Mother and daughter conversation

"Look at your temper, you're getting impatient again." Guo Sulan was a woman and lacked political acumen. Yu Haoying thought to herself, and then explained to her, "The engagement should naturally be called off, but not now. Think about it, everyone in the capital knows about the engagement between our two families. If we can't wait to call it off now that something has just happened at the Prince's Mansion, what will I, Yu Haoying, become?"

"But……"

"No buts! When the Prince's Mansion was at its peak, we were in-laws. Now that the Prince's Mansion is declining, we're cutting ties with it. Wouldn't that make me an unrighteous and selfish person?"

At this point, Yu Haoying took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and said in a calm tone: "The prince does not hold power. The heir is the only male in the prince's mansion, so he naturally has to shoulder the responsibility of upholding the family. Without him to support the prince's mansion, I'm afraid the Duanqin Prince's mansion will slowly decline."

A calculating glint flashed in Yu Haoying's eyes as she readily agreed to Zuo Murui's request to postpone the wedding: "Tomorrow, send a letter to the Princess Consort saying that I agree to postpone the wedding."

Prince Duan, Xie Chi, is a leisurely prince, but his heir, Xie Zhuo, is an extraordinary figure. At a young age, he has repeatedly rendered meritorious service and has won the emperor's favor, with a bright future ahead of him.

After Yu Yadan marries into the royal family, her name will be recorded in the royal imperial register, and the Yu family will successfully establish a connection with the royal family. From any perspective, this is a very good marriage, and Yu Haoying is very satisfied with it.

However, times have changed. Now, Xie Zhuo is affected by the toxins in his body and needs to take medicine to suppress them all year round. He may not be able to go to the battlefield to make contributions in the future, not to mention that he may not be able to have his own children... Under such circumstances, it would be very unwise to marry his daughter to him.

Besides this, Yu Haoying had a deeper consideration: he craved power. He had initially arranged a marriage with the Prince's Mansion in the hope of using their influence to rise in rank, but given the current situation, that seemed unlikely.

Guo Sulan understood: "Master, do you mean we should agree to postpone the wedding first, and then bring up the matter of breaking off the engagement after things have calmed down?"

Once things have calmed down, they can find a reason to break off the engagement without being criticized. What if Xie Zhuo recovers his health in the meantime?

Breaking off an engagement is no trivial matter. The marriage with the Prince's mansion was hard-won, and he didn't want to give up even if there was only a sliver of hope left.

“That’s right! It would be best if the Prince’s Mansion took the initiative to break off the engagement. If we rush to break off the engagement given the current state of the Prince, it will be seen as a breach of faith by others.”

Guo Sulan was persuaded, "Then let's do as the master wishes and postpone the matter of annuling the engagement."

Yu Yadan couldn't listen anymore and pushed the door open with a bang. "I don't agree to break off the engagement."

"Yadan, what are you doing here?" Guo Sulan asked in surprise.

"Father, Mother, I don't agree to break off the engagement." Yu Yadan looked at Yu Haoying, then at Guo Sulan.

Yu Haoying's brows furrowed into a deep frown. His original plan was to keep the annulment of the engagement a secret from Yu Yadan, otherwise, given her feelings for Xie Zhuo, she might cause some trouble.

"No manners! Guards, take this young lady back."

"No, I won't leave, Father, I don't agree to break off the engagement." Yu Yadan raised her voice and repeated herself.

Yu Haoying's face was ashen. "Look at you, do you have even a trace of the demeanor of a young lady from a prominent family? Who gave you permission to eavesdrop on your elders' conversation?"

Guo Sulan also warned her with her eyes, saying, "Yadan, quickly apologize to your father?"

With tears welling up in her eyes, Yu Yadan said firmly, "Father, Mother, I don't want to break off the engagement. I want to marry the Crown Prince."

Yu Haoying frowned deeply: "You disagree? What right do you have to disagree? Marriage is a major life event that is decided by the parents. You'd better put away those little thoughts."

Yu Yadan wiped away her tears haphazardly, stubbornly refusing to show weakness.

Looking at his stubborn daughter, Yu Haoying was furious. "Do you really want to marry the Crown Prince?"

"Yes, marrying him is my daughter's greatest wish in this life."

Yu Haoying scoffed, "Even if you can't have your own children?"

“Yes, even if…” Yu Yadan realized what was happening, “Dad, what did you say?”

Yu Haoying snorted coldly and turned her head away, no longer looking at her.

Yu Yadan turned her gaze to Guo Sulan: "Mother, what does Father mean? What does he mean by not being able to have his own child?"

She thought she was hallucinating.

Guo Sulan was both angry and heartbroken: "The young master has been poisoned by a strange poison. The poison has penetrated deep into his meridians, and his future offspring will also be affected."

Yu Yadan was stunned on the spot.

"No, no, Mother, you're lying to me!"

Guo Sulan walked to her side and lovingly stroked her long hair: "Yadan, the princess told me personally that the prince is seriously poisoned and will not recover in a short time, so she has to postpone the wedding. If you don't believe me, you can go out and ask around to see if your mother is lying to you."

Yu Yadan's eyes were red.

A face appeared in her mind, with sharp, angular features, and Yu Yadan's gaze gradually turned complicated.

No, she couldn't give up like that. In order to marry him smoothly, she even hired someone to commit murder.

She had no way out.

