Red Chamber 26

When the matchmaker revealed the identity of the suitor, the entire Xue family was pleasantly surprised.

The second son of the Liu family!

The Liu family was a branch of the Li Duke Mansion, and their social standing was far higher than that of the Xue family.

The eldest son of the Liu family was a Tanhualang, and despite his youth, he held a high position in the Ministry of Revenue and was a trusted confidant of the Emperor.

Although the second son of the Liu family was not as scholarly as his older brother, he was highly skilled in martial arts, having already attained the title of Wujuren, and was expected to pass the martial examinations for the rank of Wujinshi in the future.

His prospects were visibly bright.

Compared to the Liu family, the Mei family was worlds apart.

Yet now, the Liu family had actually sent a matchmaker to propose marriage?!

Xue Pan was the first to jump up, shouting, "Mother, Second Aunt, agree! Quickly agree! I know the second son of the Liu family; that fellow is incredibly handsome, his martial arts skills are exceptional, and he is very capable. Cousin Baoqin marrying him would be a hundred times happier than marrying the eldest son of the Mei family."

"Sit down this instant," Aunt Xue scolded her son, looking displeased.

There was no precedent for the bride's side to be so unreserved and impatient to marry off their daughter.

Xue Ke chuckled and said to the two elders, "Aunt, Mother, my eldest brother is right. The second son of the Liu family is a very fine young man with both ability and a promising future."

Hiding behind a screen, Xue Baoqin blushed.

After meeting Liu Xianglian in the garden, the little maid who knew her heart had gone to inquire about his identity, letting her know that the man was indeed Liu Xianglian.

But because Liu Xianglian's standing was so high, Xue Baoqin did not believe she could ever marry him, so she had buried that flicker of affection deep in her heart.

She never expected that the very next day, the man would send a matchmaker to their door.

Xue Baoqin raised both hands to cover her burning cheeks, her eyes sparkling with joy as the corners of her mouth curled upward uncontrollably.

Because Liu Xianglian's status was so excellent and Xue Baoqin had already had one engagement broken, Aunt Xue and the Second Madame Xue did not put on airs. They immediately agreed to the matchmaker and handed over Xue Baoqin's birth data.

They even gave the matchmaker a very generous red envelope.

The Xue family were wealthy, and since they had not been swindled out of their fortune by Lady Wang of the Rongguo Mansion, they were currently flush with cash; they casually gave the matchmaker fifty taels of silver.

The matchmaker was overjoyed!

With such a generous client, she would certainly do her utmost to help them finalize the marriage contract between the two families.

When the time came, the reward for her services would surely be substantial, right?

Motivated by this, the matchmaker ran her errands even more diligently, her tongue becoming even more glib.

With such a motivated matchmaker, the Liu family and the Xue family soon finalized the engagement between Liu Xianglian and Xue Baoqin.

The wedding was set to take place after Liu Xianglian passed the martial examinations for Wujinshi.

Before that, they had to handle the marriages of Xue Pan and Xue Ke.

The marriages for both Xue Pan and Xue Ke had already been decided.

Xue Ke's fiancée was his canonical match, Xing Xiuyan.

Although in this life, Lady Xing had not married into the Rongguo Mansion, she had still married into the capital, becoming the wife of a clansman of the Niu family from the Duke of Zhen's mansion.

That clansman also had kinship ties with the Shi family of the Baoling Marquis Mansion, and thus, the Xing family was considered to have connections with the Rongguo Mansion.

Lady Xing had come to the Rongguo Mansion to pay her respects to Lady Jia Shi.

This change in status also led to a change in Lady Jia Shi's attitude toward Lady Xing.

Lady Jia Shi had a good attitude toward relatives from her maiden family and quite liked Lady Xing.

In truth, Lady Xing had a straightforward personality and was very capable.

It was only in the original text that, suppressed by the Matriarch and the second branch, she—the mistress of the first branch—was looked down upon by the Matriarch and bullied by Lady Wang, which caused her to display the petty, money-grubbing behavior of someone without talent.

