Chapter 39

“Annul the marriage,” Xiao Baoxin answered simply.

“That’s the marriage your father agreed to!”

Madam Xie was forced into a corner. She didn’t understand. Everyone had clapped and cheered for this marriage, claiming that it was impossible to go wrong. Why was it like a fire pit to her daughter? A needle could not go through, nor could oil enter, she was bent on rejecting this marriage.

“I can’t make the decision… Tell Mother, do you have someone you like?” In reality, after she had angrily shouted that she wanted to go to the Yuan Family to end the engagement last night, Madam Xie had realized that she might have been too impatient. However, it was because she was protecting her child and didn’t want her daughter to be bullied by her future in-laws, so she would rather break than bend. Even if Xiao Yun came back and didn’t agree, she still planned to act first.

However, the situation was different now.

‘Who?’

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“I didn’t hear my daughter say any family’s son is good.”

‘I didn’t see her being close to anyone as well. Is my daughter a loner, she doesn’t even have friends…’

‘If she doesn’t have any friends, then it’s not because she has taken a liking to someone’s brother. She couldn’t possibly like someone on the streets— no, my daughter isn’t a love-struck fool. She’s so beautiful herself, so she wouldn’t be dazzled by anyone.’

“Besides, I don’t think any man is as good-looking as my daughter.”

‘But my nephew is really handsome and talented, and they have met.’

Madam Xie was visibly agitated.

“Could it be that she has taken a fancy to him?”

Xiao Baoxin silently listened to Madam Xie’s inner thoughts, each wave of thoughts stronger than the last. It was fortunate that her ears weren’t deafened. It was obvious that the last thought wasn’t excitement, but fear.

She actually didn’t know that her mother thought of her this way.

“Mother, you worry too much.” Xiao Baoxin slowly withdrew the slender hand that was tightly held in his mother’s hand, afraid that she would be so shocked by her mother that she would not even be able to respond. At that time, her mother might think that she had been exposed and had a guilty conscience.

Putting on a righteous face.

“It’s true that I don’t fancy the Yuan family or Yuan Chen, but I’m not a frivolous person. I don’t have a crush on anyone. Moreover, I don’t care about family backgrounds or looks, but he has to have a good character and be upright. I only wish to be together forever and never be apart.”

“Daughter.”

You might as well have a sweetheart.

Madam Xie’s words lingered on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t spit them out. “It’s not difficult for you to find someone with a good and upright character. But to let a man stay by your side for the rest of his life, of course, there are some like that. But who would ask around before getting married if they wouldn’t take a concubine in the future and raise another woman?”

“Exactly. What’s the point of saying that?”

“Look at the eldest Young Master. Although his wife is the daughter of a concubine of the Cai Clan, she’s also from an aristocratic clan. We are already considered to have married up. A few years after their marriage, he treated his wife with respect and love. But after a few years, so what? Didn’t he also raise a mistress? He even threatened to fight and kill for a mistress.”

“It’s not that your brother is sanctimonious, it’s just that most men are like that, such as your father, your paternal uncle, my father, and your maternal uncle. We have lived in Jiankang City for seven to eight years. We’ve seen many aristocratic clans and have seen quite a number of clans that are similar to us. They are not even comparable to our humble clans. But how many clans are like what you said?”

“Daughter, I thought the same when I was young. I tried to do the same after I married your father, but what happened in the end?”

Madam Xie smiled. She was only 34 years old, but there were already a few wrinkles at the corner of her eyes.

“Men are like that. We still have to lead our own lives. Don’t take them too seriously and we can lead a good life.”

“Mother.” Xiao Baoxin pursed her lips, her eyes firm and stubborn. “You did think about it, but I want to do this!”

Madam Xie raised her eyes to look at Xiao Baoxin. The two of them stared at each other for a long time. In the end, Madam Xie was defeated and spat out.

