Yun Shuyao left the main courtyard and returned to her own courtyard. She poured herself a cup of tea and just watched the tea leaves rise and sink inside.

Jia Min said her days were numbered. Yun Shuyao believed this.

Jia Min’s health was getting worse and worse.

Modern medicine was so advanced, yet so many people still died from illness, let alone in this era.

As for the deal Jia Min mentioned, it was actually quite simple. Given Lin Ruhai’s age and official position, if Jia Min passed away, the possibility of him remarrying was indeed considerable.

Once he remarried, she would have to answer to a new direct superior. What temperament this direct superior would have, whether she would be too harsh on subordinates—it would be completely gambling on character.

Moreover, marriages at this time were basically blind marriages.

Aside from a few ostentatious families with dark secrets and schemes of their own, which family’s daughter would have a bad reputation outside?

Only after truly marrying into the family would one know what kind of person she really was.

Not to mention if the other party gave birth to a legitimate son, how Chen Yu’s position would be shaken.

The deal Jia Min proposed was that she would make Lin Ruhai completely abandon the idea of remarrying. That way, in the inner quarters, Yun Shuyao would be the highest authority. It also wouldn’t take too long—in just a few years Chen Yu could marry a wife, and at that time the household management could be transferred to the new daughter-in-law. For these few years, the old lady would continue holding it.

That way, for these few years Yun Shuyao would have no superior above her, and Chen Yu wouldn’t have to face a possibly legitimate younger brother, and could receive the best upbringing.

Correspondingly, they would need to take care of Daiyu.

Above Daiyu were the old lady and Lin Ruhai, but what Jia Min was thinking about was the more distant future.

She also worried about the character of a second wife and the nature of any future legitimate sons.

As for her own and Chen Yu’s temperaments, presumably Jia Min already had results from her observations.

…

In the main courtyard, Jia Min looked out the window, also deep in thought.

Jia Min wasn’t worried that her Daiyu would be mistreated. Legitimate and concubine-born were different.

Moreover, with the old lady and the master there, they wouldn’t let her Daiyu’s life be poor.

When her daughter married, besides the dowry arranged by the Lin family, there would also be her own dowry. Those would all be Daiyu’s. She would never worry about money in her entire life.

It was just that they would eventually grow old one day, and Daiyu needed to build good relations with her elder brother, the next generation’s Lin family head.

In the future when her daughter married, if she encountered any situation, she would still need the Lin family to step forward for her, to support her.

Moreover, Jia Min admitted she also had selfish motives.

If the master didn’t remarry, it would be good for Yun Shi and the others, but it would also be good for herself.

That way, even after she passed away, her Daiyu would be the one with the highest status.

Even if Chen Yu inherited the Lin family in the future, she would still have to treat her Daiyu well.

And Jia Min also had a certain confidence in being able to make Lin Ruhai not remarry.

Apart from emotional reasons, when officials served away from home, many didn’t bring their legitimate wives but only brought concubines. Concubines could also manage social interactions in the inner quarters, and there was still the old lady.

Furthermore… there was more than one or two women in the inner quarters. The master really hadn’t been very fortunate in the offspring department. For the sake of the next generation’s only male heir, the master would have to carefully consider the pros and cons of remarrying.

This was actually a win-win for her and Yun Shi.

Then there was the old lady… just looking at how she treated Chen Yu as the apple of her eye, she wouldn’t forcibly demand the master remarry, would she?

As for other matters, Jia Min sighed faintly.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of other methods, but she had eliminated them one by one. First, for example, recording Chen Yu under her name to become a legitimate son—this would create closer ties with her Daiyu, but—what mother had done before hadn’t been forgotten.

She hadn’t forgotten.

The old lady and the master wouldn’t forget either.

Mother had designs on the Lin family’s offspring. The first to bear the brunt was Chen Yu. Mother had even already given the medicinal powder to Nanny Qian.

There are no walls that don’t let wind through.