In this world, Lady Xing was very capable and managed her husband's household perfectly; she appeared magnanimous, and since she had no conflicts of interest with the people of the Rongguo Mansion, both the Matriarch and Lady Wang enjoyed chatting with her.

Through this relationship, when the Xue Ke family traveled to the capital, they accompanied the Xing family on the journey.

During the trip, Xue Ke and Xing Xiuyan had opportunities to interact, and he developed a fondness for her.

Second Madame Xue also liked Xing Xiuyan quite a bit, so she asked Aunt Xue to act as a go-between, finalizing the marriage between Xue Ke and Xing Xiuyan with the Xing family.

As for Xue Pan's fiancée, it was not Xia Jingui, but someone Jia Hu had helped find: the daughter of a military general who had practiced with blades and spears since childhood. While she looked delicate and fragile on the outside, her martial prowess exceeded that of an average man.

Xue Pan would absolutely be no match for that young lady.

Jia Hu helped arrange this match specifically so she could keep Xue Pan in line.

Aunt Xue was exceptionally satisfied with this choice of daughter-in-law.

Not to mention that the girl's background was not low, just the fact that she could discipline her son made Aunt Xue immensely pleased.

Even though her heart ached whenever her daughter-in-law beat her son.

The Xue family held two weddings in succession, but the biggest news was the message that arrived from the palace regarding Xue Baochai.

For years, there had been no news of Xue Baochai since she entered the palace, leaving the Xue family deeply worried.

The Xue family had tried every possible way to inquire about Xue Baochai's situation in the palace, but unfortunately, no information ever came out.

After entering the palace, Xue Baochai seemed to have vanished, and the Xue family had already begun to prepare for the worst.

Now that there was news of Xue Baochai, and excellent news at that, the entire Xue family was overjoyed.

Xue Baochai had become a woman of the Emperor and was conferred the title of Noble Lady.

Could their Xue family now be considered relatives of the imperial household?

On the day of Xue Pan's wedding, the newly appointed Noble Lady Xue Baochai sent a eunuch to the Xue residence to deliver gifts, making the Xue family the new socialites of the capital.

It was just a pity that the Mei family had already left the capital; otherwise, they would surely have died of regret.

They had almost been able to become relatives with a consort in the palace!

So what if they were of merchant origin?

The sister of a Noble Lady held a status higher than many noble-born young ladies!

Not long after Xing Xiuyan and Xue Ke were married, Yingchun was wedded off.

Her marriage had been settled long ago, but it was contingent upon her fiancé passing the imperial examinations.

Now that her husband had passed the examinations, with the help of the Zhang family, he was posted to the Jiangnan region to serve as a county magistrate.

Preparations for their wedding were quickly made, and once they were married, Yingchun left the capital with her husband.

As for when they would return, it was hard to say.

Perhaps Jia Yingchun would never be able to return to the capital in her entire life.

Following this, Liu Xianglian participated in the military examinations, became a military jinshi, and was appointed to a sixth-rank official position.

The Liu family held a wedding ceremony to welcome Xue Baoqin into their home.

One month after the wedding, Father Liu and Mother Liu took charge and divided the family assets between the two brothers.

Liu Zhong had long since purchased a residence next to the Liu Mansion, so Liu Xianglian and his wife moved into that house; they could still walk to the Liu Mansion every day to pay their respects to Father Liu and Mother Liu, making it no different from when the young lady had not yet moved out of the Liu Mansion.

Over these years, Father Liu had relied on the occasional ideas suggested by Liu Zhong to conduct business, earning a great deal of money.

Father Liu and Mother Liu had used these years to purchase many plots of land and storefronts.

Today, the Liu family's assets were fifty times what they had been when they were first separated from the Li Duke Mansion.

As the second son, Liu Xianglian only received thirty percent of the family assets, but it was already a significant amount.

It was no less than what Second Uncle Liu had received back then, excluding the ancestral property of the Duke Mansion.

Coupled with a wife like Xue Baoqin, who brought a generous dowry, even if Liu Xianglian were not skilled at management, he would be able to live a life of abundance and still have plenty left over for his descendants.