Chapter 27 The Good Planner Plans for Others

  Fourth Aunt smiled gently and said: "As long as Rong'er is willing, I have a way to make the Lu family marry you properly."

  Mei Bi Yun'er nodded thoughtfully, and Xin Niang's expression turned serious again: "However, it would be best if you could persuade Yun'er. That way, you'll not only save Yun'er but also avoid the Zhou family bearing a grudge against the Lu family in the future, since you're a close relative of your aunt and will be implicated."

  Mei Bi Yun'er helplessly said: "Yun'er will try her best." Saying this, the possibility of persuading him was very small.

  "Old Mrs. went away, and the happiness of Yan'er also ended," said Aunt Xin with a sigh. "Although Yan'er is the biological daughter of the old lady, they have never been close, and after the old lady left, Yan'er will soon be married."

  "Ah, Auntie, do you know something?"

  Aunt Xīn fell silent, and Mèi Bì Yùnér hastily said: "Auntie, you speak."

  "Auntie Xīn sighed and said, 'Even if your aunt told you, you wouldn't believe it.'"

  "Yuner believes in what you say, Auntie." Mei Bi Yuner asked anxiously, her feelings for the young lady were truly too deep.

  "Last year, Master went to Chizhou to offer gifts and seek an official position. The governor of Chizhou, Marquis Ma, sent a message asking Master to bring 10,000 taels of silver and his daughter's marriage certificate to meet with him. After Master returned, he thought about it for a long time but eventually put it off because he was afraid of angering the old madam. However, Governor Ma became angry and sent someone to pressure Master into agreeing to the marriage. Master took 3,000 taels of silver to see Governor Ma and begged him, saying that his mother did not agree and he dared not consent to the marriage. Only then did Governor Ma accept the silver and spare Master. Master lost the silver and offended a high-ranking official, which made him so depressed that he fell ill. Now, if the old madam were to pass away, even if Master spared Swan because of their familial relationship, Governor Ma would surely come again to pressure him as soon as he heard the news. Therefore, Swan can only take charge of her own marriage while the old madam is still alive."

  Mei Bi Yun'er asked in surprise: "Why does that Master Ma insist on marrying Miss?"

  "Listen, this is an unspoken rule in the officialdom. When a lower-ranking official wants to be promoted by a higher-ranking one, he must offer his daughter or sister as a bride to form a marital alliance. Conversely, when a high-ranking official wants to promote a subordinate, he often marries off his own daughter to seal the deal and create an official clique. That old man, Magistrate Ma, is already fifty years old, with dozens of wives and concubines at home. He doesn't want to marry Yinger because he likes her, but because he wants to get silver and form a marital alliance. If you follow Yinger to Chizhou and enter the Ma household, that old man will play with her for a few times before discarding her like a worn-out shoe. By then, you'll both become slaves under the Ma family's main wife, with a fate worse than even prostitutes."

  "Eldest Sister, may I use this matter to warn Miss?"

  Aunt Xin shook her head and said, "It's useless. Yan'er is gentle on the outside but firm on the inside, and she still has a beautiful illusion about worldly affairs. You and I often worry about her marriage, which has already made her have an adverse psychological reaction. She will only think that it is alarmist talk."

  Mei Bi Yun'er listened silently, her delicate face filled with deep worry. Xin Niang smiled and said: "You don't need to worry, if you can successfully leave the Zhou household and marry into the Lu family, then there will be a chance to save Yan'er."

  "Eldest Aunt, do you have a solution?"

  Aunt Xīn nodded and said, "There is a way. If Yàn ér really wants to marry far away in Chízhōu, Aunt will have a way to save her. Moreover, Zhèngdà's family will also go to Lù jiā with you, but the premise is that Aunt and you must successfully rescue yourselves."

  Mei Bi Yun'er's expression changed, and she said seriously: "Auntie, you speak."

  Aunt Xīn nodded and said softly, "Originally, Aunt wanted to persuade Old Lady Lǎo to let Yàn'ér marry the third son of the elderly master of the Yán family in Shí Tān village as his concubine. The third son of the Yán family is a refined and elegant official, basically meeting Yàn'ér's conditions. Aunt thought that by relying on the power of the Yán family, we could eliminate our troubles. However, last night, Zhōu Yuè'ér's subtle hint at marriage made Aunt feel that the Lù family would be more suitable to help us."

  "Why?" Mei Bi Yun'er asked in puzzlement.

  Aunt Xin smiled and said, "Because the Lu family is very close-knit, Auntie had contact with them once before. Zhou Yue'er was able to marry into the Lu family because Old Master Zhou appreciated the harmony of the Lu family. On the other hand, the Yan and Zhou families in Shitan Township are both cold and distant when it comes to family relationships, only recognizing those with power and status. If you were to marry into the Lu family, as long as you know how to follow the rules, you will definitely win over Madam Lu's affection."

  Mei Bi Yun'er said anxiously: "What rules does the Lu family have?"

