much result.

If it weren’t for the fact that Zhou Liru had neither received any formal proposals nor shown interest in any other family, Minister Liu would have wanted to give up already.

Today, since Zhou Man had finally taken the initiative to bring it up, Minister Liu simply decided to speak frankly with her. "Lord Zhou, from what you’ve just said, you still think favorably of my little grandson. So why is it that your family just won’t agree to this match?"

Manbao, hearing him finally voice the question, slapped her thigh in excitement, and only after slapping it did she realize that wasn’t very proper. She glanced around, then simply pulled Minister Liu down to squat under the bridge pier and sighed, "If we were only talking about these two children’s character and temperament, I’d have no objections. I can see Liu Huan is interested, and my niece isn’t entirely without feelings either..."

Minister Liu slapped his thigh as well and said, "Then aren’t they perfectly matched?"

"A marriage isn’t something that only requires the willingness of two people. You and I have both been through life; we know that a marriage is a union between two families. In future, our little girl will be living in the Liu household, and your Liu family will also have to keep up frequent ties with our Zhou Family—you’d practically be half a son to us. That’s a relationship between two households." Manbao said, "The joy that comes from harmony between two families is many times greater than from an ill-matched union."

Minister Liu looked her up and down—Zhou Man, who had only been married for two months—and for a long moment couldn’t find any words.

The two of them were so caught up in their conversation that neither noticed the shadow cast on the bluestone slab in front of them, rising and falling like mountain peaks.

After a long pause, Minister Liu finally found the wording he wanted. "So what you’re worried about is that our Liu family and your Zhou Family might not get along?"

Manbao nodded repeatedly. "I’m afraid our two families won’t be in harmony."

Minister Liu gave a modest smile and said, "Lord Zhou thinks too much. Your Zhou Family is a kind and generous household. Our Liu family may not be as good, but we will certainly know how to respect our in-laws."

Manbao then spoke a bit more plainly. "What we’re afraid of is a clash in principles."

She paused, then said, "Minister Liu, don’t take offense. You know I’m a blunt person, and I won’t shy away from it now. Our Zhou Family comes from common stock, from the countryside. Men plow and women weave—that’s the norm. The women not only have to weave and spin, they also go down into the fields with their husbands to farm. You could say half the household is held up by the women."

Minister Liu nodded. As Minister of Revenue, he naturally knew this.

"It’s also because of this that our family doesn’t have so many rules about classics and etiquette. I was born clever, my parents and brothers dote on me, and it just so happened I met a most generous teacher, which allowed me to begin learning to read. That’s how I’ve come, step by step, to stand in court. My parents and family don’t find it so strange; they only feel proud."

Minister Liu thought, they hadn’t found it strange either—oh no, at the very beginning it had been a bit strange. But after so many years, everyone was long used to seeing Zhou Man in the grand court. In any case, she rarely speaks more than once a year—whether she’s there or not doesn’t make much difference.

Still, for a woman to achieve what Zhou Man had done, he also felt a sense of pride. Pity she bore the surname Zhou, not Liu, and now she bore the surname Bai—she was even less of a Liu now.

Manbao said, "So for our family to seek to marry Assistant Doctor Liu, and for her in future to stand where I stand now, the Zhou Family wouldn’t be shocked. In fact, it’s even possible that Liru herself might one day stand in my place. The Liu family is one that passes down poetry and books; I’m only afraid you’d be unable to stomach the way we Zhou Family raise our daughters."

Minister Liu instantly understood why they had kept turning them down. With an "ah," he slapped his thigh and said, "So it’s that we never made ourselves clear. Lord Zhou, do you take me, Liu Hui, for such a shallow and narrow-minded man?"

He said, "If your Third Lady of the house could possess the talent and learning that you do, we’d be so delighted we’d wake up laughing from our dreams. Let alone simply standing where you stand now—in future, even if she were enfeoffed as a marquis and made a chief minister, we’d only be happy. How could we possibly disapprove?"

He went on, "If we’re to speak of the most capable women in the realm, the first must surely be the Eldest Princess, then His Majesty’s Empress. Below them there’s the wife of State Duke Li, and even the Lady of State Duke Su once went onto the battlefield to rescue her husband. One after another, they’re all so enviable. If I could secure such a person for my grandson, I’d only be overjoyed."

Lin Qingwan looked at him doubtfully. "But how is it that I occasionally hear some officials in court speaking ill of me behind my back?"

Minister Liu coughed lightly in some embarrassment and said in a low voice, "That’s all jealousy of you. As for being cursed behind one’s back, which of us hasn’t been? If you don’t believe me, look at Lord Wei—from His Majesty above down to the Government Clerks in the Six Ministries, who hasn’t secretly cursed him a few times? Anyone can say unpleasant things. But is Lord Wei really as unbearable as they say? Do they truly look down on him?"

Manbao slapped her thigh in excitement. "Exactly, that’s jealousy—jealousy that they can’t be Lord Wei. Likewise, they’re jealous that they can’t be me."

Minister Liu felt that something about this wasn’t quite right, but as this was an excellent moment for discussing a marriage, he judged it wiser to go along with her. So he nodded. "Exactly, they’re just jealous."

Manbao felt a strong sense of kindred spirit, and patted Minister Liu’s arm. "Minister Liu, I hadn’t expected you to be such a broad-minded man. I’ve underestimated you. To tell you the truth, this niece of mine has been reading and studying medicine since childhood. Oh yes, she was also enlightened with the Thousand Character Classic and The Analects. The more one studies, the higher one’s aspirations grow. I can’t, for the sake of a marriage, cut off her future. You have a grandson yourself; you should understand a senior’s state of mind on this. That’s why I’ve been unable to make up my mind for so long."

Minister Liu felt that their thinking probably wasn’t the same. If his grandson had that kind of drive, he wouldn’t worry even if the boy stayed single for half his life. Unfortunately, Liu Huan didn’t, so all he could do was see him married and manage the latter half of his life in a relaxed and happy way.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!