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

Chapter 439 The Pain of Childbirth
Gu Jingzhe immediately swore that he would never let Lu Zhaozhao down.

Tong Huaqiong believed it for the time being.

What can you do if you don't believe it? The two of them seem to be inseparable.

Seeing Gu Jingzhe's confident demeanor, she guessed that Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao had already shared their feelings for each other when Gu Jingzhe went to the prefectural city for the exam.

If she objects, she'll be the villain who breaks up a loving couple.

Fortunately, many things have changed in this lifetime.

She wasn't like Tong Dajiao, who favored her son.

Lu Zhaoyang not only survived, but also went to the capital and entered the public eye as a unicorn.

Whether in terms of benefits or courage, Gu Jingzhe dared not easily betray Lu Zhaozhao.

Thinking of Lu Zhaoyang, the results of the imperial examination will probably be out soon.

I wonder if this prodigy from Wanliu Academy will be able to top the list.

Tong Huaqiong suddenly realized that Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao were engaged, but when they would get married was still a question.

In this era, people like Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao were at the golden age for marriage, and they would usually get married within six months of getting engaged.

The men in the village are mostly engaged at fifteen or sixteen and married at seventeen.

People like Gu Dashu, who got married at nineteen, are considered older youths.

However, Tong Huaqiong did not want Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao to get married so early. She still had the same concern: she was afraid that having children too early would damage Lu Zhaozhao's body.

Even worse, it can result in the death of both mother and unborn child.

This is not a curse, but rather a record of the many young women in various villages who died in childbirth after Tong Huaqiong came into this world.

Good heavens, Lu Zhaozhao is only fifteen years old. She was only seventeen when she miscarried her first child in her previous life.

They're still minors.

terrible!

It would be more reasonable if Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao could get married at the same age as Lu Zhaoyang and Huang Jingshan.

Tong Huaqiong then asked Gu Jingzhe, "Jingzhe, after you and Lu Zhaozhao get engaged, when do you plan to get married?"

Generally, the wedding date is set soon after the engagement.

His mother definitely didn't want him to get married so early, given that she asked him that question.

Could it be that she's afraid of delaying his indulgence in romance?

Gu Jingzhe said, "Mother, don't worry, I will study hard after I get married."

Tong Huaqiong frowned and said, "Jingzhe, I have my reasons for not wanting you to get married too early. Do you know how difficult childbirth is for women? It's like passing through the gates of hell."

Although Tong Huaqiong experienced a painless pregnancy in this world, even if she hasn't eaten pork, hasn't she seen pigs run?
Not to mention anything far away, just the screams of Tong Pandi when she gave birth to Hua'er were terrifying, not to mention the frequent news of people dying in childbirth in some village or household.

"Do you know how your elder brother's mother died?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

Gu Jingzhe paused for a moment, then shook his head.

Tong Huaqiong said, "She didn't make it through childbirth. She passed away along with your older brother's sister."

This was the first time Gu Jingzhe had heard the reason for Gu Dahan's mother's death, and his face immediately turned solemn.

Gu Dahan's mother married young, reportedly at fourteen, and gave birth to Gu Baishuang at fifteen. A year later, she gave birth to Gu Dahan, and then became pregnant with her third child a year later but did not give birth. Tong Huaqiong shuddered at the thought of this pitiful woman. She had been married into the Gu family for less than five years, giving birth repeatedly—three children in four years. Even an iron body couldn't withstand that.

In this era, people pursue having many children and many blessings, and without reasonable contraception methods, they can only keep getting pregnant and giving birth.

It is the women who suffer.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Once a woman gets married, she has to have children, and childbirth is like going through the gates of hell. Have you ever observed what kind of women suffer from difficult childbirth?"

Gu Jingzhe shook his head; he had indeed not paid attention to it.

In his mind, it was perfectly normal for men and women to get married and have children; he never thought about the harm that childbirth would bring to women.

Tong Huaqiong said, "They are all young women who got married at a young age. If you ask around in any village, most of the women who had difficult childbirths got married at a young age. Like your eldest brother's mother, she gave birth to your eldest sister at fifteen and your eldest brother at sixteen. How could her body withstand that? When I went to the prefectural city, I heard from the doctors that women under the age of eighteen are more likely to have difficult childbirths, mainly because the women are not fully developed and are not yet of childbearing age."

