Chapter 575: 226 Visit
After Luo Shao and the others had left, he dismissed everyone in the room and then took Madam Ping’s hand, saying, “Don’t worry, I will not take a wife from the second branch.” He had refrained from speaking his mind in the presence of others.
Madam Ping’s eyes were sowhat red. “Heir Apparent…”
Luo Shao gently patted Madam Ping’s back. Although he was usually very stern outside, he allowed himself to relax only in front of Madam Ping. Their marriage had been arranged by their parents, but Luo Shao was very pleased with Madam Ping—indeed, there was no need for declarations of love and affection between husband and wife. Luo Shao spoke softly, “Rest assured, without a legitimate first son, there will be no concubine-born children.” He was aware of the pressures his mother placed on his wife, but he was determined not to agree. It was certain that he would have a legitimate first son before any concubine-born children.
Luo Shao had seen too many cases of families of notable achievents torn apart by rivalries among concubine-born children for inheritance when there was no legitimate son, so he absolutely did not allow his own family to face such a situation. Of course, Luo Shao was insistent also because the Imperial Physician had said that Madam Ping was in good health, and the absence of children was rely a matter of timing. If the Imperial Physician had declared that Madam Ping could not bear children, he would certainly have needed to reconsider.
The pressure on Madam Ping was trendous. Bearing an heir was a crucial matter for a family, and up to now, she had not yet given birth to a son, putting much pressure on her: “Heir Apparent, it is all my fault.”
Luo Shao smiled and said, “The Imperial Physician rely ntioned that the ti has not co, no need to rush.” Indeed, Luo Shao was not in a hurry. He was only twenty years old, not forty.
Madam Ping rely murmured in agreent. However, inside, she was distressed. While pressure from her mother-in-law was manageable, what she feared most was her father-in-law intervening. If he did intervene, things would beco problematic.
Zhao Yuner knew that Madam Ping did not like her, so she had remained silent just now. Upon leaving the main house, Zhao Yuner said to Mingzhu, “Cousin, may I join you tomorrow to visit Miss Lian? I’ve heard that Miss Lian is a renowned talented lady, and I greatly admire her.”
With a mocking look, Bai Yi imdiately understood Zhao Yuner’s intentions—she was crystal clear that Zhao Yuner aid to climb socially by leveraging their connection. Dream on. Not waiting for Mingzhu to respond, Bai Yi spoke first, “Miss, you surely know of Miss Yueyao’s temperant.” Zhao Yuner harbored ulterior motives, and Bai Yi could not let Mingzhu associate with such a person. However, Bai Yi also realized that voicing objections directly would embarrass Mingzhu, so she employed a more indirect strategy now. By bringing up Miss Yueyao as a shield, Bai Yi believed it would be very effective.
Mingzhu, thinking of Miss Yueyao’s aloof nature, knew it would not please her to bring a stranger without her approval. Mingzhu shook her head and said, “So other ti, perhaps! I must ask Miss Yueyao first, if she agrees, then next ti I can introduce you to her.” Naturally, if Miss Yueyao did not agree, she would not bring Zhao Yuner with her.
Zhao Yuner was sweet-tongued and skilled at flattery, and if Mingzhu had not t Miss Yueyao earlier, she would surely have been swayed. But now, ngzhu was not so easily influenced, especially with Bai Yi employing subtle indications by her side. Although ngzhu did not dislike Zhao Yuner, she also did not favor her.
Zhao Yuner inwardly cursed Bai Yi, who always interfered with her plans, and now had once again sabotaged her good opportunity. She needed to find a way to convince her aunt to remove this girl from her cousin’s side. With her cousin’s support, she believed she could quickly achieve her goals.
That very evening, Zhao Yuner spoke ill of Bai Yi in front of Lady Bai, insinuating that Bai Yi had a bad influence on Mingzhu.
What Zhao Yuner did not know was that her words to Lady Bai had quickly co to Madam Ping’s attention. Madam Ping smirked, not expecting that Zhao Yuner had set her sights on Bai Yi. “Spread this news to Bai Yi.” If this had occurred two years prior, Madam Ping would have been concerned, for back then, her sister-in-law was quite impatient with Bai Yi, always finding her troubleso. But now, her sister-in-law relied most heavily on Bai Yi, and removing Bai Yi would depend on whether her sister-in-law agreed.
Bai Yi, upon receiving the news, sneered continuously. Originally, she had intended to stay out of these matters, but she had not expected Zhao Yuner to be so bold as to sche against her. If she did not respond with a fitting ‘gift’ to Zhao Yuner, wouldn’t it be too unfair to her careful plotting?
The very next day, Madam Ping accompanied Mingzhu to Ma’s Mansion, and upon seeing the radiant Zhuang Ruolan, she felt a twinge of envy. Initially, Madam Ping had thought Zhuang Ruolan foolish—Ma Peng’s family background was barely acceptable, and the man himself was unimpressive; one’s eyesight had to be quite poor to choose him! But who would have imagined that Ma Peng turned out to be a blue-chip stock. Now, it was she who envied Zhuang Ruolan. Zhuang Ruolan and her husband were loving, with an almost nonexistent mother-in-law, allowing her to manage her own household, leading a much richer life. Madam Ping, on the other hand, faced constraints everywhere.
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