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

Chapter 703 A Question of the Soul
Jia cried all night.

The next day, with red and swollen eyes, he stopped Gu Xiaoxue at the entrance of the weaving workshop.

"Mother, if there's nothing else, you should go back. I need to go to work. Our weaving workshop has rules: we can't chat idly or come and go as we please."

Jia held Gu Xiaoxue's hand and tearfully recounted how she had been bullied by Old Madam Gu and others, while Gu Xiaoxue looked impatient.

"Xiaoxue, I am your mother, how can you be so heartless to me?" Jia Shi looked utterly devastated.

She knew her adopted daughter, Gu Xiaoxue, wasn't a heartless person. As long as she swallowed her pride and cried, Gu Xiaoxue would eventually come back to her.

Besides, Gu Xiaoxue has been throwing a tantrum for a year; she should have calmed down by now.

But Gu Xiaoxue now is clearly beyond her expectations.

"Yes, that's how ruthless they are."

Gu Xiaoxue disappointed her.

Looking at her is like looking at a stranger.

Jia thought bitterly that Gu Xiaoxue had been corrupted by Gu Taohua and Tong Huaqiong.

"What can I do to make you forgive me?" Jia asked, crying.

Gu Xiaoxue remained calm and said, "Just stay away from me."

After saying that, he lifted his foot and walked towards the weaving workshop.

Tears streamed down Jia's face, yet she still refused to face Gu Xiaoxue as she was now.

She deeply regretted keeping Gu Xiaoxue around for the sake of a high dowry; she should have married Gu Xiaoxue off when she came to Qinghewan.

That way, Gu Xiaoxue wouldn't work at the weaving workshop, and she wouldn't have Tong Huaqiong as her backer.

Moreover, she will definitely rely on her own family in her husband's family and will not dare to turn against her own family, so that they will not become estranged from her as their mother.

When Jia turned around, she saw Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong witnessed the meeting between Jia Shi and Gu Xiaoxue, but she had no intention of watching the spectacle.

All of this was Jia's own doing.

"You're happy now," Jia said to Tong Huaqiong.

Jia always harbored a strange hostility towards Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong wouldn't tolerate her and said, "Your daughter treated you like this, and instead of looking at your own problems, you blame others. Let me tell you, I'm actually happy. I'm happy that Gu Xiaoxue saw through your hypocrisy, and I'm happy that you lost such a good daughter. This is all your retribution."

Yes, it's retribution.

Women faced hardship in this era, but as a mother, Jia was not innocent at all in the matter of Gu Xiaoxue's disappointment with the Gu family's old house and others. She only had eyes for Gu Ruinian and no eyes for Xiaoxue.

Not only did she not help Xiaoxue, she also sacrificed Xiaoxue to benefit Ruinian.

Such a person will not go back on their word. The reason she came to find Xiaoxue was because she had lost hope in the Gu family.

Even so, if Gu Xiaoxue needs to sacrifice for Gu Ruinian, she will still abandon Xiaoxue without hesitation.

Tong Huaqiong had no interest in battling with Jia Shi; her ambition was not to compete with Jia Shi for her mother-in-law's love or for the Gu family's status.

Her goal is to make money, make money.

Tong Huaqiong ignored Jia Shi and strode into the weaving workshop.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Jingzhe has been married for a month.

For the past month, he and Lu Zhaozhao have been inseparable.

According to the plan, he should set off for Shengjing.

Tong Huaqiong received a letter from Gu Dashu. Calculating the days, she realized that Gu Jingzhe was setting off now and could arrive in Shengjing around the same time as Gu Dashu.

Lu Zhaozhao was caught in a dilemma.

Before they got married, she wanted to see Gu Jingzhe every day and imagined the two of them living together.

However, after living in Qinghewan for a while, her relationship with Tong Huaqiong and others grew stronger, and she was very reluctant to leave Shengjing.

“If I don’t stay here, I’ll go with Mother to Shengjing,” Lu Zhaozhao said to Tong Huaqiong.

Gu Taohua agreed with this. Lu Zhaozhao was not only her sister-in-law but also her daughter, and she and Lu Zhaozhao got along very well.

“I think it’s better for you to stay, Third Sister-in-law. After you go to Shengjing, Third Brother will go to the Imperial Academy to study. What about you? You will not only have to manage the business and take care of the family affairs, but you will also have to worry about Third Brother’s food, clothing and shelter at all times. I think you will not be enjoying life in Shengjing, but rather suffering.”

