strictlysupreme Chapter 206 Choice
Chapter 206 Choice
Ying watched coldly and interjected, "That Shangguan Zisu wronged your elder brother, why are you still defending her? Humph! You're just wasting your time! And that Jiang Chun, he probably only has Shangguan Zisu in his heart, right? You can't marry a man who doesn't have you in his heart!"
Fang Qiong sneered, "Mother, if you're unwilling to accompany me back to the capital, then you shouldn't interfere in my affairs! I'll leave my marriage to my eldest brother; you don't need to worry about it!"
Ying glared at her fiercely: "Is this how you treat me? I am your mother! Don't you believe me? I have suffered a lot. Your father doesn't care about me. Otherwise, why would I be living such a miserable life?"
Fang Heng agreed with her words: "Qiong'er, what I said is very true. It's better to find someone who loves you than someone you love! That way, you won't have a hard life!"
Fang Qiong wasn't offended by her older brother's words: "Okay, brother, I understand. I'll think about it carefully. If the person Sister Zisu introduced is indeed good, I'll give that person priority!"
Fang Heng: "Your sister Zisu is a good person with excellent taste, and she's also someone General Shangguan knows. I think this person is reliable. Try to meet him, and if you feel good about it, I still suggest you choose him. Jiang Chun also has high standards, and he has feelings for your sister Zisu. I really don't think it's suitable! There are plenty of good men out there. If you turn against your sister Zisu for such a man, would you be happy?"
Fang Qiong thought about it carefully and then nodded vigorously: "Big brother is right. I will meet the person that Sister Zisu introduced first. If the first impression is good, I will give that person priority!"
Fang Heng nodded: "Yes, marriage is a big deal, you need to be careful. There's one thing I must remind you: although Manager Jiang has divorced Jiang Chun's mother, she is still Jiang Chun's mother. If you marry Jiang Chun, you'll inevitably have to visit Jiang Chun's mother regularly. Just because she was divorced doesn't mean she's no longer Jiang Chun's mother! Are you happy dealing with Jiang Chun's mother? That person isn't easy to please. Are you willing to live that kind of stifling life?"
"As time goes on, you'll eventually get tired of it and find it unbearable. Besides, that person hates Zisu. If she forbids you from seeing Zisu, should you listen to her or not? After all, that person is Jiang Chun's mother. If things aren't handled well, it could very well affect your relationship with your husband. Think carefully about whether you want to be with Jiang Chun."
Upon hearing her elder brother's words, Fang Qiong felt as if she had been enlightened and quickly said, "Brother is right. I can't possibly sever ties with Sister Zisu just to please her, can I? Besides, if I sever ties with Sister Zisu, I'm the one who will suffer the loss, not Sister Zisu!"
Fang Heng: "You're right. If you cultivate a good relationship with Zisu, you will benefit immensely in this life. Your sister Zisu is a wise and kind person. As long as you treat her with sincerity, she will never treat you unfairly or stand idly by!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Madam Ying sneered, "Aren't you praising her too much? Back then, she had feelings for you and wanted to marry you. However, I only planned to take you a concubine, and she immediately changed her attitude. A woman who can't even tolerate a lowly concubine, so jealous and so narrow-minded, how kind can she be? Heng'er, she's already married and has children. Don't be bewitched by her!"
"Jealous? Narrow-minded?" Fang Heng could no longer bear her words, his voice laced with a cold laugh: "Can't tolerate a concubine, so you're jealous? Narrow-minded? Mother, perhaps other women can say that, but you have no right to! If you had tolerated Father taking a concubine back then, you wouldn't be in this situation today! Isn't it because you couldn't tolerate Father's concubine that you offended him and completely lost his heart?"
Fang Qiong also said, "Yes, Mother, do not do to others what you would not have them do to you! I really don't understand. You yourself clearly cannot tolerate Father taking a concubine, so why did you want my elder brother to take a concubine before the wedding? Back then, you even went to Sister Zisu and said all sorts of nonsense. No wonder Sister Zisu was angry! At that time, my elder brother hadn't even proposed to Sister Zisu yet, nor had anyone gone to the General's Mansion to propose marriage. You went and said those things to her. No wonder she was bothered!"
Madam Ying's face turned pale and then red from her children's words. She retorted, "You unfilial children, how dare you speak like that? Your father is heartless. Who told him to take five concubines at once? He completely disregards me. If I could let that go unpunished, I would be a complete fool. No woman is that virtuous!"
"At the time, I only said I'd take a concubine for your elder brother, and just a virtuous one at that, not a noble one. Besides, after your elder brother gets married, I'll definitely keep an eye on that concubine and make sure she doesn't bully your sister-in-law! But Shangguan Zisu can't even accept that, it's truly speechless! How can I be the same as her?!"
Fang Qiong: "Whether it's one concubine or five concubines, it's still having concubines. Moreover, you want to give one of your concubines to your elder brother before he gets married. It would be strange if Sister Zisu agreed! Not to mention her, even I would absolutely not agree!"
"You heartless, treacherous wretch..." Madam Ying was about to continue her tirade when Fang Heng impatiently said, "Mother, if you're going to continue like this, then don't stay with me. Just go back to the Marquis's mansion! As a mother, what have you done for my sister? When she needed your support the most, you stood by and did nothing, and now you even accuse her of being a traitor. Back then, if you hadn't acted so poorly, Princess Yulin wouldn't have left me!"
