Mrs. Min has arrived, and Tong Huaqiong is truly worried that Han Niu Min might have come along.
Since he hasn’t shown up, he must not be here.
Tong Huaqiong slightly relaxed her nerves.
Facing Tong Dajiao’s childhood friend, Tong Huaqiong really didn’t know how to exchange pleasantries upon meeting.
Surely, it wouldn’t be red-eyed and red-faced; her soul was still young, and Han Niu Min was no different in her mind from any elder uncle.
After Tong Huaqiong finished her exchanges with Mrs. Min, the crowd gathered to ask about the conflict between her and Princess Ming Yue today.
Despite incessant eye signals from Mrs. Zhao, Liu Yueer still voiced her concerns.
"We’ve offended Prince Yu Mansion; will we still be able to conduct business normally in Shengjing?"
Tong Huaqiong glanced at Liu Yueer, making her daughter-in-law tremble all over.
"There are so many nobles, aristocrats, and ministers in Shengjing; if the signboard of Taohua Dessert falls off, it might crush a few. Not knowing who you’ll offend—worrying about offending this one or that one—makes it even harder to do business."
"You can’t avoid offending Prince Yu Mansion just because you don’t want to; Princess Ming Yue valued our dessert chef and forced the chef to serve her. You tell me, is this Liu’s fault or Taohua Dessert’s fault? Master Liu came from the capital city to support the shop in Shengjing, and there’s no reason for him to be forced into servitude upon his visit. If this happens, then which of our clerks would dare to be loyal to us afterward? Offering our clerks with both hands would make us seem even easier to bully, inciting anyone to step on us. Don’t think that giving Master Liu to Princess Ming Yue will make her grateful; even if you handed over all our family fortune, it would still seem owed. In that case, it’s better to escalate the matter, making them dread the consequences of provoking Taohua Dessert, so we can safely do business in Shengjing."
Tong Huaqiong considered Liu Yueer’s mentality petty.
Catering to the powerful is pointless, either accept misfortune or leverage it against them.
Tong Huaqiong chose the latter.
Mrs. Min clapped in appreciation: "Thinking this way is correct. That Prince Yu Mansion is nothing; the emperor merely uses them to showcase his benevolence but they arrogantly think the world belongs to them."
Mrs. Min believed Prince Yu Mansion wanted to establish a reckless image reassuring for the emperor but was acting too intensely, leading to oppressive behavior which would eventually backfire.
Today, Tong Huaqiong caught them at it, causing the emperor’s suspicion.
Indeed, it was the clever Tong Family girl, daring to physically confront Prince Yu Mansion upon arriving in Shengjing, earning Mrs. Min’s admiration towards Tong Huaqiong even more.
Soon it was evening.
Tong Huaqiong invited Mrs. Min to stay for dinner.
After dinner, Mrs. Min continued the conversation with Tong Huaqiong.
"Seeing you reminds me of my Baozhen," Mrs. Min’s tone resonated with lingering sadness.
Baozhen?
Tong Huaqiong activated Tong Dajiao’s memory.
Baozhen was Han Niu Min’s sister, also known as Su Chengmin’s mother.
A devoted follower of Tong Dajiao.
Since Su Chengmin mentioned not having his mother around since childhood, Baozhen must have passed away early.
Tong Huaqiong lamented, "I still remember my childhood friendship with Baozhen sister."
When Tong Dajiao accepted the Gu Family’s betrothal, Baozhen was quite upset. Yet when Tong Dajiao married, Baozhen still contributed money earned from picking herbs to give Tong Huaqiong a pair of silver bracelets.
Tong Huaqiong, recalling these memories, considered inquiring Mrs. Min about the cause of Baozhen’s early death.
Seeing Mrs. Min’s sorrowful expression, she hesitated.
"Baozhen was unfortunate, having met Chengmin’s father upon arriving in Shengjing," Mrs. Min voluntarily spoke about Baozhen’s marriage and passing details.
Su Chengmin’s father, Su Shihang, was then a young Imperial College student bullied on the street by noble sons.
Baozhen, who had recently entered the capital following her general brother, stood up and harshly chastised the young noble.
Thus, meeting Chengmin’s father.
Later, when Su Shihang became a scholar, he proposed to the Min Family, with Han Niu Min petitioning the emperor for their marriage grant.
Wooed by her beloved’s proposal, Baozhen felt blissful.
Their marriage further passed in sweet days.
Everything changed upon Chengmin’s birth.
"Unexpectedly, Su Shihang acted unkindly, revealing his legal wife and children back home, deceiving my Baozhen because of my son Han Niu’s military rank, climbing ranks. When Chengmin was five, he confessed to Baozhen about his existing family. I advised Baozhen to divorce, but she refused..."
Baozhen compromised, agreeing to bring Su Chengmin’s legal wife and children to Shengjing under concubine status.
Su Chengmin shared childhood affection with his lawful wife, feeling guilty. The wife exploited this, constantly provoking Baozhen. Combined with Chengmin’s old mother undermining her, life in Su Mansion was tough for Baozhen.
Her fiery nature was replaced with humiliation, previously admired for her love with Su Shihang, exposed as deceptive.
Externals pressures compounded by self-torment led to Baozhen’s early demise within three years.
Tong Huaqiong was filled with questions, finding Baozhen’s hurried departure perplexing.
Su Chengmin’s parental plot strangely mirrored Gu Jingzhe’s past life storyline, while the villain here was the lawful wife and the victim was Baozhen.
Conclusively, Su Shihang was just a shameless man.
Tong Huaqiong and Mrs. Min together cursed Su Shihang.
"Isn’t this Chen Shimei!"
Even Mrs. Zhao joined the scolding.
Mrs. Min wiped her tears, stating: "Luckily Chengmin is a good child, unlike his father. After Baozhen’s passing, I took Chengmin in to raise; let him learn and practice militarily under his uncle. Even the emperor remarked Chengmin as Dasheng’s only well-rounded talent."
Upon mentioning Su Chengmin, pride sparkled across Mrs. Min’s face.
"Rest assured, Chengmin, like his uncle, is steadfast," Mrs. Min told Tong Huaqiong.
Tong Huaqiong’s mind almost stalled.
Mrs. Min’s implication caused bewilderment, wondering about the correlation between Su Chengmin’s character and her.
Observing Gu Taohua beside her, Tong Huaqiong promptly understood.
The Min Family had already discussed Su Chengmin’s intentions towards Gu Taohua, Mrs. Min was probing Tong Huaqiong’s stance regarding the potential union.
However, it wasn’t appropriate to discuss in Mrs. Zhao’s presence and others.
Furthermore, ultimately Gu Taohua’s opinion matters.
"They say people are influenced by their surroundings; growing up under your care, Chengmin’s character is undoubtedly commendable," Tong Huaqiong replied.
Mrs. Min’s face beamed with joy.
She indeed aimed at gauging Tong Huaqiong’s feelings.
Seeing Tong Huaqiong’s reaction suggested promising prospects for the union.
Mrs. Min disliked Shengjing’s conservative noblewomen; she preferred untethered souls from rural regions. Gu Taohua resonated with her liking, desiring Gu Taohua as the granddaughter-in-law upon first meeting.
Since Su Chengmin clearly expressed admiration towards Gu Taohua, Mrs. Min deemed this marriage inevitable.
However, Tong Huaqiong had just arrived in Shengjing, abruptly proposing would be disrespectful.
Moreover, today’s gathering wasn’t for matchmaking; she planned to privately engage Tong Huaqiong in discussions soon.