Do you know that my grandfather was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

Chapter 129 Face

Chapter 129 Face

Madam Wang snapped out of her daze, jumped to her feet, and looked at Old Madam Wang, saying, "Mother, are you confused? Even if it's a marriage between relatives, it should be Rulan."

You are unaware of something.

Grandma Wang sighed, "I've also heard that cousins ​​are considered close relatives, and their children are very likely to die young."

I didn't believe it at first either, but after having someone investigate, it turned out to be true.

On her way here, she suddenly remembered that Madam Wang would definitely make a scene if she found out, and she needed an excuse.

She couldn't say it was caused by Lady Kang, otherwise her two daughters would become enemies in the future.

Even when threatened by Madam Kang, she, as a mother, still did not give up.

It's even more inappropriate to say that Wang You has taken a liking to Minglan, otherwise it would be equivalent to saying that Rulan, the legitimate daughter, is inferior to Minglan, the illegitimate daughter.

Rulan is, after all, her granddaughter, so she has to consider her granddaughter's feelings.

When Mrs. Wang couldn't think of a solution, she asked Mrs. Feng for advice.

What other options did Mr. Feng have?

They could only resort to the same excuses Wang You had used to deceive Wang Min.

Grandma Wang didn't care whether it was true or not; she just needed to fool them for now and appease Madam Wang once the marriage was settled.

"How come I've never heard of this?" Madam Wang's anger subsided slightly, and she looked at her mother with some suspicion.

"I like Rulan very much too. If it weren't for her own good, I would also like to marry her as my granddaughter-in-law," said Grandma Wang.

"But this is too bizarre! Cousins ​​marrying is something that has existed since ancient times, so why have I never heard of it before?"

For a moment, Madam Wang was skeptical. Although she found it absurd, she realized that her mother had no reason to choose Minglan, a daughter born out of wedlock, over her own granddaughter.

"We'll talk about this later."

Seeing that Madam Wang was still somewhat skeptical but didn't make a scene, Old Mrs. Wang breathed a sigh of relief.

However, she dared not say more, since it was a lie, and the more she said, the easier it would be to expose her lies.

Let's arrange the marriage first, and then we can appease Madam Wang slowly once she finds out.

"What do you think, in-laws?" Old Mrs. Wang asked Old Mrs. Sheng.

"this--"

Grandma Sheng snapped out of her daze, glanced at Minglan, and seeing that she had her head down, she knew that Minglan must have known about this beforehand.

Although she wondered why Minglan hadn't told her beforehand, it wasn't convenient to ask at this moment.

She was considering whether or not to accept the marriage proposal.

Her original idea was to choose a family for Minglan that was of lower social standing than the Sheng family, yet had considerable wealth and a simple family background.

She had already made progress and had even sent people to inquire about the young master's character.

For Minglan's sake, Old Madam Sheng went to great lengths.

Even if Minglan's social standing is lower than that of the Sheng family, the Sheng family can still support her. Even if the family she marries is not what it seems, or if the young master is not as good as she was told, the Sheng family will still have to take care of Minglan and will not mistreat her.

Those from well-off families have a secure livelihood.

Marry a man, and you'll have food and clothing.

The family she chose, even if it didn't guarantee Minglan a smooth life, would at least prevent her from suffering.

To be honest, apart from their social standing, the Wang family met her expectations in every other aspect.

But her concern remained the same: she couldn't understand how Wang You had managed to persuade Old Mrs. Wang.

If any hidden dangers are left behind, they will ultimately fall on Minglan's shoulders.

Moreover, the timing of the Wang family's arrival was very strange, as if they were in a great hurry.

Even if there are some reasons, can't we come earlier tomorrow?

Given these concerns, even though Old Madam Sheng knew Minglan was willing, she didn't want to agree.

Just as Old Madam Sheng was thinking about how to stall for time and find out the inside story, Minglan tugged at her sleeve.

In fact, Minglan did not expect Wang You to act so quickly.

These past few days she's been thinking about how to bring it up with Old Madam Sheng.

Because she was worried that Wang You wouldn't be able to persuade the Wang family to come and propose marriage, and that this would make Old Madam Sheng worry about her, she hesitated to speak up.

She had thought that if Wang You succeeded, he would at least let her know in advance, and she planned to tell Old Madam Sheng after getting confirmation.

Unexpectedly, Wang You, without any prior notice, brought his family to propose marriage.

She was unaware that Wang You's situation was also due to a series of coincidences, and he didn't have time to inform her.

But she understood that it wasn't easy for Wang You to go this far, and if Old Madam Sheng refused, there might be no chance at all.

Grandma Sheng turned her head and saw the pleading look in Minglan's eyes, and sighed.

She thought of how she insisted on marrying into the Sheng family despite her family's objections.

After Old Master Sheng passed away, her parents both advised her to remarry.

