Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After the gathering at Rongqing Hall, Lady Wang invited Aunt Xue to sit in her room, and Baochai followed along.

During their conversation, the topic of Daiyu's conferment of a title inevitably came up, prompting Aunt Xue to sigh with emotion.

A minor fourth-rank title that cannot be inherited is nothing to the Jia family. After all, even Lady Wang, the lowest-ranking noblewoman in the two mansions, is a fourth-rank official.

But for the Xue family, this is something to be envied. Because what the Xue family lacks is someone with a prestigious status to provide support.

When Master Xue was alive, although his official rank was low, he was still registered in the emperor's private treasury and was considered "one of the emperor's men".

Now, Xue Pan is merely a figurehead in the Ministry of Revenue. Moreover, because the Xue family is weak, they are also marginalized in the Ministry of Revenue, and many things that the Xue family should have purchased in the past have been taken over by others.

Faced with this, Xue Pan could only curse in private, while Aunt Xue and her daughter could only watch helplessly, with no good solutions in sight.

In fact, if it weren't for the Jia family's influence, it's questionable whether Xue Pan would have been able to keep his title as Minister of Revenue.

At this time, if either Xue Pan or Baochai could obtain a title, even the lowest one that could not be inherited, Aunt Xue would be laughing in her sleep.

The Xue family has accumulated a considerable fortune through the efforts of several generations.

Therefore, Aunt Xue wasn't too concerned about others taking away the business in the palace. What she cared more about was whether she could preserve the wealth accumulated by the Xue family over generations.

To everyone's surprise, Madam Wang hesitated after hearing Aunt Xue's envious words. Seeing Aunt Xue press her for details, she finally said, "I think that Lin's ability to obtain this sacred scroll and be granted an honorific title is probably not entirely due to her father's influence..."

When Madam Wang said this, Aunt Xue and Baochai were naturally quite curious and hurriedly asked what other details there were.

As far as they knew, the only thing that made Daiyu memorable to the emperor was that she had an excellent father. This was also why, although everyone admired Daiyu before, it wasn't too surprising.

After all, she is the daughter of a third-ranked scholar.

It's like in later generations, if a PhD's daughter gets into Tsinghua or Peking University, people might envy her, but they wouldn't find it strange. After all, she has the foundation.

Moreover, Wang Xifeng also said that it was indeed because of Lin Ruhai.

Madam Wang had been pondering this issue since her time at Rongqing Hall, and now, facing her closest and most trusted sister, she didn't hide it from her.

"There's something you don't know: before her death, Lin's father betrothed her to Lian'er as his second wife..."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Aunt Xue and Baochai stared wide-eyed at each other, unable to hide their astonishment.

Since she had already brought it up, Madam Wang readily recounted everything she knew about the matter to her sister and niece.

This includes Daiyu's status as a "noble concubine" and Jia Lian's desire to marry Daiyu into the family according to proper etiquette.

Aunt Xue fell silent, and so did Baochai.

After a while, Aunt Xue finally understood the situation. Just as she was about to speak, she remembered something and asked, "Does Baoyu know about this?"

Aunt Xue had been in the capital for over a year and was very concerned about her nephew, Jia Baoyu. She could also see that Jia Baoyu and Daiyu had a special bond from childhood.

Madam Wang paused for a moment, then said, "The old lady doesn't want this matter to be made public yet. She says that Lin is still too young, and we should wait a few years until her mourning period is over. So, you just need to know this, and it's best not to tell outsiders."

Aunt Xue then understood, nodded, and let the matter drop. In Aunt Xue's view, let alone the fact that Jia Baoyu and Daiyu were just children who didn't understand the meaning of "like," even if they did like each other, marriage was still a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's words.

Even if Jia Baoyu was unhappy when he found out, there was nothing he could do; at most, he would just make a small fuss.

Aunt Xue then laughed and said, "Now that my sister has told me about this, I understand."

My sister is right. Although I don’t know what Lin’s father’s status is in front of the emperor, he probably hasn’t reached the point where he can get a title for Lin.

