Pleading for Mercy

She whispered to Fushu, "Go quickly and tell the second young master that the first madam wants to divorce his mother and send her back to the Wei Family. Tell him to come and plead for her as soon as possible."

Just as Fushu was about to leave, Zhao Ruyu grabbed him again. "It's probably no use if he comes by himself. Let him go and beg the young master to come along."

Fushu also knew that Lady Wei's dismissal would have a great impact on Zhao Ruyu. Seeing that Lady Wei had been asked to leave by Matron Ruan and others and was heading towards the second branch of the family, she quickly ran out of the Rongxi Hall.

It's dinnertime now, and Zhao Jingli and Zhao Jing'an have gone back to their respective rooms for dinner; they're not in the front yard.

Fushu thought for a moment, grabbed an old woman who was passing by and didn't know what had happened in the Rongxi Hall, gave her a handful of copper coins, and asked her to go to the main house and call the eldest young master to wait for Zhao Jing'an at the entrance of the Rongxi Hall. Then she ran back to the second house.

The reason for this arrangement was that the servants in the mansion were willing to run errands for the eldest son's family, but not so willing to do so for the second son's family.

The eldest branch was closer to the Rongxi Hall, while the second branch was farther away. However, Fushu took a shortcut and ran desperately, leaving Lady Wei and her group far behind. When she entered the second branch and found Zhao Jing'an, she was so out of breath that she could not speak.

"What's wrong? What happened? Tell me slowly, there's no rush." Zhao Jing'an was sitting in the dining hall talking with Zhao Rurui, waiting for Lady Wei to return for dinner. Seeing her like this, he quickly said.

Because Zhao Yuanliang was impatient with Lady Wei, he rarely ate at the second branch of the family's house. The three children were used to eating only with Lady Wei.

Remembering that Fushu had gone to the Women's Academy to pick up Zhao Ruyu, and that she was alone now with Zhao Ruyu nowhere to be seen, the two assumed something had happened to Zhao Ruyu and asked, "Did something happen to Ruyu at the academy?"

Fushu shook her head, finally catching her breath, and said, "Madam... Madam went to the Rongxi Hall to search because of Concubine Wang's pregnancy, which caused the Old Madam to have a stroke. Now the First Madam wants to send Madam back to the Wei Family."

Zhao Jing'an and Zhao Rurui were both stunned.

Seeing that the two didn't react, Fushu stamped her foot anxiously. "You two should quickly go and beg the Old Madam and the First Madam to retract their decision. If the Madam is divorced, it won't do you any good."

She grabbed Zhao Jing'an's sleeve. "I've already asked someone to call the eldest young master. He should be here soon. Second young master, you should hurry and stop him before he enters the door. Beg him to plead with the old lady and the first lady. Otherwise, the first lady won't agree to let the madam stay."

Lady Wei was an unpopular person in the Marquis's mansion, but she was extremely devoted to her son, Zhao Jing'an. She loved her son but did not spoil him, and she was strict with Zhao Jing'an in both his studies and conduct.

Compared to his father, who spent his days frolicking with his concubines or going out drinking and having fun with his friends, Zhao Jing'an preferred his mother, who was devoted to him, and had the deepest affection for her.

Upon hearing that Lady Wei was to be divorced, he panicked and ran outside, shouting, "I'll go beg my elder brother!"

Fushu was about to chase after him when she turned around and saw Zhao Rurui still standing there, seemingly hesitant. She hurriedly said, "It's not good for you, Fourth Miss, if Madam is divorced."

Without waiting for Zhao Rurui's reply, she lifted her skirt and ran outside.

Zhao Rurui originally thought that it would be better if she didn't have Lady Wei, her mean-spirited stepmother. Even if Lady Wei was divorced, Zhao Yuanliang could remarry, and things wouldn't be too bad. She didn't need to plead for Lady Wei.

Reminded by Fushu, she realized what was happening and quickly called out to Fushu's retreating figure, "Wait for me."

Seeing that Fushu was running further and further away without turning her head, she stamped her foot and quickly chased after her.

Zhao Rurui wasn't very active and didn't really want to get involved in this mess, so she ran and stopped intermittently. When she finally arrived at the Rongxi Hall, panting, she saw Zhao Jing'an, Zhao Jingli, and Zhao Ruyu already standing not far from the courtyard gate talking.

Zhao Rurui clutched her chest, feeling like she was suffocating, and ran over, just in time to hear Zhao Jingli say, "... It's good that you let your mother go back to stay for a few days, otherwise she'll act so recklessly next time. I'll plead for your mother after the Wei Family makes a move. But not now."

"The First Madam didn't just say she'd stay a few days; she's going to divorce my mother," Zhao Ruyu. "Please, elder brother. If my mother is sent away or divorced, not only will we be motherless, but we'll also be tormented by our stepmother; if word gets out, it will damage the reputation of the entire Marquis's mansion."

As she spoke, she tugged at Zhao Jing'an's sleeve.

Zhao Jing'an was well protected by Lady Wei, and Zhao Yuanxun and his first wife also cared for him. His cousin Zhao Jingli was especially close to him. He was also a simple-minded person who didn't think too much about things.

The mother and son already had a deep bond, but now that Zhao Ruyu said his mother was going to be divorced and that he would have a stepmother to torment him, he panicked even more.

"Brother, I beg you. Please plead for my mother. She did something wrong, and the old lady and aunt are punishing her. I'll take the punishment for her, even a dozen strokes of the cane are fine with me. Just please don't send my mother back to her parents' home."

Zhao Jingli hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "No. If Second Aunt can anger the Old Madam today, she might set fires and kill people tomorrow. Since the adults want to do this, they must have their reasons, and I cannot interfere. I cannot ask for this favor."

"No, no, I promise my mother knows she was wrong. I'll keep an eye on her from now on and make sure she doesn't cause any trouble," Zhao Jing'an quickly assured him.

"Big brother, please." Seeing that Zhao Jingli was still unmoved, Zhao Ruyu simply lifted her skirt, knelt down, and tugged at Zhao Jing'an's clothes.

Zhao Jing'an quickly knelt down, crying and begging Zhao Jingli, "Brother, please save my mother, sob sob sob..."

Upon seeing this, Zhao Rurui quickly ran over and knelt down next to Zhao Ruyu.

Whether angered or embarrassed by their behavior, Zhao Jingli's face flushed red. He stepped aside and pointed at the three of them, saying, "What... what are you doing?"

"Brother, this is nothing more than a small favor for you. The old lady and the first lady are always kind and generous. The first lady was just angry earlier; if you say a few nice words for her, she will soften her stance."

Zhao Ruyu raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things, that's what the old lady always said. She certainly doesn't want this matter to escalate. Sending my mother back to the Wei Family and putting the Wei Family's mansion at odds with them, what good will that do for the Marquis's mansion? It would be better to just punish my mother at home. The mistake has already been made and cannot be changed. It's better to minimize the losses."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jingli hesitated.

He's not young anymore. As the heir of a marquis's family, he has seen, heard, and thought more than an ordinary child like Zhao Jing'an.

He knew that Lady Wei's inappropriate words and actions had angered his grandmother and mother in the past, and his grandmother and mother had endured it all because of the Wei Family's current power.

Looking back now, I doubt Mother would want to clash with the Wei Family either. If the Marquis's mansion were to back down under pressure from the Wei Family, how embarrassing would that be for Grandmother, Father, and Mother? Would they be ridiculed by others?

But if Lady Wei is not punished, wouldn't the Marquis's mansion appear too weak?