Chapter 21: I Am the Most Attractive Among This Batch

Upon hearing these words, Ning Zhaoqing was struck dumb, as if hit by a bolt of lightning. It took quite some time for her to collect her thoughts. After carefully pondering her sister’s words, she actually found them to hold a kernel of truth. She blinked, then asked curiously, "Could it be, Third Sister, that you... don't want to test him to see if he is truly a lecherous man?"

In the story of "Respecting One's Spouse as a Guest," the protagonist Liang Hong did not care whether his wife was beautiful or ugly; he cared only for her character. Such a man could be called a gentleman—surely he would be worthy of a woman’s admiration?

"Are you crazy?" Ning Zhaoan did not believe this for a moment. She felt that the love of beauty was human nature. "How many marriages in this world are not based on appearance?" Liang Hong was Liang Hong; as a pig herder, he naturally didn't need a beautiful wife. But Master Li had worked hard to study for his imperial examinations, surely hoping to find a beauty on his wedding night after achieving success. How could he be happy marrying an ugly woman? Just as she herself studied diligently, taking such care of every strand of hair, was it not so that she could be a match for a man of outstanding talent and appearance?

Seeing the man seem to glance in her direction, Ning Zhaoan gave a bright, generous smile. That smile was no small matter; it caused Li Yu, who had been single for over forty years across two lifetimes, to feel his heart skip a beat. A mouthful of tea remained in his mouth, unable to be swallowed for a long while.

A beauty! That great beauty in the purple dress—had she taken a fancy to him?

"Zixuan, that’s enough," Wu Jingcheng said, hurriedly nudging his good friend upon seeing his pathetic display. "If you keep staring, you'll start drooling. Be careful, or she'll think you're a scoundrel." Although the Ning girl was indeed beautiful, he still felt Sister Ying was more beautiful. Was this fellow Zixuan really so easily swayed?

Li Yu finally snapped out of it, swallowing his tea and pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. "No wonder she doesn't think much of that fellow named Yu Guang..." He didn't know much else, but their appearances simply didn't match!

Wu Jingcheng nodded. "Indeed. The women here are not like those in other places, where everything is decided by their fathers and mothers. The women here are each more opinionated than the last." Due to its geography, the Shu region had long remained on the periphery of traditional Confucian culture, and the local customs were relatively open and democratic. Moreover, repeated large-scale migrations had fractured the kinship ties of large clans. In households functioning as small family units, women had to step forward, becoming essential labor in the economic system, just like the men.

There were even female masters of pig slaughtering. This made them indifferent to the feudal concepts of patriarchal hierarchy, making them appear far more rebellious than women elsewhere. Merchants, martial artists, those who eloped, and those who wrote poetry and prose to become renowned female literary figures—"rebellious," "restless," and "fiery" were terms they considered terms of endearment. It was truly not easy to make them obedient.

Li Yu felt a bit anxious. "I had intended that if I could pass the imperial examinations, I would seek a wife from Jiangnan. I heard the women there are as gentle as water..." Yet, he didn't know what had come over him today; he found the Third Miss Ning exceptionally beautiful. Could it be that because he had never been liked by a girl before, he was now feeling his heart flutter at the slightest sign of interest?

"Ha!" Wu Jingcheng let out a cold laugh. "I advise you to just surrender. Your eyes are practically falling out of your head." He had accused him of being a peacock showing off his feathers, but Zixuan’s gaze was clearly more intense than his had ever been. Why put on an act?

Li Yu retracted his gaze and couldn't help but drink another cup of tea to cool down. "A fair, slim maiden is a fit companion for a gentleman." Could this be love? No, it was more like being captivated by beauty.

Back at the inn that night, Li Yu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He felt both excited and incredulous—why had Third Miss Ning taken a fancy to him? If this had happened in the modern era, his first reaction would have been that he had encountered a "pig-butchering" scam or a short-term marriage fraud. But this was the ancient world, an era that placed immense importance on sentiment and marriage.

"Mengzhen, tell me... am I dreaming?" The only response was a thunderous snore. Li Yu rolled over in frustration, trying to force himself to sleep. "A fair, slim maiden, sought in waking and in sleep. Sought but not found, she occupies my waking and sleeping thoughts. How long, how long, tossing and turning." Truly, the man was heartless; his future brother-in-law could sleep through such a momentous event. Though, it wasn't him experiencing the good fortune.

Relying on his status as the "catch" of a wealthy beauty, Li Yu and Wu Jingcheng did not take a public carriage to the provincial capital, but instead boarded the luxurious carriage of the Ning family. The carriage was pulled by two horses, and inside there was not only a stove for boiling tea, but the seats were lined with thick cashmere cushions; he heard that when the weather turned warm, they would be replaced with ice-silk mats.

The carriage ride, which usually cost two hundred copper coins, was typically bumpy, but this one was incredibly smooth; Ning Yuan could even write essays inside. "This peach blossom pastry was made by my elder sister, and these fruits are also from her hand. Zixuan... oh, and Mengzhen, do have a taste." Because Li Yu had eaten heartily both times he visited the Ning residence, Ning Zhaoan had assumed he loved sweets and was showcasing her culinary skills.

Li Yu felt very satisfied, thinking he might have had some prejudice against the women of this region—after all, not all women were like Sister Ying. Take his mother, for instance; wasn't her nature as gentle as water? Although he was only being given a ride as an afterthought, the easygoing Wu Jingcheng didn't mind, instead helping Li Yu inquire about his rival.

"What about that Master Yu?"

"Isn't he your relative, Shuben? Why isn't he traveling with us?" Thinking of that mediocre, ill-tempered man who was an alternative candidate for his brother-in-law, Ning Yuan couldn't help but frown. "We played together a few years ago, but from now on, that shall be the end of it." Thinking that Li Yu was his sister’s intended, and that Yu Guang’s future attitude toward him was uncertain, he felt it was better to let him know some things in advance.

It was then that Li Yu learned about the Ning family. It turned out the current Mistress Ning was the third wife of Instructor Ning—the second woman to marry into the family after the first passed away. The first wife, Mistress Zhu, had borne six children—three sons and three daughters—but after giving birth to twins, she had been so depleted that she succumbed to a women's illness within two years. About a year after her death, the second wife entered the house. She, too, died from childbirth complications after only seven or eight years. The current Mistress Ning had been married for only four years and was just twenty-one, while Instructor Ning was nearly fifty.

An old husband with a young wife naturally meant extra doting, so the instructor was tempted by his wife’s wish to marry their daughter into her own family, wavering between his wife and his daughter. Li Yu finally understood: Third Miss Ning did not want to become a tool for her father to please his young wife, which was why she had taken an interest in him so quickly.

Conclusion: His appearance was quite competitive among this batch of examinees.

Ning Yuan added, "My father is a man of high principles and holds talented young scholars in high regard. I believe Zixuan is exactly that kind of talented young scholar." As long as he performed well in the exams, no amount of pillow talk from a doted-upon wife would be of any use.