Chapter 5: First Glimpse

◎The matriarch treated her with excessive warmth and affection.◎

This was Yu Lian's first encounter with the entire household of female relatives.

A single word encapsulated her emotions: astonishment.

There were far too many people – at least two dozen women adorned in gold and silver, moving to and fro. She couldn't distinguish one from another, only recalling the appearance of her own mother.

The numerous concubine-born daughters sat outside, while they, as the legitimate daughters, approached the matriarch to pay their respects and engage her in conversation.

As Yu Lian made her way over, she received quite a few disdainful glances. Her mere presence silenced the room's chatter.

One of the girls, dressed in a pale yellow garment, chuckled, "Sixth Sister, you still remember to pay your respects to our grandmother. For a moment there, we thought you had wings and were about to ascend to a higher rank."

The original owner of this body was charmingly beautiful and, as a result, behaved boldly without restraint. Some of the sisters in the household had guessed her intentions – she aimed to use the downfall of her fiancé as an opportunity to marry into the palace. The new emperor had just ascended the throne, and after the spring examinations, imperial selections would soon follow.

Should she manage to enter the palace and become a concubine, her beauty would certainly give her a chance to win favor. Wouldn't one aspire to be a favored consort over a marquise's wife? Let alone that the East Yuan Marquis's mansion no longer exists.

The speaker was the second daughter from the first wife's household, ranking second among the legitimate daughters in the family. She had never gotten along well with Yu Lian, and with her own father being a duke, she didn't hold back with her words.

Yu Lian smiled and remained silent, deeming it unnecessary to quarrel in front of everyone. She approached the matriarch to pay her respects and then tried to step back, seeking a corner to sit in until it was time to leave with her mother.

She hadn't anticipated getting involved in domestic strife upon transmigration. Unlike the original owner, she had no interest in constantly competing for attention and favor with these sisters. It wasn't her style.

Before the transmigration, her professional life had already been complicated. Besides her own capabilities, she had climbed the ranks through various power struggles. Now, given a second chance, she didn't wish to engage in such battles again. If possible, she would have preferred to be reborn into an ordinary family, with less intricate backgrounds and fewer problems than the original host.

Seeing that Yu Lian didn't respond, the second daughter from the first wife's household huffed and fell silent.

One remark was enough; any further acidity might upset their grandmother.

However, the matriarch held Yu Lian's hand affectionately, pulling her close to sit beside her. Addressing her three daughters-in-law, she said, "Now that Lian'er has encountered such troubles, you elders, as sisters-in-law and biological mothers, must help me think of a solution to find her a good husband."

The dozen or so young women exchanged glances before their eyes turned enviously towards the sixth daughter, seated at the head. They resented her because of her appearance – simply because the sixth daughter was beautiful, their grandmother had always favored her. When the East Yuan Marquis's heir offered such a prestigious marriage, every noble lady, from princesses to the daughters of ministers, had harbored hopes. Yet, the matriarch had used her late father's favor to secure this advantageous match for their family, bestowing it upon the sixth daughter without a moment's hesitation, among all the granddaughters in the household!

Now, with the sixth daughter stumbling before even marrying, she deserved to be labeled an ill-omened star. They believed she should be promptly dismissed to protect the family's reputation and avoid negatively impacting the emperor's view of the Wei Duke's household.

To their surprise, the matriarch not only forgave but also expressed concern, asking her daughters-in-law to assist the sixth daughter in finding a suitable match.

How could all the good things in the world fall into Sixth's lap?

The Second Miss had just grumbled in dissatisfaction, calling out to her grandmother. However, after receiving a glare from her own mother, she held back her words.

The Duchess of Guo smiled and said, "There is indeed a talented young man in my family's distant clan. He has already passed the provincial examination and become a jinshi. His father was recently appointed as a prefectural governor this year, though his rank isn't high. But with a few more years of service, he can advance when he returns to the capital. Besides, he is learned, so he won't be inferior to his father in the future. He has a promising future."

