Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Inside Rongqing Hall, only Grandmother Jia and her granddaughter-in-law, Sister Feng, remained.

Seeing Lady Wang and Yuanyang leave, Fengjie's tears became even more uncontrollable. Grandmother Jia sighed deeply, beckoned Fengjie closer, took her hand, and said earnestly, "Fengjie, I know you're upset about this, but in life, there's no such thing as always getting the best deal. You have to be more open-minded so you won't suffer losses."

Grandmother Jia patted Fengjie's hand and continued, "Speaking of which, do you think I would be willing to wrong your Lin sister and make her Lian'er's concubine?"

As you may know, over the years I originally intended to marry you, Lin Daiyu, to your brother Bao, but...

Lian'er's status is not what it used to be. He not only likes you, Lin Daiyu, but he has also persuaded your father. Now, even I cannot refuse this matter. Do you understand the implications?

Grandmother Jia knew how to persuade others so that they would be willing to listen. Therefore, she abandoned her previous attitude of using the pressure of elders and instead empathized with Sister Feng, saying that even she could not oppose this matter, let alone Sister Feng.

Sure enough, upon hearing Grandmother Jia's words, Fengjie understood completely, and then asked tearfully, "But Grandmother, how could someone as noble as Master Lin be willing to give Lin girl to our Master Lian as a concubine?"

Grandmother Jia paused for a moment, "This is where Lian'er's strength lies. He was able to persuade your Master Lin to give Yu'er to him even though he was unwilling to divorce his wife. This shows his ability now!"

He is now a marquis outside the capital and has the emperor's trust; his future is limitless.

Just imagine, if he were to release the news at this time that he wanted to take a concubine to continue his lineage, countless daughters and heiresses from wealthy and powerful families in the capital would be willing to marry him!

Think about it again. Those women who marry him for his status and future, how can they be content after they enter the household? Even if you remain secure in your position as the Marquis's wife, you will likely not have a peaceful life.

On the other hand, look at your Lin sister. You've watched her grow up since she was little, and you know her character and appearance well. With her easygoing nature, she's kind to whoever treats her well, and you've taken care of her for so many years, if you happily welcome her into your home, will she ever resent you or turn against you in the future?

Your Lin sister is still young and frail, like a delicate lamp. Even if she wanted to compete with you for something, she would probably be powerless to do so, and besides, she doesn't know how.

Actually, the reason your Uncle Lin was willing to marry your sister Lin to Second Master Lian was because he valued Lian'er's character. He didn't feel comfortable letting your sister Lin marry into another family, fearing she would be mistreated. I'm sure you understand this without me saying it.”

Grandmother Jia spoke these words in a tone of heart-to-heart conversation between an elder and a younger generation, without bias, and Feng Jie still took a considerable amount to heart.

She knew that Grandmother Jia was right. Putting everything else aside, for the sake of having offspring, it was perfectly legitimate for Jia Lian to take a concubine or marry a second wife!

After a while, her sadness subsided, so she wiped away her tears and smiled at Grandmother Jia, saying, "Grandmother, don't worry. What you've said makes perfect sense to me. It's just that when I suddenly heard that our Master Lian was going to marry someone else, I just couldn't control my tears."

It seems that when I used to scold Ping'er and the others for being useless, I was actually useless myself.

Don't worry, Grandma, I understand. Since our Second Master Lian has taken a liking to Lin Daiyu and wants to take care of her, how can I refuse? Even disregarding the good things Second Master Lian has done for me in the past, I've always been extremely fond of Lin Daiyu in the few years she's been in our family.

Now that she is willing to condescend to marry into our family, it is a blessing for our Second Master Lian, and also for me.

Forget about the old lady's talk of concubines and wives. Once Lin Daiyu enters my family, I will treat her as a sister. Anything in the house that I own will naturally have a share for her as well, without any distinction of seniority.

If she thinks highly of me, considering I'm a few years older than her, and acknowledges me as her older sister, I'd be happy. If she doesn't want to, I can call her "older sister" too.

Although Wang Xifeng was good at saying polite words, the more she talked, the more likely she was to reveal her true feelings.

