Mrs. Huo looked at her pregnant daughter and thought about how she had divorced her daughter and Liu Yanjing. She wished she hadn't done that.
"The emperor has granted marriage to Princess Zhaoyang and Liu Yanjing." Mrs. Huo said.
This news had already spread throughout the capital. Although Princess Zhaoyang was divorced, she was the emperor's biological daughter and the imperial concubine's adopted daughter. Everyone with a discerning eye knew that Prince Su's position was very stable. The emperor intended to make Prince Su the crown prince, but he had not yet issued an imperial decree.
They couldn't think that the emperor might appoint someone else before he issued the imperial decree.
The emperor did not issue an imperial decree, and those who were ready to make moves were basically killed. If some people still wanted to make moves, the emperor and Prince Su would continue to kill them.
"Yeah." Mrs. Huo nodded slightly. She was obviously very uncomfortable, but she could do nothing about it.
If Liu Yanjing had married someone else, someone of lower status, perhaps Mrs. Huo would have had something to say. For example, she could have mocked him for raising her children, mocked the Liu family for marrying her because of her low status, mocked that her children couldn't surpass hers...
But that person was Princess Zhaoyang. Even if Princess Zhaoyang was remarried after a divorce, Da Huo's status was not that high. Da Huo did not dare to say those words in front of Princess Zhaoyang.
I was clearly reborn, so why did things turn out like this?
"It would be great if this baby was a boy." Mrs. Huo said. She and Lord Ouyang didn't have a very good relationship, and because of the two children, Lord Ouyang's attitude towards her was not as good as when they first got married.
Mrs. Huo gave Lord Ouyang a concubine and asked her to take a sterilizing soup. However, Lord Ouyang rarely visited the concubine, so Mrs. Huo could not say that Lord Ouyang favored his concubine over his wife.
Lord Ouyang would visit his two children almost every day. Even if he didn't go for a day or two, Lord Ouyang would still ask a few more questions.
This made Mrs. Huo very unhappy. She wished that the two children would die young and hoped that Lord Ouyang would only have children with her.
"Boy or girl, it's all good. If it's a girl, then keep having children," Mrs. Huo said. "The way you treated those two children, they won't consider you their mother anymore. You really must have a son of your own. If you don't have a son, then use a surrogate mother to have one."
Mrs. Huo thought simply that if her daughter wanted to adopt a child, she had to adopt one that was born not long ago.
Mrs. Huo didn't know that Mrs. Huo had given Lord Ouyang's maid a contraceptive drug. Mrs. Huo was afraid that her daughter would make such a fuss in the Ouyang family and that her daughter would not be well in the future.
Everyone in the capital knew that Mrs. Huo was not kind to her two stepchildren; otherwise, Lord Ouyang would never have allowed them to move out. In the future, if the children weren't so filial to Mrs. Huo, she wouldn't be able to say anything.
When the Liu family was in trouble, Da Huo proposed a divorce. The Liu family rose again, and many people looked down on Da Huo.
Later, after a long time, those people might not just forget that those things never happened. Most people would still look down on the Huo family, except for the younger children. But those people were not of the same generation as the Huo family. As the elder, the Huo family should have been respected by the younger generation.
Sometimes when Mrs. Huo thought about these things, she felt that she had done something wrong.
"Let's talk about it later." Mrs. Huo said, "The doctor said the child is most likely a boy."
"Yes." Mrs. Huo nodded, but the child had not been born yet, so no one could be sure whether it was a boy.
When Lord Ouyang learned that Mrs. Huo had gone to the Huo family, he did not go to pick her up. What he did not expect was that Mrs. Huo would stay at the Huo family like this.
Two days passed, and Mrs. Huo didn't return to the Ouyang household. Lord Ouyang didn't go to fetch Mrs. Huo. Mrs. Huo wanted to stay at her parents' home, so she stayed there. Lord Ouyang wasn't afraid of being mocked. He didn't need to pamper Mrs. Huo, as she had treated his daughters the way she had.
Lord Ouyang thought that if he spoiled Da Huo now, she would force him to do other things later. If he didn't agree, Da Huo would go back to her parents' home at any time.
Forget it, Lord Ouyang doesn't want to be threatened by the Huo family.
"Aren't you going to pick her up?" Old Madam Ouyang asked Lord Ouyang.
"If she wants to stay at her parents' house, then she can stay for a few days," Lord Ouyang said. "She can come back when she wants to."
