"Mother, what's wrong?" Seeing Jia Min's smile fade into a hint of worry, Ning Hong stepped forward and took her hand.
"It's nothing, I'm just a little upset."
"Mother? Are you troubled by the letter from the capital?"
"Hong'er? How did you know?"
“What’s so difficult about that? Mother was so happy before, but ever since we received the letter from the capital, Mother has been sighing more often.” Daiyu is already three years old, so Jia Baoyu from the Rongguo Mansion should have appeared by now.
This letter from the capital is probably from some ancestor who wants to strengthen their family ties through marriage!
When Daiyu entered the mansion, she was quite young. Jia Min had just died, and the old matriarch held Daiyu in her arms, calling her her "my darling." Yet, she was allowed to enter through a side gate. How could that family have ever truly cared for her?
“Your maternal grandmother wants to invite us to stay with her for a while.”
“Mother may refuse. The journey to the capital is too long, my sister’s health cannot withstand it, and Mother has just recovered from a serious illness, so she cannot withstand such a bumpy ride.”
Hmph, with their looks, wanting to marry his family's Daiyu is simply a pipe dream.
Putting aside everything else, although Jia Baoyu is from the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, he is the son of Jia Zheng. Jia Zheng could not inherit the title and only obtained a fifth-rank official position through the protection of his family. His father, who was not his father, is now a second-rank salt inspector, a proper second-rank official.
How could the second son of a fifth-rank official be worthy of the legitimate daughter of a second-rank official?
If Jia Baoyu were a good person and Lady Wang were a good person, it would be bearable.
Unfortunately, Jia Baoyu was a reckless and unruly man, and Lady Wang was a vicious woman; how could they dare to marry the obedient Daiyu to them?
“That’s true. The child is still young and can’t withstand days of travel. Let’s wait until my husband returns to the capital to report on his duties before we go to the capital together.”
Luckily, Jia Min is clear-headed; otherwise, she might have lost her mind.
Shouldn't he be crying?
Jia Min bent down and picked up Daiyu.
"My little Daiyu, I will definitely find you a good family with all four aspects in order before I can feel at ease marrying you off."
Jia Min said softly.
Ning Hong's eyes flickered slightly.
Very well, this old lady Shi really has her eye on Daiyu again. What a shameless thing to do.
Time flies.
Jia Min's health improved day by day.
The same goes for Lin Ruhai.
As for Daiyu, she followed Ning Hongze around every day, and her body grew stronger day by day, moving further and further away from the delicate and frail Lin Daiyu in the book.
She was in good health and had a rosy complexion. She looked cheerful.
When Daiyu was four years old, Jia Min gave birth to twin sons for Lin Ruhai, completely breaking the 'curse' of five generations of only sons in the Lin family.
The Lin family's old steward, Uncle Fu, was overjoyed and wept, kneeling before the family's ancestral tablet and crying for quite some time.
Lin Ruhai was the same.
The entire Lin family practically worshipped Jia Min.
Although Lin Daiyu was in good health, she was still very preoccupied. Seeing the whole family celebrating the twins with joy, she couldn't help but feel a little lost.
However, his disappointment lasted only a few seconds before Ning Hong dragged him off to practice martial arts.
Thinking too much at such a young age is bad for your health. Instead of wasting time being sentimental, you should exercise and practice martial arts properly.
In the year Lin Daiyu turned thirteen, the struggle for the throne in the capital officially ended, the Crown Prince ascended the throne, and Lin Ruhai was recalled from Yangzhou.
He took over the Ministry of Revenue.
Lin Ruhai lived a solitary life in the book, and since he believed that his daughter had found a good home, he naturally did not care about the struggle for the throne. It should be said that he had long since stopped caring about his own life and death.
However, at this time, his wife and children were all around him, and his will to survive was strong, so he naturally had to be very careful, for fear that he might make a mistake and implicate his family.
Now that the major production has been finalized, he can finally say he's made it through the tough times.
From a second-rank salt commissioner to the Minister of Revenue, although the official rank did not increase, there was still a difference between local officials and officials in the capital.
"Brother, are we leaving here?"
Lin Daiyu, wrapped in a red embroidered plum blossom cloak, stood at Ning Hongze's door and asked.
"Yes, we're going to the capital."
Ning Hong is now sixteen years old. When the twins were five and he was twelve, he went to have a long talk with Lin Ruhai and Jia Min.
He said he was unwell and feared it would harm his offspring. Not wanting to lie, he decided to postpone the marriage and let Jia Min and Lin Ruhai consider Lin Daiyu's marriage first.
Lin Ruhai and Jia Min were saddened for several days because of this, and it was only after he did his best to coax them that they cheered up.
They weren't just worried about the Lin family's lineage.
Now that the twins are growing up, the Lin family line will naturally have someone to carry on. They are also worried that Ning Hongze will be all alone. When she was young, they, as her parents, looked after her, but what will happen to Ning Hongze after the two of them are gone? Fortunately, the twins are sensible. On that very day, they knelt before Lin Ruhai and expressed their willingness to adopt their own children to take care of their elder brother in his old age and see him off in his final days.
Ning Hongze: "???????"
No, he doesn't need it; he's still young.
We're still a ways off from being considered old.
They traveled to the capital by boat.
The Lin family had been living on the water for nearly two months, leaving them all feeling dejected.
It's fortunate that they are still healthy and strong; otherwise, they would definitely have fallen seriously ill.
Even so, it took them half a month to tidy up the Lin residence.
After they had rested and recuperated, they sent a letter to the Duke of Rong's residence.
When Madam Shi received the invitation, her expression was somewhat displeased.
Madam Wang held a round fan, a slight smirk playing on her lips, her expression hidden behind the fan revealing a hint of schadenfreude.
"Jia Min is getting less and less clear-headed as she gets older."
"Now that we've arrived in the capital, why don't you go home first?"
When Lin Ruhai received the news of his return to Beijing, they instructed the Lin family to prepare the Lin residence.
This would also save us from having to stay at the Jia family mansion when we arrived in the capital.
"Hong'er, do you particularly dislike the Jia family?" Jia Min asked thoughtfully. She wasn't angry, just curious.
Her eldest son has never had any contact with the Jia family, so why is he so resistant to them?
"Yes, I really don't like it."
A hint of approval flashed in Ning Hong's eyes. It must be said that there was a reason why Jia Daishan favored Jia Min back then; compared to her two older brothers, Jia Min was indeed much more outstanding.
“I have read my grandmother’s letters recently, and it seems that she wants to marry Daiyu to her cousin Baoyu.”
"You think this is inappropriate?"
Jia Min smiled slightly and asked.
“It is indeed inappropriate. Not to mention the impact of consanguineous marriage on future generations, Baoyu is not a good match for him.”
Jia Baoyu was indeed innocent and radiant, extremely gentle towards women, unlike other men.
However, he spent his days in the backyard, surrounded by many women, not to mention that he already had Xiren as his concubine.
"Most importantly, he does nothing but laze around all day. If my sister marries him, she'll probably be crying her eyes out for the rest of her life. I won't allow my sister to marry him."
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