Chapter 270 Xu Daiyu's Right to Choose Her Own Marriage
"Lord Lin, please reconsider." Yuan Hongqu did not pressure Lin Ruhai to make an immediate decision. "As long as your health does not recover, the imperial decree will not be issued."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ruhai's eyes flashed with a sharp light: How could Yuan Hongqu know about this? The Emperor had said that he would wait until Yuan Hongqu recovered before issuing an edict to allow him to take up his post.
He feels his health is improving day by day, and he thinks he is already 60-70% recovered. He is preparing to go to the palace in two days.
But Yuan Hongqu was clearly threatening him.
If she doesn't allow Daiyu to have autonomy over her marriage, then Yuan Hongqu has a way to prevent her health from improving.
“Mr. Yuan, I cannot agree to this. Marriage is a serious matter and should naturally be decided by one’s parents and the matchmaker.” Lin Ruhai’s face turned ashen, and he turned and left.
Yuan Hongqu sneered, "It's best if Lord Lin thinks that way. Daiyu is your daughter, so why don't you stay in the capital and raise her yourself!"
Lin Ruhai turned around and asked, "Mr. Yuan, are you using Daiyu to threaten me?"
“Yes.” Yuan Hongqu answered frankly. If Lin Ruhai could not give Daiyu autonomy over her marriage, what use would Lin Ruhai be?
Lin Ruhai wanted to become the Governor-General of Liangjiang and wanted to take office properly, so he had to completely let go of Daiyu.
Daiyu could stay in the capital and serve as a hostage for Lin Ruhai, who was appointed Governor-General of Liangjiang.
However, this is not something Daiyu should have to endure. If Lin Ruhai wants to do this, he must pay the price.
This price wasn't the things he sent her every day, nor was it the Lin family's million-dollar fortune; that was simply what Daiyu, as the only heir of the Lin family, deserved.
Daiyu should be free; she should be in control of her own life's rhythm, not be dictated by worldly conventions.
Moreover, the world today is so absurd!
Daiyu, whom Yuan Hongqu painstakingly and diligently raised, possesses the mindset of a modern woman, the spirit of a leading lady, and a heart filled with the stars and the sea.
It's not about getting bogged down in the power struggles within the household, nor is it about letting Lin Ruhai use his position as a father to manipulate things.
"Lord Lin, you were seriously ill and almost lost your life. You only have one descendant, Daiyu. To put it bluntly, if you hadn't made it back to the capital this time and had died in Yangzhou, what would your daughter have gone through? Have you thought about that?"
Lin Ruhai hadn't thought about these things. He was a smart man, and even without thinking too much, he could already imagine that if he died in Yangzhou, Daiyu's life would be very difficult.
In truth, Yuan Hongqu was merely Daiyu's teacher. She did everything she could to protect Daiyu, but it was no match for the Jia family's insistence on "blood ties."
After his death, Daiyu will surely be taken back to the Jia family mansion.
He came from Yangzhou while he was ill. Of all the Jia family members, only Jia Lian and his wife brought Baoyu to visit once. After that, only Jia Lian came by himself.
But once his health improved slightly and he went to the palace to meet the emperor, the number of people from the Jia family increased.
Even his two brothers-in-law came to visit him twice.
What could Lin Ruhai not understand?
“Mr. Yuan, Daiyu is not even ten years old yet. It is too early to talk about marriage. It would be better to wait a couple of years.”
“Lord Lin, given your physical condition, and with even more official duties after becoming the Governor-General of Liangjiang, can you guarantee you can live for another two years?” Yuan Hongqu could tell that Lin Ruhai wanted to use the tactic of “delaying” to put the matter aside.
Therefore, Yuan Hongqu stopped being polite in her speech.
"Mr. Yuan, do you think I, Lin, will die young?!" Lin Ruhai was furious.
Yuan Hongqu was telling the truth. In the original novel, Lin Ruhai was supposed to die in two years.
"Lord Lin, there's no need to be angry. If you're this hot-tempered, you might not even last two years!"
Lin Ruhai was furious. He was genuinely afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would be driven to his death by Yuan Hongqu.
He turned and walked away, but he hadn't gone far when he heard Yuan Hongqu calling after him.
"Lord Lin, please think it over carefully."
Lin Ruhai stumbled and almost fell.
Yuan Hongqu coldly watched the departing figure until it disappeared into the night and nothing could be seen anymore, then she sent someone to clean up.
Although Daiyu had caused trouble today, the nanny said it was nothing serious, so she went to sleep peacefully.
After checking on Daiyu and confirming that she was sleeping well, he returned to his own room.
The next morning, just after Yuan Hongqu and Daiyu had breakfast, someone came to report that Lord Qiu from the Ministry of Rites had come to visit, and Lord Lin had invited him over.
Since Lin Ruhai had already made arrangements, Yuan Hongqu didn't bother to join in the fun. So she went to the academy with Daiyu.
"Granny, I heard this morning that you and my father had an argument last night."
Yuan Hongqu had no intention of hiding anything from Daiyu, so when she heard Daiyu ask this question, she told Daiyu about their conversation the night before.
However, Yuan Hongqu did not voice those comments about Lin Ruhai's short lifespan.
Daiyu had read the original novel and was already very reluctant to discuss Lin Ruhai's early death, so Yuan Hongqu didn't mention it much.
"Grandma, I want to be like you, free, with my own thoughts, and not living according to other people's definitions. Grandma, thank you for fighting for me."
Although Daiyu was young, she was precocious from a young age, and she understood everything that Yuan Hongqu said.
There were also many female teachers in the academy who vowed never to marry, but the reason they did not marry was mostly because they met the wrong person and were cheated out of their money and their virtue.
They are willing to share such stories with their students so that they won't go astray when they grow up.
Having seen more of the world, Daiyu became more carefree about her future plans.
She knew that in a few years, it would be inevitable that her family would push her out for a marriage proposal, and she might get engaged, and like other women in the world, she would end up in the inner quarters of the house.
She feels very resentful and uncomfortable whenever she thinks about it.
Little did she know that the nanny had already planned it out for her.
She wanted her father to agree to her right to choose her own marriage partner.
That means that whether or not you get married, when you want to get married, and who you want to spend your life with are all decisions you make...
This was something she had never even considered before.
"Thank you, Granny."
Lin Daiyu nestled against Yuan Hongqu, "Are all immortals like this?"
Yuan Hongqu blinked.
"That's right, you'll be a god from now on."
"Granny, do you think my father will agree?"
"Whether he agrees or not, you are my personal disciple, and I will not let anyone or anything stand in your way."
“Granny, I think my father has become arrogant. His health only started to improve because of the ginseng pills and ginseng hydrosol. It’s not because he has a good constitution. It’s only been a few days, and my father has already gone to the palace and is going to take up a post in another place.”
"Oh, Granny, I'm really worried about his health."
"Several imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy are staying at home, so Lord Lin's health will definitely improve even more than before!"
After school, the two had just entered the door when they heard Lin Ruhai's voice.
"Mr. Yuan, let's sign the contract. I've found the Emperor to be a witness. Would you like to have the Empress as a witness, Mr. Yuan?"
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