Hearing his threat, Madam Dai paled and quickly glared at her son. “Kai’er, stop talking nonsense! Apologize to your father at once!”
It must be said that his threat truly frightened Zhou Rongkai. His legs went weak, and he knelt to apologize. “Father, I didn’t really mean to break off the engagement. It was just a moment of anger. Please don’t be upset!”
Madam Dai clung to Zhou Hui’s arm, pleading for her son. “Marquis, Kai’er was just momentarily confused and spoke recklessly. He would never joke about the future of the Marquis’s estate. That little wretch from the second branch of the Mo family is merely a plaything. Kai’er will cut off all contact with her from today onward. Please believe in Kai’er one more time.”
As she spoke, she kept signaling her son with her eyes.
Fortunately, Zhou Rongkai was terrified by the threat of replacing the heir. This time, he dared not argue further and obediently promised, “Yes, yes… I swear I will never have anything to do with Mo Si’an again. I will listen to my parents’ arrangements and devote myself wholeheartedly to Mo Lingzheng, striving to marry her as soon as possible to set your minds at ease!”
Zhou Hui glared at him, still uneasy, and issued another warning. “I hope you mean what you say. Don’t disappoint me, or don’t blame me for being heartless!”
“Yes!” Zhou Rongkai bowed his head in response.
…
The next day.
Mo Lingzheng was sleeping soundly when she was suddenly kicked.
She opened her eyes and looked toward the inner side of the bed. It was indeed that little fellow, and she had no idea when he had woken up. He had already resumed his cross-legged meditation.
“What are you doing? Aren’t Da Niu and Er Niu here? If you’re hungry, go find them!” she snapped, her voice thick with sleep and irritation.
“Woman, someone from the Pingnan Marquis’s estate is here!” Yan Si’s little face was taut, cold, and stern.
“So they’re here. What does that have to do with me?” Mo Lingzheng pulled the quilt over her head. Moments later, she pushed the quilt aside herself, sat up with a sour expression, and said, “If I’m not mistaken, the people from the Pingnan Marquis’s estate are definitely here to please me!”
If Zhou Rongkai wanted to break off the engagement, he would have to get past his parents.
The Marquis and his wife had gone to great lengths to secure the marriage alliance with the General’s estate. Unless their heads were filled with dung, they would never agree to Zhou Rongkai breaking off the engagement!
A quarter of an hour later, dressed in an old, worn skirt and casually sticking a hairpin in her hair, she headed to the small southern hall.
“Well, if it isn’t the Marchioness and the heir. What wind has blown you here?” As soon as she entered, she couldn’t help but speak sarcastically. She didn’t even offer Madam Dai the courtesy due to an elder. Instead, she went straight to the host’s seat and sat down.
When she left her bedroom, Da Niu and Er Niu had told her that the mother and son hadn’t gone to pay their respects to that old thing, Yu Shi, but had come straight to her Qixin Courtyard.
Faced with her rudeness, Zhou Rongkai rebuked her indignantly. “Mo Lingzheng, who allowed you to be so disrespectful in front of my mother?”
Mo Lingzheng glanced at the plump Madam Dai, then glared back at him with disgust. “Heir Zhou, this is my home, my courtyard. Whether I’m being rude or not is up to me. Besides, you and I broke off our engagement yesterday. How I treat guests is none of your business.”
Her words and actions were completely different from before, something Madam Dai had not anticipated at all. Her arrogant and disrespectful attitude left Madam Dai even more astonished.
Could it be that this girl truly intended to break off the engagement with her son?
Thinking of this, she quickly forced what she thought was a warm smile and said gently, “Lingzheng, we’re not outsiders. Don’t take Kai’er’s words to heart.” As she spoke, she signaled to the maid beside her to open several gift boxes on the table. “These hairpins and jewelry were all personally chosen by Kai’er for you. See if you like them?”
Mo Lingzheng glanced sideways, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips. “Since my engagement to the heir, he has been even stingier than Mr. Iron. Is he making up for three years’ worth of gifts all at once?”
“Mo Lingzheng—” Zhou Rongkai rose angrily from his seat.
“Kai’er!” Madam Dai snapped at her son with displeasure.
Zhou Rongkai had no choice but to grit his teeth, swallow his anger, and sit back down.
Madam Dai stood up and approached Mo Lingzheng. Though her smile was stiff, she maintained it with effort. “Lingzheng, I know Kai’er has caused you a lot of distress lately. I apologize on his behalf here. Rest assured, the Marquis and I reprimanded him severely yesterday. If he dares to upset you again, we won’t let him off! For the sake of the Marquis and me, please calm your anger, alright?”