"Go and pick her up." Old Madam Ouyang was afraid that her son would offend the uncle's family, so she had to let her son go and pick up Mrs. Huo.
"If you want to receive it, go ahead and receive it," Lord Ouyang said. "It's not like we've been embarrassed for just one or two days."
Old Madam Ouyang was the mother-in-law of Mrs. Huo. As a mother-in-law, when she went to pick up her daughter-in-law, others would definitely wonder what was going on. Lord Ouyang was already accustomed to humiliation. Ever since he married Mrs. Huo, he had been humiliated time and again, and Mrs. Huo and Old Madam still wouldn't let him go.
"Perhaps she can be more filial to you." Lord Ouyang said.
"..." Old Madam Ouyang had long sensed her son's dissatisfaction with her. When she proposed to send her grandchildren back to their hometown, her son became dissatisfied.
Even if her grandson and granddaughter lived just next door, Mrs. Ouyang couldn't get in to see them.
Old Madam Ouyang knew that her son was afraid that she would use force to have her grandson and granddaughter sent away, so her son simply refused to let him see his grandson and granddaughter.
How could a good family become like this?
Old Madam Ouyang originally thought that the family would become better, but after Mrs. Huo married in, it became rare for the family to be reunited.
Mrs. Huo stayed at her parents' home for a few days, waiting for Lord Ouyang to pick her up. When she was in the Marquis of Jingning's mansion, sometimes she would go back to her parents' home when she was angry, and Liu Yanjing would come to pick her up soon.
But she waited for several days and Lord Ouyang did not show up.
It's not that Uncle Huo doesn't allow his daughter to live in her parents' home, but it's not a good idea for her to stay there forever. The daughters-in-law must be dissatisfied. After all, the reputation of the Huo family is not good, and they are worried that the Huo family will bring trouble to the family again.
"How long will you stay at home?" Uncle Huo asked his wife.
"Wait a few days." Mrs. Huo knew her husband was unhappy. "The son-in-law will be here soon."
"With her like this, will the son-in-law really come to pick her up?" Uncle Huo sneered. He really didn't think his son-in-law would come to pick up his daughter. Don't think that the son-in-law has to bow his head because his status is not so high. Uncle Huo believes that the eldest son-in-law will not bow his head easily.
The eldest son-in-law's reputation is not very good, mainly because of the trouble caused by Mrs. Huo after she married him.
Uncle Huo thought that if he had such a wife, he would definitely teach her a lesson. Did the eldest daughter think that her son-in-law would compromise because she was pregnant? Impossible, the son-in-law was not without children.
Even if the son-in-law has no children, he can still have children with other people. There is no need for him to keep his head down all the time.
"Marriage is not enmity." Uncle Huo reminded his wife not to indulge their daughter blindly. If she divorced later, that would be bad. However, the eldest son-in-law was unlikely to divorce. At most, he would be a little cold to his daughter.
Uncle Huo frowned and said, "It's good that there is no divorce. I hope that he won't divorce his wife in the future."
Liu Yanqing, the fourth branch of the Liu family, bought peanuts. He had saved up some money to buy them.
Lin Xiaowan saw Liu Yanqing looking at the small plate of peanuts with a slight twitch of his lips.
"The emperor has granted marriage to my elder brother and Princess Zhaoyang. We have to celebrate." Liu Yanqing said.
"You should think about what you should give if you are asked to attend the wedding banquet." Lin Xiaowan rolled her eyes. It wasn't her family that benefited, but look at her husband, he found all kinds of reasons to enjoy it.
He also bought some peanuts, just a few peanuts, but he ate them with gusto. People who didn't know him would think that Liu Yanqing was eating something delicious.
"The gift is small, but the thought is great." Liu Yanqing had thought about it long ago. They didn't need to give such a nice gift at all. "When the time comes, if you have dried fruit at home, just give some. We make it ourselves, and that's different."
"They have it too." Lin Xiaowan said.
"But I didn't make that." Liu Yanqing said, "I made the dried fruits at home myself, so they're different."
“…” Lin Xiaowan had never heard anyone say this.
"Big Brother and the others can't possibly be so petty." Liu Yanqing threw a peanut into his mouth. "They know we don't have much money. We're all poor. Do you think the eldest wife's family isn't poor? They're poor too. Their house was raided, and all the good things were gone."
