Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 132 Asking Your Majesty for Marriage

Daiyu was stunned: "What is this?"

Six scrolls slowly unfolded, revealing six portraits of men.

Daiyu sighed and stroked her forehead: "Could it be the Jinshi who passed the special examination? Selected by His Majesty?"

Emperor Zhaoming seemed to be asking for credit, and smiled: "That's right!"

"Your Majesty has put in a lot of effort!" Tao Xingjian explained with a smile, "We don't accept candidates who are also Jinshi candidates, those over 35 years old, widows, and ugly people are not acceptable.

"The day before yesterday, the imperial examination was over and everyone was free. His Majesty immediately ordered people to inquire about the backgrounds of those who were screened out.

"A family with a mother-in-law who is difficult to get along with is not acceptable. A family with many concubines is not acceptable. A family with a lot of trouble is not acceptable. A family with too much wealth and who values ​​money too much is not acceptable. A family with too poor financial conditions and who has never seen or tasted anything is not acceptable.

"After much selection, only a dozen or so were left. After the Buddha's birthday the other day, His Majesty took a few of us out to personally inspect them for a few days.

"Of course everyone in the Ideological and Political Hall looks decent, but who knows what's going on in private? His Majesty is worried, so he has checked over a dozen people in the past few days.

"These are the last six!"

Emperor Zhaoming couldn't hide his pride, and pointed at the portrait and said with a smile: "There are two from the capital and four from other places. You should quickly choose the candidates so that I can find him a good position."

After a pause, he stood up again and excitedly told her the rankings one by one, then pointed to two of them and said, "I am a little undecided between these two.

"This is the runner-up, 27 years old, living in a county less than a hundred miles from the capital. He has a very gentle and kind temperament, and his family is simple.

"My parents are still alive and well. My elder brother married a virtuous woman and has a son and a daughter. My younger sister is married and the couple is also living in harmony.

"But his family is average, with only a small farm and a hundred acres of land. But you have money, so don't expect him to support you. His family has no worries about food and drink, and they won't scheme against you.

"When the time comes, you can live in the capital. If you two are willing to stay in your hometown, then stay there. If you are willing to come to the capital, I will grant this second place a house."

Such a family situation...

Daiyu raised her eyebrows, and was really moved. She could not help but walk over and take a closer look at the portrait. She saw that the man was not tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. Although he did not have a smart and elegant look, he was a loyal and honest person.

"And this one. This is the 37th in the second class. His father is the head of the warehouse department of the Ministry of Revenue. He has both parents and is the only son in the family. He has more cousins, but his father is the youngest son of the eldest son, so he doesn't have to worry about the affairs of the clan.

"This child is only 23 this year, good-looking, free-spirited, and has outstanding literary talent.

"I have asked someone to inquire about it. There is only one bad thing. This man has a confidante in the brothel. She seems to be a 'talented woman' who can write a few poems."

Emperor Zhaoming looked at Daiyu with a smile, "However, if he has you, I'm sure he will never look at that woman again."

Daiyu did not answer, but she also carefully looked at the arrogance between the eyebrows of the man's portrait, and turned back to ask Emperor Zhaoming: "This person is good at literature, but what about his talent? Does he have self-awareness?"

"Yes, I have!" Emperor Zhaoming nodded deeply, "Whether you choose him or not, I plan to keep him in the Secretariat as a proofreader for a year, and then let him go out and start as a county lieutenant.

"This boy is very smart and quick-witted. He is a little vulgar, but very pragmatic. As long as he doesn't commit the crime of greed and cruelty, in time, even if he can't become my right-hand man, he can still assist the crown prince well."

Daiyu smiled with satisfaction and stood up.

The others also took a quick look and looked at Tao Xingjian: "Tao Jian, who else do you think I should take a closer look at?"

"Uh. This one?" Tao Xingjian thought for a moment and pointed to the last painting. "This man is from Ezhou. He is the youngest of three brothers. He lost his father and his widowed mother is very sensible.

