Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

After hearing what Mrs. Wang said, Grandmother Jia was somewhat surprised and stunned for a moment.

Originally, Mrs. Wang proposed marriage to the Xia family, but the Xia family had not responded at all for a whole month. Grandmother Jia was also a worldly-wise person and had expected that the Xia family would not be willing to accept this marriage.

At that time, Grandmother Jia was quite angry. She felt that her Baoyu was the grandson of a duke, and it was already a bit of a concession for him to marry into a royal merchant family. She didn’t expect that he would be despised.

Unexpectedly, after a long time, the Xia family suddenly agreed to the marriage. When Grandmother Jia heard the news, she was relieved.

Although she was not happy that Baoyu could only marry a merchant girl, she felt that it was somewhat of a disgrace to the Jia family.

But even with Lady Jia’s extraordinary imperial decree, she was quite famous among the noble families in the capital, and she had a noble generation and extensive connections.

She also tried every possible means, using the pretext of Jia Cong’s birthday as a dancing elephant to invite all the old relatives who had daughters to get married, in order to choose a marriage for Baoyu with a noble family.

Unfortunately, when those noble ladies came to visit, they said a lot of nice things, but when it came to marrying Baoyu, they avoided him like the devil himself, not giving him the slightest bit of face.

Grandmother Jia tried her best but failed to find Baoyu a relative who was a government official.
Although she was not satisfied with the Xia family’s status, she had no choice but to settle for the second best given Baoyu’s current situation.

Fortunately, Grandmother Jia was quite fond of Miss Xia’s appearance and character.

He smiled and said, “It is a great joy that Baoyu has decided on a marriage. I have said before that Baoyu will marry a wife regardless of whether the girl’s family is rich or not.

As long as she is good-looking, has a good personality, and can make a living, I don’t care about anything else. Miss Xia is such a person, and I think this marriage is very good.”

After hearing what Lady Jia said, Mrs. Wang was even more delighted.

She was originally worried that Lady Jia would look down upon the Xia family. After all, the old lady came from a noble family and had to associate with noble families all her life. How could she be interested in a royal merchant family like the Xia family?

Now that he saw that Lady Jia also supported the marriage, he felt completely relieved.

Ever since the second branch of the family fell into disrepair and lost its position as the legitimate heir, it had to move to the East Courtyard. Although Mrs. Wang was also a noble lady from an aristocratic family, as time passed and her mind became stubborn and narrow-minded, her thoughts inevitably became distorted and changed.

After Baoyu lost hope of marrying a noble family, Mrs. Wang took a fancy to the Xia family not only because of Miss Xia’s appearance and character, but also because of the Xia family’s huge wealth.

More importantly, Miss Xia is an only child. If Baoyu marries her, it will be like bringing a golden Buddha into the house. In the future, the mountains of gold and silver in the Xia family will all belong to her, Baoyu, sooner or later…

The second wife now has no status, power or wealth, so having this extra money to rely on is of course very good for Mrs. Wang.

Moreover, in Mrs. Wang’s eyes, Mrs. Xia was an outstanding person, whom she admired very much. After Baoyu became her half-son, she would help her son in everything.

Having such an in-law as support and assistance would be of great benefit to the second branch.

Although Yuanchun’s matter was not accomplished, the scale of that matter was in the hands of the emperor. Although Mrs. Wang felt sorry for the 10,000 taels of silver, she couldn’t blame Mrs. Xia…

Mrs. Wang was in high spirits and chatted with Lady Jia with a smile about various trivial matters such as accepting the bride’s proposal, asking for the bride’s name, accepting the good news, accepting the betrothal gift, asking for the date, and welcoming the bride.

Since there had not been a wedding in her family for a long time, Jia’s grandmother was also quite interested, and the two of them talked quite happily.

Even though Yingchun was the oldest among the sisters, she had only seen Jia Lian get married when she was young, and the other sisters rarely saw any happy weddings.

People like Tanchun, Xiangyun and others listened to Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang chatting with great interest.

Baoyu felt like sitting on pins and needles, and wanted to cry but had no tears. However, his marriage with Miss Xia was personally approved by his father Jia Zheng. Even if he was unwilling in his heart, he did not have the courage to object in court.

Besides, he thought of how beautiful and graceful Miss Xia was, much better than Xiren and Caiyun, and seemed quite attractive…

But he really didn’t want to get married, and he didn’t want to be told to marry someone else in front of his favorite people like Daiyu and Baochai.

This is either a slap in the face or a slap in the face. How can he continue to be innocent with his sisters, speak without restraint, and hang out in the backyard with a clear conscience?

How can a man with a woman by his side still boast about his feelings of being free to come and go without any worries? How can he live like this…

……

In Rongqing Hall, Lady Jia and Lady Wang were discussing marriage, and the sisters all listened as if it were a peculiar thing.

