Chapter 295: Imperial Authority Failing To Extend To The Countryside New
Today, the court was in turmoil—
Hanlin Academy Lecturer Liu Yi requested that his in-law, one of the Four Talents of Wu, known as the “Painting Talent,” provide the birth and death years of three generations of male and female ancestors. Upon discovering that all three generations had died between the ages of forty and sixty due to illness, he forcibly broke off the engagement and instead sought out a healthy young talent for his granddaughter—someone who would not die early.
A certain Censor-in-Chief sought to arrange a marriage between his grandson and a royal family’s daughter. His grandson’s strongest selling point? Excellent teeth. This advantage allowed him to stand out among numerous other promising suitors and successfully marry into the royal family—because the princess’s father had long suffered from severe toothaches.
Meanwhile, a newly appointed graduate of the imperial examination became the most sought-after bachelor in the marriage market—not because of his own achievements, but because his grandmother, despite having given birth to five sons and one daughter, remained in good health and had lived to the age of eighty-five.
And there were more cases like this…
In short, marriage customs were undergoing drastic changes. While political and economic interests remained the foundation of arranged marriages, there was now room for negotiation. For example:
“Your eldest son has a high nose, while your second son has a flat nose. I have no idea if my grandchildren will grow up to be handsome or not, but even if they do, pairing good looks with a flat nose would be disastrous. So, instead of marrying into your second son’s family, let’s switch to your eldest son instead, shall we?”
“After all, an arranged marriage is an arranged marriage—does it really matter which son it is?”
Xu Yanmiao was completely unaware of these changes.