After another illness, Shen Ning, who was recuperating in the hot spring villa, did not expect that in such a short time, the two cousins would get engaged.
"Mother, Brother Bao and Sister Lin are getting married. Aren't you happy?"
Jia Yue, who was accompanying them here, was a little confused.
Sister Lin doesn't have to get married, it's so nice to stay in their own home! Jia Yue was immersed in the dream of her sister becoming her sister-in-law, Shen Ning pointed at her forehead, "Do you know what it means in "Zuo Zhuan·Duke Xi's 23rd Year" that men and women with the same surname are born without a clan?"
The ancients were aware of the dangers of marrying close relatives.
The Shang Dynasty stipulated that marriages within five generations of the same clan were not allowed, while the Western Zhou Dynasty was even stricter, believing that marriages should be cautious even after a hundred generations. In the Tang Dynasty, prohibitions on marriages between close relatives began to be written into the law, and a series of clauses prohibiting marriages between close relatives were stipulated in the Tang Law: Commentary on the Household Marriage Law.
But it is written. How many ordinary people understand the Tang Dynasty Law and the Household and Marriage Law?
Except for a few particularly strict officials who would act in accordance with the Tang Law and the Household and Marriage Law, most people just treated it as a decoration.
In the 1980s and 1990s, marriage between close relatives was still very common in rural China.
When Chen Ning founded a girls' school, he put "Tang Law·Commentary·Household and Marriage Law" in the classroom for everyone to discuss.
In fact, she wanted to advise the emperor that the household marriage law of Da Zhao should also include the provision that close relatives cannot marry.
Unfortunately, even after asking the two censors for help and advice, Lin Ruhai still failed to pass that test. His father and mother were married to cousins, and their previous generation also chose wives from among the wife's relatives.
By his generation, the curse of only one successor generation was broken.
He doesn't think there is anything wrong with marrying close relatives.
now……
Seeing her mother's bad face, Jia Yue said weakly, "But Sister Lin and Brother Bao don't have the same surname."
Because of this matter, Sister Lin had asked her in advance, "Mom, you don't know, ever since Second Brother Bao promised Sister Lin that he would do his best to suppress Cousin Lin in the clan school, he has been hit so many times. Every time he was hit, Cousin Lin gave him something, they are so nice."
Shen Ning: “…”
How good can it be?
This place is no longer the same as the Red Mansion.
Baoyu had no time to play with his sisters in the garden.
In addition to studying hard, he also has to practice martial arts well.
Even if we occasionally sit together to form a poetry club, that's just occasionally.
Daiyu is in good health. She doesn't get angry today or tomorrow just because Baoyu is not feeling well today or tomorrow.
"Don't misinterpret it for me."
Shen Ning looked at her little daughter and couldn't help but wonder, "Before your second brother Bao got engaged, did your family send any letters?"
Jia Yue: “…”
Yes.
How could they not inform her mother about such a big thing?
But she promised Sister Lin that she would secretly put them away.
"Come here, prepare the car and go back to the city."
Seeing her little daughter's evasive gaze, Shen Ning hit her daughter's head with a hand nail and said, "I'll go home and deal with you."
Fortunately, it is an engagement, not an actual marriage.
In the Dream of the Red Chamber, whether it is a marriage between wood and stone or a marriage between gold and jade, from the perspective of blood relationship, they are all ill-fated relationships.
But people of this era like to marry cousins.
"Mother, mother~~~"
Jia Yue hurriedly followed, "The old lady must be very happy."
Shen Ning: “…”
Even more angry.
I just regret that from childhood to adulthood, I have never been willing to touch her.
Sure enough, some children deserve to be beaten.
"Someone, take the girl to the car behind."
In the end, she couldn't bear to hit him, but Shen Ning was really angry, "Go back and let her kneel in the ancestral hall and think about what she did wrong."
She got on the big truck in front by herself, and soon the convoy started moving.
