Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

Qi Tongzhi valued his brother-sister relationship with Qi Qiaoniang, and he doted on his niece Shen Mingzhu. When Shen Mingzhu insisted on defending the maid who had made the mistake, Qi Tongzhi, thinking that she was his woman after all, actually spoke well of her, hoping that Madam Qi would agree.

Mrs. Qi felt as disgusted as if she had swallowed a fly, and she hated Shen Mingzhu from the bottom of her heart.

If the uncle took the person who served his niece as his concubine, it would not only ruin Shen Mingzhu's reputation, but also make outsiders laugh at the entire Qi family for being uneducated and undisciplined.

Since Qi Tongzhi and Shen Mingzhu don't take their reputation seriously, why should Mrs. Qi care about them and save herself from getting angry?

Ever since Shen Mingzhu came to the Qi Mansion, she had never been able to settle down. Not only had she offended everyone, but now she had no self-awareness and had set her sights on the prefect. She had never considered whether her status was high enough to marry into a wealthy family, but she was determined to marry him. She was making a fuss at home, begging her to find a solution.

Mrs. Qi tried to persuade Shen Mingzhu with good intentions, but Shen Mingzhu suspected her of having bad intentions and she deliberately prevented her from marrying into a noble family.

Mrs. Qi was so angry that she didn't want to talk, so she asked her maid to go and ask Qi Tongzhi to come.

When Qi Tongzhi heard the news, he hurried over, holding the corner of his robe. He looked at the angry Madam Qi and the stubborn Shen Mingzhu, feeling helpless.

"Madam, what happened?" Qi Tongzhi walked to the top seat and sat down, his eyes moving back and forth between Madam Qi and Shen Mingzhu.

Before Madam Qi could even begin to speak, Shen Mingzhu spoke up, "Uncle, Mr. Song is a handsome young man with great potential. I chose him as my husband the moment I saw him. I begged my aunt to help me propose marriage, but she kept making excuses. Uncle, please help me propose to her."

Qi Tongzhi's face instantly became colorful, red, green, and white, constantly changing, and finally returned to calm.

Lord Song? Besides that Lord Song, who else is there in the capital?

How dare this girl think so? Why not go to heaven!

What made Qi Tongzhi even more dissatisfied was that Shen Mingzhu actually blamed the elders. He didn't know how her sister had raised her niece to have such a temper. No wonder the lady looked so unhappy.

Despite thinking this, Qi Tongzhi couldn't bear to scold her harshly. He tried to maintain a calm tone and taught her, "Mingzhu, your uncle is talking to your aunt. As a junior, it's very uncultured for you to interrupt him. As a girl, you should be more careful in the future, okay?"

Mrs. Qi sat there expressionlessly, but inwardly she scoffed. If it weren't for her years of upbringing, she would have wanted to curse and chase the two men out with a broom.

Was this a matter of rushing to speak? Not to mention that she dared to covet Master Song, but instigating the master to reprimand her and alienating the relationship between the elders and their husbands was a big mistake.

But the master, as always, picks on trivial matters to preach. Does he think that simply whitewashing the situation can cover up Shen Mingzhu's stupidity and rudeness?

Shen Mingzhu was obviously used to doing whatever she wanted. She turned a deaf ear to Qi Tongzhi's preaching and was only concerned with achieving her own goals.

She looked at Qi Tongzhi with grievance and said, "Uncle, don't you love me anymore? I want Mr. Song to be my husband. You should think of a way quickly. I went to the government office to look for him, but he refused to see me."

Did you take this to the government office?

Qi Tongzhi's expression instantly grew serious. He was truly afraid that Shen Mingzhu would cause trouble again, so he quickly said with a stern face, "Nonsense! Is the government office a place you can just go to casually? How can you, a girl from the boudoir, be so ignorant of the seriousness of the matter?"

However, seeing Shen Mingzhu's pitiful expression, Qi Tongzhi couldn't help but soften his voice and advised, "Mingzhu, uncle knows you like Mr. Song, but Mr. Song is already engaged. He's not a good match for you. Just give up on this thought. Uncle will find you a good marriage."

