Yaoyao's premonition was more accurate than she could have imagined.
One moment it was filial piety, the next it was a storm.
Her gentle mother's fists rained down on her elder brother's back like a sudden downpour, and even his backside wasn't spared.
The room was instantly filled with yelps and pleas for mercy, making Yaoyao tremble uncontrollably. Mother was truly angry.
They had been beaten and scolded, but Sen Sen and Yaoyao still didn't know why their mother was so furious.
Sobbing, Sen Sen, with a wronged expression, tugged at Zhao Jiaqi's sleeve and asked tearfully, "Mother, you've beaten us. Shouldn't you tell us why?"
Zhao Jiaqi's contorted face stared intently at Sen Sen. They say a mother's heart aches when her child is beaten, but hers didn't ache; instead, she felt an urge to strangle him.
Her words were even more annoyed, her tone dark. "What is going on between you and your master's daughter, Ling Fei? If you dare to lie, I'll break your legs."
After speaking, she added a threat: "Choose your words carefully, or I'll disown you."
Upon hearing Ling Fei's name, Sen Sen immediately let go of her sleeve, took a few steps back, and then met his mother's fiery gaze.
"I like my senior sister. I will definitely marry her when I grow up. My son speaks no lies."
He even raised his little hand, looking as if he would give everything for love. His small, tear-streaked face was no longer crying; instead, it was calm.
He was still a boy with no facial hair, yet he was already thinking of marriage...
Zhao Jiaqi turned to look for the feather duster but couldn't find it anywhere. Her furious expression startled Sen Sen greatly.
"Mother, the books say one must establish a family before a career. These are the words of the ancestors. How can Mother not follow them? Moreover... I genuinely like my senior sister. We have done nothing to tarnish our reputations; we only study martial arts together. Why is Mother angry?"
Establish a family before a career?
He was starting to lecture her with stories?
And the ancestors... none of them said to start dating at such a young age!
Zhao Jiaqi's mouth twitched violently from anger. "Why shouldn't I be angry? Are you suggesting I'll be happy only when you bring home ten or eight wives?"
Sen Sen shook his head. "That's not it. But wouldn't finding so many wives be a testament to my son's ability?"
At this, Zhao Jiaqi didn't know what to say. Her heart pounded, and her lungs felt on the verge of exploding.
She feared she might die if she continued speaking.
"I will teach you something today. No matter how young you are now or how old you become, you must have responsibility, especially as a man. You must be courageous."
"Do not promise what you cannot do. Once you promise, you must fulfill it."
Sen Sen and Yaoyao listened intently.
"You are only twelve or thirteen years old. What do you know of love, affection, or admiration? You are at an age of confusion, completely ignorant of these things, and merely curious. It is too early to talk about marriage. Furthermore, your father has already enacted a law that men cannot marry until they are eighteen."
Seeing the bewildered faces of the two children, Zhao Jiaqi felt that children in this era possessed a strange sense of precocity.
She could explain the general idea of emotions, but when it came to her sons, she really couldn't bring herself to say it.
She also realized that her three children had reached the age of nascent love.
"Sen Sen, you and Ling Fei..."
"Mother, I just like being with her. Every time we discuss martial arts moves, she inspires me. She is also kind to me and teaches me patiently. That's all." After speaking, he lowered his head to glance at his mother, then quickly added, "I just want to be with her."
The first part sounded reasonable, but the latter part made Zhao Jiaqi wish she could go deaf on the spot.
She took several deep breaths, slowly exhaled the turbid air, and repeatedly told herself not to get angry.
"Enough. You are boys. Your father will handle this matter."
As soon as he heard that their father would handle it, Sen Sen's dimming eyes regained their usual brilliance, his pupils sparkling like the stars in the night sky.
Sen Sen was so happy that his small canine teeth showed, his eyes crinkling as he smiled, resembling Fan Zehao.
"Then Sen Sen will not disturb Mother's rest. Your son takes his leave." Fan Sen bowed deeply to Zhao Jiaqi, who was sitting on the stool.
Hearing his mother's faint assent, he immediately grabbed Yaoyao and ran out of the room, fearing his mother might change her mind.
Watching the two children sprint out as if their lives depended on it, she sighed and shook her head. Her children were growing up. She was helpless with this early romance, and more importantly, she lacked experience. Therefore, she didn't know how to guide them and had to leave this hot potato to their father.
After all, these two were his children.
Thinking of Fan Zehao, she wondered where he was now and if his journey had been smooth.
In the afternoon, Zhao Jiaqi went out again. She checked on her mother-in-law, who remained as silent as ever. If not for the rise and fall of her chest, she would have seemed like a dead person.
Her eyes had sunken considerably, and her complexion was sallow. If she didn't wake up soon, she would likely starve to death. The daily ginseng soup was merely keeping her alive.
On the way back from the cemetery to the prince's mansion, Zhao Jiaqi thought a great deal. The person behind the scenes was too cunning, playing the game of using others to kill very skillfully. If that didn't work, she would lure the snake out of its hole.
However, she really needed to think carefully about how to lure it out, lest she backfire.
Just as she hadn't figured out how to deal with the mastermind, another incident occurred in the prince's mansion.
Steward Wang saw the Princess return and stepped forward to report, "Your Highness, Miss Xueyao has eloped with Yan Luo, and their whereabouts are currently unknown."
Zhao Jiaqi: "..."
Eloped?
The word struck her like a bolt from the blue, a thunderclap exploding in her mind.
Marrying for a wife, eloping for a concubine—didn't this silly girl understand the consequences of eloping?
"Who knows about this matter?"
Steward Wang glanced at the surroundings with a troubled expression, his tone filled with helplessness. "All the maids and servants in the mansion know. As soon as I found out, I sealed the news. Those outside still don't know what has happened in the mansion."
"This old servant will also discipline the servants and keep their mouths shut. Please be assured, Your Highness!"
At this point, she had a headache.
"Thank you for your hard work. I will send people to search for them."
After instructing the steward, she turned and went to the study. Seeing Te Jiu intently staring at Fan Zehao's face, she said coldly, "Take the guards and the mansion soldiers and go search for Xueyao. Capture Yan Luo immediately upon sight. I want him alive."
Te Jiu was also aware of Miss Xueyao's elopement and knew that Yan Luo was currently a person of serious suspicion for the Princess. He would handle this matter with utmost care.
He clasped his hands and said, "Your subordinate will go immediately and ensure Yan Luo is brought to justice."
With that, he left briskly, mobilized the mansion soldiers and guards, and went to search for Xueyao.
Zhao Jiaqi, however, remained in the study, feeling that something was not quite right. Given Yan Luo's cautious nature, why would he elope with Xueyao?