The Romance of the West Chamber: The Bells are Ringing

When Mrs. Cui Xiangguo heard this, she was thunderstruck. She became unsteady and almost fell to the ground.

The matchmaker hurriedly stepped forward to support Mrs. Cui Xiangguo and helped her sit down. I thought to myself: "First of all, Madam has seen the clues, and she can't hide it; secondly, if Madam knows that not only is the uncooked rice cooked, but the cooked rice has been simmered for more than a month, Madam will have no choice but to get married. Then as long as Cui Yingying marries Zhang Sheng, I can become a concubine and get rid of my slave status as soon as possible. Of course I want to say it out, but are you going to beat me, madam? Hey, blame me for being slow-tongued, so I got beaten in vain."

Then he said: "Madam, why do you need to ask about the reason between them? Madam, you don't need to pursue it anymore, let's just let it go! Why bother to press for it? As the saying goes, 'women are not good at staying'."

Mrs. Cui Xiangguo's face changed, anger and hesitation intertwined in her expression. She said angrily: "This is all caused by you bitch." Her voice revealed strong indignation and dissatisfaction.

The matchmaker shook her head and defended: "It is not the fault of Zhang Sheng, the young lady and my matchmaker, but your fault, madam."

There was a sharp flash in the matchmaker's eyes, as if she was exposing the injustice deep in the madam's heart.

Mrs. Cui Xiangguo said angrily: "You bitch accused me of coming here. How can I be at fault?"

Mrs. Cui Xiangguo stared at the matchmaker fiercely, with anger flashing in her eyes. The matchmaker stood in front of the lady, with a firm look in her bright eyes, but her voice was soft and powerful.

"Madam, trust is the foundation of human beings. If a person has no trust, I really don't know how he can be a human being. Just like a big cart without a shaft and a small cart without an axle, how can it move? When the bandit army surrounded Pujiu Temple, Madam The condition for agreeing to withdraw from the army is to betroth his daughter to Zhang Sheng. If Zhang Sheng did not love the lady, how could he easily come up with a plan to withdraw from the army? Now that the army has retired and the wife has gone back on her words, wouldn't it be a breach of trust? Already? How can Madam bear to go back on her words? If you break your trust, how can you be tolerated by the world? "

Mrs. Cui Xiangguo's brows furrowed. She couldn't help but feel guilty when she heard the matchmaker's words. The matchmaker continued: "If this matter cannot be accomplished now, we only need to reward Zhang Sheng with money and property and let him leave, so that the ambiguity between the young lady and him will not become the focus of everyone's discussion sooner or later. If the old lady insists on continuing this matter, not only will Insulting the pedigree of the Prime Minister's country will make Zhang Sheng famous, benevolent to others, and cannot bear to be insulted in turn."

After hearing this, Mrs. Cui Xiangguo's expression gradually became hesitant. The matchmaker continued: "Even if she resorts to a lawsuit with the government, the old lady will not be able to escape the charge of lax management of the family. If we look into the whole story carefully, the government will naturally know that the old lady is treacherous and ungrateful. How can she be considered virtuous?"

The matchmaker felt a faint feeling of uneasiness in her heart. She knew that such words might make Madam even more angry, but she had no intention of backing down.

She thought: "If I didn't have a sudden enlightenment and persuade the old thief, how could Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying get married? How could I have the opportunity to become Zhang Sheng's concubine? There is no need to think about taking off the slave status. Got it!"

Mrs. Cui Xiangguo pursed her lips, and after a moment of silence, she said coldly: "You are right, but this matter is related to my daughter's marriage. How can I let it go so easily?"

The matchmaker smiled, seemingly gentle, but actually sharp: "Madam, if we continue to dig deeper, it will not only insult the pedigree of the prime minister's country, but also bring shame to the Cui family. Think about it, is it worth setting aside Cui just for temporary dissatisfaction, Madam?" Where are the noble families in a land of injustice? "

Mrs. Cui Xiangguo's expression changed, and various contradictory emotions emerged in her heart. She felt the deep meaning in the matchmaker's words, but the persistence in her heart made it difficult for her to let go.

