Go to the door to break off the engagement
The news that Zhao Xialan had regained control of the household affairs from Yu Roulan spread throughout the entire Fu family in no time.
The servants were in an uproar, because this move meant that the Second Master was now completely in charge of the Fu family.
Unlike the bursts of laughter and congratulations in the neighboring Jinyuyuan, the atmosphere in Tingxuetang remained somber.
Yu Roulan leaned wearily against the soft couch, lost in thought.
Granny Cui closed the door and couldn't help but spit at Zhao Xialan, "Look at how impatient they are! The master has only been gone a short while, and they're already here to humiliate you..."
"Alright, Granny Cui."
Yu Roulan quickly stopped her, a hint of dejection flashing in her eyes. How could she not see Zhao Xialan's intentions? But this house was no longer under the control of their eldest branch. If she didn't meet Zhao Xialan's demands, it would be a slap in the face to Fu Mingjie. So she could only appease Zhao Xialan for now, handing over the account books and the housekeeper's keys.
Fu Zhi Qiao looked at Yu Rou Lan, who couldn't hide her weariness, took her hand and rubbed it against her, whispering, "Mother, I'm sorry to have wronged you!"
Although Yu Roulan said she didn't care, how could she not care at all? In a wealthy family like the Fu family, whoever manages the household affairs has the power, and there are plenty of maids and servants to curry favor with them. Now that she has lost her power to manage the household, she will naturally be treated coldly.
Fu Zhi Qiao felt a tightness in her chest. Before she transmigrated, she was the sole heir of a Fortune 500 company. Wherever she went, she was praised and fawned over. People in the second-generation elite circle jokingly called her the "Crown Princess." She had never suffered such humiliation.
Unlike Fu Zhi Qiao and Granny Cui's anger, Yu Rou Lan quickly calmed down. She knew in her heart that this would happen sooner or later.
It's already a blessing that her daughter woke up safely; she doesn't dare to ask for more now.
What surprised her even more than Zhao Xialan's actions was Fu Zhiqiao. Her daughter, who was always kind and gentle, had shown an aggressive side today.
Yu Roulan and Granny Cui also realized this. When Fu Zhiqiao met their eyes, she felt a pang in her heart. She remembered her weak and gentle persona and realized that her actions today had gone a bit too far.
"Mother, even a clay figure has some spirit. Second Aunt is trying to trample us underfoot. Will we, the entire Tingxue Hall, have any good fortune in the future?"
Fu Zhi Qiao clenched her fists, her face full of anger. "If it weren't for Father... how could Second Aunt dare to do this?" She stopped halfway through her sentence. Yu Rou Lan, of course, knew what she meant. She and Granny Cui exchanged a glance and both sighed silently.
Yes! If Fu Changyue hadn't died, how would the second branch dare to act so arrogantly towards the first branch? Although the first branch now holds the title of legitimate son, they don't have any real power in their hands; it's all just a facade.
When Fu Changyue was alive, he was the head of the family and made all the decisions on family affairs, big and small. His wife and children were under his protection.
Now that Fu Changyue is gone, the main branch of the family is left with only a woman who is powerless and a sickly young lady, so naturally they are not taken seriously.
But the situation is different for the second wife. Although the second son, Fu Mingjie, was born to the second wife and was inferior to the first wife in status, he was still considered legitimate in name, and no one could criticize him for inheriting the family business.
Fu Changyue was born to Zheng, the first wife of Old Master Fu. After Zheng passed away, Old Master Fu married Yang, his cousin. With Yang whispering in his ear, Old Master Fu was quite strict with his eldest son, Fu Changyue.
Later, Yang gave birth to two sons, Fu Mingjie and Fu Wenyang.
Zhao Xialan is Fu Mingjie's wife. She comes from a poor family. Her father was a scholar who taught in the countryside. Because of her beautiful appearance and her own resourcefulness, she was married by Fu Mingjie.
As a daughter-in-law of the Fu family, Zhao Xialan always felt inferior to Yu Roulan, who came from an official family, and she felt resentful for many years until she gave birth to her son.
She gave birth to a son, while Yu Roulan gave birth to a daughter. It was because of her son that she felt confident in front of Yu Roulan. Although her son was only four years old, at least there was an heir. Seeing the current state of the first wife's family, she felt even more empowered.
