I want freedom more.
Fu Zhiqiao spoke calmly with a smile on her lips. Because of Xie Zhuo, she didn't want to fall out with Zuo Murui, but she was even less willing to put her dignity under someone else's feet.
Zuo Murui had repeatedly belittled her, and she had long since given up on tolerating it.
As a woman, Fu Zhi Qiao already had enough shackles on her body, and she didn't want to add any more trouble for herself. She knew that Xie Zhuo had made a lot of efforts and paid a great price to marry her, but if the price of marrying him was to lose face and please his family, that was something Fu Zhi Qiao could not accept.
It wasn't that she didn't love Xie Zhuo, but that she was afraid she would lose herself if she got married.
After a woman from the Great Wei Dynasty marries, she is bound by her husband's family, and from then on, she must suppress her personality and become a virtuous housewife, devoting all her heart to her husband...
Sorry, she can't do it!
If she compromises today, she fears that over time she will be completely influenced by the ideas here and assimilated.
Zuo Murui considered Fu Zhiqiao's remarks to be outrageous. She had already made concessions, but this woman was still pushing her luck. Zuo Murui was furious: "Aren't you afraid I'll tell Zhuo'er what I said?"
Please make yourself at home.
Zuo Murui: "..."
She didn't understand why Fu Zhi Qiao could be so nonchalant. Didn't she love her own son? Does loving someone mean making sacrifices for them? Did she really love Zhuo'er?
Zuo Murui was bewildered. In her understanding, Fu Zhiqiao dared to be so fearless because she had won over Xie Zhuo's heart, but now it seemed that was not the case.
If she initially suspected that Fu Zhi Qiao was using a feigned retreat to sow discord between her and Zhuo'er in order to marry into the royal family, then she was now certain that Fu Zhi Qiao truly didn't care whether she married into the royal family or not, and she didn't care whether she became a mistress or not.
Emotions cannot bind her, nor can power tempt her; how can there be such a woman in the world?
The aristocratic men in the capital either valued elegance or martial prowess, while the women valued gentleness, consideration, virtue, and grace. Zuo Murui had never seen a woman as unrestrained as Fu Zhiqiao.
No wonder her son was attracted to her; she was truly extraordinary.
As a woman herself, Zuo Murui could appreciate Fu Zhiqiao, but as a daughter-in-law, such a strong personality was really hard to control.
Zuo Murui even thought that if Fu Zhiqiao were a man, he would definitely have made great achievements in his career.
Fu Zhi Qiao didn't care what Zuo Murui thought. She continued, "Your Highness, since you've come here today, I'll be frank with you. My background is inferior to Xie Zhuo's, but when I met him, I didn't know he was the heir apparent. Whether you believe it or not, my liking for Xie Zhuo doesn't mean I have to humble myself in front of his family to gain your approval."
Fu Zhi Qiao's eyes and brows turned cold as she looked directly at Zuo Murui sitting opposite her. Her sharp gaze shot out like a cold light, and an invisible pressure immediately pressed down on her.
Zuo Murui suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
She's just a merchant's daughter, yet she exudes such power and intimidation.
"Who asked you to be subservient? Once you marry into the royal family, you'll be the mistress, with a noble status and plenty of prestige..." Zuo Murui spoke of the benefits of marrying into the royal family, while Fu Zhiqiao listened quietly.
After Zuo Murui finished speaking, Fu Zhiqiao said, "Compared to power and wealth, I want freedom more."
A sentence spoken in a calm tone, yet it seemed to come from the depths of the soul, shaking people to their core.
She lives for herself first, and for others only second.
“No other family is as comfortable as my own. Rather than marrying into another family and becoming a daughter-in-law, serving my parents-in-law, managing household affairs, and dedicating myself entirely to my husband’s family, it would be better to find a husband to come to my Fu family, where he will put me first in everything, and our future children will take my surname. My Fu family’s million-dollar fortune will also have someone to inherit it. Isn’t that better than marrying out?”
Zuo Murui was completely shocked. She really hadn't expected that Fu Zhiqiao would have such thoughts.
"You, you..." Zuo Murui choked on her words, her face flushed red, and for a long while she didn't know what to say.
*
Now is the crucial time for whether or not he can marry Fu Zhi Qiao. Xie Zhuo was afraid that something unexpected might happen, so he sent Sheng An back to Fu Zhi Qiao's side. Therefore, he found out about Zuo Murui's visit to the Fu residence almost immediately.
That evening, Xie Zhuo rushed to the Fu residence and subtly inquired about what had happened to Fu Zhi Qiao that day. After several attempts, seeing that Fu Zhi Qiao did not show any resistance, he gradually felt relieved.
However, Xie Zhuo wasn't sure if Fu Zhi Qiao was genuinely not angry or just suppressing her emotions. Several times, he almost said something, but ultimately swallowed it back.
Well, it's best not to cause any more trouble. My grandfather replied that he was on his way back to the city and would arrive in the capital soon, at which time all the problems would be resolved.
Zuo Murui's attitude did not affect Fu Zhiqiao. She was not afraid of displeasing Xie Zhuo's family. She had prepared herself mentally before saying those words. If it could work out, great; if not, they would part ways.
Respect is mutual. Since the other party looks down on her background, she doesn't need to force herself to be nice to them. She's not incapable of acting cute and pleasing, but there's no need for her to.
You can pretend for a while, but not forever.
Fu Zhi Qiao has no intention of suppressing her true nature. Whether you accept it or not, this is who I am, and I will never compromise myself to please others.
