The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

As for Hua Sirong, who also had a bad marriage, she only overheard her mother mentioning her briefly in casual conversation.

Furthermore, it was rumored that although the other party was educated, she had never been to the theater. It was unknown how much dowry Hua Sirong had to spend to get such an insignificant job.

She showed no sympathy for her cousin; on the contrary, she was smug, after all, her husband, Xin Yucheng, was a third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations.

With the support of his father and elder brothers, his future is bright.

But life is unpredictable. Who would have thought that Hua Sirong, whom they looked down upon the most, would become a favored concubine in the palace?

He Zhizhang also looked grave. Could he really trust his sister who was so unreliable?

So he immediately made a decision: "When the Jiang family comes to propose marriage tomorrow, Mother will receive them as usual."

Just as Shen was about to agree, He Zhizhu shouted, "Brother, what do you mean?"

He Zhizhang's expression was serious. "Let's treat this cousin connection as a backup plan for our own family."

In Zhuzhu's memories of that past life, only Hua Sirong showed goodwill towards their Marquis's mansion.

If that's the case, then don't narrow your own path.

Shen looked at He Zhizhang with great satisfaction.

As the heir to a marquis's mansion, he needs to be thorough and have a broad perspective.

Unlike Zhuzhu, who is always preoccupied with petty romances within the inner quarters.

That evening, He Zhizhang went out, only telling Mi Xiangyuan that he was going out to socialize.

In fact, He Zhizhang had simply stayed overnight at the home of his newly adopted mistress.

Previously, they were just keeping people around, but this time they truly took them in.

Only He Zhizhang himself knew the reason: he truly intended to let Hua Sirong go.

No matter who Hua Sirong marries in the future, he will no longer have any designs on her.

Perhaps he had figured it out, or perhaps he had found someone similar, because at the engagement banquet the next day, he was able to calmly and naturally bless the newlywed couple.

Both Wang Mama and Yan Mama only found out when the Jiang family came to propose marriage that their young lady had actually arranged a marriage after attending a banquet.

Madam Wang's thinking was simple: that Mr. Jiang had always been very good to her daughter and very generous with his money.

Presumably due to the previous goodwill, Madam Wang extended her affection to Jiang Huaiji, whom Master Jiang had introduced.

After meeting Jiang Huaiji at Yimei Garden, he praised Master Jiang highly, saying that the master had not saved the wrong person before he died.

And so, good fortune came down to their daughter.

After the marriage was settled, the master and servants returned to Qingwu Courtyard.

Hua Sirong was also in a good mood as she accepted the questioning from Wang Mama and Yan Mama.

Wang's mother had just inquired about Jiang Huaiji's situation at Yimei Garden.

But now that she's back at Qingwu Courtyard, she can't help but ask again, "Young Master Jiang only has a widowed mother at home, won't that make it difficult for him to get along?"

Granny Yan nodded, "I wonder if Young Master Jiang's sister, the young lady's future sister-in-law, will be a bit difficult to deal with?"

Hua Sirong watched the two of them singing in unison with amusement, "I suppose Uncle Jiang, considering his friendship with my father, won't find me a husband who's too difficult to handle."

Madam Wang disagreed, saying, "You can know a person's face but not their heart. Master Jiang and his family are just roughnecks; they've never seen the intricacies of the inner quarters."

Your future mother-in-law might behave politely and respectfully in front of Master Jiang, but behind closed doors, she could be a completely different person.

Hua Sirong did not object, because this was highly likely.

"But we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. If I can choose not to get married, I'll lead you guys and we'll start our own household."

But in this world, marriage is the only path a woman can take.

We've done our best with my marriage. The rest is up to fate.

Besides, when it comes to making a living, as long as you have money in hand, you can solve most problems.

If we don't worry about things too much, even the toughest days can get through.

Hua Sirong thought that these were the best words she could say to comfort herself.

Granny Yan reminded her at the right moment, "With the two of us old folks following the young lady, we're not afraid that she will suffer any losses."

"When the two of us can no longer work, our daughter will have children to rely on."

Mother Wang nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes. Our girl has suffered all kinds of hardships in the first half of her life, she deserves to enjoy happiness in the second half."

"I've looked at that young master Jiang carefully; he's a good boy. He'll surely love our young lady dearly, grow old together, and have many children and grandchildren."

Granny Yan nodded with a smile, not forgetting to tease Granny Wang, "You're saying that a bit too soon, our young lady isn't married yet."

Save these kind words for her wedding day, and say them to her many times.

Hua Sirong's mood brightened as well. "By the way, where's Chunyan? Is she still running a fever today?"

When she returned yesterday, she and Chunyan drank a large bowl of medicine to dispel the cold.

But Chunyan did lie in the snow for a while, and even though she usually looks as strong as a calf, she still had some fever symptoms.

Upon hearing Hua Sirong's inquiry, Wang's mother immediately replied, "I asked Xiaoya and Fufeng to take care of her. I checked on her when she came back, and she's fine."

After taking two more doses of medicine, she'll be lively and energetic again.

Hua Sirong was finally relieved. She had originally intended to go and keep Chunyan company herself, but Wang Mama was worried that she might catch the illness and make Hua Sirong sick, which would be no laughing matter.

Even Chunyan, who was recuperating, was moved to the back room of the east wing, where she lived with Xiaoya and Fufeng.

However, as if by chance, Granny Yan brought up the marriage today, "Didn't the young lady say before that she wanted to marry a scholar? How come she agreed to Master Jiang's proposal?"

Is it because you're too polite to refuse?

Hua Sirong smiled slightly, "Young Master Jiang's family is not well-off, but Uncle Jiang cherishes talent. A few years ago, he took him to the Jiang family to teach, and later recommended him to His Highness the Second Prince."

Granny Yan nodded, "That suits the young lady's wishes, she's a scholar now."

Madam Wang didn't understand these things; she only cared about whether her daughter could become an official's wife in the future. "Then, will that young master Jiang, who is following the Second Prince, still be able to take the imperial examinations and become an official?"

Hua Sirong and Granny Yan exchanged a smile. Granny Yan then explained, "As long as that Young Master Jiang catches the Second Prince's eye, why worry about not getting an official position?"

The few candidates that Lady Hou had previously recommended for the young lady still needed to be selected through a series of examinations.

But our son-in-law, Mr. Jiang, is a relative of the Second Prince's maternal family. Getting him an official position is simply a matter of the Second Prince saying a few words.

Mother Wang put her hands together and chanted "Amitabha," saying, "Our girl has finally gotten through her hard times."

Granny Yan chimed in, "That's right. I noticed that the young lady's whole demeanor is different now that the marriage has been arranged."

Madam Wang nodded, "Of course, dear sister, you don't know how beautiful our daughter is. I'm just worried that one day when she opens her eyes, she'll be sent away as a concubine by those heartless and wicked people."

"Then I'll have no face to see the master and the late madam after I die."