Chapter 13: Dream of the Red Chamber 11

Mother Liu was beaming with joy at Liu Zhong's words, saying, "You should still marry someone you like. You silly child, don't be shy—tell me, what kind of wife do you want?"

Liu Zhong replied, "As long as she is virtuous, I have no other requirements."

Mother Liu asked, "Do you have no requirements regarding her appearance either?"

Liu Zhong said, "I am not like my second brother, who is obsessed with marrying a peerless beauty."

Mother Liu couldn't help but snort. "Compared to you, your brother is truly a source of constant worry. Could it be that because of beauty, he won't even care about a woman's family background or status? Once he grows up, I will discipline him strictly; I will never allow him to frequent those places of ill repute."

Father Liu nodded in agreement from the side.

The two of them truly feared that Liu Xianglian would, for the sake of beauty, marry a courtesan from a brothel into their home.

Liu Zhong asked, "Where is my second brother? Why haven't I seen him?"

Mother Liu replied, "He went to the Rongguo Mansion and is staying there overnight."

Liu Zhong gave an "oh" in response; it was likely that Jia Lian had invited him.

Liu Zhong said, "Mother, there is no rush regarding the matchmaking for a daughter-in-law. Let us wait until I pass the Jinshi examination. By then, the range of candidates I might consider will be much broader."

Once he became a Jinshi, the social status of the wives he could marry would also be higher.

Father Liu and Mother Liu realized this as well, so they decided to postpone the matchmaking for Liu Zhong until he passed the Jinshi exam.

The metropolitan exam was to be held in three years, at which time Liu Zhong would not yet be twenty.

Mother Liu's actions were as swift as a thunderclap. The very next day, she dismissed all the maids around her who had begun to harbor ulterior motives.

Those with families had their relatives come to collect them; those without families were assigned directly to the household servants, waiting only to be married off.

Mother Liu did not mistreat them, giving each person twenty taels of silver as dowry money.

The maids wept and cried, but they could not move Madam Liu, and could only leave reluctantly.

This decisive move terrified the other maids in the household.

Knowing that neither Mother Liu nor Liu Zhong would accept maids as concubines, they abandoned any such thoughts and dared not approach Liu Zhong again.

While life at the Liu residence was very peaceful, things were quite lively at the Rongguo Mansion.

People came in an endless stream to offer congratulations. The Four Kings, Eight Dukes, Twelve Marquises, and other powerful families all showed intentions of forming marriage alliances with Jia Hu.

Jia Hu found the constant staring, as if people were looking at a monkey in a zoo, unbearable, so he simply fled to the Liu residence to seek peace and quiet.

Liu Zhong teased him, "Aren't you afraid your elders will take advantage of your absence to arrange a marriage you don't like?"

Jia Hu shook his head. "My grandfather will not arrange a marriage for me easily. His intention is that the Four Kings, Eight Dukes, and Twelve Marquises are already viewed with suspicion by the Emperor and can no longer engage in political marriages."

Liu Zhong said, "Your grandfather sees things clearly."

Jia Hu said worriedly, "Grandfather's health is getting worse and worse. I fear he won't last another two years."

Liu Zhong patted Jia Hu's shoulder in consolation but said nothing.

Jia Daishan was currently living longer than he had in the original story.

Having seen his most beloved and cherished eldest grandson achieve academic success, Jia Daishan was already satisfied.

After staying in the capital for half a year, Liu Zhong and Jia Hu set off once more for the south to participate in the provincial examinations.

Both names appeared on the list once again.

Jia Hu once again ranked first, becoming the *Jieyuan* (top scholar of the provincial exam).

Although Liu Zhong did not achieve the top rank, he was still within the top ten.

When the news reached the capital, the Rongguo Mansion was once again flooded with guests.

Jia Daishan had Jia Zheng and Jia She receive the guests, as his own health was poor and he required rest without disturbance.

Without the head of the family appearing in person, even those families who were intent on marrying their daughters or granddaughters to Jia Hu could not bring themselves to speak up.