There are only Daiyu and Baochai. One is immersed in poetry and books, is indifferent and self-satisfied, and does not like worldly affairs; the other is born in a royal merchant family, has a broad vision, and has seen more than the other sisters.

Only they were not attracted by the topic of Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang. They just sat quietly aside, gently fanning themselves, chatting from time to time and laughing.

When Baoyu heard the news of his engagement, he fell into a state of distress. He was restless and at a loss, with a strange look on his face and unable to suppress his grief and anger.

He had thought that if someone married because of him, they would be sad and heartbroken, and would repay the marriage with tears, otherwise how could they be worthy of his elegant character, romantic and extraordinary personality.

But Daiyu and Baochai, the two sisters he admired the most, didn’t care at all about his marriage and were still chatting and laughing in low voices.

Baoyu was filled with grief and indignation. This was definitely not true. They must be sad and disappointed, but they didn’t want to show it, so they pretended…

As his blood boiled in his head, he was ready to go up to Daiyu and confess his true feelings, and he said tremblingly: “Sister, you know my…”

Baochai understands human nature better than Daiyu, and is also extremely shrewd. Seeing Baoyu at a loss and with a strange look on his face, she suddenly took two steps forward and couldn’t help feeling a little scared.

After hearing him say that half sentence, she knew that things were going to be bad. Baoyu was saying crazy things at this moment. Not only would Daiyu be extremely embarrassed, but I’m afraid everyone in the room would be embarrassed…

She couldn’t help but think about it, and blurted out, “Brother Bao, you are so happy. We have all met Miss Xia. She is beautiful, elegant, and a top figure in the boudoir. She is a perfect match for Brother Bao.”

Daiyu was also a very smart person. After hearing Baoyu’s half sentence and Baochai’s sudden evasive remarks, she knew what was going on.

She felt ashamed and annoyed, her face slightly reddened, but she suppressed her anger and said, “Sister Bao is right. Miss Xia is indeed an outstanding person. Second Brother Bao is really lucky. Congratulations.”

Baoyu was just about to pour out his heart without hesitation, but they poured cold water on him twice, and his passionate love was suddenly extinguished. He was so depressed that his face turned blue and he almost suffocated.

Baochai’s words would have been fine, but Daiyu’s congratulations made Baoyu so ashamed that he almost lost his soul. He was so angry that he was about to explode and grabbed his chest, but he grabbed nothing.

In the last chapter, Baoyu was reprimanded by the clan house. Liu Shuyou, a fifth-rank official of the clan house, reminded Jia Zheng that the spiritual jade Baoyu was wearing had presumptuous words and bizarre rumors, and it implied the appearance of a saint, and would definitely cause disasters in the long run.

After hearing the advice, Jia Zheng confiscated the toy that Baoyu had used to carve and pierce holes in his mother’s womb in order to avoid trouble. He put it aside from then on, thus destroying Baoyu’s unique skill.

Now he was scratching at his chest, how could he grab anything to hit it with? Besides, it was early summer and there was no carpet on the floor of Rongqing Hall…

Baoyu was filled with grief and indignation, but he had nowhere to vent his anger. He suddenly lost his mind and shouted involuntarily, “Where is my jade?”

Everyone in the hall was shocked. Baoyu suddenly came to his senses and saw Daiyu and Baochai looking at him with shocked eyes. He felt so humiliated that he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

……

Baoyu spoke rashly just now, but he was interrupted by Baochai halfway through his sentence. Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang, who were chatting about Baoyu’s marriage, didn’t hear it clearly.

When Jia’s mother heard Baoyu’s sudden shrill cry, she shuddered with fear and asked hurriedly, “Baoyu, what’s wrong with you?”

Baoyu was feeling extremely ashamed when Grandmother Jia’s sudden question gave him a chance to catch his breath. He quickly blurted out what he had been holding back in his heart: “Madam, I don’t want to get married!”

At this time, Daiyu held a round fan in her hand and half covered her face. She did not bother to talk to Lady Jia and quietly left Rongqing Hall.

She was worried that Baoyu would start talking nonsense again. If she was involved, she would be embarrassed again. It would be better to out of sight and out of mind.

When Baochai saw Daiyu quietly leaving Rongqing Hall, she felt that it was boring to stay, so she followed Daiyu out.

Baoyu had just said half a sentence to Lady Jia when he saw Daiyu and Baochai out of the corner of his eye. Both of them left in a hurry. He felt even more aggrieved. He had said that he didn’t want to get married, so why didn’t Sister Lin talk to him…

Grandmother Jia was a little amused and said, “Look at what you said, it’s childish. Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. Who doesn’t want to get married?