The people in the first house must know how embarrassing it is to have no money to buy gifts for others. Haven't you seen that the people in the first house didn't go to the capital, nor did they socialize with others? Socializing costs money, banquets cost money, and going out also costs money. The first house didn't have that much money, so they also spent it frugally.
The other branches of the family were in even greater difficulty than the eldest, and Liu Yanqing considered his own the most vulnerable. They were still in Shiyuan Village, having neither ventured into town nor into the county seat. They had no shops, and simply scraped a living from the land.
"How can those who dig for food in the fields get so many good things?" Liu Yanqing said, "They all know it. If we insist on giving them so many things, they will just think we are just trying to show off."
"You have so many excuses," Lin Xiaowan said. Her husband had no real skills and wasn't very active in his work, so she had to urge him on. When her husband faced other things, he would come up with all sorts of strange excuses.
"It's not that I have many excuses, it's just the truth." Liu Yanqing said, "We are just having a hard time."
Liu Yanqing thought that the eldest wife had everything she needed, but if he wanted to buy some snacks, he had to save money secretly. Sometimes, the money he saved was discovered by Lin Xiaowan before he even spent it. He was also afraid of Lin Xiaowan and didn't dare ask her to give him the private money he had hidden away.
Now, he felt that his savings were almost up, so he quickly bought some peanuts. If Lin Xiaowan discovered his hidden money, he would not get a penny, let alone peanuts.
"Don't prepare too much." Liu Yanqing emphasized, "If you prepare so well, you'll have to spend money on things like my younger sister's wedding and my father's birthday."
The eldest branch of the family is not short of money. In other words, even if the eldest branch of the family is short of money, it does not lack the little money from these other branches.
Liu Yanqing thought that there was no need for them to prepare so much. As long as the other branches were doing well and didn't bother the eldest branch, the eldest branch would be very satisfied. If they suddenly sent good things, the eldest branch might think something had happened to them.
"..." Lin Xiaowan looked at her husband and had to admit that what Liu Yanqing said made sense. The eldest wife had no shortage of these things, so there was really no need for them to prepare so many things.
It is impossible for Lin Xiaowan to make life difficult for her own family just to give gifts to the eldest wife.
"It's okay as long as you don't go there empty-handed." Liu Yanqing said, "Those people can't tear things down in front of everyone. Even if they find out, it's no big deal. We're poor, and they all know it."
As long as you have thick skin, don't be afraid.
Liu Yanqing thought that after going through so many things, how could he not be thick-skinned.
"Okay, eat your peanuts." Lin Xiaowan said.
"Is there any wine?" Liu Yanqing asked.
"No!" There was no way Lin Xiaowan would let Liu Yanqing drink. Alcohol costs money. "Why don't you buy it?"
"That means I'm out of money," Liu Yanqing muttered. How could he spend all the money he had at once? If he spent it all today, he would have to keep some for what he wanted later.
Lin Xiaowan didn't believe Liu Yanqing. Her husband knew how to hide money. He hid it at the foot of the wall, under the firewood room... in all kinds of places. Sometimes when Lin Xiaowan had to do something and tidied it up a little, she would see the money Liu Yanqing had hidden.
Lin Xiaowan even doubted whether Liu Yanqing remembered all the places where he hid his money and whether Liu Yanqing hid the money outside.
"I'm really out of money!" Liu Yanqing sensed something was wrong with Lin Xiaowan's expression and said quickly, "I'm really out of money."
Lin Xiaowan must not look for his private money again. Liu Yanqing was worried that the private money he had hidden would be discovered by Lin Xiaowan again.
"Oh." Lin Xiaowan didn't say much. It was just a few cents, and she wasn't the stingy type. She wouldn't go looking for Liu Yanqing's hidden stash of money today. She had to give him the money to buy peanuts.
Liu Qingyun and Liu Jia, both members of the Liu family's eldest house, knew they would soon have a new mother. Princess Zhaoyang had previously been very kind to both Liu Qingyun and Liu Jia, but that didn't mean they had no other reactions.
Liu Qingyun wasn't worried about his own future. If he couldn't inherit the family title, he would rely on the imperial examinations. As a boy, he would mainly stay in the front yard. He was worried about his younger sister. She was so young and a little girl, so she would spend more time in the back yard.
"Aunt." Liu Qingyun was a little worried. He didn't dare to tell his father and mother, so he wanted to come to his aunt.
