Tianliangyuan

Chapter 112 Determined to Marry

Li Biyao was not her niece after all, so Wang Ruolan could only touch upon the matter briefly.

After returning home, Li immediately sent people to prepare carriages and horses, for marriage is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly.

In fact, the Li family's background was not bad. However, Li Biyao's father was the second son in the family. After the elders passed away, the family separated and lived independently. Fortunately, he also had the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) and received 20% of the family property, which was not bad.

Li's eldest brother is now in the capital and holds an official position. Several years ago, after their parents passed away, the brothers divided the family property under the guidance of the clan elders.

Actually, there's not much to divide. Everything is done according to the rules: the eldest son gets 70% of the family property, the second son gets 20%, and the remaining 10% is divided between the two sons born out of wedlock.

The Li family also came from military backgrounds and had considerable wealth. Even if one of Li's half-brothers only received half of the family fortune, as long as they didn't gamble and squander it, that money would be enough to support their entire family's expenses for a lifetime.

Li Biyao's father was the second son of the legitimate wife, and he received 20% of the family property, which was already quite a lot, but compared with the Marquis's mansion, it was naturally much less.

Li Biyao only discovered a few years ago, after the family was divided among the households, that she was not a proper young lady of the General's Mansion, but merely someone who shared the name of the General's Mansion.

Now that she has been separated from her family, Li Biyao is just the daughter of a scholar who passed the imperial examinations. She has even moved from the capital to a remote area. Naturally, the sense of loss she feels is enormous.

In the years after she was separated from her family, Li Biyao never attended any banquets held by noble or marquis families again. She was no longer even qualified to attend banquets held by the Fang family, which she had previously looked down upon for their vulgarity.

It was only then that she realized how different her status would be.

Li Biyao didn't want to live the life of an ordinary wealthy family. She wanted to be someone of high status, so she set her sights on her aunt, hoping to use the influence of the Marquis's mansion to find herself a good marriage.

Unfortunately, Li Biyao was too young and couldn't hide her ambition. The Li family saw through her and dared not keep her any longer.

The Li family was also worried about Li Biyao's marriage. Originally, the second wife of Li had chosen several young men to be her husbands, all of whom were scholars. One of them was even a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) but had lost his wife last year and only had one daughter. Although he would be a second wife, he would not have a legitimate son, so it would still be a good match.

The other two are a young scholar named Lang, who is not yet of age but has a promising future.

Another one was the son of a local gentry in Chang'an County. Although he had no official rank, his family was wealthy. If his daughter married into such a family, she would never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of her life. Moreover, marrying into such a family would be considered a step down for Li Biyao. In the future, she would be a proper mistress in her husband's family who could live with her head held high.

But Li Biyao disagreed, mainly because she looked down on them.

For the first ten years or so, she grew up in the general's mansion, where her food, clothing, and daily necessities were all comparable to those of a proper young lady from a prestigious family.

But now?

Although she also lives alone in a courtyard, it is only so small. There are only three main rooms in the courtyard, and the courtyard is so small that there is not even enough room to display any scenery. Thinking back to the place where she stayed at her aunt's house before, there were beautiful views to enjoy along the way. How could her current life be compared to that?

Li rushed to her second brother's house and told him everything she had heard about Liu Huaien.

"If this Young Master Liu were merely lustful, that would be one thing, but he's not only promiscuous, but he also doesn't keep any of them for long. Young Master Liu's principal wife is Jiang Fu, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Jiang. She's ruthless and vicious. Since she entered the manor, no fewer than ten concubines and maids have fallen into her hands. Second brother, second sister-in-law, if you really care about Biyao, you absolutely must not let her marry into that family."

Upon hearing this, the second wife was immediately speechless with worry.

She wanted to discipline her, but her daughter wouldn't listen. What could she do?

Master Li was furious that his daughter dared to dream of becoming his concubine.

"Thank you for making this trip, sister. No matter what, a girl from the Li family cannot become a concubine; wouldn't that be degrading herself?"

Li agreed wholeheartedly. After all, their father was a renowned general, and for Li Biyao to be eager to become a concubine was simply an insult to the family's reputation.

"Second sister-in-law, I know you feel sorry for Biyao, but you must not be soft-hearted in this kind of matter. A woman's marriage is like being reborn. If she really marries the wrong person, her life will be ruined."

How could the second wife not understand this?

Master Li insisted on arranging a marriage for Li Biyao as soon as possible so that she could be married off; after all, he would not allow Li Biyao to be a concubine.

A servant came to say that the magistrate had invited him, so Master Li tidied his clothes and left.

"Second sister-in-law, we still need to pay more attention to Biyao's marriage. That Liu Huaien is really no good. Before the New Year, he even thought about bringing a prostitute into the family. When the Duchess found out about this, she was furious."

Having said that, Madam Li lowered her voice and said, "This young master Liu frequents such brothels all day long. Who knows if he is clean? I have heard that Jiang Fu is pregnant now. She is a proper wife after all. If she has a legitimate son to rely on in the future, she may not care whether the young master lives long or not."

The second wife was startled.

As a woman, I naturally know that if a man has affairs outside the home, he is likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease.

Normally, if the sons of noble families wanted to find a lover outside, they would usually choose a girl from a respectable family and would not actually have an affair with a prostitute. These were basically family precepts.

This Liu Huaien is incredibly audacious. He holds a nominal position, yet he still dares to frequent prostitutes.

Is this person crazy?

“My sister’s kindness is appreciated by both my master and me. I will certainly consider this matter carefully. That young master Liu is indeed not a good man, and I cannot stand by and watch Biyao fall into a pit of fire.”

The second wife made a solemn vow, but was eventually persuaded by Li Biyao.

The reasons given are all absurd and utterly illusory.

“Mother, if I could truly become Liu Shizi’s concubine, I would certainly find ways to help my elder brother and younger brothers in the future. Not to mention money, just the Duke of Su’s position in the court is something that ordinary people cannot compare to.”

Although the second wife was tempted, she still could not agree.

Li Biyao pressed on: "Mother, Father has the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), which would have allowed him to obtain an official position, but he is a free spirit. His inaction has been imitated by his brothers. Don't you want to be like your aunt and attend banquets in the palace?"

How could I not think about it?

But the problem is, she didn't marry the eldest son, but the second son.

“Mother, Prince Liu treats me differently from other women. He is interested in marrying me, and I will make sure he gives me a generous dowry.”

The second wife hesitated, "But, but your aunt said that he had considered taking a prostitute as a concubine before the new year. How can you share a husband with a prostitute?"