She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 574 - 572: You Did It Wrong

Chapter 574: Chapter 572: You Did It Wrong

Yet Wong Qiao kept Jiang Yifan’s admonition in mind. He had to make his mother believe that Zhou Biyao was merely the Prefectural Magistrate’s legitimate daughter, not the woman he was deeply in love with. He desired to marry Biyao not because of his love, but because she was the daughter of the Prefectural Magistrate.

Lord Jiang said that only in this way, after Biyao joined the family, would his mother hold a sense of awe towards the Prefectural Magistrate and dare not mistreat Biyao excessively.

Ye Xinyan, on the other hand, was rather satisfied with Wong Qiao’s demeanor. It seemed that Wong Qiao was sincere, aware of the need to restrain his emotions in front of his mother—a promising sign.

If Wong Qiao blindly trusted his mother, treated filial piety as his life’s sole purpose, and laid bare all his thoughts to her, that would truly be problematic.

Lady Zhao caught a glimpse of Ye Xinyan and Zhou Biyao coming out from the corner of her eye and kept watching her son’s expression. Seeing that her son merely glanced over casually without paying too much attention, she felt somewhat relieved.

Qi Jiaer had been waiting for Wong Qiao. What child would pay attention to a family reunion? As soon as Wong Qiao stood up from the ground, Qi Jiaer darted out from behind Ye Xinyan and ran up to Wong Qiao, chuckling, "Third Uncle Wong, you’re back. I didn’t lie to you, right? The capital city is fun, isn’t it?"

By now, Wong Qiao had already stood up, supporting Lady Zhao with one arm and patting Qi Jiaer’s head with the other. He smiled and said, "Our Brother Jia is such a good child, of course, he wouldn’t lie. The capital is indeed wonderful, with all the tall buildings and exquisite architecture. My visit to the capital truly opened my eyes."

"And there’s delicious food, not to mention the temple fairs, acrobatics, and fun activities," Qi Jiaer added, holding Wong Qiao’s hand.

"Indeed, look at me, so engrossed in buildings that I forgot to talk about the attractions Brother Jia recommended to me. I tried them all with the masters I was with, and it was certainly bustling—a match for ten Qingyuan Counties," Wong Qiao supplemented.

Wong Qiao patiently conversed and joked with Qi Jiaer, and seeing Lady Zhao longingly looking at Wong Qiao, Qi Younian took his grandson aside and said, "Ah Qiao, go change your clothes and wash your hands and face. Dinner is about to start, and we don’t have many formalities here. You and your mother can share a table later, and there will be time to talk during the meal."

For dinner, Ye Xinyan, Zhou Biyao, and Qi Jiaer accompanied Madam Yin at one table, while Qi Younian and Cheung Wusi’s family joined Lady Zhao and her son at another. Despite hearing from craftsmen about the construction work in the capital, Wong Qiao still narrated the key points to everyone once again.

Afterward, Wong Qiao began enthusiastically discussing the streets and buildings of the capital with Qi Younian, sharing the city’s splendor and his experiences.

"Uncle Qi, Uncle Cheung, you haven’t seen it. The railway carriage travels so majestically and smoothly that even those of us who first used the railway could not have imagined such a grand sight. We craftsmen who eat dinner together should all go have a look. Sometimes, it’s not that we lack skills; it’s just that we lack such imagination," Wong Qiao said, deeply moved after describing his experiences in the capital.

Qi Younian nodded and responded, "Indeed, we should have a look. Once Ye Zi sorts things out here, I will go to the capital with her to witness the thriving splendor of our Great Xia Dynasty’s imperial city."

"Grandpa, Grandpa, when the time comes, I’ll take you shopping. I know lots of places," Qi Jiaer, finally having someone else who had visited the capital, was excited about having a common topic to discuss and called out to Qi Younian across the table.

Qi Younian replied with a smile, "Alright, when the time comes, Grandpa will go shopping with my little grandson."

After dinner, once they cleared the dishes and chatted idly for a while, Lady Zhao stood up and bid farewell to Madam Yin and Qi Younian. She then said to Wong Qiao, "Ah Qiao, go sit with your mother for a while. Your mother hasn’t seen you in a long time and wants to have a good talk with you."

