The cannon fodder character in the "Dream of the Red Chamber" substitute marriage story tries hard to rewrite her life (9 questions)...

Lin Ruhai pondered for a long time and felt that this matter should be handled sooner rather than later.

If Jia Daishan were to actually ask the Emperor for a marriage decree as he did in his dream, it would be fine if he were already engaged, but if he wasn't, refusing the Emperor's decree would be tantamount to courting death.

He quickly went to find his good friend Zhang Tingyu at the Hanlin Academy. He and Zhang Tingyu were born in the same year and entered the Hanlin Academy together.

Zhang Tingyu was undoubtedly a learned man, and he performed exceptionally well in the provincial examination, but he only achieved the third rank in the palace examination.

He was quite puzzled at the time, thinking that Zhang Tingyu had been too nervous during the palace examination and had performed poorly. Later he learned that his father, Zhang Ying, was the chief examiner for this imperial examination.

Zhang Tingyu was filial, but due to the rules of the imperial examinations, he originally planned to participate in the spring examination three years later. The emperor, appreciating his talent, allowed him to participate in this metropolitan examination and personally graded his papers.

During the imperial examination, with his literary talent, even if he didn't pass the first-class examination, he would at least rank among the top in the second-class examination.

But as I said before, his father was the chief examiner. If his grades were too good, people would inevitably be envious and gossip. In the end, Lord Zhang Ying only ranked his son as the 152nd in the third class.

Emperor Kangxi personally reviewed his examination paper and felt it would be a great pity to overlook his talent. So he took special care of him and directly appointed him as a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy.

Among his classmates, Lin Ruhai admired Zhang Tingyu's talent the most.

In addition, he was also Zhang Ying's student, and the two usually addressed each other as fellow students. They were rare confidants and friends in the Hanlin Academy.

Lin Ruhai found Zhang Tingyu and told him all his dissatisfaction with the Jia family and his worries.

He asked Zhang Tingyu for help in finding a way to arrange a marriage for himself as soon as possible.

In his youth, Prime Minister Zhang was a passionate young man. After listening to Lin Ruhai's story, he said indignantly, "Don't worry, junior brother, leave this to me. I will definitely inquire and find out which family has a suitable girl."

Upon returning home, Zhang Tingyu suddenly had a brilliant idea when he saw his second younger sister. "Hey, Lin Ruhai is such a handsome man. The Lin family has a clean and upright family tradition. He doesn't even have a maidservant. He seems to be a good match for my sister!"

Then he would find an opportunity to bring Lin Ruhai home, planning to create a chance encounter so that his second sister could meet Lin Ruhai, and then he would secretly ask his sister what she thought of Lin Ruhai.

The plan was well-thought-out, but unfortunately, things don't always go as planned. Lin Ruhai was chosen by Emperor Kangxi to be the third-ranked scholar, truly a handsome and unparalleled gentleman.

When he paraded through the streets on horseback, Zhang Lingwan and her family caught a glimpse of the handsome and dashing scholar from afar at a restaurant. At first glance, she secretly fell in love with him.

However, marriage is always arranged by parents and matchmakers, so she was too embarrassed to tell her family that she had fallen in love with the third-ranked scholar at first sight. From then on, she buried this matter deep in her heart.

Unexpectedly, fate is truly wondrous; Zhang Lingwan unexpectedly encountered Lin Ruhai again at her own home. There he was, dressed in a moon-white long robe, standing under the eaves discussing poetry with his elder brother, exuding elegance and with a smile as warm as the bright moon.

Zhang Lingwan was completely mesmerized. Zhang Tingyu, upon seeing this, immediately understood. There was no need to ask anything; his second sister had secretly fallen for Lin Ruhai.

Lin Ruhai also had a good impression of Zhang Lingwan, who was different from Jia Min's elegant and radiant temperament.

Zhang Lingwan is gentle and generous, always smiling before speaking, with elegant and warm manners, outstanding literary talent, and confidence and composure.

Lin Ruhai secretly admired her, but at this moment he truly believed that meeting Zhang Lingwan was just an accident. After all, he wasn't so narcissistic as to think that he could be married into the Zhang family.

The Zhang family is the Zhang clan of Qinghe, and Lord Zhang is a Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall and Minister of Rites. How could a mere Hanlin Academy reader dare to aspire to such a prestigious and upright family as the Zhang family?

