CHAPTER 365: CHAPTER 359: I’M JUST ATTRACTED TO GOOD LOOKS (BONUS FOR 350 MONTHLY TICKETS)

"Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"

Anning looked at the noble lady in front of her and asked.

The noble lady had very proper etiquette and poise. After giving Anning a curtsy, she sat down opposite her: "I don’t want to marry another ugly man."

Huh?

What kind of wish is that?

Anning inquired in detail before learning about the noble lady’s life.

It turned out that this noble lady was He Anning.

He Anning’s mother died early, and it was her father, a scholar, who single-handedly raised her.

Their bond was exceptionally deep.

Scholar He had only one daughter, He Anning. He and his wife were childhood sweethearts who grew up together, their relationship very profound. After his wife’s death, he did not remarry, pouring his whole heart into raising his daughter.

Because he had only one daughter, Scholar He was very diligent in educating He Anning.

He raised He Anning as if she were his son, not only making her learn the Four Books and Five Classics, but also painting, music, and chess. He even asked a friend to teach her some basic martial arts.

He thought that with such an upbringing, He Anning would surely lead a good life no matter which family she married into.

Unfortunately, Scholar He, who had wholeheartedly planned for his daughter’s future, did not live to see the day she married.

He Anning was just eleven years old when Scholar He’s health began deteriorating, and he passed away when she was twelve.

The He family had no close relatives, and Scholar He, unable to let go of his concerns for He Anning on his deathbed, entrusted her to his good friend Xu Pengju.

However, it so happened that Xu Pengju also had a daughter the same age as He Anning.

Xu Pengju’s daughter, Xu Bao’er, lived and played with He Anning after she moved to the Xu Family. The two got along really well, just like sisters.

Xu Pengju had a strong bond with Scholar He and cared deeply for He Anning, treating her with the same standards as his own daughter in terms of food, clothing, and living to ensure she did not feel slighted in any way.

Because Xu Pengju was so caring, Mrs. Xu was also very good to He Anning.

Thus, even if she was living under someone else’s roof, He Anning’s life was quite decent.

This continued until the time came for her to marry.

It turned out that He Anning had been betrothed since childhood, and so had Xu Bao’er to her future husband.

Scholar He was a righteous man with friends from all walks of life, not one to discriminate due to social status. The Xiao Family’s patriarch had once helped Scholar He, so he had agreed with Mr. Xiao to arrange a marriage between their children.

The Xiao Family was very wealthy, and after the marriage arrangement with the He Family, Mr. Xiao made several business deals that brought in substantial profits, making the Xiao Family even more luxurious and the top family in the local area.

That would have been fine, but it just so happened that Mr. Xiao’s son, Xiao Yuan, was also exceptionally handsome and extraordinary in appearance. Every time he went out, he was surrounded by young women and wives alike, unknowingly winning the silent affections of many young ladies.

On the other hand, the fate of Xu Bao’er’s fiancé from the Yue Family was the exact opposite.

Yue Family’s patriarch had passed away early, leaving Yue Zhong and his widowed mother to fend for themselves with dwindling family assets. By the time Xu Bao’er was to be married, the Yue Family could hardly afford meals.

Mr. Xu wasn’t particularly concerned about this; the Xu Family had money and he could spare some assistance.

However, the unfortunate part was that Yue Zhong was rather unpleasant to look at.

"If compared to an average person, Yue Zhong would seem quite ugly, and standing next to Xiao Yuan, he would appear utterly unbearable to look at.

Xu Pengju felt heartache for his daughter and was unwilling to let Xu Bao’er marry into such a family.

When it came time for the two young ladies to get married, Xu Pengju made a harsh decision and did something he shouldn’t have to his friends.

Although he felt very uneasy in his conscience, in order to ensure his daughter could live a good life, he had no other choice.

He had an agreement with both the Xiao Family and the Yue Family that since Xu Bao’er and He Anning were as close as sisters, they wished to be married off together, and arranged for their weddings to be held at the same time.

Neither of the two families had any objections.

However, during the wedding, Xu Pengju instructed his servants to deliberate to send the two young ladies into the wrong bridal sedans.

He Anning, who was supposed to marry into the richest family, ended up marrying the impoverished Scholar, Yue Zhong.

Xu Bao’er, who was destined to be the scholar’s wife, married Xiao Yuan.

Only after entering the bridal chamber did He Anning realize she had gotten into the wrong sedan, but by then, it was already too late.

As for He Anning, she was someone who valued appearance highly.

She favored handsome young noblemen and had no liking for someone like Yue Zhong.

But as an ancient woman, she was still bound by the traditional values of ’Three Obediences and Four Virtues’, and despite her disgust towards Yue Zhong, since things had turned out this way, she had no choice but to become Yue Family’s daughter-in-law.

He Anning was ambitious, principled, and talented.

After marrying into the Yue Family, she encouraged Yue Zhong to study hard, and with her dowry, she added some lands to the family, managing the Yue household efficiently and effectively.

Even when faced with Yue Zhong’s fault-finding and difficult mother, an in-law of substance, force, and wealth like He Anning managed to keep her in check, with no room for defiance.

Xu Bao’er, on the other hand, was raised to be somewhat naive and sweet.

After marrying into the Xiao Family, initially, she and Xiao Yuan had a loving relationship as husband and wife, but the good times did not last. Xiao Yuan began to engage in wasteful behaviors, indulging not only in eating and drinking but also in gambling and staying out all night, for which Xu Bao’er had several arguments with him. But the more they argued, the less Xiao Yuan was willing to entertain Xu Bao’er.

Eventually, Xiao Yuan gambled on a grand scale, nearly bankrupting the Xiao Family.

Mr. Xiao and his wife died of anger because of Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan then started to use Xu Bao’er’s dowry to continue his gambling, and once out of money, he would turn to Xu Pengju to borrow, driving him to great shame.

Meanwhile, with the help of He Anning, Yue Zhong was able to pass the Imperial Examination as a scholar and then as an Advanced Scholar, eventually being appointed as an official.

When he left for his post, he took both his widowed mother and He Anning with him, and after serving three years as a county magistrate and being rated excellent in his annual evaluations, he was promoted to Magistrate. Five years later, he went to the capital to become Assistant Minister of Ministry of Revenue.

By the time Xiao Yuan had dragged the Xu Family into such impoverished days, Yue Zhong had already become a first-rank official, and He Anning had become the wife of a first-rank official.

Although originally Xu Pengju had ill intentions by switching He Anning’s marriage, after all, He Anning had grown up in the Xu Family for many years, and during those years, Xu Pengju and Mrs. Xu had truly done their utmost and never mistreated her.

Moreover, when He Anning got married, Xu Pengju perhaps felt guilty towards her and thus increased her dowry quite significantly; after she married, he personally apologized to her and helped her out a lot.

Initially, He Anning held some resentment towards Xu Pengju, but afterwards, she opened up her heart and no longer hated him.

When both the Xu Family and the Xiao Family fell into decline, He Anning also lent them a helping hand, proving to be a person of rare loyalty and benevolence.

After He Anning had finished recounting her experiences, Anning was somewhat puzzled: "Your life has been smooth. Though you faced some hardships in your early years, your later life was reasonably good, and in your old age, you are blessed with wealth and a house full of children and grandchildren. What dissatisfaction could you have?"

Anning truly could not understand why He Anning, who clearly lived like a winner in life, would still come to her to seek her out."