Ye Xinyan moved sluggishly, waiting to see if Lady Zhao would take any action when the gathering dispersed. Seeing that Lady Zhao indeed hastened to speak with Wong Qiao, Ye Xinyan also stood up and said to Lady Zhao with a smile, "Madam Zhao, you mustn’t worry, Wong Qiao has returned safely, hasn’t he? You should feel at ease now. He has been traveling these past days and has just come back. The things you wish to discuss with him must be plentiful, but why don’t you let him rest well tonight and sleep peacefully? Tomorrow you and your son will have plenty of time to talk. Wouldn’t it be better if you two have a good chat then?"

Wong Qiao also feared that his mother would bring up the matter of Zhou Biyao, and if their conversation turned sour, how would they manage to conclude it late in the evening?

"Mother, I didn’t return yesterday, and you must have been very worried. I presume you hardly slept well last night. Rest well tonight, and we can talk tomorrow."

Lady Zhao glanced at the earnest and kind eyes of everyone around and then at the sky. Dinner had already started late, and the time spent eating and talking during the meal had delayed things further. Now it was nearing the late Xu Hour, indeed not the time for a mother and son to talk.

"Indeed, I am grateful for the Young Mistress’s reminder; I am so happy that I am muddled," Lady Zhao said with a smile, "Ah Qiao has not yet had a proper wash after his journey; look at me being so anxious that I truly neglected the child’s rest."

Everyone, preoccupied with their thoughts, returned to their own rooms to rest. The next morning, Wong Qiao, who had not rested well, washed up and went to Lady Zhao’s room to pay respects to his mother and joined her for breakfast.

Lady Zhao had eagerly awaited her son’s return and, throughout the night, thought about how to tell him about the decision that had been weighing on her for over two months, resulting in her not sleeping well.

With both harboring their concerns, they avoided mentioning the matter between Zhou Biyao and Wong Qiao during breakfast. Even Xiuqin’s marked attentiveness towards Wong Qiao was subtly stopped by Lady Zhao.

After breakfast, once Qing Min had cleaned up the dining table, Lady Zhao said to Xiuqin, "Xiuqin, go out and help Qing Min with the chores. I need to discuss something with your cousin."

Xiuqin, knowing that her aunt intended to talk to her cousin about Second Miss Zhou, hesitated for a moment. Second Miss Zhou was both beautiful and of good birth, and she was also literate. Placed beside Second Miss Zhou, wouldn’t any man choose her?

What if her cousin adamantly refused? She didn’t want to lose the life she had with the Qi family and the prosperity that would come with marrying her cousin.

She wanted to hear what Lady Zhao would say to Wong Qiao and to know if Wong Qiao would agree to give up Zhou Biyao.

However, when Lady Zhao noticed that Xiuqin did not immediately respond, her expression turned cold, and the look she gave her became severe. Xiuqin shuddered when she met Lady Zhao’s gaze and quickly excused herself and left.

It was only after watching Xiuqin leave timidly that Lady Zhao’s expression softened.

Wong Qiao, observing his mother and cousin behaving thusly, recalled the words of Jiang Yifan. A woman like his cousin, who feared his mother in this way, would surely make a daughter-in-law to his mother’s satisfaction, wouldn’t she?

"Ah Qiao, your mother has had someone look into the letter you and your granduncle sent to me," Lady Zhao said seriously to Wong Qiao, "You are my only son, and in matters of matrimony, without consulting me, you decided on your own, simply asking me to come and propose for you..., you did not handle this matter correctly."

Upon hearing this, Wong Qiao swiftly knelt to the ground in the manner he had before, "Mother is right; your son indeed should have asked for your opinion in advance. Second Miss Zhou is the beloved daughter of Prefectural Magistrate Lord Zhou, and at the time, I thought having such a Yue Family would be greatly beneficial for my and the Wong family’s future. I imagined you would be pleased that your son could secure such a match, so I got carried away, please, Mother, punish me."