Chapter 539: The Truth and Falsehood of the Marriage Alliance

Divine Capital, Qingyu Lane, Xia Mansion.

In the main hall of the inner courtyard, the Xia mistress read the brief letter sent by Lady Wang, and her heart was already clear.

The day she visited the Jia family, she asked Lady Wang to convey the refusal of the marriage.

When Lady Wang mentioned that her daughter was a female historian in the palace, the Xia mistress left a hint that she had connections everywhere in the palace, which Lady Wang indeed could not forget.

Now the letter politely mentioned this matter and invited the Xia mistress to visit if she had time, saying that there was a young lady in the family who could be a companion for her daughter.

The Xia mistress said to the maid who delivered the letter, "I have understood the meaning of your lady's letter, but this year's palace selection is a grand affair."

"Daughters of official families who have reached the age of fifteen will all enter the palace for selection, hoping for imperial grace. Now everyone is watching."

"Although the family has relatives in the palace, wanting to clear the connections and make friends is very easy to attract attention, and the risks are unpredictable."

"Please allow the Xia family to think about it for a few days before replying to your lady."

The maid who delivered the letter was Lady Wang's trusted dowry maid. She originally thought that with the Jia family's status, asking for help from a merchant family like the Xia family, the other party would definitely agree happily.

She didn't expect this Xia mistress to hesitate. However, she was just a slave of the Jia family and couldn't say much, only saying she would go back and report truthfully to her lady.

And the Xia mistress's sentence about having relatives in the palace was somewhat intimidating, which shocked the maid who delivered the letter, making her feel that the Xia family indeed had some foundation, which was why they were so cautious.

After Lady Wang's dowry maid left, Xia Gu Niang walked out from behind the screen in the main hall and asked, "Mother, I heard Baochan say that someone from the Jia family came to deliver a letter?"

The Xia mistress frowned and said, "That maid of yours is like a news-reporter, and she is also restless. Just now, the Jia family's Second Lady sent a letter, wanting to invite us to be guests."

Xia Gu Niang's eyes lit up and she asked, "Why would they invite us to be guests for no reason?"

The Xia mistress smiled slightly, "Last time I visited the Jia family's Second Lady, it was originally to ask her to convey the refusal of the Xue family's marriage. During the chat, I mentioned our family's roots in the palace."

"I didn't expect this Jia family's Second Lady to be ambitious. She knows that this year's palace selection is being implemented seriously to enrich the inner palace."

"She has an eldest daughter who entered the palace when she was young and is now a female historian in the Fengzao Palace. This Second Lady wants to ask the Xia family to use their connections in the palace to help her daughter be selected and gain imperial favor."

"Whether the Xia family can help with this matter is still a matter of two opinions. However, helping them move around and accumulating a favor in the Jia family is a feasible thing."

"Our family is an orphan and a widow, and if we want to gain a foothold in the business and official circles, we must associate more with noble families with foundations."

"The Jia family is a noble family of the state. It is a good thing for the Xia family to be able to associate with them. However, agreeing to this kind of thing too quickly will make the response seem too easy and have no weight."

"It is better to leave her hanging for two days, and only reply to her when she is suspicious and uneasy, which can be considered a favor."

Xia Gu Niang heard her mother's words, and her expression was slightly happy. She said, "Mother, helping someone's daughter seek imperial favor in the palace is not a trivial matter. It is a real favor."

"Just with a letter, our family takes on this matter, which is too cheap for the Jia family."

The Xia mistress was slightly stunned and said, "Whether this matter can be handled still needs to be asked of the relative in the palace. At present, this matter has not been decided. You are right, but do you have any good methods?"

Xia Gu Niang said, "In my opinion, Mother might as well, might as well..."

The usually spicy Xia Gu Niang was somewhat hesitant in her speech, her pretty face suddenly flushed, and her beautiful eyes were rippling with waves, as if they could be moistened with water.

As the saying goes, no one knows a daughter better than her mother. The Xia mistress saw her daughter's expression and knew what she was calculating in her heart.

She frowned and said, "You wouldn't want to use this matter to control the Jia family's Second Lady and let her help you get that Jia Cong! You are a big girl, and you don't know shame. You are truly fascinated by that Jia Cong."

"Jia Cong is now the Earl of Lord Weiyuan of the Rongguo Prefecture. The Second Lady has to look at his face. He is not the Second Lady's own son. Why can she control his marriage?"

"You should be safe, don't be reckless all day, wishing for the impossible!"

