nycdaug Chapter 166 Planning
Chapter 166 Planning
Seeing Madam Guan's inquiring look, Song Lan slowly explained to her, "Aunt, you don't know that Yan Yuzhi is the eldest son of the Yan family. Although we both study in Bishui Hall, the Yan family rarely interacts with our family. I wonder why you are asking about him?"
Mrs. Guan was thinking that if Yan Yuzhi didn't work out, she could still get along with Song Lan, so she just nodded and smiled perfunctorily, "It's just a casual question. I wonder which high-ranking official's son in the capital is he?"
Song Lan looked at Mrs. Guan and had already seen what she was planning, but he did not expose her.
Song Lan now looked at Madam Guan's family. After all, they had not done anything inappropriate to the General's Mansion. Since they were relatives, he did not hide it and just responded honestly, "Their family is not an official, but has been doing business for generations. It is not an exaggeration to say that their current industry is the richest in Beijing."
"Businessmen..." Madam Guan frowned, somewhat disappointed. After all, only officials can make a living in the capital now. Businessmen are always not as respectable as officials.
Take the Pei family for example. They have been the imperial merchants for so many years and are extremely wealthy, but they are not as powerful and admirable as the General's Mansion. However, compared with other families, the Pei family is also connected to the officialdom and is a family friend of the General's Mansion, which is much higher than the Yan family.
Mrs. Guan was a little surprised when she thought of this. She looked at Song Lan and said, "Brother Lan, doesn't it say that only children of officials above the fourth rank can go to study at Bishuitang? Since Yan Yuzhi's family is in business, why can he also go to Bishuitang to study?"
Song Lan explained to Madam Guan calmly, "The Yan family is rich. Is there anything that money can't do? As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. It won't be difficult for the Yan family to enter Bishuitang."
Song Lan looked at Madam Guan and asked calmly, "Aunt, is there anything else you want to ask him about?"
Madam Guan just smiled faintly and waved at Song Lan, "That's all, that's all. I was just asking casually. Brother Lan doesn't have to take it to heart."
After Mrs. Guan got the result, she quickly turned around and started discussing it with Guan Surong.
Mrs. Guan was now somewhat dissatisfied with Yan Yuzhi. She looked at Guan Surong and said, "My dear daughter, I have asked before. Yan Yuzhi's family is in business. Although he is the richest man in Beijing, he is not as easy to talk to in the officialdom. I think he is not as good as your cousin Lan. Your cousin Lan is also a handsome man. His family has a mighty general. He has a bright future."
Guan Surong hesitated when she heard what Madam Guan said. She looked at Madam Guan and said, "Mother, I thought Yan Yuzhi was the legitimate son of an official family, but I didn't expect that he was from a business family in the capital."
As the saying goes, scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, the status of doing business nowadays is far inferior to that of the general's mansion.
Mrs. Guan now began to persuade him earnestly, "In my opinion, it would be better for you to go back to your cousin Lan."
Guan Surong looked annoyed, "Mother, Cousin Lan already has a sweetheart. They are in a very happy relationship, how can I interfere?"
"You are such a blockhead." Madam Guan reached out and poked Guan Surong's forehead, and said in a low voice, "Now that you have someone you like, let's use some tricks. If the matter is settled, not only your cousin Lan, but your uncle will definitely give you an explanation. At that time, you will not care whether he has a lover or not. After a long time, are you still worried that you can't persuade him to change his heart?"
"Mother, but now, Yan Yuzhi is so handsome that I really like him. I really..." Guan Surong sat on the stool, feeling a little unwilling. "Besides, Yan Yuzhi has me in his heart, unlike cousin Lan who is so cold."
Madam Guan was very disappointed with him, "Silly child, think about it carefully. No matter how rich the Yan family is, it can never match the power of the General's Mansion. Although the General's Mansion does not have as much gold and silver as the Yan family, it is still rich after all, and your cousin Lan is a general. The Yan family is rich now, but how many generations can they keep it?"
"Think about it carefully, my daughter." Guan Surong also began to struggle. She looked up at Madam Guan and said, "Mother, instead of worrying about me, you should think about how to find a good job for your brother."
When Madam Guan heard Guan Surong say this, she also had a sad look on her face, "That's true, but I asked your uncle last time, and he said that Wen Yan is not suitable to be a general. Those generals who went into battle started training at a young age, and your brother has never been that strong."
Guan Surong now directly denied it, "Mother, please don't let my brother become a general. Swords and knives are blind on the battlefield. Can't you ask uncle to find him a civil servant?"
"How can this be so easy?" Madam Guan sighed, "Most of the civil servants nowadays are those who passed the imperial examinations, and those who have been granted titles are from noble families. How can we arrange a position for your eldest brother?"
"Isn't my uncle a first-rank general? It shouldn't be difficult to ask for an official position for my brother, right?" Guan Surong curled her lips, "You are just unwilling to put in a little more effort to help my brother."
Mrs. Guan has now made up her mind, "Now, I am thinking of letting your eldest brother go to the Prime Minister's Mansion to work. Maybe after a long time, his talent will be discovered and he can be promoted and get a position by the Prime Minister's side. But now, I haven't figured out how to ask Ning Jie'er."
Guan Surong expressed her own opinion, "Cousin Ning is thoughtful, but she may not let my brother go to work in the Prime Minister's Mansion. When I wanted to go to the Prime Minister's Mansion, she refused directly."
"Now if we don't go to the Prime Minister's Mansion, other mansions..." Madam Guan looked at Guan Surong and said slowly, "I can't even think of any family to go to now."
Guan Surong now remembered someone, and looked at Madam Guan and said, "Mother, isn't cousin Shi married into the Marquis Zhongping's Mansion? It's still a marquis' mansion. I had a lot of fun with cousin Shi when I was a kid, so it shouldn't be difficult to get her to help me now. Didn't cousin Ning also mention it before? The Marquis' Mansion is now a big and powerful family, so it must be a great place to go."
"You are right. And what about your cousin Shi? How could I have forgotten her now? Since it is a marquis's mansion, it must have a title. There are not so many families with titles in the capital." Mrs. Guan stood up with a smile.
Mrs. Guan had been away from the capital for a long time and did not understand the twists and turns of officialdom. When she saw that the Marquis Zhongping's Mansion was a marquisate, she thought it was a good place.
However, she didn't know that her choice now was exactly what Song Wanning wanted.