"Come, sit down." Liu Yulian waved towards Liu Qingyun. "What's wrong?"
Liu Yulian noticed that Liu Qingyun was troubled and chuckled, "Are you worried about your sister?"
"Yeah." Liu Qingyun nodded, "I'm worried about her."
"Don't be afraid," Liu Yulian said. "Your grandmother is here, and your aunt is here too. You've also met Princess Zhaoyang; she has a good temper. If your sister isn't doing well, your aunt will take care of her."
"Aunt will be tired." Liu Qingyun knew that it would be better for his father to get married early so that his aunt would not have to work so hard.
Liu Qingyun had previously heard people outside say bad things about his aunt, saying that she had stopped his father from getting married. He knew that his aunt had never stopped him, and it was his father who was worried that his new wife would treat them badly, so he didn't want to get married so soon.
"I can take care of my sister, too." Liu Qingyun said, "It's just that I have to study, so sometimes I can't see her..."
"If you study hard, you can get the third place in the imperial examination, even if you don't get the first place. You can be a support for your sister." Liu Yulian said, "Don't worry. Your mother is your mother. Father and mother won't ignore you just because your mother is not a good person."
Liu Yulian thought that if she were a niece or nephew, she might be worried that after Princess Zhaoyang had a child, she would have no status in the mansion.
"Grandpa and grandma are both fine." Liu Qingyun was just a little nervous.
Liu Qingyun is still young after all, not a teenager, he is not even ten years old.
"There's a saying that says you can't marry an eldest daughter whose mother has died," Liu Yulian said. "Although you didn't lose your mother, your biological mother and your father are divorced. You're a boy, so that's fine. But your sister is a girl, so she still needs a mother. That way she can get married better and have someone to take care of the family affairs."
This is a patriarchal society with strict feudal hierarchy, so they are bound to make some compromises.
Mrs. Huo wasn't a very good person. Liu Yulian knew clearly that Liu Yanjing couldn't refuse to marry her just because of her children. Liu Yanjing didn't love her that much. If Liu Yanjing loved a woman very much, and that woman died, leaving behind a pair of children, then Liu Yanjing might not marry her.
The reality is that the Huo family is not good, and Liu Yanjing is not a very affectionate person. It is impossible for a man like Liu Yanjing to remain single for his entire life. Liu Yulian comforted her nephew, hoping that he would not worry too much.
"Yes." Liu Qingyun nodded.
"If you feel uncomfortable or scared, just speak up." Liu Yulian said, "You are still young, there is no need to take it so seriously."
"You need to grow up." Liu Qingyun smiled, "But it doesn't matter in front of your aunt."
Liu Yulian: My little nephew, you stole my line.
After Liu Qingyun talked with Liu Yulian, he felt much more at ease. Little Liu Jia didn't feel anything. At most, she asked a few more questions, such as whether she should call Princess Zhaoyang mother in the future, whether Princess Zhaoyang would comb her hair, and whether Princess Zhaoyang would continue to give her so many delicious foods.
There are only a few people in the family, and Liu's mother can also feel the changes in Liu Qingyun. Her little grandson has to grow up.
In the capital city, at the Cen family, Miss Cen originally thought that the Liu family might propose marriage to the Cen family or to another girl's family for the sake of Princess Rongning's reputation. Miss Cen had never expected that the emperor would directly grant a marriage to Princess Zhaoyang and Liu Yanjing.
Then wouldn't everything she did before become a joke?
Fortunately, no one knew that she had originally planned to marry Liu Yanjing, mainly because her mother mentioned it. Otherwise, how could she possibly think of a divorced man.
"Mother." Miss Cen came in front of Mrs. Cen, her eyes a little red.
"Those things are in the past," Mrs. Cen said. They couldn't think about Liu Yanjing anymore and had to go look at other people. The Cen family also had to save face and couldn't get too close to them. They couldn't let others laugh at them.
If she had known that Liu Yanjing was going to marry Princess Zhaoyang, Madam Cen would never have said those words to Madam Xu. Madam Xu still had children in the capital. The Xu family was actually quite good. They had originally wanted to marry their daughter to Liu Yanjing, but they were afraid that Madam Xu would not be optimistic about Miss Cen.
Mrs. Cen looked at her daughter. She hadn't reached the age of marriage yet, so she could wait. Perhaps Mrs. Xu would later decide that Miss Cen was a good girl and choose her as her own.
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