Who wouldn’t hope for their daughter to marry well? If possible, Shou’an Jun also hoped her eldest granddaughter Zhou Huizhen could fulfill her wishes and marry into a prestigious family. But those unreliable prestigious families—the kind where one had to humble oneself completely to gain entry, no matter how prestigious- Shou’an Jun wasn’t interested.

Marquis Xiting’s Han mansion was exactly such a deep pit!

Were there no beautiful, well-bred young ladies from prestigious families in the capital? There were, but their families couldn’t bear to let their good daughters suffer frustration at the Han family and were unwilling to form marriage ties with them. The thirty-something heir Han Liao, in his prime years, needed a wife to care for him. Unable to find a suitable one in the capital, when he encountered a marriage-eager beautiful girl during an outing, the lustful Han Liao was immediately smitten and had someone come to propose.

Shou’an Jun regarded the Han family’s proposal as an insult. If the Zhou family had any power or influence, she would have directly thrown the matchmaker out.

Giving Wang Shi no chance to hesitate or change her mind, the next day Shou’an Jun sent Nanny Liu to refuse the matchmaker.

“Don’t think about it anymore—it’s completely impossible.” When arranging this task for Nanny Liu, Shou’an Jun specifically called Wang Shi over to listen.

Wang Shi felt extremely tormented. On one hand, she felt Marquis Xiting’s mansion was the highest branch her eldest daughter could reach, and it would be a pity to miss it. On the other hand, she felt her mother-in-law was right—Han Liao had a domineering, shrewish mother above and crowds of legitimate and illegitimate children below, plus a bunch of concubines making the household chaotic. Her eldest daughter would easily be bullied if she married there.

The elders kept this matter secret, and Wei Rao, already knowing her grandmother’s intentions, certainly wouldn’t gossip about it in front of Zhou Huizhen.

With three days left until the end of the month and the return to the city imminent, Wei Rao couldn’t bear to stay angry with her grandmother anymore and came to Fu’an Hall on her own.

“Raorao finally bears to come see this old woman?” Seeing her granddaughter after many days, Shou’an Jun said with a smile.

Wei Rao deliberately said, “I’ve been staying here for over half a month in the blink of an eye and was missing my grandmother a bit, so I came to bid farewell to you.”

Could Shou’an Jun not see through the little girl’s act?

She beckoned Wei Rao to her side and grabbed her little hand: “You’re not allowed to leave. Stay with me for two more days. Out of twelve months in a year, you spend ten or so months being filial to your grandmother. These two days must be spent with me.”

Wei Rao pouted, unable to maintain her pretense any longer, and leaned against Shou’an Jun’s shoulder with a laugh.

When the grandmother and granddaughter spoke privately, Wei Rao curiously inquired: “The Han family’s proposal—did you refuse it?”

Shou’an Jun raised an eyebrow: “Who told you?”

Wei Rao huffed: “Grandmother didn’t want to see me, but I missed you. On the day the matchmaker came to propose, I secretly slipped over to see you.”

Shou’an Jun tugged at her delicate earlobe: “You climbed over the wall, didn’t you? Are you a monkey, always jumping around?”

Wei Rao gasped and cried out in pain.

Shou’an Jun released her and laughed: “Refused. Your aunt was quite obedient this time and didn’t leak the news to your cousin Zhen.”

Wei Rao thought to herself that with Marquis Xiting’s mansion’s conditions, how could her aunt bear to let her cousin marry there?

Even she, as a cousin, found it hard to accept—Han Liao was fifteen or sixteen years older than her cousin, a genuine old man. Her cousin deserved better!

Those in the know all kept their mouths shut. Zhou Huizhen had no way to learn the news, and she still had that immortal young master from their previous encounter on her mind. She dreamed of the immortal young master at night and thought of him day and night, temporarily forgetting her worries about no prestigious young gentlemen coming to propose at home.

Until the day Wei Rao bid farewell, Zhou Huizhen remained in the dark.

“Grandmother, will you not allow me to come anymore?” On the verge of parting, Wei Rao held Shou’an Jun’s hand and pleaded softly.

Shou’an Jun touched her head and said in a voice only Wei Rao could hear: “Grandmother is waiting for the Earl Mansion to send someone with good news.”

Meaning Wei Rao shouldn’t think of coming to the villa to run wild until she was engaged.

Wei Rao bit her lip, released her grandmother’s hand, and got into the carriage without looking back.