“All of you are my enemies and only know how to make things difficult for me. This marriage was decided by your father, and just now… I’ve already agreed to it, so I can’t chase after them to break off the engagement. Going back on my word like this, it doesn’t matter if the marriage is called off, but we can’t become enemies just like this. Why don’t we wait for your father to come back first? He’s the head of the family, so we have to listen to his opinion in the end.”

Xiao Baoxin knew that Madam Xie had already given in. That was enough. At least she was half successful.

Hmm, maybe a third?

“It’s not convenient for Mother to speak up. It’s better for Father and me to talk…”

“Forget it, you don’t have to get involved.” Madam Xie confirmed with her. “Daughter, are you determined to break off the engagement?”

Xiao Baoxin nodded firmly.

Actually, there were ten thousand ways to break off the engagement. If she said no, she could fight. She did not believe that he would not annul the marriage after being beaten up by her. However, her reputation would be ruined because of this. It was a move that would harm herself. Secondly, even if she did not get married, it did not mean that she wanted to become enemies. There was no need to offend him to that extent. By then, it would not be a matter between the two of them, but a feud between the two clans.

Therefore, she could only take things slowly. Anyway, with her mother’s guarantee, she had more time. She didn’t believe she couldn’t gain control of Yuan Chen’s weakness.

Since he did not listen to her advice and kept pestering her, he could not blame her for choosing an unconventional method.

Madam Xie was speechless.

Her stepson and his wife had fallen out and offended the Cai family, causing a storm in the city and implicating the entire Xiao family to be mocked by the crowd. His own son had been creating trouble every day, and there was never a moment where she didn’t have to worry about him. He even offended most of the aristocratic families in the city. She always thought that her daughter was the least worrisome one, but in the end, she didn’t take a liking to the marriage and went head-on with the Yuan family. One wrong move and they would become enemies…

What kind of life was this?

“Alright! I got it.” She waved her hand and accepted her fate. “You don’t have to worry about this matter anymore. I’ll definitely turn it down for you!”

Looking at Xiao Baoxin’s smiling face, Madam Xie was inexplicably dazzled.

“I don’t know if this is right or wrong, but I don’t want to do harm to you. Daughter, it’s easy to break off this engagement, but if the Yuan family gets angry out of humiliation and they slander or accuse you, it might even be hard for you to marry in the future.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Xiao Baoxin leaped into Madam Xie’s arms happily.

It would be best if her mother made things clear. However, even if her mother interfered, she would still have to make some moves. Her mother was gullible, and she probably wasn’t as shrewd as Madam Yuan. She wouldn’t even know that she had been tricked.

The Xiao Family’s eldest branch had simple people. Even though Xiao Yun had two concubines in the past, one of them had died in childbirth, and the other had caught a cold and died on the way back to Jiankang. Other than Xiao Baoshan, who was brought up by the first wife, there were only her and Xiao Baoshu, the two legitimate daughters.

Although it was said that the world was peaceful and prosperous these past few years, there were actually battles happening frequently in small places. Xiao Yun was Emperor Yu Heng’s trusted general, and he also had the nickname of victorious general, so Emperor Yu Heng loved to use him during big and small battles.

Xiao Yun himself was not someone who indulged in women. He was more focused on earning achievements and bringing glory to his family. He was someone who befriended the Emperor and ministers, so they worked together seamlessly. The direct consequence was that Xiao Yun had neither the heart nor the leisure to take in concubines. The Xiao Residence’s backyard was considered clean, a rare sight in Jiankang.

In such an environment, Xiao Baoxin naturally hadn’t experienced any scheming fights in the Inner Residence. Those shady dealings were merely hearsay from the outside world.

Just listening to it made them feel terrified. This was even those that had been passed out, how could she then possibly go against those schemes that were unheard of?

But at least she had a golden finger to protect herself, right?

Her mother was completely incapable of fighting. She would be like a fat little lamb thrown into a wolf’s den.