He is the crown prince of the Great Jin Nation, high above, prestigious, unapproachable. Only he can casually command the Magistrate of Lin’an Prefecture to willingly run errands for him without compensation, like a matchmaking mediator! But, hasn’t she already made it clear to him? There is absolutely no possibility between them. He cannot marry her as his official wife, and also can’t guarantee that he will not take concubines in the future; as for her, if she gets married in this life, she would only consent to be the official wife and would never allow her husband to take a concubine. Therefore, there is absolutely no possibility between them. Why is he making unnecessary moves and losing face?
Mu Zhongqing and Lady Du looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
The visit of the Magistrate indeed gave them a lot of face. If they were to refuse, they would appear ignorant of their place and ungrateful. But to accept was not in their desire either.
Mu Zhongqing Couple had long planned for their daughters’ futures. They didn’t desire wealth or abilities in their potential son-in-law, only for him to be capable of supporting their daughters. They wanted someone, who would cherish their daughters like treasures in his palms for their entire life!
A marriage proposed by the magistrate meant that the other family was undoubtedly wealthy and prestigious. Their own family couldn’t reach that status, let alone it was also likely that they wanted to take their daughter as a concubine. Even if she became the official wife, people from such families would eventually take concubines and have chambermaids. All of this was undesirable to them. Therefore, after the magistrate uttered the words "proposal," the expressions of Mu Zhongqing Couple became distressed.
Seeing the unwilling expressions on both individuals’ faces, Prefect Han simply laughed.
They must not know who the other party was, hence they wore such distressed looks. Once they found out soon enough that the person proposing to their daughter was the richest person in the Great Jin Nation, the future House Master of the Huo Family, the beloved Consort Huo in the palace, the beloved uncle of King Jing, they would not continue to look as if they were forcing their daughter into prostitution. They might even be so ecstatic that they’d forget their own mother!
"Don’t Scholar Mu and his wife want to know who is proposing to your older daughter?"
Prefect Han spoke, keeping them in suspense. He was extremely confident about this matter. Regardless of whom the girl was, even if she were a princess, marrying Young Master Huo would not be a disgrace.
Young Master Huo was not only rich, young, and handsome but also righteous, kind, humble, polite. He also had the support of the Virtuous Consort and King Jing in palace. It can be said that in the Great Jin, he was an unequaled character, truly a rare good candidate for a son-in-law!
Even he would willingly marry his own daughter off to him. Unfortunately, Young Master Huo was not interested in his daughter, and he knew when to quit!
Upon hearing Prefect Han’s words, Mu Zhongqing had no choice but to respond, "We as common people do not know who the other party is. However, what I know is that my daughter would rather marry a farmer or a hunter as his official wife than marry a wealthy, prestigious family as a concubine!"
Lady Han, hearing Mu Zhongqing’s words, covered her mouth with a handkerchief and began to laugh lightly. "Before coming here, the person made it very clear that he wants to formally and honorably marry your older daughter as his wife. There is no question of being a concubine. You are simply overthinking!"
Being young, Wen’er couldn’t restrain herself. Seeing the Prefect Couple stalling time and not revealing who that person was, she couldn’t help but ask, "Madam, who exactly is proposing to marry our older sister? Is it someone we have met before?"
Lady Du immediately reprimanded in a low voice, "Wen’er, you must not be rude. When adults are speaking, where is the place for you, a child, to interrupt?"
After speaking, she looked at Lady Han and apologetically said, "Please forgive me, Madam. I am an uneducated rural woman and don’t know how to discipline children. I am lax in my management of them, which leads to them not understanding worldly manners, being unruly in their behavior, and speaking out of turn to offend you, Madam. I hope you can forgive us!"