I don't want to get married for the time being.

Zhou Miaosi was certain that the Prince's Mansion would not agree to Fu Zhiqiao's marriage. She couldn't directly advise Fu Zhiqiao to stop having any involvement with Xie Zhuo, so she could only try to separate the two by introducing her to a potential marriage.

Stop, stop! Faced with Zhou Miaosi's enthusiasm for matchmaking, Fu Zhiqiao was a little overwhelmed. She pretended to be shy and said, "Where did Sister Miaosi get to from this?"

"Knowing that Qiao is so beautiful, I wonder which incredibly lucky man will marry her."

"You and Brother-in-law Qin are a match made in heaven, everyone envies you!"

"If you envy them, why are you still hesitant to meet them?"

In the end, we've come full circle back to the topic of marriage.

Being pressured to get married is certainly annoying, but it feels good to have someone who genuinely cares about you. Fu Zhi Qiao frankly said, "I am young and beautiful, and I am very wealthy. Why should I rush to marry into another family and humble myself to serve my in-laws?"

Zhou Miaosi shook her head, not quite agreeing: "What girl doesn't get married?"

Fu Zhiqiao calmly took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Marriage depends on fate. When the time is right, you will get married naturally. If the time is not right, it is not necessarily a bad thing to never get married."

"Nonsense! If you have no children or grandchildren, won't your old age be miserable?"

"Why would I be lonely? Even when I'm old, I'll be a wealthy old lady, with everything done for me, surrounded by maids and servants. How could I be lonely? I won't have to worry about my children's and grandchildren's future or careers, or whether my daughters and granddaughters will marry the wrong people. I can live my whole life for myself. Isn't that wonderful!"

Zhou Miaosi was so shocked by her remarks that she was speechless for a long time.

"Sister Miaosi? Sister Miaosi?"

Fu Zhi Qiao called her several times before she came to her senses. Zhou Miao Si looked at Fu Zhi Qiao thoughtfully and lowered her voice, "But women are weak and should stand behind their husbands to shelter them from the wind and rain."

"I am capable of protecting myself from the wind and rain, why should I have to rely on a man?"

Zhou Miaosi was defeated. She sighed inwardly, thinking that Fu Zhiqiao was truly extraordinary!

No wonder the prince was so enamored with her.

Fu Zhi Qiao is not just beautiful; she is intelligent, quick-witted, and eloquent. Despite her humble background, she has no airs of inferiority and is no less impressive than a true heiress. Even Zhou Miao Si, a woman herself, admires her.

However, she did not think Fu Zhi Qiao and the Crown Prince were a good match. As someone who had been through it all, Zhou Miao Si knew very well that it was not enough for Fu Zhi Qiao to only have the Crown Prince's affection. The noble princess would definitely not accept her.

Taking herself as an example, her mother-in-law, Madam Qin, dared not give her the cold shoulder anymore. This was partly because Madam Qin felt guilty about feeding her the potion to change her sex, and partly because of her family background.

The head of the Qin family is the Vice Minister of Rites, and his son, Qin Xiuqi, is a Councilor of the Court of State Affairs. The Qin family is a prominent clan, but the Zhou family is not to be underestimated either. Zhou Miaosi's father is the governor of a prefecture, and her maternal family is powerful and influential. Even if they don't care about the family background, they should still respect the family's influence. Not to mention that Madam Qin and Zhou Miaosi are related, just considering their family background, Zhou Miaosi is not a daughter-in-law that the Qin family can easily manipulate.

But Fu Zhi Qiao is different. She doesn't have a powerful family background to rely on, and if she falls into the hands of the Prince's Mansion, she will be at their mercy.

The thought of such a spirited woman going to the Prince's mansion to suffer endless torment made Zhou Miaosi feel somewhat anxious.

Zhou Miaosi was afraid that Fu Zhiqiao would be wronged or suffer a loss.

Indeed, she had already probed into the fact that Fu Zhi Qiao and Xie Zhuo were still in contact through this conversation. At the same time, she also realized that Fu Zhi Qiao didn't seem to be very interested in getting married.