After all, even Jia She, his own biological son, could not make decisions for his son.

As the grandmother, Lady Jia naturally had little say in the matter.

At this time, the Emperor summoned Jia Daishan to the palace to keep him company.

Upon entering the palace, Jia Daishan found that the person accompanying the Emperor was still the Fourth Prince.

Ever since the rebellion of the Crown Prince, the Emperor's health and spirit had been declining day by day.

Jia Daishan had not entered the palace for a long time, and seeing the Emperor again, he found him much older.

The Emperor keeping the Fourth Prince by his side—was he training him as the successor?

Jia Daishan cast a sidelong glance at the Fourth Prince before withdrawing his gaze and sitting opposite the Emperor, where the two began to chat about the past.

Both were old now, and when they spoke of old times, it was with nostalgia.

As they talked, the Emperor brought up Jia Hu.

"I heard your eldest grandson has won four top honors in a row?"

Jia Daishan answered cautiously, "Yes."

The Emperor said, "Very good. I hope he can win two more, bringing me the auspicious sign of a *Liuyuan Jidi* (six-fold top scholar)."

Jia Daishan hurriedly said, "The child still has shortcomings; I fear he may not meet Your Majesty's expectations."

The Emperor smiled and said, "If I say he can, then he can."

Jia Daishan fell silent. Since the Emperor had said so, Jia Hu would inevitably become the *Huayuan* (top scholar of the metropolitan exam).

Even if Jia Hu's exam papers had flaws, the examiners would ensure he became the *Huayuan*.

The Emperor spoke again, "Daishan, your eldest grandson is not yet engaged, is he?"

"No," Jia Daishan replied.

The Emperor said, "How about this: I shall act as the matchmaker and arrange a wife for him."

Jia Daishan hurriedly said, "Everything shall be as Your Majesty decides."

The Emperor smiled and pointed to the Fourth Prince beside him, saying, "The legitimate daughter of the Fourth Prince's household is fourteen this year, roughly the same age as your eldest grandson. I shall grant her to your family as a granddaughter-in-law. What do you think?"

What could Jia Daishan do?

Naturally, he accepted with "great joy."

This was imperial grace.

Furthermore...

Jia Daishan suppressed his thoughts.

The Fourth Prince would likely be the next Emperor. If his grandson married his daughter, he would be the son-in-law of the new Emperor, and the Rongguo Mansion would effectively belong to the new Emperor's faction.

In the future, when the Imperial Family moved to purge the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, the Rongguo Mansion should be able to escape the disaster.

Thinking of this, Jia Daishan's gratitude was much more sincere.

The Fourth Prince was quite satisfied with this arranged marriage.

Setting aside Jia Daishan's connections within the military, the Fourth Prince also greatly admired Jia Hu as a person.

Having learned of Jia Hu's existence from the conversation between the Emperor and Jia Daishan, the Fourth Prince had begun to pay attention to him.

He discovered that the boy was truly exceptional—a man of both literary and martial talent, with a good character, being steady and resourceful. In the military, he would be a commander; in civil service, he would be a candidate for Prime Minister.

The Fourth Prince had immediately formed the idea of making Jia Hu his son-in-law and shared the news with his Princess.

The Fourth Princess began working through the inner courtyard to gather information on Jia Hu. The results were very satisfying, and she praised her Prince's excellent taste.

When the news of Jia Hu passing the provincial exam as *Jieyuan* reached the capital, the Fourth Princess could no longer sit still. She wanted to finalize the marriage between her daughter and Jia Hu as quickly as possible, fearing that if she were a step too late, Jia Hu would be snatched away by another family.

Currently, Jia Hu was the most sought-after bachelor in aristocratic circles; countless families wanted such a young talent, whose bright future was visible to the naked eye, as a son-in-law.

The Four Kings and Eight Dukes shared deep connections, and relying on this layer of relationship, they had a greater chance of forming an alliance with the Jia family.

Thus, the Fourth Princess went to see the Fourth Prince.