Xu Dejing lowered her head in silence.
Wu Rushan continued, "Trust Mother. Even if you found someone who suited your heart, with your looks and character, he would never come from a household of ordinary commoners. He would most likely be a young master from some aristocratic clan.
"You might truly love each other, but life before marriage and life after marriage are different.
"Before marriage, your world contains only the two of you.
"After marriage, both your families enter it.
"You are a daughter of the Xu Household. You would certainly find the scheming and sinister tricks in an ordinary aristocratic clan's inner quarters intolerable. One impulsive act would bring countless people down on you with scorn and abuse.
"Even if your future husband treated you wonderfully, he would still hesitate when forced to choose between you and his lineage.
"After all, his lineage raised and nurtured him. Those ties cannot easily be severed.
"Having to defend you again and again would eventually wear away every last shred of affection between you."
Xu Dejing raised her head to look at Wu Rushan and opened her mouth to speak, only for Wu Rushan's words to cut her off.
"Don't deny it. You're still young and haven't experienced much. It's perfectly normal that you cannot see the complexities between aristocratic clans clearly. Matters of affection are complicated too. Your father and I, for instance, had our marriage arranged by my mother.
"Your third uncle had little foundation of affection before marrying either. But haven't we gotten along well since marriage? Haven't our feelings been good?
"Whether among wealthy commoner households or Greater Clans, a woman's happiness rests not only in her husband's hands, but also in those of his family.
"Mother was fortunate to marry into the Xu Household.
"If the