Chapter 555 If You Don’t Mind, I Will Marry You
"It's not self-deprecation, it's just the best reason."
Xue Ru saw Tang Ning frowning slightly and said softly, "Sister, I won't belittle myself, but I also understand that it's almost impossible for me to marry into a wealthy family with my status."
"Prejudice based on family background isn't easily overcome. Madam Cui asked for me to marry her son because my sister loved me, and Governor Xiao, out of love for my family, protected me a little. She's seen me and said so many good things about me, praising me everywhere. But if I didn't live in Jiyun Lane and didn't have a sister, she wouldn't look down on me."
The little girl held Tang Ning's hand and was very sober.
"The Cui family is already extremely proud of me by proposing marriage to me. No matter what reason I give to refuse, it will inevitably embarrass them."
"If it was Cui Lin or someone else from the Cui family who brought this up, I wouldn't have to say anything to them. Even if they were embarrassed, it wouldn't be my fault. But Madam Cui is different. She just gave my sister the iron ore and has lowered her posture to make peace with her. Furthermore, it seems to me that she's disloyal to the Cui family and wants to befriend my sister."
Tang Ning glanced at the brocade box beside her: "It seems like there is indeed a rift between her and those people in the Cui family."
When they went to the Cui family, although the servants treated Madam Cui with respect, they gave the younger members of the Cui family a cold look when they met them on the way. A family like the Cui family attaches great importance to rules. It is a big mistake to be disrespectful to elders. Unless the person in power in the family is unhappy, the subordinates will change their attitude according to the situation.
Xue Ru whispered, "I heard from Sister Qian that on the day Cui Lin was imprisoned, Madam Cui and the Cui family master had a quarrel in front of the palace gate. It was quite a quarrel at the time. Later, our pawnshop in secret received some things from Madam Cui, including jewelry, calligraphy and paintings. We liquidated them all, and she only wanted gold."
Tang Ning was immediately surprised: "You mean, she was used as a dowry?"
Xue Ru nodded: "All of them are dead."
Tang Ning raised her eyebrows when she heard that. She had heard from her brother that Madam Cui's family was extremely wealthy, not inferior to the Cui family in any way. When she married into the Cui family, it was a marriage between the two families, so her dowry was naturally very generous. Moreover, as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Cui family, she had ample money, and under normal circumstances, it was absolutely impossible for her to sell her dowry.
She needs to cash in a lot of money, and only gold...
The two hundred thousand taels of gold that the Cui family "compensated" to my brother were actually collected by Madam Cui?
Tang Ning was at a loss for words. These aristocratic families were said to be noble and well-connected, and they were so proud of their status that they strictly followed the rules, but why did they all eat in such an ugly manner?
At the beginning, the old lady of the Lu family was thinking about the things left to her by her grandfather, and tried every means to coax them out of her. Now the Cui family is so stingy with the eldest daughter-in-law's dowry. They are simply worse than ordinary families. Even ordinary farmers know that it is shameless and disgraceful to touch a woman's dowry, but they are thick-skinned.
As the carriage moved forward, the body of the carriage swayed slightly, and a cold wind blew the curtain onto Tang Ning's face. Xue Ru reached out and pressed down the curtain leg.
"I'm afraid the Cui family doesn't even know about Madam Cui's gift of iron ore today. She wants to marry me just to get more leverage for her and her son, so that she can get my sister and Governor Xiao to help them take control of the Cui family."
"I know Governor Xiao isn't afraid of people from aristocratic families, but since someone has shown goodwill, having one less enemy is better than having enemies everywhere. So even if I don't want to marry into the Cui family, I can't let her down. Sister Qin said I'm weak anyway, so it's best not to have sex with a man before I'm eighteen, and I should hold off on discussing marriage."
"What if she doesn't mind?" Tang Ning looked at her.
"If you don't mind, I'll marry you!"
Xue Ru said as a matter of course: "The Cui family is one of the eight great families, with a strong financial foundation. Although Cui Lin's affair with Xuan Qin is shameful, he is not my husband. Why should a half-wasted old man care about his romantic affairs?"
"If Madam Cui doesn't even mind my inability to have children and is willing to let me continue my studies and take charge of the household affairs, where can I find such a mother-in-law? If I can quickly take power after marrying into the Cui family, maybe I can even give the Cui family to my sister as a gift in the future."
This is a truly aristocratic family, and she, a concubine's daughter, will not suffer any loss by marrying into it.
Besides, my sister will be more powerful than ten thousand people in the future. Although Governor Xiao is good to my sister, they also have the support of Rongsheng Academy and Gu family. But if there is another powerful family to support my sister, and she has a younger sister like the mistress of the Cui family, those old guys in the court and the royal family who value family background will not complain.
Xue Ru's eyes lit up, and her heart was moved instantly: "Why didn't I think of this just now, sister, why don't we go back and tell Madam Cui that I can still be cured..."
"Bang!"
Tang Ning tapped Xue Ru on the forehead with a finger.
Xue Ru suddenly cried out "Ouch".
Tang Ning glared at her angrily: "Put away all that mess in your heart. Who asked you to use your marriage as a bargaining chip? In your eyes, I am so despicable that you would use your own sister's marriage to exchange for benefits?"
"Of course not!" Xue Ru quickly tilted her head and leaned against her shoulder, "Sister loves me the most. I want to help her and marry into a good family..."
Seeing Tang Ning raise her hand, she quickly covered her head:
"No, no, I want to marry into a good family and help my sister at the same time."
The little girl muttered softly, "Sister, you know I've lived a hard life in the past, so I naturally don't want to live like that in the future. It would be so great if I could marry into a wealthy family. I'd have no worries about food and clothing, and I'd have servants everywhere, and no one would look down on me anymore..."
Tang Ning looked at her furry head resting on her shoulder and listened to her mumbling nonsense, as if she really envied those rich lives and coveted high-class families. She couldn't help feeling sad and reached out to touch her face.
"Stop talking."
"Sister..." Xue Ru raised her head.
Tang Ning whispered, "Sister loves you because you are worthy. Sister will not trade your marriage for anything."
"Aru, I only hope you can be happy and at ease, and live your life to the fullest. If you meet someone you like and feel you can marry him or her, I will marry you off with great fanfare. But if there's no one who makes you happy, you don't have to force yourself. I can still support you even if you never marry."
She lived a miserable life in her previous life, and so did Xue Ru.
She had been pampered and spoiled since she was a child. It was because she was blind and misjudged the person and was stubborn that she fell into the sea of suffering. However, Aju was soaked in bitter soup all her life. From her birth to her death, she had never even tasted sugar.
Tang Ning will always remember the steamed buns that the skinny little Xue Ru secretly gave her during those miserable times when she was always alone. She remembers that she was shivering from the cold, and her wrist was so thin that it would break if bent, but she still tried her best to smile and said timidly, "Sister, you have to live well."
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