Mada Zhao, who had originally thought her son’s words were reasonable, imdiately sided with Mrs. Zhao upon hearing her beloved daughter’s tearful complaints. She sternly scolded Mr. Zhao, who wore a look of displeasure, "How can you say such things about your own niece? Have you forgotten how your sister sewed stitch by stitch, all to support your education? If it weren’t for your sister, would you have beco a Jin Shi and enjoyed your current glory?"
Mr. Zhao had never imagined that what he considered to be a couple of harmless truths would be twisted by his mother and sister into such an accusation, and he too felt his anger flare up montarily.
But as he watched his sister, her face streaked with tears, the image of her working by the dim light until the rooster’s crow, barely resting on the bed before dawn to save up for the next sester’s fees for him, his anger gradually faded. With a sense of resignation, he said, "Mother, ijiao is indeed my niece, and how could I not be fond of her? It’s just that aside from having been married and having three children, there is truly nothing else to fault about that man. I’m afraid that if we let this opportunity pass, we might never find a better match."
Mrs. Zhao, standing behind Mada Zhao, saw her husband relent and a deep disappointnt flashed in her eyes. She could not stand her aunt-in-law always leveraging those old favors to make excessive demands.
ijiao was raised by the old lady and developed an arrogant and spoiled temperant. She not only looked down on her aunt by marriage, but also dismissed her uncle, daring to talk back to him frequently.
If it weren’t for such a disagreeable character, why would her marriage to a wealthy and amiable family not have flourished? Instead, she acted high and mighty, disrespecting her in-laws and husband.
Even after years of not bearing children, the family endured her for six long years. But two years ago, she had angered her mother-in-law to the point of paralysis, prompting her husband’s family, despite the risk of Zhao Family’s retribution and their own ruin, to divorce her on the grounds of three grave sins: disobedience, lack of filial piety, and childlessness.
Wasn’t it she who had her eyes on that family, and after much difficulty, her master had managed to inquire about them, only for her to suddenly take issue with the fact they had children? What had she been thinking earlier?
Truth be told, ijiao was just a rchant’s daughter, only known because of her family’s connections with her master. Despite being discarded for her poor deanor, at twenty-five she was already an old maid, yet she still regarded herself as a youthful noble daughter in full bloom!
Although Mrs. Zhao despised this, she had no say here and could only silently watch and wait to see what sort of trouble her aunt-in-law and cousin were going to stir up next.
Mada Zhao was not aware of her daughter-in-law’s thoughts. Considering her son’s words to have so rit, and feeling uncertain, she glanced at her displeased granddaughter and hesitated, "ijiao, do you really disagree with what your uncle said?"
"No, no, it’s not that, Grandmother..." Fan ijiao said, shyly avoiding Mada Zhao’s probing gaze, the image of budding affections laying bare, showing no signs of disagreent at all!
Ever since she heard the Storyteller speak of Young Master Ziyu’s deeds last year at the teahouse, ijiao had harbored admiration in her heart. Yet the idea of becoming a stepmother was truly distasteful to her, so she wanted to test if her uncle could sohow remove those troubleso children. That way, she could marry the man she liked without worries in the future, and only then would her happiness be complete!
Seeing her granddaughter’s response, what else did Mada Zhao need to understand? She said directly to Mr. Zhao, "I vaguely rember your little sister has an unmarried nephew. If you can manage it, help ijiao secure this good marriage engagent. If your future son-in-law proves to be promising, it will reflect well on you as an uncle."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhao’s heart skipped a beat, and he tentatively asked, "Mother ans..."
Mada Zhao gave her son a glance, "It’s exactly what you are thinking! If that girl, being a County Lord, looks down on ijiao, wouldn’t ijiao be bullied by her? The only solution is to make her one of our own, then ijiao can lead a good life! Should you bring this matter to fruition, I’m sure your little sister’s mother-in-law, rembering this favor, will treat your sister better."
Mr. Zhao’s thoughts quickly turned, and he found the idea to be feasible. His sister’s in-laws were among the most prestigious World Families in the capital, but unfortunately, his sister was a concubine’s daughter-in-law and not favored by her legitimate mother-in-law. If he could make this marriage happen, it might indeed improve his sister’s stature in her mother-in-law’s eyes and would also greatly benefit his own career.
With that thought, Mr. Zhao’s eyes brightened. He patted his rotund belly, ignoring Mrs. Zhao’s frantic blinking signals, and said to Mada Zhao, "I will personally take care of this matter. Mother can look forward to the good news from her son."
Mada Zhao nodded in satisfaction, encouraged Mr. Zhao with a few words, and then looked affectionately at the delighted Fan ijiao, "Are you happy now? You just wait at ho for your uncle’s good news."
Imdiately, Fan ijiao threw herself into Mada Zhao’s arms, her eyes sparkling with contentnt, "I knew Grandmother loves the best, thank you, Grandmother!"
Mada Zhao, chard by her beloved granddaughter, wrapped her in her arms, cooing "my heart," "my treasure."
As Mo Yan prepared her father’s materials for the next day’s palace examination by lamplight, she was unaware that soone was scheming against her father and even planning to "remove" her as an obstacle by arranging a marriage for her to a concubine’s son.
What followed were days where the peace of the Mo Family was destined to be shattered...
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