An ugly girl starts off, then becomes a beauty

Gao Heng happened to be returning from Marquis Mu Wu's mansion. He had just washed his hands in the side room when he saw this scene in the courtyard.

Neither of them stayed outside the painting hall for long. As it happened to be the day when Doctor Gao was going to check her pulse, they went to Yanshuiju together.

"But what did you hear?" Doctor Gao was indeed a famous doctor in Chang'an City. He was able to chat with her while taking her pulse.

She was staring outside with her chin propped up, thinking for a long time about what Sang Feng'e had just said. When she came to her senses, she confessed the truth, "My aunt may want to tell the Xun family of the Eastern Marquis about me. She has brought me and the Marquis's wife to see them several times."

Gao Heng's hand on her wrist trembled. How could she not feel the contact of their skin? So she turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

But he was not thinking about what he said, but was worried about what was wrong with his body.

"No wonder she often goes to the East Marquis' Mansion after the New Year." Gao Heng muttered, and then said, "This family is not good."

Maybe my aunt hadn't told my cousin about this marriage yet, so she asked, "Why is it not good?"

He knew the reason clearly in his heart - the worst case scenario was that the Duke of Dong had fallen into decline, and had to rely on his wife's cousin to sell his body to stabilize his position. But it was just a stone roller hanging on the treetop, shaky and ready to fall. If that flatterer was no longer in power, the seemingly superficial glory today would be returned many times in the future.

"There are many people in the East Marquis's mansion." Gao Heng slowly put down his hand that was holding the pulse and explained, "The East Marquis is busy with his life, indulging himself in sensual pleasures, and never cares about family affairs. All trivial matters are taken care of by his wife. The uncles of the Xun clan also live in the mansion, and they are all eyeing the property of the mansion, especially the aunts of the second uncle's family, who are very powerful-"

She paused for a moment, wondering how Gao Heng knew so much, when she heard him say, "Last year, I consulted the pulse of the wife of the Marquis of Dong. Later, I often went to the Marquis' Mansion for a short period of time, and I also know the situation of this family."

"If the son of the Xun family enters the government in the future, even if he passes the assessment, he will be sent to the county for two years. Officials of the imperial court never bring their families with them when they take office. When the time comes, you will have to serve your aunt and uncle, and take care of the whole family. How can you cope with such a dangerous place?"

Having said this, Sang Ling really grasped the key point of the second sentence: Prince Xun entered the officialdom.

She was surprised at first. When the nobles in the capital picked daughters-in-law, they never thought of choosing ugly ones. It would be a loss of status for a reserve mistress of a big family if she was not well-proportioned. But Lady Donghou chose her. If she said that she was attracted by her current fat body, it seemed a bit far-fetched. It only made sense after thinking about it this way. Perhaps there was a layer of interest involved.

After studying for these days, she also understood the selection system of officials in the imperial court. Talents were selected by local or imperial officials. Children in the capital were generally recommended by officials in the family, but the Donghou family was special. The flatterers were just seeking fame and reputation, and they were definitely not qualified to recommend. Therefore, the wife of the Donghou family was probably attracted by her family background. The central government of the imperial court was composed of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. It was needless to say that Sang Wu was the Grand Commandant. If Xun Jin could get Sang Wu's recommendation, he could enter the officialdom and get real power, which was better than holding on to the empty title of a marquis.

No wonder...

She couldn't help but force a laugh, but she felt that after removing the veil, her heart was much calmer - it was something that they actually liked, and everyone could get what they needed, which was better than being really attracted by her chubby appearance. And if her family had something that could make her husband's family afraid, even if it was a good deal, it would not be bad.

Whether in her own life or Sang Ling's life, she had never thought that her future marriage would depend on the love between the two of them. Whether in this era or in her previous era, marriage was originally the relationship between two families. It would not be a bad thing if the interests were made clear before that.

Didn't marriages based on true love, such as her own parents, end in divorce? And the fruit of love became a mistake. If it ended up like that, it would be better to be married for the sake of interests from the beginning.

What's more, in this era, women were not as free as modern women.

She suddenly felt that this was not such a bad thing. Even if it was a dangerous place, which family would not have a hard time? The Taiwei Mansion was no exception. The Gao family was small, with only her aunt and cousin, so there were fewer conflicts. Moreover, with her reputation, perhaps the Donghou Mansion was already the top choice.

Perhaps her aunt had taken these practical issues into consideration and chose the Middle East Marquis Mansion for her.

She did not respond to Gao Heng's words and let the room remain silent for a moment. Then she heard Gao Heng change the subject and asked her if she had not had a proper meal recently.

The day was getting hotter, and because of the inexplicable worries she had about trivial matters, coupled with the deliberate control of her appetite, her appetite was indeed not strong now.

He subconsciously glanced at his belly, which was only a thin layer left, and said with a wry smile, "Yes, I ate less, but I didn't miss the medicinal food you prepared."

Although she wanted to lose weight, her body was still growing and she couldn't afford to lose nutrition. Gao Heng, her personal doctor, knew this and said, "Don't reduce your normal food intake," and then he returned to silence.

In the past, when they came to Yanshuiju, it was her cousin who asked her to go back after the treatment. But today, he suddenly stopped and didn't say anything else. Sang Ling waited for a while, thinking about leaving on her own initiative. Then Gao Heng flicked his sleeves, his expression still a little solemn, "This will never work. I will talk to my mother later, you don't have to worry."

Still talking about the marriage proposal with the Xun family.

She wasn't really worried. As someone who had never had a good life, she never thought about having an idealized life. Besides, if Sang Feng'e knew that she was eavesdropping and instigated Gao Heng to refuse, wouldn't she be disappointed? Compared to Ma and the like, this aunt was very attentive to her.

"Cousin." So she smiled soothingly, "I know what's going on. Since my aunt has chosen the Xun family for me, wouldn't it make her feel bad if I said this?"

"But..." Gao Heng wanted to say again.

She interrupted him and said, "I didn't tell you just now, but when I passed by the painting hall, I heard my aunt say that Master Xun fell in love with A-Mei. It's hard to say whether this marriage will be successful or not. Even if it is successful in the end, there is still more than half a year, right?"

After all, she won't be coming of age until next year, and everything is still undecided. The wife of Marquis Dong hasn't even been to the Taiwei Mansion yet... She selfishly didn't want to make her aunt feel the slightest bit unhappy because of this matter.

This is also the result of weighing the pros and cons. Now she has only two places to stay, one is the Taiwei Mansion and the other is the Gao Mansion. Only by staying in the Gao Mansion can she have the opportunity to break through and change herself.

So let’s just leave the future as it is for now. If there are really no variables in the end—

In fact, Donghou Mansion can also be a retreat.