After all, she and Old Master Sheng had a bad relationship, so there was no reason for him to remain a widow for her.

But Old Mrs. Sheng still firmly refused, and instead raised Sheng Hong under her own name.

She did this partly because she was disheartened after experiencing an unhappy marriage.

On the other hand, it's also because this is the path she chose herself, and she will continue to walk it no matter how difficult it is.

Over the years, Old Mrs. Sheng has often thought about what would have happened if she had listened to her parents and not married into the Sheng family.

Or what would happen if she remarried after Old Master Sheng passed away?

The final conclusion was that she would only occasionally regret marrying into the Sheng family, but if she hadn't insisted on marrying into the Sheng family, she would have regretted it for the rest of her life.

That's how people are; regret is something that happens afterward. If you haven't even started, there's no such thing as regret.

On the contrary, even if she listens to her parents and lives a good life, she will always have a regret in her heart.

"Fine, fine, since you made the choice yourself, I'll go along with it."

Having made up her mind, Old Mrs. Sheng forced a smile and looked at Old Mrs. Wang, saying, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, my dear in-law. I raised Minglan myself. As people get older, they like to be around people. I was thinking of keeping her by my side for another two years."

"

"I'm quite old myself, so I understand," Grandma Wang nodded.

"It's good that my mother-in-law understands."

Grandma Sheng said, "However reluctant I am, it is not difficult to delay a good marriage."

The Wang family has an excellent reputation; otherwise, I wouldn't have had the audacity to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage back then.

My proudest achievement over the years was winning the heart of my first wife.

"Oh dear, I know my daughter well, she's not as good as you say." Although Grandma Wang was being modest, she couldn't stop smiling.

On the other side, Madam Wang was also praised and felt a little embarrassed.

When she first married into the Sheng family, she got along quite well with Old Madam Sheng.

Other mothers-in-law would stand in the queue for their new daughters-in-law after they entered the family.

There's a saying that goes, "After many years, a daughter-in-law finally becomes a mother-in-law."

In ancient times, when filial piety was paramount, parents were never wrong.

No matter how much a mother-in-law makes things difficult for her daughter-in-law, the daughter-in-law can only endure it until she becomes a mother-in-law herself, at which point she can finally be free.

If even biological mothers and sons are like this, then what about Old Madam Sheng, who isn't even Sheng Hong's biological mother?

When she married into the Sheng family, she was extremely nervous and prepared to be harassed by Old Madam Sheng.

Unexpectedly, Old Madam Sheng did not make things difficult for her at all. On the second day of their marriage, when serving tea, she handed over the management of the household to her.

At first, Madam Wang thought she was just putting on an act, as she never missed a day of waking up and going to bed, and she would consult Old Madam Sheng about everything, big or small, at home.

Grandma Ke Sheng didn't make things difficult for her at all; she didn't have to do anything like standing in the queue or serving meals.

Even matters big and small at home are entirely left to her to decide, and she is never involved or questioned, regardless of whether she does them well or poorly.

When Madam Wang saw that Old Madam Sheng was not faking it, she was very grateful and respected Old Madam Sheng very much.

Back then, the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was incredibly good, just like that of a real mother and daughter.

But the good times didn't last long; less than two years later, Lin Xiaoniang came to the Sheng family.

Later, she even became involved with Sheng and secretly became pregnant.

Madam Wang believed that Lin Xiaoniang was the concubine that Old Madam Sheng had chosen for Sheng Hong.

It's all too common for a mother to put someone in her son's room.

Although she was angry, she had no choice but to let Lin Xiaoniang in for the sake of the overall situation.

At that moment, a thorn was planted in my heart.

After Lin Xiaoniang entered the household, her husband, who used to be very considerate of her, devoted his entire heart to her.

She was already furious, and Lin Xiaoniang kept provoking her.

This made her hatred for Lin Xiaoniang grow deeper and deeper, and with each deepening of her hatred for Lin Xiaoniang, her hatred for Old Madam Sheng also intensified.

In Madam Wang's view, all of this was caused by Old Madam Sheng.

Otherwise, if she and her husband were harmonious, and her relationship with her mother-in-law was like that of a biological mother and daughter, life would be too comfortable.

Hearing Old Madam Sheng praise her, she couldn't help but think of the comfortable days she had spent in the first few years after marrying into the Wang family.

Old Madam Sheng had no idea that Madam Wang was reminiscing about the past, and said, "I watched You-ge grow up, and his character is impeccable. I agree to this marriage."

"Very well, the marriage between the Wang and Sheng families is a rare and joyous occasion." When Mrs. Wang saw that Mrs. Sheng had agreed, she breathed a sigh of relief and also showed a smile.

"However, Minglan has not yet come of age, so the marriage can only be arranged for now. The specific arrangements will be discussed after she comes of age," said Old Madam Sheng.

