Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1491 How to Properly Marry Two Wives: I'll Demonstrate It Only Once

That night, during Jin Yanxi and Leng Qingqiu's wedding, Lin Hao also embraced Jin Meili in their bridal chamber.

Afterwards, Jin Meili did not regret giving herself to Lin Hao, but she was extremely upset about her family's scheming against her.

She was naive, not stupid. With just a little thought, she understood her father Jin Quan's scheme.

She felt uncomfortable that she had become a political sacrifice for him, and even if she liked Lin Hao, it shouldn't be in this way.

Seeing Jin Meili's red eyes, Lin Hao took the opportunity to comfort her and promised to marry her soon.

I also helped her analyze the crisis her father was currently facing.

Upon learning of her father's crisis in his official career, Kim Mi-ri finally forgave him for his scheming against her.

But despite forgiving her, a knot remained in her heart. Although Jin Meili didn't completely sever ties with her family, she secretly resolved that after marrying Lin Hao, she would rarely contact them.

However, she still had some questions in her mind, namely, what about Sister Xiuzhu? Of course, she knew that Bai Xiuzhu also liked Brother Lin Hao.

They are best friends, but I'm a little worried and don't know how Brother Lin Hao will handle this.

As Jin Meili pondered this, while Lin Hao was tormenting her, she unknowingly fell asleep in Lin Hao's arms.

······
In fact, early the next morning, when Lin Hao came out of the guest room, he was invited to the study by Jin Quan's servant.

Jin Quan was wearing a dark blue long gown today, his hair was neatly combed, and he sat in a chair with a cup of hot tea in front of him.

His complexion was much better than yesterday. The dark circles under his eyes were still there, but he seemed to have been relieved of a heavy burden, and his back was straighter than it had been a few days ago.

Seeing Lin Hao enter, he stood up and took two steps to greet him, then patted Lin Hao's shoulder meaningfully and said, "Chief of Staff Lin, did you sleep well last night?"

Lin Hao glanced at him. His question was perfectly worded, both clarifying what had happened last night and saving face for both of them.

However, Lin Hao didn't seem to mind too much. He smiled and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Chief of Staff Jin. I had too much to drink last night, please forgive my rudeness!"

Jin Quan invited him to sit down, and then sat back down himself. He offered Lin Hao tea, and took a sip himself. Seeing that Lin Hao still looked calm and collected, he thought to himself that Lin Hao was indeed a little fox.

So he decided to get straight to the point and stop beating around the bush, and solemnly said:

"Chief of Staff Lin, what happened last night was arranged by me," Jin Quan said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

“That girl, Mary, truly loves you. As her father, I can see that, which is why…!”

He paused, as if considering his words, and finally chose the most straightforward way of putting it:
"Firstly, I feel at ease entrusting her to you, and secondly..."

The second point was left unsaid, but both Jin Quan and Lin Hao understood the reason. However, Lin Hao held his teacup and remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Seeing that Lin Hao still didn't react, Jin Quan softened his tone and continued:
"I know this is a bit undignified, but Chief of Staff Lin, my position is currently exposed to the elements from all sides!"

“Deputy Chief of Staff Shen is keeping a close eye on me and is constantly making underhanded moves. Yanxi broke off his marriage with the Bai family because of Leng Qingqiu, and Bai Xiongqi doesn’t support me either!”

"The situation is very complicated right now, and I need someone I can trust to support me and help me stabilize the situation."

He looked up at Lin Hao: "This person is you."

Lin Hao put down his teacup and leaned back in his chair. He was fully aware of Jin Quan's predicament, and even knew that he had been secretly pushing things along.

After Vice Minister Shen was promoted to Vice Minister of the Beiyang Army, Jin Quan's life became increasingly difficult. The proposals put forward by the State Council were shelved, people from various departments were courted, and even the President's attitude became ambiguous.

Jin Quan was really in a hurry, and since he was the perfect fit in terms of shape and size, he was so eager to stuff his daughter into his bed that he did something like that.

Now that Jin Quan has made his point clear and Lin Hao has achieved his goal, there's no need for him to act coy anymore. So he said:
"Chief Kim, since you've put it this way, I won't hold back anymore."

Lin Hao looked at Jin Quan and said, "Supporting you is fine, and I can marry Mei Li too, but there's one thing we need to make clear first!"

"As for Bai Xiongqi, I had already promised to marry Xiuzhu, and she gave herself to me earlier than Meili. I don't want to let Meili down, but I can't let Xiuzhu down either."

"You're going to marry Bai Xiuzhu too?" Jin Quan was somewhat surprised that Lin Hao wanted to marry both of them.

