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

Hua Sirong was grateful for their help that day and did not directly answer He San's question.

After thinking for a moment, she took out the list of several potential husbands that Shen had arranged for her and shared it with He San and He Si.

He Sanyue became increasingly agitated as he looked at the sight.

He Si was slightly better, but his handsome brows were still furrowed high.

Hua Sirong, on the contrary, now had the leisure to appreciate the winter scenery of Qingwu Courtyard.

Seeing how relaxed Hua Sirong was, He San found himself unable to say what he was going to say.

She swallowed hard, organizing her thoughts, "If it weren't for Mr. Jiang acting as matchmaker, would you have had to choose one of these men?"

Hua Sirong smiled faintly and gave an ambiguous answer, "Maybe."

He Si's delicate hands trembled slightly. She was very fortunate to be the legitimate daughter of the second wife, and that her mother, Madam Zhan, had a powerful family background.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but cast a pitying glance at He San.

He added, "Cousin Rong is so lucky. I've never heard of that young master Jiang."

But considering her future prospects are no worse than these others, and with Master Jiang backing her up, my cousin's marriage is unlikely to be bad.

He San nodded in agreement, his face full of envy.

She held those few pages of paper, lost in thought.

After a while, she had a sudden inspiration: "Do you think my stepmother would agree if I chose one of these people?"

He Si snatched the few pages from He San's hand, "Are you crazy!"

Hua Sirong also showed her disapproval, "You are a young lady from a noble family, what are you comparing yourself to an orphan girl from a merchant family?"

These candidates are more than good enough for me, but none of them are worthy of you.

He Si chimed in, "Exactly. You are, after all, the daughter of a marquis."

If you marry a poor, pedantic scholar, how will all the girls in our prefecture find husbands?

Please, at least have some consideration for Fifth Sister and Eighth Sister.

He San sighed, realizing she had only made a casual joke, "I guess I was just grasping at straws in my desperation."

"But, but I can't not be in a hurry."

He Si probably couldn't stand He San's pathetic state, so she took it upon herself to say, "Don't panic, at worst I'll go back and ask my mother to help you find a match."

He San quickly covered her mouth, while also looking at Hua Sirong with extreme embarrassment.

Hua Sirong knew that He San was afraid she would tell Shen Shi.

Whether a concubine's daughter has a good or bad life depends entirely on the mood of her legal mother.

Hua Sirong shook her head slightly and said gently, "You are only fourteen or fifteen years old this year, and you have both parents. Even if things don't go well, you still have the old lady looking after you."

A woman's life, from honor to disgrace, is not entirely in her own hands. You must open your eyes wide and look carefully, lest you let momentary haste blind you and lead you to choose the wrong person.

She glanced at He Si again, "Besides, you're third in line, and your fourth cousin is behind you."

Wealthy families value rules and regulations above all else. My fourth cousin is getting engaged, and I think the second wife will definitely inquire with my aunt, both openly and secretly, about my third cousin's marriage.

"At that time, even if you, third cousin, don't want to get engaged early, it probably won't be possible."

He San's eyes lit up. "That's right. Although our Marquis's Mansion has split up internally, in the eyes of all the powerful and influential people in the capital, we still live together."

Although my stepmother only took notice of me because of my fourth sister's marriage, I won't end up being a neglected nobody.

Seeing that He San was no longer obsessing over things, He Si cast a grateful glance at Hua Sirong.

Then, pointing at He San, she said, "You think you're a little cabbage? Quickly call all those poor people who sold their children to listen to this, let's see if you're not ashamed."

Hua Sirong watched them playing together and felt envious.

With a major concern finally resolved, He San couldn't help but start gossiping when he looked at the few thin sheets of paper in his hand.

"I wonder what kind of family my stepmother will eventually recommend to me?"

My fourth sister's engagement is imminent; with everything happening so hastily, she probably won't be able to find a good family to marry into."

He Si snatched the few pages from He San's hand again, "Even if they were in a hurry, they wouldn't be the kind of family that doesn't know where their next meal will come from."

The Shen family couldn't bear the shame.

He San couldn't help but laugh, "Hey, Xiao Si, you've gone too far."

After all, my stepmother is also my cousin Rong's aunt.

Besides, apart from her poor background, Cousin Rong is otherwise perfect. How could she have married into such a family?

Look at all these people, they are all scholars, either Xiucai or Juren.

Besides, anyone who can bring something to Cousin Rong must be quite well-educated.

In the future, we will surely pass the imperial examination with flying colors. But if we marry the illegitimate sons of those impoverished noble families, we won't get anything good when the family property is divided.

If I don't have any skills myself, my life might not be as good as those of these poor scholars.

Such things are not unheard of in the capital.

Many who adopted the bad habits of sons of noble families, but lacked the corresponding wealth and ability to support themselves, ended up being kicked out of their homes, struggling to survive with their wives, children, and elderly parents.

He Si also fell silent. She was the legitimate daughter of the second wife, but her father was born out of wedlock.

Although her mother came from a good family, she was still born out of wedlock; otherwise, how could she have married her father, who was born out of wedlock?

Therefore, the family her mother arranged for her to marry was also a noble family, and the eldest son of a concubine.

However, the situation of the Earl of Chengyi's mansion is rather special.

His stepmother had not given birth for many years and had no children.

Although she will have two mothers-in-law above her when she marries into the family, her future husband will be the eldest son, so she will definitely receive a larger share of the family property.

If you're lucky, you might even inherit the title of Earl.

Furthermore, that person is ambitious and has now passed the imperial examination to become a scholar, which is extremely rare and commendable for a son of a noble family.

According to Madam Zhan, even if the title is revoked in the future and all the family property is divided equally among the illegitimate sons, as long as the future son-in-law is ambitious, the fourth daughter will have a good life.

He San frowned. "I originally thought you were going to marry back into your maternal grandparents' family."

He Si shook his head slightly, "As a direct descendant, I'm not qualified. As a illegitimate child, my mother looks down on me."

Besides, those born out of wedlock, their families still want to find a capable wife from a powerful family.

Her father has been living a muddled life all these years, unable to rely even on his own son, let alone his son-in-law.

Hua Sirong suddenly realized that everyone in this world has an extremely difficult life.

Even those in the seemingly glamorous Marquis's mansion have their own unsatisfactory lives behind the scenes.

He San suddenly sighed, "Now that you mention it, I think marrying a simple, scholarly man wouldn't be so bad."

After saying that, she looked at Hua Sirong and said, "No wonder when my stepmother asked you to find a husband for me, Cousin Rong, you gave priority to scholars."

"Now I think the families that my stepmother picked for my cousin Rong are barely acceptable."

If I were to marry some spoiled brat from a fallen noble family, just thinking about it makes me miserable.

Just think about our third aunt, and you'll know what kind of life she'll be living from now on.

As He San spoke, his body shuddered in response.