Mother Zhao had no intention of quarreling with a young girl in public and ruining the dignity of her son, the provincial graduate.
She lifted her chin and looked arrogantly at the two branches of the Gu family.
“Gu Nian is right. As her elders, you not only failed to show pity for her after she lost her parents, you even pressured her like this. Do you have no shame?”
Gu Da and Gu San and their wives did not dare offend the mother of the newly minted juren. Gu Da hurriedly said, “It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. We only wanted to take pity on Nian’er after she lost her parents and bring her home to care for her.”
Gu Da’s wife explained, “Our niece is headstrong. It was nothing more than a little misunderstanding.”
Mother Zhao smiled. “Listen to yourselves. Gu Nian is betrothed to my son, so naturally she will be cared for by our family. You needn’t worry about her anymore.”
Aunt Wu and Uncle Wu let out a sigh of relief.
Was the Zhao family really going to protect Gu Nian now?
The Gu family members looked displeased. The Zhao family was clearly trying to seize Gu Er’s inheritance.
Mother Zhao turned to Gu Nian.
“Nian’er, we came here today for two reasons. First, to pay our respects to your parents—”
Gu Nian interrupted her. “Madam Zhao, please be careful what you say. My parents aren’t dead!”
Mother Zhao sneered. This little girl had been driven to such lengths by the Gu family. If she left her son, who else could she rely on?
She was merely playing hard to get.
Once she became a lowly concubine, Mother Zhao would teach the wretched girl some proper rules.
If she dared disobey, Mother Zhao would make her suffer until she was dead!
Mother Zhao pressed her lips together in a smile. “All right, all right. Whether your parents are dead or not, you are ultimately my son’s woman. Our Zhao family will certainly protect you and absolutely will not let those petty people take advantage of you.”
She cast a sidelong glance at the Gu family. “We will all be relatives in the future. Once my son enters government service, he will remember his ties to you as relatives. We are here now, so if you have nothing else to do, you may leave.”
Having been threatened, Gu Da, Gu San, and their wives had no choice. They glared viciously at Gu Nian before leaving.
Mother Zhao took Gu Nian’s hand, her face benevolent even though her tone could not conceal her disdain.
“Just look at this. How can a young lady’s hands be so rough? My son has the talent to become the top scholar. His wife will have to associate constantly with noble ladies and women of rank. She must not only be noble and dignified, but also elegant and proper.”
Gu Nian silently pulled her hand back and tucked it into her sleeve.
Mother Zhao took out a handkerchief and wiped her hand, as though Gu Nian’s hand had been filthy.
Zhao Meili rolled her eyes. “Exactly. Sister Gu, looking like some country bumpkin, you’re embarrassing my brother.”
Gu Nian glanced up at Zhao Meili.
She wore a gold-threaded, pearl-studded coiffure, a rose-purple double-colored jacket trimmed with gold and silver squirrel fur, and an onion-yellow silk-cotton skirt decorated with entwined flowers. Draped over her shoulders was a lotus-green crane cloak patterned with clouds.
Dressed like that, she could walk down the street and be mistaken for a young lady from some wealthy family.
Two months earlier, Zhao Meili had said that she wanted the most fashionable outfit available so that, once her elder brother passed the provincial examination, she could wear it to support him and lend him prestige. She had dragged Gu Nian along to buy it.
Mother Zhao gave Zhao Qian a push. “Qian’er, didn’t you have something to say to A-Nian?”
Zhao Qian put on an affectionate expression. “A-Nian, I promise you that once I marry the daughter of Assistant Prefect Zhou of Lin’an Prefecture, I will take you as my concubine. You only need to wait patiently.”
“Become a concubine? Thank you so much.” Gu Nian’s smile was anything but genuine.
Zhao Qian was delighted. He had known it—Gu Nian loved him deeply.
As long as he promised that he would marry her, she would be happy and obedient even if she were only a concubine.
“A-Nian, as long as you conduct yourself properly, I will have my principal wife permit you to bear a child or two, so that you will have someone to rely on in the future.”
Zhao Qian was certain that, apart from marrying him, Gu Nian had no other way out.
Gu Nian laughed in disbelief.
In the eyes of the Zhao mother and son, could she only have someone to rely on if Zhao Qian deigned to let her bear his child?
The words of Mother Zhao and her daughter struck the surroundings like a thunderclap on a clear day, setting everyone to gossiping.
Granny Wang gloated. “See? Didn’t I tell you I was right? Young Master Zhao is a juren. How could he take the daughter of a merchant as his principal wife? Giving her the position of concubine is already proof that he remembers their past.”
Someone angrily said, “Do they have no shame? The entire family was supported by Gu Er’s household.”
“Exactly. They even dare to demote a formally betrothed wife to the status of concubine. There’s no justice in that, even if she takes it to the authorities!”