Grandmother Jia could tell that Sister Feng's words were not entirely sincere, so she calmly said, "You don't need to test us. Back then, even a princess of such high status couldn't take your place, so naturally your Lin sister wouldn't either."

This is also a kindness Lian'er showed you, and you should remember it.

Therefore, from now on, the Marquis's wife still belongs to you alone, and no one can take her away.

However, your sister Lin comes from an extraordinary background. When she enters the family, she will be a "noble concubine," as this is the request of your master, Mr. Lin.

Your concubine...

Wang Xifeng was not surprised at all. From the moment she heard Grandmother Jia say that she wanted to betroth Daiyu to Jia Lian, she knew that if Daiyu entered the family, her status would not be low, and she could even easily threaten her position.

That's why she couldn't help feeling sad, resentful, and wronged.

After all, she wouldn't care if it were a girl from a humble family. Even if she came into the family, she would just be another person to serve him, and he could easily control her.

Given her current relationship with Jia Lian, although she would still be unhappy if Jia Lian wanted to take a concubine, she wouldn't oppose it as fiercely as before.

What she didn't expect was that Jia Lian would take a liking to Daiyu, and that Lin Ruhai and Grandmother Jia would actually agree to it.

"Your status is different now, so you need to broaden your horizons and not just focus on the immediate gains like before."

Don't think that having another sister in the family with the title of concubine will affect your status.

The fact that you have a concubine as a sister under your command further demonstrates your high status.

From ancient times to the present, ask around – what kind of family is qualified to take a concubine? In other words, any family that can afford a concubine is extremely wealthy and noble!

"It's only because your Lian'er has been promoted to Marquis that he barely qualifies. Otherwise, your Master Lin and I would never have allowed your Lin sister to suffer this injustice of being treated as inferior!"

At this point, Grandmother Jia's tone became more serious. Although the main purpose today was to persuade Sister Feng to be magnanimous, she couldn't let her be spoiled. She still needed to let Sister Feng know that Daiyu was her own granddaughter, incomparable to anyone else, and that she shouldn't even think about bullying Daiyu in the future.

After all, aside from having some initial advantages, in terms of status as a young lady, Feng Jie might not be as good as Daiyu.

Now that Daiyu is being made a concubine, it's hard to say who is more wronged. It's also meant to teach Fengjie a lesson, to know when to stop.

Sister Feng naturally understood what she meant, and said with a smile, "What the old lady said is true. It is indeed a waste for someone as virtuous as Lin Daiyu to be under my care."

otherwise……"

"What else can we do?"

Grandmother Jia looked at Sister Feng with a deep expression.

Sister Feng smiled sheepishly. Just now, she had been trying to be sarcastic, suggesting that Daiyu become the Marquis's wife and she would be his concubine.

Before she could speak, she realized that this might offend Grandmother Jia. After all, Daiyu was Grandmother Jia's own granddaughter, and in the old lady's heart, she definitely loved Daiyu much more than her.

Given the current situation, she might be feeling quite uncomfortable herself. If she brings this up again, Grandmother Jia will definitely have something to say, and then she'll likely find herself in an awkward position.

Therefore, Sister Feng, who had foreseen all of this in an instant, wisely changed her words.

"Don't worry, Madam. I understand. Master Lian is willing to give up such a title to marry Lin Daiyu, which shows he truly loves her. So, even if it's just for his sake, I will treat Lin Daiyu well after she enters the family and won't let her suffer any grievances!"

Sister Feng was always quick to make her own plans. Knowing that there was no room for her to refuse, she composed herself and regained her usual composure.

Grandmother Jia then tentatively brought up topics such as the virtues and gentleness of women, and Wang Xifeng agreed to them all, which put Grandmother Jia at ease.

Seeing that it was getting late, they told Sister Feng to go back and rest.

"grandmother……"

Ping'er had been waiting outside Rongqing Hall for a long time. When she finally saw Feng Jie come out, she immediately went to greet her. But she saw that Feng Jie looked serious and didn't say a word. Ping'er asked anxiously.

Sister Feng glanced at her, then at the few maids under the eaves, and said in a low voice, "We'll talk about it when we get back."

After saying that, he strode back.