Chapter 423: Chapter 423

After experiencing several failures, by the time An Ning's first black chrysanthemum truly bloomed, it was also the day for the Eldest Young Lady Zhou to leave the household and get married.

As an old-line aristocratic family, the Count's household had a decent foundation to begin with. The principal wife, Lady Jiang, was skilled at management, and coupled with the occasional contributions from the second household, compared to other noble households that were struggling to make ends meet and even had to rely on "marrying off daughters" to maintain their livelihood, the Changping Earl's Manor was now living quite comfortably.

Now that the legitimate eldest daughter was getting married, and the dowry had been meticulously prepared by her own mother, it was naturally exceptionally generous. To say nothing of the rest, just the land estates and shops included as dowry were mostly in prime locations.

As previously anticipated, the Marquis of Anyuan's wife, Lady Wei, indeed turned out to be a forthright and generous character. Even though the Marquis of Anyuan's household was currently somewhat lacking in financial resources, the bride price they sent showed not the slightest hint of perfunctoriness.

During their initial visit, the gifts the Marquise gave to An Ning and the others as meeting presents were also quite extraordinary.

Clearly, she was satisfied with this marriage as well.

As the saying goes, for a new bride, having a mother-in-law with a good temperament means half the battle for a comfortable future life is already won. Coupled with her own substantial dowry, the Eldest Young Lady Zhou naturally held herself with great confidence.

On the day of the three-day marriage return, just looking at her complexion showed she was doing well. Everyone, including An Ning and her sisters, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"This is truly wonderful!"

Watching the departing figures of the newlywed couple, and recalling the gentle and considerate actions of her new brother-in-law during the banquet earlier, while feeling envious in her heart, Third Miss Zhou couldn't help but feel happy for her eldest sister.

However, this soon turned into a slight sigh. She turned her head and said to An Ning, who was still intently fiddling with her flowers and plants beside her, somewhat distractedly:

"Fifth Sister, do you know? Mother called me over some time ago and said she had already picked out a few good families for me from the middle. She told me to consider them myself and inform her after a while."

This meant she was letting Third Sister decide for herself!

Glancing at Third Sister, who was clutching her handkerchief with a clearly conflicted expression, An Ning couldn't help but feel a bit surprised, but she quickly understood.

No matter how leniently she had been treated since childhood, she was, after all, not a biological daughter. There was always a layer of separation. Moreover, Third Sister had always been stubborn and had strong opinions of her own. To avoid causing trouble later, letting Third Young Lady make her own decision within certain boundaries was indeed a good idea.

It also prevented future resentment if her life truly didn't turn out well.

Having figured this out, An Ning quickly nodded, her tone light and natural:

"Then just pick one. Third Sister, haven't you always liked making your own decisions?

Besides, those who can be picked out by Mother probably have no major issues with family background and character, right?

Third Sister, just pick one among them that you find pleasing to the eye!"

"Wait... no way, Third Sister, you don't want me to help you pick, do you?"

An Ning wore an expression that said, "You too?"

Third Miss Zhou: "......"

What kind of expression was that from Old Fifth? This was choosing a husband, not picking roadside flowers and weeds.

How could she forget this one had a broad, carefree heart.

Giving her a faint, sidelong glance, Third Young Lady fell back into her own tangled thoughts. As for consulting her own birth mother, that was even more impossible.

As everyone knew, although Concubine Jiang had decent looks, her personality was exceptionally honest, simple, and rigidly rule-abiding. If not for this, she wouldn't have been out of favor for so many years.

Forget about offering advice; not being overly fearful and subservient would be an achievement.

However, from the other's mutterings, An Ning also got a pretty clear picture of the information about these few candidates.

It must be said that regarding the illegitimate daughters under her care, Lady Jiang, the mistress of the household, was indeed conscientious. The candidates ranged from sons of marquis households down to impoverished scholars who had passed the provincial exams; it could be said to cover all bases.