The matriarch became intrigued and asked, "What is this young man's name, and which distant branch of the family does he come from? Why haven't I heard of him?"

"That's my elder sister's cousin's son. His previous fiancée fell ill and passed away before their marriage. This incident delayed his marriage for quite some time. Since Mother asked today, I might as well act as a matchmaker. The young man is truly excellent, not comparable to... but still quite good."

Yu Lian looked over. Her eldest aunt was plump and graceful, with a square face that exuded an aura of grandeur, typical of a lady in charge of a household.

On the other hand, her second aunt had a slender figure, a delicate oval face, and an appearance that suggested sharpness.

Second Lady truly couldn't understand what her elder sister was thinking. At this moment, instead of hurriedly persuading the matriarch to get rid of the unlucky Sixth Miss, why would she try to involve her own mother's family in the matter?

Wasn't this just causing trouble for herself? She didn't believe that her elder sister was being so kind-hearted!

The matriarch pondered for a moment and suddenly understood, "Now that you mention it, I recall. Is it Wang Lian, the legitimate son of the Wang family branch from Dongzhou?"

Lady First nodded. "Mother has a good memory. Even though he's from a branch of the Wang family, it's still a respected lineage. It won't disgrace our Sixth Miss."

"And since he comes from an esteemed family, his promotion is just a matter of time. There's no need to rush. Yu Lian will live a life of luxury when she marries him. If he were to advance in his career, she might even become an official's wife and bring honor to our family."

Her description was so enticing that not only did the elderly lady smile, but Yu Lian noticed her mother's interest piqued. Despite her initial dislike for her sister-in-law, she now held her hand and thanked her emotionally.

Yu Lian sighed inwardly.

Unusual behavior often indicates something amiss.

Father had mentioned that no officials were interested in her, let alone someone from the prestigious Wang family?

Even if his rank wasn't high, he would still have a clean background with great potential. It didn't make sense for him to marry a woman with a questionable status.

Aunt Second, seemingly inspired, chimed in, "After hearing Sister's words, I recall we also have a distant relative on my side. Although they're not in the government, they're royal merchants, incredibly wealthy. They have an unmarried legitimate youngest son..."

Upon hearing this, Yu Lian immediately declined. Her second sister's family was royal merchants dealing in flowers and plants. The previous emperor was a lover of flowers, which led to the elevation of floral prices across the land. Thus, this unconventional royal merchant emerged, solely supplying the imperial family with rare and exotic blooms.

A single pot of decent flowers could cost hundreds or even tens of thousands of silver taels. This relative of Aunt Second was undeniably affluent, but their reputation was questionable. Their family morals were suspect, with rumors of abduction of civilians, concubines harming the main wife, and strife between the legitimate and illegitimate offspring. It had almost become a laughingstock. Yet, Aunt Second still found it appropriate to mention them.

The old lady frowned but didn't comment.

As the conversation continued with subtle undercurrents, the group of women ceased their verbal sparring when the breakfast was served.

Taking advantage of her sisters' distraction, Yu Lian quickly pulled her mother aside to leave.

After hastily bidding farewell to the old lady, she couldn't shake off the feeling that the old lady had been unusually gentle and affectionate towards her today.

Yu Niang playfully pinched her daughter's nose, teasing, "Back then, you loved standing alongside these sisters, always saying that being with them made you look even better. Why are you fleeing like a fugitive now?"

Yu Lian replied, "Mother, after going through this, I finally understand that it was because of our Wei Duke's House, because of... their family's protection, that I had the courage to live. But now, all that is gone. There's no point in fighting anymore."

She then looped her arm around her mother's, continuing, "About what Grandmother mentioned earlier, do you really believe that Eldest Aunt will find me a good match?"

