newbobooks Chapter 1026: Wife or Concubine
Chapter 1026: Wife or Concubine
Shen Zhinian frowned slightly and asked doubtfully, "Zhou Hanlin?"
She is close friends with Zhao Meime, and has some relationship with Zhou Yuxi, but has never had any contact with Zhou Yuhu.
There is no point in discussing a girl's marriage in front of her.
In an ordinary family, when the man comes to propose marriage, he will at most let the girl hide behind a screen and take a secret look at her.
If the girl is satisfied with the boy, she will say: Marriage is a big matter and it all depends on the parents.
If they are not satisfied, they will say: My daughter wants to be filial to her parents for a few more years.
However, the situation this time is special. Concubine Chen is a wealthy woman, so it is naturally impossible for her to send her chief maid away.
Madam Zhou Er looked at Fuqiu gently and said with a smile, "To be honest, at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, my son fell in love with Miss Fuqiu who was beside the Empress Chen Guifei at first sight. That's why I was allowed to enter the palace to ask the Empress to marry Miss Fuqiu."
Handan looked at Fuqiu in surprise.
Fuqiu was always calm, but at this moment her hands trembled slightly, and she almost dropped the teacup in her hand...
Mr. Zhou, Hanlin, ask to marry her?
How can this be?
Shen Zhinian's eyes were also full of surprise, and he subconsciously looked at Fuqiu.
Seeing that Fuqiu also looked surprised, it seemed that she didn't know about this before.
Yes, Fuqiu has a calm personality and will definitely not have any private dealings with men outside of her.
Shen Zhinian said gently, "Fuqiu, go to the inner room and look for my sachet."
This was done to avoid embarrassment to Fuqiu, so she was sent away on purpose.
Through the screen, Fuqiu didn't have to face the situation directly, but could hear their conversation clearly.
She looked at Shen Zhinian gratefully and said, "Yes."
Handan looked at Mrs. Zhou Er, then at Fuqiu, and became completely excited!
Hehehehe...Mr. Zhou is actually in love with Fuqiu?
When did this happen?
She is with Fuqiu every day and they are inseparable, how could she not know?
Shen Zhinian looked at Mrs. Zhou Er and asked slowly, "Oh?"
"Although Fuqiu is called a palace maid, she has been serving me since she was young. In my heart, she is like a real sister."
"I wonder if Mrs. Zhou Er asked for Fuqiu to marry Zhou Hanlin as a wife or a concubine?"
Shen Zhinian had no intention of looking down on Fuqiu.
But in the eyes of the world, marriage is about matching the family background. The Zhou family is well-off, and Zhou Yuhu won the second place in the imperial examination at a young age, so he has a bright future.
There were countless noble families and dignitaries in the court who wanted to marry their daughters to him.
Shen Zhinian was naturally worried that she would suffer a loss if she entered the Zhou family with her identity as Fuqiu.
Madam Zhou Er said quickly, "Miss Fuqiu is someone close to the queen. How dare the Zhou family humiliate her by using her position as a concubine? Since I am here sincerely to seek marriage for my son, I will naturally use three matchmakers, six betrothals, and a sedan chair with eight bearers to marry Miss Fuqiu!"
At this moment, even Xiao Mingzi and the others couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on their faces.
Normally, palace maids would leave the palace at the age of 25, and their youth would have passed. Men of this age would not have married, and would have had several children.
Their fate was either to become someone's concubine or to marry a widower as a second wife.
If a senior palace maid is popular with her master, she may be granted grace to leave the palace early and find a good marriage.
But marrying into such a high-ranking family as the main wife is unprecedented!
The Zhou family is truly sincere this time!
Handan was also extremely relieved and was truly happy for Fuqiu.
Because of Zhao Yungui, Shen Zhinian also got to know the Zhou family.
The Zhou family has a good family tradition and their backyard is clean.
As for Zhou Yuhu...
It is impossible for Shen Zhinian to remember everyone's past and present life clearly.
She didn't know whether Zhou Yuhu was married in his previous life or who his wife was. But she had heard that he was upright and honest in his official duties.
A perfect match indeed!
Men have to take care of government affairs outside, and women often stay at home and spend the most time with their mother-in-law.
If the mother-in-law is difficult to serve, you will suffer a lot.
Although Shen Zhinian met Mrs. Zhou Er for the first time today, he could tell that she had a kind personality.
Moreover, when she said she wanted to marry Fuqiu as her daughter-in-law, she did not show any disgust or dislike for Fuqiu's identity. She was a reasonable woman.
Shen Zhinian knew that for Fuqiu, this was truly an excellent marriage!
But she did not rush to agree. She looked at Madam Zhou Er and said, "I will consider this matter carefully. When I have thought it through, I will have someone reply to you."
Girls are reserved, so even if they are willing, they will delay for a few days to avoid appearing to be impatient.
Madam Zhou Er had not originally expected to get a result on her first visit to the palace. She was already very happy to hear that Concubine Chen was willing to consider it.
Madam Zhou Er stood up and said, "Then I will wait for good news from the Royal Concubine Chen."
"Your Majesty is very busy, so I won't bother you any more."
Shen Zhinian said to Handan, "Send Madam Zhou Er out for me."
"Yes."
Soon, Handan sent Madam Zhou Er out of Zhongcui Palace and returned.
She looked at the screen and said with a smile, "My lady, I was just wondering why Madam Zhou Er came to the palace to ask to see you. I didn't expect that she was asking for Fuqiu's hand in marriage on behalf of Master Zhou!"
"Fuqiu, why are you still hiding behind the screen?"
No matter how shy Fuqiu was, she could only walk out with her head lowered, her cheeks slightly red.
It’s not that she had any feelings towards Zhou Yuhu, but it was the first time in her life that someone came to her house to propose marriage, so how could she not be shy?
Nanny Lin also watched Handan and Fuqiu grow up. Seeing that Fuqiu had such a good home, she was also happy for her.
Shen Zhinian put down the teacup and looked at Fuqiu with a smile: "You also heard what Madam Zhou Er just said. Fuqiu, let me ask you a question, what do you think?"
Seeing Fuqiu was about to speak, Shen Zhinian added: "You don't have to rush to answer, and you don't have to worry about other things. Just ask yourself if you are willing in your heart."
"If you are interested in Zhou Hanlin, I will arrange for you to marry you to the Zhou family in a grand manner."
"If you don't want to, don't worry about the Zhou family's status or other people's reputation. I will return Madam Zhou Er for you."
Fuqiu bit her lip and thought carefully...
Finally, she shook her head and said in confusion: "My lady, I don't know either..."
Recalling her two meetings with Zhou Hanlin, to be fair, she did not hate him.
But she and Zhou Hanlin were not familiar with each other at all, and talking about marriage made Fuqiu feel uneasy and flustered...
Shen Zhinian said gently, "It's okay. Marriage is a big deal, so you have to think about it carefully."
Fuqiu blushed and nodded: "Thank you, my lady."
Those who can serve in the inner room are all confidants, and Xiao Mingzi, Xiao Zhouzi and others feel warm in their hearts.
Because very few masters would treat palace servants as human beings.
They could decide who to marry their maids to with just a word, without caring whether the other party was willing or not.