Chapter 717 - 490: Setting Out for the Capital City

Chapter 717: Chapter 490: Setting Out for the Capital City

Early the next morning, Jiang Hu’s second aunt went to the Magistrate’s residence with Jiang Yu, and only came back after lunch. Judging from everyone’s beaming faces, the talk had clearly gone very well and they’d hit it off at once.

Just as the Jiang family had left, news came out from the Magistrate’s household: Jiang Yu had gifted the Zhou elders a pair of hundred-year-old ginseng roots, each almost as thick as a baby’s wrist!

Whether those hundred-year-old ginsengs were real or not, no one knew except the people involved, but everyone could see that the Magistrate and his wife had been all smiles these past few days. Clearly, they were very optimistic about this marriage.

The most important thing was that the Zhou family’s young lady had finally stopped making trouble and was staying quietly at home, waiting to be married. It seemed she was very satisfied with this ideal husband she’d personally chosen.

Likewise, the Jiang family had been busy these past few days too, busy preparing for the betrothal, checking the couple’s birth characters, and setting an auspicious date.

Both families agreed that, putting all the gossip aside for the moment, at least these two "older" young people had finally found someone they liked and could get married. That alone was a good thing, and the sooner the better!

So whether it was the Magistrate’s household or the Jiang family, they were both extremely eager in their preparations.

However, Jiang Yu still had to prepare for the autumn examinations. As soon as he left the Magistrate’s house, he began studying in earnest, leaving all the other trivial matters to his parents.

As for himself, he only went with his parents and the official matchmaker to the Zhou household on the day before the exams began to formally settle the engagement.

Although it was a bit lacking in ceremony, the Magistrate was quite satisfied with such a career-minded son-in-law.

The wedding date was set with even more enthusiasm—just half a month after the engagement!

It was already the eighth month. The autumn exams were held on the ninth, twelfth, and fifteenth days of the eighth month, three sessions in total, each lasting three days.

After that, Jiang Yu would still have a few days to rest, to conserve his strength for the wedding.

If not for that, the Magistrate would have loved nothing more than for Jiang Yu to go straight from the examination hall to the wedding hall.

Jiang Yu’s marriage progressed so quickly it was hard to believe. It wasn’t until the bride was actually brought through the gate that it finally felt a little real.

On the day Jiang Yu took Zhou Ying back to her parents’ home, it just so happened to be the day the autumn exam results were posted. Jiang Yu had actually taken fourth place, winning the "jingkui" title. It truly was a double blessing.

The Magistrate was especially delighted. With a son-in-law who brought such honor to the family, and seeing the newlyweds so affectionate with each other, he was even more pleased.

So, in her joy, the Magistrate’s wife took some Silver from her own dowry and hosted a grand banquet so everyone could share in the happiness.

With that, those who had been gossiping behind their backs immediately quieted down.

The Magistrate’s daughter really had chosen an excellent husband for herself. Not only was he handsome and of good background, but he was also so brilliant in his studies that he passed the exam in one go—and even took fourth place!

For a time, what had originally been a joke at their expense instantly turned into a beautiful tale of a talented man and a lovely woman. Especially since everyone knew that after this autumn exam, Jiang Yu would be heading to the Capital City to sit for next year’s spring examinations.

As a newlywed wife, Zhou Ying naturally had to go with him. Besides, this time the whole Nongzheng Marquis household was specifically going to the Capital City.

The woman who had once been criticized as an "old maid" no one wanted had risen in one leap to become the Young Madam of a Marquis’ household. Which lady in Nanyang Prefecture could compare to that?

But all this outside gossip never reached the ears of the Jiang or Zhou families. Since they were taking a boat, and travel by water was much faster than by land, no one was in a hurry to set out.

They stayed in Nanyang Prefecture for another month. Every few days, Jiang Yu would take his wife back to her parents’ home for a visit. It wasn’t until the end of the ninth month that he said farewell to his father- and mother-in-law, and set off for the Capital City with his new bride.

This time, of course, Jiang Yu wanted to share a room with his own wife, so Wei Ziang was kicked out to squeeze into a room with Jiang Wei.

Just like before, Zhou Ying fell fast asleep the moment she got on the boat.

Fortunately, after the previous half month of travel, everyone else was already used to it. There was no need to leave Zhou Ying alone while they slipped into the space to adjust.

It was early winter, and the weather had started to turn cold—especially at dawn and dusk, when the dew was heavy and the air was chilly. Stand outside for a while and you could feel droplets of water on your clothes.

With nothing to do on the boat, the brothers all wore thick clothing, rain capes over their shoulders, each holding a bamboo pole as they sat on the first-floor deck fishing.

Jiang Wei glanced left and right. His eldest brother’s bucket was already half full, and the other two’s harvests were about the same. His eyes rolled, and he scooted over to Jiang Yu’s side.

"Big Brother, Sister-in-law’s been sleeping this whole time and hasn’t gotten up. Aren’t you going to check on her?"

Jiang Yu couldn’t even be bothered to look at him. "She slept the whole way on the trip here too. How come I didn’t see you caring so much about your sister-in-law back then?"

Jiang Wei let out a few dry laughs. "She wasn’t Sister-in-law yet back then. Men and women should keep a distance, you know."

Just then, he saw his brother give the bamboo pole a little tug and pull up another fish, which made him even more envious. He wished he could swap his bucket with his brother’s.

He really didn’t know why. They were all fishing together, using the same bait, yet he was the only one who couldn’t catch anything.

Looking at the lone fish in his own bucket and then at his eldest brother’s, which was almost full, he couldn’t help comparing.

Could it be that because Big Brother just got married, even the fish wanted to come over and bask in the wedding luck?

As he was thinking that, he heard his brother ask, "Your parents aren’t here. Little Wei, tell your brothers, what kind of wife do you want to marry?"

Jiang Wei froze, a bit embarrassed. "Why’s Big Brother suddenly asking me that? I’m still young. What’s the point of thinking about that now?"

On the side, Liu Ze chuckled. "You’re not that young. You’re already seventeen. In most families, you’d have been married long ago. It’s about time you gave this some thought."

Jiang Wei muttered, "Little Brother and Sis aren’t even engaged yet. Why are you worrying about me? There’s an order to these things. I should be last in line, right?"

On the other side, Wei Ziang, who’d been quietly fishing, had just been name-dropped. He immediately felt the eldest brother’s gaze sweep over him, and awkwardly rubbed his nose without saying a word, lest he draw fire onto himself.

As expected, Jiang Yu didn’t say anything to him, and instead kept his eyes on his younger brother Jiang Wei.

"What are you worrying about them for? Their turn will come sooner or later. You’re the one with nothing settled. You’re the Princely Heir of our Marquis’ household, and you’re at just the right age for marriage. Once we get to the Capital City, there’ll be no shortage of people coming to propose."

Wei Ziang secretly let out a sigh of relief. In this family, Big Brother’s words carried even more weight than their parents’. He wasn’t afraid, exactly, but whenever Big Brother got serious, he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.

Especially these past few years. Even though Big Brother didn’t seem to be doing anything special, his whole bearing had become steadier and steadier, more and more like an elder brother.

He never scolded his younger siblings harshly, but he naturally carried a kind of quiet authority.

Wei Ziang thought that this was only because Big Brother was still young. Once he’d spent a few more years in officialdom, he’d definitely have the full air of a head of the household.

Of course, if Big Brother was lecturing someone else, he was more than happy to sit back and enjoy the show—for example, Jiang Wei, who was already getting nervous at the moment.