Each Found Their Own Path
Zhao Ruxi could see that Mu Qingqiang's true feelings hadn't changed, but due to the change in their status and Fu Yunkai's influence, her relationship with Mu Qingqiang had undergone a fundamental change, and it was difficult to return to the simple friendship they had before.
Their conversations and correspondence gradually became superficial. Mu Qingqiang no longer shared her innermost thoughts with her, nor did she ask about them anymore.
Even though they meet often, she wouldn't know how Mu Qingqiang is doing if she didn't ask the system.
"Fu Yunkai treated her quite well, but the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan was a troublemaker who often caused trouble for Mu Qingqiang and even tried to sow discord between the couple, urging Fu Yunkai to take a concubine. Although Fu Yunkai didn't listen to his mother and was cold towards her, he was filial at heart. He could be unkind to his mother, but he couldn't tolerate anyone else being unkind to her. So Mu Qingqiang was often unhappy."
This was pretty much what Zhao Ruxi had expected.
Back then, Fu Yunkai almost turned against his father for his mother's sake. He was a very responsible person, and he considered his mother and younger brother as his own responsibility.
If his mother and younger brother were good people, things would be alright. But with the unruly nature of the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan and the trouble caused by Fu Yunlang's wives and concubines, being Fu Yunkai's wife is truly too difficult.
"Why hasn't Mu Qingqiang gotten pregnant? Whose problem is it?" Zhao Ruxi asked the system.
"She was pregnant, Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan accidentally miscarried during an argument," the system said.
"I even spent a few days at the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence because of this, but I still couldn't find out whether the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan did it intentionally or unintentionally," it added.
Zhao Ruxi was taken aback. "Could it be intentional? Does the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan not want a grandson?"
Even if you can't stand your daughter-in-law, your grandson is still family, right?
"Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan has always felt that Fu Yunkai treats her badly. So she always hopes that Fu Yunlang will become the Heir of the Marquis of Pingnan. Even if he can't, it would be good if Fu Yunlang's son could inherit the family business. Fu Yunkai refuses to listen to her and take a concubine. If Mu Qingqiang can't have children, wouldn't the Fu Family family's business belong to Fu Yunlang's son?"
Zhao Ruxi: "..."
She sighed for Mu Qingqiang and then asked, "How is Zhao Rurui doing there?"
"Of course it's bad. Fu Yunlang resents her for playing tricks on him, preventing him from marrying Zhao Ruyu. From the day Zhao Rurui entered the household, he hasn't touched her, acting as if she doesn't exist. In addition, with the deliberate torment from Tenth Miss Cen and the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan, Zhao Rurui's life in the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence is extremely difficult. Later, when you were betrothed, no one dared to mistreat her, but her situation was still not much better. At most, they didn't dare to let her suffer from hunger or abuse anymore. Her life in the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence's mansion is no different from that of a concubine in the cold palace."
"Didn't she ever think about leaving the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence?" Zhao Ruxi asked curiously.
Zhao Rurui wasn't one to accept her fate; she always acted without thinking things through. With no hope for the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence's mansion, she was determined to either elope or file for divorce.
"The Fu Family is terrified she'll complain to you, so they're keeping a very close watch on her, not even letting her leave her own courtyard. She's a concubine, and the Zhao Family's second branch can't be related to the Fu Family family, so naturally they don't know her situation. With no one backing her up and no way to escape, she can't cause any trouble."
Seeing that Zhao Ruxi remained silent for a long time, the system asked, "Host, you wouldn't be so soft-hearted as to stand up for Zhao Rurui or tell her to get a divorce, would you?"
Zhao Ruxi shook her head. "You reap what you sow. Zhao Jingli arranged several marriages for her, but she refused them all, determined to marry into a powerful family. Her becoming a concubine in the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence was a scheme against Zhao Ruyu, and she was ultimately outmaneuvered by Zhao Ruyu. She deserves her current fate."
"If I stand up for her, or intervene and force her to divorce, do you believe that tomorrow she could use my name and influence to forcefully marry some wealthy young master and then profit from it? That kind of person isn't worth helping."
She was engrossed in a lively chat with the system when Qingfeng's voice came from the doorway. "Your Majesty, the eldest and second young mistresses of the Zhao Residence have come to see you."
"Please let them in." Zhao Ruxi stood up and walked out.
After she went next door to check on Little Duo'er, who was sleeping soundly, changed her clothes and went to the inner hall, she found He Yuqi and Xu Xue already waiting there.
"Why didn't you bring Sister Ling? I haven't seen her in so long, I miss her so much," Zhao Ruxi said.
Zhao Ling is the daughter of Zhao Jingli and He Yuqi. She is about two years old and has a beautiful, delicate face that is very endearing. When Zhao Ruxi was pregnant, her maternal instincts kicked in, and she especially loved children. Whenever she saw Zhao Ling, she was overwhelmed with maternal love.
The toddler was just learning to walk and didn't know any better. Nanny Yan, Lady Luo, Qingfeng, and others were worried that the child might bump into Zhao Ruxi, and they were all on high alert when Zhao Ling was around. He Yuqi knew even more about the preciousness of Zhao Ruxi's pregnancy; if the child really bumped into Zhao Ruxi and something happened, their entire family could be executed.
Therefore, she was unwilling to bring Zhao Ling along.
"That child is getting more and more naughty, even more so than other boys. I really don't dare take her out, afraid she'll cause trouble." He Yuqi's head ached whenever she talked about her daughter.
Zhao Ling is cute, but she's also incredibly mischievous.
He Yuqi stopped mentioning her daughter and instead smiled at Xu Xue, saying, "I've come today to tell Your Majesty some good news. Xiaoxue is pregnant."
Zhao Ruxi looked at Xu Xue Xu Xue, whose face was slightly flushed and who was smiling with her lips pursed.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Zhao Ruxi exclaimed happily.
Zhao Jingli is doing quite well as an official in the Ministry of Revenue. Although he did not come from the imperial examination system, the Ministry of Revenue still values mathematical ability. He is good at this, so although he may not become a high-ranking official, he can rise step by step and reach the fifth or sixth rank without any problem.
Zhao Jing'an passed the imperial examination at the county level last year and became a scholar.
With the advent of paper and printing presses, newspapers have now flourished, with several privately owned newspapers emerging, all of which are imitating the serialized storytelling of the "Qiming Ten-Day Gazette".
This provided a large platform for the display of vernacular stories, leading to a surge in demand for vernacular story writers.
The vast majority of literate people in the Great Jin Dynasty were men, and men's thinking differed from women's. This led to the popularity of stories written by male authors among male readers compared to those by female authors like Xu Xue.
Influenced by Xu Xue, Zhao Jing'an devoted himself to writing vernacular stories at an early age. With the help of the creative ideas provided by Zhao Ruxi, his vernacular stories were very different from those of his contemporaries. They had a grand and imaginative framework and were full of rich imagination. Combined with his writing skills, his vernacular stories were immediately sought after by the world, and he earned a lot of royalties.
Seeing this situation, Zhao Ruxi simply invested in opening a printing shop and a newspaper, and started a newspaper dedicated to serializing storybooks.
He Yuqi managed the printing and newspaper production. Zhao Jing'an and Xu Xue, in addition to writing storybooks to attract readers, also managed the editorial departments for male and female writers respectively. The four of them each owned a quarter of the shares.
With Zhao Jing'an and Xu Xue's storytelling as their rallying force, the newspaper flourished.