You don’t like girls who are born beautifully. Miss Xia is pretty and smart, and she is just that kind of person. It’s not easy to find someone like her. I think she is a good match.”

As long as Daiyu was not around, Baoyu would relax a little. Although he still said he was unwilling, his tone was not as firm as before. After all, what Jia’s mother said was right. Miss Xia was beautiful and straightforward, a rare person…

But although he was lazy and dissolute, he was not completely stupid. Naturally, once he got married, many things would change. It would be inconvenient for him to act like a spoiled child in front of the old lady, and he would naturally become more distant from his sisters. Seeing Baoyu, who was so old, still making a fuss like a candied haws, Jia’s mother was a little amused and said, “Your father has agreed to this marriage. If you make trouble again, be careful that your father will hit you.”

When Baoyu heard this, he shuddered involuntarily, just like Sun Wukong who heard the magic spell to tighten the hoop. He instantly became wilted and dared not make trouble anymore.

Grandmother Jia sighed and said to her trusted maidservant, “Baoyu has been here for a long time and looks tired. Go and call Xiren to take Baoyu back to his room to rest.”

When Grandmother Jia brought up his father Jia Zheng, Baoyu immediately stopped his powers, knowing that it was useless to make a fuss. Besides, Daiyu and Baochai were gone, so why should he make a fuss…

When Xiren came to take Baoyu back, Jia’s mother sighed to Mrs. Wang, “Baoyu has always been weak, and I see he is getting a little confused again. It would be better if he got married earlier, so that he can have a good rest and maybe he will be healthy again.

I am thinking about Baoyu’s marriage, so I should hurry up and take care of it.”

Baoyu, who had just walked to the hall, was so frightened when he heard Lady Jia’s words about bringing good luck to the couple that he staggered and almost fell to the ground. Xiren, who was standing by, hurriedly supported him. Baoyu felt bitter in his heart.

……

Rongqing Hall, back garden.

It was early summer, and the sun was not yet at its zenith. The pavilion and corridor were shaded by the trees, creating a large area of ​​coolness. Daiyu walked leisurely with a round fan in her hand, her rings and bracelets clashing against each other and the hem of her skirt fluttering slightly.

Suddenly someone called out from behind: “Sister Lin, please stand still.”

Daiyu turned around and saw that it was Baochai. She smiled and said, “Why did Sister Bao come out too?”

Baochai said with a smile: “My aunt is talking to the old lady, and Baoyu is acting weird. It’s boring to stay here. Why don’t we go out for a walk?”

Daiyu took Baochai’s arm and said, “I am very grateful to Sister Bao for changing the subject just now. I have to thank you very much, otherwise I don’t know what crazy things Baoyu would have said again.

He is about to get married, but he is always talking about other things. It makes people feel that he is not meaningful. If he continues to do this, I will not dare to come to the West Mansion.”

Baochai laughed and said, “Sister Lin is also a smart person, why is she confused now and worried about nothing?”

Daiyu held a round fan in her hand, her eyes wandering, as if she had realized something, and asked, “Sister Bao, can you tell me the reason behind this?”

Baochai said: “My aunt and uncle have already moved to the East Courtyard. It is common sense for Baoyu to go there and show his filial piety.

He still lives in the West Mansion today because he is young and unmarried, and the old lady has always loved him and wants to keep him by her side.

After he gets married, he will have his own family and be an adult. How can he still live in his cousin’s house, not to mention in the inner courtyard, which has many taboos.

When he marries Miss Xia, they will definitely move back to the East Courtyard. The etiquette is there and the old lady will not keep him any longer.

By that time, even if you want to see him in the West Palace, it may not be easy. As long as this period of time passes, you don’t have to worry about anything anymore.”

Daiyu said, “Although what Sister Bao said makes sense, the old lady has spoiled Baoyu all his life, and Baoyu is lazy, so I’m afraid it’s hard to say.”

Baochai smiled and said, “Sister, how could you forget about Brother Cong? I know that the results of the palace examination will be announced on the 24th. When Brother Cong passes the exam, he will attract even more attention.

Although there are many nobles in the capital, there is no one else with such great military achievements as the Cong brothers. Many people are eyeing the Rongguo Mansion.

Last time, Baoyu just said a few words of gossip in the inner courtyard, but it caused such a big disturbance. It can be seen that there are always some people who value these patriarchal etiquette.

My uncle is a man who knows the importance of things. As long as Baoyu gets married, even if the old lady doesn’t say anything, my uncle will definitely say something…”

Daiyu thought about it carefully and realized that Baochai was very thoughtful and what she said was absolutely right.

Although she said that Baoyu’s last nonsense had caused the clan residence to come to the door, she did not mention the other meaning because she did not want to mention the elders, but Daiyu could think of it.

