The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 261 Stepping Out of the Inner Courtyard
To whom will the Lu family's vast fortune be left?

Naturally, it's reserved for Lu Zhaozhao and Lu Zhaoyang.

Lu Zhaoyang no longer intends to do business. The old master Lu did not raise this grandson to take over the business, but to let him enter the officialdom, show his ambition, and incidentally change the Lu family's status.

When Grandpa Lu gets old or passes away, who will he hand over his business to?

Perhaps as Lu Zhaoyang pursues an official career, the Lu family's business will disappear.

As for Lu Zhaozhao, she will receive a huge fortune from the Lu family and live a life of comfort and ease.

Han had previously thought that with the family fortune earned by Old Master Lu and the protection of Lu Zhaoyang, Lu Zhaozhao's life would be complete if she married a good husband.

But after hearing Tong Huaqiong's words, Madam Han pondered deeply.

Both were descendants of the same family. The old master Lu's goal for Lu Zhaoyang was to bring glory to the family and to do everything he could to cultivate his education, while his goal for Lu Zhaozhao was simply to be a pampered young lady raised in the inner chambers.

Even if Lu Zhaozhao has a lot of money in the future, she will be nothing more than a caged bird, and it will be a question whether she can keep the money.

Lu Zhaozhao is half a year younger than Gu Taohua. Gu Taohua already has the air of a young master, while Lu Zhaozhao still has the image of an innocent and carefree girl.

A bold idea came to Han's mind: why couldn't her uncle hand over the business to Lu Zhaozhao?
Why can't Lu Zhaozhao learn to do business and run a shop like Gu Taohua?
Perhaps if Lu Zhaozhao learns how to do business, she might get along even better with Tong Huaqiong if she marries into the Gu family in the future.

So Han said to Lu Zhaozhao, "Zhaozhao, Taohua is the same age as you, and she has already started running a shop. Your family has such a big business, you can also learn to do business."

Lu Zhaozhao said in surprise, "Me too?"

Lu Zhaozhao never thought about getting involved in the family business, and no one ever suggested that she should manage the family business.

Although she grew up without parents, she never suffered any hardship under her grandfather's protection.

Their food, clothing, and daily necessities were even more luxurious than those of daughters of officials.

Grandpa has prepared enough money for her to last a lifetime, so she won't have to spend a single penny of her husband's money after she gets married.

Grandpa said this gave her confidence.

“Why not? Zhao Zhao, think about it, if you were a boy, wouldn’t you already be learning how to do business?” Han said.

Lu Zhaozhao's eyes widened, and she quickly fell into deep thought.

Han had no intention of sowing discord between Lu Zhaozhao and Old Master Lu; she was simply being direct.

Tong Huaqiong glanced at Han Shi.

Han's words hit the nail on the head.

Compared to arranging a marriage for Lu Zhaozhao and finding her a good husband, letting Lu Zhaozhao participate in the family business is clearly more secure for her.

Tong Huaqiong believed that Han's consideration was not based on gender equality, but rather on her simple concern for Lu Zhaozhao.

A girl who knows how to make money has confidence regardless of what her future husband will be like.

"Girls and boys are different," Lu Zhaozhao said softly.

As for the differences, she couldn't say for sure.

It's simply that boys should strive to achieve great things and bring honor to their ancestors, while girls only need to be good wives and mothers and manage the household.

But she really envied Gu Taohua!

During the wheat harvest season, she visited Taohua Dessert Shop in Yanguan Town. She saw Gu Taohua greeting customers with great enthusiasm and checking accounts and using an abacus.

Auntie is right. If I were a boy, I'd probably be studying at Wanliu Academy like my brother, or being taught how to manage the shop by my grandfather. Han said, "What's the difference? Did you hear what your Aunt Tong said? We women are just as capable as men, sometimes even more capable."

Lu Zhaozhao looked up at Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong said with a smile, "That's right! But the important thing is what you think? Zhaozhao, let me ask you, do you want to learn how to do business? Do you want to manage your family business in the future?"