Xia Gu Niang's face was still flushed, but she wouldn't let go of her mouth, "Mother, it wasn't you who said we need to associate with these noble families? I don't think I'm wrong to think so!"

Seeing her daughter obsessed, the Xia mistress was very troubled and said, "You are not wrong, you can look at any of the young masters of the Jia family, but this Jia Cong's card is too big. Even if you like him, it's useless."

"Just listen to your mother, his status is absolutely not something our family can look up to. If you are still obsessed like this, you will definitely suffer a great loss in the future."

Xia Gu Niang had always had a fierce temperament and was a wealthy only daughter spoiled since childhood. From childhood to adulthood, as long as she liked something, relying on her mother's pampering, she had never failed to get it.

Now, relying on her youthful beauty, she regarded herself as a golden Bodhisattva and naturally wanted the best things to match herself.

Although she also realized that it would be very difficult to get Jia Cong, her heart was burning, and she still refused to give up, naturally unable to listen to her mother's words.

Seeing her daughter walk away angrily, the Xia mistress knew she wouldn't give up, and she was very depressed in her heart, but when she thought about it, she felt something was wrong.

Her daughter only saw Jia Cong once at the Jia mansion. If she only saw him once, how could she be so fascinated?

These noble sons are not fuel-efficient lamps when it comes to women. Could it be that when her daughter saw Jia Cong that day, the other party saw her daughter's beauty and had already done something to her?

Otherwise, how could she provoke this girl to be so fascinated, thinking about that person and unable to let go...? The Xia mistress knew that her daughter was somewhat spoiled and sometimes acted unscrupulously. If it was young and ignorant, and something harmful to the customs had already happened, how could she marry if it spread?

She thought left and right and felt that something was wrong, so she sent someone to call her daughter's maid, Baochan, to ask.

Xia Gu Niang returned to her room. Although she was unhappy, she didn't smash things in the room this time and just lay on the embroidered bed, not knowing what she was thinking.

The maid Baochan saw that her young lady had been angry in the front hall and didn't make a fuss when she came back, so she was happy to be lazy and slipped out of the room, sitting on the steps outside the door cracking melon seeds.

At this time, a mother from the Lady's side came to find her, saying the Lady wanted her to go to the front hall to ask questions.

This Baochan had three points of beauty, but her temperament and behavior were somewhat frivolous. She was best at selling well and pleasing Xia Gu Niang. She didn't learn the good things, but learned Xia Gu Niang's eccentricity and weirdness to the full.

She relied on Xia Gu Niang's momentum and was not afraid of anyone in the inner courtyard, but she only feared the Xia mistress. Seeing the Lady suddenly call her to ask questions, she couldn't help but feel somewhat uneasy.

In the hall of the inner courtyard, seeing Baochan enter with her head down, the Xia mistress said, "You have always followed the young lady closely. I have a matter to ask you. If you hide even half a point, I will peel your skin!"

Baochan felt a chill all over when she heard the Xia mistress's gloomy words.

Who in the family didn't know that the Lady was a ruthless person? Otherwise, as a widow, how could she manage such a big business in the Xia family so well?

She was somewhat trembling and replied, "The Lady has something to ask, Baochan will definitely not dare to hide or lie."

The Xia mistress asked, "That day we went to visit the Xue family, you accompanied the young lady to the Jia family garden to enjoy the lanterns. You met the Earl of Lord Weiyuan of the Jia family in the middle. What words and actions did the young lady have with him? Tell me."

Baochan said, "That day, the Jia family's Third Young Lady and the Xue family's eldest young lady accompanied us to the garden to see the lanterns, and met the Earl of Lord Weiyuan and that Baoyu in the middle."

The Xia mistress was slightly stunned and asked, "Who is Baoyu?"

Baochan seemed to have a good impression of Baoyu. Hearing the Lady mention him, she was somewhat happy, but she knew the Xia mistress was ruthless, so she quickly restrained her expression.

She said, "Baoyu is the son of the Jia family's Second Lady, the young master who was rumored to be born with jade in his mouth in the capital."

The Xia mistress was slightly enlightened. She had naturally heard of the rumor about being born with jade in his mouth.

The Xia mistress frowned, "I asked you about the young lady and the Earl of Lord Weiyuan Jia Cong, why are you talking about Baoyu? Did the young lady have any words or actions with Jia Cong at that time?"

Baochan was somewhat puzzled and replied, "The young lady and Jia Cong had no involvement. At that time, we just saw him from afar. The Jia family's Third Young Lady called him Third Brother, and I knew that was the Earl of Lord Weiyuan."