It could be said she gave Third Young Lady ample room for choice.

As for the pure scholarly officials from the civil service, well, apologies, unless absolutely necessary, although the divide between the civil officials and military nobility in the court wasn't absolutely clear-cut, it wasn't far from it.

Given the current emperor's attitude, which clear-sighted person in the court didn't understand?

With the Count's household's current situation and lacking any respectable scholars, naturally they couldn't catch the eye of those pure scholarly families.

Currently, there were really only three candidates that were causing Third Young Lady's dilemma.

The first was the second son of the neighboring Xiangyang Count's Household, the Yang family. Yes, it was the very Xiangyang Count's Household that Third Young Lady had previously mocked for "selling daughters."

For a proper Count's household to reach the point of "selling daughters," and to merchants they previously looked down upon no less, showed just how depleted their inner coffers had become. The purpose behind seeking this marriage was obvious.

First, there was the connection to the Grand Princess's side.

Second, although Third Sister was an illegitimate daughter, not to mention the Changping household itself being wealthy, just looking at her daily attire and accessories, it was almost no different from that of a legitimate daughter. Presumably, she wouldn't be treated too shabbily when she married out later.

The advantage was that although Second Young Master Yang was a second son, with an illegitimate elder brother ahead of him, he was still the legitimate heir to the title and also held a nominal official position.

Of course, the disadvantages were also obvious. First, there was the pitfall of the illegitimate eldest son, and then there was the "selling daughters" issue, showing this family truly wasn't one that paid much heed to propriety.

Moreover, that Second Young Master Yang himself wasn't particularly promising either.

Which is to say, the only advantage this family had left was the noble title.

From An Ning's perspective, this family should be the first to be passed over. No other reason—their family ethos was poor, and they had no money.

As for the noble title, given the current emperor's temperament, who knew when it might be stripped away entirely?

The second candidate was the illegitimate third son of the Pingnan Marquis's household, twenty years old, currently serving in the Western Garrison. Although it was only a fifth-rank military position, overall, it could be considered somewhat promising.

Furthermore, for an illegitimate son to reach this level showed the person himself was capable.

However, the family relationships were inevitably complex. One could say that marrying into such a family meant having two layers of mothers-in-law above her.

The last candidate was an impoverished scholar who had passed the provincial exam. As for a palace examination graduate, a twenty-something palace graduate, even from a humble background, was a truly coveted catch. Plenty of pure scholarly civil officials were willing to marry off their illegitimate daughters as an investment; such a candidate wouldn't reach their family's turn.

Although from a humble background, being able to afford studying meant his family had some modest assets, with over a hundred *mu* of good farmland. But compared to a marquis household, one could say it was like comparing heaven and earth.

Marrying into this family meant, among other things, a decline in quality of life was almost inevitable.

Glancing at Third Sister with her slightly furrowed brows, An Ning couldn't help but let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

To be honest, of the three candidates Third Sister mentioned, An Ning didn't fancy a single one. Each had its own difficulties and complexities.

Actually, among the candidates the lady had given, if An Ning had to choose one herself, only the legitimate second son of the Nanyang Marquis's household, whom Third Sister had already passed over early on, was somewhat acceptable.

The Nanyang Marquis's household, unlike the impoverished Xiangyang Count's, was itself relatively wealthy and didn't need dowry supplements. The legitimate second son was also doted upon. Even if he wasn't ambitious, he wouldn't lack money after the family division in the future.

However, each person has their own pursuits. An Ning understood clearly in her heart that no matter how this candidate was, just the fact that he had no interest in an official career, meaning after marrying him she might become a commoner's wife in the future, was enough for Third Sister to avoid him like the plague.

Sure enough, after repeatedly pestering and hearing An Ning's answer, Third Young Lady immediately sighed:

"Indeed, I shouldn't have asked!"

Shooting a glance full of exasperation at her unlucky younger sister, Third Young Lady immediately turned her head and went back to being tangled in her dilemma.