Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The fact that Daiyu was betrothed to Jia Lian and granted the title of Lady of the Township had a profound impact on Aunt Xue. Even long after returning home, she was still thinking about it.

Baochai changed her clothes and paid her respects. Seeing that Aunt Xue seemed a little distracted, she asked her out of curiosity.

Aunt Xue turned around and saw her daughter, who stood tall and graceful, with elegant manners, her lips naturally red and her eyebrows naturally dark. In terms of both figure and appearance, she was no less than those ladies from noble families and daughters of high society, and perhaps even surpassed them.

As for her talent and intelligence, needless to say, Aunt Xue believed that among all the young women she had ever met, none dared to claim that they surpassed her own daughter.

Unfortunately, due to the burden of his family, he finally got a chance to enter the palace, but he was sent back to the roster before he could even see the face of the noble people.

Although there is another opportunity to participate in the selection process in another year or two, what if I am still not selected by then?

By then, my daughter will be seventeen. That's an age when people are eager to get married.

Although Aunt Xue knew that with her daughter's qualifications, she would have no trouble finding a husband, she was still worried that her daughter would be unwilling to marry an ordinary official, let alone herself.

However, if she wanted to marry into a truly prestigious family, and the man was also well-off, she feared that the other party would look down on the Xue family's social standing and refuse to agree to the marriage.

Yes, Aunt Xue had only prepared three paths for her daughter.

Either she enters the palace, relying on her own qualities and abilities to forge a future; or she marries into a prestigious family where the son-in-law is also talented.

At worst, he could be an ordinary official, but the son-in-law had to be exceptionally talented.

There was no other choice. Aunt Xue had never even considered the idea of ​​marrying her daughter into an ordinary family. Families like theirs would never consider marrying their eldest daughter into an ordinary family and lowering their social standing.

Although the Xue family currently lacks a pillar of support, its influence as one of the four great families and its century-old heritage remain intact, so it will not easily admit defeat. If they can weather this weakened generation, perhaps the next generation will rise to prominence?

Therefore, no political resources can be wasted, nor should they be wasted.

Aunt Xue hadn't felt this urgent before, because the four great families, and not just the four great families, but many founding families, were declining.

But now, the Jia family, as the head of the four great families, is thriving and shows signs of regaining the glory of its ancestors...

In particular, the Lin family, a family whose influence was far inferior to that of the Xue family, one of the four great families, at the beginning of the founding of the nation. Even now, the Lin family is so dilapidated that only an orphan girl remains, and it still cannot compare with the Xue family.

It was precisely this Lin family that allowed their only orphaned daughter to marry into the now powerful Jia family.

Although she wasn't a proper marquis's wife, she still managed to secure a considerable amount of respectability. Most importantly, she obtained a title for a woman—a rare occurrence, perhaps only seen once every ten years!

Why did a woman who was a concubine, even a concubine in the second or third wife, have no status? It was because she was of lowly status, and anyone could bully her.

But Daiyu was clearly different. Putting aside everything else, her noble status as a county magistrate alone commanded respect from everyone, who dared not slight her.

In fact, if Daiyu had some skills or gained some favor from her master, it wouldn't be difficult for her to suppress Fengjie!

Of course, this is just a general case; in reality, their family situation cannot be judged by general standards.

Whether it's Lian-ge'er, Feng-ya-tou as the mistress, or Lin-ya-tou as a concubine with a noble title, none of them are ordinary people. Their future remains to be seen.

In her opinion, as long as Jia Lian himself is stable outside, it will be easy for the family to be harmonious and for the women to be virtuous and capable.

It's easy to imagine that in the future, their household will have a marquis, a marquis's wife, and a second wife with the title of Lady of the Township. They will definitely be a family that is famous and envied by others.

So why does all the good fortune belong to other people, and why are they all her familiar juniors?

Feng Jie'er is another story; she is her own niece, whom she watched grow up from childhood, like a mischievous monkey.

Daiyu was a delicate young girl she often saw after entering the Jia family. Although she was also quite beautiful and virtuous, she shouldn't have been so much luckier than her own daughter!

In Aunt Xue's eyes, neither Sister Feng nor Daiyu could compare to her own daughter. In terms of character, appearance, and talent, her daughter was definitely superior.

Thinking of this, Aunt Xue felt inexplicably irritated and sour. Although they were cousins ​​who had known each other since childhood, Jia Lian was not necessarily much more distant from Baochai than from Lin Daiyu, because from Feng Jie's perspective, Baochai was also their cousin.

