The magistrate's wife frowned: "I've heard a bit about this too. I didn't expect these people to be so bold."

Seeing that she didn't mind, Old Mrs. Ye breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, please arrest these people who spread rumors, Madam."

The magistrate's wife sighed, "But how can we stop the gossip? Besides, Madam Ye is beautiful and capable; it's impossible for people not to spread the word."

"It's always tough for a woman to be alone. Let alone someone as beautiful as Lady Ye, even an ordinary widow could be slandered to death. So she still needs to get married as soon as possible."

Ye Daquan looked reluctant, but the magistrate's wife was right.

He tried to beat up those who spread rumors one by one, but he couldn't shut them up.

Grandma Ye felt even more emotional, thinking of Zhao Laizi in the village. He didn't have to do anything; all he had to do was hang himself and shout a few words for Ye Caiping. If he said more, he could ruin her reputation.

If it weren't for the fact that they were in the village, and if Ye Caiping hadn't been running a workshop that gave her the power to control the villagers, there would have been no way to deal with Zhao Laizi.

Now, the matter has moved beyond the village and reached the county.

The magistrate's wife said, "The more capable someone is, the more rumors they spread. It's easier to handle this kind of thing once you're married."

"I said I'd be a matchmaker for Madam Ye last time, and I wasn't just saying it casually. I looked around a lot, and coincidentally, I have a cousin named Zheng Kai, who's in his early forties and lost his wife many years ago."

As he spoke, he looked at Ye Caiping.

Ye Caiping hadn't said a word since she entered the room, and had been listening to them talk the whole time. Now that she understood, she sneered, "Madam Xie, no need."

The magistrate's wife frowned: "Madam Ye, I'm doing this for your own good."

The old nanny Fang beside her said sternly, "Madam Ye probably doesn't know, but my lady's family is quite wealthy. Master Zheng Kai owns a paper mill and two jewelry shops. As for her appearance, Madam Ye can tell just by looking at her; she's definitely not bad-looking."

"If you're still worried, you can ask around and arrange to meet in person."

Old Mrs. Ye paused for a moment: "Regarding offspring..."

"Oh, we have two sons and three daughters, but they're all grown up now. The sons are all married and have their own families, and the daughters are all married. Madam Ye, you can't be picky about other people's offspring, can you? After all, you're getting on in years, how can you not have children?"

"Doesn't Madam Ye also have two daughters? In another two or three years, they'll be old enough to be mothers-in-law."

Grandma Ye thought it was very good, at least it was better than being a wealthy man in his fifties or sixties, or becoming a concubine for a rich merchant.

She turned to look at Ye Caiping: "Caiping, this... why don't you consider it? At least meet him?"

Ye Caiping took a light breath and looked at the magistrate's wife: "I'm sorry, Madam, I don't want to get married."

The magistrate's wife's face hardened: "Why are you so stubborn? Do you think I want to eat your family line to death? My family has businesses. If you don't believe me, you can go to Zhenbaofang and see how well the business is doing."

"Alright, alright, if you think I'm hiding something, I can introduce you to others. I do know a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, he's in his early forties, has some wealth, and he's a successful candidate in the provincial examinations! He's also quite good-looking, would you like to meet him?"

Ye Caiping: "Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but there's really no need."

When Grandma Ye saw that she refused repeatedly, she was a little frightened.

The magistrate's wife: "Do you still have feelings for your ex-husband, Li Zhiyuan?"

Ye Daquan slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Who would dare to say that bastard!"

The magistrate's wife looked at Ye Caiping and frowned: "Are you simply unwilling to get married? Afraid of serving your in-laws? You're thinking too naively. Does not getting married mean you'll have no social connections?"

"You get along well with your brothers and nephews now, but what about in the future? Your sons-in-law and nephews-in-law will all be from outside. How much can you protect yourself from them?"

"Don't think that just because your son-in-law is a junior, you can control him. When a woman marries into her husband's family, she feels that she should be cautious and timid. But the male protagonist has become a son-in-law, yet he feels that being cautious and timid is an insult to him."

“If your mother-in-law says even the slightest thing about them, people outside will mock you, saying that she’s exploiting her son-in-law. You’ll be drowned in their spittle. Finding a good son-in-law is much harder than finding a good family to live with. If you’re going to waste your energy on guarding against your son-in-law and trying to control him, you might as well focus on finding a good family to live with.”

"When you're looking for a husband, you can choose a family without parents-in-law. But when you're looking for a son-in-law, what kind of family can you choose?"

Grandma Ye and Ye Daquan were stunned.

They never thought about the problem from this perspective. Yes, this son-in-law is much more difficult to deal with than his in-laws.

People at different levels say different things.

Seeing the startled expressions on the faces of Old Madam Ye and her son, the magistrate's wife couldn't help but smile. She picked up her celadon teacup, took a small sip, and her gaze fell on Ye Caiping:

"Madam Ye, what do you think?"

Ye Caiping chuckled and said, "Madam is overthinking it. My refusal to marry is not because I want to guard against this or that. If I were to think about guarding against someone every day, life would be too meaningless."

"As the lady said, when you're out in the world, you have to maintain relationships. Unless you live in seclusion deep in the mountains, you'll always have connections."

"Regardless of marital status, once you have money and interests, you will start to scheme. Even if you have no relatives, they will come from outsiders. Unless you are penniless, you won't have any relatives, let alone outsiders."

The magistrate's hands, resting on his lap, were clenched tightly.

"Since that's the case, I'm kindly trying to arrange a marriage for you. Why are you so resistant? After all, compared to clarifying things or being constantly thought about by men, marrying into a good family is the best solution."

Ye Caiping said, "I'm not afraid of getting married, but I won't force myself to get married. Right now, I won't even consider marriage; I don't want to get married for the time being."

"I am not an ascetic. If I meet someone suitable, I will naturally make my own considerations."

She was never against marriage.

In modern times, she had three boyfriends, but none of them led to marriage.

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