Auntie Xue's main idea was that the house had to remain in Old Li's hands—it was the foundation of his security, and before he took his final breath, the house couldn't be given to any of his children.
Furthermore, Auntie Xue had analyzed the Li children for Old Li and concluded that the second eldest was the most promising. Through past events, it was clear that the second eldest wasn't heartless toward family ties. Look, no sooner had he secured his footing in Z Province than he helped his eldest brother's family, found a job for the child, transferred his brother-in-law to his side, enabling Xianghe to go with her husband in the military. As for favoring his eldest daughter's family, that came even earlier; Jiajia's illness was cured by him.
Therefore, Old Li shouldn't only focus on Li Hongqi but should consider Li Hongjun, his second son, as the wisest choice.