Tianliangyuan

Chapter 337 No Father and No Mother

Xie Xiaowei was promoted one rank, and most importantly, he was transferred to a government office with real power.

Such a generous gift could not be refused by the Xie family. It was not that the Xie family coveted power, but rather that it was a concession made by the Cui family, a way out offered by the Cui family. If the Xie family refused to accept it and insisted on making a scene, it would mean that they had completely offended the Cui family.

Even the most powerful officials in the imperial court would not want to make more enemies.

Unless one is a loyal subject, single-mindedly charging into battle for His Majesty.

However, the Xie family is clearly not an isolated faction.

Xu Zhaozhao felt uncomfortable, but no matter how uncomfortable she felt, she couldn't change this fact.

No matter how strong a woman is, once family interests or the imperial court are involved, she must give way to everything, and even her sons must do the same.

Xu Zhaozhao sighed. Xie Chan had been wronged, but Xie Xiaowei had benefited, and the Cui family had given her a way out. What else could she do?

Are the Cui family members happy?

Perhaps the one or two people behind the scenes are happy, but the real power holders of the Cui family are bound to be furious.

Cui Qin's marriage meant that the interests of the Cui family were being threatened, and that the Cui family was no longer an impenetrable fortress; someone had begun to chisel, dig, hammer, and beat it.

Therefore, the Xie, Song, and Cui families are likely to all be losers.

Song Sanlang is happy now, but he will surely suffer in the future.

The Cui family will not allow anyone to challenge their authority.

Cui Qin is a married woman, so it's perfectly normal that the Cui family's resources will no longer be directed towards her.

Ultimately, Cui Xuanzheng looked down on people like Song Sanlang.

The Song family's current jubilation is nothing more than a fireworks display; once it's all burned out, nothing will remain.

Zhang Pan'er actually had a few good candidates in mind, but she didn't dare to mention them now, mainly because the old lady, Madam Yu, and Madam Lin had all prepared several suitable candidates for Xie Chan. However, this matter still needed Xu Zhaozhao's approval to proceed smoothly.

Who can blame them when Xu Zhaozhao is Xie Chan's sister-in-law?

No sooner had Zhang Pan'er recounted the whole story of the annulment than Xu Zhaozhao was summoned to the old lady's house to see the portrait.

"Grandmother, the young talents mentioned here are all remarkable in their own way. Have you shown them to Father?"

"Not yet. Moreover, your father has been away from the capital for many years and has limited knowledge of these young men."

Xu Zhaozhao nodded: "Then I'll ask Sanlang what he thinks later. Sanlang is Sixth Sister's brother, and he also hopes she can be well. As long as she is hardworking, ambitious, and of good character, I believe Sanlang won't make things difficult for her."

That's a well-said statement, and it also makes her attitude clear: at the very least, the young man must be of good character; whether his family background is good or bad is not an issue.

The old lady was quite satisfied with her attitude.

Xu Zhaozhao selected a few candidates that she thought were decent, and then had Xie Zheng review them that evening.

"As for family background, there's no need to be too particular. They are both women, and their personalities are both rather gentle. It's better for them to stay away from families with simple backgrounds and good character."

"it is good."

Xu Zhaozhao shared the same view.

In the end, Xie Zheng was not satisfied with many of them, but even if he was satisfied, the other party's local customs had to be satisfied before the formal selection could take place.

Therefore, the marriages between these men and Xie Chan may not actually happen.

Xu Zhaozhao nudged Xie Zheng: "You serve in the imperial court and are a military officer. Don't you have any trustworthy people with simple family backgrounds around you?"

Xie Zheng then began to rack his brains in thought.

"There is indeed a suitable one."

Xu Zhaozhao's eyes lit up, and she immediately leaned closer: "Tell me quickly."

"This man was named Zheng Tuo. He was originally from an official family, but his grandparents were biased and separated his father from his mother at a young age. Later, Zheng Tuo's father died young, and his mother fell ill from worry and passed away two years later. Only Zheng Tuo and his sister Zheng Bao'er remained in the family. At that time, Zheng Tuo was only twelve or thirteen years old. Later, in order to make a living, he joined the army."

It sounds like she's a poor little thing.

"Who is his grandfather?"

"His grandfather wasn't a high-ranking official, and his family was from Yunyang County. However, his older sister had been married for a long time and had been having trouble finding a husband for Zheng Tuo. You might even know Zheng Tuo's brother-in-law."

"Ok?"

Xie Zheng laughed heartily: "Zheng Bao'er married Gu Erlang. Although Gu Erlang is a son of a concubine, he is highly regarded in the family because the Gu family has few male heirs. Most importantly, although Zheng Tuo is young, he is capable and decisive in his work. Moreover, he made great contributions in this northern expedition and was awarded the title of Xiaoqiwei by the Emperor. His current official position is the Left and Right Supervisors of the Sixth Division. He can be said to be young and promising."

The Daxing government established twelve ranks of meritorious officials, with the fourth rank being Xiaoqiwei, equivalent to the sixth rank.

The Left and Right Gatekeepers were both sixth-rank officers, meaning that Zheng Tuo received two salaries.

Moreover, Zheng Tuo is still young, only eighteen years old now, and he will have many opportunities to make great achievements in the future!

Xu Zhaozhao trusted Xie Zheng's judgment; if he said it was good, then it must really be good.

"If there is an opportunity, could you please bring the person into the manor for a meeting?"

Xie Zheng was somewhat surprised: "I just mentioned it casually, and you want to meet him? Aren't you going to inquire about him further?"

“Your judgment is spot on. Since you’ve praised him, I think he’s good too. The key is that Zheng Tuo has no parents, so our sixth sister won’t be mistreated by her mother-in-law after she marries him. She can be in charge from the moment she enters the house. Is there a more carefree life than that?”

Xie Zheng chuckled twice: "Then why don't you want to be in charge?"

Xu Zhaozhao rolled her eyes at him: "How can that be the same? I'll just focus on being the head of our eldest branch for now. There are too many things to handle in this huge Duke's mansion; I can't manage them all."

Xie Zheng didn't call her out on it. It was obvious that she wanted to shirk her responsibilities, not that she couldn't take care of things.

Xu Zhaozhao then thought of Zheng Tuo's official position.

The Left and Right Palace Guards were primarily responsible for guarding the gates of the palace, ensuring the safety and order of the palace, and preventing unauthorized personnel from entering important palace areas.

This official position may not seem high, but the responsibilities are heavy.

Those who don't understand the intricacies of the situation might think he's just a gatekeeper with no future prospects.

But in reality, there are far too many intricacies involved.

If they want to send messages out, they can do it quickly and accurately.

Moreover, it's not difficult to make a contribution in this position.

If the two of them really get together, with the Duke and Xie Zheng's support, and if he himself works hard, Zheng Tuo will have many opportunities to be promoted and ennobled!

Furthermore, Zheng Tuo's sister married into the Gu family, becoming Gu Dongyang's daughter-in-law. If that's the case, the Zheng family's background is quite respectable. Moreover, when Zheng's father passed away, he had already reached the rank of fifth grade official, so their social status is still quite good.

But for now, Xu Zhaozhao still needs to ask Xie Chan what she thinks.

After all, compared to Song Sanlang, Zheng Tuo's family background seemed rather simple.