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

"Now that the marriage is settled, not only can the young lady be at ease, but even this old codger can finally sleep peacefully."

Granny Yan held Wang Mama's hand and said, "You've worried about our young lady for most of your life, and she remembers it all. You'll have a good life ahead of you."

The two old servants looked at each other and smiled.

Hua Sirong looked at their harmonious scene and her eyes flickered.

With nothing else to do, she went to the study again, took out the disguised rare book from the bookshelf, and began to read it once more.

I flipped through the pages while pondering the meaning.

Just now, Granny Yan reminded her that young masters from noble families like Jiang Huaiji, who had followed their masters from an early age, generally wouldn't participate in the imperial examinations. If they were to become officials, it would basically be through recommendation.

Just like Uncle Jiang said yesterday, they can simply arrange a post outside the capital for the couple to live outside Beijing.

So here's the question: she remembered He Zhizhu saying that the man she married was raised by his widowed mother through embroidery and even passed the imperial examination.

Based on the current situation, it is unlikely that Jiang Huaiji will participate in the imperial examination.

Even if he were to take the imperial examination, Jiang Huaiji, who had received elite education from the Jiang family, could only pass the exam and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

Wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Second Prince?

Moreover, Jiang Huaiji did not seem like the kind of person who would give up his first wife just to climb the social ladder by marrying into a wealthy family.

So, can she conclude that He Zhizhu lied to her again?

Hua Sirong's gaze darkened slightly. If this were the case, would she still be able to marry Jiang Huaiji smoothly?

But today, her engagement to Jiang Huaiji is progressing smoothly, and He Zhizhu is not interfering, which puzzles her.

For some reason, Hua Sirong was absolutely certain that if Jiang Huaiji had been on her list of potential husbands in her past life, she would have chosen him without hesitation.

The reason is simple: compared to the men chosen by her aunt, Jiang Huaiji was undoubtedly the cleanest, and with the backing of the Jiang family in Beijing, her appearance would allow her to avoid many problems after marriage.

No, she cannot let her guard down until she leaves the Marquis's mansion.

She had just tested Granny Yan, and judging from her appearance, she didn't seem to want to train her into a sophisticated and capable woman for the inner quarters. Instead, she seemed genuinely happy for her that she could find a good home.

Well, I hope everything goes well.

----

Hua Sirong and her servants were discussing Jiang Huaiji, while Jiang Huaiji's mother and sister were also talking about their future daughter-in-law.

Jiang Yilian was Hua Sirong's future sister-in-law. She asked her mother, Madam Ge, "Mother, when you went to the Marquis's mansion to propose marriage today, did you see your future sister-in-law?"

There was no obvious joy on Ge's face. "I saw him."

Jiang Yilian had lived with Madam Ge since she was a child and was very good at reading people's expressions. "Mother, you don't seem very happy? Could it be that you are not satisfied with my sister-in-law?"

Madam Ge rolled her eyes at Jiang Yilian. "What does it matter whether I'm happy or not? I'm the last one to know that they're going to arrange a marriage for my son."

Jiang Yilian knew her own mother's temperament well, and she didn't indulge Ge Shi. "You're the last to know, but in our area, I've never seen a family come to propose marriage without having to prepare anything themselves!"

"You used to worry about your brother's marriage because you couldn't afford the betrothal gifts. But now it's all right. The marriage was arranged by the main branch of the family, and the betrothal gifts were also taken care of by them."

"You're so lucky, so stingy, yet you've managed to snag a daughter-in-law who's like a fairy. Aren't you thrilled?"

The expression on Ge's face finally softened a bit. "That's because our Ji'er is capable. Look at all the young men in our clan, is there any that the main branch can take a liking to and select to be trained?"

Whenever Ge thought of this, she was extremely proud, saying, "Look at you, your brother is capable of doing things himself."

Even if I don't spend a single penny now, I can still marry a noblewoman. Those gossipy people who criticize our family for losing its head of household will be green with envy.

Jiang Yilian knew best what Ge Shi cared about most in her life: that her neighbors often bullied her with veiled insults because her mother had been widowed for many years and there was no man in the family to support her.

He finally saw his son grow up and be able to support the family, and now he's getting married and having children. After a lifetime of being bent over, his back has straightened up a bit.

But Jiang Yilian couldn't help but pour cold water on the idea, "Mother, don't go around bragging. My future sister-in-law is a cousin of the Marquis's family, not a proper young lady of the Marquis's family."

Don't exaggerate. Life won't be easy after my sister-in-law marries into the family.

Like a deflated balloon, Ge's body deflated instantly.

"Hey, our Ji-ge'er has a bright future ahead of him following the Second Prince."

Why couldn't the master of the main branch understand this and insist on arranging a marriage for him with an orphaned merchant's daughter?

"Don't let yourself get greedy and cause chaos for the whole family."

Jiang Yilian rolled her eyes at her mother, "You should take a look at our family's situation first! We barely have enough to eat, and you still want to marry a noble lady?"

"Don't you even know if our house can fit it!"

Madam Ge was furious. "You brat, are you asking for a beating?"

"Do I lack food or clothing from you? Our family may be poor, but even a poor family is worth a fortune. And you're already complaining?"

Jiang Huaiji, who had been eavesdropping outside the door for a long time, finally entered, touching his nose, and said, "Mother, A-Lian."

When Madam Ge saw her son return, she released her hand from patting Jiang Yilian and asked with a frown, "Didn't you go to the Second Prince's residence today?"

Jiang Huaiji shook his head, "I took a day off today because of the engagement. I sent my uncle back to the Jiang residence and then came back."

Mrs. Ge's face lit up with joy. "It's rare to see you home today, and it's also your engagement day. Let's have meat for dinner tonight."

After saying that, he took out half a string of copper coins, counted them carefully, and then handed them to Jiang Yilian to go to the pork stall on the front street to buy a large piece of fatty pork.

Jiang Yilian happily pocketed the copper coins and ran off, leaving Ge Shi behind, cursing and yelling.

"When a starving ghost is reincarnated, it runs away as fast as it can when it hears that there is meat to eat."

After scolding him, he stared at his own son and muttered, "Your uncle is really something, how could he have arranged such a marriage for you!"

“Even if the young lady raised in the Marquis’s mansion was originally from a merchant family, it’s still not something a family like ours can afford to raise.”

"You're still relying on the main branch for food and clothing now. Let's see how you'll support your pampered wife once she marries into the family."

"Oh, you and your husband can't both rely on the main branch for food, can you?"

"I used to hope that you would get married, that you would marry someone who could do both work at home and outside, so that my old bones could have some peace of mind."

But looking at that girl today, she doesn't seem like the type to do manual labor, and her buttocks don't look very firm; I wonder if she'll be able to bear children easily."

"If you ask me, the butcher's wife I saw before was quite nice. She was big and strong, and you could tell she was good at bearing sons."

Her family sells meat, so every ten days or so, we can get a meal of offal from them.”

"At the very least, the tailor Feng's youngest daughter would be fine. With a skill to rely on, she'll never have to worry about food and drink in the future."