Chapter 620: In vain
Rewind the time to two quarters of an hour ago.
Sun Shaozong was in the front hall thinking about how to contact Ping'er to find out the origins of those letters, but suddenly a maid came to the outside of the door and said that Mrs. Wang wanted to talk to him.
Although Sun Shaozong was a little surprised, given the current relationship between the two families and the fact that Mrs. Wang was over fifty years old that year, there was no need to be too shy about anything.
So he followed the old woman to Lady Wang's courtyard.
After the two exchanged greetings, they sat down as host and guest. Mrs. Wang naturally sat at the head of the Luohan bed, holding a hand warmer that looked like a wooden fish .
However, as a junior and a stranger, Sun Shaozong felt it was not appropriate for him to lie on the bed with her, so he set up an embroidered cushion about ten feet away.
After he sat firmly on the embroidered cushion, he could not help but ask, "Auntie called me here, is there anything she wants to tell me?"
"It's not really an order."
Mrs. Wang stroked the stove in her arms and sighed kindly, "It's just that I want to have a few words with Erlang for the sake of my nephews and nephews."
Sun Shaozong thought she was talking about Baoyu, and hurriedly stood up from the embroidered cushion, bowed and said, "Aunt, you are too kind. Although Brother Bao did not pass the exam this time, with his talent, he will surely pass the imperial examination in the future."
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Wang shook her head and said, "What I want to talk about today is not about that evil boy. Erlang, please sit down and talk."
Not Baoyu?
Sun Shaozong sat back on the embroidery cushion in confusion, and heard Madam Wang say again: "I wonder if my dear nephew still remembers the marriage that my husband mentioned?"
So it was because of this!
Sun Shaozong was suddenly enlightened, but then he became confused.
At first, Jia Zheng intended to match Sun Shaozong and Xue Baochai, but was later opposed by Mrs. Wang. In the end, he only left an ambiguous excuse and went south to take up his post with Aunt Zhao.
Now Jia Zheng is still in his post as the provincial education commissioner and has not yet returned to the capital, so why did Mrs. Wang bring up this issue again?
Could it be...
Because Jia Baoyu's love for Lin Daiyu is deeply rooted and it is difficult to separate them; plus, Lin Daiyu's health has been much better recently than before [Ruan Rong said], so Mrs. Wang changed her mind and wanted to marry her niece to herself?
As for Xue Baochai, she is a good match in terms of both her character and appearance. Besides, Xue Pan's father-in-law, Wang Zhe, is about to become a prime minister...
Quickly calculating the pros and cons in his mind, Sun Shaozong said with a wry smile: "My uncle did mention it a few times, but in the blink of an eye, he was exiled to the south of the Yangtze River. I don't know whether it was a joke or..."
"Marriage is a serious matter, how can it be treated as a joke?"
Madam Wang said sternly, "My husband did intend to marry Miss Lin to you, but I saw that she was weak and was afraid that it would delay the incense of your Sun family, so I tried my best to dissuade you."
"But in the past two years, Miss Lin has become much healthier. Now that we don't have to worry about this, after thinking it over, I think you and she are a good match."
Lin...Lin Daiyu?!
Sun Shaozong was completely confused. Wasn't it Xue Baochai who was mentioned at the beginning? How did it suddenly become Lin Daiyu? !
Besides , wasn't the issue of offspring an obstacle for Lin Daiyu to marry into the Jia family? How could he pin this on himself?
I wanted to say a few words, but I didn't know how to start. I couldn't say that I had already set my sights on Xue Baochai and was not interested in Lin Daiyu, right?
But Mrs. Wang was far from finished speaking.
She counted on her fingers and commented on everything: "The Lin family has been marquises for four generations. In terms of family background, they will never let my nephew down."
"As for appearance and talent, you have seen Miss Lin before. She is truly a first-class person."
"Most importantly ..."
At this point, she suddenly asked Sun Shaozong, "I heard that Erlang will be serving as a civil servant in the court when he returns to Beijing this time, but I wonder if it's true?"
What does this have to do with whether or not to marry Lin Daiyu?
Sun Shaozong was increasingly puzzled, but he could not help but answer, so he bowed in the direction of the palace and said, "My nephew just received an imperial decree yesterday, and will be taking up his post at the Dali Temple soon."
Dali Temple?
