Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Registering a Name on the Family Tree_1

Zhulan was indeed familiar with Wang De’s daughter, the thirteen-year-old girl who was truly pretty, and seemed like a nice person when Zhulan met her a few times, but sadly the Wang surname was not acceptable, especially since they were closely related to Wang Ru. Her family did not wish to be associated with the Wangs in any way, ”Auntie, I understand your meaning, but my son Chang Lian is going to take part in the imperial examination for young scholars next year. We hadn’t planned on arranging his marriage so early; both his father and I think he is still young, and it wouldn’t be too late to wait another year or two.”

If it was not for Wang Ru’s existence, she would have outright said that marriages should be settled after the age of eighteen, as it was common for scholars in this dynasty to marry late, usually around seventeen or eighteen. Zhulan’s statement of waiting another year or two could not be faulted. Of course, the main reason was that she simply did not fancy the girl from the Wang family.

The matchmaker was a shrewd person, and having realized that she was not going to persuade them further, she understood their meaning of waiting one or two years: they did not fancy the girl from the Wang family. Zhou Shuren’s little daughter was an example; she had been betrothed early, so these were just excuses, ”Alright, I won’t disturb you any longer, I shall go back now. The Wang family is waiting for my reply!”

Zhulan stood up to see her off, ”I appreciate the trouble you’ve gone through, Auntie. Here’s a little token of my gratitude, please don’t be too courteous.”

The matchmaker felt the coins in her purse, realizing she had quite a few, and understood that Lady Yang wanted her to spread the word that they were not considering marriage proposals for the next year or two, ”Oh, in that case, I won’t be polite about it.”

Zhulan cheerfully saw her out and only returned after the woman had walked far away. The matchmaker, upon reaching the main street, sneakily checked the purse in her sleeve, counting thirty coins, and felt elated. She hadn’t expected to earn such a decent amount of Silver Coin for what she thought was a wasted trip, and she hummed a tune on her way to the Wang household.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren had truly never considered the matter of Chang Lian’s marriage before, as they thought of their child as too young. When the matchmaker visited, they started to take it seriously. After discussing it together, they concluded that with their imminent move to Pingzhou, it wouldn’t be suitable for Chang Lian to find a fiancée from the nearby villages. It wasn’t that they looked down on village girls, but people naturally strive for the best. In ancient times, marriages between clans were mutually beneficial, and they hoped that Chang Lian’s future wife’s family, without needing to help much, would at least have enough potential to not hold them back for generations.

The Wang family was not pleased, considering their daughter to be the best. They thought the Zhou family was being too picky; yet, they dared not criticize them. Instead, they resented the Wang Laosi family even more, blaming them for tarnishing the young lady’s reputation. The Wang family, as the branch in charge of the genealogy, once again considered removing Wang Laosi’s family from the family records.

Zhulan was unaware of these developments, and even if she had known, she would have only thought that she and Zhou Shuren had once again flapped their wings and caused the plot to deviate further.

That evening, when Chang Lian returned from school and learned there had been a marriage proposal, he was the most composed of all, as several of his classmates had been inquiring about him. He had a good idea of what was happening. If his family’s situation had not changed before, he would have been overjoyed with the prospect of marrying Wang De’s daughter, but now it was different. He preferred someone literate.

He trusted that his parents would think the same way, considering that his elder and second sisters-in-law were learning to read. He was confident that his parents would not hastily arrange his marriage. Hearing his mother say they would wait another two years and also considering they were moving away, he felt even more reassured. After dinner, he went back to his diligent studies; the pressure was immense. His younger brother, several years his junior, would be taking the exam the same year as him. He did not expect to pass on the first try, but he also did not want to perform worse than his brother. It wasn’t just about face; he didn’t want his father to shift all his attention to his brother.

The matchmaker’s visit did not cause any ripples within the Zhou household, but the village was abuzz with chatter, not about the Zhou family being too proud, but about the reputation of the Wang family girls.

Zhulan learned of the news from Lady Li, who came back to report, ”Mother, the Wang clan has stricken the Wang Laosi family from the family genealogy.”

Zhulan inquired, ”On what grounds?”

Lady Li, well aware of what had angered the Wang clan, said, ”The reason given was the failure to properly educate their daughters, bringing disgrace to the family’s customs, and showing disrespect to elders.”

Zhulan was surprised, ”How do you know all this so clearly?”

As if she had been there herself!

Lady Li chuckled, ”Because after it ended, I heard it from the Wang family daughters-in-law.”

Lady Zhao let out a sigh, ”The Wang family is really furious, not only keeping it secret but also spreading the word everywhere. Who would dare to marry one of Wang Laosi’s daughters now?”