The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 367 Baoyu Extra (2)

Another illness struck, and Shen Ning, who was recuperating at the hot spring resort, never expected that her cousins ​​would get engaged in such a short time.

"Mother, aren't you happy that Brother Bao and Sister Lin are getting married?"

Jia Yue, who was with them, was quite puzzled.

It's so nice that Sister Lin doesn't have to get married and can stay in their own home!
Jia Yue was lost in her dream of her sister becoming her sister-in-law when Shen Ning pointed a finger at her forehead and asked, "Do you know what it means when the Zuo Zhuan (Commentary of Zuo) says in the 23rd year of Duke Xi that 'men and women with the same surname are not born into the same family'?"

The ancients were aware of the dangers of marriage between close relatives.

The Shang Dynasty prohibited marriage within five generations of close relatives, while the Western Zhou Dynasty was even stricter, believing that marriage should be approached with caution even after a hundred generations. By the Tang Dynasty, the prohibition of marriage between close relatives was written into law, with the "Tang Code: Commentary on Household and Marriage Law" containing a series of clauses prohibiting such marriages.

But even though it was written, how many ordinary people understood the Tang Code and the Household and Marriage Code?

Apart from a few particularly strict officials who would act in accordance with the Tang Code and the Household and Marriage Code, most people treated it as a mere formality.

Incestuous marriage was still very common in rural China during the 1980s and 1990s.

When Shen Ning founded the girls' school, she put the "Tang Code: Commentary on the Household and Marriage Law" in the classroom for everyone to discuss.

She actually wanted to suggest to the emperor that the marriage law of the Great Zhao should also include the provision that close relatives cannot marry.

Unfortunately, even after asking two imperial censors for their advice, they couldn't get past Lin Ruhai. His father and mother were cousins ​​who married close relatives, and their family had also chosen wives from among their wives' relatives in previous generations.

In his generation, the curse of only having one son per generation was broken.

He didn't see anything wrong with marriage between close relatives.

now……

Seeing her mother's pale face, Jia Yue said weakly, "But Sister Lin and Brother Bao don't share the same surname."

Because of this, Sister Lin had asked her in advance, "Mother, you don't know, ever since Brother Bao promised Cousin Lin that he would try his best to suppress Cousin Lin in the clan school, he has been hit hard countless times. Every time he was hit hard, Cousin Lin would give him something. They are so good to each other."

Shen Ning: "..."

How good can it be?

This place is no longer the same as the Dream of the Red Chamber.

Baoyu didn't have time to play with his sisters in the garden.

Besides studying hard, he also needs to master martial arts.

Even if we occasionally sit together to hold a poetry club, it's only occasional.

Daiyu was perfectly healthy and didn't get angry because Baoyu was unwell one day or the next.

"Don't give me a twisted interpretation."

Shen Ning looked at her youngest daughter and couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "Before your second brother Bao got engaged, did you receive any letters from home?"

Jia Yue: "..."

There is.

How could they not inform her mother about something so important?

She had promised Sister Lin that she would secretly keep them all.

"Someone, prepare the car, let's go back to the city."

Seeing her youngest daughter's evasive gaze, Shen Ning tapped her on the head with a nail and said, "I'll deal with you when we get home."

Fortunately, it's an engagement, not a marriage.

In the Dream of the Red Chamber, whether it's the "Wood and Stone Marriage" or the "Gold and Jade Marriage," from a bloodline perspective, they are all ill-fated relationships.

But people in this era preferred to marry between cousins.

"Mother, mother~~~"

Jia Yue quickly followed, "The old lady is overjoyed."

Shen Ning: "..."

Even more angry.

I only regret that I've never been able to lay a finger on her since we were little.

Sure enough, some kids deserve to be beaten.

"Men, take the girl to the car in the back."

She couldn't bring herself to hit him, but Shen Ning was genuinely angry. "When we get back to the manor, I'll make her kneel in the ancestral hall and think carefully about what she did wrong."

She got into the truck at the front herself, and soon the convoy started moving.