  Xin Niang smiled and said: "From now on, consider yourself a member of the Lu family."

  The beautiful girl's face turned red, and she said with a blush: "Auntie."

  Aunt Xin smiled and said, "I won't tease you anymore. Actually, the rules of the Lu family are quite ordinary. Mrs. Lu is a kind-hearted woman, but she has strong traditional views on family. If you really join the Lu family, the first thing you need to do is show respect for your elders. As long as you go and pay your respects to Mrs. Lu and have a nice chat with her, you'll be able to win her over."

  Mei Bi Yun'er said: "It's so simple."

  "Very simple, apart from Madam Lu, the second person you need to respect is Zhou Yue'er. Madam Lu is a straightforward woman, although her eldest son is not her biological child, she has always treated him fairly. In Madam Lu's heart, the eldest son and daughter-in-law are the superiors of Lu Qigong, so you must show special respect to Zhou Yue'er. As long as you respect Madam Lu and Zhou Yue'er, everyone in the Lu family will respect you. The Lu brothers are all filial men."

  Mei Bi Yun'er nodded, and Xin Niang continued in a serious tone: "Having achieved the respect of your elders, you must also establish your position below. If you enter the Lu family's household, all the slaves and maids in the Seventh Young Master's residence must be made to understand their duties and follow the rules. If they break the rules, you absolutely cannot show leniency, not even if the Seventh Young Master speaks up for them. Unless it's Madam Lu or Zhou Yue'er speaking, you must make the slaves and maids know that the master is outside and the mistress is inside, and you have the final say in household matters. For example, that concubine Ning'er, you must clearly order her to fulfill her duties as a concubine. If she fails, you must punish her. Last night, I listened to Zhou Yue'er's conversation and decided to rely on the Lu family, so I intentionally found fault with Ning'er to humiliate her. The goal was to make her understand that she is a lowly concubine and cannot be favored alongside Yan'er. Now it's not Yan'er, but you."

  Mei Bi Yun'er was shocked and said: "Auntie, if I humiliated Ning Er like you did, Lu Qi Gongzi would definitely despise me."

  "Resentment is just temporary, as long as you establish your authority and men get used to it, they will naturally stop resenting you. If you compromise, Madam Lu will think you're incapable of managing the household, and the servants won't respect you either. Over time, Lu Qi will also lose interest in you. Therefore, you must establish a good set of rules and keep Lu Qi's affection under control. Of course, after you conflict with Lu Qi, you should use gentle tactics to apologize, such as kneeling down to beg for his forgiveness. Most men who respect their mothers will be softened by a woman's kneeling."

  Mei Bi Yun'er nodded slightly and said shyly: "Auntie, it's a bit early to talk about the Lu family's affairs now. Why don't you tell me what to do instead?"

  Aunt Xīn nodded and said seriously: "Yùn, you're willing to help your aunt out of trouble, the matter is already half successful. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll bring you to visit the Lǔ family with a gift, and I'll prepare for you a dress suitable for a rich young lady, as well as a beautiful makeup look. Of course, this is on the condition that you really can't persuade Yàn to marry into the Lǔ family."

  Mei Bi Yun'er nodded slightly, thinking that her fate might change tomorrow, and she was already a little nervous and anxious.

  Xin's aunt continued, "After we visit the Lu family, if Mrs. Lu has a good impression of you, your aunt will go see her alone the next day to discuss the marriage arrangement, and this matter is sure to be settled. Then, your aunt will immediately buy back your slave status and restore your identity as Miss Xin. At that time, Mrs. Lu will ask a matchmaker to come and propose the marriage."

  Mei Bi Yun'er looked puzzled and asked: "Auntie, why are you so sure that the Lu family will agree to the marriage?"

  "Yuner, the Lu family is not a high-ranking official or a wealthy household, but rather a small rich family that has just escaped from poverty. Auntie didn't hide it from you, since taking over the financial power of the Zhou household, she had already thought of the tragic outcome in the future. For this reason, Auntie used some methods to secretly stash away 6,000 taels of silver over the past five years. Auntie will take 3,000 taels of silver to discuss the marriage arrangement, and of course, Madam Lu is a traditional woman who follows etiquette, so sending silver first would not work. Auntie will tell her that you are about to encounter misfortune and ask Madam Lu to accept you as a daughter-in-law. Madam Lu is a kind-hearted woman, she will definitely agree to the marriage proposal. Once Madam Lu agrees to the marriage, Auntie will leave the silver behind and immediately depart. With Madam Lu having received the favor of the silver, there's a 70% chance that you'll become an equal wife."

  "Ah, Auntie, you..."

  Aunt Xin waved her hand to interrupt, and said softly: "Another three thousand taels of silver, Aunt will give it to you. If Aunt dies in the future, you go hire someone to salvage Aunt's body and bury it in the Lu family tomb. On the tombstone, give Aunt a name as a member of the Lu family. Aunt doesn't want her soul to be homeless, even if she dies, she doesn't want to be a ghost of the Zhou family again."