The courtyard of the main house in the Wu Guo Gong Fu.

  Lin Yan was sitting on the couch embroidering her own wedding dress, she and her cousin Dou Yu's marriage was set for next February, although the dowry didn't require her to embroider, but her own wedding dress still needed a few stitches from herself.

  But today she was somewhat restless, and after embroidering a few stitches on her wedding dress, she put it down and let out a soft sigh.

  Dong's family was sitting on the other side, calculating accounts. Seeing her sighing and groaning, he slightly raised his eyes to look at her and asked: "What's wrong, why are you sighing?"

  Lin Yan shook her head and said, "Nothing." Then she picked up the wedding dress and continued embroidering.

  Dong Shi didn't plan on getting to the bottom of it either and continued to lower her head and calculate.

  Lin Xiang embroidered a few stitches, then suddenly put down the needle and thread, and looked up to ask Dou Shi: "Mother, is Yuanyuan really going to marry the Emperor?"

  Dong Shi put down the account book in his hand, picked up the tea cup on the table and took a sip before saying: "The betrothal gifts have already been sent, can't the rituals in this palace be genuine?"

  Lin Yan said somewhat indignantly, "Actually, it's not necessarily that Yuan must enter the palace. The Lin family has so many daughters, even if there isn't a legitimate branch, within the main household there are still so many. Why must Yuan be the one to go? Yuan is such a good girl, she shouldn't sacrifice her precious youth in the palace."

  Dong Shi said: "You shouldn't have such thoughts. When enjoying power and wealth, the direct descendants of our family take the lead, but when it's time to make sacrifices and send out daughters, you let the collateral branches do it instead? What kind of logic is this? Moreover, the status of the girls from the collateral branch is not enough; being an empress is not something anyone can do."

  Lin Yan also knew that her words were somewhat inappropriate, and she lowered her eyes. After a while, she said again: "Mother, I just feel a little sorry for Yuan Yuan. I'm older than Yuan Yuan, and as the eldest daughter of the main house, it should have been me who entered the palace. But now...I always feel that Yuan Yuan is taking on the family's fate in my place."

  Dong's eyebrows furrowed, her voice cooled a few degrees, saying: "I don't allow you to think like this, if you think so, it's hurting my heart."

  Lin Yan felt a bit regretful and guiltily called out "mother". Just as she was about to say some apologetic words, Dou Shi continued: "Mother now only has you left, mother doesn't have any other thoughts, just wants to see you happily married and having children. If you marry into the palace, it's better for me to be killed with a knife."

  Lin Yan said somewhat anxiously: "Mother, don't be sad, I didn't mean it that way."

  Dong sighed, softened her voice, and said in a warm tone: "Yuan Niang, I know you and Yuan Yuan are close, don't blame me for being selfish. As a member of the Lin family, one must take on the responsibilities of the Lin family. Back then, your father took your brother to war when he was only 16 years old..."

  She said to this point, her face fell into painful memories, and continued: "I told your father that your brother was still too young, let him go a few more years. But your father said that he was the eldest son of the Lin family, the successor of the Wu Guo Gong Fu, how could he ignore his responsibilities and hide under someone else's wing? Moreover, whether it was him or your second uncle or third uncle, or even the old national public, they all started entering the military at the age of 13. Your brother is not young anymore. At that time, I couldn't bear to worry about it again, but I also couldn't stop them from taking on the responsibilities of the Lin family. But in the end, your father and brother died together on the battlefield. Everyone says they died a glorious death, but I wish they hadn't been born into the Lin family."

  Dong Shi pulled herself out of the painful memories and continued, "After your father and brother passed away, your grandmother asked me if I wanted to adopt a child from either the second or third branch of the family. Whichever child was adopted would become the heir, and I would become the Madame. But I refused. I knew that all the children in the Lin family were good, but no matter how good they were, they weren't my children. I couldn't love them like I loved your brother. So why should I take them away from their parents? I suggested letting the second branch inherit the dukedom instead. Although your grandmother and I never spoke of it, we had a tacit understanding. In exchange for giving up the dukedom, I would get a result where you wouldn't have to bear the responsibilities of the Lin family in the future. I thought that I had already selflessly sacrificed my husband and son, but at least I could selflessly protect my daughter once."

  "Sorry, mom."

  Dong Shi shook her head and continued, "It's not just you who cares about Yuanyuan. Doesn't your grandmother care? She is her own granddaughter. Your grandmother even thought of letting Rongniang enter the palace to protect her, but if it weren't for Rongniang being too lazy, she might have really kept Yuanyuan behind. In fact, your grandmother regrets not paying attention to Rongniang and letting her grow up crooked under Xia Yiniang's care. If only she had taught her well back then, now it should be Rongniang who takes Yuanyuan's place in the palace. Everyone has their own destiny, perhaps this is Yuanyuan's fate. Who can guarantee that entering the palace will bring good fortune to Yuanyuan and not disaster? Yuanyuan... she has a maternal image."

  Lin Yan lowered her head and said no more.

  On the other side, in the courtyard of the second house.

  Qī's servant helped Lin Yǒng take off his outer garment, asking as he did so: "Have you made things clear with Yuǎn Yuǎn?"

  Lin Yong nodded and instructed Qi Shi: "In a few days, the palace will likely send someone to teach Yuan Yuan about palace rules and etiquette. Be more careful. Take good care of Yuan Yuan during this time. If she wants something or wants to do something, try your best to help her achieve it."

  Qī shì nodded and said, "I know." He let out a soft sigh and continued, "You say I'm selfish, but now I'm actually relieved that Jiǎo Niáng was born a few years later."

  Lin Yong fell silent, and in fact both of them understood what this meant.

  The one who truly inherited the national duke's estate was the second house. If they had to offer up a daughter, they would have definitely considered the second house first, but the second house didn't have a suitable girl, so in the end they could only choose Yuan Yuan.

  If Lin Tan had been born a few years earlier, then it should be Lin Tan who is now entering the palace to marry the emperor.

  Actually, being born into such a family, whether or not one becomes an empress is just a matter of having more intricate embroidery on their clothes, having a few more people to order around, and eating slightly more exquisite food. But there's only so much clothing one can wear, only so many people they can order around, and the exquisiteness of food won't greatly affect one's appetite. However, as an empress, one must bear more responsibilities, face more dangers, not to mention marrying a maternal uncle who is older than oneself, surrounded by beautiful women like flowers.

  If she could, why would she let her own daughter suffer this fate. Marrying off her daughter to an ordinary family, where she will be taken care of by her parents and husband for the rest of her life without worrying about food or clothing, that is what they as parents hope for.