The Ling Family has always adhered to the rule that, until one is forty years of age without a son, one may not take a concubine. As a result, there were never any incidents of favoring a concubine over a wife and causing turmoil in the rear court. Whether it was Ling Yunshen or Ling Yunyang, they both conducted themselves with integrity. Before any betrothal was set at home, they would never become entangled with any women.
Even though Xu Qingyi from the Xu family of the Hanlin Academy admired her Third Brother greatly, he always maintained a respectful distance, and even though her Fourth Brother, Ling Yunyang, fancied Zhang Lexue from General Zhang's family, he did not recklessly pursue her. Instead, he properly sought her assistance in approaching the Zhang Family to broach the subject – should it succeed, then so be it; should it fail, he would not force the issue.
