Persuasion

While Zhao Ruxi was reading the letter, Fu Yunlang was at home throwing a tantrum at his mother.

"Why shouldn't I agree? I'm not the eldest brother. The eldest brother is the heir apparent and has been promoted to a third-rank military officer. It's perfect for him to marry a daughter of a prominent family, and the family needs his wife's family background to uphold its prestige. I'm the second son and don't hold any official position. Wouldn't it be more appropriate for me to marry the niece of the Earl of Suiping?"

"Besides, Sixth Miss Zhao is no less impressive. Although her family background can't compare to my sister-in-law's, she's a student at the Capital Women's Academy, and she even won third place in a zither competition. If you still don't approve of her, who do you expect me to marry?"

Mu Qingqiang was merely a student at the Beining Women's Academy, and she didn't seem to have any particularly outstanding talents; she was only good at family background. Therefore, in Fu Yunlang's mind, Zhao Ruyu was better than Mu Qingqiang in every way except that she wasn't born into a wealthy and powerful family.

He was afraid that these words would reach Fu Yunkai's ears, or even be found out by his sister-in-law after she entered the family, so he didn't dare to say them openly.

Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan quickly sent the maid away. "Go out and keep watch. If the young master comes, remind him."

After the maid left, she tapped Fu Yunlang's forehead with her finger and said in a low voice, "Are you stupid? It's precisely because your elder brother married the legitimate daughter of a noble family that you can't be inferior. Otherwise, how could you and your husband survive in this mansion? You'd be crushed by them and unable to hold your heads up."

"What good is talent and learning? How many people in the Mu Family hold official positions in the court? If Mu Family girl marries into the family, not to mention you, even I wouldn't dare to speak harshly to her. Otherwise, her father and brothers would make things difficult for your father and elder brother in court, and our family would face great hardship. I'm not letting you marry Zhao Ruyu for your own good."

Speaking of this, Lady He. He felt very depressed.

She hoped her eldest son would marry someone from an ordinary family, with a gentle and easily manipulated personality. This way, she could control her daughter-in-law and, consequently, her eldest son.

As for her younger son, she hoped he would marry a woman from a prestigious family, someone better than Fu Yunkai's wife. This way, the two couples would be balanced, her younger son and his wife wouldn't suffer, and her position as mother-in-law would be secure.

Unexpectedly, Fu Yunkai got engaged to Eighth Miss Mu. Meanwhile, Fu Yunlang, that good-for-nothing, was bewitched by that little vixen Zhao Ruyu and kept insisting on marrying her.

Just because Zhao Ruyu is like a vixen, bewitching her youngest son so much that he doesn't listen to her anymore, she is determined not to let Zhao Ruyu into the house.

"My dear son, although the Tenth Miss Cen that I told you about is born out of wedlock, her father works in the Ministry of War, and her elder brother is a garrison commander in the Southern Frontier. They are no less capable than the Eighth Miss Mu. What's most remarkable is that the Cen Family is the maternal family of two princes. No matter how powerful the Mu Family, they can't compare to the Cen Family. So what if the Tenth Miss Cen is born out of wedlock? The Eighth Miss Mu would never dare to disrespect her. Besides, I know you like beautiful women, Tenth Miss Cen is truly exceptional in both appearance and character. She's the perfect match for you. I would never harm you."

When this marriage was mentioned, Lady He couldn't be more proud.

Everyone says she's ignorant, but when it comes to arranging a marriage for her youngest son, everyone has to praise her and say, "She did a great job."

She had already chosen her target, and now, taking advantage of the fact that Fu Dayong and his son had won a battle at the border and received official positions and rewards, and that the two princes and Noble Consort Cen would rely on the Fu Family even more, she quickly sent someone to the Cen Family to propose marriage to Fu Yunlang.

She was not greedy, nor did she mention the legitimate daughter; instead, she asked to marry a concubine's daughter, thus avoiding putting the Cen Family in a difficult position.

The Cen Family still hoped that the Fu Family would wholeheartedly support the two princes, so they certainly wouldn't refuse this marriage proposal. What was a mere concubine's daughter compared to the Fu Family, such a powerful ally?

Besides, her youngest son is now serving under Prince of Qi and is doing quite well in all aspects. Apart from being infatuated with Zhao Ruyu and having a slightly bad reputation, there's really nothing to criticize. Even if there are some complaints, he, as a legitimate son, is more than Youyu a concubine's daughter from the Cen Family.

As long as the Cen Family has any sense of shame and doesn't want to break ties with the Fu Family, they will certainly not refuse the Fu Family's marriage proposal.

As expected, the Cen Family immediately agreed, and they were just waiting for the marriage to be finalized on Fu Yunkai's side before they began exchanging gifts.

She wasn't entirely without ambition; she did consider mentioning the legitimate daughters. But among the legitimate daughters, none were as beautiful as Tenth Miss Cen.

She knew her youngest son hadn't experienced much hardship and was willful. Her husband and eldest son didn't support her either. If her youngest son didn't want to marry the Cen Family girl, she really couldn't force him. In that case, things might get out of control, and she might push her youngest son further away, making him less close to her.

So she specifically chose the most beautiful girl in the Cen Family.

The Tenth Miss Cen the Cen Family was powerful, as were her father and brothers. However, her mother was a courtesan who was given to the master of the Cen Family as a gift because of her outstanding appearance.

Such a concubine's daughter, used to keeping a low profile in the household, must have a good temperament. After marrying into the family, she would definitely not dare to put on airs in front of her mother-in-law. However, because of the Cen Family's connections, neither Fu Dayong, Fu Yunkai, nor Mu Qingqiang dared to disrespect Tenth Miss Cen.

Therefore, from any perspective, Tenth Miss Cen is the most suitable candidate, practically perfect.

"My son, your mother's life is so hard. Once your father became successful, promoted to a high-ranking official and a marquis, he looked down on your mother. Look at how many times he comes back in a year? He lives on the border with a concubine, has sons and daughters, and is living a very happy life. He doesn't even think about having a wife in the capital, or you, his son. Your elder brother is also unreliable. He hasn't even married yet, and he's already forgotten about his mother."

Lady He started crying and began to feign pitifulness towards Fu Yunlang.

"My life has been miserable. Besides you, who else can I rely on? You married that Zhao Ruyu. Her adoptive mother was beheaded, and she's constantly talked about wherever she goes. She won't be able to attend any banquets anymore. Her adoptive father is a good-for-nothing old man who has accomplished nothing in his life. The family only owns a meager amount of land, and her two older brothers are no better. What kind of help can such a family provide you?"

"Besides, when you marry, you're not just marrying into the wife's family, but also into her dowry. The Mu Family is wealthy, so when Eighth Miss Mu, she'll certainly have a substantial dowry, if not a grand procession. What does Zhao Ruyu have? She's an adopted daughter. The second branch of the Zhao Family is so poor they can't even afford to eat. They're already being kind by not sending her back to be a peasant girl, let alone giving her a dowry."

"By then, you'll have neither the support of your wife's family nor any money. What kind of life will you lead once the family is divided? Just look at the current situation of the second branch of the Zhao Family; it's a living example."

"Aren't you the one who resents your elder brother the most, always thinking you're no worse than him? Imagine him becoming a general, living in a mansion, with a prominent wife and wealthy family; while you live in a small, dilapidated house, own only one or two small estates, eat and dress shabbily, and even if you have a son, he won't be able to find a decent wife. If you want to attend a banquet, you won't even be able to get an invitation. Compared to your elder brother, it's like heaven and earth. Can you accept that?"