Wang Shi and Zhou Huizhen didn’t understand what was happening. Zhou Huizhu and Huo Lin knew what was going on and secretly laughed with lowered heads.

On the road back to the capital, Wei Rao sat in the carriage, listless and unhappy.

Huo Jue rode alongside on horseback. Hearing no sound from inside for a long time, he coughed and initiated conversation: “Cousin, I’ve already sent people to scout for master chefs from various regions. Over this half month, I’ve also been keeping an eye out for suitable shops for rent. However, good locations are hard to come by—we’ll have to wait a bit longer. There’s no rush.”

Wei Rao, busy with her battle of wits with her grandmother, had almost forgotten about opening a restaurant.

She lifted half the curtain and looked at her steady, handsome cousin on horseback with a restored smile: “I understand. Cousin, take your time looking for me—there’s no hurry. By the way, how is the cousin’s branch store doing? Have any local thugs given you trouble?”

Doing business in the capital was no simple matter—it required dealing with various power factions.

Huo Jue smiled: “Everything is going smoothly so far. Cousin needn’t worry.”

The Huo family had their connections, and Emperor Yuanjia respected their grandmother. Before Emperor Yuanjia grew cold toward their grandmother, those competing forces, fearing the emperor, didn’t dare use overly harmful tactics. As for ordinary, harmful ones, the Huo family wasn’t afraid.

“Just now, when your cousin got in the carriage, your expression seemed off. Did something happen at the villa?” Huo Jue looked at the half-beautiful face visible at the carriage window, gripped his reins, and asked with concern in an elder brother’s tone.

Wei Rao sighed softly, not afraid of her cousin laughing at her: “Grandmother gave me an ultimatum—until I find a good marriage match, I’m not allowed to see her.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Jue’s heart suddenly felt like it was missing a piece. An unprecedented sense of loss and bitterness spread layer by layer from that gap.

He feigned lightness, smiling as he teased: “With cousin’s family background, virtue, and beauty, wouldn’t finding a good marriage be easy?”

Wei Rao said worriedly: “Grandmother has conditions—she won’t approve of anything less than a powerful, influential family.”

Huo Jue was intelligent and quickly understood their grandmother’s deeper meaning after a moment’s thought. With his cousin’s looks, ordinary families might not be able to protect her.

Beyond this point, Huo Jue thought even further ahead.

The Zhou family had no male heirs; their grandmother only had the empty title of female nobility, and though his mother and little aunt’s second marriages were enviable, the Huo family was merely a merchant family—they had money but no power. On his little aunt’s side, mother and son had been relegated to Xishan Xing Palace for two years. Emperor Yuanjia’s attitude was unclear, and if she couldn’t regain imperial favor, it meant no hope.

Among their generation of cousins, Huizhen and Huizhu were destined not to marry into prestigious families. He and his sister, Huo Lin, were limited by their merchant status with restricted prospects. Among all the relatives, the only one with a chance to succeed was Wei Rao, the Earl Mansion’s daughter.

For his cousin’s good, she needed to marry up.

To protect these relatives and even support his little aunt and her son, his cousin had to marry up.

Compared to the heavy burden on his cousin’s shoulders, what did the tender feelings he harbored in his heart amount to?

“Does cousin understand grandmother’s good intentions?” Huo Jue asked tentatively.

Wei Rao understood.

The Empress Dowager was an old madwoman who became more troublesome the closer she got to death. Since their grandmother and mother had respectively earned Emperor Yuanjia’s respect and favor, the Empress Dowager saw their family as thorns in her side. His mother and brother were far away, and the palace wasn’t somewhere assassins could easily infiltrate. Their grandmother lived at the villa and rarely went out lately. If assassins directly broke into the villa, the purpose would be too obvious and might make Emperor Yuanjia suspect the Empress Dowager.

Therefore, plotting against her had become the easiest method to succeed and the most satisfying way for the Empress Dowager to vent her anger.

If she married into a prestigious family, that family would become her protective umbrella.

If she married into a prestigious family, her cousins would also benefit.

“I understand. I’m just afraid of disappointing the old lady.” Wei Rao smiled, not wanting her cousin to see her troubles.

Huo Jue comforted her: “Cousin is still young. Take it slowly—there’s no need to rush.”

Wei Rao nodded. Hearing a carriage approaching from ahead, she gave her cousin a meaningful look and lowered the curtain to sit properly.

Huo Jue escorted Wei Rao back to Cheng’an Earl Mansion and, at Wei Rao’s insistence, went to pay respects to Old Madam Wei.

