I fought back after reselling my engagement

Zhen Su replied, "In the past, it was a small banquet, mostly a few good friends and handkerchief friends gathered together to appreciate flowers, drink tea, and exchange talents such as needlework, calligraphy, painting, and poetry. Like this time, we invited the elders and their sons and daughters to participate, and we will let the talented girls from each family perform, no matter what they are, just show off.

Two years ago, when the Fu family selected their grandson's wife, they did not test her talent or etiquette, but asked all the noble ladies attending the banquet to look at the account books. Whoever could find the problem would be the one with the most accurate eyes. "

Zhen Rong found it quite novel that choosing a daughter-in-law would involve having someone look at the account books. "Who was chosen in the end?" She also knew how to look at the account books. Her mother taught her that. Her mother's family was a merchant family and she had a lot of experience in managing shops and account books.

"My eldest cousin has been good at accounting, managing shops and farms since she was a child. Old Madam Fu and Madam Fu hated managing these things the most. All the noble ladies invited to the banquet were experts in this area. The contents of each account book were different and each was numbered. My eldest cousin read it most carefully. Not only did she find that the prices of the dishes were not right, but she also found that the amount of ice and charcoal in the expenditure was inconsistent. In short, there were as many as nine items. When she answered them, Madam Taifu was very satisfied with her. The two families discussed the marriage on the third day, the marriage was arranged on the fifth day, and the wedding was held in the spring of the second year."

Zhen Zhen snorted, "It's shameful for a rich official to do business as a merchant."

Zhen Rong frowned. The whole Zhen family knew that her mother was a merchant's daughter, and she looked down on merchants.

The old lady was very unhappy but did not stop it. Yu really did not know how to teach her daughter. If she said this at the banquet, who knows how many people would be offended?

Zhen Su said, "Big sister, what you said is not true. Officials in the Ministry of Personnel are good at managing money and accounts, and ordinary officials cannot get in. Farmers grow crops, hunters hunt, and merchants do business. They all rely on their abilities to make money and support their families. How can they be ashamed in this world? They are just engaged in different trades."

Zhen Rong disliked the sisters Zhen Zhen and Zhen Zhu from the moment she arrived. Now, hearing what they said, she felt even more unhappy. She decided to pick out the bad pearls to deal with them and give the best pearls to her second sister.

"Big sister, in the future... you won't have to take care of the backyard, you won't have to look at the account books, you won't have to deal cards? In a family like this, you think the account books and money are not presentable. If everyone is like this, how can this family be called a family? Big sister doesn't bother to take care of it, but there is a kind of people who don't have to take care of it after they get married."

Zhen Rong said sarcastically, "If you dare to ask, I dare to answer."

Zhen Zhen was so angry that her eyes turned red. This meant that if she became a concubine, she would not have to look after the account books or take care of the backyard, as these were the responsibilities of the mistress of the house.

The old lady lightly rebuked, "Big girl, you said something inappropriate. You are the first to feel wronged when your younger sister refuted you. If you said that at the grand gathering, you would offend so many people. Even the wives and madams of the various families would look at you straight in the eye. They would look at a proper daughter-in-law, not a concubine in such a grand occasion."

Concubines are just toys, not worthy of being seen at such a grand event.

The last sentence made Zhen Zhen almost cry, but she tried to hold it back, turned her face away, and forced the tears back into her eyes.

"Your own grandmother said a few words to you, and you are angry? When you get married... With your attitude, you will definitely point at your mother and scold her for not raising you well."

Yu's daughter was really poorly educated and was far inferior to the second and fourth granddaughters.

The old lady was not happy. "When you get here, be quiet and careful. If you continue to talk nonsense and bring shame to the Zhen family, you will be made fun of. I will kneel down in the ancestral hall when you return."

The carriage was rumbling, and there was silence inside. Behind it followed a carriage with maids and servants. The only one who could enter today was the maid led by the old lady, and the others were all the masters. The maids and the driver had to wait outside.

*

The Grand Secretary's Mansion has a huge pine or cypress tree on each side of the gate, and a pair of stone lions. In front of the gate, there are carriages and horses like dragons, with various styles, some with the family's surname, and some in the style of "Mansion of a certain Duke, Mansion of a certain Marquis", etc.

The old lady got off the carriage with her three granddaughters. The old ladies and wives of each family brought their pretty girls with them. Each of them was like a flower, and it was a joy to look at them.

The maid Ping'er handed the invitation to the doorkeeper, who sang aloud, "The female relatives of Lord Zhen from the Ministry of Justice have arrived!"

A maid came over and bowed, "Old lady, girls, please--"

Men turn left after entering the gate, while women turn right after entering the gate.

The old lady's eyes were burning as she looked around with great curiosity. When she entered the garden, she saw an artificial river ten feet wide dividing the garden into two halves. One side was for the banquet for male guests, and the other side was for the banquet for female guests. There were two bridges connecting the two sides. Servants stood on one side of the bridge, and maids stood on this side of the bridge. The stone handrails on the bridges were covered with red silk to prevent people from crossing.

Zhen Rong grew up in a suburban county and had never seen so many people.

Zhen Zhen also looked around curiously, looking at the male guests on the other side of the river who were dressed in colorful clothes, and the female guests on this side. It was really a grand blind date party.

The old lady said, "There is a lady from my old age in the pavilion. I will take you there to pay your respects."

Zhen Zhen had no choice but to follow the old lady. It was she who discovered that the second wife of the Su family was inside. The old lady entered the pavilion and said, "Su'er's second aunt is here. I haven't seen her for a few years. She looks more energetic."

The second aunt looked at the three granddaughters behind her. Except for the eldest one who was dressed in tacky clothes, the two younger ones were smart and beautiful. They looked very decent at first glance, which was a relief to the eyes.

The second aunt smiled and returned the greeting: "It's Old Madam Zhen. I haven't seen you for some years. You are still as strong as ever." After she finished laughing, she introduced herself to the ladies in the pavilion.

The old lady said to Zhen Rong, "This is your second sister's second aunt, you should also call her second aunt."

Zhen Su, Zhen Rong and the other two said in unison: "Greetings to Second Aunt!"

"Be good, Susu, your second cousin is here too, and she's talking to some girls over there," said the second aunt.

Zhen Su said: "Second cousin is here, but third cousin is not here?"

The second aunt smiled and said, "She is engaged to the son of Rong from the Le Da Marquis's mansion, so she won't come to the flower viewing party. Your eldest aunt has kept her at home to learn the rules and embroider her dowry."

Who was she talking about getting engaged? Zhen Zhen felt her head buzzing and blurted out, "Impossible!"

Didn’t my father tell my mother that the person who was engaged to Prince Rong Wei was Zhen Su? That’s why she didn’t discuss marriage for the past two years just to snatch the marriage away. If it had been Second Miss Su from the beginning, what would have been the point of her waiting for two years?

The second aunt asked, "Miss Zhen admires Prince Rong?"

There are so many people who admire Prince Rong Wei, so it might not be a big deal. It's just that he is too outstanding and is a favorite of the old emperor.

The second aunt continued, "The marriage between the two families was arranged by the old master and the old marquis several years ago, with a marriage certificate and a token as proof. Earlier, the prince Rong was chosen, but it was not said which girl from the Su family. A few days ago, the wife of the Marquis Le Da went to the Su family several times and fell in love with the third girl at first sight.

Yesterday, Marquis Leda and his wife came to discuss the wedding date. The third girl will be 15 years old at the beginning of the year, and Prince Rong will be eighteen years old. The wedding date is set on the second day of December this year."