Mu Zhuohua didn't agree with Guo Juli either. Before Wang Yue could answer, she immediately said, "That definitely won't work either. My father once swore to my mother that he would never take another concubine, but only three months after she married him, he brought two more home. Men's promises can't be trusted at all. You can only rely on yourself. Once I pass the imperial examinations, no one in the Mu Family will dare to force me into anything. I'll be able to become a county magistrate myself—why would I want to be a magistrate's wife?"
Wang Yue understood. Because of what had happened to her mother, the young woman had developed a fear of marriage. He didn't try to persuade her.
After all, Mu Zhuohua's mother had been too naive. Before marrying her, Mu Zhuohua's father had already had a wife and a concubine.
Taking a concubine was all about taking a woman for her beauty. Mu Zhuohua's mother had already been the second woman in the household, so how could she expect Mu Zhuohua's father not to take another?
Besides, no matter the era, relying on yourself was better than relying on Heaven, the earth, or your parents. Mu Zhuohua was right to want to be independent.
He nodded and said earnestly, "That's a pretty good idea. It just needs a little refining."
Mu Zhuohua paused, then asked in confusion, "What needs refining?"
Seeing that he had her attention, Wang Yue said seriously, "Living in the official world is only manageable if you stay in Dingjing City and become a close aide to the emperor. If you're sent to some county as its magistrate, you'll be a single woman all by yourself. The local gentry could ruin your reputation in a matter of days. After that, how