She added fuel to the fire, which only fueled Wei Yunshu's fighting spirit.
After leaving Zhao Nihong's courtyard, she lingered, thinking it over and over in her mind, organizing her thoughts again and again, hesitating until three days later, when Wei Zhongshi summoned another concubine's daughter from the household for a talk. Only then did she rush to Wei Yunshu and declare her ambitions.
Madam Wei frowned, looking at her kneeling daughter. Her heart was breaking. Wasn't it all for her that she sent her illegitimate daughter to be the fourth prince's consort?
"What did you say? Say it again!" she said through gritted teeth, her tone menacing.
Wei Yunshu stubbornly declared, "My daughter will marry the Fourth Prince and become Empress!"
*Smack!* A hand landed on his lips. "Shut up!"
Wei Yunshu covered her face, tears streaming down her face. "You hit me? You actually hit me! Father is gone, and you still hit me!" She looked at Wei Zhongshi in disbelief.
The pain felt by the child was felt by the mother. Wei Zhongshi took two steps back and slumped into a chair.
"Your mother is doing this for your own good."
Wei Yunshu had no idea how she understood her. She covered her face and stood up, saying, "If you care about me, then make me Empress!" With that, she ran away crying.
"What a tragedy, what a tragedy!" Wei Zhongshi murmured to herself, utterly distraught. If she were truly willing, what would have happened if she had married Zhao Bi? But alas…
She thought of herself and Zhao Bi, and began to sob softly, burying her face in her hands on the table.
There's a saying that goes, "You reap what you sow." If we had had principles back then, if we hadn't made mistakes, we wouldn't be suffering the bitter consequences we have today.
When Zhao Bi learned that the fifth daughter of the Wei family had died, he was actually very happy. Marrying a concubine's daughter was naturally not as prestigious as marrying a legitimate daughter. Moreover, as a prince, he naturally wanted to marry his beloved daughter, Wei Yunshu. However, Wei Zhongshi was not willing, and there was nothing he could do.
He didn't intend to harm Wei Yunshu; she insisted on jumping into the pit herself, so he had no choice but to accept it. It wasn't like he was the one who started the trouble.
However, he was unaware of the quarrel between Wei Yunshu and Wei Zhongshi. On one hand, he sent people to rescue Wei Caitao, and on the other hand, he waited for news from Wei Zhongshi. He was waiting to get married.
She waited for three days, but Wei Zhongshi didn't come looking for her. Instead, Wei Yunshu came looking for her. Wei Yunshu left the Wei family in tears and went straight to the Fourth Prince's residence.
When she met Zhao Bi, her face was covered with a light veil because there were five handprints on her face, and she could not be seen by anyone.
"Miss Wei? May I ask what business Miss Wei has with me?" Ever since he had an affair with Wei Zhongshi, he shamelessly treated Wei Yunshu as his daughter.
Wei Yunshu was only sixteen or seventeen years old, the prime of her youth. She inherited the beauty of Wei Zhongshi and Wei Caitao, and was stunningly beautiful. Of course, she could not compare with Hao Shumei, Yide, Sun Yun, and others. Although she inherited their beauty, it was not much, as if it was inherited from a different generation. She did not look as beautiful as Wei Zhongshi.
But she is still a rare beauty.
"I heard that the Fourth Prince is going to get married, but my fifth sister is dead. I wonder who the Fourth Prince has in mind?" She didn't beat around the bush, but went straight to the point, because she knew that beating around the bush with a man was just making things difficult for herself.
Zhao Bi's eyebrows twitched. "Naturally, whoever Lady Wei favors, this prince will favor. It all depends on Lady Wei's wishes."
Wei Yunshu stamped her foot, "Fifth Sister is Father's daughter, while the other concubine's daughters are separated by a layer. Does the Fourth Prince intend to marry those from the collateral branches?"
"What does Miss Wei mean?" Zhao Bi understood the implication and couldn't help but smile. His original intention was to marry Wei Caitao's biological daughter. If the legitimate daughter was not an option, then a daughter born out of wedlock would do. However, a daughter from a different branch of the family was not under consideration. Could a daughter from a different branch of the family control Wei Tingsi? Absolutely not.
"I don't mean anything, it's up to Your Highness to decide." Knowing that Zhao Bi understood, Wei Yunshu immediately turned and returned to her residence.
As soon as she returned to the manor, the people sent by Madam Wei Zhong locked her up and immediately sent a matchmaker to her door to choose a husband for her.
When Zhao Shu received the news, she exchanged a glance with Sun Yun. "This isn't something I did to ruin her; she brought it on herself," Zhao Shu said.
"Tsk tsk, you make it sound like you're so kind. Come on, look, which eligible men in the capital haven't been married yet?" Sun Yun handed a stack of papers to Zhao Shu.
“We don’t need to worry about the Qiu family, the Xie family, and the Yan family. They definitely won’t become in-laws with Wei Caitao. As for the remaining small and insignificant families, as long as Wei Zhongshi dares to make a move, we’ll dare to rob them.” Zhao Shu said as she looked around.
As they were talking, Xiao Zhuzi came in. "Princess, Miss Sun, the matchmaker has gone to the Marquis of Huainan's residence."
“The Marquis of Huainan is Zhao Nihong’s maternal family, that’s normal. Besides you, does anyone else know about this?” Zhao Shu asked.
"Many people know this; it's not a secret." Xiao Zhu had a premonition that the Wei family was about to lose face.
Zhao Shu thought for a moment, "Don't worry about it. Just go and tell Lord Xie that if this matter can't be resolved, I'll consider returning the jade pendant to him."
Xiao Zhu quickly went downstairs and relayed the message to Xie Yun. Xie Yun was filled with bitterness upon hearing it. He called his wife and explained the situation. Old Madam Xie rolled her eyes at her husband and said, "What's so difficult about this?"
"Isn't this difficult?" Xie Yun was at his wits' end, and at this moment he also felt that he was being disliked by his wife.
Madam Xie shook her head and chuckled, "So it's true that women are better at managing things in the inner quarters. Alright, you don't need to worry about it, I'll handle it."
"Are you sure you can do it?" Xie Yun couldn't help but ask.
“Look closely,” said Madam Xie, clearly unconvinced. “Someone, arrange a banquet to appreciate the autumn scenery.”
Later, Zhao Shu witnessed what real power struggles within a family were like.
When Madam Xie made her move, Sun Yun felt a chill run down his spine.
Invitations for the Autumn Appreciation Banquet were sent out very quickly, and all the noble ladies in the capital received them, including Sun Yun. However, she was in mourning and it was inconvenient for her to visit, so she and Zhao Shu waited at home for their servants to bring the message.
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