She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 116 - 115: Son of the Noble and Prestigious

Chapter 116: Chapter 115: Son of the Noble and Prestigious

Regarding Liang Qiyuan’s inquiry, Mother Yang was utterly at a loss. How would she know any of this? She had only learned about Lady Qi that very day. And as for Sixth Master Rong, her knowledge was limited to the fact that he had once visited their home with Lord Jiang. As for anything else, how could a woman serving in the back courtyard know so much?

Liang Qiyuan, seeing he couldn’t extract more information, waved his hand dismissively and sent Mother Yang away.

Before Mother Yang left, Liang Qiyuan warned her again, "Take good care of Miss upon returning, and as for that small eatery, Miss must not be allowed to cause any more trouble there. Sixth Master Rong is of very noble status, and if Miss encounters him in the future, she must be dignified and virtuous and must not slight him."

Once Mother Yang had gone, Lady Liu tentatively said, "My lord, wasn’t Sixth Master Rong the one who came to our residence with Lord Jiang some days ago? Although Lord Jiang is a young talent, he’s merely a seventh-grade county magistrate. How venerable can his companion be? Our Wanwan is, after all, the niece of the Prefecture Magistrate. How can my lord associate her with him?"

Liang Qiyuan reprimanded, "What would a woman like you understand? On the surface, it appears that Sixth Master Rong is mingling with Lord Jiang. In reality, even my brother-in-law has to nod and bow when dealing with Sixth Master Rong, with utmost respect."

"Ah?" Lady Liu couldn’t immediately grasp what Liang Qiyuan had said and could only utter a dumbfounded question.

Liang Qiyuan continued, "Do you really think I personally invited Jiang Yifan that day? That was merely a pretext. My invitation was aimed at Sixth Master Rong. No matter what, I, Liang Qiyuan, am the brother of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Wife. How could I consider a mere county magistrate in my league? Even if he’s talented, his official career lags far behind my brother-in-law’s. Moreover, I’ve heard that he was squeezed out to this remote county by the noble and prestigious Duke An in the capital. Even if he’s lucky and rises to a high position like my brother-in-law, by then, my brother-in-law might already be a high-ranking official in the capital. Why would I take him seriously?"

"Lord Jiang has offended the powerful in the capital? Where did my lord hear such news, and is it reliable? I was thinking that with Jiang Yifan being so young and already a magistrate of a seventh-grade county, his future must be bright," Lady Liu said.

Lady Liu had seen Jiang Yifan from a distance and knew a bit of her daughter’s mind; she initially favored her daughter marrying Jiang Yifan. However, if Jiang Yifan had indeed offended the powerful of the capital, that would be a different matter.

Liang Qiyuan was nonchalant about his wife’s doubt, "Don’t worry about where I heard the news; just know it’s reliable. Sixth Master Rong’s status is extraordinary. My brother-in-law is extremely secretive about Sixth Master Rong’s identity. Despite my frequent inquiries, he dares not reveal even the slightest clue. I estimate that Sixth Master Rong might well be the son of one of the capital’s top noble and prestigious families. If Wanwan has the fortune to marry into a noble consort of the capital, our family’s wealth and status will be secured, maybe even surpassing my sister and brother-in-law in riches and glory."

"Really?" Hearing this, Lady Liu was also tempted.

Speaking of the Liang family, they had some land and business, and were considered affluent landlords. It was only by marrying off their daughter well earlier on that they had achieved their current standing.

Since the old Liang residence had managed to raise their family standing by marrying off a daughter, she could also elevate her family’s prominence through Wanqiu’s marriage. She heard that many noble families had hereditary titles; wealth and status passed down through generations, unaffected by the rise and fall of official positions or the uncertainties of the imperial examination. If Wanqiu could truly marry the son of a noble from the capital, then their family’s wealth and standing would be secure.

As a mother, Lady Liu naturally hoped for her daughter to marry well and live a life free of hardship.

She pressed Liang Qiyuan, "What about Sixth Master Rong’s character and appearance? I’ve heard he’s already around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old; does he have a wife or not? If he does, wouldn’t it be unfair for our Wanwan to marry him?"

In response to Lady Liu’s probing, Liang Qiyuan was quite dismissive, "You women always have such short-sighted views. Is appearance really that important for a capable man? Sixth Master Rong has a noble presence and a handsome face. If he were truly one of those nobles and prestigious figures from the capital, even lifting a noble concubine would be beyond his notice, let alone taking an interest in our daughter. And here you are, worrying about offending someone by marrying your daughter to them—you really don’t understand the way things work!"

Liang Qiyuan paused to add, "Furthermore, you should spend more time disciplining and teaching Wanwan, teaching her more about etiquette and propriety. Whether things work out or not, Sixth Master Rong is not someone we can afford to offend."

Liang Qiyuan had no patience for such ignorant women and, having said his piece, he stormed off.

After being chastised by Liang Qiyuan, Lady Liu came to understand that even the respected and honored uncles of the Liang family treated Sixth Master Rong as a distinguished guest; obviously, her own family could not afford to offend him. Putting aside whatever matrimonial plans there were for Wanwan for the moment, the primary concern was not to offend Sixth Master Rong.

No sooner had Liang Qiyuan left than Lady Liu summoned Liang Wanqiu, consoling and admonishing her at length. Although she did not explicitly say that the family was considering marrying Liang Wanqiu to Sixth Master Rong, she did strongly warn her daughter not to do anything that might offend him or make him unhappy. And more so, should she meet Sixth Master Rong again, she must act with modesty and politeness, lest he think less of her.

Liang Wanqiu, still young, took her mother’s words to mean that Sixth Master Rong was a man of high standing who they could not afford to offend. Although she was extremely upset with both the small eatery and Sixth Master Rong, knowing that even her father could not provoke such a person, she understood that she could not rely on her father to take up her grievances, so she reluctantly agreed. Little did she know, her parents were already contemplating her betrothal.

Young as she was, Liang Wanqiu failed to grasp the implications of Lady Liu’s words, but Mother Yang, having seen much in her time, was immediately alarmed after hearing the repeated emphases of Lady Liu’s advice to Liang Wanqiu and considering the underlying messages in her master’s earlier words.

The Old Master and Eldest Lady are planning to betroth the young miss to Sixth Master Rong, aren’t they? Looking at Sixth Master Rong’s age, he must be about twenty-five or twenty-six, and normally a man of his age and wealth would already have a wife and concubines, a family and children of his own.

Lord Jiang was even younger than Sixth Master Rong and had already been married three years ago. However, Lord Jiang had divorced his previous wife, that’s why there was now an opening for the position of his wife, offering a glimmer of hope to the young miss.

With doubts swirling in her heart, Mother Yang couldn’t help but steal glances at Lady Liu, wondering if the Eldest Lady was still weighing her options or had already made a decision.

Fortunately, after lecturing her daughter, Lady Liu sent her back but kept Mother Yang behind.

Once Lady Liu had dismissed the maids and old woman servants, she lowered her voice and said to the bowing Mother Yang, "You were assigned by me to attend to the young miss, so you must also be aware of her feelings. I too recognized Lord Jiang as a young man of talent with a promising future, which is why I didn’t intervene too much with Wanwan. However, the situation now is different and moving forward, Mother Yang, you must guide Wanwan more closely. She absolutely must not tarnish the reputation of a lady from a noble family. As for Lord Jiang, she must avoid him all the more, and no longer harbor any inappropriate thoughts about him."

Lady Liu’s words left Mother Yang certain that her Eldest Lady had lost interest in Lord Jiang and no longer considered him as a prospective son-in-law.