Logically speaking, Xie Zhuo's engagement with Yu Yadan has been called off, and the biggest obstacle between Fu Zhi Qiao and Xie Zhuo has been removed. It seems natural for them to get together. But now Fu Zhi Qiao's attitude is somewhat subtle. When she says she wants to marry into the royal family, she speaks of it with a lukewarm attitude. When she says she doesn't want to marry into the royal family, she refuses to be introduced to a potential marriage partner.

Did Fu Zhi Qiao want to marry into the royal family or not? Zhou Miao Si was unsure of her thoughts.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Miaosi said in a deep voice, "The young master has already broken off the engagement. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

"I have no plans. I don't want to get married for the time being."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Miaosi glanced at her and said, "It won't do if you don't have any ideas. Zhi Qiao, if you want to marry into the Prince's Mansion, you need to make plans early. If you don't want to marry into the Prince's Mansion, you'd better break off with the Prince as soon as possible."

Zhou Miaosi knew perfectly well that Fu Zhiqiao was clever, but such cleverness was insignificant in the face of real power.

The grand mansions and courtyards are a place where people can be eaten alive!

Fu Zhi Qiao is young, and in terms of cunning and scheming, she is no match for the women in the inner quarters of the mansion. She would probably be skinned alive in an instant. Moreover, she is so beautiful that she would not be able to protect herself if she married into an ordinary family. But what noble family would marry a woman from a merchant family? Even if Fu Zhi Qiao entered the royal palace, she could only be a concubine.

The word "concubine" being used to describe Fu Zhi Qiao is an insult to her. Zhou Miao Si asked in a low voice, "About the rumors about the Crown Prince..."

During her postpartum confinement, Zhou Miaosi was bored in the house, so the maid would tell her gossip and anecdotes to relieve her boredom. She had heard a lot of rumors about Xie Zhuo, especially about how he would have difficulty having children in the future. Zhou Miaosi immediately felt that he was not good enough for Fu Zhiqiao.

A woman as wonderful as Zhi Qiao should marry someone who loves and understands her, rather than marrying into a wealthy family and becoming a subservient concubine.

Hearing Zhou Miaosi's question, Fu Zhiqiao was both amused and exasperated, "It's just a rumor."

Zhou Miaosi responded with an "oh," seemingly knowing that Qiao still held the prince in her heart. She frowned slightly, saying, "The Prince's mansion has many rules; I'm afraid you won't be able to adapt."

Fu Zhiqiao looked up at her: "I understand Sister Miaosi's good intentions." She paused and said, "Marrying into the royal family is not my only option."

Fu Zhi Qiao meant it sincerely.

Having made up her mind, she would no longer hesitate, nor would she give up herself to marry Xie Zhuo.

Xie Zhuo had said several times that he wanted to marry her, and Fu Zhi Qiao had no doubt about his sincerity, but she would let those words go in one ear and out the other, and she would never bow her head and compromise.

Seeing that Fu Zhiqiao was clear-headed, Zhou Miaosi nodded slightly and said nothing more.

*

When Fu Zhiqiao went to the Qin residence to visit Zhou Miaosi, Yu Roulan led Granny Cui and two maids out the door.

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and she's going to the market to buy some New Year's goods. Every year, Yu Roulan personally selects the materials and styles for Fu Zhiqiao's new clothes, and then invites an embroiderer to the mansion to take her measurements. This year is no exception.

The cold weather did not dampen the people's spirits. The streets were bustling with people, and women carried baskets to buy all kinds of New Year's goods. Everywhere was filled with the lively atmosphere of New Year's celebrations.

Yu Roulan had her eye on several bolts of pomegranate-red brocade fabric. The vibrant color was perfect for making new clothes for Fu Zhiqiao for the New Year. Just as she came out of the embroidery shop, she heard a neigh and a carriage was hurtling straight toward her.

The coachman on the carriage was in a panic, shouting, "Make way! Make way!"

The driver was driving very fast, and the melting snow on the road caused the horses' hooves to slip, so the carriage slid straight towards Yu Roulan's direction.

Things happened so fast that Yu Roulan didn't have time to react. Her feet seemed to be rooted to the ground, and she couldn't move an inch.

The carriage came rushing by, and Yu Roulan could already picture herself being hit.

