Help You Fulfill Your Wish
Fu Yunlang was originally very firm in his feelings, but after being persuaded by Lady He, his heart began to waver, and he suddenly felt that his mother's words made a lot of sense.
He had resented his elder brother since childhood, always feeling that he lived in his brother's shadow. Even though there was trouble at the border this time, and he was very worried about his brother and did not want anything to happen to him, it did not change his resentment towards his father and brother.
Now, his elder brother has not only achieved great success but also married a woman from a high-ranking family, and will inherit the title and most of the property of the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence; while he himself is to marry a wife like Zhao Ruyu, who has no social standing and no dowry?
He's not a child anymore; he's sixteen or seventeen this year. He's handled many business matters with the Fifth Prince and experienced the life-and-death struggles of his father and brothers during the winter. He's matured a lot since then.
During his business dealings with the Fifth Prince, he came into contact with many sons of high-ranking families and witnessed the hardships faced by second sons and illegitimate sons of these families at home, as well as their situations after the division of the family property.
He knew his mother wasn't exaggerating, but stating the truth.
He married Zhao Ruyu. Before the family was divided, the second wife's family was far inferior to the first wife's in terms of status, position, and economic ability, and was bound to be suppressed by the first wife. After the family was divided, their situation would only be worse. They were no longer part of the wealthy and noble circle; they were just ordinary people. If they had money, they would be fine; if they didn't have money, life would be very difficult.
Seeing that her youngest son had lowered his head and did not refute her, seemingly having truly taken her words to heart, Lady He was overjoyed.
She pressed on, "If you marry Tenth Miss Cen, even if it's just to win over the Fu Family, they will give her Tenth Miss Cen generous dowry and secure you a minor official position in the government. Even if you don't become an official, if you like business, the Cen Family brothers have so many people; they can easily help you with your business, or they can mentor you in any venture they undertake, giving you opportunities to make money."
"If you truly love Zhao Ruyu, you can take her as a concubine. Given her current social standing and her status as an adopted daughter, it's only right that she be your concubine, not that you're foolishly hoping to climb the social ladder."
Fu Yunlang was becoming increasingly interested.
"This..." he said, "I'm afraid the Cen Family won't agree to taking a concubine, will they?"
"Of course she wouldn't agree before the marriage. But if you bring it up again after the marriage, I doubt Tenth Miss Cen would be able to say anything against you taking a concubine. Her mother was a concubine herself, so how could she possibly object to taking a concubine?" Lady He waved her hand and said.
She actually didn't want Fu Yunlang to take Zhao Ruyu into the family. Zhao Ruyu looked like a vixen, and she was cunning. Taking in a woman like that would be a disaster. If she attracted Fu Yunlang's exclusive favor, the Cen Family would definitely be dissatisfied with Fu Yunlang. At that point, he would probably lose any support in either official or business circles.
But isn't that something for the future? She simply didn't believe that an ambitious girl like Zhao Ruyu would agree to be a concubine, especially one who would have to wait until Fu Yunlang got married six months later. She wasn't young anymore; she couldn't afford to wait that long.
So, she was just saying that to appease Fu Yunlang.
To prevent any unforeseen complications, she added to Fu Yunlang, "You don't have to tell Zhao Ruyu about your engagement to the Cen Family yet. You can tell her after you get married. Then you can directly bring her into the household, which will prevent her from having any unfounded thoughts and ruining your marriage, thus avoiding any trouble."
Fu Yunlang was a little confused.
He said, "Mother, let me think about it."
"Alright, think it over carefully. But don't take too long. It would be best if you could give me an answer by tomorrow. We can't afford to delay with the Cen Family."
Fu Yunlang nodded, slowly got up, and walked out with heavy steps.
As he walked out of the courtyard toward the front yard, he saw his elder brother approaching. Fu Yunkai's brows relaxed, and a smile played on his lips; he seemed quite Gao Xing.
Ever since the engagement, my brother has changed his usual stern face and is Gao Xing every day.
Fu Yunlang knew about his affair with Eighth Miss Mu.
The marriage to the Mu Family was arranged by the Second Prince. When he first met the Eighth Miss Mu, his brother was extremely disgusted with her, feeling that the Mu Family girl was arrogant and cold, just like a noble lady he had met at the border before, and he rejected the marriage at that time.
Upon his return, he unexpectedly encountered Eighth Miss Mu in the suburbs.
Despite being a noblewoman from a high-ranking family, Eighth Miss Mu had a particular fondness for horseback riding. On one occasion, she went horseback riding with her cousin, her smile radiant and her riding style captivating. However, something went wrong that time, and she nearly fell off her horse, only to be rescued by Fu Yunkai, who happened to be passing by. From then on, their paths crossed.
After the two met twice more, the elder brother sent someone to the Mu Family to propose marriage.
Seeing that his elder brother's marriage had gone exceptionally smoothly, and that he had indeed married the woman he desired— Eighth Miss Mu was both from a good family and had excellent qualities— Fu Yunlang felt quite depressed as he thought about his own marriage.
"Is Mother inside?" Fu Yunkai asked his younger brother when he saw him.
Fu Yunlang nodded without saying a word.
Seeing his younger brother's sullen expression, Fu Yunkai assumed he was still worried about his marriage and said, "Prince of Qi just mentioned your affair with the Zhao Family girl. He said he promised you that if you performed your duties well, he would grant your wish. I'm on my way to see Mother now. Noble Consort Cen wants Mother to come to the palace; she will put in a good word for you and help you achieve your goal."
Fu Yunlang had just been persuaded by his mother and his mind was wavering. Now, when he heard that Noble Consort Cen and the Fifth Prince were willing to arrange his marriage with Zhao Ruyu, he felt a mix of emotions.
That's how people are. If his mother and brother keep trying to dissuade him and prevent him from being with Zhao Ruyu, Fu Yunlang will definitely fight back against them and might even resort to more drastic measures to achieve his goal.
That was how his marriage to Zhao Ruyu was arranged in his previous life.
But now that Fu Yunkai is trying to help him achieve his wish, Fu Yunlang feels uneasy.
Perhaps it was Lady He's words that had an effect; he felt that his elder brother didn't want him to have a good life and wanted to suppress him. Otherwise, why would his brother, who had always advised him against marrying Zhao Ruyu, be actively pushing for it now?
Fu Yunkai had no idea what his younger brother was thinking, otherwise he would have been disgusted to death.
He simply wanted his younger brother to have his marriage arranged so that his own marriage would also be successful. He was also touched that his brother had worried about him and worked tirelessly for him in the capital during his most difficult time, so he hoped that his brother would be well.
"No need." Fu Yunlang shook his head. "Please thank His Highness Prince of Qi for my sake. My mother just advised me against it, and I thought about how she hasn't had an easy life either. Since she doesn't approve of Sixth Miss Zhao, then let's just forget about it. Let her decide on my marriage."
Fu Yunkai looked at Fu Yunlang in surprise.
"What did your mother just say to you?" His brows furrowed. "Don't listen to her. Marry whoever you want. She's the one who'll be living with you. If you go along with her wishes, what will happen to you?"