Lady Li was throwing a tantrum in her own courtyard, and Lady Ulanara’s mood was equally unpleasant.

She couldn’t vent it out, because she was the Fourth Prince’s Fujin.

She had to carefully observe propriety and couldn’t show jealousy because the Fourth Prince was going to marry another woman, even though this year her First Prince had passed away. The Fourth Prince would feel sad and heartache together with her, but he wouldn’t refrain from having other young princes.

That Lin family was moreover one the Emperor favored.

The position of Salt Monopoly Censor—even she knew it was a thoroughly lucrative post.

Though the incoming Ce Fujin was his concubine-born daughter, she was twins with the Lin family’s only son.

Not legitimate-born, but not much different from a legitimate-born daughter either.

The Fourth Prince’s rear court had no prominent clan surnames. Her management basically had no problems. The newly entering Ce Fujin wouldn’t be able to challenge her authority for a while, but if she had a temperament like Lady Li GeGe’s, her days ahead would be more difficult.

Whether from personal feelings or from the perspective of managing the rear court, this wasn’t what Lady Ulanara wanted to see.

For the Fourth Fujin, it would be better if Lady Li were requested to be ennobled as Ce Fujin instead. She came from bondservant background and only had the advantage of being fertile.

Ever since the First Prince passed, Lady Li’s arrogance had grown higher, giving her headaches, though she could still suppress her.

Unfortunately, imperial will could not be defied. She could only choose to accept.

Lin Ruhai had to assume his post and couldn’t delay, so after receiving the imperial edict, he quickly went to the Fourth Prince’s residence to discuss the wedding arrangements with him.

A wedding couldn’t be arranged immediately, but fortunately the dowry had been prepared since his daughter’s birth.

Now they only needed to measure the courtyard dimensions, then have the furniture made, and supplement with a batch of currently fashionable styles—that would be about right.

But the other steps, whatever should be done couldn’t be omitted. He first settled on a date with the Fourth Prince. As for the rest, he couldn’t personally oversee it anymore. At most, when his daughter departed, if he could spare the time, he would return to the capital to see her off.

During this period, these steps would be handled by Mother leading his son.

The Old Madam was both anxious and happy, and her hands were very busy.

The place her son was going required extreme caution, and she couldn’t free herself from her granddaughter’s side either—she had to arrange things for her.

Moreover, there was her eldest granddaughter. Her tag had been discarded for independent marriage arrangement, and this period was the season for discussing marriage matches. Recently in the capital, joyous events were frequently being announced.

Her eldest granddaughter was also fifteen years old—it couldn’t be delayed any longer.

Fortunately, her son said he had a family in mind and told her not to worry, that he had his own plans. Only then did the Old Madam temporarily let go.

As for Chen Yu’s side, both of them coincidentally postponed it.

They truly couldn’t manage it in time. For a boy, delaying marriage discussions by two years didn’t matter. Better than hastily settling on something—if it turned out poorly, regret would come too late.

They were unwilling to easily decide.

Seeing the dust settle and the family preparing dowry for her daughter, Yun Shuyao’s thoughts also fluctuated in waves.

She was reflecting, reflecting on whether she had been too lackadaisical these years.

When Yun Shuyao entered the household, she already knew she had no room for promotion.

As long as Lin Ruhai remained an official and wanted to get along in the officialdom, elevating a concubine to wife wouldn’t happen—this was a ready-made handle against him.

But had there truly never been any officials in history who elevated concubines to wives and weren’t affected?

Of course not.

As long as sufficient merit was achieved, it would naturally be no problem.

It’s just that this merit was simple to speak of but required time.

Because those things other transmigrators knew—glass, watches, vaccines, gunpowder… she knew none of them.

Perhaps when she was in school, teachers mentioned them, but who would memorize them?

Most importantly, after working so many years, she had long forgotten her textbooks. Even if she had memorized them, she’d already returned them to the teachers.

For her, improving grain varieties was the most feasible approach, and the merit would also be great.

Given time, perhaps by the time Chen Yu assumed office, there could be good results.

That required generation after generation of improvement.

Her special ability wasn’t so heaven-defying that she could make mutations happen at will, and in the direction she wanted to see.

She could only shorten crop maturation time and ensure the crops’ health.

She thought she could wait.

But now her daughter was going to marry, and she couldn’t arrange her wedding. Later, if her daughter encountered any situation at the Fourth Prince’s residence, she also couldn’t easily go see her.

Her status was too low.

If she were Lin Ruhai’s second wife, it would be different.

Yun Shuyao felt she should try to struggle and turn her situation around.

Because Lin Ruhai would subsequently be in charge of salt administration, Yun Shuyao thought of something.

Salt and iron were both monopolized by the court. Iron—Yun Shuyao didn’t know how to refine it, but as for salt, current salt mostly came from salt wells and salt lakes. Sea salt extraction also existed but produced coarse salt, moreover cooked with firewood.

Nobles of course wouldn’t save that money to buy refined salt, but for impoverished families, as long as it had salt flavor, it was enough.

Later she would try to see if there was any convenient and economical method for purification and promotion. The difficulty shouldn’t be that high. If it didn’t work, she’d think of other methods…

With Luo Yu’s marriage settled, her time at home was limited.

She now clung to Yun Shuyao constantly.

Whatever Yun Shuyao was doing, she wanted to stick together.

And also with her younger brother, sisters, and grandmother.

If she wasn’t together with Mother, she was definitely staying by their side.

If Lin Ruhai hadn’t already gone south, she would also want to pester Lin Ruhai for more time together.

The Old Madam only indulged this behavior of hers.

After leaving home, she would afterward be the Fourth Prince’s Ce Fujin and could no longer be as free as she was now. Whatever she wanted to do, as long as she didn’t cross the line, the Old Madam wouldn’t interfere.

