Hua Xiangrong was quite meticulous in her work. Not only did she list the names of the young ladies, but she also included their family backgrounds. There were many familiar names, ones Grace had read in the original novel, as well as some unfamiliar ones, likely from newly rising families.
"Where's Flower Guard?"
"Having tea in Mr. Yun's room."
Having tea? Definitely gossiping.
Grace sat down, thinking about inviting Aunt Ning, when Little Chrysanthemum came in to announce that Aunt Ning had arrived.
Aunt Ning, as always, was exquisitely dressed, with a jade hairpin on her left temple giving her a unique charm. As soon as she arrived, she wrapped her arms around Grace. "My dear, how come you've been gone for so long this time? Did the Empress Dowager say anything to you?"
Grace was forced to make a sound from her armpit. "Aunt Ning, you're overthinking it. The Empress Dowager has been very kind to me..."
Just as she was about to push Aunt Ning away, Aunt Ning released her arms on her own. "What's that smell on you?"
"Oh," Grace straightened up. "I just got back from outside and haven't had time to change my clothes. Please sit down, Aunt Ning. I'll be right back."
"No rush." Aunt Ning pulled her to sit down. "I have something to ask you." Then she dismissed everyone else and said, "I heard that yesterday, in order to ensure the safety of Yun Shi and Flower Guard, you agreed to your father remarrying?"
"Yes," Grace said. "Isn't it his right?"
Aunt Ning looked at her. "Who taught you to say that?"
"No one." Grace found it strange. "Aunt Ning, do you think someone had to teach me to think like this?"
Aunt Ning looked stunned. "Then how could you think like this? Haven't I told you before? If your father remarries, your life won't be easy. With the Hou Mansion's wealth and status, as soon as someone enters, they'll be addressed as Madam Qingyun, with a higher status than your aunts. Your father is so busy, and if you're mistreated, no one will stand up for you. What will you do then?"
"You make a good point. I'll make sure he finds a trustworthy and virtuous woman."
Aunt Ning's face suddenly turned ugly. "Why do you insist on letting him remarry?"
"Because it's what he wants! Remarrying doesn't hurt anyone. There's no need to stop it. My mother passed away many years ago, and my father has been alone for so long. It's not right for the Hou Mansion to have no mistress. As long as the person is reliable and they both have feelings for each other, isn't it a good thing? What do you think, Aunt Ning?"
Aunt Ning was speechless for a while, her eyes full of incredulity. "You're not afraid that you'll end up with stepbrothers and stepsisters, and they'll divide the family property? Haven't you heard of stepmothers coveting their predecessors' dowries? What if your mother's dowry is taken away?"
"I have a brother, don't I? How could someone else take it away? I'm fifteen now. Yesterday, when I saw how anxious my father was to enter the palace to rescue me, I reflected on it all night. I realized that I hadn't been sensible before. He's been alone for so long, and if he has the idea of remarrying, I should support him.
"Aunt Ning, I understand how much my mother meant to you, but my father is also my biological father. I don't want to see him lonely. I hope you can understand."
"But you said something completely different a few days ago," Aunt Ning said, her voice unintentionally rising. "You said you wouldn't give in to this matter, and yesterday your father didn't mention it at all. You brought it up yourself—you've changed a lot these past two days, no, since you came back from the palace. Could it be that the Empress Dowager instructed you to do something?"
Grace was surprised. "This is a family matter. What could the Empress Dowager instruct me to do?"
Aunt Ning scrutinized her with pursed lips, still looking suspicious.
Grace wasn't afraid of her scrutiny. But after a while, she noticed that Aunt Ning was still staring, making her feel uneasy. "Do I have flowers on my face?"
"No flowers." Aunt Ning adjusted her handkerchief. "It's just that the way you look, you don't seem like someone about to get married."
"Who's getting married?"
Aunt Ning looked at her. "Didn't your father promise you to someone a few days ago? That Master Xu..."
"Stop!" Grace straightened up. "Marriage? Mine?"
"Of course it's yours. Whose else would it be? Mine?" Aunt Ning looked up at her as she stood up. "Last December, didn't he promise you to the eldest son of General Zhen Guo, Master Xu Chong? Now it's just a matter of official engagement. Don't tell me you've forgotten all about it."
Grace was speechless!
Before she crossed over, she had been single for twenty-four years, and now, after crossing over,
she suddenly had an engagement?
"What kind of family is the Xu family? Is Master Xu handsome? What's his character like?"
She couldn't accept someone with unattractive features, and she didn't recall the engagement from her memory, so she hadn't met Master Xu.
"Master Xu is handsome and talented, both in literary and military arts. He can be said to be one in a hundred. Unfortunately..."
"Unfortunately what?"
Aunt Ning looked at her anxiously. "I recently heard a piece of news, but I'm not sure if it's true or not."
"What news?"
"The Xu family's lineage is not as good as the Hou Mansion's, but the Xu family couple knows how to handle things. However, this Master Xu is very ignorant. He doesn't like the idea of having you as his fiancée, and he even feels ashamed to have such a stubborn and dull-witted fiancée like you. He doesn't even want to mention you in normal conversation. I heard that he's very close to his cousin, whom he's known since childhood.
"And the reason why the Xu family doesn't let him marry this cousin is because her family background isn't good; her father is just a merchant.
"I'm worried that after you marry into their family, they might find some excuse to take in this cousin as well. Although you come from a noble family, after marriage, you won't have a say. And why did your father promise you to such a family? I don't know whose idea he's been influenced by!"