"The young lady just saw him from the side, and the two didn't speak at all, let alone have any actions."

The Xia mistress was also stunned and said, "The young lady just saw him from afar, how did she become like this when she came back? Are you lying to me!"

Baochan was startled and said in a panic, "Lady, what I said is the truth. It's no wonder the young lady is like this. That Jia Cong is very good-looking. I have never seen anyone so good-looking."

"And he has a title and official status, which makes people envious, so the young lady would..."

"Actually, that Baoyu is also very upright and looks very pleasing to the eye. I also advised the young lady that Jia Cong's background is too big, and it's not worth getting involved with him. There are more than one handsome young master..."

Seeing Baochan's panic, the Xia mistress frowned.

It turned out that her daughter only looked at the other party, and without even saying a word, she was fascinated by him. This useless thing.

Just going to the Jia mansion, it was truly like seeing a ghost. Her daughter was possessed by Jia Cong, thinking about him and unable to let go, wishing she could marry him immediately.

Her maid also seemed to be possessed, mentioning that Baoyu in a few words, looking bright-eyed and looking like a flirt.

Can the men of the Jia family be so fragrant?...

Hearing Baochan's nonsense, the Xia mistress felt annoyed and said, "Get out, get out, go back and watch the young lady well. If you dare to provoke trouble in front of the young lady, watch your skin!"

Hearing the Xia mistress's words, Baochan felt like she had been granted amnesty and hurried out of the hall.

The Xia mistress rubbed her temples with a headache. Recalling Baochan's nonsense just now, she suddenly felt a move in her heart.

In the past, she had heard rumors about Baoyu in the market, but people outside only knew that the Jia family had a young master born with jade in his mouth, but couldn't figure out whether he was from the First Branch or the Second Branch.

The Xia family was a merchant family, and the Jia family was a noble and wealthy family. There could be no intersection between the two families, so naturally, she didn't know the ins and outs.

Only after hearing Baochan mention it did the Xia mistress realize that Baoyu was the son of the Jia family's Second Lady... Although the maid Baochan was somewhat frivolous, she had a good appearance. The vision she cultivated while serving her daughter was not low. Since she felt that Baoyu was not vulgar, it must be correct...

As for that Jia Cong, his status and power were there. The Xia mistress was a person who had seen the world, but she would never have any extravagant hopes for him, so as not to be laughed at.

Rongguo Prefecture, Lixiang Courtyard.

In the courtyard, seven or eight pear trees of several decades were blown by the warm wind of the second month. The withered branches that had experienced the entire winter bloomed with spots of emerald green shoots, adding spring color and joy to the courtyard.

In the inner room of the hall, Ying'er was drawing flower patterns, and Jin Chuan was combing colored threads on the side, organizing them into neat strands for her young lady to embroider.

Baochai had a bun as black as ink on her head, wore a honey-colored powder-bottomed gold-edged cross-collared long coat, a large red cross-collared small garment inside, and an onion-yellow silk cotton skirt on the lower body.

She wore an ordinary inlaid pearl gold hairpin on her head and a pink nine-system silk flower on her right temple. There were no other head ornaments. Although the makeup was simple, it made her eyebrows look like spring mountains, her eyes like autumn water, and her lips like cinnabar.

On her head, she wore a simple pearl-inlaid gold hairpin, and on her right temple, she wore a pink nine-refined silk flower; there were no other hair ornaments. Although her makeup was simple, it made her eyebrows look like spring mountains, her eyes like autumn ripples, and her lips like cinnabar.

The vermilion cross-collar undershirt was slightly exposed at the collar of her long coat, white and red alternating, making her flawless, crystal-clear neck skin look even more delicate and moist like snow, and the fragrance she stirred up was dazzling to the eyes.

She was holding a needle and thread, embroidering a picture of spring peonies on a green bamboo scroll frame; her slender fingers were slightly curling the colored thread, and the silver needle jumped up and down, her movements light and fluid.

During this period, Baochai's days were spent with ease, as Xue Yima Xue and Lady Wang were busy arranging Xue Pan's marriage, giving Baochai a chance to catch her breath.

Baochai was glad that her mother had found a good excuse about the order of seniority; since her brother hadn't married yet, there was no reason to rush her own, which sounded high-sounding and saved her aunt from constantly pushing the "Gold and Jade Affinity."