"She's just a peasant girl who's not presentable enough. How could she be worthy of Lord Song?" Shen Mingzhu became emotional and complained, "When I heard that the Marquis's wife was coming to the capital, I begged my aunt to take me to meet her. My aunt kept putting it off and now she's saying we're engaged and asking me to give up. That's impossible!"

When Madam Qi heard this, she was so angry that she almost burned with anger. She muttered to herself: Is this just me trying to be perfunctory? I have sent visiting cards to the Song residence several times, but they ignored me. Can you blame me for this?

She endured it, still acting like an elder, and tried to calmly persuade him, "Mingzhu, calm down. He's a royal relative. Our family has been in the capital for so many years and we haven't been able to reach him. Now that we're here, Lord Song is still your uncle's immediate superior. Who are we to be considered? How can we see him whenever we want?"

Qi Tongzhi also said earnestly, "Your aunt is right. Your uncle was just a seventh-rank official before. Whether it's the Marquis' Mansion or the Grand Tutor's Mansion, we are not from the same class. Even if we wanted to establish a relationship, we wouldn't be able to meet them. Mingzhu, just listen to my advice and stop thinking about Lord Song. Your aunt and I will not harm you. We will definitely find a suitable husband for you."

Shen Mingzhu still refused to give up. She looked at Qi Tongzhi stubbornly, "Uncle, I don't want anyone else. Lord Song is extremely handsome and has a dignified appearance. I just like him. I heard that the one he is engaged to is an ordinary peasant girl with no family background. Am I not better than a peasant girl?"

Mrs. Qi sneered in her heart.

Do you have any sense of shame? You keep saying you like her and have a crush on her. You have no shame!

Qi Tongzhi shook his head helplessly. He understood Shen Mingzhu's feelings, but he also knew it was impossible. He advised again, "Mingzhu, you are of course the best girl in your uncle's eyes, but even if you are a peasant girl, you are truly engaged to Lord Song. Everyone in the city saw it. The betrothal gift, over a hundred pieces, was prepared by Lord Song according to the standards of a noble family, which shows how much he values this girl. So stop making a fuss. Stay home and learn the etiquette and rules from your aunt. That will make it easier for you to talk to him in the future."

Qi Tongzhi felt that he had used up all his life's patience in persuading Shen Mingzhu, and he only hoped that she would listen and stop being obsessed with Lord Song.

Shen Mingzhu seemed to be bewildered and still insisted on her own opinion: "Uncle, I don't care! I only know that I like Mr. Song and I must marry him. Please help me. As long as you help me, once I successfully marry Mr. Song, with the power of the Song family, your promotion will not be a problem. Uncle, just promise me!"

Who wouldn't want to connect with the Song family? If possible, Qi Tongzhi would certainly want to facilitate this marriage. However, the Qi family has no foundation, nor any interests that Lord Song would value, so what can they use to establish connections? Besides, outsiders may not know it yet, but he has heard it long ago: they have requested an imperial decree to grant the marriage.

Qi Tongzhi's brow furrowed. He knew the stakes involved and had to persuade him earnestly once again, "Mingzhu, wake up. Although they are only engaged now, Lord Song has already made his position clear. Over a hundred betrothal gifts show how much importance he holds. Moreover, I heard that the Song family has requested an imperial decree to grant the marriage. Such a marriage cannot be changed by anyone. Although your uncle is a fifth-rank official, he is still insignificant in front of Lord Song. Your uncle cannot risk your marriage, let alone the future of the Qi family."

Looking at Shen Mingzhu's persistent look, it was obvious that she would not listen to any advice.

Qi Tongzhi didn't want to let Shen Mingzhu continue to act like this. So, he said with a stern face: "Mingzhu, don't go out for the next two days. Think about what your uncle said to you at home. When you figure it out, you can go out and play."

Shen Mingzhu felt extremely aggrieved. Her eyes were red and she ran out angrily with her skirt lifted up without a word of greeting.

"Hey, this kid!"

Qi Tongzhi and Madam Qi shook their heads and sighed at the same time.

- ??(?????) Thanks to Xuanying Baoer for sending the message!