"This marriage proposal was personally made by your father," Madam Qin continued. "Lord Lin dotes on his legitimate daughter; Gu Siya is a son born to a concubine. For him to agree to such a marriage, your father must have made some promise. A promise that would satisfy Lord Lin, other than the position of Heir Apparent, I cannot imagine what else it could be."
Gu Sinian was silent for a moment. "They want it? Then I shall not give it."
Madam Qin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his words. Nian was the legitimate son. According to propriety, if he was healthy after the age of three, he could be enfeoffed as Heir Apparent. At the time, the Duke had repeatedly delayed, until the Old Madam could no longer stand it. She spoke with her daughter, who was a consort in the palace, and mentioned it to the Emperor, who then bestowed the title of Heir Apparent upon Nian.
All along, Nian had not paid much attention to the position of Heir Apparent. What he truly yearned for was the gaze of the Duke, the kind of gaze he only gave Gu Siya.
Alas, because of her, even the legitimate son, Nian, was not favored.
"Nian, rest assured, Mother will protect your position as Heir Apparent for you. In the future, this Duke's mansion will only be yours. Mother will find you a young lady who is better than Lin Durou in status and more virtuous," Madam Qin said earnestly.
"Mother, rest assured, your son knows what he is doing. I will not hand over the position of Heir Apparent either. As for... I will only marry a girl I like in the future. Her status and position are irrelevant; I, Gu Sinian, do not need to rely on connections to consolidate my position."
Madam Qin's eyes welled up with tears. The worry that had been weighing on her heart finally lifted. Nian longed for his father's love but never received it. Madam Qin had always worried that this would make him paranoid, but it seemed he was not. He spoke directly about not relying on connections and about only marrying a girl he liked, which made Madam Qin very happy. She also wished for Nian to have a girl he liked and who liked him in return, rather than going against his own feelings for the sake of destiny or status.
"Nian, Mother only wants you to live comfortably; Mother does not care about anything else. You must remember what you said, that you will only marry a girl you like. Mother, Mother does not want you to become another you father in matters of the heart..." Madam Qin said, her voice choked with emotion.
In his childhood, Gu Sinian might not have understood his mother and father, but as he grew older, he understood much.
Back then, his father liked the young lady from the Dong family, but his mother's status and position were a better match for the Duke's mansion. Moreover, the elders of the Gu family did not like the young lady from the Dong family, so she became a concubine, and his mother became the Duchess. In terms of status, his mother had the upper hand over Concubine Dong, but in terms of affection...
His father was a young general, heroic and extraordinary. It was said that many young ladies were infatuated with him back then, and his mother was no exception.
But the only person who had entered his father's heart was Concubine Dong.
Therefore, Gu Sinian knew how much his mother suffered, loved by someone who did not love her, and forever mourning someone who was already gone.
The living could not compete with the dead, how ironic.
"Mother, is Grandmother not returning for the New Year this year?" Gu Sinian changed the subject.
"She sent someone to deliver a message a couple of days ago, saying she wouldn't be back for the New Year. The roads are slippery due to the snow, and she'll return after spring," Madam Qin said, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"When Grandmother is about to return, I will go to pick her up," Gu Sinian added.
"I know you two have a good relationship. I will remind you then," Madam Qin said with a smile. Her mother-in-law had always been very kind to her, and she genuinely doted on Nian. If it weren't for her mother-in-law bypassing the Duke and speaking directly to the palace to request the title of Heir Apparent, it would have been much more troublesome relying solely on her. Therefore, Madam Qin truly respected her mother-in-law.
"Oh, right, that boy Yuanbao's pickled cabbage is gone. Can you ask her to get some more for me? It's the best to go with meals when one's appetite is poor," Madam Qin added.
"I'll have him send some over later."
Apricot Blossom Village, Qi Family.
Madam Yun was sewing clothes, and Qi Zhenzhen sat beside her, sketching flower patterns. She had bought some fine brush pens from the bookstore last time; they were much easier to use for sketching patterns than charcoal pencils.
"Mother, look, how is it?" Qi Zhenzhen put down her brush, blew on the ink to dry it, and held it in her palm for Madam Yun to see.
A branch of plum blossoms, with red buds dotting the branches, stood proudly.
The form was lifelike, and the spirit even more so. Sparse shadows slanted across the clear water, and a faint fragrance wafted through the moonlit dusk.
"Zhenzhen's painting skills are truly excellent. These plum blossoms look as if they are real," Madam Yun praised without reservation.
"So, Mother, can you embroider it on the collar for me?"
A sprig of plum blossom on the collar of a light yellow cotton cross-collar jacket would indeed look good.
Madam Yun nodded. "Alright, once the clothes are made, Mother will embroider it for you."
Qi Zhenzhen then drew a cluster of peonies and a sprig of bamboo. The peonies were for Madam Yun, and the bamboo was naturally for Yi Ge'er.
With these embroidered, even ordinary cotton clothes would stand out.
As Madam Yun's needlework moved, she sighed inwardly. Her daughter's appearance was impeccable, and her disposition was also good. Although her talent was not outstanding, it was quite good; her painting skills alone surpassed many. If she had grown up in the capital and been pampered since childhood, she would surely have a good reputation, and after reaching the age of marriage, there would undoubtedly be many suitors.
But now...
Madam Yun was lost in thought. She did not cling to her life in the mansion at all. If she had any attachment, she only needed to be attentive and accommodating to Qi Tianming, and she would never have ended up in this predicament.
Lost in thought, the needle tip pricked Madam Yun's finger.
Her fingers were connected to her heart. She cried out in surprise, and Qi Zhenzhen quickly took the needle and thread, using a handkerchief to wipe away the blood.
"I was just thinking about something..." Madam Yun saw the bloodstain on the jacket and felt a little embarrassed.
"Mother, you need to concentrate when you're doing things. It doesn't matter if the clothes get dirty, but it hurts so much to be pricked so hard," Qi Zhenzhen muttered. "This little bloodstain will wash off."
Madam Yun put down the clothes and sighed. "Mother has been having dreams these past few days, dreaming that we went back."
She was naturally referring to the Changping Marquis Mansion.
"Mother, dreams are just dreams, they can't come true."
Dreams could not come true, but in her dreams, Zhenzhen's marriage was ruined. The Madam had chosen a seemingly brilliant marriage for her, and Zhenzhen lived a very difficult life. She was trapped in the Marquis mansion and could do nothing but watch Zhenzhen being tormented...
Seeing Madam Yun's unhappy expression, Qi Zhenzhen comforted her. "Mother, the elders say dreams are the opposite of reality, so don't overthink it. Besides, even if we really go back, I'll protect you, and we won't be afraid."
Her daughter was still too naive.
She was a concubine, a secondary wife. If they returned to the Changping Marquis Mansion, the two children wouldn't even be able to call her Mother.
The Marquis Madam could torment her however she pleased.
"Zhenzhen, Mother's status is not honorable, and it will implicate you and your brother. Although the Marquis had arranged a marriage for you early on, if the Marquis Madam doesn't want this marriage to stand, then it won't stand. If she is a bit heartless and arranges a marriage for you that looks good on the surface, you will have to accept it," Madam Yun said with a sigh. She wasn't too worried about her son, but her daughter...
Qi Zhenzhen's eyes widened in astonishment. What? She was already betrothed?