The Farm Girl's Charismatic Fortune-Chapter 350 - 346: What Happened to the Ninth Prince?

Ruo Xuan felt a bit guilty, "Though that is the case, my brothers haven’t really done anything, have they? If they didn’t like me, would they send someone to propose marriage?"

Xuanyuan Que could not deny that.

In fact, the Ruo brothers truly hadn’t done much, they simply went back to the Academy for a day of classes and then appeared troubled.

Their classmates would ask them why they were so troubled.

Then they would say, "As soon as our sister returned to the Capital City, people came to propose marriage, and we are reluctant to see her marry off too soon."

Upon hearing this, classmates interested in Princess Xuanbao became anxious, and after school, they rushed home to have their parents propose marriage.

As soon as those parents heard it was a proposal for Princess Wuyou, they had no objections, fearing only that the Ruo Family might not approve of their household.

After all, the Ruo Family’s circumstances had changed from what they once were.

Besides, who in the entire Capital City didn’t know that Princess Wuyou was deeply favored by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor?

Moreover, Princess Wuyou’s father was no ordinary man.

Ruo Shui had returned to the Capital, and the Emperor had not yet assigned him a position; it was unknown whether he would directly enter the cabinet or go to the Ministry of Works.

Because the Minister of Public Works was about to retire.

Many said that the vacancies in the cabinet and the Ministry of Works were intentionally left by the Emperor for the Ruo brothers.

During his mere five years in Jiang City, Ruo Shui had eradicated corrupt officials, transforming the deeply entrenched corrupt Jiang City into one of clear waters and peaceful people, achieving what the current Prime Minister had failed to do.

His achievements were sufficient to be recorded in the history books, and his promotion was inevitable.

Ruo Jiang was also heard to be returning in two months; having spent six years in the provinces, his achievements were remarkable.

A desolate county that relied on Imperial Court aid each year had been transformed by him into a thriving county, known for its bamboo fungi, medicinal herbs, fermented black beans, and as a major grain-producing area.

From relying on Imperial Court relief to contributing annual tax silver to the Imperial Court, no less than some wealthy mid-sized cities.

And this was accomplished in just six short years! This achievement too was unparalleled.

Moreover, among the younger members of the Ruo Family, a military general had emerged in recent years, now also heavily relied upon by the Emperor.

It was foreseeable that in the coming decades, the Ruo Family would undoubtedly enjoy both wealth and significant power.

Therefore, many in the Capital City were eager to form marital ties with the Ruo Family.

Previously, matchmakers frequently visited Ruo Zhou to propose marriage, but unfortunately, Master Ruo Zhou, busy with official duties, refused to consider it. freeweɓnovel.cøm

Now that people were starting to propose to Princess Wuyou, wouldn’t everyone be rushing to do the same?

Xuanyuan Que looked at Ruo Xuan, "Are you in such a hurry to get married?"

Ruo Xuan replied honestly, "I haven’t thought about when to get married; isn’t this just the beginning of marriage talk? Isn’t this the age when ordinary girls begin to talk about marriage? Otherwise, why would matchmakers come to propose marriage? I’m just following local customs."

Xuanyuan Que was speechless.

What a way to follow local customs.

He was again at a loss for words.

Ruo Xuan continued, "My brothers say that choosing a husband should be done slowly; choose a good one, there’s no hurry! Men are all..."

Ruo Xuan recounted her brothers’ opinions of the men outside to Xuanyuan Que like spilling beans.

"So, I’m not in a hurry, my future husband still needs the approval of my brothers."

Xuanyuan Que listened but said nothing.

The Empress Dowager personally visited the Ruo Family, and after probing grandma Lei’s intentions, she learned that the Ruo Family had no plans to talk about marriage for Ruo Xuan so soon, finally she was relieved.

She happily went to the garden, taking Xuanyuan Que back to the palace.

Now that Ruo Xuan was grown up, she and Xuanyuan Que could only meet in the garden; they could no longer openly bring someone into her own yard.

When Xuanyuan Que and the Empress Dowager were leaving, they encountered Ruo Xian and Ruo Bo midway.

The two had just come from Master Han’s house and hurried to show their respects upon seeing the Empress Dowager and Xuanyuan Que.

The Empress Dowager smiled and said to dispense with the formalities.

Xuanyuan Que tugged at the corners of his mouth and smiled.

The two brothers instantly felt a chill run down their spines!

What was going on with the Ninth Prince?

Why was he suddenly smiling at them?

Having known him for so many years, they had never seen him smile!

Except for Xuanbao, he was indifferent to everyone else.

This sudden smile was terrifying!

They hadn’t offended him recently, had they?

The two brothers began frantically introspecting in their minds, recalling and tracing back to see if they had unintentionally offended the stoic prince at any time or place.

Reading the thoughts of the two men from their expressions, Xuanyuan Que: "..."

He withdrew his smile and left with a straight face.

*

The next day, the Minister of Rites submitted a memorial to the emperor during the early court session, proposing a selection of consorts for several adult princes under the guise of a beauty pageant, seeking the emperor’s approval.

The emperor approved it on the spot.

As soon as the court session ended, the news quickly spread among all the wealthy families in the Capital City.

Half an hour later, the imperial edict was posted.

The entire Capital City was abuzz!

Many mansions echoed with cheers.

Then, business at cloth stores, jewelry shops, and rouge workshops instantly picked up.

For the past two years, the merchandise in Ruo Xuan’s rouge shop and Cloth Store had been sufficient to meet demand without any stockouts.

But with the posting of the imperial edict, the stock in the rouge shop sold out within an hour.

By the afternoon, those placing orders had to wait a month before goods became available.

Consequently, the next day saw an increase in the number of invitations to the Ruo Family!

They had no choice, for those inviting the Ruo Family over often expected skincare or cosmetic products as gifts from them, and often these were products not available at the Fairy Face Shop.

In the evening, the two sisters-in-law went through the invitations together to see which ones needed urgent attention.

With a thick stack of invitations, they sorted them by date, then decided which events they must attend and which could be managed by sending gifts.

They also discussed who should attend.

"Why are we invited by the Honglu Temple lady’s maternal uncle who just had a child?" He Xinghua looked at the invitation, speechless.

In recent years, He Xinghua had been studying daily and was no longer the illiterate He Xinghua of the past.

She increasingly possessed the demeanor of a leading lady of the house.

After all, as the wife of a military general ranked third class, her presence couldn’t be lacking.

Liu: "Just send a gift for this one, no need to go in person."

It was reasonable for the Honglu Temple official to invite their family for childbirth celebrations, but why extend the invitation for the child of the Honglu Temple lady’s maternal uncle? It was obviously a ploy to get their skincare products.

He Xinghua: "And this one, didn’t the Duke Residence just host a lotus appreciation event a few days ago? They didn’t invite us then! Now they’re hosting another! Clearly, they also want skincare products!"

Liu: "Although it’s true, the Duke Residence is the Empress Dowager’s maternal home, so we must personally attend this one. I’ll take Xuanbao with me when the time comes!"

Liu opened another invitation and then laughed: "This one’s even more ridiculous, look! The wife of the Minister of Public Works’ cat has had kittens, and they’re inviting us to the kitten’s full-month celebration. Absolutely absurd!"

He Xinghua: "Too ridiculous! It seems that from now on, we can’t keep sending skincare products and fabric as gifts. Otherwise, whenever there’s an imperial banquet or selection, we’ll be nothing but occupied with sending gifts or on the road to deliver them!"

Liu: "Exactly."

In the past, the family was poor, and these were the only presentable items they had, but in recent years, they had earned quite a bit of silver, and now they could afford whatever they wanted to gift.