After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 721 About Marriage
Haitang was a little reluctant to agree when she heard this: "Even if my uncle wanted to give this good marriage to the girl from the Zeng family, my aunt can't let cousin Yijun marry her just because she doesn't want the Zeng brothers and sisters to take advantage! Cousin Yijun's lifelong happiness is the most important thing. There is no reason to decide her marriage casually just to make things difficult for the Zeng brothers and sisters."

Yijun mentioned in the letter that she was a little worried that her grandmother had made a rash decision in the heat of the moment, and she was uneasy. However, her mother had inquired about the man's information and felt that he had a good family background, so she advised her daughter to accept him. Yijun did not say anything against it, but her concerns still remained.

Sisters Zhou Xuejun and Zhou Huajun thought that the third branch of the Zhou family did not plan to choose a son-in-law for Zhou Yijun from the border army, so it was hard to say what kind of life Zhou Yijun would live in the future. Among the sons of military families, those with good character and talent can be seen in their teens and twenties. As long as they do not die in the battlefield in the future, their future is guaranteed. Even if their luck is bad, they can still have an official position of the sixth or seventh rank. At most, they will be stationed in a remote place, but their wives' imperial decrees or imperial edicts will not be discounted.

But even if the children of a scholarly family have promising fathers and grandfathers who can become officials, it does not mean that their children and grandchildren will definitely be able to pass the imperial examinations and become officials. The prime ministers of the cabinet have children and grandchildren who have been working as commoners all their lives, and can only donate money to become officials to keep up appearances. If the grandson-in-law chosen by the third branch of the Zhou family fails to pass the imperial examination in the future, or even does not have the title of Juren, and does not donate money to become an official, his wife will be inferior to others. In the future, when the married daughters of the Zhou family return to their parents' home to visit relatives, when they gather together, others are wives of generals, and at least have a seventh-rank imperial decree, but Zhou Yijun is just a scholar's wife. Wouldn't she be looked down upon?

The daughters of the Zhou family usually took the safe route, choosing their spouses from military families of similar status, and many of them married rising military talents of civilian origin. However, there were very few who married into scholarly families. It was not surprising that the third branch of the Zhou family wanted to marry their granddaughter to a scholar because they had Zhou Shigong, a scholar. However, if the man himself had a mediocre family background and his future was full of uncertainty, and he could not even guarantee a title of Juren, was this marriage really worth it?
The sisters had their own thoughts, and Zhou Yijun herself was undecided. She had no aversion to the young scholar, but she also couldn't say she liked him. She had never even met him, and she had only heard about him from her grandfather, father, brothers, and servants. She had no feelings for the man, so if the marriage was forced, there was no need to make do with it.

Haitang whispered to her grandmother Ma about Zhou Yijun's idea. Ma seemed to be thinking about something: "Although my eldest sister hates the Zeng brothers and sisters, she actually hates your great-uncle's partiality and never really makes things difficult for the Zeng brothers and sisters. She doesn't insist on Yijun marrying into the Feng family just to vent her anger. But she and Yijun's mother are both optimistic about this marriage. From what she said, it seems that she and her mother-in-law have met the wives and sons of the Feng family, so they think it's a good idea for Yijun to marry into the Feng family..."

Of course, Ma had no confidence in her eldest sister's judgment, but she felt that Zhou Jinlin's wife, Lin, was more reliable than Zhou Ma. Since Lin thought this marriage was a good one, there seemed to be no need to reject it?
Ma thought about it for a while, and couldn't help but sneered: "Really? Why should I worry about my eldest sister's granddaughter's marriage?! My own granddaughter's marriage hasn't been settled yet!"

Haitang smiled when she heard this: "Grandma, I'm not in a hurry for my marriage. Yijun has been talking about marriage for several years, but there has been no result. It's only right for us relatives to worry about her. So, is that family surnamed Feng? Since they are a famous scholarly family in Chang'an City, does my cousin know them? Have you ever dealt with Grandpa Cao and Grandpa Lu? Why don't we ask them?"

Ma thought about it and said, "Yes, if even your great-uncle and the others say it's good, then the grandson of the Feng family is worthy of Yijun. As for his future prospects... at worst, we can find a good teacher for him to help him study hard for a few years and strive to pass the imperial examination as soon as possible. His grandfather was an official in Beijing, so he must be knowledgeable. But his father was only a juren, and his study was not as good as his grandfather. When it comes to his generation, he is only a scholar. Maybe his father is not as talented as his father, and he doesn't know how to teach students? I don't understand the things about studying and taking the imperial examinations. I'd better ask your great-uncle and the others."

As she said this, she planned to wait for her husband Hai Xiya to come back from the government office in the evening, and then ask him to go to Xie Wenzai to inquire. As long as there was a definite news, she could tell her eldest sister tomorrow, and it would also prevent the third branch of the Zhou family from really rashly arranging a marriage for their granddaughter and ruining Zhou Yijun's life.

Having made up her mind, Ma put the matter aside for the time being. Looking at her granddaughter Haitang, she could not help but feel worried: "Eldest sister's family is much richer and more prominent than our Hai family, but in Chang'an, it is so difficult for her granddaughter to marry a scholar. When our family goes to the capital, we can no longer rely on the power of the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion. The master is just a small official, helpless, how can he find a marriage for you? I feel sorry for Yijun marrying the son of a juren, not to mention that you are my own flesh and blood. What if the person you marry is not as good as Mr. Feng, wouldn't that be a heartbreak for your grandmother?!"

Haitang smiled and said, "After Grandma goes to Beijing, you must choose a good match for me. In fact, I don't expect to marry into a rich family. If the man's family is higher than ours and looks down on our Hai family, I will be bullied in the future. I'll just marry someone who is just as good. I only hope that my future husband is a decent, kind and good man who treats me well, respects Grandpa and Grandma, and is willing to live a down-to-earth life with me. As long as he can make me live comfortably, it doesn't matter if he can't make a name for himself in his life. On the contrary, if the man is unreliable, thinking about fame, wealth and honor all day long, trying to climb up, using any shameful means, doing any secret activities that are not worthy of being on the table, or if he is fickle and lustful, and has a wicked mother-in-law and selfish sister-in-law and brother-in-law at home, and they are tossed around all year round and can't live a good life... then even if the man has a good future and is rich, I don't care!"

Ma said hurriedly, "That's quite reasonable! Although your grandfather and I hope you can marry into a good family and enjoy a lifetime of happiness, if the family is not upright and not a family that can get by, it's better not to marry. Just playing tricks with others is exhausting. Don't look at your aunt's marriage, she was given an imperial decree at a young age, but I followed your grandfather for several years and became an imperial decree lady at an old age. But compared with the life your aunt has lived for these years, I think your grandfather is much better than your great-uncle! No matter how much hardship I have to endure in the Hai family, I am still enjoying life. Your aunt is in the Zhou family. Outsiders seem to be living a life of luxury, but in fact, her heart is soaked in bitterness, and she is still suffering!"

Very good, now that the tone has been set, there will be room for maneuvering on many issues when discussing marriage in the future.

Haitang raised the corner of her mouth, revealing a hint of a smile, but immediately suppressed it again: "Grandma, after we go to the capital, what circle will grandpa choose for me as a husband? Will it be a military family that the Zhou family is familiar with, or a scholar that my cousin uncle and his family are familiar with?"

Ma thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say. I heard your grandfather say before..." Before she finished speaking, Aunt Cui's voice came from outside the window: "Master Jin is here? Why don't you come in?"

(End of this chapter)