Baochai was extremely intelligent and knew her mother's thoughts perfectly well; that she would push her brother out as a shield at this juncture showed that her mother was already resisting the "Gold and Jade Affinity" inside.

As for why her mother had changed so much, Baochai naturally guessed the reason; it was not only because Baoyu's reputation was now notorious.

More importantly, Brother Cong had again received imperial favor and become the joint master of the Jia family's East and West Prefectures; from then on, there was no one in the Jia family whose glory and prestige surpassed his.

Although her mother knew the vast difference in their family status, she had finally begun to be tempted, which was why she had reached the same conclusion as her and started to push away that troublesome "Gold and Jade Affinity."

Although Baochai felt somewhat helpless about her mother's wavering and power-seeking, it would at least no longer contradict her own thoughts, which made her feel much more at ease.

Although she knew in her heart that since Jia Cong was granted a title, the distance between them had become somewhat difficult to cross, and now that he had inherited dual titles, he was even more dazzling and eye-catching.

She and he had no real affection to begin with, and there would likely be no hope in the future; it was just a matter of living one day at a time……

……

Several people in the inner room were busy with their own tasks when they suddenly heard footsteps in the main hall; judging by the sound, it was Lady Wang.

Baochai was now somewhat resistant to this aunt, not only because she always wanted to pair her with Baoyu, which went against her own wishes.

It was also because since Brother Cong inherited the title, her aunt's words and actions were aimed at him everywhere, and her intentions were truly unkind, which made Baochai unhappy.

But as a junior, even if she was dissatisfied, she could not lack the necessary etiquette; hearing the maid outside already serving tea, she lifted the door curtain and went out to pay her respects to Lady Wang.

Seeing Baochai's beautiful and graceful appearance, a satisfied smile appeared on Lady Wang's face, and the coldness that had often been on her face during this period instantly melted away by more than half.

Baochai exchanged pleasantries with Lady Wang, left Lady Wang to talk with her mother, and returned to the inner room to busy herself with her embroidery.

……

Yesterday, Lady Wang calculated the wealth in her hands and had her trusted old woman send a letter to the Xia mistress, but the old woman returned and reported that the Xia mistress was still considering it and could not make a decision for the time being.

Lady Wang was greatly disappointed, but when the old woman mentioned that the Xia mistress had spoken of Xia family relatives in the palace, Lady Wang's heart, which had just stiffened, began to beat again.

Three years ago, during the palace selection, Lady Wang had withdrawn silver from the Rongguo public treasury to plan for Yuanchun's future, and after receiving hints and arrangements from others, she had bribed a Eunuch Xia in the palace.

It was said that this Eunuch Xia walked and handled affairs in the Liugong of the inner court every day, and outsiders called him the "Chief Eunuch of the Liugong," but that was just private flattery and not a real official title.

This Eunuch Xia could be considered an old and experienced eunuch in the inner palace and held some official positions, but compared to the Chief Eunuch Ouyang Bin and Deputy Chief Guo Lin, his status and rank were still far behind.

But because Eunuch Xia was experienced and understood palace affairs, he participated in every triennial inner palace selection as an official of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Although he could not be considered the chief eunuch in charge of the selection, he did hold some authority in his hands, which was why the Jia family had not left him out when bribing palace connections three years ago.

It was just that although the Jia family had bribed him three years ago, they weren't familiar enough with each other, and due to various other reasons, Yuanchun didn't succeed in the end.

And this Eunuch Xia shared the same surname as the Xia family; could the palace relative mentioned by the Xia mistress be this person!

Lady Wang could almost confirm this guess, as the surname Xia was not very common, and it seemed this was the only Xia-surnamed eunuch in the palace who held power and a name.

Thinking of this, Lady Wang's heart felt burning hot; the Xia family's connections in the palace were actually her own blood relatives, so the relationship must be extraordinary.

This made her increasingly full of imagination and expectation for the Xia family's assistance in this matter, feeling that as long as the Xia mistress could spare the time to help, Yuanchun's future might just succeed……

Lady Wang's expectations for the Xia family rose, and her mood while waiting for a reply became increasingly urgent; inside, she also valued the Xia family more and more.

For the past few days, she had been troubled by the matter of the four thousand taels of silver and had not been free to go and handle the marriage-refusal matter entrusted by the Xia mistress.

Now, she dared not delay any longer and arranged a carriage early in the morning to go to Lixiang Garden to discuss the matter of the Xue and Xia families' mutual assessment.