This was the first time in a long time that he had blamed his mother, the first time that he had spoken so harshly to her. Even today, if his mother hadn't been so indifferent to his younger sister, he still wouldn't have said those words.
His mother's state was simply unbearable! He was on the verge of a breakdown if he didn't speak up. As a mother, shouldn't she unconditionally love her children? But what had his mother done for him and his sister all these years?
It seemed she had only helped him raise his two children. However, as far as he knew, during his time in the Northeast military camp, Yun Duo and Ru Feng mostly stayed by Fang Qiong's side, and were raised by her. His mother, on the other hand, was mostly melancholic and lost in her own sorrow. Not only did she not care for his two children, but she also didn't wholeheartedly care for her own daughter, Fang Qiong.
Upon hearing her son's words, Ying felt a surge of panic: Oh no, she seemed to have offended her son. If he didn't let her go to the prefecture and instead made her return to the capital, she would be doomed! Being by her son's side, with so many ladies and young misses flattering her, she had lived a life of unimaginable comfort.
Go back to the capital? No, she absolutely refuses to go back! If she goes back to the capital, she'll have to deal with all those concubines, constantly on guard against this one and that one—life will be awful! No! She won't go back, not even if you kill her!
"Heng'er, Mother was wrong. Mother will definitely change in the future and will not cause you any trouble! However, I cannot go back to the Marquis's mansion. I am worried that if I go back, I will be poisoned to death! If you ask me, Qiong'er, you shouldn't go back either. Let your eldest brother choose a good man for you in the county. In the future, your eldest brother will be the highest official in Yulin County. There will be countless people who want to curry favor with him. Are you afraid that you won't be able to find a good family? If you go back to the Marquis's mansion, aren't you afraid of being poisoned to death?"
Fang Qiong got angry: "I'm scared too, but we can't give up just because we're scared! When I get married, I'll inevitably face a lot of struggles. What will I do then? If we don't even dare to go back to the Marquis of Zhongxin's mansion, what will I do when I encounter such problems in my husband's family after I get married?"
"If you don't gain more experience and knowledge now, you'll only be waiting to die when the time comes! Mother, don't say anything more. If you don't want to go back to the Marquis's mansion, then don't. I won't force you! However, since you're staying by my elder brother's side, please consider his feelings and don't accept any more money or gifts from others! This time, my elder brother has been promoted several ranks, and many people will inevitably dislike him and want to find fault with him!"
Fang Heng was shocked: "What? Mother, you actually accepted bribes?! When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"
Fang Qiong: "It's happened several times already. I only heard about it from someone a few days ago!"
Fang Heng was furious: "Mother, how could you do this? Although our family is not very wealthy, we don't have to worry about food, drink, or clothing. Are you saying that your son's life is too good? Do you know how apprehensive I was when I first sat in this position as county magistrate? If it weren't for Princess Yulin giving me an idea and suggesting that I start a carriage service, I wouldn't have had the resources to govern the impoverished Zhangshu County well!"
Besides, if Zisu found out, wouldn't she misunderstand him as a corrupt official? He was already heartbroken that he had missed his chance with Zisu in this life. If Zisu looked down on him, he might as well not live at all!
Mrs. Ying was speechless; her son was so angry, and she felt very uneasy.
Fang Heng then said, "You've accepted the money and valuable gifts from those people. Starting tomorrow, return them one by one. Once you run out of gifts, convert them into cash and return them to each household!"
Ying was reluctant: "Those jewels and ornaments are very valuable, and I like them very much. Could you keep one or two pieces?"
Fang Heng roared, "No, not a single one can stay! However, if you don't care about me at all, and aren't worried about me being impeached by the censor and losing my official hat, then you can secretly stay!"
Fang Qiong quickly advised, "Mother, how foolish you are! You gave up the vast estate of the Marquis's mansion, letting Father give it away bit by bit to those concubines and illegitimate children, while you accepted bribes, sowing the seeds of all sorts of trouble for my elder brother. Alas, if those concubines knew, I believe they would laugh themselves to death!"
Then he said to Fang Heng, "Brother, don't worry. I've already asked Father for a shop and a plot of land. I'm managing both now, and they bring in five or six hundred taels of silver a month. If you need any money, just let me know. When we get back, I'll try to get Father to give me some more money, and I'll send it to you then!"
Fang Heng waved his hand: "No need, keep what your father gave you for yourself. My salary is enough. I also had quite a lot of spoils when I was in the Northeast. Before returning to the capital, I sold those spoils and got more than ten thousand taels of silver, which is enough to support Yun Duo and Ru Feng's schooling! As for my daily salary, I'll give it to my mother for food expenses. As long as she doesn't spend it recklessly, it'll be enough!"
Fang Qiong suddenly remembered something: "Mother, didn't you have a lot of dowry? Where is it now?"
Ying: "It's in the Marquis's residence, in the storeroom of Luoxia Garden."
Fang Qiong: "Oh dear, Mother, you haven't been back to the Marquis's mansion for so long, I wonder if anything in the storeroom is missing!"
Ying said, "Is it really that bad? The Marquis's mansion has so many properties, and your father is not short of money. He shouldn't be eyeing those dowries."
Fang Qiong couldn't help but stomp her foot: "Mother, Father may not be interested in the dowry, but others might be! Why don't you give me a copy of the storeroom key and the dowry list, and I can check them against the list when I get back?"
Madam Ying then became anxious: "You're right, that Aunt Li is a greedy person. She might be eyeing the dowry. I'll give you the storeroom key and the dowry list right now. Go and make a copy of the dowry list yourself!"