If it was any other government office, Mrs. Wang might not be able to guess what position Sun Shaozong would hold, but this Dali Temple - didn't Liu Fang from the Liguo Mansion just resign from the post of Shaoqing of the Dali Temple?
For a moment, Mrs. Wang couldn't help feeling envious and jealous.
After all, Jia Zheng was only a fifth-rank official, which was far inferior to the highest fourth-rank official position, such as the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.
However, she immediately suppressed this inappropriate thought - mainly because she didn't know that Sun Shaozong had been promoted to the first-class baron, otherwise she might not have been able to suppress it - and said with a smile: "In this case, then Miss Lin and my nephew will complement each other even more."
"Although I am not involved in foreign affairs, I have heard that Erlang has been repeatedly criticized by scholars since he was transferred from a military officer to a civilian position. Even though you have made extraordinary achievements this time, some people have said that you should be rewarded with military honors. You must not be allowed to be a civilian official again."
"Things like these may not harm Erlang right now, but they will eventually hinder your future."
"And the Lin family's ancestors had served as chief examiners for several provincial and metropolitan examinations, and they had countless students and former officials. Their prestige in the literary world was unmatched. If you can marry the daughter of the Lin family, it will naturally be easier for scholars to accept you in the future, which will be of great benefit to your nephew's official career."
Not to mention, this reason really hit Sun Shaozong's soft spot!
Although he had a smooth career after being transferred to the civil service, the intentional or unintentional exclusion of genuine scholars was everywhere.
Moreover, now that he has entered the high-quality sequence, if he wants to move up further, in addition to merits and qualifications, the so-called "clear and turbid" theory is like an invisible wall, blocking his way.
If we can use the Lin family's legacy to tear down this wall - even if it's just a crack, this marriage can be said to be worth the money!
Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong was a little...
No, no!
Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu have been childhood sweethearts and have already secretly decided to spend their lives together. What does it mean that you suddenly come in and forcibly snatch your younger brother's woman?
If this gets out, wouldn't it ruin his reputation as 'Sun Erlang, the most benevolent and righteous man'?
"aunt."
After weighing the pros and cons, Sun Shaozong immediately stood up and said solemnly: "It is said that a gentleman does not take away what others love. Brother Bao has always..."
"Erlang, please don't misunderstand!"
Mrs. Wang quickly interrupted, "Although they have lived together since childhood, they have never violated etiquette! Besides, you know Baoyu's nature. Today he likes this one better, but tomorrow he prefers to hang out with that one. It's just the nature of a child. How could there be any love between a man and a woman?"
What I said...
Not to mention Sun Shaozong, I'm afraid even she herself wouldn't believe it - when Jia Baoyu was poisoned, several maids who had lost their virginity were found.
But Mrs. Wang was the elder and she lied with her eyes open, so Sun Shaozong couldn't expose her in person.
I had to change the subject and questioned, "Aunt, I remember what my uncle said at the beginning, it didn't seem to be..."
"Jiro."
Before he could finish his words, Mrs. Wang suddenly said sternly, "Are you disgusted with Miss Lin for losing her parents Yiping, and that's why you're just trying to please me?"
Tsk~
The tone was like forcing the emperor to abdicate. How much did he want to get rid of Lin Daiyu?
But perhaps she was used to looking down on others and forgot that Sun Shaozong was not someone who could be manipulated by others!
"aunt."
Sun Shaozong immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "You just said that marriage is not a joke. Even if Miss Lin is a good match, you should first ask my brother and sister-in-law for their opinion."
Speaking of the words 'brother and sister-in-law', Sun Shaozong suddenly understood where Mrs. Wang's confidence in matchmaking came from.
It is said that the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. Since the Sun family has no legitimate elders, Jia Yingchun, as the eldest sister-in-law, naturally has a decisive say in Sun Shaozong's marriage.
As expected, when Mrs. Wang heard Sun Shaozong mention his brother and sister-in-law, she nodded repeatedly: "It should be so, it should be so - Erlang just needs to discuss it with your brother, and your uncle and I will make the decision on Lin girl's side. Even if Baoyu knew about it, he would definitely approve of this marriage."
Hehe~
There's no way Jia Baoyu would agree...
wrong!
Judging from Mrs. Wang's determined attitude, she must have already thought of a way to deal with her son.
Speaking of which...
If Jia Baoyu really obeyed, how should I deal with it?
Should I continue to refuse this marriage, or just go with the flow...
