She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 562 - 560

Chapter 562: 560

Lady Zhao listened to Cheung Wusi’s words and smiled faintly, saying, "Ah Qiao is just a boy, how would he know what kind of woman is good. Marrying a wife is a lifelong matter, not child’s play; one must not seek only temporary happiness.

To marry a daughter-in-law that would cause discord between mother and son is a harbinger of unrest in the family. I’ve raised my child and I know him; I believe Ah Qiao will cherish me, his mother, and will not go against my wishes."

Seeing that Cheung Wusi was about to speak, Qi Younian gave him a slight shake of the head to silence him. He understood Lady Zhao’s intentions; there was no need to continue the conversation.

"Alright, I understand the Seventh younger brother’s wife’s wishes. You just stay at ease in the guest room; I’ve already prepared a separate courtyard for you and Ah Qiao. When Ah Qiao returns, you and he can move there, and you mother and son can be reunited," Qi Younian said.

Lady Zhao was an understanding person, and upon hearing Qi Younian’s words, she knew this matter had come to an end.

She stood up and bowed respectfully, saying apologetically, "I know that Elder Brother and Fourth Brother have our best interests at heart, Ah Qiao and I regret that we have failed to appreciate your kindness. I am truly ashamed."

Qi Younian rose as well and waved his hand, saying, "There’s no failing to appreciate. We old men might be rough in our thinking and inevitably not considerate enough. Whether the decision made is proper or not, it is all for Ah Qiao, so I hope you won’t blame us. The final decision should still be made by you and Ah Qiao, mother and son."

Lady Zhao hesitated for a moment, then bowed again to Qi Younian, troubled, "Ah Qiao is young and ignorant. Out of the blue, he went and involved himself with the Prefectural Magistrate’s daughter. If this marriage doesn’t work out and we offend the Magistrate, what will we do if the blame falls on Ah Qiao’s head? Elder Brother, you must think of a way to help Ah Qiao."

Lady Zhao looked at Qi Younian unblinkingly, hoping that Elder Brother would step in and have Duke An’s granddaughter pressure the Prefectural Magistrate on their behalf, to make decisions for her and her son.

Although Qi Younian had formed an opinion of Lady Zhao, he wouldn’t be harsh with her over this issue. And since it involved Zhou Biyao, he was willing to say a few more words to Lady Zhao:

"Don’t worry, Seventh younger brother’s wife. Biyao is not the type of person who is petty or has malicious intentions. Even if the marriage does not work out, she won’t cause any harm to you or Ah Qiao."

Lady Zhao’s eyes flickered. So Elder Brother Qi isn’t planning to have Miss Ye step in?

She felt uncertain, and finally said, "That’s good, then. It’s just that Ah Qiao is fortunate to have met someone as kind as Miss Zhou."

After escorting Lady Zhao out, Cheung Wusi said anxiously, "Elder Brother, why did you let the Seventh younger brother’s wife go just like that? Her niece clearly has the air of someone from a modest household, truly not a match for Ah Qiao."

"Whether they are a match or not is not for you or me to say. From now on, you don’t need to discuss Ah Qiao’s marriage with Lady Zhao anymore. When Ah Qiao comes back, let mother and son discuss it themselves."

Having said this, Qi Younian paid no more attention to Ye Xinyan and the other person in the guest room; he put his hands behind his back and walked away.

As Qi Younian walked, he reflected in his heart. His own granddaughter was shrewd, having Second Miss Zhou listen to their conversation with Lady Zhao from behind the screen to make everything clear. Otherwise, the things Lady Zhao said would be difficult to convey to Miss Zhou without the risk of sowing discord.

Now it was up to Second Miss Zhou’s own decision, as he did not have high hopes for the marriage.

If she were his own granddaughter, although she was not a character to be trifled with, living together wasn’t about fighting. He would never allow his granddaughter to marry into such a family and serve such a mother-in-law.

Right, he would have to ask Jiang Yifan about his mother’s character later. He didn’t want Ye Zi to marry into the Jiang Family and end up serving them like a maid, enduring the frustrations from the elders.

Cheung Wusi saw Qi Younian leave the courtyard without looking back, seemingly heading off to supervise the carpenters again, and couldn’t help but sigh before leaving on his own accord.

Only when the sound from outside ceased did Ye Xinyan, who had been sitting behind the screen, pat Zhou Biyao’s shoulder and say, "You heard what my grandfather said, right? Before Wong Qiao comes back, let’s all stop mentioning your matter with Wong Qiao. Wong Qiao won’t return until after the New Year begins in the spring, so pack up and prepare to go home for the New Year."

Zhou Biyao lifted her eyes towards Ye Xinyan, her face full of worry and without any idea of what to do next.

"If I go back, what should I say when my mother asks about Third Brother Wong’s mother?"

She had suppressed her worries and managed to get through dinner yesterday without letting Lady Zhao notice anything odd. But once back home, facing her mother every day, she couldn’t keep it secret. If her mother found out about Wong Qiao’s mother’s attitude, even if Third Brother Wong could persuade Lady Zhao to agree to the marriage, her mother likely wouldn’t agree to her marrying Wong Qiao.

At this time, Ye Xinyan was already quite pessimistic about Zhou Biyao’s prospects with Wong Qiao. The only way for Wong Qiao’s household to have peace was for Wong Qiao to marry his weak, petty, and possibly selfish cousin, whom Lady Zhao could control firmly with small favors and her authority as the mother-in-law.

Not to mention Zhou Biyao, even if it were a girl from an ordinary family with a normal temperament, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship wouldn’t be harmonious.

Ye Xinyan peeked outside the screen and, pulling Zhou Biyao along, said, "This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go to the office where we can arrange for someone to keep watch for us."

So when Jiang Yifan entered the Qi Family Courtyard, just as he handed the reins over to Shi Yu and was getting close to the office, a servant from Song Ping’s household came out from the west wing, quickly approached, knelt down, and said, "This servant greets Lord Jiang. My mistress and Second Miss Zhou are discussing matters inside, you," the servant glanced around, "how about you sit in the main house for a while? This servant will have someone ask the Old Master to return."

"Oh?" Jiang Yifan looked at the firmly closed doors to the office, "No need, don’t disturb the Old Master with his work. I’ll go sit in Master Guan’s room." Ah Yan often worked and talked with Biyao in the office, but today there was someone standing guard; was something up? Maybe it would be better to ask his senior brother what was going on.

In the dead of winter, with Qi Jiaer and Qi Sanshun away at school and Guan He idle every day, he was in the room, sipping wine with pickled soybeans and a dish of beef at this moment.

Jiang Yifan allowed Shi Yu and the others to find a place to rest and proceeded to the first room in the east wing, pushing the door open and letting in a rush of cold air.

Guan He complained, "Hurry up and close the door. There’s only a bit of warmth in this room, and just when I finally got rid of those two kids, you show up."

Jiang Yifan promptly closed the door, rubbed his hands together, took off his leather coat, and suggested, "If it’s not warm enough, why not bring in a brazier? Why put up with the discomfort?"

"The kang is warm enough for me. Why would I want to have an open fire and endure the smokiness?" Guan He poured a small cup of wine for Jiang Yifan while speaking, "Here, have a drink to warm up."

Jiang Yifan sat on the kang, took the cup of wine, drank it in one gulp, picked up a slice of beef, and as he chewed slowly, he said with a smile, "Probably only at the Qi family throughout the entire Great Xia Dynasty can one eat beef at any time. Really, when it comes to something to accompany a drink, nothing beats beef that’s been prepared with soy sauce."