Why did Jia Lian only take a liking to Lin Daiyu and not Baochai?

Baochai is clearly a few years older than Lin Daiyu, and she matured first! Judging from Jia Lian's brazen behavior of taking advantage of her, his aunt and maternal aunt's maid, he must be a lustful man.

In that case, he should have set his sights on Bao Yatou first and tried to marry her.

Aunt Xue felt a pang of shame at this thought. Knowing it was wrong to think this way, she couldn't help but ponder it. She even wondered if she would have agreed if Jia Lian had proposed to her own daughter…

She probably wouldn't agree to being just a second wife, but if she were also offered the title of concubine, she might consider it...

But if you add the title of village lord to that, then she will definitely agree!

It sounds like a long story, but in reality, this thought had been swirling in Aunt Xue's mind for half a day.

Baochai, however, noticed her mother staring at her intently, with occasional glints of rage in her eyes. Startled, she couldn't help but ask, "What is Mother thinking about?"

"Uh...it's nothing..."

Aunt Xue blushed, realizing she shouldn't have thought so much and had belittled her own daughter.

However, once the thought has arisen, if one does not think it through clearly, one will inevitably fail to understand it.

After giving Tongxi a look at the door and letting her go out, he took his daughter's hand, looked at her with a smile, and asked, "Bao'er, I have a question for you. Answer me honestly."

The sudden change in Xue Yima's demeanor left Baochai somewhat bewildered, but she immediately replied, "Mother, please speak freely."

"Suppose, I mean if, what if I were to give you to your second brother Lian, would you be willing?"

Baochai never expected her mother to say that, so she was stunned. After a long while, a sudden flush of blood rose to her face, turning her snow-white, beautiful face red.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Mother? I... I... Brother Lian already has Sister Feng, and now there's Lin Yatou too, I..."

Baochai rarely experienced feeling helpless, but at this moment she truly felt it.

In her panic, she struggled wildly. If Aunt Xue hadn't anticipated this and held her hands tightly, she would have definitely escaped.

"Why are you so nervous? There's no one else here. It's just the two of us, mother and daughter, having a private talk. Are you shy about that?"

Aunt Xue, relying on her experience, remained calm and composed when she saw her daughter so embarrassed.

Baochai took a deep breath, looked at Aunt Xue, and said solemnly, "I don't know where Mother got this idea from, but I'm not morally deficient and afraid of not being able to get married. Why would Mother want to give me away as a concubine? Could it be that Mother, like others, is blinded by the power and wealth before her and wants to demean me?"

Baochai was genuinely startled by Aunt Xue's idea and feared that Aunt Xue might actually do it, so she spoke rather harshly to dissuade Aunt Xue from the idea.

Aunt Xue was slightly surprised to see this. She knew firsthand how attractive a remarkable man like Jia Lian could be to a young woman. She had also assumed that, given her daughter's personality, she would value and like him even more.

So even if Baochai was unwilling to become a concubine, she would have thought about it quietly and shyly before refusing him, right? Why would she be so clear about her attitude?

"Silly girl, I would never have thought of this if it were anyone else. But it's a different story if it's Lian-ge'er."

Did you know that even a perfectly good couple might not be happy for the rest of their lives if they marry the wrong person?

Mom has been through it all; she's seen and heard far more than you do.

Our daughters are born into hardship; once they choose a man, there's no going back.

Did you know that among all the couples in the world, those who are truly harmonious and in sync are less than one in ten? Most of them are just making do and getting by.

In contrast, over the years, my mother has also seen some people whose lives were originally unfortunate, but who lived happily ever after because they married men they loved. Among these people, many were not originally married, but in any case, they all married the right person.

There are plenty of good men in the world, but there are also very few, and the ones you can meet are even fewer.

But I believe that none of these people are more outstanding than your second brother Lian.

Perhaps because there was no one else in the room, or perhaps because she sensed that her mother wanted to have a private conversation with her, Baochai gradually quieted down and listened to her mother's teachings.

She was somewhat surprised, not expecting that her mother held Lian Er Gege in such high regard.

Although she also thought that Jia Lian was a very, very good person...

However, he got married, and he also wanted Nalin!

At this point, what would it look like if she went over there again?

It's not about whether Jia Lian is qualified or not, but rather that Xue Baochai would never be so self-degrading.

"I understand what Mother is saying, but if it's true that Brother Lian is sincerely... sincerely begging you... begging you... then Mother has something to consider..."

