This jealousy is something else.
Ouyang Wen slung an arm around Situ Yan's shoulder with a grin, "Brother, don't be so sour just yet. I've got some serious business."
"What serious business could you possibly have with my wife?" Situ Yan shook off his hand, but Ouyang Wen quickly re-attached himself. "I want to ask your wife to help me propose."
Situ Yan, who had been about to struggle, froze. "Propose? Which young lady has caught your eye? There are plenty of official matchmakers for you to choose from, yet you come all the way to my estate. Could it be that this girl is known to my wife?"
Ouyang Wen gave him a thumbs-up, "You're different for having worked at the Dali Temple. You guessed it in one go."
"Stop playing coy and tell me quickly."
"Third Miss Cheng."
"Cheng Beizheng's sister?" Situ Yan was shocked. "What's going on? When did you get your hands on her?"
"While I was recuperating at Ji Jin's place, women from Jiangnan are indeed as gentle as water." A hint of longing flickered in his eyes, quickly replaced by annoyance. "It's all your fault. If you hadn't been so active in Shanxi, why would the Emperor have sent me there? If I hadn't been delayed for these three months, I might have already completed the three letters and six rites of proposal."
Situ Yan was speechless and said dismissively, "You think she'll agree just because you want to propose? Don't forget, Cheng Beizheng has always guarded against you like he would a wolf. With your reputation for frequenting brothels, are you sure you won't be swept out with a broom when you go to mediate?"
Ouyang Wen said sheepishly, "That's precisely why we need your wife to step in. Afterwards, your wife must help me explain properly to Cheng Beizheng that I only went to brothels to drink and listen to music, not for the debauchery that the rumors suggest."
"Do you believe that yourself?"
"Why wouldn't I believe the facts? But my belief is useless; Cheng Beizheng needs to believe it."
Situ Yan flatly refused, "This is a heavy and distant task. Don't involve my wife in this."
Ouyang Wen: "...Can't we talk about brotherhood here?"
They walked into the inner courtyard, bickering, and Ouyang Wen shamelessly stood by the window lattice to state his request to Lu Nianfu.
Lu Nianfu dared not agree easily. "Young Master, you might not know, but if Master Cheng hadn't privately sent Jiao Jiao to the capital back then, the Third Master might not have seized power. He truly doted on Jiao Jiao. While your status is noble, he might not agree."
Situ Yan said, "What do you mean 'might not'? He absolutely won't agree. Wife, you don't need to be so tactful."
Ouyang Wen elbowed him. "Who are you on the side of? All these years of brotherhood have been in vain."
"Heh, I'm just stating facts."
"You can't just listen to Cheng Beizheng alone. Jiao Jiao is on my side."
"Crash." Lu Nianfu inside accidentally knocked over a teacup. "Young Master, what do you mean by that?"
"Heh heh, literally. Sister-in-law, Jiao Jiao and I are mutually in love. Even if Cheng Beizheng is my elder brother-in-law, he shouldn't try to break up a loving couple, right?"
Situ Yan: "You can do this, sneaking away with the young lady without a word?"
Ouyang Wen pointed to his face, "You can win over sister-in-law. I'm this handsome, why can't I win over a young lady I'm fond of?"
Lu Nianfu's voice trembled slightly. "Young Master, you, you didn't do anything improper with Jiao Jiao, did you?"
"You can rest assured about that. It's from the heart, but within proper bounds. I haven't even held her hand." Ouyang Wen was uncharacteristically serious. "Sister-in-law, I sincerely wish to marry Jiao Jiao. With a proper matchmaker and a grand procession, I will certainly not let her suffer any grievances."
"Give me some time to think. I need to ask Jiao Jiao about this."
"Exactly, exactly. Who knows if you're just bragging. Fu'er, don't rush. I'll send someone to the Cheng residence tomorrow to invite Third Miss Cheng over."
Lu Nianfu said, "No, you can invite her tomorrow. I need to think about how to approach her about this."
"Then, sister-in-law, I'll take it that you've agreed, alright?" Asking Jiao Jiao, wouldn't this matter be as good as settled? Ouyang Wen left with a wide, happy grin. Looking at his demeanor, Situ Yan vaguely felt as though Lu Nianfu hadn't agreed to help him propose, but rather that the Cheng family had already accepted the engagement. He turned back to the window lattice with a suspicious look. "Fu'er, do you think they've really gotten together?"
"We'll have to ask Jiao Jiao to know. Jiao Jiao is young and simple-minded. Could she have been deceived by the Young Master?"
"Hmph, wife, that's too serious. Although Ouyang is not settled, he wouldn't stoop to deceiving a young girl. I think he's probably genuinely fallen for her, and his sincerity is undeniable." After all, he was his brother. He could speak ill of him to his face, but he couldn't fail to put in a good word when needed. "How about this, I'll go find him for a drink tonight and ask him properly what's going on. If they truly are in love, it would also solve a big problem for Cheng Beizheng, wouldn't it?"