As long as she memorized all the situations at the Fourth Prince’s residence and became proficient in the rules.

As for the rest, she was watching over it.

Dowry was very important.

The maids and matrons to be sent as part of the dowry were also very important.

These would be her granddaughter’s trusted confidants at the Fourth Prince’s residence in the future—they must select capable ones who wouldn’t drag her down.

The Old Madam once again felt grateful that she had prepared for her granddaughters early. Now she only needed to select the most suitable from those people.

It’s just that she often still felt it insufficient.

After all, that was the Fourth Prince’s residence, not an ordinary household.

Thus, the servants selected for the dowry trained in rules until they wished for death.

The entire Lin residence was almost all busy. The only ones at leisure were Concubine Mei and Concubine Chu.

They had no authority. Concubine Chu devoted herself to Buddhism and had no attention to spare. Concubine Mei wanted to manage things but couldn’t insert herself.

She could only enviously watch as Luo Yu’s dowry list grew longer and longer.

She felt those above had poor eyesight—how did they not see her Ying Yu?

She was the eldest daughter!

With proper order between elder and younger, such a good marriage match should also belong to her Ying Yu!

Her heart was full of resentment, but she didn’t dare speak.

Especially when thinking of the Old Madam.

She could only silently memorize Luo Yu’s dowry list. When her Ying Yu married out, if it was inferior, she would make a fuss.

Lin Ruhai departed urgently. Other matters were left to a steady advisor here, plus Chen Yu was also on this side, so he would represent the family.

As Lin Ruhai’s only son, he could also represent the Lin family.

For such great joyous news, even if the Jia family didn’t know initially, they soon found out.

Besides Baoyu lamenting over why Sister Lin had to marry and asking such questions, other people’s feelings varied.

Jia She was happy—though she didn’t come from his sister’s belly, she still had to call his sister mother and call them uncle.

If she was successful, the Jia family could also bask in some reflected glory.

Grandmother Jia and Second Madam Wang were instead holding in frustration. Grandmother Jia knew what the actual relationship between their two families was like. If not for various reasons, the two families would have already torn off their facade, only maintaining surface cordiality. Bask in what glory?

Just that bit of glory in words to fool outsiders who didn’t know the truth!

The Lin family had joyous news, moreover double happiness, and she couldn’t help but regret that she had acted carelessly back then. In the end, it was still that Zhao Xinghua’s fault, otherwise the relationship between the Jia and Lin families wouldn’t be as it was now!

The better the Lin family did, the more the Jia family could bask in reflected glory.

After all, Baoyu and Daiyu were similar in age. If they could become marriage relations, with successful elder siblings above to provide protection, Baoyu wouldn’t need to worry in the future.

Now this plan seemed hopelessly remote.

Second Madam Wang’s anger was at a different point, because her Yuan Chun was serving as a female historian in Consort De’s palace. If she also went to the Fourth Prince’s residence, she couldn’t achieve the Ce Fujin position.

Not to mention this was bestowed by the Emperor to the Fourth Prince, with status somewhat higher than those who requested ennoblement themselves.

How could such comparison not make Second Madam Wang uncomfortable?

Moreover, Yuan Chun was still suffering in the palace, and who knew when she could get ahead.

Be happy for the Lin family?

She wished she could directly swap the name in the imperial edict for her Yuan Chun!

If she couldn’t strive for prospects in the palace, becoming an imperial prince’s Ce Fujin was also a good destination.

Jia Yuan Chun told Luo Yu the fragmentary words she had heard. Luo Yu appreciated this favor and secretly noted it down, preparing to return it later.

In fact, this wasn’t the scenario Consort De initially wanted to see.

She had intended to assign both Lady Lin and Lady Niuhuru together as GeGe rank, but later the Emperor intervened.

Consort De had been able to remain stable in the rear palace for so many years because she knew how to read expressions and never went against any of the Emperor’s intentions. Whatever he said was what it was.

So when Lady Lin’s rank was elevated from GeGe to Ce Fujin, she said nothing, only privately dissatisfied.

Had she known earlier that Master Lin was so valued by the Emperor, she would have first assigned Luo Yu to Fourteenth as GeGe rank.

That way she could help support Fourteenth without being conspicuous.

Lin Ruhai’s position—many people could see it was transitional. If he could handle his duties well, after his term was complete and he returned to the capital, naturally he would have prospects.

Not only the Crown Prince and First Prince, but other people who had hidden ambitions for that throne all discussed it with their advisors.

Why assign her to Fourth?

Did Fourth do something?

After much analysis, most believed it was coincidence. If not for Fourth’s legitimate eldest son passing away, the Emperor wouldn’t have suddenly concerned himself with his rear court, allowing him to pick up such a bargain.

If it were their own legitimate eldest sons who passed, Imperial Father would surely feel heartache for them too. But who would wish for their legitimate eldest son to die young?

Even if they didn’t like their legitimate wives, their legitimate eldest sons were still different.

This truly was a coincidence.

Jing Huan, upon learning this news, nearly vomited blood, her mental state fluctuating unstably.

Actually connected to the imperial family?!

She could no longer make a move on Luo Yu.

Moreover, pulling one hair moved the whole body. She didn’t know what Lin Ruhai had done, but ever since Lin Ruhai returned to the capital, she had suffered backlash.

She used a treasure from the bottom of her chest to stabilize her cultivation level from dropping. When she emerged from seclusion, matters were already set in stone.

Jing Huan felt a wave of defeat. Could she only watch helplessly like this?

No.

She had expended so much effort—it couldn’t just end like this.

Such an opportunity came once in a millennium. If she missed it, there would never be another. She still had hope…