"Although the family was very rich, the widowed mother had already divided the property among the three brothers. He was only 22 years old and had not yet married, so the widowed mother followed him and took care of the household chores for him."

Emperor Zhaoming frowned and said, "This man is the last one in the second class. Although he looks good, he has a good temperament and is filial.

"But he is so filial. He wrote to me the other day, saying that his old mother was not used to the climate in the capital. Although he did not dare to serve as an official here, he requested not to be too far away from his hometown.

"If you choose him, will you really go to Ezhou with him? Or should I arrange a marriage for you first, and then in two or three years, when he is relocated, I will send him to Jiangnan, and then we can get married?"

Daiyu listened to everything, smiled, straightened her sleeves, suddenly walked away a few steps, turned around, faced Emperor Zhaoming seriously, and knelt down on both knees:

"Lin Daiyu, I am arrogantly reporting: I have a cousin, Jia Yingchun, a concubine's daughter of the eldest son of the Rong family, sixteen years old, filial and gentle, with a virtuous character. I would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me marriage with the second place in this year's imperial examination!"

Everyone was dumbfounded, their mouths opened wide, unable to utter a word.

Unexpectedly, Daiyu bowed again before she finished speaking, "I have a cousin, Jia's name is Tanchun, the second concubine of the Rong family, fourteen years old, talented and capable, I would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me the marriage with the thirty-seventh person in the second class!"

When Emperor Zhaoming saw that she was about to open her mouth, he flew into a rage and slammed the table:

"I have tried my best to bring all the good men in the world to you, not for you to pick them and give them to those parasites in the Jia family!

"You are wasting my kindness like this, you are deceiving the emperor!"

The emperor was furious, and everyone was startled and shrank their necks.

Tao Xingjian was afraid that Daiyu would really upset Emperor Zhaoming, so he stepped forward to smooth things over: "Your Majesty selected these based on your preferences, so they are all the best.

"You wanted to do a favor so quickly and even asked His Majesty to arrange the marriage. No wonder His Majesty is angry. You silly girl, hurry up and admit your mistake to His Majesty!"

Lin Daiyu raised her head with a hint of weakness: "Didn't I say it last time? I don't want to think about it, not now, and I don't want to think about it in the future.

“As for asking for marriages for my cousins—Your Majesty doesn’t know that these three girls in the Rong Mansion are really kind and pitiful.

"Take my second sister for example. My eldest uncle has never taken a good look at his daughter.

"As for my third sister, why do you think I should let her come to my house to be the housekeeper? I have the help of the people that Supervisor Tao gave me, and I also have Aunt Meng, so how can I not be able to manage a house with three entrances?

"It's just because I know that if my third sister stays in Rong Mansion, her father will sooner or later send her to marry some family that looks good on the outside but is actually rotten on the inside!

"Our little sister is called Xichun. Although she was raised by my grandmother, she is actually the biological sister of Jia Zhen of Ning Mansion. She lost her mother when she was young, and no one cared for her. Now she is so lonely that she is about to become a nun!

"Your Majesty sent someone to tell me last time that all the bad things in the Jia Mansion were done by men outside and had nothing to do with my sisters in the boudoir.

"But if the girls in the Jia family don't have men to support them, they will just be at the mercy of others!

"I have no parents, I am shameless and I can live for myself.

"But they can't. If no one helps them, they will sooner or later become bargaining chips in the hands of their parents to exchange interests!"

Daiyu knelt straight, her long eyelashes trembled, and two lines of tears fell, "My parents have accumulated good karma, so that I can be taken care of by you.

"Since I have such a good fortune, I dare not just care about my own happiness and forget to help those poor people.

"Your Majesty, please grant them marriage! Please!"

Daiyu raised one hand, covered her face with the handkerchief in her hand, and sobbed softly.