Gao refused again and again, but was finally forced by her mother-in-law to go to Yizhou. Gao gave birth to two sons after she got married. This time she took the eldest son to Yizhou, and left the youngest son with her parents-in-law for the time being, and would take him back when he was a little older.
After much anticipation, Zhou Wen finally had his wife. She stayed in the main room for a month straight, and the couple were as happy as honey. Zhou Wen entrusted all the social duties, both inside and outside the courtyard, to Gao, who lived up to his trust and took care of everything, saving Zhou Wen a lot of worry.
Gao and Ren Yaoying finally met. Gao was very kind to Ren Yaoying and rewarded her with a pair of fine jade bracelets. She did not need her to pay her respects every morning and evening, nor did she need to set any rules for her. She never skimped on her food, clothing, or other expenses. People outside said that Gao was virtuous and tolerant, and Zhou Wen loved and respected Gao more and more.
On the contrary, Ren Yaoying always disliked Gao and secretly scolded her for being hypocritical and scheming. Gao did not care about her, but Zhou Wen gradually became tired of Ren Yaoying's provocations.
One day, Gao went to visit her close friend. Three young ladies were sitting together chatting, and only their trusted maids were with them.
Gao offered tea to the two handkerchief friends and said with a smile, "Thanks to you two sisters for your help."
The lady Ren Yaoying had met in the temple waved her hand and said, "Sisters, why are you saying these things? It's not easy for us to be wives. Men live a life of debauchery, lust, and disregard loyalty, yet they expect us to be neither jealous nor quarrelsome, and to be reasonable. We must not only be filial to their parents and raise their children, but also serve their beautiful women well. If we fail in any of these, there are seven grounds for divorce waiting to kick us out. Tskâthey have it all to themselves, and they don't even think about whether they burned enough incense in their past lives, or whether their ancestral graves are buried in the right place!"
Gao sighed: "As a woman, we all go through this, what can we do?"
Another young woman also said: "Especially in wealthy families, every man has three wives and four concubines. When the wife gets old, she becomes just a decoration. The ones in our family are relatively good. At least they are ambitious and not confused about important matters."
The woman who started the conversation said, "I think we didn't do enough good deeds in our past lives. There are good men in this world, but we just haven't met them. Look at our King Yanbei, he's a good one. Not only is he brave and extraordinary, he also only married one princess, and his children are all from her. Although he married a princess from the Liao Kingdom, everyone later knew that princess was not a good person. She was forced into marriage by the emperor, and our prince never even consummated the marriage with her."
Gao nodded upon hearing this and sighed, "The princess is very lucky. Not everyone is lucky enough to meet a man like the King of Yanbei."
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It will probably be finished tonight, mainly because the major events that the male and female protagonists of this age group have participated in are almost over. Yanbei will be relatively stable in the next ten years. If I continue writing, the age span will be larger, and it will take some time to change the dynasty.
There will be several extra chapters next, which will explain things that are not explained clearly in the main text and allow your favorite characters to appear.
.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.) This chapter has been read (please click on the next chapter to continue reading!)
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