The Farm Girl’s Charismatic Fortune
Chapter 242 - 238 Negotiating a Match

Chapter 242: Chapter 238 Negotiating a Match

Although it was just a small competition, Ruo Hai’s significant strength had become somewhat well-known, with many people aware of his powerful force.

However, having considerable strength was an asset in the military camp, but it wasn’t wholly uncommon, so his abilities did not attract too much attention.

It wasn’t until the day of the new recruits’ competition that Ruo Hai won every contest with an overwhelming victory, and was exceptionally promoted by Yan Heng to the rank of Chiliarch, that he truly became famous within the camp.

This time, Yan Heng selected a hundred soldiers with potential to join the Feiyan Army, all boasting substantial strength, his aim being to build a force capable of Herculean feats.

Ruo Hai became the Centurion in charge of these one hundred new recruits of the Feiyan Army.

This really propelled Ruo Hai to fame throughout the entire military camp.

It was already difficult to enter the Feiyan Army, and now that Ruo Hai had become a Centurion of the Feiyan Army, although the military rank of a Centurion was low, the status of the Feiyan Army was significantly higher than that of ordinary soldiers, not just by a small margin.

It could be said that a Centurion of the Feiyan Army was equivalent to a Chiliarch among ordinary soldiers.

Zhang Ting saw how much Yan Heng valued Ruo Hai and involuntarily clenched his fists.

He could not fathom how Ruo Hai, after so many years of apparent madness, not only hadn’t wasted his abilities but had become even stronger.

Zhang Ting knew that Ruo Hai was not just a brute force; his strategic and martial prowess, his tactics and formations, and his command in battle were exceptional, frequently employing surprise attacks and winning time and time again!

Now that Ruo Hai had become part of the Feiyan Army and was favored by Yan Heng, his future prospects seemed to be even greater than Zhang Ting’s own.

He couldn’t help but think of Madam Zhou’s words.

Zhang Ting did not dare to sabotage Yan Heng himself. After all, his offenses only amounted to having an affair with a married woman, not something worthy of a death penalty.

Madam Zhou might not have been aware of the might of the Zhenguo Duke Residence, but Zhang Ting certainly was, and it was no exaggeration to describe their power as having a great army at hand, holding high authority, with deep roots and strong branches.

Furthermore, the military achievements Yan Heng had accumulated over the years were sufficient to outweigh any misstep on his part.

Not to mention, he was in charge of the Feiyan Army and held in high esteem by The Emperor.

An affair with a married woman was merely a breach of social convention, not a capital offense; it was the woman who lost her reputation that might be punished by the pig cage, not the man.

Although Zhang Ting did not want Ruo Hai to have the opportunity to turn his fortunes around, he still wished to ally himself with Yan Heng, the powerful tree he wanted to climb.

With this in mind, Zhang Ting thought of a plan.

~

Ruo Xuan returned to the village in the evening.

As the sun set, the sky was filled with the glow of twilight, and Ruo Xuan, having alighted from the carriage, eagerly waved at Xuanyuan Que before running into the yard, exclaiming, "Granny, big uncle has been promoted to Centurion and was selected for the Feiyan Army!"

At that moment, Granny Lei was walking out of the main house with an elderly woman wearing a red floral headdress.

Upon hearing the news, the elderly woman laughed so hard that her eyes disappeared in the folds of her smile, "Oh, Sister Lei, your family truly has one blessing after another recently! This momentum calls for even more celebrations! Don’t worry, the girl I mentioned is considered pretty within a radius of ten miles, she has a good nature, is diligent, and being the eldest, has a strong sense of responsibility. She’s twenty-two, but that’s only because she had to observe consecutive mourning periods early on due to the passing of two elders in the family, which delayed her age; otherwise, she would have been married off long ago. Her family may be poor, but I know Sister Lei isn’t one to chase after wealth, and when choosing a wife, it’s best to choose a virtuous one."

Ruo Xuan stood in the yard, listening with curiosity.

She was a bit curious about human marriage customs, having gained some understanding over the past few months, she knew that men and women of certain ages would discuss marriage, with the aim of getting married and having children to carry on their lineage.

