Chapter Thirty-One: Reporting Without Worries

  Han Jiangxue saw that although his father hadn't softened his stance, his anger towards his elder brother had dissipated somewhat. He continued in a matter-of-fact tone: "Father, I've seen the Lin family's daughter and to be honest, she's truly talented and beautiful. Setting aside her status, big brother might not even be worthy of her. More importantly, big brother has been working hard to change his ways, and Lin sister's efforts have been instrumental in this."

  "You're still young, what do you know about matching and not matching? What's the use of being talented and beautiful? There are many women from noble families who are both talented and beautiful. A daughter from a humble background like yours can't possibly be on the same level, don't even think about speaking up for your brother, this is not something to be discussed!" Han Feng waved his hand dismissively, not even bothering to turn around to face Han Jiang Xue, although he didn't show anger again, his expression clearly indicated that he wasn't having it.

  Han Jiangxue didn't mind and instead smiled sideways, saying: "Dad, it's not right to say this, and it's better not to say such things outside."

  "What does that mean?" Han Feng didn't want to hear his daughter say these things again, but seeing her mischievous appearance and not worrying about him getting angry at all, he still couldn't help but ask another sentence.

  "Does Father not know that the current Empress is also a daughter born out of wedlock? Now she is dignified and respected by all, so the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is actually not that strict. What's most important is a person's character. Moreover, the Empress's family was originally just an ordinary official's household, let alone the Empress's family, even our Han family rose from being ordinary people over a hundred years ago."

  "So, my daughter thinks that as long as one's origins are clean and their character is upright, that's what matters most. Family background and social status can change at any time. The Lin family was able to raise a concubine-born daughter with such excellent virtues, which just goes to show that the head of the household must be quite extraordinary too. Right now, he may only be a minor official, but it's inevitable that he'll have opportunities for advancement in the future. Otherwise, how would a family with good conditions like yours take a liking to Lin Xiaoxiao?"

  "Are you saying that I, your father, don't know what's good for me?" Han Feng retorted: "You're still too young and naive. Do you think the example of the Empress is everywhere? Can the Lin family be compared to the Guo Gong Fu? As for that Lin family daughter, if it weren't for your mother secretly helping to arrange things, would a girl born out of wedlock like you easily find such a good marriage?"

  "What, so the Lin family's marriage was actually arranged by Mother?" Han Jiangxue had already known that this matter was 90% likely to be Liu's doing, but she still put on a shocked expression.

  "I think your mother's method is quite good, it directly solves the problem from the root. Moreover, your mother is kind and found a very good family for the Lin family, which is actually a great thing for that Lin family daughter."

  Han Feng had just been careless with his words and hadn't planned on telling Han Jiang Xue, but since it was already out, he didn't hide it anymore. He hastily reminded Han Jiang Xue: "Don't mention this to your older brother, this is also for his own good. If we don't thoroughly dispel his thoughts, he will keep thinking about these impossible things and in the end, it will only harm him! I've discussed this with your mother, and when the time comes, we'll choose a truly good marriage for your older brother. Once he's married, he'll naturally settle down!"

  Han Jiangxue fell silent for a moment after listening, then slightly furrowed her brow and let out a sigh, but didn't say anything else.

  "What are you sighing about? Don't tell me you still think it's better for your elder brother to marry that Lin family's concubine-born daughter?" Han Feng said somewhat displeased: "You two siblings should quickly put away your thoughts, even if he kowtows until he can't get up, it's useless. My Han family will never be able to form an alliance with a family like the Lin's through marriage. If you care about your elder brother, then hurry and go pull him back into the house for me, don't let him continue kneeling here making a scene."

  "Dad misunderstood, I was just thinking what kind of marriage is truly a good one." Han Jiangxue said with some resentment: "In the future when Dad chooses a wife for my brother, you must choose someone who is truly kind-hearted, don't be deceived by those so-called good appearances, otherwise this life will be really hard to get through."

  Having said that, Han Jiang Xue didn't seem to want to stay any longer and after bowing to Han Feng, she directly walked out to leave.

  "Wait a minute, what's with the tone of your voice just now?" Han Feng stopped Han Jiang Xue and asked in confusion: "You look like you've been wronged, what's going on?"

  Han Jiang stopped and turned around, saying: "Nothing much, just a bit worried that if big brother marries someone who looks good on the surface but isn't really good to get along with, then my life will be miserable from now on."

  "What nonsense are you talking about, you silly girl? No matter how your future sister-in-law treats you, you'll still have to get married and can't stay at home forever." Han Feng couldn't help but laugh, wondering what was going on in his daughter's head.

  Han Jiangxue shook her head very seriously: "That's uncertain, my reputation is so bad that even my own sister said in front of everyone that I don't know what shame is, it's probably going to be very hard for me to get married!"

  Hearing this, Han Feng was shocked and anxious, subconsciously standing up and quickly walking to his daughter's side with an incredulous expression, saying: "Xue Er, is there some kind of misunderstanding between you and Jing Er? How could Jing Er possibly say that about you?"

  "Not to mention Father doesn't believe me, even I myself don't dare to believe it. My sister who has always been so good to me actually thinks of me in this way."

  Han Jiangxue had a look that he didn't want to mention, but it was really hard for him not to spit out. Later, he helped his father to the chair and sat down himself, telling what happened when they went out to play on the seventh night of this month in a calm and peaceful manner. Not only that, but also the things that happened at Zhang's flower appreciation meeting before, and Han Yajing's behavior on the day of the martial arts test were all said objectively.

  After hearing all this, Han's father looked very bad, and he never thought that his little daughter would have such a bad heart towards her own sister. He knew that Han Jiangxue wouldn't make up these things, let alone the fact that his eldest daughter had always been truthful despite having many flaws in the past, and it was impossible for her to frame her younger sister without reason.

  After a moment of silence, Han Feng was about to have someone go and call over Han Yajing for questioning, but was stopped by Han Jiangxue.

  "Never mind, Father. My sister may not even be back yet. If you want to investigate, it's better to ask someone else for a more objective opinion. And if you want to stand up for your daughter, there's no need to. I don't want to make things worse, after all, she is my sister. If Father scolds her because of this, it will only make her dislike me even more, and it will also make Mother unhappy. In the end, we still have to live together."

  Han Jiang sighed and finally said, "In these years, Mother has been good to me and my elder brother. Let's just pretend Father doesn't know about it. I don't want people to say that I'm unfilial and cling to this matter, adding more bad reputation."

  "This quiet girl, saying such things and still having the heart to go out and have fun, is really too disobedient!" Han Feng scolded, but after all, Han Yajing was also his daughter, and she had always been extremely obedient and considerate. Therefore, although he had already believed his eldest daughter's words and was furious, he only felt that his youngest daughter didn't understand things and shouldn't have said or done such things, and didn't think too much about other aspects.

  Han Jiangxue had long known her father's thoughts, so she didn't fantasize about making him understand everything at once. However, impressions are things that accumulate little by little, and when the time is right, the truth will naturally sink into people's hearts without them even realizing it.

  "Xue Er, don't take it to heart either. Your younger sister is still young and doesn't understand things, her words are also not measured. Father thinks she just misspoke for the moment, absolutely not thinking that way in her heart."

  Han Feng naturally didn't want to ruin the harmony for this matter, so he turned to comfort Han Jiang Xue: "In the future, Father will also talk to Jing Er properly at an appropriate time. You mustn't take it too much to heart. Nowadays you're becoming more and more sensible, making progress day by day. As time passes, outsiders will naturally see your good qualities."