After Zhang Lingwan left, her senior brother Zhang Tingyu pulled him aside and asked, "Ruhai, weren't you in a hurry to get engaged? What do you think of my sister? Would you be willing to be my brother-in-law?"

Lin Ruhai was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped. His senior brother was too kind to him. Knowing that he was in a hurry to get engaged, he was even willing to introduce his own sister to him.

Lin Ruhai was of course willing. When he saw Zhang Lingwan just now, he was thinking that he must raise his Yu'er to be as confident and composed as her in the future.

The Zhang family has a strong sense of integrity. If he really died young as in the dream, the Zhang family would never have allowed their granddaughter to be left alone and destitute, writing such tragic verses as "Three hundred and sixty days a year, the wind and frost are like swords, relentlessly pressing upon her."

However, with the warning from the dream, Lin Ruhai made up his mind that he would never let himself fall into the same situation as in the dream.

With the future uncertain and the princes vying for power, he should avoid the hot potato of the Jiangnan salt tax. It would be better for him to stay in the Hanlin Academy, accumulate seniority, and live a stable life.

While taking unconventional paths may lead to rapid promotion, the risks are far too great. What good is immense wealth if you can't enjoy it and can't even protect your daughter? That would be a truly disastrous outcome.

The Lin family has been a prominent family for generations. Even if he didn't become the Salt Commissioner, he could still live a more affluent and stable life than his colleagues.

After Zhang Tingyu and Lin Ruhai had initially finalized the marriage between Zhang Tingyu and his second younger sister, he suddenly remembered something. Oh no, he might not have discussed his promise of his second sister to Lin Ruhai with his father yet.

A man's word is his bond. Since he had promised Ru Hai to act as matchmaker for him, and his second sister also secretly harbored feelings for Lin Ru Hai.

Even if his dad is angry, he probably wouldn't beat him to death, right?

Zhang Tingyu nervously forced himself to tell his father, Zhang Ying, about the matter.

Zhang Ying snorted coldly and immediately ordered the family law to give him a severe beating. If it weren't for Madam Yao, Zhang Tingyu's mother, stopping him, his buttocks would have been beaten to a pulp.

Madam Yao was also quite helpless about her second son. He usually seemed like a very steady person, so how could he do something so unreliable?

Fortunately, Lin Ruhai was a good boy, as she often heard her husband praise him. The Lin family also had a good family tradition; otherwise, she really wouldn't have dared to marry her daughter into that family.

After being beaten, Zhang Tingyu pulled his mother, Yao, and said, "Mother, I'm not being silly. My second sister likes Lin Ruhai. You can ask her if you don't believe me."

Madam Yao slapped him: "I think your father didn't hit you hard enough."

Zhang Tingyu limped back to the courtyard, where his concubine, Wu, cautiously came to attend to him. Knowing that it was the master who had ordered the beating as punishment, she dared not say anything, only silently applying medicine while shedding tears.

Zhang Tingyu sighed: "It's just a superficial injury, don't worry about it, go and rest."

Knowing Zhang Tingyu's temper, Madam Wu didn't dare say anything more and respectfully withdrew.

Zhang Tingyu struggled to his feet, took out a portrait of his first wife, Yao, and couldn't help but sigh.

He married his wife when he was 17, when he was still studying hard to pass the imperial examinations.

His wife understands his lofty ambitions. When he fails an exam, she will give him a hug and comfort him with gentle words, telling him it's okay and that she believes he will do better next time.

When he felt sleepy while reading, his wife would thoughtfully bring him hot soup and food, and keep him company while he talked to her to help him relax.

His wife's love and care helped him regain his confidence after repeated failures, and he eventually passed the imperial examination. However, before he could achieve this, his wife fell ill.

He anxiously sought out renowned doctors everywhere to treat his wife, but her illness only worsened.

When he was seriously ill, Hai remembered that he had been married to her for many years but had never been able to give her any children, so he took a concubine named Wu.

Now he has achieved great success and entered the Hanlin Academy, but his beloved wife has passed away.

Seeing the way his second sister looked at Ruhai today reminded him of the first time he met his wife, Yao Shi; that one glance felt like an eternity.

This is why he was determined to risk being beaten by his father to ensure his second sister and Lin Ruhai's happiness. Although he and his wife were separated by distance, he still hoped that his second sister and his close friend could be happy.