But now that they have no such intention, it would be ridiculous for my mother to say such things.

Besides, Lian Er is technically my cousin's husband. If Mother does this, how will we face Sister Feng in the future?

Baochai almost blushed and stammered as she finished speaking.

Seeing this, Aunt Xue smiled. She felt that her daughter hadn't truly understood her intentions. However, her daughter was very clever, so there was no need to force her. Letting her know that she had this thought would allow her to change her mind naturally if she came to a realization in the future.

So he patted Baochai on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm not that kind of unreasonable person. Your father passed away early, and all these years, I've been able to get through it all thanks to your comforting words."

Therefore, I will certainly not make decisions about your marriage without your consent; I will definitely ask for your opinion.

I'm just asking for your opinion privately now, so that I won't misunderstand you in the future and ruin your life.

Therefore, you don't need to rush to object, and I don't really intend to give you to Lian-ge'er.

Today, you heard from your aunt that your second brother Lian went to great lengths and made many efforts to marry Lin and ensure she wouldn't suffer any injustice.

Let me ask you this: if you were Lin Daiyu, and he did that to you, would you still be willing to marry him?

Baochai was suddenly stunned.

She is introverted by nature and never easily reveals her emotions to others, so often others cannot see what she is thinking.

But she couldn't lie to herself. Even if Aunt Xue didn't say it, she felt that Jia Lian was indeed the most outstanding young man she had ever met in her life.

She used to agree with her mother's envy of her cousin Wang Xifeng, thinking that her cousin was indeed lucky.

Even today, when she first heard from Madam Wang that Daiyu had been betrothed to Jia Lian, she was surprised and puzzled. Because based on her understanding of Daiyu, Daiyu was such a proud and arrogant girl who looked down on worldly things.

There is absolutely no way she would be willing to humble herself and become Jia Lian's concubine just because of his power and influence.

Therefore, she initially even thought this was another family marriage, a deal secretly made by Grandmother Jia and Lin Ruhai, among others. She feared that Lin girl would suffer in the future.

Later, after hearing Lady Wang recount the details of the relationship, and recalling the past when Daiyu only treated Jia Lian as her elder brother and treated everyone else differently, she gradually came to understand.

Perhaps Daiyu was willing to marry Jia Lian!

Furthermore, after hearing from her mother and aunt that Daiyu's status as a Lady of the Township was mostly due to Jia Lian, she felt a faint sense of envy...

Given how well Jia Lian treats Daiyu, coupled with his relationship with Grandmother Jia, it's likely that in the future, it won't be Daiyu who suffers, but rather her cousin Wang Xifeng!

Aunt Xue noticed her hesitation and immediately smiled, then sighed inwardly, realizing it was too late. Lin Ya had already taken all the benefits.

However, if it weren't for Lin's matter, I'm afraid I would be just like everyone else, only envying Feng for having a good marriage, and not seeing the many benefits that she could possibly enjoy with her abilities!

Seeing her mother's smile, Baochai blushed and did not answer directly: "What Mother said is a situation that does not exist in the first place, so what is there to assume?"

No matter how good Brother Lian is, he has chosen Sister Feng and Lin Yatou, so it is destined that he has nothing to do with me.

Instead of worrying about these things, Mother should think of a way to get her brother to settle down. Perhaps he could study, or learn economics and how to navigate the world. That way, even if he doesn't become an official, at least he could manage the family business, and Mother wouldn't have to work so hard.

Seeing that Baochai had changed the subject, Aunt Xue finally smiled.

Silly girl, otherwise why do you think I would have thought of betrothing you to Lian-ge'er...

With your brother's temperament, let alone me, I'm afraid even the current prime minister couldn't teach him properly.

Instead of wasting energy, wouldn't it be better to find a strong and powerful backer?

Your brother may be a bit of a muddle-headed fellow, but at least he's not stupid. With a smart sister and a capable brother-in-law to help him out, he's more than capable of maintaining the status quo.

The more Aunt Xue thought about it, the more she regretted not getting on Jia Lian's good side sooner. But another rational thought told her that even if she had thought about it earlier, she wouldn't have known that Jia Lian would come to this.

Seeing the regret on her mother's face, Baochai, who felt she had glimpsed her mother's thoughts, realized for the first time that her mother was also a worldly woman.

Fearing she might overthink things, I wanted to say goodbye and go back to my room to calm down.

