That evening, regardless of whether Gu Liyue had had a good rest, the old lady gathered the whole family together to discuss Gu Liyue's marriage.
Grandpa Gu's veins on his forehead bulged. He shook his head and said, "No need to say more. I'll go to the palace to plead my case tomorrow. My granddaughter just returned to the mansion, and now she's going to be betrothed? I disagree. I'll never agree."
Marquis Gu was a bit calmer. He seriously pondered and said, "Father, Mother, I think Liyue is already sixteen. It's time for her to get engaged."
Grandpa Gu roared angrily, "What do you mean? What? Now that Liyue is in our family, do you think she's a burden?"
Marquis Gu was upright and honest outside, but facing his father's scolding, he could only stammer in defense, "I... I never thought like that. Liyue is my niece. I like her so much. How could I... How could I dislike her?"
Grandpa Gu roared, "Then you still want her to get married early? What's your intention?"
It was Mrs. Jiang who smoothed things over. "Father-in-law, my husband doesn't mean that. It's just that Liyue is already sixteen. In the capital, girls of this age, even if they're not engaged yet, have started looking for a match. It's better to settle it earlier. We can still discuss the wedding date later. There's no need to rush."
Grandpa Gu calmed down. He thought about it seriously and felt that this was feasible.
The old lady also agreed. "That's right. It's okay to get engaged. It's not like she's going to get married right away. With our family's status, we can't handle this hastily. The six rituals should be done slowly."
Grandpa Gu said with a straight face, "She's not allowed to get married before she's nineteen."
Only then did Marquis Gu dare to speak. He continued, "The boy Lu Jinchen. We've watched him grow up, and we know his family well. I'm quite satisfied with him..."
The old lady glared at him. "Satisfied with what? Liyue, this is your marriage. Tell your grandmother. Are you satisfied with this match?"
Gu Liyue became coy. She hung her head, blushing, and didn't dare to say a word.
Marquis Gu said again, "Mother, why are you asking Liyue about this? She's still a child, and she's a girl. In matters of marriage, shouldn't the parents and family make the decision?"
The old lady shook her head and held Gu Liyue's hand. "Liyue, the family can only help you make a judgment. But you're the one who will know what kind of person he is and how the days will be like. In the future, you'll be the one living with him. Your fourth brother has a good relationship with Jinchen, and you know Jinchen too. Do you want to?"
Gu Liyue was like a gourd with its mouth sawn off. She couldn't say a single word.
The old lady sighed helplessly. She called Yunniang forward and said, "Yunniang, you've raised Liyue since she was a child. She's closest to you. We can't do without your opinion on her marriage. You've met the eldest young master of the Lu family. What do you think?"
Yunniang had been with Gu Liyue all along. She knew that Lu Jinchen and Gu Liyue had promised to marry each other at the Lu family's estate. For the past month, there had been no news, and she was extremely anxious. Now that she knew that Lu Jinchen had even gone to the palace to request the emperor's blessing for the marriage, her heart was finally at ease. At this moment, she just kept nodding. How could she be the least bit unhappy?
The old lady smiled. She patted Gu Liyue and asked, "We all think it's a good match, Liyue. Everyone here is your family. If you have any concerns, just say them out. We'll help you solve them."
Only then did Gu Liyue mumble in a low voice, "Grandmother, I'm afraid... I'm from the countryside. Will the Lu family... not like me?"
Grandpa Gu immediately said, "Liyue, don't be afraid. The Prince of Liang is not a person who looks down on the poor and fawns on the rich. He's familiar with your uncle. He won't dislike you. As for the others..."
Gu Chengzhi finally found an opportunity to interrupt. He quickly said, "I'm not very happy about this. It's true that Jinchen is my brother, but I know very well what kind of person his stepmother is. If my sister marries into their family, she'll surely be bullied. I'm not satisfied."
Gu Zhongxian gave his son a rap on the forehead and scolded, "What are you talking nonsense about? With our family's status, will we let that woman bully Liyue?"
Gu Chengzhi covered his head and argued, "Just now, Grandmother also said that after getting married, one will know the joys and sorrows by oneself. My sister is gentle and doesn't like to complain. We can't always follow her. What should we do?"
Mrs. Qin then asked, "Since you put it this way, then which family do you think is suitable for your sister to marry into? The Prince of Liang's mansion is not good. Is there any other good family? According to what you said, your sister has to marry into a family where the mother-in-law has a very good character. Among the ladies in the capital who like her, I guess they're only Mrs. Jiang and the Princess. There's no suitable young master in the Lin family. The third young master of the Jiang family is about the right age. Do you think it's okay?"
Of course, she didn't really want Gu Liyue to marry into the Jiang family. She just said this to shut her son up.
Gu Chengzhi kept shaking his head. Not to mention what kind of person Jiang Che was, just because of the suffering Gu Liyue had endured in the Jiang family before, he would never let his sister marry into the Jiang family.
Mrs. Qin asked again, "Okay. You think the high-ranking families are not suitable. Are the low-ranking families or poor scholars suitable?"
Gu Chengzhi shook his head again. "It's definitely not suitable. If a low-ranking family or a poor scholar takes a fancy to Liyue, are they really taking a fancy to her person or our family's status? It's not appropriate."
Mrs. Qin knew very well what her son meant. Since they had finally got this precious sister, he thought nothing was suitable for her. She couldn't help but console him, "Alright. It's rare that the young master of the Lu family has a heart. No one can predict what this young man will be like in the future. But if he's not sincere before getting married, then it's absolutely not okay. Father-in-law, Mother, I think this match with the young master of the Lu family is extremely good. That young master of the Lu family is handsome. Although he likes to fool around with Chengzhi, he's not a licentious and extravagant person. He doesn't care about Liyue's background and insists on requesting the emperor's blessing for the marriage. This also shows that he really likes Liyue."
Seeing Gu Liyue's face turn pale and then red, the old lady quickly consoled her, "Liyue, don't be afraid. We'll protect you. No matter which family you marry into, we'll never let you be wronged."
Gu Chengzhi thought left and right and also felt that there didn't seem to be a more suitable match. He gritted his teeth and said, "Jinchen is also good. If he treats you badly in the future, you can just get divorced. Your elder brothers can afford to support you."
As soon as he said this, Gu Zhongxian got so angry that he almost jumped up. He wished he could beat his son so that he couldn't get out of bed immediately.
The old lady ignored them. She just continued to ask Gu Liyue, "Liyue, do you have any other concerns?"
Gu Liyue summoned up her courage and looked at the old lady. "I... I had a betrothal before..."
The old lady was greatly shocked. "You had a betrothal? When was that? Is the betrothal still valid? Who is the young man?"
Gu Liyue shook her head and said, "The betrothal has been annulled. It was when I was still young. My mother made the betrothal with a friend. The young man's surname is Feng. He passed the imperial examination and became a scholar last year. I don't know what happened after that. We haven't been in touch for a long time. I'm just afraid that the Lu family will..."