It was a pity that Lord Guo didn't know that Li Wanming had already met the Princess Royal, and more than once.
Seeing Li Wanming's blank - faced look, he thought she was touched by his earnest words.
Guo Wei sneered inwardly, but his face became even more sorrowful and sincere.
"As the rumors outside are getting more and more unpleasant day by day, in a fit of desperation, his mother and I made another foolish decision."
"We decided to arrange a marriage for him."
"After much deliberation, my wife and I finally chose the girl from the Sun family."
"Firstly, the Sun family's social status is not too high, which is quite similar to our Guo family's humble background. It would not be a disgrace for Miaoqing to marry into our family.
Secondly, we heard that Miaoqing is of good character and appearance, virtuous and proper. She would surely be a good wife. Maybe she could persuade Ziyan to focus on family matters and forget about the Princess Royal."
Guo Wei paused and then added, "Of course, I also admit that one of the reasons we took a fancy to the girl from the Sun family was that they are related to your Li family by marriage."
"I came from a poor scholar background and have no connections in the court. So I wanted to find a well - connected in - law family for my son, hoping that it would smooth his official career in the future."
"Speaking of which, this is just a bit of selfishness on my part as a father..." Guo Wei looked up at Li Wanming. "Madam Cheng won't mind, will you?"
Li Wanming still looked dazed.
Mind?
How could she mind?
Since he had said so much, if she said she minded at this moment, wouldn't it seem that she was being inconsiderate of the parents' good intentions?
However, there was something odd about what the Deputy Minister Guo had said...
It wasn't because he said that Sun Miaoqing was of good character and appearance, virtuous and proper... but rather, why did he say so?
Guo Wei shouldn't have known about her feud with Sun Miaoqing, as it was a matter within the inner chambers of the Li family, and he, an outside high - ranking official, had no way of knowing.
Then what was his intention?
Li Wanming vaguely felt that Guo Wei seemed to be subtly flattering her.
In other words, he was complimenting her.
Complimenting was a great art.
One should first put oneself in a lower position and then try every means to please the other person, so that the person being complimented could feel happy and comfortable.
"Humble background"...
"Impecunious scholar"...
"A well - connected in - law family"...
Every word Guo Wei said put himself in a very low position. He didn't mention his current high - ranking position of the third rank at all. Instead, he hung his head, looking cautious, as if he were really just a poor scholar relying on the Li family's support.
But Li Wanming knew it wasn't the case.
When Guo Wei was the Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Personnel, Li Rusong was still wandering around like a headless fly in the mountains of Fujian.
What did he need to rely on the Li family for?
Li Wanming felt that her mind was hazy, like being covered in fog. There was something looming in the fog, but she just couldn't grasp it.
In the past two years, she had dealt with many people who liked to beat around the bush, but she had to admit that Guo Wei was the most elusive one.
After all this talking, she still didn't understand his intention.
This was not good...
It was very bad.
Li Wanming knew that Guo Wei was treating her like a fool, but what was terrifying was that she still didn't know where he was making a fool of her!
Li Wanming shifted her body uneasily and hesitantly asked, "This doesn't seem right... If you were looking for a backer for Guo Ziyan and wanted to form a marriage alliance with our Li family, shouldn't you have proposed a marriage to me at that time?"
After so long, she finally asked this question.
Guo Wei's expression showed a momentary daze, as if he didn't expect that after thinking for so long, she would ask such a question.
Guo Wei gave a bitter smile and said, "The third miss of the Li family is of such high status. How dare I propose a marriage?"
"Why not?" Li Wanming said. "You said you have no connections, but my father has just been transferred back to the capital from Fujian. He is even more out of touch and doesn't know anyone. In terms of official rank, you are one rank higher than my father. In terms of connections, you have been in the capital for many years. You are definitely stronger than my father..."
She was really curious about this question. She looked at Guo Wei seriously with her big eyes. "Why didn't you dare to propose a marriage?"
Guo Wei opened his mouth and said, "Although General Li is only of the fourth rank, he was promoted beyond his rank. He is a new favorite of the emperor. Moreover, looking at the families your Li family has formed marriage alliances with, one is the Director of the Imperial Academy, and the other is the Earl's Mansion. One is from the noble literati class, and the other is from the powerful and noble class... How could our Guo family even dream of it?"
Li Wanming nodded after listening. "It does seem to be the case... You're right."
But then she changed the subject. "However, it's still not right."
"At that time, when the marriage was being discussed, Sun Miaoqing was the one who was unilaterally willing. The Guo family didn't give any promise. It was not until I got married and found out that my husband's family was related to the Langya Cheng family that the Guo family finally made up their mind to marry her."
"So whether it was me or Sun Miaoqing, without the connection with the Langya Cheng family, the Guo family wouldn't have married."
"Lord Guo, am I right?"
Her black eyes stared intently at Guo Wei.
Guo Wei's expression didn't change much. He just frowned, making the vertical wrinkle between his eyebrows even deeper.
"Madam Cheng is reasonable, but not entirely right."
He stood up, his hands behind his back, and let out a soft sigh. "I did hesitate at that time, whether to propose a marriage to the third miss of the Li family or the girl from the Sun family.
The third miss of the Li family comes from a prominent family, and her family is at the height of its prosperity. I was afraid we didn't deserve her.
The girl from the Sun family is also good, but she was just a second - choice. I was still a bit disappointed in my heart.
Fortunately, the third miss made a prompt decision and got married, and to such a remarkable family. That's when I finally made up my mind..."
He turned around, half of his body hidden in the shadow, looking even thinner.
"I do have my own selfishness.
Because I came from a poor background and it's not easy for me to get to where I am today. I can't afford to make the slightest mistake. I hope Madam Cheng can understand my difficulties and entanglements."
Guo Wei's voice was low, sorrowful, and full of vicissitudes and helplessness.
For a moment, Li Wanming was almost convinced by him.
But there was always a voice in her mind screaming: No! No! It's not like this!
She buried her head in deep thought but couldn't tell exactly what was wrong.
Seeing her hesitation, Guo Wei stepped forward and said in a sincere and gentle voice, "Madam Cheng, all the mistakes are ours as a couple. Please don't be angry with Ziyan.
He may not have feelings for Miaoqing, but he has always been polite to her. It's just that today when he saw the woman he loves being slandered, he lost his composure in a moment of desperation..."
Li Wanming looked up and stared at him. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed her mind.
That's it!
This was the point.
If there was true love between Guo Ziyan and Princess Danyang, what were they so afraid of?
They could just let Guo Ziyan talk to his lover.
At worst, even if Princess Danyang was jealous and refused to forgive Sun Miaoqing, what did it have to do with the Guo family and the Li family?
A life could solve the problem. Did it really require a third - rank high - ranking official like Guo Wei to put on such a long show here?