Without waiting for Young Master Tao to answer, Madam Tao set down her teacup and sneered coldly: “Because Second Young Master Lin has a mother who is a traitor’s daughter! Eldest Son, if you marry Miss Luo into our family, could you bear to watch your son in the future become like Second Young Master Lin—full of talent but with nowhere to display his ambitions, a commoner for life?”
Young Master Tao was stumped by the question.
To be fair, who could bear to let their children live more difficult lives than others from the moment they were born?
Madam Tao sighed: “As parents, we always hope to give our children the best. Your father and I are like this—are you an exception?”
“Mother, I—”
“Go back to your room and study. When you make the list next year in the spring examinations, will you still worry about not being able to marry a fine wife?”
“But—”
“There’s no ‘but.’ One can only say you and Miss Luo lack the fate to be husband and wife.” Madam Tao said coldly. Thinking of Luo Sheng, her brow furrowed. “Moreover, Miss Luo has such a troublesome younger sister. Even if the Luo residence can be preserved this time, sooner or later she’ll cause great disaster. When that Miss Luo causes trouble again, she won’t have a father who’s the Jinlin Guard commander to protect her.”
Having heard Madam Tao’s persuasion, Young Master Tao returned to his room with a bewildered heart.
The room was piled with books, permeated with invigorating incense that helped clear the mind.
Young Master Tao slowly surveyed these volumes, his heart engaged in an inner struggle.
One moment he felt Mother made sense, the next moment the image of a dignified and beautiful young lady floated into his mind.
He had feelings for Miss Luo.
He still remembered when the engagement was first settled—he had been dissatisfied because she was the daughter of the Jinlin Guard commander. But after several meetings, he changed his mind.
He liked her quiet and tranquil eyes and brows, liked the shy expression hidden in her eyes when she looked at him.
Just like a simple ink wash painting, an orchid blooming in a secluded valley, a volume of books that relaxed one’s mood.
He had fantasized about married life treating each other with respect, and had spoken to her sweet words about growing old together.
And now, suddenly everything had changed.
Reason and emotion struggled endlessly. Young Master Tao happened to have a somewhat indecisive nature. For a time the depression weighed on his heart, and he actually fell ill.
With her precious son ill, Madam Tao was immediately heartbroken beyond measure.
She knew—her eldest son had a sickness of the heart.
Since it was a heart sickness, resolving the knot in his heart was key.
The spring examinations were approaching. Nothing was more important than her son’s health. Madam Tao temporarily suppressed her dissatisfaction at discovering her son had feelings for Miss Luo and lifted her feet to go to Young Master Tao’s residence.
Young Master Tao was resting in the east room, though in reality, this place was somewhat unfamiliar to him.
The place he was most familiar with was the study—those books and the fragrance of ink.
To stand out at a young age on the path of civil examinations was not so easy.
Years of hard study by a cold window was never just talk.
“Mother has come.” Young Master Tao struggled to sit up.
Madam Tao pressed her son down: “Lie down properly.”
Young Master Tao no longer moved.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Much better.”
Madam Tao nodded and signaled the attendants in the room to withdraw.
Once only mother and son remained in the room, Madam Tao sighed: “Eldest Son, being like this pains your parents’ hearts.”
“Mother needn’t worry. Your son will get better.” Though Young Master Tao said this, his heart felt empty and uncomfortable.
He understood his parents were acting for his good, but whenever he thought about permanently missing that chance with that tranquil woman, his mood wouldn’t improve.
Madam Tao shook her head, speaking earnestly: “Eldest Son, you and Miss Luo were engaged for several years. Placing her in your heart is also human nature. Mother knows this.”
“Mother—”
“Let me finish speaking.”
Young Master Tao fell silent.
“But heaven has unforeseen changes—how can everything go smoothly as one wishes? Moreover, Miss Luo not being able to become your wife doesn’t mean you two have no chance to be together.”
Young Master Tao’s eyes lit up, showing some urgency: “Mother?”
Madam Tao saw it in her eyes and felt anger in her heart, though her face showed not a trace: “The Luo family’s great disaster is right before them. If Grand Marshal Luo’s crimes are serious, the Luo family young ladies can only become slaves or prostitutes. At that time, if you wish to settle Miss Luo somewhere, I won’t stop you.”
As Madam Tao spoke, she observed her son’s expression, then continued: “If the Grand Marshal doesn’t implicate the family, without the big tree of Grand Marshal Luo for support, the Luo residence’s decline is inevitable. Our family need only reveal our intention to take Miss Luo as a concubine, and the Luo family will surely be overjoyed.”
Young Master Tao fell into contemplation.
Seeing this, Madam Tao curved her lips.
Heaven knew how much disgust she was suppressing to say these words.
She didn’t want her son to have any connection whatsoever with a criminal official’s daughter. Even as a concubine, Miss Luo was not worthy.
First pacify her son so he could study well, then later marry a fine wife and take beautiful concubines. By that time, would he still remember who Miss Luo was?
Taking ten thousand steps back, even if her son remained unable to forget, what did it matter?
Once men obtained something, it was no longer fresh.
Madam Tao struck while the iron was hot: “Eldest Son, no one wanted Grand Marshal Luo’s situation, but since we’ve encountered it, we can’t just follow our own thoughts anymore. Don’t you agree?”
Young Master Tao finally spoke: “Mother truly won’t stop me from being with Miss Tao in the future?”
Madam Tao smiled, her tone firm: “I won’t.”
Young Master Tao slowly revealed a smile.
Perhaps his heart knot was resolved—within a few days, Young Master Tao’s illness was cured.
But one matter always weighed on his heart: Miss Luo still didn’t know his feelings. Once Grand Marshal Luo was convicted, what if she couldn’t withstand the blow and ended her life, or became disheartened and casually followed someone else?
The more Young Master Tao thought about it, the more uneasy he became, giving rise to the plan of seeing Luo Ying once.
Unfortunately, unlike Miss Luo who wandered about all day, Miss Luo the eldest was a proper young lady from a respectable family who rarely went out. Meeting her wasn’t so easy.
Especially under the awkward circumstances where the two had already broken off their engagement.
Following Young Master Tao’s instructions, the young manservant waiting outside the Luo residence suffered through several days before finally waiting for Luo Ying’s maid to go shopping on the street to cheer up her mistress.
The young manservant quietly followed and, taking advantage of an unguarded moment, stuffed a letter into the maid’s hand.
The maid was startled. By the time she recovered, the person had already run away.
The maid looked down at the letter and immediately lost all interest in shopping, hurrying back to the Grand Marshal’s residence.
Luo Ying was staring blankly at her wedding dress.
The marriage was already broken off, and she had accepted the reality of the broken engagement. But looking at the bridal gown embroidered stitch by stitch, her heart felt as if immersed in an ice cave—ice cold and uncomfortable.
Luo Ying raised the scissors, then bit her lip and set them down.
She had embroidered all her longings for future married life into this bright red wedding dress. To destroy it like this would be no different from taking scissors and stabbing them into her heart.
Permanently missing that person—her feelings remained unresolved after all.
The maid walked in quickly.
Luo Ying was slightly startled: “Lu’e, didn’t you go out?”
Lu’e presented the letter: “Miss, a letter for you from Young Master Tao.”
Luo Ying opened the letter with trembling hands, carefully reading it word by word, then covered her mouth and cried silently.
In Xianyun Courtyard, Kou’er shook her head repeatedly: “Lu’e is no good. Her reaction to receiving a letter was so obvious—this servant saw something was wrong at a glance.”
Thinking back to when Prince Kaiyang’s person stuffed a letter into her hand while she was walking on the main street, she had remained completely composed.