Seeing her lower herself to please Mo Lingzheng like this, Zhou Rongkai couldn’t help but rise angrily again, pointing at Mo Lingzheng and fuming, “My mother is being so humble to you—don’t be ungrateful!”
Mo Lingzheng shot him a cold glare. “Heir Zhou, you jest! You were the one who spoke of breaking off the engagement, you were the one who angered me, and your mother’s current humility is because of you. Instead of reflecting on yourself, you have the audacity to blame me?”
“You!” Zhou Rongkai was so provoked he nearly stomped his feet.
“Kai’er!” Madam Dai turned her head and glared fiercely at her son again. “Have you forgotten your father’s words?”
Zhou Rongkai felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and the anger on his face vanished instantly.
Madam Dai continued to threaten him with her gaze. Stiffly, he stepped forward and said to Mo Lingzheng, “What happened yesterday was my recklessness. I shouldn’t have treated the matter of marriage as a joke. I take back my careless words about breaking off the engagement. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Mo Lingzheng knew very well that breaking off this engagement was impossible, even if she had an electromagnetic cannon installed in her mouth.
She stood up, her tone no longer confrontational, and even took the initiative to offer them a way out. “Madam, both the heir and I are young. Young people are hot-tempered and prone to arguments and anger. Since the heir says it was just careless words, I’ll treat yesterday’s incident as if it never happened.”
Madam Dai bared her teeth, her smile instantly becoming natural again. She took Mo Lingzheng’s hand and said, “Occasional arguments between young people can even deepen feelings. As long as misunderstandings are cleared up, everything will be fine.”
Mo Lingzheng withdrew her hand and rubbed her temples. “Madam, some things happened in the manor yesterday, and I didn’t rest well. I’m feeling tired today and won’t be able to entertain you further.”
Madam Dai’s smile stiffened slightly, but she was tactful and considerate. “It was inconsiderate of us to come so abruptly and disturb your rest. Kai’er and I will leave now. Another day, we’ll host a banquet at the manor and send someone to fetch you.”
At this point, she didn’t care about Mo Lingzheng’s attitude toward them. As long as Mo Lingzheng didn’t insist on breaking off the engagement, she could endure anything.
After all, once this wretch entered her marquis manor, as the mother-in-law, she would have plenty of ways and means to deal with her!
Mo Lingzheng nodded indifferently, not bothering to hide her perfunctory manner, then instructed Da Niu by the door, “See Madam and the heir out on my behalf.”
“Yes.” Da Niu responded.
Madam Dai and Zhou Rongkai said nothing more. Leaving behind generous gifts, they followed Da Niu and departed.
After the mother and son walked out of Qinxin Courtyard, Zhou Rongkai suddenly stopped at a fork in the path and looked toward the east.
Madam Dai noticed her son had halted and turned back to look at him. Anger flared within her. “You wretched thing, this is the General’s estate. If you dare go look for that wench again, believe me, I’ll break your legs!”
Zhou Rongkai clenched his fist inside his sleeve.
This time, the trouble caused by the broken engagement had already angered his father. He and An’er really should avoid suspicion for now.
Besides, they had plenty of other places to meet; there was no need to insist on doing so within the General’s estate…
After a brief pause, he lifted his foot and headed toward the main gate.
Seeing this, Madam Dai finally let out a long sigh of relief.
After seeing off the mother and son from the Marquis’s household, Mo Lingzheng returned to her bedchamber.
Er Niu had laid out the meal and was currently attending to a certain little fellow as he ate.
Seeing her return, Er Niu respectfully invited, “Miss Mo, please dine.”
“Thank you.” Mo Lingzheng walked over and sat down beside the little fellow. She sighed and said, “Young Master A Si, as you’ve seen, the Pingnan Marquis’s household simply won’t let me off. To break off the engagement with Zhou Rongkai, we still need to plan carefully and proceed step by step.”
“Mmm.” Yan Si responded softly. At this moment, he was no longer as fierce and overbearing as before. He took small, delicate bites of his food, and his calm demeanor finally carried a hint of a child’s innocence.
Mo Lingzheng scooped up a few mouthfuls of rice and dishes, then continued, “Apart from Zhou Rongkai being a scoundrel, the Marquis and his wife in the Pingnan Marquis’s household are also no good. Getting rid of them completely really is a headache! In this world, power and status reign supreme. If I could latch onto a man with status and position, perhaps I could cut through the knot quickly…”
Thwack!
The chopsticks in the little fellow’s hand slammed onto the table. Then, narrowing his eyes, he looked at her coldly. “Who do you want to seduce?”