Mother Liu was delighted by Liu Zhong's sweet words. "You should still marry someone you like. Don't be shy, dear. Tell me, what kind of wife would you like?"
Liu Zhong replied, "As long as she's virtuous, I have no other requirements."
Mother Liu asked, "You don't care about her looks?"
"I'm not Second Brother, who's set on marrying a beauty."
Mother Liu couldn't help snorting. "Your younger brother is so much more trouble than you. Could he really care so little about the girl's family background just because she's beautiful? When he grows up, I'll discipline him strictly. I absolutely won't let him go to those places of ill repute."
Father Liu nodded in agreement from the side.
They were both truly afraid that Liu Xianglian would marry a brothel courtesan just because she was beautiful.
Liu Zhong asked, "Where's Second Brother? I haven't seen him."
Mother Liu said, "He went to Rongguo Mansion. He's staying there tonight."
Liu Zhong gave a soft "Oh." Jia Lian must have invited him over.
"Mother, there's no need to rush into finding me a wife. Let's wait until I pass the jinshi examination. Then we'll have a wider range of choices."
Once he became a jinshi, he could marry someone of higher status, too.
Father Liu and Mother Liu realized this as well, so they put off finding a wife for Liu Zhong until after he passed the jinshi examination.
The metropolitan examination would take place in three years. Liu Zhong would still be under twenty then.
Mother Liu acted with lightning speed. The very next day, she dismissed all the maids in the household who had begun entertaining ambitions of their own.
Those with families were sent home with their relatives. Those without families were assigned to young male servants in the household and would soon be married.
Mother Liu did not shortchange them, either. She gave each of them twenty taels of silver for their dowries.
The maids wept and pleaded, but they couldn't move Lady Liu. They had no choice but to leave, resentful and unwilling.
This swift action frightened the other maids in the household.
Once they understood that neither Mother Liu nor Liu Zhong would take a maid as a concubine, they gave up on the idea and no longer dared to hover around Liu Zhong.
Life was peaceful at the Liu family home, but Rongguo Mansion was bustling.
Visitors came in an endless stream to offer congratulations. The Four Kings and Eight Dukes, as well as the Twelve Marquises, all showed an interest in arranging marriages with Jia Hu.
Jia Hu couldn't stand being stared at as if he were a monkey, so he simply ran off to the Liu home for some peace and quiet.
Liu Zhong teased him, "Aren't you afraid your elders will arrange a marriage you don't want while you're away?"
Jia Hu shook his head. "Grandfather won't settle my marriage lightly. He thinks the Four Kings and Eight Dukes and the Twelve Marquises have already aroused the emperor's suspicion, so we can't form marriage alliances with them anymore."
"Your grandfather sees things clearly," Liu Zhong said.
Jia Hu said worriedly, "Grandfather's health is getting worse and worse. I'm afraid he won't last another two years."
Liu Zhong patted Jia Hu on the shoulder to comfort him but said nothing.
Jia Daishan had already lived longer than he had in the original story.
He was content to have lived long enough to see his beloved eldest grandson pass the examinations.
Liu Zhong and Jia Hu spent half a year in the capital before setting off south again to take the provincial examinations.
Both of them made the list once more.
Jia Hu came first again, becoming the provincial graduate.
Though Liu Zhong didn't take first place, he still ranked among the top ten.
When the news reached the capital, Rongguo Mansion was once again filled with guests.
Jia Daishan had Jia Zheng and Jia She receive the visitors. His health was poor, and he needed to rest without being disturbed.
Without the family patriarch present, even those hoping to marry their daughters or granddaughters to Jia Hu couldn't bring themselves to broach the subject.
After all, even Jia She, his own father, couldn't make decisions for him.
Lady Jia Shi, his grandmother, naturally had little say in the matter either.
At this time, the emperor summoned Jia Daishan to the palace for a chat.
When Jia Daishan entered the palace, he found that the Fourth Prince was still at the emperor's side.
Ever since the crown prince's rebellion, the emperor's health and spirits had been declining day by day.
Jia Daishan hadn't been to the palace in a long time. Seeing the emperor again, he found that the man had aged considerably.
The emperor kept the Fourth Prince by his side. Was he raising him as his successor?
Jia Daishan glanced sidelong at the Fourth Prince, then looked away and sat across from the emperor. The two began reminiscing about the past.
They were both old now, and their memories of the past were tinged with nostalgia.
As they talked, the emperor brought up Jia Hu.
"I heard that your eldest grandson has passed four examinations in a row?"
Jia Daishan answered cautiously, "That's right."
"Very good. I hope he passes the next two as well and brings me the auspicious omen of a sixfold examination champion."
Jia Daishan hurriedly replied, "The boy still has room to improve. I'm afraid he won't live up to Your Majesty's expectations."
The emperor laughed. "If I say he can do it, then he can."
Jia Daishan said no more. Since the emperor had said this, Jia Hu was certain to become the top candidate in the metropolitan examination.
Even if Jia Hu's exam paper had shortcomings, the examiners would still make him the top candidate.
The emperor spoke again. "Daishan, your eldest grandson isn't engaged yet, is he?"
"He isn't," Jia Daishan replied.
"Then I'll play matchmaker and arrange a wife for him."
Jia Daishan hurriedly said, "I leave everything to Your Majesty."
The emperor smiled and pointed to the Fourth Prince beside him. "The Fourth Prince's legitimate daughter is fourteen this year, about the same age as your eldest grandson. I'll betroth her to your family as your grandson's wife. What do you think?"
What could Jia Daishan say?
Naturally, he agreed with "great delight."
This was an imperial favor.
Besides...
Jia Daishan suppressed his thoughts.
The Fourth Prince would likely be the next emperor. If his grandson married the prince's daughter, he would become the new emperor's son-in-law, and Rongguo Mansion would be on the new emperor's side.
When the imperial family moved against the Four Kings and Eight Dukes in the future, Rongguo Mansion might be able to escape disaster.
With that thought, Jia Daishan's expression of gratitude became much more sincere.
The Fourth Prince was quite pleased with this betrothal.
Apart from Jia Daishan's connections in the military, the Fourth Prince also admired Jia Hu himself.
After learning of Jia Hu's existence from the emperor's conversation with Jia Daishan, the Fourth Prince had begun paying attention to him.
He discovered that Jia Hu was truly outstanding: a scholar and warrior, with a steady, resourceful nature. In the military, he had the makings of a great general; in civil service, he was a future chancellor.
The Fourth Prince had immediately thought of making Jia Hu his son-in-law and had let his consort know.
The Fourth Prince Consort had looked into Jia Hu's background through the women's quarters. The results pleased her, and she praised her husband for his good judgment.
When news that Jia Hu had become the provincial graduate reached the capital, the Fourth Prince Consort could hardly sit still. She wanted to settle the marriage between her daughter and Jia Hu as soon as possible, afraid that another family might snatch him away if they waited.
Jia Hu was now the most sought-after young man among the nobility. Countless families wanted a promising young talent whose bright future was plain to see as their son-in-law.
The Four Kings and Eight Dukes were closely connected. With that relationship to rely on, they had a better chance of marrying into the Jia family.
So the Fourth Prince Consort went to see the Fourth Prince.
Before you continue