Chapter 74

Although Xu Hao did not like Xiao Yuying's temperament, he still had some thoughts due to her beauty. This was a common ailment among men, always looking for something better. Seeing Xiao Yuying use her appearance to charm the Crown Prince of Qin, he felt very uncomfortable.

This matter quickly spread, and Xu Cuitao, in a fit of anger, smashed her favorite banana water-cooled jade cup. When the Old Lady heard the news, she was furious and summoned Xiao Yuying, giving her a severe scolding, calling her a fox spirit.

As for the instigator, Xiao Yuying had already left without saying goodbye, showing her intelligence and tact.

Xiao Yushi was implicated and almost sent back home, but fortunately, Xu Hao intervened in time. The Old Lady's anger had not subsided, and she drove all the women out of the room.

When only the three of them—grandmother, grandson, and Yue Lan—were left in the room, the Old Lady, with a complex expression, took Xu Hao's hand and sighed, "After all, you had foresight. Although you liked that woman very much when you were young, you could see that she was naturally fickle and kept your distance. Alas, my old eyes are dim, and I should not have let that woman into our family. I always treated her better than Qinglian and the others. Ah, it's a pity for Cuitao."

Xu Hao wanted to say that Xiao Yuying was not really fickle. Since they were both unmarried, it was her freedom. Even if there was a problem, it was his fault first. If he had continued to treat her well, she wouldn't have turned to someone else.

But after careful thought, Xu Hao had to admit that the Crown Prince of Qin was a nobleman. Even if they loved each other, he probably couldn't keep her from her desire for wealth and glory.

Everyone has their own aspirations. Besides, no matter how beautiful a body, it is just a skeleton underneath. Xu Hao consoled, "The Crown Prince hasn't changed his mind. At worst, let the second sister enter the Wang's palace with her."

The Old Lady, however, looked serious and shook her head, "That won't do. That woman's beauty is like a peach blossom, and she is cunning and bold. The honest Cuitao is no match for her."

The second sister is not a pushover! Xu Hao steeled himself and said, "Why not let the second sister's matter be? After all, the eldest brother has already married a princess, forming an alliance with the Wang's palace. Whether the second sister marries or not is meaningless. Instead of competing for favor with a group of women, it's better to be the main wife of a wealthy family."

The Old Lady remained silent with a complex expression. Xu Hao knew the Old Lady's wish: for the second sister to bear a son, at least a prince, so that the Xu family would have a future.

Xu Hao glanced at Yue Lan, who was looking down, and said calmly, "I understand your wish, but you don't know that the ministers in the court now believe that there are too many feudal princes, and their power is too great. As long as the emperor is still on the throne, it will be fine, but when a new emperor comes, will he tolerate the feudal princes having their own armies? They will eventually take action. Look at how many princes there are now—twenty-five dukes and seventy to eighty marquises. By the time the second sister has children, there will be hundreds of princes in the Ming Dynasty.

Generally, rarity is valuable. With so many princes, they won't be rare anymore. What power will they have then? Is it worth our family's hopes? It would be better to marry into a scholarly family and let the children study hard and become officials. This is the right path. Our family should also do this. Instead of relying on others, we should rely on our own diligence. I will strive to earn a hereditary title for you, and as long as our descendants don't rebel, they will be safe until the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

These heartfelt words deeply moved the Old Lady. Even Yue Lan was surprised, as this was the first time they had heard Xu Hao express his true feelings, especially from someone who was usually so lazy. His ambition was truly great, and it was shocking!

The Old Lady was stunned, muttering, "How is this possible, how is this possible?"

Xu Hao smiled, "It's not very likely, but who can predict the future? In any case, I'm telling you my true thoughts, which I've never told anyone, not even my parents. I just ask that you let the second sister not go to the Wang's palace, of course, with her own consent."

The Old Lady raised her hand to stroke her grandson's head and smiled bitterly, "I underestimated you. I was blind before and treated you poorly. As for your second sister, if I didn't know her temper, I wouldn't have such a big reaction. Just wait and see, that girl will definitely want to compete with that woman."

Xu Hao was silent for a moment and sighed, "If that's the case, let her be. But you must warn the second sister that going to the northwest is far from home, and there is no hope for anything. Even if there is, the Xu family will not interfere in the Wang's palace affairs. Whether she lives or dies, whether she is wealthy or miserable, it is all her own fate, and has nothing to do with the Xu family."

Yue Lan looked at Xu Hao in disbelief. If his earlier ambitions could be dismissed as mere talk, these cold and ruthless words completely changed her perception of him.

Is this still the gentle, witty, and considerate Third Young Master? This is his true face, a resolute and ruthless man.

