Ms. Wang chimed in, "What is Second Aunt really thinking? Yun Lian’s appearance is just average, and there are many more beautiful girls in the world. The Old Master is of noble birth, haven’t they seen all sorts of beauty? Even in our Quanya County, there are many girls who are much prettier than Yun Lian. How can she be so certain that it’ll be Yun Lian who becomes an Empress?"
Ms. Wang’s words were blunt, but not without reason. However, they made Wang Liu of Wang Family somewhat uncomfortable. After all, that’s her own child she was talking about.
She grumbled, "Our Yun Lian is not bad either!"
"Mother, what’s the point of arguing about this now?"
Seeing this, Yang Chuxia pulled Ms. Wang aside, and then asked Wang Yongshan and Ms. Liu of Wang Family, "What do Grandmother and Second Uncle think? Do you want to go with Second Cousin or try to have her fail the selection?"
"Is it even possible to fail the selection?" Wang Yongshan asked hesitantly.
Upon hearing this, Yang Chuxia couldn’t help but find the situation a bit ridiculous. Had her Second Uncle been influenced by her Second Aunt and believed that her cousin was guaranteed to be selected?
"Second Uncle, to be honest, it’s definitely possible to fail the selection. There are different ways to go about it: either because of insufficient appearance or physical defects, or by spending some money to fail the selection."
While it’s challenging to get selected, it’s much easier to not get selected.
Ms. Liu of Wang Family added, "How much money do we need to spend for her to not be selected?"
"I’m not sure," Yang Chuxia replied after some thought.
Ms. Liu of Wang Family then muttered, "If we have to spend money, how much will it cost? In the end, we might have to spend all of our savings for one girl, and we still have so many people in the family."
In her heart, Ms. Liu valued her granddaughter but valued her son and grandson even more.
"Grandmother, don’t be too worried," Yang Chuxia continued. "Perhaps Second Cousin won’t be selected even without spending any money."
"Impossible!" Ms. Liu waved her hand uncharacteristically. "Your second cousin is in excellent health, with no significant issues."
Hearing this, Yang Chuxia was dumbfounded?
"But Grandmother, Second Cousin’s appearance isn’t particularly outstanding. At best, she’s just average."
Why were they being so overconfident about this? According to Yang Chuxia’s thoughts, Wang Yunlian would probably be eliminated at the prefecture level, at most reaching the county level.
Ms. Liu frowned and said, "Your Second Aunt found someone to predict your second cousin’s future, and they said she’s destined for great wealth and high status."
Yang Chuxia thought, are they sure they weren’t scammed?
"So, what’s your decision, Grandmother and Second Uncle?" Yang Chuxia asked again. "Do you believe Second Aunt and let Second Cousin continue participating in the selection, or do you spend money to make her fail now? Be clear about this, Second Uncle. For families like ours, even if one is selected, there’s no hope for success. At most, they’ll become a palace maid. Those consorts are either daughters of officials with backgrounds or extremely beautiful and resourceful. My second cousin is neither. Besides, if she becomes a palace maid, her life will be out of her control. Being beaten and scolded would be the least of her worries; one misstep could cost her life."
Wang Yongshan still trusted his niece, especially since she was managing the family business now, which meant she had seen a lot. If she could speak so surely, it must be true.
After some consideration, he said, "Xiaxia, what if we do this? We let her go for now, and if she doesn’t get selected, that’s great. If she does get selected, then we’ll spend the money."