Willing or Not?

Zhao Ruxi came to the He Family. Since the He Family father and son treated her as a person of importance and treated her as a proper guest, and since she came on behalf of the Zhao Family, and the two families might even become related by marriage in the future, she decided to show off her skills and not let anyone look down on her.

She no longer considered herself He Yuqi's best friend, but instead put on the airs of a high-ranking official.

She accepted Master He's invitation and went to the He Family hall. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she answered some of their questions about further education and scholarship.

At first, the He Family father and son were outwardly respectful, but inwardly they still harbored doubts about Zhao Ruxi's achievement of becoming the top scholar. They wondered if the emperor liked Zhao Zhiwei's paintings and calligraphy and wanted to prevent the world from looking down on women, which was why he appointed her as the top scholar.

But when they heard Zhao Ruxi speak fluently and eloquently about the Four Books and Five Classics, and had many insightful views, they were convinced that she was truly talented and learned, even more so than any of the scholars they had ever met before. They were completely convinced and their attitude towards her became even more respectful.

Seeing this, Zhao Ruxi finally suppressed her domineering air and said to Master He, "Your daughter and I became close friends at the Beining Academy. As I will soon be leaving the capital to take up my post, I am reluctant to part with my friend, so I have come here today to say goodbye. I wonder if I could speak with her alone?"

Master He was eager for his daughter to get along well with Zhao Ruxi. Hearing this, he naturally agreed without hesitation.

"It is my daughter's honor to have caught the eye of Zhuangyuan Zhao. However, our home is simple and our servants are not very well-mannered. If there is any neglect, please forgive us, Zhuangyuan Zhao." After saying a few polite words, Master He asked Lady Wang and He Yuqi to lead Zhao Ruxi into the inner courtyard.

After entering He Yuqi's courtyard and waiting for Lady Wang to leave, He Yuqi asked Zhao Ruxi curiously, "You... uh, why did Zhuangyuan Zhao think of coming to my house to look for me?"

Others may not know the inside story, but she knew very well that her relationship with Zhao Ruxi was not deep. Zhao Ruxi had given her a second chance at life, but to Zhao Ruxi, she was just an ordinary classmate, someone who pitifully needed her help.

Zhao Ruxi glared at her first. "Call me Zhiwei."

She continued, "I've come to ask you something."

"What is it?" He Yuqi asked curiously.

Despite the change in her status and position, He Yuqi's eyes showed only increasing respect and admiration, without any flattery or fawning. Her attitude towards her remained the same as before.

Zhao Ruxi became increasingly satisfied with her character.

She wasn't one to beat around the bush, and asked directly, "I heard from Teacher Cui that you went home to get engaged. How about it now?"

Although He Yuqi didn't understand why Zhao Ruxi cared about this, she still honestly replied, "My parents have arranged several marriages for me, but I'm not satisfied with any of them."

She suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Zhao Ruxi: "Could it be that you came today to arrange a marriage for me?"

Zhao Ruxi increasingly recognized and appreciated her intelligence and insight.

She chuckled twice and nodded, saying, "Yes."

He Yuqi's eyes shone even brighter.

She asked, "Who is it?" Who is it that Zhao Ruxi would make this special trip for?

My cousin.

As Zhao Ruxi spoke, she recounted the situation of Zhao Jingli and the first and second wives in detail, including the child swap, Lady Zhu's concern for Zhao Jingli, the concubine disputes in the second wife's family, the troublesome siblings, and the existing property of the second wife's family. She told them all the truth.

"That's the situation. Think it over carefully, whether you want this marriage or not. Marrying into a family like this will bring a lot of trouble; but I know my eldest brother, he won't object to you going out to work, and my second uncle won't interfere either."

She stood up. "You don't need to rush to answer me. Think it over carefully and discuss it with your parents. Also, don't let my opinion sway you whether you agree to the marriage. I'm not influential and I can't be trusted. Really, I hate trouble. Even if you become my cousin-in-law, I can't help you much."

He Yuqi originally wanted to tell Zhao Ruxi her thoughts on the matter directly, but when she heard Zhao Ruxi say that she needed to "discuss it with her parents," she swallowed back the words she was about to say.

"Okay, I'll think about it carefully," she nodded.

"It's getting late, I'll head back now." After finishing her business, Zhao Ruxi quickly took her leave.

After leaving the house, Zhao Ruxi exchanged pleasantries with Lady Wang and the He Family father and son for quite some time before finally departing from the He Family.

Back home, Master He asked his daughter curiously, "Yuqi, did Zhuangyuan Zhao really come to say goodbye? I've never heard you mention before that you and Zhuangyuan Zhao were on good terms?"

"No. She came to propose marriage to me on behalf of her cousin." He Yuqi didn't hide anything and told her parents and brothers what Zhao Ruxi had told her.

They were able to send her to study at the Beining Women's Academy and also let her work at the newspaper shop; now, when their daughter rejected the marriage they had chosen, they didn't force her. This shows that Master He still loves his daughter very much.

However, he held old-fashioned views, believing that it was useless for women to study and that they only needed to get married, support their husbands, and raise children when they were older, thus fulfilling their life's mission. Therefore, he was biased in his approach to the education of his children.

He Yuqi was also very strong-willed. When she was young, she studied with her brother. Although she was smarter, her father always favored her brother. Her brother was not as talented as her, but her father spent a lot of money to hire famous teachers to teach him, and he managed to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. When she wanted to study at the Beining Women's Academy, her father refused.

She was resentful, which led to a very serious conflict and disagreement.

Upon hearing how complicated Zhao Jingli's family situation was, he frowned and asked his wife, "What do you think?"

Lady Wang was a woman of principle and insight, so she used her own savings to support her daughter's education and also encouraged her to work in the newspaper industry. He Yuqi's self-reliance and independence are inseparable from her mother's upbringing.

When Lady Wang heard her daughter say that Zhao Jingli wouldn't confine women to the inner quarters but would let them work outside, she knew what her daughter was thinking. She and her husband had arranged several good marriages for their daughter, but those families meant that once married into one, she knew she wouldn't be able to work outside the home, so her daughter immediately rejected them.

Ignoring her husband, she asked He Yuqi, "What do you think?"

"I..." He Yuqi glanced at her father, then lowered her head and said, "I think this marriage is acceptable."

He Zhi also loves his younger sister and understands her thoughts.

He frowned and said, "Aren't they too complicated? You'll be the eldest daughter-in-law and elder sister-in-law, and you'll have a lot to worry about, with countless trivial matters every day. If problems arise at home, will Second Master Zhao and Zhao Jingli still support you going out to work? Even if they do support you, you'll have to work outside and manage the household at the same time. How will you manage? You need to think this marriage through carefully."