Otherwise, why didn't Lin's father ask for it for her when he was alive?

On the contrary, ever since we entered the capital, we have heard that Lian-ge'er has gained the Emperor's favor. Not only has he been assigned many tasks, both big and small, but he has also been granted the title of Marquis.

So, if he really wanted to get Lin a proper status, he might actually be able to do it!

"Really? You think so too?"

Madam Wang became quite excited. She had been wondering about it for a long time, but couldn't make up her mind. Hearing her sister think the same way, she immediately felt that it was probably true.

Otherwise, how come Lin Ruhai had been dead for six or seven days, and Jia Lian happened to enter the palace and bring back the reward for Daiyu?

All of this indicates that Jia Lian is also involved in this matter.

Aunt Xue, observing the changes in Madam Wang's expression, guessed some of her sister's thoughts.

She hesitated for a moment, then said casually, "Sister, in my opinion, for a family to truly prosper and benefit the entire Jia clan, it is the men who can achieve it."

Lian-ge'er's current momentum is exactly like the ancient saying, "A dragon soars into the nine heavens, its momentum reaching the sky."

Although he was not his sister's son, what was rare was that he was very close to his family members, and he was also very respectful and friendly to his brother-in-law and Baoyu.

Having such a descendant in the family is a blessing that many families can only dream of.

Baoyu was naturally an extremely noble person. His father was an official in the court, and his sister was a concubine in the palace. There were not many people in the world with a more noble status than him.

However, if my sister wants Baoyu to live a peaceful and wealthy life, that is certainly enough.

But if you want him to work hard outside like Lian-ge, I'm afraid he wouldn't really like doing that kind of thing. Even if his sister and brother-in-law could easily get him an official position in the future, he would still have to be willing to put his heart into it.

Now things are looking up. Lian-ge'er happens to have exceptional talent and good fortune in both officialdom and economics. As long as Lian-ge'er continues to have such a smooth career, even if Bao-yu is a bit lazy, having such a cousin to take care of him will be enough for him to make a name for himself and have children for his sister and brother-in-law.

This is a relationship that others can only envy.

Therefore, elder sister should take advantage of the old lady's presence to encourage Baoyu and Lian'er to grow closer, as this will benefit them both in the future...

"Look at me, I've been too talkative. I hope you won't take offense, sister."

It was only because the two sisters had a close relationship since childhood that Aunt Xue dared to subtly probe Madam Wang on this sensitive topic.

She knew, of course, that Lady Wang didn't really want Jia Lian to succeed. Because if Jia Lian succeeded, it meant that she, Jia Zheng, and everyone in the second branch of the family would have to move out of the Duke's mansion and live separately after the death of the matriarch, Grandmother Jia.

It's human nature; she can understand.

However, if Jia Lian is only somewhat capable, suppressing him might be effective.

The current situation is that Jia Lian is not just a little bit promising, he's practically aiming for the heavens!

Not only could he bestow upon himself the title of Marquis, but he could also conveniently grant his second wife the title of Duchess. This is something that ordinary people can do.

Seeing that her older sister seemed to be showing signs of waking up, Aunt Xue naturally didn't hesitate to give her some pointers.

The Xue family was able to withdraw from Jinling and come to the capital for peace and quiet only because of Lady Wang. Therefore, she did not want Lady Wang to fight against "gods" like Jia Lian, because she believed that they would most likely lose.

If her elder sister, Lady Wang, were to lose, she would have no choice but to leave the Jia family and seek refuge with her elder brother, Prince Teng.

Wang Ziteng was also a military officer, often away from home. She didn't believe her sister-in-law could treat their family with the same sincerity as a biological sister.

Lady Wang understood Aunt Xue's intentions just by looking at her cautious yet pointed words.

She took Aunt Xue's hand, patted it, and breathed a sigh of relief.

She was truly terrified by the fact that Daiyu had been granted the title of Lady of the Township.

