Even long afterward, the Yongping Marquis's residence was still talking about what had happened that afternoon in the Crown Prince's wife's courtyard.

Prince Zhao Ziqi was beaten out of his room by his wife, who chased him all the way to the small courtyard where Zhao Ziqi's so-called study was located.

It was only at this moment that the people in the manor discovered that the lady of the house, who was always the most concerned about her image, actually had such a shrewish side. She was holding a bamboo back scratcher in one hand and lifting the hem of her skirt in the other, following behind the young master, shouting and cursing all the way. Unfortunately, this lady of the house was a noble lady from a high family. She had been taught proper manners since childhood and was never seen to raise her voice in normal times, let alone curse.

From Xu Shao's courtyard all the way to Zhao Ziqi's courtyard, the maids and servants who were watching the scene heard their mistress chasing after her husband, yelling, "Zhao Ziqi, are you even human? Huh? It's one thing for you to act like a scoundrel all the time, but you even mess up your son's marriage! Have you been a father all these years for nothing? Zhao Ziqi, stop right there!"

Zhao Ziqi covered his face with his sleeve and headed towards his small courtyard. After entering the courtyard, he went straight to the main house. Just then, his most beloved concubine came out of the room. When she saw Zhao Ziqi, she grabbed him and said, "Young Master, you're back! Perfect timing. We sisters have been waiting for you to come back and prepare the rouge."

Zhao Ziqi didn't care about rouge at this moment. She pushed the maid aside, went into the room, closed the door, and then fell silent.

Xu Shao entered at this moment. Several maids saw her and stepped forward to stop her. Xu Shao, in a fit of rage, kicked one of the maids standing on the other side to the ground. Seeing that things were not going well, the others did not dare to approach and quietly retreated. Seeing that Xu Shao, who was usually the most dignified, was now acting like a madwoman, two of the maids were so frightened that they went to the backyard.

Xu Shao pounded on the door, but Zhao Ziqi not only bolted it but also braced it from behind, saying to Xu Shao, "Madam, this matter was handled entirely by my father-in-law. My father and I had no choice but to listen to him. If you have any questions, go back to your parents' home and ask him."

Xu Shao kicked the door hard a few times and said breathlessly, "Of course I have to ask my family carefully. I'm asking you, you know I'm arranging a marriage for Xing-ge'er. You are Xing-ge'er's biological father, and you know how important Xing-ge'er's marriage is to him. Why did you agree to it?"

Zhao Ziqi explained in a mournful voice, "My lady, how could I have the courage? I was just told about this by my father. I find it strange that the Yongning Marquis's mansion is trying to do something like this. Are you even interfering in your grandson's marriage?"

Xu Shao suddenly realized something and, not caring about continuing her idle chatter with Zhao Ziqi, hurriedly returned to her own courtyard.

Xu Shao instructed Granny Zhou to quickly send someone back to the mansion to inquire. After dinner, Xu Shao learned that the newly appointed Jinshi Lin Zhining had gone to the Xu family to ask for the hand of the fourth daughter.

Xu Shao was so angry that she smashed an entire set of celadon teaware. The next day, she didn't even get out of bed. At this point, she didn't care about saving face anymore. She didn't even care about her mother-in-law's daily morning and evening greetings. She quickly sent someone to Tai'an. However, the person had just arrived in Tongzhou when they picked up Zhao Sixing, who was returning to the capital.

The marriage between Zhao Sixing and Zhou Junhong is a done deal. Zhao Sixing has been thinking about it for the past few days, and has read the letter his maternal grandfather wrote to him several times. He feels that, given his family's circumstances, finding a wife like Zhou Junhong is the most suitable option.

Although Zhao Sixing was somewhat timid, he had witnessed his mother squander her enormous dowry since childhood. At first, Zhao Sixing didn't think much of it, as he had grown up in a wealthy family where money was like dirt. However, during his years at Taishan Academy, he had traveled with the students several times and experienced the hardships of ordinary people. This experience taught Zhao Sixing to think more deeply.

Regarding his marriage, Zhao Sixing always adhered to the principle of arranged marriage by his parents and matchmakers. He studied diligently from a young age, all in order to please his mother.

However, after serious reflection over the past few years, he realized that his family was not as wonderful as he had imagined. Although his mother had tried her best to prevent him from getting involved in the affairs of the household, as a member of the household, it was truly impossible not to get involved if he didn't want to.

After meeting Zhou Junhong, Zhao Sixing thought about it seriously for two days before agreeing to the marriage. He knew very well that his mother would never agree to the marriage, but now, Zhao Sixing could not find anyone more suitable than Zhou Junhong. After talking with Zhou Junhong once, he felt that with Zhou Junhong's personality and temperament, she should be able to live well in that quagmire-like home.

After Zhou Junhong met Zhao Sixing, she returned to Liaodong to prepare for her marriage. The two of them were not young anymore, and getting engaged and married as soon as possible was the most important thing. After all, there were still many things that the two of them needed to do after getting married.

Xu Shao had been lying in bed for the past few days. When Zhao Sixing returned home, he went straight to his mother's courtyard without even changing his clothes. When he saw Xu Shao lying in bed looking haggard, Zhao Sixing's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

Xu Shao grabbed Zhao Sixing's hand and said angrily, "Brother Xing, we are a joke in other people's eyes. I am also your maternal grandfather's child. Why does your maternal grandfather always think about your uncles and never about us?"

Zhao Sixing lowered his head and looked at Xu Shao's hands. In his memory, those hands had always been delicate and soft, but now, they were skin and bones, with veins sticking out.

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