Lu Yiner’s eyes shifted slightly.
She also wanted to know which girl Su Chengmin truly favored.
Even Lu Yiner herself didn’t realize how wildly jealous she was of the girl Su Chengmin admired.
The girl Su Chengmin favored, Gu Taohua, was chatting with Lu Zhaozhao while waiting for Tong Huaqiong and the others to return home.
Their conversation couldn’t stray far from Princess Ming Yue.
Thinking of the way Princess Ming Yue had embarrassed herself in front of them made the two of them undeniably excited.
Gu Taohua asked, "Third Sister-in-law, if Zhao Xiyue really comes up with two hundred thousand taels of silver, will you really yield Third Brother to her?"
Lu Zhaozhao replied, "Yield. Not yielding means the temptation isn’t big enough, but two hundred thousand taels of silver is enough of a temptation."
Jingzhe: "..."
So, you’re not asking for his opinion, right?
Jingzhe’s heart quietly broke.
From now on, when he saw Zhao Xiyue, he wouldn’t even give her a glance, fearing Lu Zhaozhao might sell him out.
"The owner is back," Su Qing shouted.
Gu Taohua and Lu Zhaozhao came out to greet them.
"Mother, how was the palace banquet today?"
"Did anything new and interesting happen?"
Gu Taohua chirped, trying to find out about the happenings at the palace banquet.
"Nothing much happens in the forbidden grounds of the Imperial Palace," Tong Huaqiong said, "but Zhaozhao, I just heard that Zhao Xiyue gave you some trouble."
As soon as Tong Huaqiong got home, Su Qing quickly informed her of today’s events.
Upon entering and seeing Lu Zhaozhao’s radiant face and steady emotions, totally unaffected by Zhao Xiyue, Tong Huaqiong was reassured.
Gu Taohua then told Tong Huaqiong about the encounter between Lu Zhaozhao and Zhao Xiyue.
Liu Yueer felt a bit jealous seeing how close Gu Taohua was with Lu Zhaozhao.
While her sister-in-law was worried about Third Brother’s situation, her own good marriage was about to fall apart.
Although nothing explicit had been said about Su Chengmin and Gu Taohua, everyone in the Gu Family assumed they were a couple.
Even Tong Huaqiong hadn’t arranged a marriage for Gu Taohua, further cementing in everyone’s eyes the idea of Gu Taohua and Su Chengmin’s relationship.
The reason it hadn’t been confirmed was that Su Chengmin’s involvement with the Crown Prince’s issue had only recently been cleared, and Tong Huaqiong had just arrived in Shengjing and had yet to make arrangements.
After seeing her mother-in-law return to her room, Liu Yueer pulled Gu Taohua aside and said, "Taohua, you need to be more mindful. Do you know what happened at today’s palace banquet? It’s related to Su Chengmin."
Gu Taohua’s heart leaped into her throat.
She was truly afraid the Old Emperor might impulsively decide to get rid of Su Chengmin.
So she asked, "Second Sister-in-law, what happened to Su Chengmin? What happened?"
Liu Yueer proceeded to tell her about Su Shihang requesting the emperor to bestow a marriage between Su Chengmin and Lu Yiner.
"That Lu Yiner is like a willow swaying in the wind, with a waist so slim it can be encircled by two hands, her eyes pooling with spring water; even your Second Sister-in-law, I was entranced."
Liu Yueer watched Gu Taohua’s reaction while speaking.
It wasn’t that she intended to provoke her sister-in-law, but Lu Yiner left just that sort of impression on Liu Yueer.
She felt that men liked gentle and tender women, and she didn’t stand a chance against such women.
If Gu Taohua didn’t seize the opportunity to secure Su Chengmin, there was a chance Lu Yiner could capture Su Chengmin’s heart, which would mean the Gu Family would lose a good son-in-law.
Liu Yueer sincerely hoped Gu Taohua would settle things with Su Chengmin quickly, as Su Chengmin’s connections with the Crown Prince and the Mighty General would be advantageous as a Gu Family son-in-law, and her son Yaozu would gain another strong supporter.