In the main hall, Lady Wang acted contrary to her usual self, explaining in detail the Xia family's fortune-telling by a high monk, the incompatibility of Xia Gu Niang and Xue Pan's fates, and various other reasons, and she spoke many good words for the Xia mistress.

In fact, the Xia family's mother had been gone for more than half a month without any news, and Xue Yima Xue had long guessed the result; hearing her elder sister explain the reasons in detail, she didn't feel too surprised in her heart.

That Xia family girl's manners and appearance were outstanding, and Xue Yima Xue was truly pleased with her, so she couldn't help but feel very regretful in her heart.

Seeing her elder sister so enthusiastic about this matter and having so many compliments for the Xia mistress—which was not like her elder sister's usual temperament—she felt a little strange in her heart.

……

Baochai, in the inner room, although no longer worried about her aunt's distress over the "Gold and Jade" matter, still harbored a sense of vigilance toward Lady Wang's arrival.

Upon hearing clearly that the marriage between her brother and the Xia family would not happen, she felt not the slightest bit of disappointment, but rather a sense of relief.

Because when the Xia family mother and daughter visited that day, Baochai remembered the look the Xia girl gave Brother Cong, which was so ambiguous and presumptuous, and felt that this girl was not a decent person.

That she wouldn't become her sister-in-law was not a bad thing; it was even a good thing, saving her brother from marrying the wrong person and causing trouble in the family in the future.

Moreover, with her brother's marriage not working out, her own marriage was even more remote; even if her aunt had designs on her, there was no way to start, so wouldn't she be satisfied……

Thinking of this, Baochai felt joyful and suddenly wanted to take a walk to the East Prefecture; she didn't know how his studies were going and suddenly wanted to see him.

She put away her needle and thread, called Jin Chuan, lifted the door curtain, and said to Xue Yima Xue: "Mother, I'm going to the East Prefecture to stroll around and find Second Sister, Lin Sister, and Yun Sister to talk."

Xue Yima Xue smiled: "It's good to go and move around with your sisters, so you don't have to be stifled in the room every day."

Baochai paid her respects to Lady Wang again and took Jin Chuan out of Lixiang courtyard.

Lady Wang looked at Baochai's slender and moving figure, her expression somewhat abnormal, and asked: "Sister, does Bao Yatou often go to the East Prefecture to walk around now?"

Xue Yima Xue smiled: "Bao Yatou is popular, and all the girls in your house like to talk to her; it's a common thing to go to the East Prefecture to walk around."

Lady Wang twisted her prayer beads and said: "It is naturally good for sisters to be close, but the East Prefecture is, after all, Cong-ge'er's residence."

"In previous years, Cong-ge'er was still young, so there was naturally no need to care about those misgivings, but this spring, when April arrives, Cong-ge'er will reach the age of fifteen, and he will have to start taking people into his rooms."

"Once he passes fifteen, his bones and blood will be fully grown, and he will no longer be a child; Baochai has also passed the age of fifteen."

"It is good for sisters to be close, but now that they have reached this age, they must start to have some taboos. Baochai is still young, so Sister should remind her when you have time."

Xue Yima Xue felt somewhat embarrassed hearing this; in fact, she had originally opposed Baochai being too close to Jia Cong, but now she was somewhat eager for it, and her mood was quite complicated……

She casually prevaricated: "Now both the East and West Prefectures are Cong-ge'er's territory, so it's all the same wherever she goes. However, Baochai has always known etiquette, so Sister can rest assured; I will remind her."

Lady Wang felt uncomfortable hearing this, her thoughts churning, and her gaze flickered somewhat.

Baochai was the daughter-in-law she had set her sights on, so there could not be the slightest mistake.

Now Lady Wang was increasingly resentful of Jia Cong, thinking that this boy had never been honest and had raised so many pretty maids in his rooms.

He was of the same nature as the Old Master; both father and son were lecherous.

Every time this boy returned from an imperial mission, he brought women of unknown origin back to the mansion—either nuns from temples or little actresses from theater troupes; he dragged anything, fragrant or foul, into his rooms.

Now that he was about to reach the age of fifteen, he would surely have even fewer misgivings about messing around with women.

Her niece was so movingly beautiful; if she went to the East Prefecture to walk around frequently and let this boy develop lecherous thoughts.

He was also so handsome, which easily made women's hearts move; if he seduced her niece into doing something……

Thinking of this, Lady Wang felt somewhat troubled, feeling that she must think of some ways; although it was just a shadow of a thing for now, it was always good to prevent trouble before it happened. (End of chapter)