Yu Niang, momentarily disregarding her daughter's straightforwardness about her marriage, pondered, "Right now, I don't care if it's a black cat or a white cat, as long as it can catch mice, it's a good cat. All I want is to find the best husband for my daughter, nothing else matters. Besides, regardless of how much friction there is between your Eldest Aunt and us, there's no deep-seated hatred. She wouldn't really harm you, especially with Grandmother watching. She's sharp, and your Eldest Aunt won't dare."

"Your Eldest Aunt has a wide network. If she could assist in finding a suitable match, that would be excellent."

Looking on, Yu Lian felt a sudden heavy pang in her heart. A mother would likely not mind humbling herself before her sister-in-law to secure a good marriage for her daughter. Why the urgency to find her a good husband? Perhaps it was because she feared that the longer it took, the more likely she would be cast out, disposed of casually.

This display of paternal love only served to heighten Yu Lian's awareness of her current predicament.

It seemed more grim than she had imagined.

If she didn't marry soon, she would risk being cast out.

From the way Grandmother was acting today, it seemed she was eager to find Yu Lian a suitable husband.

Yu Lian had read her fair share of time-travel novels before, where the female protagonists could remain unmarried and still thrive in their new homes, building successful careers.

But Yu Lian was well aware that she didn't possess such extraordinary circumstances. She weighed her options inwardly: a fortnight, at most a month, she wouldn't be able to stay beyond that. Neither could she nor should she.

Of course, Yu Niang wasn't oblivious either. Upon returning to her chambers, she dispatched someone to inquire about the Wang family, a distant relative of her eldest sister's husband. If the prospective groom were of good character, with their esteemed background, he would certainly be a viable candidate for her daughter's marriage.

She even mused that if Lord couldn't find any promising young men, this Wang might be a suitable choice. Even if he came from a distinguished family's branch, they still held considerable influence. Besides, his current low-ranking official position might make him more amenable to marrying into their family; by the time he climbed the ranks in a few years, they might no longer be within his reach.

Upon Lord's return, she relayed the incident to him.

Yu Sanlang furrowed his brows, urging her not to spread the news or harbor excessive expectations. He leaned more towards finding a low-profile family for their daughter; the Wang family's prestige was simply too prominent.

Wang Lian was someone he had encountered before, albeit briefly. Though he didn't know him well, he could tell that the man was far from being an upright individual.

The next day, the servant boy discovered more information and returned to report discreetly, detailing everything: "There haven't been any negative rumors about his character. He comes from a family of three brothers and is the second-born. Although he's not yet married, he already has two concubines, one named Shi Shu."

Upon hearing this, Yu Lian inwardly recoiled, but her curiosity got the better of her as she asked, "What is a Shi Shu?"

Her mother shot her a disapproving glance before dismissing the servant boy.

Then, she explained, "You're still unmarried and don't understand. Some noble sons enjoy a romantic atmosphere while studying, so they keep pretty maids in their study, claiming they're there to serve. In reality, these maids are no different from concubines."

Yu Lian bluntly stated, "Mother, this man isn't suitable."

Yu Niang was somewhat dissatisfied, but it was common for men to have concubines. Two or three wasn't excessive, and since he hadn't produced any illegitimate children, it would be easy for her daughter to manage such matters once married.

Understanding that their views differed, Yu Lian didn't expect to change her mother's mind. Thus, she simply made her point and didn't push the matter further. The other branches of the family, having perceived the elder matriarch's intentions, seemed eager to arrange a marriage for her. Over the past few days, several more proposals had come their way, all of which Yu Niang had investigated. Each had some flaw.

Some had lost both parents, others were believed to bring bad luck to their wives, some were notorious playboys, and then there were widowers.

On the day the results of the Spring Examination were announced, her father, having finished his duties, told her about a promising scholar from a humble background. He had an elderly mother and younger siblings, with no other close relatives. He had even passed the exam and been granted the rank of Juren, although not with a high ranking. Still, he would be appointed as a county magistrate, and given his accustomed poverty, he wouldn't dare look down on her. He said that once in his post, far from the imperial court, people would eventually forget about her, and the emperor certainly wouldn't take special interest in her, ensuring her safety.