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

Chapter 647 Stepping on the Lottery of Fate
This time, Tong Huaqiong and Gu Jingzhe took Gu Baishuang, Gu Taohua, Chen Sufen, Man'er, Xiaolong, and Yaozu with them to the Lu family.

To show respect, a professional official mediator was invited upon arrival in the prefectural city.

Lu Zhaozhao saw the joyful tears welling up in Tong Huaqiong's eyes.

"Aunt Tong".

Lu Zhaozhao ran towards Tong Huaqiong with a smile, her face beaming with unrestrained joy.

"Quick, let me see." Tong Huaqiong grabbed Lu Zhaozhao's hand and kept looking her over.
Last summer, Lu Zhaozhao went to Shengjing with Old Master Lu to take over the business there, and didn't return until before the Lunar New Year.

Tong Huaqiong hadn't seen her for more than half a year.

Perhaps it was the nurturing environment of Shengjing that made Lu Zhaozhao even more radiant.

Tong Huaqiong sighed inwardly, thinking that both Gu Jingzhe in his previous life and Gu Jingzhe in this life had hit the jackpot of fate.

"I'm here to discuss your marriage with Jingzhe with your grandfather," Tong Huaqiong said without any attempt to hide it from Lu Zhaozhao.

Upon hearing Tong Huaqiong's words, Lu Zhaozhao blushed and couldn't help but smile.

She met Gu Jingzhe once before the Lunar New Year, and the two wanted to get married as soon as possible.

In fact, if it weren't for Tong Huaqiong's insistence, the two should have gotten married two years ago when they got engaged.

Lu Zhaozhao's mood fluctuated every day throughout the Spring Festival. She hoped that Tong Huaqiong would come to her home to discuss an auspicious date, but she was also worried that Tong Huaqiong would not come.

Grandpa Lu was not a rigid person; he fully respected the decisions of both his grandson and granddaughter regarding their marriages.

Therefore, after discussing with Tong Huaqiong, he decided not to let Lu Zhaozhao leave, but instead to have her sit beside him and listen to them discuss the marriage.

“My son has his own life, and so do I. After Jingzhe and Zhaozhao get married, I have prepared a house in the prefectural city. You can stay there temporarily and do not need to come and serve me.”

"However, you may not be able to stay in the prefectural city for long before you have to go to Shengjing. I know the Lu family has no shortage of houses in Shengjing, but I have also prepared a house for them. Whether Zhaozhao does business or whatever she does, I will not interfere."

Tong Huaqiong then expressed her attitude.

There's one more thing she didn't mention: as a modern soul, she doesn't pressure others to have children.

However, this is not a suitable thing to say to a daughter-in-law in this day and age, as it could be misinterpreted as a curse that the son and daughter-in-law cannot have children.

Grandpa Lu was very satisfied with Tong Huaqiong's statement.

Ever since Lu Zhaozhao showed her talent in business, Old Master Lu revealed to Tong Huaqiong during their engagement that Lu Zhaozhao would take over the Lu family's huge business, and that Lu Zhaozhao would not be able to live the life of a typical young lady who regularly visited her husband's family.

Fortunately, Tong Huaqiong doesn't need her daughter-in-law to serve her at all.

If my daughter-in-law can earn money, it's fine for her to just lie down and relax.

Lu Zhaozhao and Gu Jingzhe looked at each other, their eyes conveying laughter.

The young couple's sweetness was even more cloying than a melon in June.

Both parties had no objections to the marriage, and the date was set for March 18th.

Springtime, when flowers are in bloom, is also a good time to hold happy events.

Looking at his grandson-in-law, who was a scholar when they got engaged but has now become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, Old Master Lu became more and more satisfied. Before long, this grandson-in-law might become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

His Lu family would have two Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) by then, and he secretly hoped that Gu Jingzhe would achieve the highest rank, such as Zhuangyuan (top scholar) or Tanhua (third scholar).

He will become a legend in the business world.

I wonder how many people will envy him then.

After arranging the marriage between Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao, Tong Huaqiong and Gu Baishuang discussed the cargo that the ships would be carrying when they set sail in the spring.

Tong Huaqiong specially invited Gu Baishuang to the prefectural city to discuss Gu Jingzhe's marriage, mainly to facilitate business dealings with seagoing vessels.