Moreover, her audacity in saying these things to Zuo Murui's face wasn't without reason. Although Zuo Murui had always looked down on her status, she hadn't resorted to any underhanded tactics against her. Even if Zuo Murui wanted to target her, she wasn't afraid; she was no longer the Fu Zhi Qiao who could be manipulated at will.
Back at the Prince's residence, Zuo Murui was still seething with anger.
"Tell me, why did Huaiyan take a liking to a woman like this?" Zuo Murui slapped the cushion beneath her, raising her voice as she spoke, her head full of jewels swaying with her movements.
Not knowing what the princess and Miss Fu had said in the room, Granny Zhang didn't dare to easily offer any advice, but instead brought her a cup of tea to calm her down.
"Someone, go and invite the young master!" Zuo Murui said in a deep voice.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Xie Zhuo arrived. He pretended to know nothing, bowing respectfully without changing his expression, "Greetings, Mother! What brings you here, Mother?"
Zuo Murui quietly looked at Xie Zhuo, the child she was so proud of. He was tall and handsome; everyone in the capital praised him for having such a good son. But now, the good son she had carried for ten months was actually arguing with his own mother over a woman of lowly status…
A pang of bitterness welled up in Zuo Murui's heart. She gestured for those around her to leave, "Huaiyan, tell your mother the truth, did you and that merchant's daughter have an affair?"
"Mother, be careful what you say!"
"You can't judge a book by its cover. If you weren't having an affair with that merchant's daughter, why did you look down on all the noble ladies in the capital and choose her? There are no outsiders here, so you'd better explain yourself to me today!"
"How can matters of the heart be controlled by anyone? If Mother Consort sets aside her prejudices about social status and gets along well with A-Qiao, I believe you will also like her!"
Zuo Murui's face immediately darkened upon hearing Xie Zhuo's words. She had already "interacted" with Fu Zhiqiao twice, and neither time had she gotten the better of her.
She dared to embarrass her the first time, and the second time she went straight into a fight with her. How can such an ill-mannered and vulgar person be her daughter-in-law!
"Are you really going to marry that merchant's daughter?"
Zuo Murui kept referring to her as a merchant's daughter, which displeased Xie Zhuo. "Mother, it's true that Zhi Qiao comes from a merchant family, but she is also the Lady of Ming'an County, personally bestowed by His Majesty. Can you please stop belittling her?"
Zuo Murui was shocked. Fu Zhiqiao had been granted the title of Lady of Ming'an County? How come she didn't know about this?
In this era, transportation and communication were inconvenient.
Some news is hard for people outside the local area to know unless they are locals. The imperial edict conferring the title of Lady of Ming'an County on Fu Zhiqiao was sent directly to Qingzhou. Apart from the officials in the court, very few people in the capital knew about it, let alone the women in the inner palace who were unaware of politics.
It seems she underestimated her opponent and failed to investigate Fu Zhiqiao's background. Zuo Murui suppressed her surprise and doubt. This woman had the status of a county magistrate but did not reveal it to her, allowing her to belittle her background. Her scheming was evident!
Actually, back when Zuo Murui was investigating Fu Zhiqiao, Fu Zhiqiao hadn't yet been granted the title of County Lady. Zuo Murui thought Fu Zhiqiao was just a small merchant and didn't take her seriously. Later, after Xie Zhuo was engaged to Yu Yadan, Zuo Murui stopped paying attention to Fu Zhiqiao altogether.
Who knew that Fu Zhi Qiao would later be granted the title of County Lady? Thinking of how she had told Fu Zhi Qiao today that she was unworthy of her, Zuo Murui's face stiffened slightly, and she retorted stubbornly, "A mere County Lady is not worthy of my son!"
"My son is currently suffering from a rare poison. Forget about whether he can have children; it's uncertain how long he'll live..."
"Huaiyan!" Zuo Murui scolded him, "You're stabbing your mother in the heart!"
The thought of Xie Zhuo lying unconscious on the bed made Zuo Murui feel breathless.
"Your son knows his mistake, please forgive me, Mother!" Xie Zhuo softened his tone immediately when he saw Zuo Murui's bad expression.
Zuo Murui glanced at Xie Zhuo, knowing he was truly interested, and said with some annoyance, "Our royal family is not an ordinary family, and your marriage is no small matter either. Look at the Second Prince..."
The second prince was already of extremely high status, but unfortunately, his birth mother, Consort Shu, came from a poor farming family with no power or influence. Even though the second prince was favored by the emperor, he could not compete with the third prince, whose family had been officials for generations.
Seeing that Zuo Murui was actually using the prince as an example, Xie Zhuo had no choice but to interrupt her: "I know! I know that everything Mother Consort did was for my own good."
Xie Zhuo changed to a self-deprecating tone: "Life is unpredictable. Who could have imagined a year ago that I would be poisoned by such a deadly poison? Now, I only want to enjoy the present moment and marry the one I love. I beg my mother to grant my wish!"
The room fell silent for a moment.
Zuo Murui lowered her head and remained silent. Xie Zhuo was her only son. How could she not want to grant his wish? But there was no precedent in this dynasty for a nobleman to marry a merchant!
Although the Great Wei Dynasty has been established for less than a hundred years, even if we include the previous dynasty and go back another hundred years, we have never seen a noble family marry a merchant's daughter as their principal wife.
"Sigh!" Zuo Murui sighed inwardly.
Looking at her outstanding but troublesome son, she forced a smile: "Let your mother think about it carefully!"
"The Lady of Ming'an County..." After Xie Zhuo left, Zuo Murui was still muttering Fu Zhi Qiao's title. No, she had to find out what secrets Fu Zhi Qiao had that she didn't know!
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