Having watched Jia Lian grow up since childhood, I had long been accustomed to looking down on him.

Although Jia Lian later created many miracles, she was able to reduce her fear by saying that it was only because of the glory of her ancestors.

However, it was the incident with Jia Baoyu at the Water Moon Nunnery that made her realize that Jia Lian had no ill intentions towards Jia Baoyu, which made her want to ease the tension between them.

But she was only thinking about saving face for everyone; she didn't actually give in.

That's true. She is the birth mother of the Imperial Concubine. How could you possibly make her admit defeat?

But now, Jia Lian, simply because he likes Daiyu, is able to overcome what she considers insurmountable difficulties, such as those involving Lin Ruhai and Grandmother Jia, to win her over. Furthermore, he can even obtain a title for Daiyu. Perhaps his sole purpose is simply to allow him to openly and formally marry Daiyu with great ceremony?

What kind of sacred texts and abilities are needed to accomplish this?

No wonder, every time she went to the palace to visit Yuan Chun, Yuan Chun would ask about Jia Lian and subtly encourage her to be on good terms with him.

Now, even her closest younger sister, whom she's known since childhood, is advising her that the world is ultimately dictated by the will of heaven, so what is there left for her to deceive herself about?

Yuan Chun was of noble birth, that much is undeniable. Even Jia Lian had to pay his respects to her upon meeting her.

In formal settings, one might even need to kneel.

However, aside from the immeasurable value of honor, what Yuan-chun could bring to the family was, on the surface, some palace gifts every year. That was all.

On the contrary, her family practically emptied their savings to build her a palace...

Looking at Jia Lian, how many years has it been since he started his rebellion? Everyone below says that Feng Jie's room is overflowing with valuables!

Not to mention, he even managed to get a title for someone else, and it was given to a little girl.

He can get a female title for Lin Daiyu, so if he wanted to, he could get one for Baoyu in the future too...

It must be said that Mrs. Wang has a very active mind.

Just because of Daiyu's matter, he could immediately connect it to the issues he cared about most.

Jia Baoyu lacks nothing except an official position! This is also why she and Jia Zheng were able to form a united front in forcing Jia Baoyu to study.

A noble title is too difficult to obtain; it's much easier to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations and earn a government position. After all, Jia Zheng doesn't have the prestige of the old Duke, who was able to wait until his deathbed to receive a legitimate official title from the emperor.

This was the only option when there was no hope of obtaining a noble title.

Now I suddenly realize that titles are not as lofty and unattainable as they seem!

Even Lin Daiyu got one, so why can't her Baoyu?

Although she knew that obtaining a title for Jia Baoyu would be more difficult than for Daiyu, there was always a chance, wasn't there?

As Jia Lian's power grew, she often couldn't sleep well and occasionally had nightmares!

It's time to give myself a way out...

Lady Wang was also a woman who enjoyed wealth and honor, and she liked riches but disliked taking risks.

If Jia Lian can tolerate her and her children, why should she necessarily oppose him?

Thinking about it carefully, the conflict of interest between Jia Lian and his wife is no longer as sharp as it once was. The newly built Duke's mansion is definitely for Lian'er, and as for the property that the Duke would divide among the second branch of the family, Jia Lian wouldn't care too much about it now, given his current abilities.

At worst, they can suffer a loss, and the two families can split it equally. In any case, apart from the imperial-built mansion, all the assets of the Rongguo Mansion are only worth a few hundred thousand taels.

She used to be afraid that Jia Lian would take everything back, but now she's not so worried.

Perhaps Baoyu's father was right; treating Lian'er gently was the right way.

Her only worry was that Lian'er would eventually find out that she had some connection to the Yang family's affair...

I'm not afraid.

Firstly, she only spoke up and didn't do anything. Secondly, Yang Shi has been dead for two years, and that matter will probably never be brought up again, let alone implicate her.

Having figured all this out, Madam Wang felt a great sense of relief and had a long, intimate talk with her sister before finally stopping.