"After all, I am not a member of the same family, am I?" Zhu Jiayu looked at Lin Shi gently. Her beautiful eyebrows and eyes appeared gentle and non-aggressive under the dim light, making it easy for people to let their guard down.
Lin was momentarily lost in thought.
Looking at Zhu Jiayu's appearance, she thought of her youngest daughter.
But she quickly came to her senses; her youngest daughter was innocent, gentle, and timid, and could not possibly say such things.
She smiled and said, "Ayu, you're joking. So what if you have a different surname? In your grandmother's heart, you're no different from her own granddaughter. Think about this carefully, or you can write to your father to discuss it."
"But... Ah Yu, please don't blame your grandmother for being nosy. Your father is a man after all and doesn't understand the meaning of marriage for us women. A woman's greatest hope in this world is to marry a good man and have a good marriage."
Zhu Jiayu remained indifferent as Lin first belittled her background and then tried to sow discord between her and her father. Only after Lin finished speaking did she smile and ask in return:
"After all this talk, I still don't know the young master's name. My grandmother says it's a good marriage, but in my opinion, it's nothing more than an arranged marriage. How can it be considered a good one?"
Thinking that she was interested, Madam Lin hesitated for a while and said, "It's alright to tell you, but this matter is of great importance. If I tell you, you must not tell anyone."
She said solemnly, "It is the heir of the Marquis of Kaiping's family. Ayu, you are really lucky. The old lady of the Marquis of Kaiping's family and I have some connections. She has recently been looking for a wife for her grandson and felt that the young lady from the Yujing family was too proud and arrogant. She was afraid that marrying her would cause discord among the family members. That's why she asked me to find a suitable match for her in Heling."
She spoke with great seriousness, as she was certain that Zhu Jiayu would not think of sending someone to Yujing to inquire about the Kaiping Marquis's residence. Furthermore, even if she did have some connections to find out that Fan Yongsi was currently unconscious, she could still claim that this was a smokescreen put up by the Marquis's residence to conceal the fact that he had recovered and woken up, so as to prevent him from being harmed by malicious people again.
By the time Zhu Jiayu marries into the Marquis's mansion and discovers Fan Yongsi's true situation, it will be too late. She is intelligent and will surely know what is in her best interest. In this way, she will not have let Qin Huilan down, and the Qiu family can also take advantage of the Marquis's mansion to rise to a higher level.
This is a win-win-win situation.
The heir of the Marquis of Kaiping's household.
Zhu Jiayu lowered her eyes, her long, curled eyelashes obscuring them, preventing Lin from discerning her thoughts through her gaze.
She felt the title was somewhat familiar, and soon recalled a past event:
That was the first year she arrived in Yujing with Rong Heng in her previous life. It was snowing heavily that day, and there were few pedestrians on both sides of the street. The ground was covered with snow that could not be melted, with footprints and tire tracks lying across it, the whiteness mixed with dirt.
It was a very cold day. She leaned against Rong Heng's chest, hearing a girl crying outside the carriage curtain. She couldn't help but peek through a corner of the curtain, only to have Rong Heng grasp her hand in the next instant. He explained:
"That's the lady of the Marquis of Kaiping's mansion disciplining one of the maids. A few years ago, her son went hunting in the mountains, but his horse got spooked and he fell off a cliff. He was unconscious for a long time and eventually died young, despite all medical efforts. Since then, this once virtuous lady has become mean and cruel. If you see her in the future, remember to stay away from her."
She also asked Rong Heng if, since medicine was ineffective, the Marquis's mansion had considered any other methods.
After all, historical records and folk tales have mentioned that besides doctors, there are also shamans and Taoist priests who can save lives. She comes from a small town and has little experience, but she must have connections in the capital city.
What did Rong Heng say at that time?
He smiled faintly and said casually:
"Of course I thought about it. I found a woman whose birth chart was compatible with his and who came from a respectable and humble background to bring him good luck. But it was no use. It was all nonsense. He still died. The young lady of the prince was forced to be buried alive by the Lady of the Marquis and died young."
"Because her family background was too low, after the incident, even her family members couldn't make a fuss. Instead, they were suppressed by the Marquis's mansion again and again, and in the end, they were even framed and their entire family was killed. So I said, my Ayu, don't provoke such a powerful person, otherwise your husband will have a headache."
She came to her senses and calculated the time. The current heir of the Marquis of Kaiping should be lying in a sickbed, and she was the chosen one whose birth chart was compatible with hers, whose background was clean, and whose family status was good for bringing good luck.
"Grandmother spoke with such certainty, she must have had her birth charts calculated, right? The fortune teller said that I have a lot of water in my destiny and my zodiac sign is Dragon. Does that young master have a lot of earth in his destiny and his zodiac sign is Rat or Monkey?" Zhu Jiayu raised her eyes and asked softly.
“Absolutely.” Madam Lin was even more delighted, and her gaze softened further as she looked at her. “Since you know that the two of you are destined to be together, like water and fire complementing each other, and yin and yang in perfect balance, you should also understand that in this marriage, you are a match made in heaven. This is a blessed union, Ayu.”
Zhu Jiayu smiled and said, "Grandmother is right. If it weren't for such a destiny, the Marquis's family, with its great wealth and power, would not have agreed to let a woman like me marry in to bring good luck, would they?"
She stood up, her eyes indifferent: "Grandmother, you've come to the wrong person with your ambitions. Even if the Marquis's mansion is incredibly wealthy, I wouldn't even look at it. I respect you as my grandmother, and once we leave Songhe Pavilion today, I'll pretend it never happened. But if you're still not giving up and want to interfere, don't blame me for being ruthless."
After she finished speaking, she turned away, not wanting to see how unpleasant Lin's face was. Qingshang came in from outside the door and saw that the old lady's expression was strange, so she couldn't help but ask what had happened.
Lin stared at her blankly for a moment before sighing, "It's nothing."
Ayu was surprised to learn about Fan Yongsi's situation, but it didn't matter; she would find a way to get her to agree to the marriage.
Zhu Jiayu returned to Chunshan Residence, but her mind was still on Lin's words. She never expected that Lin had invited her from Suiping with this intention.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they've completely broken off relations, so the embroidery workshop business has to be put on hold for now... No, almost as soon as the thought popped into her head, she rejected it.
Now that she has no power, she naturally needs to hold onto her money tightly. However, if she were to run the embroidery workshop, she might be secretly targeted by Madam Lin—after all, Madam Lin would surely think that if she were forced into a desperate situation, she would naturally have to turn back and beg for help.
If she can't be the one in the open, then how about we find someone else to take the lead?
Zhu Jiayu pondered for a moment, and soon thought of someone.
It was the girl she had met once before.
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