Tong Huaqiong learned from Gu Baishuang that after Gu Baishuang confronted Nie Mingyuan and broke off relations with her two stepsons in Qinghe Bay on the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Nie family not only did not treat her badly, but instead treated her with great care.

Her two daughters-in-law changed their attitude from before and started to fawn over her. Nie Mingyuan was even more afraid that she would follow Tong Pandi's example and get a divorce.

Gu Baishuang also knew that the Nie family treated her this way because they coveted what she had.

But even so, at least it's better than when she was controlled by Nie Mingyuan and her two stepsons.

After leaving the Lu family, Tong Huaqiong went to Prefect Yao's place to visit Lian Hengruo.

Lian Heng, who was pregnant, looked very healthy.

Lian Hengruo told Tong Huaqiong that Prefect Yao's term of office was coming to an end and the emperor wanted to summon him to the Ministry of Personnel in Shengjing.

I guess I'll be staying in Shengjing from now on.

The Ministry of Personnel, isn't that the department that selects officials?

It's a great place.

Tong Huaqiong offered her congratulations.

At the same time, there was concern that if Lian Heng went to Shengjing, he would be bound by the rules of aristocratic families.

Prefect Yao and Lian Hengruo only wrote to their families to inform them of their decision to get married.

The Yao family was furious that Prefect Yao had chosen a merchant's daughter instead of a daughter from a prominent family in Shengjing, and that she was even born out of wedlock. They were worried that she would be embarrassed to go out and socialize in Shengjing in the future.

After the two got married, the Yao family sent clansmen and stewards to handle the wedding, but their main purpose was to investigate Lian Hengruo's background.

Based on the descriptions from clansmen and stewards, the Yao family felt that Lian Heng was even less respectable than they had imagined. Not only was he born out of wedlock, but he also personally went out into business.

She was not gentle in nature. When an uncle in the clan gave her a few words of advice, she had a whole set of theories to follow, which angered the uncle so much that he returned to Shengjing the next day.

Upon arriving in Shengjing, they naturally spread Lian Hengruo's infamy throughout the entire Yao family.

In his youth, the bizarre incident occurred when Yao's mother sent two nannies to Ningcheng to teach Lian Hengruo manners.

Fortunately, Prefect Yao was determined to protect Lian Hengruo, and he managed to send the man away without Lian Hengruo having to lift a finger.

Tong Huaqiong heard about this from Aunt Tang.

No wonder people say that it wasn't easy being a wife in a noble family in ancient times. If the man didn't protect her and the mother-in-law pressured her, she would inevitably develop breast hyperplasia.

“The Yao family is a prominent clan with many rules. You’ll probably have to fight a battle when you get to Shengjing,” Tong Huaqiong sighed.

Even if Prefect Yao is on her side, those petty tricks used in the inner quarters are still quite annoying.

Lian Hengruo said, "I have preparations and ways to deal with it. Aunt Tong, don't forget that our Lian family has also had its share of troubles. My mother and I have lived under the machinations of our stepmother for many years, and we have a set of counter-strategies. When we get to Shengjing, I will definitely not let myself be at a disadvantage."

Tong Huaqiong felt reassured because Lian Hengruo seemed eager to try.

Indeed, Lian Hengruo, who was able to tear half of the Lian family's property from his stepmother and elder brother as a dowry, was destined to be a ruthless person.

Tong Huaqiong asked, "Now you know your mother-in-law's attitude, what about the rest of the Yao family?"

Lian Hengruo pondered for a moment and said, "My mother-in-law dislikes me even though she has never met me. I think she dislikes me because of my husband. She doesn't like my husband, so naturally she doesn't like me either."

This involves Prefect Yao's privacy.

Unexpectedly, the upright and honest Prefect Yao was not favored by his mother.

"So this is nothing to me. What I fear most is that my mother-in-law doesn't like me but is still attached to her son." Lian Hengruo smiled. "My husband's grandmother likes me very much. She wrote me a letter herself and sent a doctor and a nanny from Shengjing to take care of me when she learned that I was pregnant."

"The old lady holds a high position in the family, so I'll curry favor with her and take advantage of her influence."

Lian Heng winked slyly.

Tong Huaqiong inexplicably thought of the Old Madam of the Jia family, who was at the top of the family food chain. If Lian Heng had the support of the Old Madam, he could gain a foothold in a high-ranking family.