…
At Rongguo Mansion, although Grandmother Jia felt sorry that her own grandson did not pass the imperial examination like her grandson-in-law, she really liked the marriage with the Lin family.
With her son-in-law Lin Ruhai around, she doesn't have to worry about Baoyu's future.
Her granddaughter Daiyu also grew up by her side. She had originally taken care of these two Yu'ers, but the second one brought disaster upon himself, and Zhu'er gave up the examiner's attention. Although She'er was filial and loved his nephews, no matter how loving he was to them, they were not his biological sons.
The second room was finally divided out by her.
Others may not know, but Min'er and Ruhai know.
So no matter how much she thought about it, she never dared to mention it.
Even in front of her daughter, although she often mentioned the two Yu'ers side by side, her daughter didn't respond and she could do nothing about it.
Now that Baoyu has grown up, he knows how to plan for himself.
Grandmother Jia was ecstatic.
Because of this happy event, she has been able to eat a little more recently.
"Madam!" Xiren came over in a panic, "The eldest lady of the East Mansion asked us to come back as soon as our second master got home. Xiaodong, who delivered the message, also said that the eldest lady looked very bad."
Grandmother Jia: “…”
I feel a little uncomfortable.
But Baoyu did not do well in the exam.
Before this, he and his grandson Chang'an had scored similarly in the exams.
It was right for Shen to call him over and give him a scolding.
"That's his aunt, how could she harm him? Wait until Baoyu comes back and let him go."
Grandmother Jia asked, "By the way, where is Baoyu now?"
"…Attending a literary gathering with Young Master Changan and his friends."
Literary gathering? Grandmother Jia couldn't help laughing again, "Yuanyang, take out the pair of ancient jades I took the other day." Then she said to Xiren, "Take them back to Baoyu later."
"……yes!"
Xiren was about to say something but stopped herself. She felt that the eldest lady was not calling her that because the second master did not do well in the exam.
No matter how badly you did in the exam, you have already passed it. There is no point in saying anything now.
Besides, the marriage between the Second Master and Miss Lin was settled. In terms of knowledge, didn't Master Lin know more than the First Madam? When Xiren took the pair of ancient jades back home unhappily, she didn't know that at the Lin family, Lin Daiyu received the news that her aunt had returned home, and immediately came by car.
"Aunt!"
After glancing around and not seeing her cousin Yue'er, Lin Daiyu, who had just finished her greetings, simply sat down next to her aunt, hugged her arm, and said in a tender voice, "Aunt, are you angry about my marriage to my second cousin?"
“…”
Shen Ning glanced at her. If her arm hadn't been hugged, she would have definitely hit her. "You and your second cousin are close relatives. Others don't know the harm of close relatives, but you know it." She was heartbroken. "You have all seen the information collected by the school about the close relatives. The health data of their children is far worse than that of normal couples."
The proportion of couples who are physically weak, die young, and are mentally retarded is higher than that of normal couples.
In order to gain the attention of the court, she specifically asked the Queen for help. The Girls' School, in conjunction with the local Children's Charity Bureaus, has already been compiling specific data.
"Aunt, I know everything."
Daiyu said calmly, "When you went to the hot spring villa, we received the specific data."
What? Shen Ning looked at her suddenly.
Daiyu smiled bitterly, "In fact, many bad children don't even have the opportunity to join the Charity Bureau, and they are abandoned by the elders."
Drowning was the most common method.
Even if they are lucky enough to enter the Salesian Bureau, not many of those who are physically weak or mentally retarded can grow up normally.
"When you asked the Salesian Bureau to investigate, I went home and told my father about it, but he said that many things cannot be generalized."
Daiyu said, "Later, my mother said that my father had become a little arrogant in recent years."
They were both weak when they were young.
Ever since I could eat, bitter medicine juice has been with me every now and then.
After arriving in Beijing, my aunt not only made adjustments to their diet, she also learned boxing from Mr. Zhan. Later, Aunt Wen helped them make adjustments.
The same goes for my younger brother. It was only after he learned martial arts from Uncle Jiao that he gradually became stronger and taller.
