Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2627 Still Vigorous in Old Age 8.0
"besides?"

Not only was Jin Miaomiao stunned, but even Xia Chen, Xue Ruitian, and Bai Meng, who had seen a lot in life, couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice when they heard Shen Cha's words.

After they finished shouting, they realized that there were still three old men sleeping. They looked over in the same direction and breathed a sigh of relief when they found that they hadn't been woken up.

“As I said before, the people of the Harnu family, especially the women, have different preferences than most people.”

"Isn't it just that he likes gentle and weak guys?" Xue Ruitian frowned slightly. "And those who are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting are not hard to find. Come to Daxia, you can find them everywhere." He looked at Yingjun. "Isn't that how his brother was kidnapped?"

“One or two is fine, but too many won’t work.” Hearing Xue Ruitian’s words, Eagle Falcon was both amused and exasperated. “Besides, they have other hobbies.” He looked at Shen Cha, and the two exchanged a glance, sighing in unison, “Do you really want to hear this?”

“Of course!” Xia Chen looked at the two of them and said, “Is it really that difficult to say?”

"Not exactly," Shen Cha said, spreading her hands, "when a son-in-law enters the mansion, he has to learn from the palace musicians and dancers for a while. As for how long this period of time is, it depends on the individual's comprehension and physical condition."

"Wait a minute!" Xue Ruitian interrupted Shen Cha. "Musicians can understand to some extent, but dancers are supposed to learn to dance?"

“Yes!” Shen Cha nodded. “When you see those dancers in the Jiaofangsi, you should see how they dance. The son-in-law of the Haernu family should dance the same way. If he really can’t do it, then arrange for him to learn to sing. If he can’t sing, then he should learn to play cards. In any case, he should be able to do something and be proficient in something.”

"Wait a minute, this news is too explosive. Let me catch my breath." Xue Ruitian, Bai Meng, and Xia Chen exchanged glances, then looked at the calm Shen Haolin. "Haolin, have you heard about this before?"

“Yes!” Shen Haolin nodded. “Although it’s hard to believe, it’s true. The Harnu family is run by women, and all external social interactions are handled by women. The men play a role in entertaining guests. For example, if there’s a banquet at home, they might play a musical instrument, dance, or sing a song to entertain the guests. However, this is not the norm. They only show this to people who have a very close relationship with the Harnu family. Most of the time, they entertain guests just like normal people.”

“Yes!” Shen Cha nodded. “Playing cards is probably the only skill they can show to others.”

“I understand what you mean by ‘different’.” Jin Miaomiao sighed softly and said, “Other nobles want to gain a foothold in the court and expand their power to secure more benefits for themselves. But they only think about how to live a comfortable life and make their lives full of fun and interest. Although their requirements for sons-in-law seem outrageous, isn’t it a way to consolidate family relationships?”

“That’s right.” Shen Cha nodded. “The Harnu family has their own ancestral property and shops, and their income is very stable every year, enough for them to live a comfortable life. Moreover, their population is not very large, with only one or two children per generation, so they don’t actually need much. Therefore,” she spread her hands, “they don’t need to take sides in the court. Whoever sits on the throne has nothing to do with them.”

"They've always had a good personal relationship with the Yelü family. If the Harnu family weren't headed by a woman, the position of queen or one of the princesses in the royal palaces would likely have come from their family. However, the Yelü family knows their consistent style, so they've never made any demands." Eagle Falcon smiled. "My brother, although he complains that life isn't going so smoothly, actually seems pretty good to me. Just like Lord Jin said, he has no worries about food and drink, and the rest is just about the fun within their own family."

"You still say it like that, but you just said that the assessment has only just begun. What do you mean?" "It means that after marriage, not only will they continue to be assessed on music, chess, calligraphy, and painting from time to time, but musicians, dancers, and some palace servants will also be assessed on their respective skills."

"What if I fail the assessment?" Jin Miaomiao asked, puzzled. "Does that mean I have to divorce him?"

"Divorce is unlikely, but there will be punishment, I suppose. What exactly will the punishment be?" Eagle Falcon gently shook his head. "I haven't asked." He looked at Shen Cha. "Does the young master know?"

“A little bit.” Shen Cha cleared her throat. “I heard there are three chances. If you fail all three, you’ll be relegated to different courtyards and given two options.” She held up one finger and said, “The first option is to work hard for six months to turn all the unqualified ones into qualified ones, or to defeat all the challengers in one particular area. The other option is for the Harnu family to arrange a job for them in the South or North Courtyard. The position isn’t high, but it requires leaving early and returning late. If they can persevere for two years, they’ll be considered to have passed. And during these two years, they can’t rely on their families; they have to rely on themselves.”

"Your Highness, Your Lordship, Commander-in-Chief!" Eagle Falcon looked at Xia Chen, Xue Ruitian, and Bai Meng, then at Jin Miaomiao, "And Lord Jin, if it were you, what would you choose?"

"Us? We need to think about that carefully."

Xue Ruitian looked at Xia Chen, Bai Meng, then at Jin Miaomiao, and finally his gaze settled on Shen Haolin and Shen Cha.

"Where are you two?"

“The second one.” Shen Haolin and Shen Cha exchanged a glance and said in unison.

"So it seems our choices are the same," Xia Chen smiled. "I also chose the second one. The first one isn't a good choice for either the woman or the man. Even married couples should have their own careers and their own means of support, instead of one person having to depend on the other." He paused. "Of course, this is just a personal choice. If someone chooses the first one, that's fine too, since they've gained a skill. If they do divorce in the future, at least they'll have the ability to support themselves, right?"

Jin Miaomiao looked at Xia Chen for a while, sighed softly, and said, "Prince."

"What's wrong?" Xia Chen looked at her with a smile. "Was I wrong?"

“Yes, that’s right, the words are definitely correct, but,” Jin Miaomiao looked at him with a hint of helplessness, “I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I always feel that these words are really vulgar!”

"Miaomiao!" Bai Meng patted her arm and shook her head. "It's not your imagination, the insults were indeed vulgar!"