Although Fu Changyue was in charge of the family business, the affairs of the mansion were always managed by the matriarch, Madam Yang. Out of filial piety, Fu Changyue could not say anything to this nominal mother. Only after the matriarch, Madam Yang, passed away did Yu Roulan begin to take over the management of the mansion.
Only then did the eldest son's family truly take charge of the household.
But the peaceful days didn't last long. The second wife couldn't resist seizing power, and she succeeded.
Fu Zhiqiao felt a little sorry for her father whom she had never met, but she felt even more sorry for her current situation. The father died and the son succeeded him, and Fu Changyue had no sons. Even if the Fu family was wealthy and had a lot of money, it would not go to her and her mother.
*
Since Zhao Xialan took away the account books and the warehouse key, she and Yu Roulan have become completely idle people in the Fu family. Fu Zhiqiao didn't care much, as this period of no one coming to bother her was a good time for her to recover.
In order to integrate into this world as soon as possible, she spent all her time in the yard reading, practicing calligraphy, and copying books, desperately absorbing knowledge about this world.
Zhao Xialan was busy winning over the hearts of the people in the Fu family and didn't have time to specifically cause trouble for the eldest son's family. Fu Zhiqiao stayed in Tingxue Hall, reading books and practicing calligraphy, and her days were quite comfortable.
However, the comfortable days were short-lived, as an unexpected visitor arrived at Tingxuetang.
The visitor was Madam Zhao, who wore a pine-green brocade dress with a subtle floral pattern, which made her look dignified and elegant.
After the maids served the tea, they left, leaving only Yu Roulan and herself in the room.
Since the Fu and Zhao families had expressed their intention to get engaged, they had been in frequent private contact. As the saying goes, secrets don't stay hidden forever, and news of the two families' intention to marry had already spread.
Although neither of the two families has made a clear statement, they have not denied it either. With such an ambiguous attitude, outsiders speculate that the marriage is a done deal.
But is that really the case?
During the period following Fu Changyue's death, the Zhao family did not contact him except to offer condolences, nor did they mention the marriage again.
When Madam Zhao suddenly showed up at the door today, Yu Roulan felt a pang of anxiety. She hoped it wasn't what she had guessed.
The marriage with the Zhao family was arranged when Fu Changyue was alive. Because Fu Zhiqiao was young, the two families only had a verbal agreement and did not exchange marriage certificates.
Fu Changyue had already made plans for his daughter. The Fu family came from a merchant background, and wealthy families would probably look down on their background. He didn't want his daughter to be looked down upon after marrying into a wealthy family, so he focused on finding a son-in-law from a poor family. If all else failed, he would find her a live-in son-in-law.
With this in mind, he set his sights on Zhao Junhui.
Fu Changyue described Zhao Junhui as "a learned and humble gentleman."
The Zhao family is a scholarly family, and its ancestors even produced Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). Although the Zhao family has long since declined, there are still some members of the family who hold official positions in the capital. However, Zhao Junhui is from a collateral branch and is far removed from the core circle of the Zhao family, so he is not valued by the family.
Therefore, the Zhao family could at best be considered a moderately well-off family in Yuzhou.
Fu Changyue saw Zhao Junhui's potential and thought he was a promising talent, so he was willing to give him a helping hand.
He thought that once Zhao Junhui entered officialdom, Fu Zhiqiao would be a proper official's wife. Furthermore, considering that the Fu family had done their best to support Zhao Junhui, the Zhao family would naturally not dare to underestimate Fu Zhiqiao.
This is also why Fu Changyue chose Zhao Junhui from among a group of talented young people.
Although the Zhao family's overall conditions are not as good as the Fu family's, the gap is not too big, so it would be appropriate for them to become in-laws.
The Zhao family also felt that marrying into the Fu family was a good match. Zhao Junhui was a handsome and talented man who had passed the imperial examination at a young age. With guidance from the elders of his family and the financial support of the Fu family, his career would surely be smooth sailing.
Ultimately, the Fu family saw Zhao Jun's potential to become an official, while the Zhao family viewed the Fu family as a source of wealth.
The two families do have the intention to arrange a marriage, but they haven't reached the engagement stage yet.