In comparison, the other three young masters were not even comparable. Perhaps even the three lords were not as decisive as he was. How did I, like the Old Lady, end up liking him? Yue Lan thought to herself.

The Old Lady looked at her grandson in amazement and said after a long pause, "Your temperament is exactly like your second grandfather. I remember when your three aunts got married, he said similar things. It seems I was wrong to always think of attaching ourselves to the royal family."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Xu Hao said softly, lowering his head. "I've thought about sending the eldest sister to the Yan Wang's palace several times, but I held back. This thought has never left me, and I've been waiting for the right moment."

The Old Lady's body trembled, and her arm shook involuntarily. She had asked the second wife about Qinglian's marriage several times, but the wife always said that Xu Hao insisted on refusing. She never imagined that her grandson was waiting for the right time.

"You really have grown up," the Old Lady sighed, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.

Xu Hao quickly explained, "I'm not doing this for myself or the family, but for another reason. In short, if the day comes, the Crown Prince of Yan will be the most reliable person to entrust with."

The Old Lady understood and thought to herself, "That's right. If the entire family suddenly collapses, sending Qinglian to the Crown Prince of Yan as a concubine will save her from the endless suffering of being sent to the teaching workshop."

This child's mind is too deep! The Old Lady saw more and more that Xu Hao's temperament was like the young Xu Da. She thought that if he were born in a chaotic era, he would be a hero like his second grandfather, and perhaps he could really earn a title for the family, which would be a blessing.

Thinking of this, the Old Lady became happy again and said resolutely, "Cuitao should also be sent to the Wang's palace. If the family is there, her life won't be hard. If the family is gone, she can use this to save her life. But this time, I will listen to you and not let her marry into the Wang's palace."

Xu Hao smiled in relief. The reason he didn't want his second sister to marry into the Wang's palace had other important reasons, which he had never had the chance to say.

Originally, Cuitao was dreaming of a beautiful future, and since the second sister was not her real sister, he didn't want to interfere. But today, with the incident involving Xiao Yuying, Xu Hao was not a bad person but also not a pushover.

In the end, he didn't reveal the real reason. Because of Xiao Yuying, he decided to keep it a secret until the right day.

Tomorrow, the second sister will definitely throw a tantrum, but with the Old Lady there, there's no need to worry about her making a big fuss. Eventually, she will be grateful for the Old Lady's wise decision.

Late at night, Xu Hao returned to the Bamboo Garden alone. The maids were waiting for him, and a fire was burning in the courtyard, with the smell of meat wafting through the air.

Qiu Xiang came out smiling and explained, "We've been serving the ladies all day, and we're all very hungry. There was some meat left, and we waited for you, but you didn't come back, so we decided to cook it ourselves."

Xu Hao, though hungry, had no appetite and forced a smile, "I've already eaten. You go ahead and enjoy yourselves."

"Okay," Qiu Xiang nodded and glanced at the room casually.

Xu Hao followed her gaze but saw nothing. He then looked at the number of people in the courtyard and realized that Zhulan was missing. He understood.

In the past, although Qiu Xiang liked to set rules and manage the younger maids, she was not good at handling trivial matters, often forgetting things. Since Zhulan came, she never scolded the younger maids, and everything was handled meticulously. Zhulan would remind Xu Hao of things he forgot, and she could always find any clothing or jewelry quickly.

Most impressive was her skill in embroidery. Previously, Xu Hao's undergarments were all handmade by his eldest sister, and since Hongye didn't like sewing, this maid was very picky and wouldn't wear anything that wasn't finely made. Both brother and sister relied on the eldest sister, who was always busy at night. Now, with Zhulan's help, the eldest sister's burden was reduced, and Zhulan was truly meticulous and attentive in serving Xu Hao.

The problem was that since Xu Hao liked Zhulan, Qiu Xiang naturally felt uncomfortable, and now even the other maids were siding with Zhulan.

Even if Xu Hao was in a bad mood, he didn't want to deal with the conflicts between the maids. These petty disputes among girls were many, and they would quickly make up after a fight. If he interfered, he might turn a small matter into a big one, and end up in a difficult position. Whoever managed it was a fool.

Feeling betrayed by Xiao Yuying, Xu Hao, with a frown, slowly sat down in the hall and stared at the maids playing and laughing.

At that moment, Zhulan came out from inside, half-kneeling and said softly, "I got some news today, but I didn't have time to tell you."

Xu Hao sighed inexplicably and said lazily, "Tell me."

Zhulan said casually, "The Mu family sent someone to ask if the young master will still go to be a study companion this spring."

"Oh. What?!" Xu Hao immediately turned his head, eyes wide open.

At that moment, all thoughts of Xiao Yuying were gone.