Last time, when the third brother inherited the title of Rong, the second uncle stayed in Rong Xi Tang for a few more days because the old lady and the second aunt objected, and the trouble he caused was even bigger than that caused by Baoyu.

Baochai said that some people always value these patriarchal etiquette, which was a hint at the meaning…

Daiyu smiled bitterly and said, “According to what Sister Bao said, I would like Miss Xia to marry into the family sooner, so that Baoyu will stop making trouble in the future.”

Baochai was slightly startled when she heard what Daiyu said, because Miss Xia had originally been engaged to her brother, and Baochai had been with Miss Xia several times and had paid special attention to her.

She clearly remembered that every time Miss Xia saw Jia Cong, her ardent and infatuated eyes would make Baochai blush and her heart beat fast. She naturally understood the meaning…

Baochai felt a little uneasy. She wondered if Miss Xia would marry him sooner. She hoped that nothing would happen with her cousins. She hoped that it was all just her imagination.

She smiled at Daiyu and said, “Sister, instead of hoping that Miss Xia will get married soon, it would be better to hope that the results will be announced soon and Brother Cong will become a Jinshi soon. That would be more practical and safer.”

……

Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie’s Courtyard.

Wang Xifeng was leaning on the couch under the west window, chatting with Wu’er.

Although she was wearing no makeup, she did not look dull at all. Instead, her pretty face was full of life, her face was rosy, and her complexion was very good.

She was wearing a wide-waisted, soft brocade robe, her hair was as black as ink, and she had only two hairpins in her head. She had no other adornment, which made her look simple and neat.

By now Wang Xifeng was already seven months pregnant and had difficulty in daily movements, so Grandmother Jia exempted her from the formal etiquette of standing.

She hadn’t been to Rongqing Hall for more than ten days, but Grandmother Jia had visited her twice and said that she had a round waist and a pointed belly, so this baby was most likely a boy.

Grandmother Jia was an experienced person, having had many children throughout her life, so what she said naturally made sense, and Wang Xifeng was quite looking forward to it.

Her husband Jia Lian was going to be exiled for fifteen years, and Wang Xifeng could not rely on him. If she could give birth to a legitimate grandson, her family would be more respectable and stable in the future.

Whenever she thought of this, her heart was filled with anticipation, and she would always touch her belly subconsciously.

At this time, the door curtain was lifted, and Ping’er came in and said, “Second Madam, there was news just now from Rongqing Hall that Master Bao and Miss Xia’s marriage has been finalized.

The Xia family selected an auspicious day, and on the 24th of the fifth month, they sent Miss Xia’s birth certificate to her home.”

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, “The Xia family is really good at choosing dates. The day they sent the engagement letter for their daughter’s marriage happened to be the same day as the results of my third brother’s palace examination. It really ruined the good fortune.”

Ping Er said, “Madam, don’t just look at how the Xia family chooses a date. Master Bao’s wedding is no small matter. It will cost the government a lot of money. This matter needs to be calculated urgently.”

Wang Xifeng picked up the snow lotus and white fungus soup on the table and took a sip.

He said: “Now that the West Palace has lost a large amount of property, and has to pay two more seasons of land taxes, it is not well-off, so we need to make calculations urgently.

According to the old customs of previous years, when the second master was still the head of the family and Baoyu was the legitimate son, his marriage would have to be a grand ceremony, costing at least 10,000 taels of silver.

However, now that my third brother has inherited the title and the eldest son is succeeding, the situation is very different. It is not reasonable to follow the old rules, so it is natural that we have to make major changes.”

Ping Erh said, “Second Madam, the family has lost a lot of income now. The total income is less than 20,000 taels a year. After deducting the various expenses, there will not be much left at the end of the year.

This situation is only possible because of Second Grandmother’s efforts to reduce staff in many ways.

Even if the situation is different now, the expenses for Master Bao’s wedding can be greatly reduced, but even if it is reduced by half, it will still cost 5,000 taels of silver. This expense alone will wipe out this year’s account.”

Wang Xifeng gently placed the enamel bowl in her hand on the table and said, “With the current market situation, how can the government spend 5,000 taels on Baoyu’s wedding? If you want me to pay for it, the most I can spend is 2,000 taels!”

Ping’er and Wu’er take care of the household chores on a daily basis, so they naturally know the details of how the money is spent.

Although the second wife is not the principal wife, Baoyu is her legitimate son after all, the old lady’s most beloved descendant, and he married the wealthy and famous young lady of the Guihua Xia family, so there must be a lot of pomp and face inside and outside the house.

Two thousand taels of silver alone was not enough no matter how you looked at it. It was indeed not easy to be the head of the West Mansion family, but the Second Mistress’s methods were really rude.

Once the news of these two thousand taels got out, not to mention the old lady, there would probably be trouble in the East Courtyard… (End of this chapter)