He had actually guessed that Lin Hao would bring this up, but in his mind, Lin Hao was facing a single-choice question with two options. He didn't expect Lin Hao's solution to change the requirement to multiple-choice.

They were not like ordinary people. Not to mention the Jin family's status, he was, after all, the Minister of the Beiyang Army. Naturally, he would not be happy if his daughter were to become someone else's concubine.

The Bai family is no slouch either; Bai Xiongqi is now a chief of staff, so it's unlikely his sister would become a concubine. That's why he felt this was a multiple-choice question.
But considering the situation he was facing and the president's high regard for Lin Hao, and given Lin Hao's current power, he suddenly felt that it might not be impossible.

Without Lin Hao's support, the Jin family would have lost all power. Let alone becoming a concubine for a powerful figure like Lin Hao, it wouldn't be impossible for them to become a concubine for other officials, especially since this eighth daughter was only born out of wedlock.

"Yes, marry both!" Lin Hao looked into Jin Quan's eyes and said calmly.
"However, the Bai family made the proposal first, so I can't go back on my word. Of course, I won't treat Mei Li unfairly either!"

Jin Quan remained silent for a few seconds, pondering for a long time, but still couldn't come up with a solution.

"You want to give the position of principal wife to the Bai family?" Jin Quan asked uncertainly.

"A secondary lineage!" Lin Hao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said.
"As for who is in charge and who is in charge, that's for you two families, Jin and Bai, to discuss yourselves. I don't care!"

“A dual lineage!” Jin Quan’s eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. He was actually an old-fashioned scholar, as could be seen from his long gown that he always wore.

Therefore, when Lin Hao mentioned "adopting a second lineage," he immediately understood Lin Hao's idea.

The practice of "jiantiao" is a special variation of etiquette. When only one brother remains, he must continue the family line of two branches and marry two wives.

Therefore, marrying two wives at the same time was a respectable practice, and it perfectly avoided the problem of being a concubine.

Especially considering their status—they were all high-ranking officials in the Beiyang government, and he himself was the Minister of the Beiyang Army—it was extremely disgraceful for their daughters to become mistresses.

Jin Quan secretly praised Lin Hao's quick thinking, and then quickly calculated in his mind.

The idea of ​​adopting a second lineage perfectly solved the problem of being undignified, and also brought the Bai family into the same camp, which was simply perfect.

As for whether Lin Hao has brothers, haha, that's not important. Even he can imagine that if needed, Lin Hao could have many brothers.

As long as they can be tied to Lin Hao, the Jin family will be secure.

“Alright, I’ll leave Meili to you from now on!” Jin Quan nodded and said without hesitation:

"As for the issue of major and minor transactions, I'll talk to Bai Xiongqi about it. You don't need to worry about it!"

Lin Hao stood up, straightened his collar, thought for a moment, and then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, reminding him:

"Father-in-law, there is one more thing." Jin Quan looked up at Lin Hao with a puzzled expression, knowing that Lin Hao was about to say something.

“When Meryl left this morning!” Lin Hao paused for a moment before continuing:

"She knows this was your arrangement, and she feels terrible about it!"

Jin Quan didn't speak, but his lips twitched slightly; he felt incredibly awkward.
"She doesn't blame you!" Lin Hao looked at Jin Quan and continued, "But she has a knot in her heart. If you have time, please take better care of her!"

Jin Quan nodded heavily and saw Lin Hao to the door, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Faced with the Jin family's crisis, when making plans beforehand, Mei Li's thoughts were not taken into account.

Looking back now, I realize that he was a really inhuman father!
But he had no choice. The Jin family was in a precarious situation, and he couldn't afford to consider his children's feelings.

Although it was a bit hasty, the outcome was good. The Jin family resolved the crisis, their daughter found a good home, and they didn't lose their dignity, which was already a stroke of luck.

······
Jin Quan acted even faster than Lin Hao had expected; that very afternoon, he called Bai Xiongqi.

Bai Xiongqi was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, then said in a neutral tone:
"Chief Jin, I understand what you're saying. Chief Lin just mentioned it to me as well. Let's meet tomorrow to discuss it in detail!"

The next morning, Jin Quan and Bai Xiongqi met in a private room at the Six Nations Hotel.

There was no one else around, just the two of them. The tea was ready, the waiter left, and the room was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Jin Quan didn't beat around the bush and said directly:

"Come on, Lin Hao has already told you, so we need to make a decision as soon as possible!"

Bai Xiongqi took a sip of tea, staring at the tea leaves bobbing up and down in the cup, and then said matter-of-factly:
"Chief of Staff Kim, what's there to talk about? You were the ones who wronged the Bai family and Xiuzhu first!"

