[Ruhai, I hope this letter finds you well.
Given your age and status, it would be perfectly natural for you to remarry.
I have no objection to it.
In fact, I fully support it.
You know that after more than twenty years as husband and wife, my greatest regret has always been that I was unable to give you an heir to continue the family line.
I truly hope you will take another wife.
I began writing this letter on the very day we discussed the matter of your future wife.
You rejected the idea then. Do you remember?
But my feelings have not changed. I do not object to your remarrying. I only hope that when choosing your next wife, you will take Yu’er’s mother’s wishes into consideration…]
The maid immediately exploded.
“Madam, you’re far too good-natured!
“You’re already this ill, yet instead of staying to care for you, Master went to one of the concubines’ rooms. For him to behave like this is simply…
“After the way Master has treated you, why are you still helping him choose his next wife?”
Does he deserve it?
The maid was so furious that her face turned green. She simply could not understand Jia Min’s reasoning.
Jia Min stopped writing and turned to look at her.
“Then tell me. After I die, do you think Master will remarry?”
The maid froze.
She could not bring herself to say no.
Jia Min smiled.
“Exactly. So what’s wrong with keeping the initiative in my own hands? Surely the woman I choose will treat Yu’er better than someone Master chooses himself.”
When the maid said nothing, Jia Min picked up her brush again.
However, the moment the words “the daughter of the Weisheng family” appeared on the page, the maid erupted once more.
“I thought that elderly madam was a good person! I thought she genuinely had Madam’s best interests at heart when she told you all that ridiculous nonsense. I never imagined she had ulterior motives too!
“Madam originally only planned to send Young Miss to the Rongguo Residence. It must have been that elderly madam’s words that made you start thinking about choosing Master’s next wife yourself. Did she say something else too? Is that why you suddenly thought of matching Master with her daughter?
“With Madam Weisheng’s circumstances, neither the Li family nor the Weisheng family is anywhere near the Lin family’s status. If that elderly madam hadn’t put the idea in your head, how could you possibly have considered her daughter as a candidate for Master’s next wife?
“Madam, she has ulterior motives! She’s plotting something!
“You absolutely must not fall for it!”
Jia Min actually considered the possibility for a moment.
But soon, she laughed.
“It is precisely because Madam Weisheng and Master are so mismatched in status that what you’re saying doesn’t make sense.
“There certainly are people in this world who want to marry above their station and will stop at nothing to do so. But no matter how ambitious someone is, they still have to consider what is realistic.
“Given Madam Weisheng’s circumstances, the best match she could reasonably hope for in a second marriage would be another merchant like her late husband, or perhaps a low-ranking official. If she thought too highly of herself, the highest she might set her sights on would be an imperial merchant.”
An imperial merchant was still a merchant, but also an official and one of the emperor’s trusted people.
Even standing on tiptoe, Weisheng He could only just barely hope to reach that high.
“As for Master’s circumstances…”
Jia Min gave a bitter smile.
“It’s true that when a widower remarries, the woman’s family background matters less. But that usually applies when the first wife has already left him sons.
“Don’t forget that Master has no son. He isn’t old, either, and his career prospects are excellent.
“A woman could marry into this household and immediately receive an imperial title. Who wouldn’t want that?
“And for families like ours, even if family background matters less for a second wife, she would still need to come from an official household at the very least. When my two elder brothers remarried, weren’t both of their second wives from official families?
“The Li family is only a merchant household, while the Weisheng family is even more…”
Before Weisheng He married into the Li family, the Weishengs had been nothing more than ordinary farmers.
Farmers who had nearly reached the point where they could no longer make ends meet.
It was precisely because Weisheng He had married so far above her station that her reputation in Weiyang had never been particularly good. Her relationships with the city’s madams and young ladies were only lukewarm as well.
“But… but…”
The maid knew Jia Min was right, yet she still felt deeply aggrieved.
Why should she get to?
Madam comes from such a distinguished family and is so accomplished, yet even after she married Master, people often said she was the one who had gotten incredibly lucky!
