A Firm Say in the Family

"Look at my master. From the late emperor to now, he's always been well-liked. Why? Because he's wise. He never gets involved in these things, and he doesn't care who's emperor. That's precisely why he was well-liked by the late emperor, and he still dares to be arrogant and domineering in front of the current emperor. That's the advantage of being a scholar-official."

"Now that I have my master's connection, I'll definitely be following his path in the future; Jingtai is learning painting from me, so he can also follow this path in the future. Our family doesn't get involved in those things. We have enough to eat and wear, and we live a stable and prosperous life. Isn't that good enough? Why do you have to push me into that political vortex? If I'm not doing well, you won't be doing much better either."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanxun blushed with shame and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, Father didn't mean that. Father just thinks Fu Yunkai is an outstanding person in terms of status, appearance, and ability, which is why I had this idea. Father didn't intend to get involved."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "People like us would be crushed to dust if we even got close. How could we dare to get involved? Are we tired of living?"

"Since you can't see clearly, you should avoid getting involved with them. Don't go drinking with Fu Yunkai anymore. You should also think carefully about the people you associate with," Zhao Ruxi said.

Although these words were blunt and might hurt Zhao Yuanxun's pride, Zhao Ruxi still had to remind him.

"Alright, alright, I'll ask you first later." Zhao Yuanxun wasn't embarrassed or annoyed by his daughter's disdain; instead, he felt gratified that "my daughter is successful."

The more time he spent with his daughter, the more he realized how capable she was.

At her age and with her experience, she could see through the political situation that even seasoned officials couldn't, and her analysis was insightful and incisive. Such political acumen and foresight were truly remarkable for his daughter; the Earl of Suiping's Residence was incredibly fortunate.

No wonder Mister Kumu accepted his daughter as his apprentice without hesitation; the old man had a keen eye and could see his daughter's extraordinary talent at a glance.

The old lady was still Youyu.

What she feared most was the struggle for the throne.

"I'm old now, and I don't hope for anything else, except for my family to be safe and sound, and to live a peaceful life," she said. "Yuanxun, you should go out less in the future. If you want to talk to someone or have a drink, just go to the clan."

She then said to Lady Zhu, "From now on, don't go to those invitations that aren't necessary. We shouldn't try to get them either, since we don't need to arrange Miss Xi's marriage anyway. Let's just stay at home peacefully and not hold Miss Xi back."

She's finally figured it out. With her master around, Zhao Ruxi won't have to worry about finding a good husband. They really don't need to be so busy.

"And..." She looked around at her son and daughter-in-law, "From now on, if there's anything to do at home, discuss it with Miss Xi beforehand. For example, regarding the Second Brother and Third Brother sons, don't treat Miss Xi like a child and not tell her anything. She's not an ordinary child; she sees things more clearly than you do. Discussing things with her will prevent you from making mistakes."

"Yes, Mother, we will definitely discuss it with her," Zhao Yuanxun said.

Lady Zhu nodded, "Yes, we will definitely ask Miss Xi later."

Hearing the old lady say this, Zhao Ruxi felt immediately at ease.

She's finally secured the control of the family that she's always wanted.

"It's late tonight, and Miss Xi has to get up early for school tomorrow morning, so let's go back and rest first. We can talk more when we get back tomorrow night. Anyway, it's not urgent," said Lady Zhu.

The old lady nodded. "I'm old, and there are some things I can't see clearly or understand, so I'll just focus on being a good old lady and not worry about anything else. You all need to take good care of things in the mansion and not hold Miss Xi back. There's no rush, we can talk about it tomorrow or the day after, just remember to discuss it with her."

"Alright, everyone go back now. I'm going to rest too." It was well past the old lady's bedtime.

The three said their goodbyes and left. Zhao Ruxi said goodnight to her parents and returned to Slender Bamboo Courtyard to wash up and go to sleep. Zhao Yuanxun and his wife, Lady Zhu, however, pondered for a long time and discussed how to reply to Fu Yunkai before finally going to bed.

The next day, Zhao Ruxi went to school at the academy as usual. Now that the Kang Family's cook was there, she didn't eat any dry snacks at noon. Instead, she took Xu Xue directly to her courtyard and asked Qingfeng to fetch food from the Kang Family Painting Academy.

The Kang Family cook prepared meals for her that were for masters, Gao Weiqiang, Qingfeng, and the others were served as servants. She also didn't have the habit of giving away her leftovers to the servants. The meals prepared for her by the Kang Family cook were always plentiful and large, too much for her to finish by herself. It was just right to have Xu Xue share the food to avoid waste.

After everyone finishes their training, she plans to keep Sister-in-law Li in the house and arrange for two more kitchen helpers so that she won't have to go next door for meals.

Xu Xue toured Zhao Ruxi's newly purchased house and was extremely envious. She said to Zhao Ruxi, "Sister, when I make money, I'll buy myself a house too."

"It will definitely work," Zhao Ruxi said. "I had Qingfeng ask the shopkeeper a couple of days ago, and he said your storybooks are selling quite well. Since our contract states monthly payments, and it's not the end of the month yet, we haven't paid you."

She then asked, "How's your new storybook coming along?"

She didn't write an outline for Xu Xue this time; she left it to her own imagination. However, after Xu Xue sent over the completed outline, she still made some changes, adding some conflicts and plot twists, and also altering the character settings to make them more believable.

Speaking of her new storybook, Xu Xue's face lit up with a smile, "I've already written part of it. My classmates took a look and they all said it was good. They even went to the bookstore to buy my storybook, saying they really love it."

"Wow, this is great!" Zhao Ruxi was also very Gao Xing.

Novels beginners often lack self-confidence. Xu Xue's words naturally garnered recognition and encouragement from her classmates, which was a great thing for her and would help her go further on her novel writing journey.

"Keep writing! Maybe if you write a few more stories, you can buy a house too," she encouraged.

"Mmm." Xu Xue nodded vigorously.

"Sister, we moved to the capital yesterday. My parents wanted to invite you for a housewarming dinner, and they asked me to ask when you'd be free," she added.

"You've moved? That's great." Zhao Ruxi was Gao Xing. "I'm free these next few days, so you can all get ready. Once you've set a date, have your servant deliver a formal invitation to our gatehouse. My parents will be there."

She knew the Xu Family had already bought servants; it was she who introduced Broker Li to them, and Broker Li selected a family for the Xu Family.