Aunt Xue, however, wouldn't let her go, and asked with a smile, "Today at their house, did you feel that the old lady's gaze towards you was more affectionate than before?"

Baochai was an intelligent person; she understood the implied meaning from the music and immediately blushed with embarrassment.

"Mother~!"

"Hehehe, you've figured it out too, haven't you? Since you're disgusted that your second brother Lian has taken a wife and concubines, then Baoyu must be pretty good, right?"

She's well-behaved and sensible, and quite pretty. What's rare is her dedication to her daughter's family. If you marry into her family, you'll have your aunt's love and care, so you definitely won't suffer.

Aunt Xue chuckled.

She had known for a long time that Lady Wang intended for Baochai to become her daughter-in-law. However, both families had some reservations and had not made it clear before.

She knew that Lady Wang's concern was that of Grandmother Jia.

Grandmother Jia wanted to match her granddaughter with her grandson Baoyu.

Now that her granddaughter is failing, the old lady glances at her and thinks, "Hey, my little darling isn't bad either..."

Baochai was genuinely annoyed now, and said in a coquettish tone, "Mother, if you keep saying these things, I won't talk to you anymore."

If she remembered correctly, her mother had tested her before, and she had expressed her unwillingness. Now her mother was asking again, wasn't it obvious that she was worried that she wouldn't be able to get married and wanted to find a place to get rid of her?

To be fair, Jia Baoyu's character was better than that of the average scion of a noble family, but perhaps because her cousin-in-law Jia Lian was such a brilliant talent, she couldn't help but feel that Jia Baoyu was far inferior.

Moreover, he's too unambitious. And since I'm his cousin, if I were to marry him, I'd definitely have endless worries in the future.

If he's willing to listen, that's fine; but if he's not, what can I do? I'll just end up like my mother did all those years, heartbroken and shedding tears over my brother's affairs.

Therefore, Jia Baoyu was not the right match for her.

What she wanted was someone who was worldly-wise, had excellent taste, and whose abilities didn't necessarily have to be as high as her cousin-in-law Jia Lian's, just a little above average.

Most importantly, he should be a husband who is open to advice, so that after she marries him, they can support each other and build a successful career together.

Compared to that, appearance is not so important; being handsome is naturally the best, but being of average appearance is also acceptable.

It might be a bit difficult, but we should still give it a try. If we really can't wait, we'll make other plans.

"Hehehe, Baoyu, you're not willing either? Then what kind of person do you want to marry? This is really putting me in a difficult position. If I had known, I would have done what others do and just married you off to anyone I liked, regardless of your wishes."

Aunt Xue hugged her daughter and chuckled as she complained.

Because it was clear from the start that after the old lady of the Jia family passed away, her brother-in-law and his wife would eventually have to move out of the Rongguo Mansion.

If Baoyu is unable to accomplish anything by then, even having a concubine as an elder sister might not be enough to protect the Xue family.

Therefore, Aunt Xue wasn't particularly keen on pairing them up. Parents who love their children plan far ahead, and no amount of thinking is too much.

In her eyes, the best marriage for her daughter would naturally be to marry a son-in-law of noble status and outstanding ability, who could be granted an imperial title. This way, her daughter would be happy and would also be able to help the Xue family in the future.

Baochai lay in her mother's arms, initially feeling a little shy, but seeing that her mother remained silent for a long time, she became uneasy.

Looking up, she seemed to see the worry in Aunt Xue's heart. Feeling a little sorry for her, she put away her shyness and suddenly said seriously, "Mother, have you forgotten? Didn't we agree that I would try again when the palace holds the next selection?"

Perhaps next time my daughter will be chosen and will have her own destiny. Then, Mother won't have to worry about me anymore.

Aunt Xue stroked her daughter's hair affectionately, sighing softly in her heart.

She never doubted that with her daughter's looks and character, as long as she could be selected to serve as a lady-in-waiting to princesses, noble ladies, or imperial concubines, she would surely be favored by a noble person one day!

However, even among influential people, there are differences.

If she were to catch the eye of those idle princes and nobles, and become a princess or concubine, that would be wonderful.

I fear that if one is unlucky and encounters a licentious and immoral person who doesn't cherish others, it will only bring trouble.

What's the point of that?

However, this worry was something that absolutely could not be told to Baochai, as it would be too cruel for her.

Let's wait and see. Let her enjoy two more years of peace and quiet before worrying about these things. Maybe Bao'er really has her own destiny.