Lu Zhaozhao did not answer, but said, "Grandpa has prepared a large sum of money for me, enough for me to live on until I die. I don't need to do anything to live a peaceful life."

Tong Huaqiong felt a little sorry for the girl in front of her.

Lu Zhaozhao's idea was not wrong, at least not for girls of this era.

The key point is that this peaceful life cannot be achieved simply by having money.

Especially for a sweet and innocent girl like Lu Zhaozhao, having such a large sum of money is like a three-year-old child carrying gold through a bustling market.

In her past life, Lu Zhaozhao married her ideal husband Gu Jingzhe with a large sum of money. What was her final fate?
If Lu Zhaozhao in her previous life hadn't been confined to the inner quarters, but instead been groomed by Old Master Lu to become the head of the Lu family, she wouldn't have placed all her hopes for the rest of her life on Gu Jingzhe. Even if Gu Jingzhe had managed to climb up to the princess, she probably would have been able to turn the tables and kill both of them.

Of course, it's not that you leave the inner quarters just to deal with a scumbag, but rather that leaving the inner quarters will allow you to see a wider world and face whatever comes your way with composure.

Instead of letting fate hold you back.

Tong Huaqiong thought for a moment and said to Lu Zhaozhao, "Zhaozhao, what do you mean by a stable life? Marrying a good husband? Even if you marry a good husband, you still have to rely on his conscience to live a good life. In the prefectural city, you must have heard of unfaithful men who became rich through studying and unfaithful men who became rich through business. Even in our countryside, some men will have ulterior motives if they harvest a few dozen extra pounds of grain. If you don't get married, and you have a lot of money, can you guarantee that your relatives and clansmen will not be tempted by your wealth? Can you guarantee that you will have no worries for the rest of your life?"

“Zhaozhao, it’s not that I don’t want you to be well, it’s that I’m saying this because I want you to be better. Putting aside everything else, just look at your aunt and me, we’ve both gotten married, but we haven’t been able to live a peaceful life.”

Tong Huaqiong's words made Lu Zhaozhao think deeply.

No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Her grandfather told her that the Lu family's money would ensure she would never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of her life, and her brother told her that he would protect her for the rest of her life.

What about herself?

Are they just waiting to be protected and enjoy the money?
From the Lu family to another family, relying on her grandfather, her brother, and her husband, what if they are all gone? What if her husband changes his mind?

Who else can she rely on?

Lu Zhaozhao wasn't stupid, and having been literate since childhood, she listened to Tong Huaqiong's words after a little thought.

Mrs. Han nodded and said, "Your Aunt Tong is right."

Lu Zhaozhao said softly, "I can use an abacus and do accounting. Later, my grandfather said that girls shouldn't learn these things and shouldn't show their faces in public, so I stopped learning them."

To be honest, Lu Zhaozhao was very resistant to the direction that Old Master Lu had in mind.

Tong Huaqiong had searched through Tong Dajiao's memories of Old Master Lu. He was a man who knew how to plan for his granddaughter, but his plan was to cultivate Lu Zhaozhao into a daughter-in-law of a prominent family.

This explains why he resisted Lu Zhaozhao learning to use an abacus and do business. For a woman from a prominent family, the most important thing is to manage the household, be a good wife and mother, and not to show her face in public to earn money.

In his previous life, after Lu Zhaoyang passed away, Old Master Lu's spirits dissipated, which is why he betrothed Lu Zhaozhao to Gu Jingzhe.

If things had gone according to the way Old Master Lu raised Lu Zhaozhao in her previous life, Lu Zhaozhao could have truly become a lady of a prominent family.

With the Lu family's enormous wealth, coupled with Lu Zhaoyang's future abilities, Lu Zhaozhao will no longer be an orphan and will have the value of marrying into a prestigious family.

Does that mean Lu Zhaozhao and Gu Jingzhe are destined to never be together?

Thinking about this, Tong Huaqiong felt quite conflicted.

However, whether it's being a socialite or rekindling her romance with Gu Jingzhe, it's necessary and beneficial for Lu Zhaozhao to step out of the inner quarters.