Gu Taohua increasingly felt that Gu Jingzhe had gotten a great deal by marrying Lu Zhaozhao.

Tong Huaqiong smiled.

Gu Taohua wasn't only kind to Lu Zhaozhao in this lifetime.

In her previous life, Gu Taohua not only gave her heart to Fan Tong, but also treated Lu Zhaozhao very well.

When Gu Jingzhe and the princess got married, Gu Taohua almost massacred the wedding venue.

Gu Jingzhe, standing anxiously to the side, said, "Zhaozhao doesn't need to worry about housework, let alone be responsible for my food, clothing, and shelter. It's not like I don't have hands and feet."

He was really afraid that Lu Zhaozhao, who was being encouraged by Gu Taohua, would stay at home.

Gu Taohua sneered, "That's what you say, but how could Third Sister-in-law possibly let go and not care?"

Gu Jingzhe retorted, "Can't we just care about each other?"

He also cared about every aspect of Lu Zhaozhao's life.

Gu Taohua retorted, "Concern for each other? When you two have children in the future, can you get pregnant for Zhaozhao?"

"I can't, but I can raise and educate children."

Gu Jingzhe broke out in a cold sweat. He, who was usually good at debating, was almost speechless in the face of Gu Taohua's probing questions.

Listening to Gu Taohua and Gu Jingzhe bickering, Tong Huaqiong shook her head with a smile.

Gu Taohua is now vying with Gu Jingzhe for the position of sister-in-law.

Gu Jingzhe looked to Tong Huaqiong for help.

“Mother, it was agreed before the wedding that Zhaozhao would come to Shengjing with me.” Gu Jingzhe gritted her teeth, her face flushed, and said, “If Zhaozhao doesn’t go to Shengjing, I will miss him every day. I won’t be able to concentrate on my studies. How will I pass the imperial examinations and earn an official title for you?”

When Lu Zhaozhao heard Gu Jingzhe say he missed her in front of her mother-in-law, her face turned as red as a brilliant sunset.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Zhaozhao, you should go to Shengjing. Not to mention the business waiting for you there, your brother has been in Shengjing for three years and he must be hoping to see you soon."

Lu Zhaoyang spent three years in Shengjing, two of which were spent preparing supplies for the border war.

Officials in the capital were not allowed to leave the capital at will.

Lu Zhaozhao and Gu Jingzhe got married. Lu Zhaozhao did not come; Huang Jingshan came alone.

When Lu Zhaoyang was mentioned, Lu Zhaozhao said, "Then I'll go to Shengjing. My sister-in-law wrote a few days ago saying she's pregnant. Grandpa will be at ease if I go."

“Alright, you guys go first. I’ll go after I’m done with things at home,” Tong Huaqiong said. Seeing that Gu Taohua was reluctant to part with Lu Zhaozhao, she added, “Taohua, you come along too.”

Since we'll be going to Shengjing anyway, we might as well let Gu Taohua go with us first.

Tong Huaqiong also wanted to sell cotton cloth to Shengjing, so she sent Gu Taohua to scout the way first.

Gu Taohua was very happy and took Lu Zhaozhao's hand, saying, "I'll go with Third Sister-in-law."

Lu Zhaozhao said, "Okay, let's go first."

Gu Jingzhe breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Zhaozhao finally agreed to go to Shengjing.

Liu Yue'e was very envious when she learned that Gu Taohua and Lu Zhaozhao had both gone to Shengjing.

She wanted to go too.

Gu Dashu was going to Shengjing to receive an award, and rumors about Gu Dashu changing his mind reached Liu Yue'e's ears. Although Zhao Shi comforted her a little, she was still worried that Gu Dashu might really be favored by some noble ladies.

After all, Gu Dashu was handsome. Back in the prefectural city, he won the admiration of courtesans and almost fell into the Chen family's trap.

What kind of place is Shengjing? It's even more cunning than the prefectural city. Gu Dashu is just a country bumpkin; he probably wouldn't be able to see through anyone trying to scheme against him.

Liu Yue'e became increasingly alarmed as she thought about it, and wanted to go to Shengjing as soon as possible to dance in front of Gu Dashu.

She dared not approach Tong Huaqiong, fearing her mother-in-law would say she was too playful and that her mother-in-law would resent her going to Shengjing to enjoy a life of luxury. So she ran to her parents' home in tears to complain.