Zhang Ying summoned Lin Ruhai, assigned him ten articles, and then sent him away. Lin Ruhai pondered deeply, and after finishing, respectfully handed in his articles.

After reading it, Zhang Ying said to him, "You must not slack off in your studies. Go back and have your mother ask a matchmaker to come and propose marriage. If you dare to treat my Wanwan badly in the future, I will break your legs."

Not many people knew about the marriage between the Zhang and Lin families; at least Jia Daishan didn't know, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to the palace to ask Emperor Kangxi for a marriage decree.

Lin Ruhai was already engaged to Zhang Ying's daughter, so Kangxi put the matter aside. He thought that if a suitable match came along, he would arrange another good marriage for his legitimate daughter, so that Jia Daishan could focus on his recovery.

After returning to his residence, Jia Daishan waited anxiously for several months, but no news came from the palace.

He couldn't sit still any longer, wondering if Lin Ruhai had refused the Emperor's bestowed marriage. He sent someone to investigate, and within a few days, news arrived.

Lin Ruhai had arranged a marriage with the daughter of Zhang Ying, a Grand Secretary of the Yinghua Hall, more than half a year ago.

Jia Daishan understood why there had been no news from the palace: Zhang Ying was a Grand Secretary of the Yinghua Hall and Minister of Rites, and he had more influence over Emperor Kangxi than he did.

In addition, their family had a prior marriage alliance with the Lin family. Even the emperor couldn't knowingly grant a marriage to someone who was already engaged, could he?

The people he sent also told him that when Madam Shi went to the Lin family to sound them out, she was very arrogant and her words were full of praise for the Jia family and belittlement for the Lin family.

After Mrs. Shi left, Mrs. Lin fell ill from anger. Not long after, the Lin family and the Zhang family became in-laws.

Jia Daishan was so angry he vomited blood. The good husband he had carefully selected for Min'er had all been ruined by that idiot Shi.

If Mrs. Shi hadn't entrusted her with this task, why would she suddenly go to the Lin family and deliberately try to disgust them?

It's a good thing the marriage didn't happen. If it had, and Min'er had married into the Lin family, the old lady would have made things difficult for her.

That evening, Jia Daishan went to Rongxi Hall and gave Shi a good scolding, but Shi seemed completely unconcerned.

"That Lin Ruhai is just a minor scholar who has passed the imperial examination. Although he comes from a distinguished family, sir, don't forget that his family has no title since his generation."

"How could such a destitute man be a suitable match for Min'er? Our Min'er is beautiful and talented; she could easily marry a prince as his wife. How could you have chosen such a poor man?"

Jia Daishan was amused by her audacity: "You think it's acceptable for a prince to be your wife? Are you dreaming?"

What is our family's status? And what are the statuses of the families of those princes' wives? They are noble ladies of the Manchu Eight Banners, while our family are bondservantes. Don't you understand what a bondservant is?

Don't you understand why the eldest maid was only selected in the minor imperial examinations? You don't think she's an illegitimate daughter, so she could only participate in the minor imperial examinations, do you?

I think you've been blinded by being called "Duchess" so many times. If you want Min'er to participate in the palace selection, it can only be a minor selection.

Shi wouldn't listen to Jia Daishan at all, and the couple parted on bad terms.

When Jia Daishan was choosing a husband for his daughter, he certainly wouldn't have chosen only Lin Ruhai.

The Lin family is the best choice. Besides Lin Ruhai, he also has a number of backup candidates.

This includes Shi Ding, son of the Marquis of Baoling, Niu Jizong, grandson of the Duke of Zhenguo, or a marriage alliance with the Zhen family of Jiangnan, and Gu Qingyuan, the second-place scholar in the same imperial examination as Lin Ruhai.

Among them, Gu Qingyuan is one of the few whom Jia Daishan favors, besides Lin Ruhai.

Gu Qingyuan's ancestral home is Yangzhou. His grandfather was a private tutor and his father was a county school instructor. His family was poor but had a long tradition of scholarship.

He was intelligent from a young age and his academic career progressed smoothly. He ranked among the top in the provincial and metropolitan examinations and won second place in the palace examination.

However, his appearance was only considered decent; standing next to the handsome and dashing Lin Ruhai, the third-ranked scholar, he appeared exceptionally ordinary. After entering the Hanlin Academy, due to his ordinary family background and overly straightforward personality, he was not favored by his superiors.

