My Marriage, My Choice
In his previous life, when the original owner entered the Marquis's mansion, he had no money at all, only the four taels of silver that the mansion gave him as a monthly allowance.
However, Lady Wei, using the excuse that the original owner couldn't afford that much money, took most of her monthly allowance from her, leaving her with only half a tael of silver per month. This made the original owner even poorer than the Daya by the madam's side. She was stingy even when rewarding the servants for their help. As time went on, the servants in the mansion secretly ridiculed and looked down on her.
Even a hero can be brought down by a single penny. If Xu Xi hadn't immediately taken the entrance exam for the Women's Academy after transmigrating, and hadn't repeatedly stated that she didn't want to return to the Marquis's mansion, thus attracting the attention of the old lady and the first lady, even with all her skills, she wouldn't have been able to freely enter and leave the Marquis's mansion, and she would probably have been in a similar situation to the original owner of this body.
"Miss Xi," Lady Zhu continued, "I've sent someone to inquire. The academy allows students to request lodging, or they can request not to. You study in the county, which means traveling twenty li round trip every day, which is very tiring. But the old lady and I still hope you can come back to the Marquis's residence to live."
Xu Xi frowned.
The only reason she returned to the Marquis's residence was to avoid causing trouble for the Xu Family before she became too powerful herself. She didn't want to have much interaction with the people in the Marquis's residence. The petty squabbles and infighting there were too annoying, and she wanted to stay away from them as much as possible.
Seeing that she was about to speak, Lady Zhu raised her hand to stop Xu Xi, her voice still very gentle. "You are fourteen years old this year, and we don't know how long you will study at the academy, at least a year or two. Girls your age will soon be engaged, and in another two or three years you will be married. If you live at the academy, you may be married as soon as you graduate. In that case, you will have too little time to spend with your brothers and sisters."
She straightened her expression and said, "You must understand, for a woman to gain a foothold in her husband's family, she needs to be capable herself and also have the support of her own family. We elders will all grow old one day. If you don't have much affection for your brothers and sisters in the household, you'll be too embarrassed to ask for help when you encounter difficulties, don't you think? That's why I hope you can go back to live in the Marquis's mansion."
Xu Xi gazed at her quietly, then suddenly laughed, a smile containing understanding and a barely perceptible sigh.
Everyone is scheming for their own benefit. The old lady and the first lady are, and so is she herself.
She wanted to get rid of the troubles and live a comfortable life. The old lady and the first lady, on the other hand, were doing their best to protect the interests of the Marquis's mansion. So they wanted to deepen her connection with the Marquis's mansion, so that if she married into a good family in the future, she could also help the Marquis's mansion.
From their perspective, this wasn't wrong.
"Madam, Aunt," Xu Xi began, "As you both know, I'm quite straightforward. I put everything out in the open and don't do one thing to your face and another behind your back. So, I think we can talk about this frankly."
The old lady's lips twitched slightly.
Having lived together for twenty years, Lady Zhu knew her mother-in-law very well. Seeing this, she quickly reached out and gently patted the old lady's hand.
Having served as the Duchess of the State for over a decade and then as the Lady of the Marquis for over a decade, the old lady, accustomed to giving orders, must have felt very uncomfortable with Xu Xi speaking to her in such an equal manner.
But Xu Xi, that child, really can't be expected to be like the other children in the manor.
Xu Xi didn't care whether the old lady was comfortable or not, and said directly, "I know what you two are thinking. You're worried that I won't be close to the Marquis's family, and that if I marry into a good family in the future, I won't help my family."
The old lady and Lady Zhu's faces immediately darkened.
Although that was what they were thinking, having Xu Xi say it so openly was like having their darkest thoughts revealed to others. Even though those darkest thoughts weren't particularly malicious and they weren't afraid of being known, it still made them feel very uncomfortable.
Xu Xi seemed oblivious to their change in expression and continued, "But you must understand, if I had enjoyed a life of luxury from a young age, enjoying everything the Marquis's mansion had to offer, then naturally I would have to dedicate myself to it all, including my marriage. But I didn't. I only ate a few pastries at the old lady's place until noon, which was a mere taste of the Marquis's mansion's bounty. For the previous ten-odd years, I was Xu Family."
The old lady and Lady Zhu's expressions changed again.
The old lady said, "But you are of the Marquis's bloodline, and the blood of the Zhao Family flows in your veins." However, her tone was somewhat weak, and she did not sound very confident.
Xu Xi nodded slightly.
This old lady still has a conscience. Therefore, we can continue this discussion.
"I have the blood of the Zhao Family, but it is Zhao Ruyu who is enjoying it, isn't that right? Zhao Ruyu has enjoyed all of this. It's enough that you control her marriage, why do you also expect me to bear the burden? If exchanging children is such a profitable deal, then everyone in the world might as well exchange children."
The old lady and Lady Zhu looked very unhappy.
"Actually, we didn't think that way," Lady Zhu said excitedly. "Miss Xi, you're thinking too badly of people. Even if we were to find you a husband, we would definitely choose a good one. We wouldn't abandon you for wealth and status."
"Yes, I believe so too. Otherwise, I wouldn't be sitting here saying these things to you," Xu Xi said. She would first endure, then look for a powerful backer, and once she found one, she would completely break away from the Marquis's mansion.
But she wouldn't take that step unless absolutely necessary.
If her patron crumbles, who knows if escaping the Marquis's mansion will lead her into another den of wolves? Even if she carefully chooses a patron of good character, that patron still has family and relatives. What if those relatives harbor ulterior motives and try to scheme against her? Should she gamble on whether her patron values her or her family more? Most people would choose to protect their family and relatives, wouldn't they?
On the contrary, based on her observations over the past half day, at least the old lady and the first lady of the Marquis's mansion seemed to be good people. Marquis Zhao Yuanxun was also discerning and did not appear to be a bad person. Most importantly, the Marquis's mansion was declining and its power was diminishing, making it relatively easier for her to deal with.
That's why she was willing to talk to the old lady and Lady Zhu.
"What exactly do you want?" the old lady asked.
"All I need is your consent; I will decide my own marriage," Xu Xi said.
Before the two could react, she continued, "You, Madam and Aunt, have seen how the Second Madam treats me. I don't know why she treats me this way. Marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers, and I'm worried she'll use it against me in my marriage. So I need your promise."
Her expression was unusually serious, her dark eyes calm and resolute. Even though her face was somewhat childish due to her young age, the old lady and Lady Zhu could not ignore the power in her words.