Engagement is fine; some families even arrange marriages between children born in the womb.

We can discuss the wedding date and arrangements, but we'll have to wait until after she comes of age.

This is a matter of face.

Normally, girls can get married at the age of twelve or thirteen, and there is no need to wait until they reach the age of marriage.

However, wealthy families had to wait until after the merger, otherwise people would criticize them.

Rumors like "eager to marry off daughters to climb the social ladder" are circulating.

Face is very important to a family.

Take the practice of lavish dowries in the Song Dynasty as an example. Initially, it was actually intended to win over newly appointed scholars.

The flourishing of literary culture in the Song Dynasty was not solely due to the emphasis placed on civil officials.

In truth, every dynasty valued civil officials.

After all, wars were more frequent in the early stages of a dynasty; the important thing afterward was governance.

However, no previous dynasty had such a flourishing literary culture as the Song Dynasty.

The fundamental reason is that powerful families monopolized access to education, and these families could truly pass down their knowledge and scholarship.

There's a term called "family tradition of learning," which refers to that period.

Even if a family that possesses books falls into decline, it is still considered a poor family, not an ordinary person.

The imperial examination system was introduced during the Sui and Tang dynasties, but it still did not break the monopoly of knowledge held by aristocratic families.

It wasn't until the Song Dynasty, when education became more widespread, that the monopoly of aristocratic families was finally broken.

Even with hereditary titles, it was still difficult for officials to maintain their positions for generations.

Those who entered officialdom through hereditary privilege, with high-ranking officials in their families, could have a promising future. However, if two or three generations of their families failed to achieve academic success, the decline of their families was inevitable.

Since poetry and books could no longer be passed down through generations, marriage alliances were naturally necessary to ensure the family's wealth and status.

The preferred marriage partners were scholars from commoner backgrounds.

Not only officials and their families had this need, but merchants and gentry also did.

Therefore, the middle and upper classes began to invest in scholars from humble backgrounds.

It's just that officials and wealthy families have the means to wait until these scholars have made their mark before selecting them, since these scholars can help their careers.

The gentry and merchants, knowing they couldn't compete with the officials and their families, selected some outstanding scholars from the local area.

The eldest branch of the Sheng family married their daughter to Sun Xiucai, which was actually an investment in Sun Xiucai.

It should be noted that Sun Xiucai had only passed the county-level examination, and was relatively younger than the other candidates.

Those with real status wouldn't even consider it; otherwise, it wouldn't be the eldest branch of the Sheng family's estate.

Investing in intellectuals by simply giving them money is definitely not an option, since they are intellectuals and still have some sense of pride.

As the sages say, wealth and honor cannot corrupt, and power and force cannot subdue.

Their investment method is also very simple: marrying off their daughters.

While marriage may not be the strongest bond, it is the best option for relatively unfamiliar people to form a family.

Giving a larger dowry when a daughter gets married is much better than simply giving money.

This is the origin of the Song Dynasty's practice of providing generous dowries.

Initially, it was just that the dowry was slightly higher than in other dynasties, but as time went on, it turned into a competition among people.

Two families of similar social standing, one of whom married a scholar and gave him a dowry of one thousand taels.

When another family married off their daughter, they also found a scholar, and they gave him 1,200 taels of silver.

When the son-in-law hears about this during his homecoming, will he feel that his father-in-law is more sincere?

Once this competitive trend started, dowries became increasingly extravagant, eventually leading to the widespread practice of lavish dowries.

At this point, it's no longer just about comparing yourself to others; it's about saving face.

This practice of lavish dowries has deviated from its original purpose and become a deeply ingrained ideology.

This led to some ordinary families being unable to afford the high dowries, and some families even drowned their daughters after they were born.

There's no way around it; marrying off a daughter costs much more than marrying a wife. Although the daughter-in-law brings a generous dowry, she has complete control over it, and the groom can't use it as he pleases.

The practice of referring to daughters as "money-losing goods" also originated from this period.

Previously, the dowry was less than the betrothal gifts.

Let alone ordinary families, even wealthy families could hardly afford a high dowry. However, for the sake of their reputation, they not only refused to drown their daughters, but also gritted their teeth and prepared a generous dowry for them.

Wang You recalled that historical records showed that Su Shi once arranged a wedding for his niece, but because he couldn't raise enough dowry, he had to borrow two hundred strings of cash to make up the difference.

It is said that Song Dynasty officials had high salaries. Although Su Shi's official career was not smooth, strictly speaking, he was just unsuccessful.

His actual official position was quite high; at his highest, he served as Minister of Rites and Minister of War.

Even he couldn't afford a dowry, which shows how outrageous the dowry was.

This further illustrates how much people cared about saving face back then.

Therefore, even though Minglan was of marriageable age, the Sheng family could not arrange a marriage for her before she reached the age of marriage.

"That's natural." Grandma Wang nodded.