"As for the marriage alliance with Lin Hao, it was we who brought it up first. Our Xiuzhu will definitely be a member of the Lin family's main branch!"

At this point, Bai Xiongqi looked directly at Jin Quan and said calmly, "If you have any other thoughts, you can speak frankly!"

Bai Xiongqi had already said all that, and Jin Quan knew there was no room for negotiation.

Ultimately, it was the Jin family's dishonest actions that caused the seventh son to ruin the marriage alliance with the Bai family, so it's understandable that Bai Xiongqi harbored resentment.

"Okay, we'll do it your way!" Jin Quan stood up with a helpless expression, then said apologetically:
"The matter between Xiuzhu and Yanxi was indeed our doing!"

Before Jin Quan could finish speaking, Bai Xiongqi interrupted, "Let's not dwell on the past. This is the best outcome we can have!"

Bai Xiongqi is actually a pragmatic person, even more so than Jin Quan, surpassing him in this respect.

With Lin Hao as the link, and Bai Xiuzhu and Jin Meili being close friends, the Jin and Bai families can be considered to have formed a marriage alliance in disguise.

Therefore, with interests taking precedence, Bai Xiongqi will no longer resist Jin Quan for the time being, but will instead take the initiative to cooperate.

At Jin Quan's prompting, they also expressed their support for the problems currently facing the Jin family.

Finally, Jin Quan stood up, extended his hand, and Bai Xiongqi looked at that hand before finally shaking it.

They clasped their hands together, shook them, and then let go, both old foxes wearing smiles of relief.

······
When Bai Xiongqi got home, he sat down opposite her and said, "Xiuzhu, I have something to tell you."

Bai Xiuzhu's heart skipped a beat when she saw Bai Xiongqi's expression. "What is it?"

"Lin Hao is coming to propose marriage!"

Bai Xiuzhu was stunned. She knew that her brother had been trying to match her with Lin Hao, and Lin Hao had also said that they should get to know each other better before making any decisions.

But she didn't expect things to happen so quickly. Well, it seems like they've had quite a bit of contact already. Thinking of this, Bai Xiuzhu's pretty face flushed slightly.

Looking at his sister's flushed face, Bai Xiongqi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

No matter how much Jin Quan schemes, no matter how many women Lin Hao marries, and no matter what entanglements the Bai and Jin families have, Xiu Zhu is at least the legal wife, and that title is enough.

“But Jin Meili also married him!” Bai Xiongqi added.

Bai Xiuzhu frowned slightly. She wasn't unaware of Jin Meili's feelings for Lin Hao, but hearing the news still stirred something within her.

It wasn't that I felt unwell, just a bit congested. Fortunately, at this moment, Bai Xiongqi continued:

"But don't worry, Lin Hao will inherit the lineage of the second wife. You are Lin Hao's legal wife, while Mei Li is the legal wife of the second wife!"

Bai Xiuzhu was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then asked in confusion:
"What does 'jiantiao' mean? They both married Lin Hao, so how did Mei Li become the second wife?"

Bai Xiongqi then explained the meaning of "Jiantiao" (兼祧), and, fearing his sister might not understand, added:
"The practice of marrying two wives under the same family lineage was a law during the Qing Dynasty. Although it recognized the practice, it was subject to strict restrictions."

"Our Republic of China did not have a clear marriage law; it basically followed the laws of the Qing Dynasty, so..."

After Bai Xiongqi finished speaking, she lowered her head and remained silent for a while.

In fact, she knew in her heart that Lin Hao had always had feelings for her best friend, and there were some things she couldn't stop!
However, she maintained the same attitude: as long as Lin Hao married her, he didn't care much about anything else.

She had worried before about what choice Lin Hao would ultimately make, but she didn't expect him to resolve the issue in such a dignified way.

As for Kim Mei-li, Mrs. Kim told her the news in her room.

Mrs. Jin sat by her bedside, took her hand, and told her everything that had happened in the past few days.

Although Mrs. Jin's words implied:

"Your father has no choice but to accept the Jin family's current predicament. Chief of Staff Lin truly cares for you."

Jin Meili sat in front of the dressing table, looked at her face in the mirror, her eyes reddened slightly, but she held back her tears in the end.

He then said calmly, "Too big, I understand, I have no objection."

Before Mrs. Jin could say anything more, Kim Mei-li had already stood up, walked to the window, and opened it a crack.

The lilies in the yard were in full bloom, their white petals swaying gently in the wind.

That was planted when Jin Yanxi proposed, representing the love between Seventh Brother and Seventh Sister-in-law.

But she had nothing left to cherish about the Jin family; the only thing she couldn't let go of was her birth mother, Madam He.