The original plan was to formally arrange the engagement between Fu Zhi Qiao and Fu Chang Yue after Fu Zhi Qiao came of age, but Fu Chang Yue had an accident. Moreover, according to the custom of children observing mourning, Fu Zhi Qiao could not marry within three years.
Zhao's mother was very pragmatic. She was willing to form a marriage alliance with the Fu family because the Fu family's considerable wealth would be beneficial to her son's career. Now that Fu Changyue was gone and the Fu family had been taken over by the second master, Fu Mingjie, her verbal agreement with the Fu family was no longer valid.
After much deliberation, she decided to come to the Fu family to cancel the engagement.
"Rou Lan, I've come to your door today because there's something I'd like to discuss with you." Madam Zhao's face was gentle and kind, but her words were icy cold. "Although our two families have expressed interest in an engagement, for now... let's call it off..."
She twisted the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes filled with apology. It was indeed unfair of the Zhao family to cancel the engagement, but she had no choice but to do so for her son's future.
Zhao Junhui will soon be able to take the imperial examination. With his talent, he will surely achieve a good ranking. Once he has obtained official rank, he will have no trouble finding a good family to marry into. Therefore, the Zhao family cannot wait for Fu Zhiqiao for three years in vain.
The three-year mourning period was just a formality; both Madam Zhao and Yu Roulan knew the real reason.
The Zhao family simply saw that their master was gone and the Fu family no longer had the ability to support Zhao Junhui.
Yu Roulan's smile faded, her hands clenched tightly, her heart churning with anger and frustration. She gritted her teeth and said, "Madam Zhao is right, jokes really don't count."
Upon hearing Yu Roulan's words, Madam Zhao knew that she had agreed. She hadn't expected Yu Roulan to agree to her request so readily.
"Zhi Qiao is a good girl. It's just that my family doesn't have the good fortune to have her. Rou Lan, please don't blame me..."
There's nothing they can do if they don't agree. The engagement was just a private conversation between the two families; it was never discussed openly, and no tokens were exchanged. Canceling it now wouldn't have much of an impact on either side.
Having said all that, what else could Yu Roulan say? Did she have to swallow her pride and try to salvage the marriage?
The engagement was arranged by the master in the first place. If he knew that the marriage would not go through, he would probably be disappointed. Yu Roulan snapped out of her daze, turned her head away, not wanting to look at Madam Zhao any longer, and stood up. "Someone, see the guest out!"
Madam Zhao hesitated, but ultimately said nothing. In her eyes, nothing was more important than her son's future.
After seeing Madam Zhao off, Yu Roulan sat alone in her room, her face growing increasingly grim. Canceling the engagement was a breach of faith by the Zhao family, but what Madam Zhao said was also true; Fu Zhiqiao was facing a three-year mourning period.
Her daughter's education would be delayed for three years. What family would wait for her for three years? Yu Roulan couldn't stop her tears from falling when she thought about her daughter's future.
As soon as Fu Zhiqiao entered the room, she saw Yu Roulan looking worried.
"Mother, what's troubling you?"
Yu Roulan didn't want to tell her about these troubles, but since things had come to this point, there was no point in hiding it anymore, so she just told her the important points.
Fu Zhi Qiao's attention was entirely focused on canceling the engagement. She hadn't even remembered that the original owner of this body had an engagement. Only after hearing Yu Rou Lan mention it did she recall it and ask, "Is it Zhao Jun who should be called back?"
Yu Roulan nodded.
Fu Zhi Qiao's face lit up with joy. She couldn't be happier to cancel the engagement. How could she, at such a young age, get married!
Yu Roulan looked at her disapprovingly: "If the engagement is broken off, what will you do in the future if word gets out?"
"Mother, the two families only have the intention to get engaged, and they haven't even finalized the agreement yet, so where did this talk of breaking off the engagement come from?"
Yu Roulan was speechless.
"There are so many good men in the world, does that mean I can't live a good life without this marriage?" Fu Zhiqiao comforted Yu Roulan.
Suddenly, a maid rushed in, "Madam, the gatekeeper has come to report that the young master of the Zhao family requests an audience."
Yu Roulan's expression, which had just improved, darkened again. "He still has the nerve to show his face here! Tell him to get lost!"
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