What would Chen Yu think in his heart when he found out in the future?

Moreover, from her observations, Yun Shi’s relationship with Luo Yu and Chen Yu was very good. No matter which one, they trusted her very much.

And relied on her very much.

Would Chen Yu be willing to change his name?

Furthermore, legitimate was legitimate, concubine-born was concubine-born.

Families who were on good terms with them all knew the Lin family’s true situation. The real couldn’t be faked, and the fake couldn’t become real.

What was forced would not be beautiful and would easily breed resentment.

The second method she thought of was to make Chen Yu’s relationship with the Jia family closer. If among this generation of the Jia family, or among their in-laws’ families, there were girls of suitable age, betrothing one to Chen Yu would also be a good method.

But when she tested the waters, the master didn’t consider marriage alliances with noble families at all. He planned to find a similarly scholarly and prosperous family to betroth a daughter-in-law.

This path was blocked.

After thinking left and right, this was the most suitable method she could come up with.

——

Yun Shuyao slowly took a sip of tea.

She could understand Jia Min’s thinking.

A mother could hardly not worry about her own daughter.

She always wanted to arrange everything most properly for her.

For the Lin family not to bring in new people was most advantageous for Daiyu.

Then there was Chen Yu.

If Chen Yu truly cherished this younger sister, with the old lady and Lin Ruhai above, and with such an elder brother, even without Jia Min’s care, she could live worry-free for life.

And she was Chen Yu’s birth mother.

Her influence on him was undeniable, which was why there was today’s conversation.

Jia Min would persuade Lin Ruhai not to remarry, while she only needed to not prevent Chen Yu and Daiyu from being close, allowing their sibling relationship to be harmonious.

Yun Shuyao let out a long sigh.

How pitiful are parents’ hearts throughout the world.

Although she herself knew that Jia Min was overthinking, she wouldn’t have prevented Chen Yu and the others from connecting emotionally with Daiyu anyway.

There was no need to oppose it.

At first, Yun Shuyao had wondered if the female protagonist would have something special about her.

But after observing for so long, she had to admit that Daiyu was just an ordinary human little girl.

If she really was the legendary reincarnated immortal grass, then after reincarnation she was completely human.

Without any abilities or special qualities of being immortal grass.

This made sense too.

In mythological legends, those reincarnated great beings basically forgot their past lives after reincarnation. Only through chance encounters could they remember their original memories.

So she wouldn’t prevent the children from bonding with Daiyu. In the future when Daiyu married out with most of the Lin family’s assets as dowry, she didn’t care.

The Lin family’s assets and network resources were undoubtedly abundant, but from the very beginning, Yun Shuyao had already mentally prepared for her concubine-born son to split the family and become independent.

In fact, she had already planned some paths for her son, preparing for his future official career.

She came from later generations.

She didn’t need to know some things very clearly. She only needed to know a result to already occupy an enormous advantage.

Never mind other things, just talk about the next emperor.

Anyone who completed compulsory education would know that after Kangxi, the next one was Yongzheng, ranked fourth.

Not the Second Prince who had been established as Crown Prince since childhood.

And the next after that, also ranked fourth, which was the later Qianlong.

How many people wanted the merit of supporting the dragon?

She already knew the ending in advance.

Moreover, her son wasn’t the kind of person without conscience. He also had affection for Jia Min, this kind legitimate mother.

Afterward, even if he couldn’t compare to his own elder sister, his treatment of Lin Daiyu wouldn’t be much worse.

Jia Min’s energetic periods each day became shorter and shorter. She gradually arranged her funeral affairs.

She inventoried her dowry and made a list.

She left portions for the old lady, for the master, for Zhao Yin, and also for the Jia family.

That was, after all, her maiden family, Daiyu’s maternal grandmother’s family.

Jia Min faced her own death very calmly.

On the contrary, Lin Ruhai’s face showed heavier grief.