Old Madam Wei lived in Zhengchun Hall.

When the cousins walked over, Wei Rao’s elder aunt Guo Shi and third sister Wei Chan were also there.

A little maid came ahead to announce them.

Guo Shi smiled without warmth: “That girl Raorao finally bears to come back. I thought she was so happy living at Shou’an Jun’s villa that she forgot about returning home.”

Wei Chan stood up with obvious distaste and said to Old Madam Wei: “Grandmother, Young Master Huo is an outside male. I’ll go avoid him in the side room.”

Huo Jue was indeed an outside male to Wei Chan, but they were also related. If Wei Chan wanted to see him, not avoiding him would be fine. She simply looked down on Huo Jue’s merchant background.

“Go ahead.” Old Madam Wei smiled faintly. After all, this was her granddaughter—she couldn’t force her granddaughter to see people she didn’t want to see.

Soon, Wei Rao and Huo Jue entered the hall side by side.

“This junior, Huo Jue, presumptuously visits to pay respects. Please forgive me, Old Madam and Madam.” Huo Jue neither humbled himself nor showed arrogance, gracefully and appropriately paying respects to Old Madam Wei and her daughter-in-law. Naturally, he had prepared gifts in advance, anticipating he might need to pay respects in the mansion. Coming empty-handed would have been improper.

Old Madam Wei smiled as she carefully examined Huo Jue, genuinely praising: “Truly worthy of being cousins. Raorao is beautiful, and Young Master Jue is dignified and handsome—he seems more outstanding and attractive than Raorao’s elder brother.”

Wei Rao’s elder brother referred to the heir of Cheng’an Earl Mansion, Wei Zizhan.

Old Madam Wei’s praise was sincere. Huo Jue humbly expressed that he didn’t deserve such praise. Wei Rao’s aunt Guo Shi lightly pursed her lips, privately thinking Huo Jue wasn’t even worthy of being her son’s servant.

Behind the curtain of the side room, the spying Wei Chan saw Huo Jue’s appearance, and her contempt quietly vanished without a trace. She alternately looked at Huo Jue’s handsome features and stared at the beautiful jade pendant at his waist. It was said the Huo family was the wealthiest in the Jin region. With Huo Jue’s good looks and vast wealth, her brother seemed truly inferior to Huo Jue except for social status.

Unfortunately, a merchant was still a merchant. If Huo Jue had official status—with wealth and looks—he would be marriageable.

Regretfully, Wei Chan lowered the curtain.

Huo Jue didn’t stay long. After drinking a cup of tea and chatting with Old Madam Wei, he took his leave.

Wei Rao saw her cousin to the door. When she returned, Guo Shi was still there, and Wei Chan had also come out.

Wei Rao had no choice but to reluctantly sit beside her grandmother.

Guo Shi had been waiting for her return. She had been holding back certain words for over ten days and could finally speak freely.

“Raorao, I heard you’ve been frequently visiting the mountains with your two Zhou cousins lately, encountering quite a few young gentlemen from prominent families?”

Zhou Huizhen and Wang Shi’s embarrassing display at Yunwu Mountain had many witnesses, and the news had long spread among the capital’s official wives. However, some people deliberately included Shou’an Jun’s other granddaughters and grandsons, such as Zhou Huizhu and Wei Rao.

Guo Shi verbally mocked Wei Rao while secretly glancing at Old Madam Wei.

Old Madam Wei sipped her tea slowly.

Wei Rao thought for a moment and smiled: “We did go to the mountains to admire snow and hunt. We didn’t see any young gentlemen from prominent families, but we did encounter two wild boars.”

With a “puff” sound, even the dignified and proper Old Madam Wei laughed so hard she spat out tea.

Young gentlemen and wild boars—what a difference!

Wei Rao considerately walked behind Old Madam Wei’s chair, patting her shoulder while instructing Bitao: “Go get that wild boar hide and show it to Old Madam and Madam.”

Bitao proudly brought over the newly prepared wild boar hide and red fox fur: “Old Madam, our young lady not only hunted a wild boar but also caught a fox. It’s a pity that after one hunting trip, Shou’an Jun wouldn’t let our young lady enter the mountains anymore, fearing she might encounter fierce beasts and get hurt. She kept our young lady confined to the villa and wouldn’t let her go anywhere.”

This also cleared up the rumors Guo Shi had mentioned.

Old Madam Wei smiled and patted her little granddaughter’s hand. She knew Raorao wouldn’t do anything so foolish.