“I don’t object to your engagement with Lu Zhaozhao, nor do I object to your marriage. Think about how old Lu Zhaozhao is? She’s only fifteen, not old enough to have children yet. If she has a difficult childbirth, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

"What you were thinking just now was that I was worried you'd get married too early and become too immersed in the pleasures of life, which would interfere with your studies. I don't have that kind of time to worry about you. Whether you do well in your studies or not is your business. I'm just worried about Lu Zhaozhao having a difficult childbirth at your age. You think I told Taohua she was too young to comfort her because no one has a suitor? No, I wish I could keep Taohua until she's in her twenties. I don't want her to have a child so early. Similarly, Lu Zhaozhao is a daughter who was pampered by the Lu family. How could I bear to let her suffer the pain of childbirth too early?"

Gu Jingzhe listened with a stern expression, but his resolve to marry Lu Zhaozhao soon wavered.

Tong Huaqiong concluded, “So, you and Lu Zhaozhao should get engaged first, and then get married in a few years. Anyway, you’re only a Xiucai now and don’t have any official rank yet. If you get married right away, will you spend my money or have Lu Zhaozhao subsidize your food, clothing, and other expenses in the prefectural city? Wait a few years, and when you pass the provincial examination and go to the capital to take the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, Lu Zhaozhao will be past the age where she is prone to difficult childbirth, and then you can get married in a grand manner.”

Besides what his mother said about Lu Zhaozhao being too young and prone to difficult childbirth, there was another point he hadn't considered: who would pay for their living expenses after getting married?
Gu Jingzhe is a person with a very strong sense of self-respect. He is absolutely unwilling to use the Lu family's money to support his family, and his own mother is also unwilling to provide financial assistance to him.

These two points alone were enough to make Gu Jingzhe postpone his marriage plans.

Gu Jingzhe said, "Mother, you are right. Since I am going to spend my whole life with Zhaozhao, what's a few years? When I pass the imperial examination, I will marry Zhaozhao in a grand and glorious ceremony."

The matter was settled like that.

More than ten days later, Magistrate Liu came to Qinghe Bay again to tell Tong Huaqiong that the Lu family had agreed to the marriage between the two families.

At the same time, it brought good news for Lu Zhaoyang: he had come out on top in the imperial examination.

In this era, the provincial examination and the palace examination were about two months apart. That is to say, more than twenty days had passed since Lu Zhaoyang's provincial examination results were sent to Ningcheng, and the palace examination would be held in a little over a month.

The Gu family was overjoyed that Lu Zhaoyang had come out on top in the imperial examination. First of all, Lu Zhaoyang made a very good impression on everyone. From a pragmatic point of view, as Gu Jingzhe's future brother-in-law, he would be a great help to Gu Jingzhe's career.

Upon receiving the news, the Huang family held a grand banquet, and their invitations, along with those of Magistrate Liu, arrived at Tong Huaqiong's home.

"Third Brother, if Brother Zhaoyang gets first place in the provincial examination, will he become the top scholar in the palace examination?" Gu Taohua asked.

Gu Jingzhe said, "Logically speaking, that's how it is. Master Su said that historically, the person who gets first place in the provincial examination will be designated as the top scholar in the palace examination."

Chen Sufeng said with a smile, "Then in that case, Zhaoyang is the top scholar."

Tong Huaqiong smiled.

Gu Jingzhe was right. Historically, those who ranked first in the provincial examination would simply go through the motions in the palace examination, and as long as they didn't cause any trouble, they would be designated as the top scholar.

But now, Xiaolong's grandfather, this old emperor, is old and his eyesight is failing, so he often doesn't play by the rules.

Gu Jingzhe was the top scholar in the imperial examination. The Gu family was about to celebrate that they had produced a top scholar, but the emperor appointed him as the third-ranked scholar.

There's nothing else to it, it's just that the old emperor saw that Gu Jingzhe was too handsome and said that the previous third-place scholars were not good-looking enough. Gu Jingzhe's appearance was more suitable for the third-place scholar position. It would be so cool to wear flowers in your hair, ride a horse, and parade through the streets.

And so Gu Jingzhe went from being the top scholar to the third-ranked scholar.

Although Gu Tanhua overshadowed the top two scholars, he still felt a sense of regret.

Lu Zhaoyang is not bad-looking either. Who knows if the old emperor will have a brain fart when he sees Lu Zhaoyang's appearance and appoint him as the third-ranked scholar or some other rank.