Gu Qingyuan was exceptionally talented, but the Hanlin Academy was never short of talented people. There was Zhang Tingyu, who was admitted to the Hanlin Academy through special channels, and the elegant Lin Ruhai.

Gu Qingyuan wasn't particularly outstanding, which greatly disappointed him, given that he had been praised as a child prodigy since childhood. He had been seeking opportunities to be transferred to a post outside the region. This was also the reason why Jia Daishan didn't initially give him priority consideration.

The Lin family is, after all, a prominent and influential family. His Min'er has been pampered since childhood, so it's understandable that she would enjoy a life of luxury after marrying into the Lin family.

If she were to marry into a poor family like the Gu family, she would inevitably feel a sense of loss. Although he wanted to gamble on Gu Qingyuan's bright future, he didn't want his daughter to suffer like that.

After Jia Daishan told Shi about his chosen candidate, Shi strongly objected. She looked down on families like the Lin family, which had been noble families for generations, and she would not even consider the poor Gu family.

No matter how eloquently Jia Daishan spoke, she remained adamant in her disagreement with Jia Min marrying into such a family. In Grandmother Jia's eyes, Gu Qingyuan's family was no better than Su Jingxing's.

Just look at the life Jia Wei is living to know that she spends her own dowry to support her husband's family and is still mistreated by her wicked mother-in-law. She would never marry her daughter into such a family.

Jia Daishan couldn't argue with Shi, so he told her about the other candidates as well. Shi's first reaction was, "What are these people? What makes them worthy of my Min'er?"

But after being warned by Jia Daishan, and with no other good candidates available, she had to choose from among the worst. After much deliberation, she selected Niu Jizong from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

However, when Jia Daishan sent someone to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to negotiate, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion had already found a suitable match for Niu Jizong. Because of Zhen Jia's family, the Zhen family declined the marriage proposal with the Jia family, citing the lack of suitable sons in their clan.

Of course, they did not refuse outright, but instead selected a few collateral relatives. Such misfits were not to be taken seriously by the Shi family, let alone Jia Daishan.

Ultimately, Shi chose to marry her daughter Jia Min to her nephew Shi Nai. Although Shi Nai was the eldest son of the second branch, the only heir of the first branch, Shi Zi, was as weak as Ming Rui. Therefore, the most likely successor to the Baoling Marquis's mansion was naturally Shi Nai, the eldest son of the second branch.

Shi Nai was two years older than Min'er; cousins ​​were a perfect match. Although the Shi family was not as prosperous as before after her father's death, as long as she gave Min'er a sufficient dowry, it would be enough for her to live a comfortable life.

In addition, she has a good relationship with her sister-in-law, Song, so Min'er won't have to worry about mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relations after marrying into the family. With her help in the future, Shi Nai might be able to inherit the title of Marquis of Baoling sooner.

When Jia Hui learned that Lin Ruhai had arranged a marriage between himself and the Zhang family, and that Jia Min and Shi Nai were engaged, she was completely stunned: "How is this possible? Good, good, good, has the world gone mad to this extent?"

If Lin Daiyu's parents remarried, would she still exist? Would she be reborn as Shi Daiyu in Jia Min's womb, or would she be reborn into the Lin family, becoming the granddaughter of the Zhang family of Qingliu?

The smaller system was also quite confused, as it had never seen this situation before. Helpless, it could only ask the main system for help, and eventually came back to tell Jia Hui.

"This small world is full of time-space loopholes. There are already two reborn daughters, Jia Xuan and Jia Wei. It's not a big deal to have another Lin Ruhai who knows the past in a dream."

Lin Ruhai had a dream in which he saw the fate of his past life and the Lin family. He did not want to marry into the Jia family again, so he arranged the marriage before Jia Daishan went to the palace to ask Emperor Kangxi for a marriage decree.

He was already engaged, so the arranged marriage naturally fell through. Later, Jia Daishan chose another candidate for Jia Min, the second-place scholar in the same imperial examination as Lin Ruhai. However, Lady Shi disliked the second-place scholar surnamed Gu and ultimately chose to marry Jia Min to her nephew, Shi Nai.

Lin Daiyu will still be a daughter of the Lin family, only with a different mother. The Zhang family is a family of upright officials; Zhang Lingyi, the third daughter, is a representative of talented women in the Qing Dynasty and has even published a collection of poems. Her elder sister's talent is naturally not far behind.