The matchmaker took a deep breath and her tone was respectful and firm.

"Madam, the matchmaker doesn't dare to take matters into her own hands and beg Madam for forgiveness. Why don't you forgive his small mistake, accomplish this big thing, and wipe away his stain? Isn't that a long-term solution?"

Mrs. Cui Xiangguo stared at her with a trace of deep thought in her eyes. Matchmakers know that when facing their wives, they must use softness to overcome toughness, and their words must be tactful and appropriate. She continued:

"The scholar is the leader of the article, and the sister is the leader of the class of ladies; one is proficient in all three religions and nine streams, and the other is good at embroidery. This marriage is not only related to their fate, but also to the reputation of the wife. It is difficult to decide whether it is right or wrong. If the world ends here When it's over, let it go. How can a great benefactor become an enemy? Thinking of his old friend General Baima, killing the flying tiger rebels and grass bandits. If he and Zhang Jieyuan are not at odds with each other, it will make Cui Xiangguo look ugly. After all, it still involves the relationship between his own flesh and blood, Madam, please don’t get to the bottom of it.”

Although the matchmaker's words were humble, they were full of wit. In a clever way, she expressed her respect and intercession to the lady, while at the same time allowing her to make some choices in handling the matter. She knew in her heart that this was related to the honor of the entire Cui clan and required tactful justification and soft strength.

Mrs. Cui Xiangguo finally let out a long sigh, looked at the falling parasol flowers outside the window, and pondered.

Mrs. Cui Xiangguo's heart was filled with ripples. Although she was dissatisfied with the matchmaker's words, she had to admit some of the truth in them. Hesitant in her heart, she secretly considered how to deal with this family matter shrouded in dark clouds.

"This little bitch is right." Mrs. Cui Xiangguo said to herself. She was thinking about her children, but she couldn't say it openly, otherwise it would damage the family's reputation. She was full of contradictions for a while. She hated Cui Yingying for accidentally falling into trouble, but she also hesitated because her family's reputation was involved. She frowned slightly, knowing that if this matter resulted in a lawsuit, the family's reputation would be completely ruined.

"I shouldn't have raised this unworthy daughter." Madam couldn't help feeling regretful when she thought of her original expectations for Cui Yingying. She was once expected to marry into a rich family, but now she has become a source of right and wrong. This unscrupulous daughter has become a heavy burden to the family.

"If you sue the government and bring disgrace to the family, let's stop!" Madam thought about it and felt that once this matter was brought to the government, the family's face would be irreparable. The Cui family's reputation was in tatters, and she was well aware of the impact it would have on the entire family.

Then I thought that my daughter had been dating Zhang Sheng for more than a month, and I was very angry, thinking: "For more than a month, the two of them have been fighting together for a long time, and they have been engaged in firewood and fire, at least a hundred times, and thousands of times. The fresh petals have been ground into dark coke long ago! Even if you don't recognize Zhang Sheng and marry someone else, the other person is not blind and can see it at a glance. Even if you are blind, you can understand Zhang Zhang. How can you pretend to be a yellow flower? If a commotion breaks out then, it will be a loss of face!”

So, she secretly made up her mind not to pursue the matter further.

"There are no criminals in my family, so my remarried daughter will marry this guy." Madam believes that this unfortunate marriage is not entirely due to Cui Yingying's fault. Perhaps, allowing the marriage and marrying her to Zhang Sheng would be a relief. For her, it's also an opportunity for happiness.

The lady calmed down and determined to properly resolve this dispute in order to preserve the family's reputation. She firmly believed that everything would be solved.

For a moment, Madam decided that she needed to make a decision and make a wise decision for the future of the Cui family: "Matchmaker, call that bitch!"