Plants also needed to reproduce and thrive, though not with all the complications of humans.

Matchmakers had already come to the house before, having turned down several proposals, including those for my eldest and third uncles, as well as for my fifth and sixth uncles. This one was new, and I anticipated that even more matchmakers would come knocking in the future.

Yes, it was time for Lady Yichu to have a chance encounter with my third uncle.

This time, Granny Lei also felt a glimmer of interest. Her eldest son’s home lacked someone to care in the warmth and cold, and she was growing old, unable to look after him for many more years. She merely wished for her son to have a companion in his old age. However, as an enlightened mother who deferred to her son’s wishes, she could only say, "The eldest has the final say, I can’t make the decision. We’ll wait for him to return, then I’ll speak to him. But don’t get your hopes up; the eldest has said that he will never marry in this lifetime."

Matchmaker Zhang did not take these words to heart and laughed, "When it comes to marriage, one must heed the orders of parents and the words of the matchmaker. Sis Lei, if you bring her home as his wife, would he really send her away? You should first find out more about the girl; I assure you I did not make a mistake in recommending her. Alright, I won’t disturb you any longer; I’ll head back now. When there’s a suitable girl, I will recommend her to your third brother and the others."

The Ruo Family indeed had several dark horses: none of the eldest, the third, the fifth, or the sixth brothers were married yet.

She planned to win them over, one by one, not letting a single one slip through!

Therefore, she really put her heart into finding a match for the eldest of the Ruo Family this time.

In the past, she had not broached the subject of marriage for the Ruo brothers, as she had always felt there was no suitable match until now.

Now that the Ruo Family’s fortunes were on the rise and they were in a different league than before, she wished to propose several good daughters-in-law for the Ruo Family; who knows, she might even bask in their reflected glory in the future.

As Matchmaker Zhang passed by Ruo Xuan, she praised, "Is this Princess Xuanbao? You’re becoming lovelier by the day; truly a delight to everyone who sees you!"

Granny Lei smiled and said, "Xuanbao, this is your Granny Zhang."

Sweetly, Ruo Xuan called out, "Granny Zhang."

"Oh, what a sweet-talker you are! Granny Zhang must leave now, but another day I’ll find good matches for your aunts and uncles." Granny Zhang left cheerfully, having sensed Granny Lei’s interest that very day.

Indeed, what parents could truly let go of their children? All hope for their children to live well and to have someone to take care of them.

Parents with sons hope for them to marry a virtuous wife and mother; those with daughters hope they marry a caring husband who knows warmth and cold.

They worry endlessly; that’s why, as a matchmaker, I always try to thoroughly investigate the characters of both parties and the conditions of their families before making a marriage proposal.

Especially when proposing a match for a girl, since marrying is like a second birth for them, one must not misguidedly throw someone into the fire pit.

Of the matches I’ve arranged, nine out of ten are good unions, harmonious and joyful marriages, so every year during the New Year, I receive many gifts from households grateful for the fine marriages I helped arrange.

Though I earn a matchmaker’s fee, there is money I simply won’t make.

After Matchmaker Zhang had left, Madam Liu and Madam Jiang both came out.

Excitedly they asked Xuanbao, "Xuanbao, did you just say that your eldest uncle has been promoted to Centurion?"

Granny Lei also asked nervously, "Tell us what happened."

Thus, Ruo Xuan vividly recounted how Ruo Hai had bravely achieved several first places in the new soldiers’ contests.

"...I heard from the soldiers that a Centurion of the Feiyan Army is as impressive as a Chiliarch in the eyes of ordinary soldiers!" Ruo Xuan added at the end.

Tears of happiness appeared in Granny Lei’s eyes. "Now I’m relieved. Once all the brothers are married, I truly will have no regrets in death!"

Madam Liu hurriedly said, "Mother, what are you saying? After your eldest and your sons-in-law marry, you will still need to help them with the grandchildren!"

Madam Jiang also spoke, "Indeed! Our family simply cannot do without you."

Seeing that Granny Lei was so eager to find wives for her uncles, Ruo Xuan suggested, "Granny, why don’t I help check if Granny Zhang’s recommended girl is suitable for eldest uncle?"