People around gasped and scattered. Zhao Jun noticed the situation and quickly grabbed a handful of oily mulberries from the next stall and threw them to the ground. Then he pulled Yu Roulan's arm and yanked her back forcefully.

The horse was tripped by the oil-paper umbrella, its hooves lifted high, and the entire carriage almost overturned.

Finally, the carriage came to a stop, and the driver yanked the reins, shouting angrily, "Are you blind? Don't you know how to give way?"

Yu Roulan's face was deathly pale; she was clearly still in shock and hadn't recovered.

Zhao Junhui came out today to buy ink. Mo Chuzhai had just received several pieces of pine soot ink, and he couldn't wait to buy them as soon as he got off work.

Halfway there, he felt that the figure in front of him looked familiar. Seeing that the person was about to be hit by the carriage, he rushed over without thinking. After finally saving the person, Zhao Jun hadn't even breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the coachman's arrogant words.

Unable to contain his anger, he shouted, "How could you drive like that? Why didn't you control your speed on such a crowded street? If you hit someone and cripple them, will you be held responsible?"

The driver was rude: "Who are you? Get out of the way right now. If you delay my master's business, can you take responsibility?"

The patterns carved on the carriage walls were exquisite, exuding grandeur and majesty, clearly not from an ordinary family. But Zhao Junhui had no intention of holding back. Just as he was about to ask the driver, "Who is your master?", he heard Granny Cui exclaim in alarm, "Madam? Madam? Are you hurt?"

Granny Cui followed Yu Roulan to pay the bill, but she was a step too late and witnessed this dangerous scene when she left the embroidery shop. Fortunately, Yu Roulan was unharmed, and she breathed a sigh of relief, clutching her chest.

Zhao Jun turned his gaze to the lady who had almost been hit by the carriage, and he was stunned at just one glance.

The stall owner selling oiled paper umbrellas nearby realized what was happening and pulled Zhao Jun back, saying, "Hey! Don't go, you have to pay me for an oiled paper umbrella."

The oil-paper umbrella vendor's loud voice attracted everyone's attention. Zhao Junhui felt a little embarrassed. His personal attendant, Laibao, pulled the oil-paper umbrella vendor aside to discuss compensation.

Suppressing his shock, Zhao Jun bowed to Yu Roulan and said, "Greetings, Madam."

Yu Roulan was pulled aside to avoid being hit by the carriage. Ignoring the dull pain in her arm, she was about to apologize to the person who saved her life when she saw Zhao Junhui's face. Yu Roulan froze for a moment before recognizing him and asked hesitantly, "You are Zhao Junhui?"

Zhao Junhui cupped his hands again, "Is Madam injured?"

Yu Roulan shook her head: "I'm fine, thank you for saving me."

Yu Roulan was still shaken. Thinking back to that critical moment, she realized that if Zhao Jun hadn't returned today, his horse's hooves would have trampled her... She shuddered and dared not think any further.

How did you get here?

Zhao Jun stepped back, gave a junior's bow, and replied, "I work at the Hanlin Academy."

Yu Roulan realized that when the two families broke off the engagement, Zhao Jun was of marriageable age and was about to take the imperial examination. Now that two or three years had passed, it was normal for him to stay in the capital as an official after passing the examination.

Zhao Junhui's appearance awakened Yu Roulan's memories, and her gaze immediately became complicated.

Back in Yuzhou, the Fu family and the Zhao family had a very close relationship, and the two families intended to form a marriage alliance. However, things changed later... At that time, Madam Zhao came to break off the engagement. She was very angry, but that was all in the past.

Now she lives very well with her daughter. Sometimes she wonders if her business talent would have been buried if the Zhao family hadn't broken off the engagement and Fu Zhiqiao had kept her marriage agreement and married into the Zhao family.

Yu Roulan hadn't expected to run into Zhao Junhui in the capital. She pursed her lips and suppressed the chaotic thoughts in her mind.

Zhao Jun was also at a loss when facing Yu Roulan. Because of his mother's behavior in the past, he felt ashamed and quickly made an excuse to leave.

Yu Roulan seemed to have something else to say, but after watching Zhao Jun's departing figure, she hesitated several times before finally giving up.