165: Chapter 165 The Profound Meaning of the Marriage Alliance

Doubt surged within Li Dakang, yet his expression remained calm and composed as he spoke slowly: "Grandfather, the Zhang Family has suffered many setbacks in recent years, and their influence is no longer what it once was."

"Why choose to form a marriage alliance with them at this time? It doesn't seem to offer much substantial benefit to our Li Family."

Elder Li seemed to have anticipated he would say this and smiled slightly: "Li Dakang, what you see is merely the surface."

"Although the Zhang Family no longer possesses its former glory, its foundation remains; a starved camel is still bigger than a horse."

"More importantly, this marriage alliance is not merely an exchange of interests; it is a long-term consideration."

Elder Li fell silent for a moment, his gaze gentle yet profound as he looked deeply at him: "Li Dakang, I understand your thoughts and concerns. But in this world, many things are not just black and white."

"The rise and fall, honor and disgrace of a family sometimes require personal sacrifice and dedication."

"However, I will not force you to make a decision immediately. You should go meet the young lady from the Zhang Family first, understand her character and personality, and then it won't be too late to decide."

Hearing this, Li Dakang's mood eased slightly, and he nodded slightly: "Very well, Grandfather, I will go to meet that young lady from the Zhang Family. However, regarding the final decision, I still hope you can respect my wishes."

Elder Li smiled upon hearing this: "Good child, go ahead."

"Remember, no matter the outcome, you will always be the pride of the Li Family."

In the past, Li Dakang would never have dared to have any objections or resistance to decisions made by Elder Li.

But as Li Dakang performed increasingly well in Guantian Township, he gradually won the attention and recognition of Elder Li, which is why Elder Li respected his opinions and thoughts regarding this marriage alliance.

Li Dakang was well aware of this and was grateful for Elder Li's trust and support.

The conversation reached this point, and the atmosphere softened a bit.

Li Dakang stood up to take his leave, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He understood that this marriage alliance not only concerned his own happiness but also involved the fate of the entire family.

How to find a balance between personal ideals and family responsibilities became the challenge he had to face next.

Li Dakang had no idea that Elder Li's action actually hid deep painstaking efforts and planning.

Li Dakang's own elder brother, Li Daping, had a wife who was the daughter of the Zhao Family, the head of the eight great families in the capital.

His cousin Li Dazheng's fiancée also came from the Chen Family, one of the eight great families.

At present, the potential shown by Li Dakang was almost not inferior to his two elder brothers.

Therefore, Elder Li was more attentive to Li Dakang's marriage than ever before; his future partner had to at least come from one of the eight great families.

However, the four top families in the capital had always been engaged in open and covert struggles, and the situation was treacherous; especially recently, the Wang Family and the Liu Family had vaguely shown signs of joining forces, so the Li Family naturally could not form a marriage alliance with these two families.

Moreover, even if the Li Family were interested, the Wang and Liu Families would not agree; after all, they still wanted to push the Li Family down.

Besides this, among the eight first-class families, the Zhou Family was Li Dakang's maternal grandfather's family, so a marriage alliance was not feasible.

The Zhao Family and Chen Family had already formed marriage alliances with the Li Family, so it was unlikely to continue such good relations in the short term.

The Ye Family, Xu Family, and Lin Family were in-laws of the Wang and Liu Families, so the path to marriage alliance was also blocked.

As for the Wu Family, they were originally in-laws of the Zhang Family, but since the Zhang Family's decline, they had been running around trying to attach themselves to the new elite. Elder Li was quite disdainful of this behavior, so a marriage alliance was naturally impossible.

The remaining Qian Family, although having a decent relationship with the Li Family, was an anomaly among the aristocratic families; they did not choose to marry other aristocratic families to seek development but instead threw themselves into the camp of a certain big shot to move forward together.

After such consideration, it seemed that only the Zhang Family was the most suitable.

As the saying goes, "A rotting ship still has three pounds of iron"; it had been less than half a year since Elder Zhang passed away, and although the Zhang Family's influence was not what it used to be, it had not completely dissipated.

If the Li Family were willing to extend a helping hand at this time, they would certainly be able to quickly gather the scattered hearts of the Zhang Family, and those old subordinates who once followed Elder Zhang would soon gather under the Zhang Family's banner again.

With the Li Family's current power and influence, doing this would be easy.

And once the Zhang Family regained its former glory, Li Dakang, as the Zhang Family's son-in-law, would certainly be able to obtain significant assistance from the Zhang Family; this was precisely Elder Li's far-reaching intention.

A family and an individual can never be equated.

The power of a family and the influence of an individual are completely different concepts.

Elder Li was taking precautions, starting to pave the way for Li Dakang's future.

Li Dakang would only gradually realize this later on.

Elder Li calculated all this in his heart, clear that in the intricate pattern of the capital's aristocratic families, every step had to be taken with extreme caution.

As a standout of the Li Family's younger generation, Li Dakang's marriage was not just a consideration of personal happiness, but an important link concerning the Li Family's future layout.

Choosing the Zhang Family was both a realistic consideration and a deep excavation of Li Dakang's future potential.

Although the Zhang Family was not what it used to be due to Elder Zhang's passing, its foundation remained, especially its influence in the military, which could not be underestimated.

What Elder Li valued was precisely this point, believing that with the Li Family's prestige and resources, plus timely assistance, it would be enough to allow the Zhang Family to quickly recover its vitality.

And the marriage alliance between Li Dakang and the Zhang Family would undoubtedly become an important bridge on this road to revival.

...

Meanwhile, during the leisure of the National Day holiday, Zhang Jinrong's daughter, Zhang Yiyi, also embarked on the journey back to the capital.

Twenty-one-year-old Zhang Yiyi was currently a senior student majoring in International Trade at Southwest University.