Zhao Tianqi was somewhat surprised after hearing this. He blinked and said, "Yaojie's mother, did I hear that right? You mean the child should decide his own marriage?"

Jiang Ling nodded calmly, "Of course. As you said yourself, Lord Zhao, marriage is a major event for children. How could we make such a decision on our own?"

After hearing this, Zhao Tianqi stroked his chin and began to ponder. He had never heard such an avant-garde idea before. At this moment, he secretly admired Jiang Ling. No wonder he had only been a seventh-rank county magistrate for several years, while Jiang Ling had risen from an eighth-rank concubine to a fourth-rank concubine in just a few years! Her vision and knowledge were far superior to his own.

"Yes, I was too abrupt. I'll go back first and come back when I have news from your side!" Zhao Tianqi said, preparing to get up.

Jiang Ling stopped Zhao Tianqi and said, "Sit down first, I'll go ask Sui He! There's no need to go through all this trouble!"

Jiang Ling's actions today shocked Zhao Tianqi one after another. Zhao Tianqi sat back down in his chair, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and watched Jiang Ling leave.

"Suihe, Mother has something to ask you!" Jiang Ling, who had just stepped out the door, saw Jiang Suihe looking somewhat anxious outside.

Being singled out by Jiang Ling made Jiang Suihe even more uneasy, and she kept fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.

"Don't be nervous. Zhao Tianqi came here today because of Zhao Qianyu. I'll ask you one last time, are you really sure about this?" Jiang Ling tried to comfort her.

Jiang Suihe hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Jiang Ling and nodded.

A mother has no right to interfere with her daughter's happiness, but as a modern person, Jiang Ling does not believe that girls must get married when they grow up.

Thinking of this, she looked at Jiang Suihe and continued, "Suihe, girls don't necessarily have to get married and have children to become mothers when they grow up. You can live for yourself and go out of the village to see the world. But if you really meet love, your mother won't stop you. I'll ask you one more time, are you really sure about this?"

Hearing Jiang Ling's words, Jiang Suihe's expression didn't change much. She nodded and said earnestly to Jiang Ling, "Mother, I've really thought it through. Thank you for telling me all this! I think Zhao Qianyu is someone I can entrust my life to!"

Jiang Ling nodded without offering any further words of comfort. She simply told her daughter that if that brat Zhao Qianyu treated her badly in the future, she should never tolerate it. If things got too bad, she should come back to her mother. At worst, her mother would have to support her for the rest of her life.

Jiang Suihe nodded gratefully and knelt down on both knees. This action terrified Jiang Ling, who quickly helped Jiang Suihe up.

"Suihe! What are you doing!" Jiang Ling felt a pang of sadness as she looked at Jiang Suihe's previous actions.

“Mother, I can never repay your immense kindness. You led us to escape, helped us work hard to earn money, found ways to let me study, taught my little sister martial arts, and taught my eldest brother how to do business. I remember all of these things in my heart…”

Jiang Suihe's eyes reddened as she spoke.

Jiang Ling felt a pang of sadness. She secretly pinched her thigh and helped Jiang Suihe up, saying, "I'm your mother. It's only natural that I treat you well since I gave birth to you. Be good to me, Zhao Tianqi and his son are still here. What would they think if they saw you like this? Don't cry!"

As Jiang Ling spoke, she took out a handkerchief and wiped away Jiang Suihe's tears.

After asking some questions, Jiang Ling returned to the bedroom. Looking at the anxious Zhao Tianqi, Jiang Ling said, "Well, Sui He agrees, so this matter is settled between our two families! But, there are some things I want to clarify, which I've already discussed with Qian Yu before!"

Upon hearing "agree," Zhao Tianqi visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up at Jiang Ling and asked, "What is it?"

“Our Suihe loves reading and has excellent grades. After she marries into your Zhao Qianyu family, you cannot stop her from studying and taking the imperial examinations!” Jiang Ling said with a serious expression.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianqi frowned slightly. He looked up at Jiang Ling and said, "Yaojie's mother, isn't this a bit inappropriate? Your status changes after you get married. How can you still be as willful as before?"

Jiang Ling curled her lips in disdain and said, "Lord Zhao, aren't you going a bit too far? If our positions were reversed, and you were me and I was you, how would you think? Besides, why can Qianyu continue his studies after marriage? Doesn't my Suihe believe it? Just because my Suihe is a girl?"

After hearing Jiang Ling's rebuttal, Zhao Tianqi also fell into deep thought. In his previous rigid impression, it seemed that he had indeed overlooked many things, but Jiang Ling had forcefully brought them up. He felt inexplicably flustered, and that feeling made Zhao Tianqi very uncomfortable!

But at the same time, he felt that Jiang Ling's words were very true, at least they were things he hadn't thought of before.

He nodded and said to Jiang Ling, "Yaojie's mother, I was being naive just now. You're right. Don't worry, once Suihe marries into our family, we will definitely cherish her like a treasure! Even if she wants to study after marriage, we won't interfere!"

Jiang Ling nodded in satisfaction and continued to Zhao Tianqi, "There's one more thing. Your family has had only one son for nine generations, and Zhao Qianyu is your only son. What will you think if my daughter can't give birth to a son?"

Zhao Tianqi was shocked. He had never thought about this question before. Suddenly, the image of his wife dying in childbirth when she gave birth to Zhao Qianyu appeared in his mind: her pale face, basins of blood, and the nauseating smell of blood.

At that moment, he inexplicably shivered, his face turned pale, and large drops of sweat poured from his forehead.

"Yes... Yaojie's mother, you're right. These are questions I didn't consider in my shallowness. Don't worry, our family won't force Suihe to have a son. With such an excellent mother like you, Suihe's child will surely be good too. So what does it matter whether it's a boy or a girl?"

Jiang Ling didn't know if Zhao Tianqi was just joking or if he meant it sincerely, but since Zhao Tianqi had said so, Jiang Ling didn't press the matter any further.

"Then let's pick a date and go through the engagement process!" Jiang Ling said.

Zhao Tianqi immediately nodded and said, "Alright! Don't worry, I will definitely not shortchange Suihe on her betrothal gifts! Then let's proceed according to the procedure! Yaojie's mother, I'll go back and make some preparations!"

"Okay, then I'll wait here for good news!" Jiang Ling said.

Just as he was about to leave, Zhao Qianyu saw Jiang Suihe standing to the side. He was about to go up and greet her when Zhao Tianqi pulled him back.

"You have no manners at all! Come home with me right now!" With that, he grabbed Zhao Qianyu by the ear and dragged him out the door.

As soon as Zhao Tianqi and his son left, Jiang Yaojie rushed up to Jiang Suihe.

"Big sister! Don't worry, if that brat Zhao Qianyu ever dares to bully you again, I, your big brother, will risk my old life to avenge you!"

Before Jiang Suihe could speak, Jiang Ling went up and hit Jiang Yaojie with a pestle.

"Yaojie, you need to change this habit. Your older sister is getting married, not being kidnapped and forced into marriage! Alright, call Congxin and Nianci over, let's discuss the dowry for Suihe!"