To Liu Yueer’s disappointment, her sister-in-law seemed completely unfazed.
"Taohua, did you hear what I said? Su Chengmin might get snatched away by his distant cousin," Liu Yueer emphasized to Gu Taohua.
Gu Taohua furrowed her brows at Liu Yueer, "Look at what Second Sister-in-law is saying. If a man’s heart changes, it will change. If Su Chengmin can be easily taken away, then he’s not my type."
Gu Taohua, influenced by Tong Huaqiong, didn’t treat marriage as a shy affair like other girls did.
In recent days, through her experiences with her Third Brother and Sister-in-law, she understood one thing: people who can be snatched away are not good matches.
Zhao Xiyue is a Commandery Princess; as long as the Prince Yu Mansion stands, whoever becomes her Prince Consort will rise to success.
Faced with such a big temptation, Gu Jingzhe was unmoved.
Faced with such formidable competition, Lu Zhaozhao was not anxious.
So why should she worry?
Liu Yueer saw her sister-in-law didn’t take this matter seriously at all and anxiously said through gritted teeth, "Just wait until the person is gone, and then you’ll cry."
Her little brother-in-law, who was the same age as her sister-in-law, was about to become a father, while her sister-in-law still remained unmarried.
If things dragged on, she’d be an old maid. Shengjing might be full of young talents, but who would want an old maid?
Su Chengmin was the best option available to Gu Taohua.
Liu Yueer didn’t understand what gave her sister-in-law the capital to remain indifferent.
Gu Taohua turned and went to Tong Huaqiong’s room.
Regarding her marriage, she couldn’t communicate with her Second Sister-in-law.
Nor did she need to communicate.
"...The Su Family situation is complicated. It’s not something Su Chengmin can completely cut off from. If you’re with Su Chengmin, you’ll inevitably have interactions with the Su Family after marriage. I believe you can handle it. But you can also choose not to deal with it by picking a family that’s simpler."
Faced with Gu Taohua’s candid admission of her agreement with Su Chengmin, Tong Huaqiong gave her a reminder.
She wouldn’t interfere; she would only analyze the pros and cons.
Gu Taohua said, "There’s nothing in this world that’s perfect. Take Aunt’s marriage into the Fan Family as an example; it’s simple, yet their life is equally tumultuous. Su Chengmin has no feelings for the Su Family, visiting only during holidays. The Lu Family’s stepmother can’t control me either."
"If things don’t go well, I just won’t engage with them. Can they even manage to bully me? Shengjing is full of gentlemen, but they either have concubines or many family rules. Marrying them means either competing with other women for attention or being trapped in the inner chambers, unable to do business. No one else might be better than Su Chengmin."
The key is that Su Chengmin likes her, and she also likes Su Chengmin.
That’s enough.
"Also, Mother, you always said it doesn’t matter who I marry as long as I have the courage like my cousin to end the marriage if wronged. I’m better off than my cousin; don’t I still have my family backing me up?" Gu Taohua said.
Tong Huaqiong quickly spat a few times to ward off bad luck.
She had said that before, but when it came to Gu Taohua’s marriage, she still hoped Gu Taohua would have a complete marriage.
On the second day, Su Chengmin had the day off.
Early on, he headed to Tong Huaqiong’s house to look for Gu Taohua.
But he didn’t find her.
Gu Taohua had gone early to Taohua Dessert.
Su Chengmin felt an unusual panic in his heart; Gu Taohua always knew when his day off was, and she would wait for him to take her to the shop.
This time, Gu Taohua didn’t wait for him, making him think that Gu Taohua was mad at him because of Su Shihang’s request for marriage.
Or perhaps Aunt Tong opposed his marriage to Gu Taohua.
Otherwise, he really couldn’t understand why Gu Taohua was avoiding him.
Su Chengmin turned and dashed towards the Taohua Dessert on East Market Street.
Arriving at the dessert shop, Gu Taohua was holding an account book and discussing matters with the Shopkeeper. Seeing him appear at the door, Gu Taohua didn’t even look up.
Su Chengmin had no choice but to sit and wait anxiously in a side room.