……

Although Grandmother Jia regretted that her own grandson hadn't achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations like her grandson-in-law, she genuinely liked the marriage alliance with the Lin family.

With her son-in-law Lin Ruhai around, she doesn't need to worry about Baoyu's future.

Her granddaughter Daiyu also grew up by her side. She originally thought she could take good care of these two girls, but the second one ruined herself, and the pearl lost the examiner's favor. Although She'er was filial and loving to his nephews, he was still not her own son.

She eventually separated the second wife's family.

Others may not know, but Min'er and Ru Hai do.

So even if she had such thoughts, she never dared to mention them.

Even when talking to her daughter, she often mentioned the two Yu'er together, but her daughter wouldn't respond, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Now things are better; Baoyu has grown up and knows how to think about himself.

Grandmother Jia was overjoyed.

Because of this happy event, she has been able to eat a few more bites of food lately.

"Grandma!" Xiren came over in a panic. "The First Madam of the East Mansion told our Second Master to come over as soon as he gets home. Xiaodong, who delivered the message, also said that the First Madam's face looked very bad."

Jia Mu: "..."

I feel a little uncomfortable.

But Baoyu did not do well on the exam.

Previously, he and his grandson Chang'an had scored about the same in the exam.

It's only right that Mrs. Shen calls him over and gives him a good scolding.

“That’s his aunt, how could she possibly harm him? When Baoyu comes back, we’ll let him go over there.”

Grandmother Jia asked, "By the way, where is Baoyu now?"

"...I attended the literary gathering with Young Master Chang'an and the others."

Wenhui?
Grandmother Jia couldn't help but laugh again. "Yuanyang, bring out the pair of antique jade pieces I had the other day." Then she said to Xiren, "Take them back to Baoyu later."

"……Yes!"

Xiren hesitated, feeling that the First Madam's address wasn't because the Second Master hadn't done well on the exam.

No matter how badly you did on the exam, it's already over, and there's no point in saying anything now.

Furthermore, since the marriage between the Second Master and Miss Lin has been arranged, in terms of scholarship, doesn't Master Lin know more than the First Madam?
When Xiren reluctantly took a pair of antique jade pieces back home, she was unaware that Lin Daiyu, having received news of her aunt's return, immediately traveled over by carriage.

"Auntie!"

Glancing around and not seeing her cousin Yue'er, Lin Daiyu, having already paid her respects, simply sat down next to her aunt, took her arm, and said sweetly, "Aunt, are you angry because of my marriage to my second cousin?" "..."

Shen Ning glanced at her, and if her arm hadn't been held, she would have definitely given her a slap. "You and your second cousin are close relatives. Others may not know the dangers of close relatives, but you do." She was heartbroken. "You've all seen the cases of close relatives that the school collected. Their children's health data is far worse than that of normal couples."

The rates of physical weakness, premature death, and intellectual disability are higher among couples than among normal couples.

In order to gain the court's attention, she specifically asked the Empress to help her establish a women's school in conjunction with local orphanages, and they were already working on specific data.

"Auntie, I know everything."

Daiyu's voice was calm and unhurried, "When you went to the hot spring resort, we received the specific data."

what?
Shen Ning suddenly looked at her.

Daiyu smiled bitterly, "Actually, many bad children don't even have the chance to enter the orphanage; they are abandoned by their elders."

Drowning is the most common method of killing.

Even if they are lucky enough to get into the sales bureau, few of the physically weak or mentally challenged children can grow up normally.

“When you asked the Sales Bureau to investigate, I went home and talked to my father about it, but he said that many things cannot be generalized.”

Daiyu said, "Later, my mother said that my father had become a bit arrogant in recent years."

Both siblings were frail when they were young.

From the time I could eat, bitter medicine juice accompanied me every few days.

After arriving in Beijing, my aunt not only adjusted their diet, but she also learned boxing from Mr. Zhan. Later, Aunt Wen also helped them make adjustments.

The same goes for my younger brother. He only grew stronger and taller after learning martial arts from Grandpa Jiao.

Their family has the means, but how can ordinary families adjust their diet?
How can we provide targeted martial arts training?

Their primary concern is survival.