Every day after Lin Ruhai returned from the government office, he would definitely go accompany her, watching her become thinner and thinner.

Unable to eat more and more.

Daiyu was still naive, not knowing what death was, yet also instinctively clung to her mother’s side, unwilling to leave.

Starting with Ying Yu, everyone went to attend to her.

Jia Min didn’t chase them away.

When she still had strength, she even taught them some things a mistress of the household should do.

Ying Yu and Luo Yu were already eleven years old and had already begun learning how to manage the household by following the old lady.

How to be a mistress of the household after marrying in the future.

What Jia Min knew wasn’t completely the same as the old lady.

She understood better the complex relationships in the capital.

Such as the imperial family, palace nobility, the Four Princes and Eight Dukes, and so on.

These things—if she didn’t teach them, no one could say anything. Now that she taught them, it could only be said that Jia Min was forming a good connection.

On a certain day, without finishing the thirty-ninth year of Kangxi’s reign, Jia Min permanently closed her eyes.

The Lin family was surrounded by white mourning cloth.

As the legitimate mother, when Jia Min passed away, all the children under her care wore mourning hemp and filial piety clothing, needing to observe mourning for three years—or more precisely, twenty-seven months.

Many people came. The funeral itself had many complicated procedures. The old lady couldn’t be in multiple places at once. Not only were Ying Yu, Luo Yu, and the others running around until they were dizzy and lost several pounds, but Yun Shuyao and Concubine Mei also became laborers, busy until dizzy and disoriented.

The Jia residence, which received the death announcement, also sent people. Brothers Jia Zhu and Jia Lian came.

Neither of them was married yet, but Jia Zhu was already seventeen years old, and Jia Lian was fourteen.

Grandmother Jia and Jia She were struck ill by this news, and Jia Zheng couldn’t get away, so the younger generation came over.

They rushed over at full gallop. When Jia Zhu dismounted, he even startled the Lin residence servants who came to receive them.

This body was too thin, with heavy dark circles under his eyes. It seemed he was deeply grieved by his aunt’s passing.

As soon as Jia Lian dismounted, he wailed: “Aunt, you left too early! How could you bear to abandon so many people…”

Jia Zhu silently shed tears.

Seeing the two of them in this state, Lin Ruhai’s thin and haggard face couldn’t help but show a somewhat gentler expression.

The two were led to the memorial altar, knelt on the ground and wailed loudly, offered incense to Jia Min, then their eyes couldn’t help but look at the filial children and grandchildren kneeling beside them.

They saw their cousin Chen Yu, who had already started to shoot up in height, and then their legitimate cousin Daiyu, who was about to cry herself unconscious.

Jia Zhu couldn’t help but feel pity: “Sister Daiyu, don’t cry. Aunt’s spirit in heaven surely couldn’t bear to see you so grieved. You should take care of your health.”

Jia Lian chimed in: “That’s right, Sister Daiyu…”

The two comforted Daiyu extensively.

Daiyu now already knew what death was.

Death meant mother went to a very, very far place, and she could never see her again.

These days she cried upon waking. Those eyes were almost cried blind.

They had to have people feed her calming soup to let her catch her breath and rest.

Jia Zhu and Jia Lian were led by Lin Yong to the guest quarters to rest.

All along the way, Jia Lian was subtly observing the Lin residence’s interior decorations.

The Lin residence was undoubtedly holding a grand funeral for their aunt.

Many people came.

From this one could see something of their uncle’s status here. The Lin family’s offspring weren’t abundant, yet many members of the Lin clan came to help.

The only proper female master of the Lin family was the old lady now. Looking at this orderly situation… Jia Lian couldn’t help but click his tongue.

The old ancestress told him to pay attention to the old lady’s physical condition. He hadn’t seen her yet, but seeing a glimpse, this old lady was still very spirited indeed.

While Jia Lian was observing, Jia Zhu wasn’t idle either, his expression somewhat grave. This time they came with a mission.