Granny Wang snorted. “Does she have the ability to take it to court? He’s the son-in-law of the Assistant Prefect of Lin’an Prefecture. She probably couldn’t even get through the gates of the prefectural office.”
Aunt Wu looked at Gu Nian worriedly.
Gu Nian looked at the bastard of a man pretending to be a refined gentleman and could not help sighing.
In the past, she had thought Zhao Qian was the best-looking man in all of Fuyang County.
But after last night…
With a true gem before her, Zhao Qian’s dog face was not even fit to carry the shoes of the man who would father her future child.
She could no longer feel the slightest ripple in her heart for Zhao Qian.
Gu Nian asked calmly, “I only want to ask you this: when did you begin wanting to marry someone else?”
Hadn’t he started dreaming of climbing into a more powerful family when Mother Zhao and her children came to propose?
For the past two years, the three of them had put on an act while relentlessly squeezing every advantage they could from her family under one pretext after another.
They were utterly shameless!
Under Gu Nian’s mocking gaze, Zhao Qian felt somewhat guilty.
But she had humiliated him, a juren, in front of everyone, and displeasure rose in his heart as well.
He had only done this because of his future prospects; he had had no choice. How had she become so unreasonable and incapable of understanding him?
She really was the daughter of a merchant—short-sighted.
Zhao Qian patiently coaxed her. “A-Nian, you know how I’ve treated you all these years. Even if I have to marry a noble young lady from an eminent family for the sake of my career, you are the only one in my heart. You won’t lose anything. Be a little more sensible and obedient, and I promise I won’t let you down.”
Gu Nian sneered.
So refusing to happily accept her place as a concubine meant she was being unreasonable?
It was true that she had once given those three people everything she had.
Fortunately, she had not married him.
Mother Zhao disliked seeing her son humble himself before this woman.
With a stern expression, she scolded, “Gu Nian, would becoming the provincial graduate’s concubine really disgrace you? Qian’er had to set aside his dignity as a juren and personally plead with the Assistant Prefect of Lin’an Prefecture before he was allowed to take you as a concubine. The Zhou family is being magnanimous enough to tolerate you. You should be grateful.”
Zhao Meili joined in. “You aren’t even worthy of being my brother’s bedmate, so don’t push your luck!”
Gu Nian was so amused by the shamelessness of the three members of the Zhao family that she laughed.
Had the three of them forgotten that it was a household of her status that had supported them?
It was her family that had pinched and scraped to put food in their mouths and raised Zhao Qian up onto the path to an official career!
If she had not possessed a medicine shop and a house, wouldn’t they have broken off the engagement long ago?
Zhao Qian had used the silver her family gave him to curry favor with the Assistant Prefect of Lin’an Prefecture and find himself a lofty branch to climb. Then he had turned around and trampled her into the mud—and she was still supposed to be grateful?
Gu Nian could not help sneering. “Whoever wants this concubinage can have it. I don’t.”
Mother Zhao had not expected Gu Nian to say such a thing.
Unable to suppress her anger, she deliberately shouted toward the onlookers, “Ask the neighbors yourselves. If Qian’er doesn’t marry you, who in all of Fuyang County would take you?”
Granny Wang immediately added, “A woman cast aside by a provincial graduate? I wouldn’t dare arrange a match for her. I’d be cursed to death!”
Fuyang County was not large, and a woman whose engagement had been broken already had a poor reputation. What was more, she was a woman rejected by a juren. Who would dare risk marrying her?
What if he went on to pass the metropolitan examination and become the top scholar?
No one dared to gamble on that.
Zhao Qian assumed she was merely throwing a childish tantrum.
With a stern face, he rebuked her. “A-Nian, I’ve already given you a way to save face. Don’t rely on the affection I have for you to keep making trouble. If you insist on being so unreasonable, I can only break off the engagement. Do you understand?”
He had repeatedly given her an opportunity to back down. She ought to show some magnanimity.
“Sister Gu, you only have one chance. Don’t wait until my brother grows tired of you and regret it when it’s too late,” Zhao Meili reminded her.
She had set her heart on a ruby jewelry set that she wanted to wear on her elder brother’s wedding day.
Gu Nian had always granted her every request. If Gu Nian did not want to be abandoned by her brother, she would certainly buy it for her in an attempt to curry favor with her.
Uncle Wu and Aunt Wu could only wipe away their tears. After all, this concerned Gu Nian’s lifelong happiness, and they had no right to interfere.
Everyone pricked up their ears, waiting for Gu Nian’s response.
If Gu Nian refused to become a concubine, her marriage to Zhao Qian really might fall through.
Gu Nian did not want to waste any more words on them.
She was preoccupied with that beautiful young male performer and needed to hurry and find a bonesetter to set his bones.
She said indifferently, “Since that’s the case, then let’s break off the engagement.”
“Break off the engagement?! How dare you!”
The three members of the Zhao family shrieked in unison.
Gu Nian found it amusing.
What was there that she did not dare do?