And Madam Weisheng?
The maid was furious at the thought.
She was only afraid that a woman like Weisheng He would be unworthy of taking Jia Min’s place.
Jia Min assumed she was still suspicious of Weisheng He’s mother.
“Besides, that elderly madam doesn’t strike me as that kind of person. She did make the suggestion, but Madam Weisheng doesn’t even fit the conditions she proposed.”
She failed that particular condition completely. In fact, she was almost its exact opposite.
Jia Min simply did not mind.
“That’s enough. I know what I’m doing. There’s no need to discuss this any further.”
She lowered her head and continued writing.
The maid could only stand beside her in frustration and grind the ink.
When Jia Min finally wrote the four words “Jia Min’s Final Words,” she immediately set down the brush and leaned back in the chair, panting heavily.
The three letters together did not even amount to a thousand characters, and writing them should not have been strenuous.
But her body had become so weak that even this small effort was almost more than she could bear.
It took a long time before she recovered enough to place the letters into envelopes.
“Keep these three letters safe.
“After I’m gone, if Master decides he wants to remarry and Madam Weisheng still hasn’t remarried…”
She placed the letters into the maid’s hands.
“Give these letters to their intended recipients immediately.”
The maid’s eyes were red as she nodded solemnly.
Jia Min slowly let out a long breath.
She had done everything she could.
The rest would depend on Heaven’s will.
A few days later, Weisheng He once again asked her mother to take the two children to the Lin residence.
This time, they brought a food box.
Inside were pastries Weisheng He had supposedly made herself.
Jujube paste pastries, osmanthus cakes, lotus seed cakes…
They were all treats Jia Min liked.
Every one of them had also been given a little something extra that would benefit her health.
Jia Min seemed more energetic than she had a few days earlier.
With a maid supporting her, she could even get out of bed and walk a few steps.
If that had not been the case, Lin Ruhai might not have allowed them to visit this time.
The moment Jia Min saw them, her face lit up with a smile.
The two children had already grown familiar with Lin Daiyu. After chatting with Jia Min for a little while, they followed Daiyu to the study to read.
The Lin family had an extensive collection of books, and with Lin Daiyu there to answer their questions, the twins were more than happy to spend their time there.
Jia Min watched the three children until they disappeared from sight.
Weisheng He’s mother paid no attention to it.
She took out the pastries and handed them to Jia Min.
“Heniang made these herself. Would you like to try one?”
Jia Min did not want to disappoint her kindness, so she accepted one and took a bite.
It was a jujube paste pastry.
Light and flaky, sweet without being cloying.
With some food in her stomach, Jia Min felt a little more comfortable.
“It’s delicious.”
She took another bite.
“Madam Weisheng’s cooking could rival that of a professional cook.”
Weisheng He’s mother looked immensely proud.
“She loved fooling around in the kitchen even when she was little. Her father used to say she was wasting her time, but I suppose it’s finally come in handy.”
Jia Min smiled and took another small bite.
But she could not eat any more.
Forcing herself to swallow, she immediately set the pastry down.
The maid waiting beside her quickly brought over a cup of plain water.
Jia Min took a sip, then spat it into a container beside her right in front of Weisheng He’s mother.
Weisheng He’s mother stared in amazement.
Then she hesitantly asked, “You’re stopping after only two bites?”
Jia Min smiled bitterly.
“My stomach is in poor condition. The physician says that after so many years of taking medicine, it has been badly damaged. I can barely eat anything that isn’t liquid.”
There was nothing Weisheng He’s mother could do, so she finished the rest herself.
After she was done, Jia Min glanced at the sky and turned to instruct her maid.
“I’ve been cooped up indoors recovering for so long that I’m practically growing mold. The weather is nice today. Go make the preparations. Let’s go to the garden and enjoy the flowers.”
The maid acknowledged the order and hurried off to prepare.
Before long, the group arrived in the garden.
They were chatting and joking together when a burst of commotion suddenly came from outside.
Jia Min looked toward the noise.
“Master.”