Faced with Hao Ying's unpredictable expression, Yu Yadan's breathing quickened, and she stiffened her neck, somewhat indignant: "Going back on your word, you are not a gentleman."

Yu Haoying was taken aback for a moment, then reacted, the veins on his forehead bulging, and he trembled with anger: "How dare you! I've raised you for over ten years, what good and expensive things haven't I made sure you had enough of? And now you're actually making up stories about your father for some other man?"

As he spoke, he raised his right hand as if to slap Yu Yadan.

Guo Sulan rushed over to stop him with quick reflexes, her eyes filled with anxiety: "Master, Yadan is young and doesn't know any better. Talk to her nicely, why did you have to hit her!"

"Hmph!" He snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and turned his back.

Yu Haoying was both angry and embarrassed by the deeper meaning in Yu Yadan's words. How could a junior criticize an elder? Besides, the silk she wore, the jewelry she had, and the status and power she possessed—weren't all of that achieved through his machinations as a "petty person"?

"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and take her away!"

Yu Yadan's attitude completely enraged Yu Haoying. He severely reprimanded Yu Yadan, locked her in the house and warned her that if it happened again, he would definitely resort to family discipline.

Yu Yadan was confined to her room and couldn't go out to find out anything. She tried to go out several times but was turned away each time. Furious, she smashed the teacup next to her on the ground.

Porcelain shards, carrying tea, splashed everywhere.

Yu Yadan sat on the stool, breathing heavily. It felt like something was pressing down on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

When Guo Sulan came in, she saw that Yu Yadan looked distraught.

"Yadan, how could you be so foolish!" She sat down next to Yu Yadan, sighed silently in her heart, and advised, "Breaking off the engagement is a last resort. Your father and I are just discussing it. Postponing the wedding now is for the future. Maybe the young master can get rid of the poison during this time? Your mother sincerely hopes that the young master can recover as soon as possible. As long as he recovers his health, your marriage will naturally not be canceled."

Yu Yadan bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, "Really?"

"Of course it's true, I promise you. I'll put in a good word for your father, so you have to be good during this time and not make him angry again."

The room fell silent immediately.

"As long as there is even the slightest hope of marrying him, I will never give up."

Why are you so stubborn, child?

This was the first time Yu Yadan had ever been scolded by her parents like this, which made her very embarrassed.

Looking at Yu Yadan, who was radiating deep sorrow, Guo Sulan felt a pang of sadness.

She only had one child, Yu Yadan, and she practically gave her everything she asked for, showering her with all her love. This led to Yu Yadan becoming somewhat spoiled. No one knows a child better than their mother; Yu Yadan was a piece of her own flesh and blood, and how could she not know her daughter's feelings?

Guo Sulan, having been through it all, knew that even the deepest feelings couldn't withstand the erosion of time. She believed that Yu Yadan's current affection for Xie Zhuo would eventually fade away. The prince's poisoning and difficulty conceiving meant that her Yadan couldn't give birth to the heir to the royal family, couldn't have her own children. Under such circumstances, what good would marrying into the royal family do?

Without children, let alone becoming the Crown Prince's wife, even becoming a queen would be an unstable position!

Should I adopt a child and raise him/her in my/her own name?

No, Guo Su didn't want Yu Yadan to suffer this injustice. No matter what, it wasn't her daughter who couldn't have children.

Having weathered so many storms in the inner quarters, Guo Sulan understood perfectly well that once Yu Yadan married into the royal family, the label of being unable to bear children would be pinned on her.

In the Great Wei Dynasty, the custom of having many children is highly valued, and most aristocratic families are prosperous and numerous. Those who cannot have children, whether male or female, will be pointed at and ridiculed in secret. Xie Zhuo is the heir apparent, and the royal family will never allow his reputation to be damaged. Therefore, in the end, the label of being unable to have children will only be placed on Yu Yadan's head.

"If the price of marrying the crown prince is losing the right to be a mother, would you be willing?"

Yu Yadan's face turned pale instantly, and her fingers, which were tucked into her sleeves, clenched into fists.

Seeing that her brows had relaxed, Guo Sulan continued to persuade her: "Marriage and childbirth are things that every woman has to go through. Only by giving birth to offspring and continuing the family line can a woman gain a foothold in her husband's family. Otherwise, there would be no saying that of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no descendants. I know you don't care about these things, and I don't want you to care."

She paused, then exhaled, "But we can't be indifferent! Life is already harder for women than for men. If they don't have children to rely on, not only will they be unable to hold their heads high in their husband's family, but they will also be pointed at and talked about for the rest of their lives, unable to hold their heads high..."

"Yadan, you are still young. I don't want you to make impulsive decisions. I hope you can live a peaceful and happy life..."

Guo Sulan's earnest persuasion brought Yu Yadan back to her senses.

Give up Xie Zhuo? She was unwilling.

She doesn't want to never have children in this life.

Yu Yadan was at a loss for what to do. She could only take it one step at a time. Whether to break off the engagement needed to be considered carefully. The Prince's Mansion had only mentioned postponing the wedding. Breaking off the engagement was just her parents' idea. Yu Yadan wiped away her tears and told herself that she couldn't think of things in a bad way, but rather in a good way.

A faint glint flashed in Yu Yadan's eyes. She silently swallowed her protest, mumbled "okay," and accepted the excuse Guo Sulan had given her.

However, before the family could reach a conclusion, the news that Xie Zhuo was suffering from a rare poison that was affecting his offspring spread like wildfire throughout the capital the very next day.