Their family has the means, but how can ordinary people adjust their diet? How can they teach martial arts in a targeted manner?
The first thing they face is the living conditions.
Daiyu felt that her mother was also on her aunt's side, so she wrote letters to her second cousin Yingchun and sister Xianglian, asking them to persuade her brother-in-law to help collect some data.
They are all parents from the same county, so it is easier and more fair to check these data.
"I'll write to my second sister and ask for help."
In fact, she wrote not only to her second sister and her friends, she also wrote to the elders who had taught at the girls' school and had a good relationship with her mother, asking for their help.
Daiyu felt very sad. "In the past two months, I have received a lot of data. They are... shocking."
"In that case, why are you still..."
Shen Ning was puzzled, "You still agree to the marriage with your second cousin?"
Even though Jia Min and Lin Ruhai loved Daiyu so much, she didn't believe it and they didn't even ask her.
Chen Ning didn't know why she had changed so much, but why Baoyu and Daiyu still had an inseparable "evil fate".
She had not paid much attention to this before, firstly because the status of the two families was very different, and secondly, although cousins gave gifts to each other, that was something everyone had.
“…”
Daiyu was silent for a while, then said, "I asked my second cousin to propose marriage to me."
What? Shen Ning frowned, "Why? You really like..."
"Aunt~"
Daiyu interrupted her guess, "My father always takes chances because of my brother and me." She said, "At his age, it's difficult for him to change his inherent impression."
Power gradually made him stubborn and self-willed.
He only trusts his own judgment.
"Haven't you tried this before? There are too many people like my father in the court."
Daiyu said, "Those data are bloody in our eyes. We are eager to change them, but the people who can change them are indifferent." She paused and said, "They are not concerned about it. Even if they don't care, they will eventually agree to the change and write it into the law, but how many people will actually implement it?"
Just like the Tang law.
“But it’s different with me.”
Daiyu said, "Father will always be more cautious when it comes to my affairs. With his current status and position, not only can he push things forward more quickly, but his daughter has broken off the engagement... and outsiders will inevitably investigate more and say more."
Shen Ning: “…”
To say I wasn't shocked would be a lie.
With Jia Min's keen sense, she shouldn't be clueless. "Does your mother... know what you are going to do?"
"A little."
Daiyu said, "My mother said that she wanted to die because she still had no children in the fifth year of her marriage."
She reluctantly accepted a concubine for her father, but the same was true for the concubines.
It can be seen that the problem lies with the father.
In fact, on my mother's side, although my grandfather and great-uncle did not live very long, they were much better off than my grandfather.
In addition to the eldest branch of the Jia family, there are also many descendants from other branches.
But the Lin family... not only has there been no long-lived family members since the great-grandfather, but they also have a harder time than others in having offspring.
"You know my father's health is not good either."
When my younger brother gets married, my mother will probably persuade my father to retire.
"Aunt, don't worry, we will cancel the engagement."
Xiao Yue'er didn't know what punishment her aunt had given her.
Daiyu pulled Chen Ning and said, "It's not uncommon for people in the capital to cancel an engagement after getting engaged." She might lose some reputation by doing this, but with her father and her maternal family, the reputation she lost was nothing. "I asked Yue'er to hide the news that my second cousin came to my house to propose marriage from you. You..."
"She is in the ancestral hall."
Shen Ning has a headache.
She didn't expect them to be so bold.
But now that she has done it, she needs to clean up the mess properly and not let her lose her reputation in vain.
"Go and let her out!"
The little girl is so stupid. She only has her sister in her eyes and ignores her mother. She deserves to be punished.
But at this moment, Shen Ning didn't want to see Daiyu either.
Because she couldn't help but want to scold her and punish her.
Is it so easy to cancel an engagement?
This makes me a target...
"Then I'll come back to see you."
Daiyu keenly sensed that her aunt wanted to punish her and beat her, so she hurried to the ancestral hall to save her. (End of this chapter)
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