Chapter 421: Chapter 421

Fearing any unexpected complications, Lady Jiang acted swiftly. By mid-August, before the selection of palace ladies began, Eldest Young Lady Zhou's marriage had already been settled.

It was with Han Xu, the legitimate heir of the Marquis of Anyuan's Han family. It could barely be considered a match of equal social standing with the current Count's residence.

The border regions had enjoyed peace for a long time, and the current emperor, having been physically weak since childhood, was not particularly fond of these military aristocratic families. To be honest, times were tough for all such households these days.

However, compared to their own household, which was struggling with a lack of capable successors and had even nearly fallen out of the upper-class circle earlier, the Marquis of Anyuan's household in this generation was truly far more impressive.

Although they too had lost their military power early on, their legitimate heir, Han Xu, not only held a position in the Ministry of War—though not a high-ranking one, just a fifth-rank director—but was also considered a rare, promising young talent among the gradually declining circle of hereditary nobles. He had been quite a catch before!

Most importantly was the Han family's third young master, Han Xu's younger brother born of a concubine. Last year, at just fifteen, he had already obtained the Xiucai title. It was said he might even succeed in becoming a provincial graduate and then an advanced scholar in the future. In terms of future prospects, he was far superior to what the Changping Earl's Manor could offer.

After detailing the situation of the Marquis of Anyuan's household one by one, in the quiet room, Lady Jiang couldn't help but raise her hand, her eyes and brows unusually gentle as she lightly stroked her daughter's smooth, long hair.

"Yun'er, don't worry. Your mother saw that Han family's eldest young master a long time ago. Although he can't be called exceptionally handsome, he is quite proper-looking. He's only around twenty now, and his personal life is... relatively clean, let's say."

"He definitely won't wrong my daughter..."

It could be said that, given the Count's household's current circumstances, this match was indeed an extremely good one. One could imagine how much effort Mother had expended for this.

Even so, Eldest Young Lady Zhou still felt somewhat uneasy, her hands slightly tightening around the handkerchief embroidered with magnolia patterns.

"According to what Mother says, the Marquis's household seems to be of equal standing to ours, both being founding military nobles. But their family's situation is much better than ours, I don't know by how much. So why... why would they...?" Why would they take a liking to her?

It couldn't possibly be because of Father, or because of the Grand Princess's side, could it?

But as the saying goes, those who rely on beauty to serve others, how long can their favor last? What if, what if...

Eldest Young Lady Zhou couldn't help but bite her lip.

Her answer was Lady Jiang's exceptionally natural nod.

"The current head official of the Ministry of War was originally recommended to the Late Emperor by the Grand Princess. Although he can't be considered a direct close minister, he more or less owes his initial promotion to Her Highness's support back then."

Finally, she looked up at her daughter again, speaking with particular gravity.

"Yun'er, don't feel that this matter is shameful. Not to mention that times are unfavorable now, with all the major military aristocratic families in decline, finding it difficult to even maintain basic dignity. At any time, to survive in the circle of the powerful, it is inevitable and necessary to use every means at your disposal, to utilize all available 'influence' you can grasp."

"Just look at your father's situation. There are certainly those outside who secretly mock us, but... so what?"

Lady Jiang's eyes held a trace of disdain.

"Those truly high-ranking nobles, people like us from these families, before this, not only couldn't we get through their doors, but even knocking on their gates to meet a close attendant of their household was as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"Not to mention the benefits this connection brings now. Even if one day, your father truly loses his looks and is cast aside by the Grand Princess, relying on that slight impression or bit of past affection, it might still prove useful someday."

"At the very least, no one would dare to bully us arbitrarily."

"Sigh, some things are incredibly difficult for families like ours, but for those truly in power... Hah, it might be nothing more than a casual gesture..."

After speaking, Lady Jiang held her daughter in her arms again, full of pity.

"Yun'er, it's also your mother's fault for raising you to be too naive and overly concerned with dignity. Little do you know that this so-called face is something to be concerned about only when the family is powerful."

"Even then, in the face of real, solid power, it still amounts to nothing."

