Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity

Chapter 932 - 768: Not Good Enough

"That won’t do. Those girls from wealthy families without their mothers’ guidance have a hard time. Moreover, that girl has a stepmother! How can she be of help to you?"Mrs. Lv was somewhat displeased. Though the status was suitable for her Xiao Bao, she was unimpressed by the idea of someone living under a stepmother’s thumb.

"Mother knows a lot, but where did you hear it from? That girl is virtuous and gentle and will surely be filial to you and Father in the future. Besides, her status isn’t bad. If I weren’t the teacher’s disciple, it wouldn’t be my turn to marry her!"

Gu Chengyu was surprised by Mrs. Lv’s opposition and also by how well she seemed to know about Yao Mengxian.

Yet he hadn’t mentioned anything to his mother before, only that the teacher had a granddaughter from the Duke Mansion.

In the past, they were unrelated people, meeting occasionally only due to the teacher.

Gu Chengyu didn’t like gossiping, so when his mother asked about the teacher’s family matters, he only mentioned it briefly.

"I’ve been in the Capital for a while, so of course I’ve heard from others." Mrs. Lv’s expression was slightly unnatural.

Gu Chengyu frowned, understanding Mrs. Lv as well as she understood him.

Something was off here, and it looked like he needed to investigate who in the mansion loved to gossip.

It might have been nothing, but who knows what the purpose was.

"Your teacher really handled this poorly! Shouldn’t both families discuss the proposal first? Why let you come back and say it yourself? You agreed immediately, was he forcing you?"

Mr. Gu also frowned, feeling that Xiao Bao’s teacher’s actions were strange.

"Of course not. The teacher just wanted to ask my opinion first. If I disagreed, he wouldn’t compel me. Besides, Miss Yao isn’t lacking suitors; we’re the ones reaching higher. The teacher knows this needs to be discussed with parents, and he’ll visit the mansion in the next few days."

Gu Chengyu felt his mother’s attitude was odd. Given their previous rural living and recent arrival to the Capital, Miss Yao’s status seemed intimidating. Yet his mother disdained a legitimate daughter from Duke Zhen’s Mansion?

"Does the girl’s family know? If not, you go to your teacher tomorrow and tell him I’ve already examined her for you."

Mrs. Lv suddenly spoke assertively and was quite firm.

"How’s that possible? I’ve already promised the teacher, how can I break my word? Besides..." Before Gu Chengyu could finish, Mr. Gu picked up the conversation.

"You’ve already promised, how can you let Xiao Bao break his trust? The teacher has been so good to Xiao Bao, how can we do something so ungrateful?"

Mr. Gu held deep respect for Liang Zhirui, because he was a scholar and had been an official, well-respected.

The family had struggled before, and Liang Zhirui choosing Xiao Bao as a disciple and teaching him wholeheartedly was truly rare.

For this, he felt gratitude for life.

Still, the marriage was a lifelong matter, separate from gratitude.

As parents, they should have a say in their child’s marriage, and the teacher not discussing it with them and having Xiao Bao agree immediately left him displeased.

Liang Zhirui had been an official before, reportedly quite prominent; he didn’t believe Liang didn’t understand these rites.

Properly, Xiao Bao should come to consult, rather than the two deciding privately.

"Father, Mother, even if we disagree, there’s nothing we can do. The Emperor has approved it, and not long after there will be a Holy Decree granting the marriage."

Gu Chengyu abandoned trying to persuade his parents and directly mentioned the decree. In this era, who dare defy the Holy Decree?

"What? How does the Emperor know?" Mr. Gu was so shocked he nearly dropped his pipe.

"Indeed, this is rather complex, involving the court, not convenient to discuss here. The marriage is decreed by the Emperor; we can’t go back on it. That girl joining our mansion shouldn’t be too mistreated, lest we offend the Emperor."

Seeing his mother’s dissatisfaction with Yao Mengxian, Gu Chengyu immediately tried to quell any potential future conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Truly a predicament! Who would have thought such a situation would nearly happen to him?

"The Emperor decreed marriage? How can this be? If she marries into our family, do we have to treat her as an ancestor?"

Mrs. Lv was very unhappy and cast a sidelong glance at her youngest son, suspecting that he might marry a wife and forget his mother.

"Not necessarily, just live peacefully together. Since it’s decreed, if the girl suffers grievances and the Emperor finds out, I’ll surely face consequences. If the Emperor is displeased, can I still hope for career advancement?"

Gu Chengyu rubbed his temples in frustration, emphasizing the seriousness. Once he mentioned it might impact his career, perhaps his mother would stop causing trouble?

It wasn’t that he wanted to speak well of Miss Yao; he felt she seemed reasonable and shouldn’t cause constant troubles.

If he managed to scare his mother, maybe the household would be more peaceful.

Besides, Miss Yao was also a pitiful woman; there was no need for them to bully her.

However, if Miss Yao was two-faced and disrespectful to his parents, he had ways to handle her.

Why must he deal with mother-in-law relations so early?

"Can the Emperor manage personal family affairs?" Mrs. Lv questioned suspiciously.

"Mother, you don’t know. Officials must be prudent, as those officials love to report errors to the Emperor. They report everything. The Capital’s officials’ households, how many concubines are there, their backgrounds, the officials know it all. Last time this stirred up quite a fuss with the Emperor."

Gu Chengyu quickly explained.

He now wanted a permanent solution, fearing his mother might copy aristocratic families and give him concubines.

Not only would it cause chaos at home, he couldn’t handle the burden.

This forced marriage already had him wondering how to face it.

"Who knew officials were so idle, even meddling in these matters." Mrs. Lv looked displeased, with a trace of reluctance.

"Mother originally thought that Commandery Princess was a suitable match, noble and gentle. Who knew this Yao girl would intervene? It’s a pity; the Commandery Princess seemed interested in you."

Mrs. Lv was deeply regretful. Had she known, she would have been more resolute and had the matchmaker propose at the Princess’s Mansion.

She had hesitated for fear the matchmaker would be driven out, disgracing Xiao Bao’s reputation, so she never acted.

She had hoped Xiao Bao would find a way to marry the Commandery Princess!

Gu Chengyu was overwhelmed—how had his mother not let go of Princess Rong Jia yet?

He suddenly felt a headache as big as a cow.