Chapter 19: An Embarrassing Situation

◎She was once destined for greatness, but now she's a common widow.◎

"You shouldn't only consider the household or Lian'er, you should also think about Third Son and his son. If Lian'er marries in, Third Son's position could be improved with the help of the Ru Yang Marquis. When Shi-er grows up, he'll have a brother-in-law to rely on. Isn't that beneficial for both parties?"

On this day, the matriarch was unusually kind, keeping Third Daughter-in-law in her room for a long conversation. Yu Niang walked slowly on her way back, her mind preoccupied with these matters.

Upon entering the courtyard, she saw her youngest son sitting there eating a snack. He ran over when he saw her, "Mother."

"How is your sister doing?" She had heard most of the story from the matriarch. Li Xiang, the legitimate youngest son of the Ru Yang Marquis, had led soldiers there with intentions of intimidating and taking advantage, but upon seeing Lian'er, he changed his mind and withdrew his troops.

Yu Shi was too young to understand many complexities. He simply said that the bad brother had brought soldiers and, after leaving, bumped into him at the gate, summoning him for a talk.

"He asked me to tell you that your future son-in-law's name is Li Xiang. Pfft, shameless! He also wants you to marry your sister to him, promising a nice house, good food, and fine clothes for her, and that he would come for her in an eight-carriage procession."

Yu Niang was taken aback. She hadn't expected Li Xiang to seem sincere rather than just joking around. She stroked her son's head, "What do you think, Shi-er, about having him as your brother-in-law?"

She had expected her son to say yes, given Li Xiang's favorable conditions. As a loving younger brother, he wouldn't want his sister to go hungry or wear shabby clothes, and Li Xiang could provide all of that. Moreover, he would protect his sister from being bullied, just as Yu Niang had witnessed today when soldiers entered the Hu residence and caused chaos, aware of the difficult situation her sister faced.

Little one lifted his chin, creasing his tiny brow in displeasure. "Mother, this man is very wicked. If he truly likes Sister, why does he hurt her? He should be the one sent away."

"I don't think he's a decent fellow. Erya doesn't like him at all."

Despite Erya's earlier explanation of love at first sight, the child couldn't grasp the concept.

Yu Niang sighed and sat down to sip her tea, gazing blankly at the garden full of flowers. Back then, her daughter had adored cultivating them, even if it was somewhat for the sake of appearing refined. Still, she had cared for them with dedication, filling the entire third courtyard with blooms, especially peonies, which were planted in the center and blossomed vibrantly, surpassing all others. A circle of various other flowers surrounded them, as if paying homage to the peonies, without any intention of competing for beauty.

These flowers revealed the high aspirations her daughter once held; she was born with a phoenix's heart, but now, she was just a common widow, the wife of a convicted criminal...

"Yu Shi, how is your elder sister? Does she need money? Have you given her the banknote?"

Feeling awkward, Little Yu rummaged in his pocket and took out the banknote for his mother. "Sister, please don't secretly slip it into my clothes again."

Madam Yu felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. This silly child was still being polite with his own mother at such a critical time.

Little Yu also retrieved the letter his sister had written for their mother.

Having grown up in a scholarly family, Yu Niang was accustomed to composing occasional poems for women's chambers. Reading a letter was certainly within her capabilities. Little Yu pestered his mother to read it aloud for him as well.

Yet, no sooner had she glanced at the letter twice than tears welled up in her eyes, making it impossible for her to continue reading it aloud to her son. She carefully read the letter twice more, then neatly folded it away, intending to show it to her husband when he returned from his official duties.

Little Yu harrumphed in frustration, feeling equally resentful towards both his parents. They refused to show him his sister's letter, nor would they read it aloud to him.

After his younger brother left, Yu Lian noticed it was still early, so she decided to visit her grandmother's chamber. Coincidentally, the matriarch had just awakened, and Yi Po was attending to her as she took her medicine. Yu Lian took over, helping the elderly lady finish the remaining half bowl of her herbal decoction.

After finishing her medicine, the elderly matriarch patted her granddaughter-in-law's hand affectionately. "You've worked hard, Lovely."