Relying on beauty to serve others?

Little do you know, in this world, there are plenty who beg and plead but can't even step a toe over the threshold.

"Just look at the invitations that have been coming to our door these past few days..."

Nestled dazedly in her mother's embrace, Eldest Young Lady Zhou was no fool. It was just that her ingrained notions had been shaken for a moment. She quickly came to her senses and immediately looked up with a smile.

"Daughter understands. Mother has gone to such trouble for daughter recently..."

Only then did a bit more of a smile appear on Lady Jiang's face.

However, this smile only lasted while Eldest Young Lady Zhou was present. Watching her daughter's retreating back, leaning against the couch, the warmth in Lady Jiang's eyes soon turned into a sigh of helplessness.

Yang Da's wife, seeing this, hurried forward to quietly offer a cup of clear tea, then gently comforted her.

"Our Eldest Young Lady doesn't need to enter the palace and has such a good marriage now. This is a tremendous blessing! Madam, you really should be happy."

"Besides, with our Eldest Young Lady's character and appearance, plus Madam's careful planning, why worry about not being able to live well in the future!" There's no need for Madam to be so worried.

Yet after these words fell, the First Madam before her only shook her head almost imperceptibly, an unconscious sigh appearing between her brows.

"Ultimately, Yun'er's temperament... still isn't adaptable enough!"

"If only she could be like Little Five..."

Even one-third, and she wouldn't need to worry so much.

"Oh dear, Madam, you must be joking!" Yang Da's wife on the side curled her lip, clearly not agreeing.

"Other things aside, just look at Fifth Young Lady, always foolishly eating and playing, not taking anything to heart, and being a daughter of a concubine to boot. How can she compare to our Eldest Young Lady? Not to mention other things, just learning to embroider a handkerchief took her several years, and even now she can barely manage a proper shape."

"She constantly infuriated Tutor Xie! And she's always having whims—just recently she insisted on using her private money to dabble in buying some precious flower seeds!"

Speaking of this, Yang Da's wife couldn't help but want to laugh, then sighed again, cautiously glancing at her mistress.

"Actually, if this servant may say so, you have been far too indulgent with the other young ladies. Their daily allowances and upbringing are almost the same as our Eldest Young Lady's." It's no wonder it gives them big ideas.

"Fifth Young Lady is one thing, but Third Young Lady, in her studies earlier, always wanted to outshine our Eldest Young Lady in everything!"

In her opinion, it was Madam's indulgence. A daughter of a concubine striving to be first in everything—in other families, she definitely wouldn't have gotten off so easily.

However, despite Yang Da's wife's earnest advice, the lady above remained calm, lightly stirring the incense spoon in her hand, clearly not taking the earlier words to heart.

"For young ladies, having some spirit is also a good thing! Sisters within a family, if they always have to emphasize status differences, even if raised together daily, over the years, how can their relationship ever become truly close?"

In Lady Jiang's view, competition, bickering, and comparisons between sisters were all perfectly normal, simply human nature. As long as there was moderation, none of these were a big deal.

But the one thing that couldn't be lost was affection. Without that, how could they support and watch out for each other in the future, let alone help each other wholeheartedly in times of trouble?

The men of the household are already . If the sisters can't unite as one, Yun'er's future will only become more difficult.

Thinking of the Marquis of Anyuan's household and that Han family's third young master, Lady Jiang's brows again showed a trace of helplessness.

Actually, even if it were a son born of a concubine, in Lady Jiang's view, it wasn't impossible to nurture him carefully. If raised well, it might not be a bad thing for the whole family. It's just a pity that her own eldest son's temperament and aptitude absolutely would not allow her to do so.

Lady Jiang knew in her heart that if she truly invested resources, before the son of a concubine could achieve success and bring prosperity to the Count's household, they would likely become enemies first!

Heaving a heavy sigh, the First Madam soon instructed.

"The young ladies are grown up now. They have many places to spend money in daily life, and their hands are inevitably not too free. Later, go and inform the accounts office. For the three young ladies, aside from their monthly allowance, add an extra two taels of silver..."