Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Aunt Xue was taken aback when she saw it was a poem. She didn't take it and asked in confusion:

"You know Mom doesn't know many words, why are you showing me this? Did my sweetheart just write this?"

Aunt Xue was from the Wang family. The Wang family did not focus on teaching their daughters to read and write, but rather on managing the household and handling affairs.

For example, neither Wang Xifeng nor Madam Wang knew many characters. Although Aunt Xue was slightly better than them, her improvement was still limited.

In the original novel, during the "Grandma Shi's Two Feasts at the Grand View Garden" chapter, when playing the domino game, Aunt Xue's commands included common sayings such as "The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd meet on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month" and "Humans cannot compare to the joy of immortals."

Lady Wang, on the other hand, was completely unable to speak and needed Yuanyang to speak for her, which shows their level of education.

Xue Baochai took back the note. She didn't actually intend to let Aunt Xue see the poem; she just wanted to use it as an excuse to dissuade Aunt Xue from asking Jia Jing for help.

Xue Baochai recounted the poem and the events that had occurred in Lin Daiyu's courtyard to Aunt Xue, then whispered:

"My third brother has lofty ambitions; he is a man who would give his life for the country, and his heart is always filled with important matters of the court."

"He wouldn't bother with such a small matter as our business's losses. Even if he agreed, he'd definitely be unhappy about it..."

Aunt Xue glanced at Baochai's expression, remained silent for a long while, then sighed meaningfully and said:

"That's true. Someone like him is someone our family can't possibly be worthy of."

Seeing that Xue Baochai remained silent, Aunt Xue paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke:

"My dear daughter, your marriage is such an important matter... I've been thinking about it a lot these days."

Baochai lowered her head, her eyes drooping, her face flushed slightly, and said softly:

"Mom, why are you suddenly bringing this up..."

Aunt Xue carefully considered her words and said solemnly:

"To be honest, Mom really wanted to pair you up with Jing-ge."

"He is young, unmarried, and holds such a high-ranking position. His talent, looks, family background, and abilities are all top-notch. You couldn't find a good match for him even with a lantern."

"But later, all the imperial concubines and wives of dukes and marquises in the capital came to propose marriage, and Mother knew that it would be difficult to make this happen!"

"I had already given up on the idea, but then his old lady arranged for Jingge to live next to our courtyard."

"Mom thinks this might be fate. You are outstanding in appearance, talent, and temperament. In addition, it's common for our four great families to intermarry. Maybe there's a chance!"

"So Mom sent Xiangling over there, thinking... thinking of making a good connection first."

At this point, Aunt Xue paused, then sighed:

"However, he is now holding an increasingly high position and wielding great power. Not only is he a second-rank marquis, but he is also the third-rank military governor of the Ba Shang camp, and has been given the title of vice minister of the Ministry of War. I heard a few days ago that he was also assigned to suppress bandits..."

"Although our family isn't bad off—our ancestors were Ziwei Sheren (a high-ranking official in the Imperial Household Department), and we're now imperial merchants receiving funds from the Imperial Treasury—we're still far inferior to Jing-ge'er!"

"I was terrified when I heard he killed a marquis! What kind of person is a marquis? It's not easy for our family to even befriend him, and he killed him!"

"Seeing his imposing manner at home today, I'm even more certain that this matter is probably hopeless..."

Baochai's expression showed a hint of disappointment; she knew perfectly well what Aunt Xue had said.

Since ancient times, marriage has always emphasized matching social status, and my own social standing is really not good enough for such a match...

Baochai gripped the paper tightly in her hand, lowered her head, and remained silent.

Aunt Xue continued:

"Besides the inappropriateness of her identity, Mom actually has another concern."

"Your brother is a good-for-nothing. If he really lets Jing'er marry you, then if he wants to swallow up the Xue family's million-dollar fortune, who can stop him?"

"It's not that Mom doesn't trust his character, but... but who can say for sure what will happen in this world?"

"We're just a widow and her children, we can't afford to take that risk!"

At this point, Aunt Xue looked worried and hesitated to speak.

She actually had another worry that she was too embarrassed to say: Jia Jing's actions today, involving the troop deployment to the capital, had somewhat frightened her.

She knew that if this had happened in her Xue family, she would have been completely unable to handle it or accept it.

Upon hearing this, Baochai frowned, a hint of melancholy on her face, and softly replied:

"Mom, I'm not in a rush to get married. Let's wait until my brother is settled and has a family. I'm thinking of taking care of you for another two years!"

Aunt Xue smiled as she spoke:

"My dear girl, you're not getting any younger, it's time to start thinking about it!"

Even if you're not in a rush to get married, you should first find a good family to get to know better. Otherwise, things will get complicated when the time comes!

"I know you have high standards, so I always discuss suitable candidates with you first and listen to your opinions. I don't want to arrange a marriage without your consent; I always want to find you a good match."

Baochai's expression softened slightly, and she said softly:

"Thank you, Mom!"

Aunt Xue smiled, then moved closer to Xue Baochai and said:

"What do you think of Baoyu? He seems to know his background quite well!"

Startled by what she was said, Xue Baochai frowned slightly and said urgently:

"Mom, why did you have that idea?"

After today's events, Xue Baochai has completely seen through Jia Baoyu.

She didn't particularly like Jia Baoyu's disinterest in officialdom and economics, his tendency to stay in the inner quarters, and his fondness for eating the rouge off the maids' lips.

Today, she even put on a farcical act of smashing jade, which really opened her eyes.

His childish temper not only made Lin Daiyu so angry that she vomited blood.

He's such a grown man, yet he still hides in his grandmother's arms whenever he has a problem, and acts crazy to tell his sisters not to play with their third brother. It's simply ridiculous!

He shows absolutely no sign of being a responsible and capable man!

After being beaten, she cried like a baby. How could anyone entrust their life to someone like that?

Aunt Xue, unaware of Xue Baochai's thoughts, smiled and said:

"Didn't Mother not come into contact with many other families in the capital? Among the Jia family, only Jing-ge and Bao-yu are suitable."

"Although Baoyu is a bit childish, he is of good character and doesn't have any major flaws."

"Besides, he's your aunt's child. Our two families are very close relatives, so you won't be mistreated by your mother-in-law after you marry him."

"Your aunt mentioned it to me today too. I think she values ​​you; she even hinted at it before at home..."

"Mother! Baoyu's mind is not settled yet, I don't think this matter is urgent!" Xue Baochai's face, which was as white and flawless as a pear blossom, was as pale as paper.

She had to interrupt Aunt Xue, otherwise she was afraid that her marriage would be decided in a muddled way!

Since ancient times, marriage has been arranged by parents. If Aunt Xue and Madam Wang had really made a marriage agreement, it would be too late to back out later.

Aunt Xue also realized that Baochai had no interest in Baoyu, and sighed, saying:

"Bao'er, it's fine if you don't like Baoyu! Tell me the truth, do you still... miss Jing'er?"