"Is the commotion outside today caused by officials from the government coming to create trouble?"

Yu Lian glanced at Yi Po, who turned her head away awkwardly.

The elderly lady chuckled. "It's not her fault. Grandmother's old and has trouble sleeping. Once she's woken up, she can't fall back asleep. I understand your concern for Grandmother's health, so I've instructed Yi Po not to report these trivial matters to her, for fear of distressing her. But with an issue this significant, I'm worried you might not be able to handle it alone."

"Our family's influence is weak now, so don't argue with the officials. We'll only end up suffering. In the next couple of days, let Yi Po's spouse help find a residence outside to move to. Grandmother still has some silver and jewelry. Sell them and see how much money we can get. If the city houses are too expensive, inquire about options in the outskirts. At this point, we can't be picky; we just need a place to settle down."

The elderly lady looked at her granddaughter-in-law and sighed.

In the end, all roads led to the same conclusion: her granddaughter-in-law would have to endure hardships. The elderly lady could only hope that she would be strong enough to bear it all.

Yu Lian nodded with a smile. "Grandmother, there's no need to worry. Lian'er knows her limits. As for the money, please don't concern yourself with it. Just focus on taking care of your health. When you're better, we'll move to a new place."

The term "Grandmother" soothed the old lady's worries, and her smile deepened, radiating even more kindness.

"Grandmother remembers when Hua'er used to call me that when he was young. But as he grew older, not only did he dislike being called by his nickname, but he also didn't want Father, Mother, or Grandmother to address him that way. He preferred being cool," she reminisced.

Yu Lian asked curiously, "Your husband had a nickname? I've never heard of it before."

At this, the old lady perked up and explained with enthusiasm, "Of course you haven't. When he turned seven and started understanding things, he developed a sense of shame. He found his nickname embarrassing and thought it diminished his dignity, so he forbade people from using it."

Yu Lian's curiosity grew. "What was his nickname?"

The wrinkles around the old lady's eyes deepened as she chuckled. "He was called Hua Tong. Your husband's name was given by your father, with 'Ji' as his given name. When Hua'er was three and had just composed his first poem, gaining some fame, he suddenly fell gravely ill. The best imperial doctors were helpless. Eventually, an abbot from Tianyan Temple gave a prediction: 'Life too heavy for youth to bear.' It meant that Hua'er's destiny was incredibly prestigious, but he couldn't withstand it in his childhood, and there was a risk of an accident. We didn't know what to do at the time, but the master suggested giving him a nickname to suppress it until he was ten years old. Strangely enough, after we gave him the nickname, Hua'er recovered in just a few days."

"As he grew older, Hua'er wouldn't allow anyone to call him by his nickname anymore. His parents and I used to call him Hua or Tongtong, but once he forbade it, we thought 'Hua' and 'Ji' sounded similar, and coincidentally, his master gave him the courtesy name Zihua. So, we decided to call him Hua'er, and that settled it."

Yu Lian couldn't help but giggle softly. She never would have guessed that the renowned Hua Ji was once such a vain child.

The old lady laughed along and shared more anecdotes about her grandson's mischievous antics.

"From the moment he learned to walk and talk, he displayed numerous idiosyncrasies. At three, he began composing poems for himself. At five, he persistently requested the carpenter in his household to create wooden soldiers and generals for him. At seven, he passed the preliminary scholarly examination but, due to a fever, settled for second place. Unsatisfied, he retook the exam the following year and consecutively achieved six top honors. By ten, he entered the Imperial Academy, swiftly gaining admiration and respect from both his teachers, renowned scholars, and fellow classmates. The following year, when the Third Prince, at twelve, also joined the academy, the two, for some unexplained reason, engaged in a brawl, thus forging a deep-seated enmity between them..."

After a heartfelt conversation, Yu Lian noticed the matriarch's mood and vitality significantly improved. She then escorted her through the courtyard to enjoy some sunshine. Once they were done, Yu Lian politely bid the matriarch farewell and headed to her in-laws' quarters.

The matriarch stood in the courtyard, watching her granddaughter-in-law leave. Yi Po inquired, "With your astute mind, wouldn't you like to inquire about Madam's thoughts?"