Daiyu felt that her mother was also on her aunt's side, so she wrote a letter to her second cousin Yingchun and Xianglian, asking them to persuade their brother-in-law to help collect some data.

They are all parents from the same county, so checking this data would be easier and fairer.

"I then sent a letter to my second sister and the others asking for help."

In fact, it wasn't just her second sister and the others; she also wrote letters to elders who had taught at the girls' school and were on good terms with her mother, asking them for help.

Daiyu was deeply saddened. "In the past two months, I have received a lot of data, and it is... shocking."

"If that's the case, why are you still..."

Shen Ning was puzzled, "You still agreed to the marriage with your second cousin?"

Judging from how much Jia Min and Lin Ruhai doted on Daiyu, she didn't believe it; they never even asked her.

Shen Ning didn't understand why, even after she had changed so much, Bao Yu and Dai Yu still had an inextricable 'karmic entanglement'.

She hadn't paid much attention to this before, firstly because the two families were now worlds apart, and secondly because although the cousins ​​exchanged gifts, that was something everyone did.

"..."

Daiyu was silent for a while, then said, "It was my second cousin who proposed the marriage to me."

what?
Shen Ning frowned deeply, "Why? You really like..."

"Auntie~"

Daiyu interrupted her guess, "My father always harbors a sense of wishful thinking because of my brother and me." She said, "At his age, it's already very difficult to change his preconceived notions."

Power gradually made him arrogant and self-willed.

He only trusts his own judgment.

"Haven't you already tried it before? There are too many people like my father in the court."

Daiyu said, "Those statistics are bloody to us, and we are eager to change them, but those who can change them are all indifferent." She paused here, "They are not involved, so even if they don't stand idly by, and eventually agree to the change and write it into the law, how many people will actually carry it out?"

Just like the Tang Code.

"But things will be different if you add me."

Daiyu said, “Father will always be more cautious about my affairs. With his current status and position, not only can he implement things more quickly, but since his daughter has broken off her engagement… outsiders will inevitably investigate more and talk more.”

Shen Ning: "..."

It would be a lie to say I wasn't shocked.

With Jia Min's keen perception, she shouldn't be completely unaware. "Does your mother... know what you're up to?"

"know a little."

Daiyu said, "My mother said that she hadn't had a child in the fifth year of her marriage, and she felt like dying."

She reluctantly arranged for her father to take a concubine, but the other concubines did the same.

It's clear that the problem lies with the father.

Actually, on my mother's side, although my maternal grandfather and great-uncle did not live very long, they lived much longer than my paternal grandfather.

Besides the eldest son's branch, the Jia family also had many descendants in other branches.

But the Lin family... not only has no one who lives long since their great-grandfather, but they also have more difficulty having offspring than others.

"You know my father's health isn't good either."

Once my younger brother gets married, my mother will probably persuade my father to retire.

"Auntie, don't worry, we will break off the engagement."

Little Yue'er was punished by her aunt somewhere.

Daiyu tugged at Shen Ning's sleeve, saying, "It's not uncommon in the capital to get engaged and then break off engagements." While this might damage her reputation, with her father and maternal grandparents' connections, the loss of face was insignificant. "I had Yue'er keep the news of my second cousin's marriage proposal from you... you..."

"She is in the ancestral hall."

Shen Ning has a headache.

She hadn't expected them to be so bold.

However, since it has already been done, we must clean up the mess properly and not let her lose her reputation for nothing.

"Go and release her!"

That little girl is so stupid. She only cares about her older sister and not her mother. She deserves to be punished.

But at this moment, Shen Ning didn't want to see Daiyu either.

Because she couldn't help but want to scold or punish her.

Is breaking off an engagement a simple matter?

This makes you a target...

"Then I'll come back to see you again."

Daiyu keenly sensed that her aunt wanted to punish her, so she hurriedly ran to the ancestral hall to save her.

　I hesitated for a long time about marriage between close relatives. I originally wanted to fulfill Daiyu's dream in "Dream of the Red Chamber," but in the end, I couldn't sleep well either. Oh well, let it be...

　　(End of this chapter)