♂?，，

  Madam Ding Yi was overjoyed to finally be pregnant, and had arranged for her husband to take a concubine. However, she did not expect that the maid, Hu Po, would also become pregnant. If it weren't for fear of miscarriage, Madam Ding would have punished Hu Po severely. The news made the elder madam angry, but as it concerned the succession of the Lanlinghou estate, even as her mother-in-law, she couldn't say anything more. The Lanlinghou estate had always given face to Madam Ding, and despite being married for many years without a child, the elder madam had never gifted her husband with a concubine. The maids in the estate were not allowed to have children before the birth of an heir, but now that Madam Ding and Hu Po were both pregnant at the same time, it was a double joy for the elder madam. All she could do was secretly resent Madam Ding's poor judgment.

  On the day of Ding Yutang's birthday, Ding Ruo was actively preparing to fake her own death and leave the capital. Liu Shi remembered it and saw Ding Ruo busy with preparations, trying to get rid of her identity as the sixth miss of the Ding family. She quietly embroidered a pair of lotus pouches for Madame and Master Ding as a keepsake.

  Lan Xin heard about Ding Ruo's plan and was given the opportunity to choose whether to stay or leave together. After considering it for several days, Lan Xin knelt in front of Ding Ruo and asked to follow her, becoming her mistress. Lan Xin had her own considerations - if she returned to the manor, she would not be able to conceal her appearance and would likely be taken as a nameless concubine by Master Ding. It was better for her to leave with Ding Ruo.

  Lanxin understood clearly that Sixth Miss was cleverer than others and would arrange everything well, not treating her unfairly. With elder brother and sister above, and younger siblings below, she wouldn't worry about having no one to support her parents. Lanxin kowtowed and bid farewell to her parents in the direction of the Ding residence, leaving behind the monthly allowance she had saved up and the reward money Ding Ruo gave her for selling paper cuts, as a way to repay her parents' kindness in raising her. Seeing Lanxin resolutely agree to leave with her, Ding Ruo began contacting coffin shops. Since they decided to put on an act of eloping, they had to do it properly. Although it was impossible to be flawless, there also couldn't be any obvious loopholes.

  When the autumn wind was blowing at the mountain gate, according to the agreed plan, Li's mother informed Ding Rou, hoping that she could scold awake the distant relative who was good at gambling and drinking. Ding Rou smiled and responded, tidied up and went to see Di Bao. Beforehand, she had asked Li's mother to prepare wine and dishes. Ding Rou sent away Li's mother and played her specialty of talking business at the modern dinner table. Although Ding Rou herself wasn't beautiful, she kept smiling and didn't say much about Di Bao's gambling being not right. Instead, she borrowed the wine's effect and talked with Di Bao about the skills of shaking dice, pretending to be naive and asking how to win money. When it came to gamblers' techniques, there was no one who wasn't addicted. Di Bao showed off to Ding Rou without any guard, while Ding Rou listened on one side and poured wine for him on the other, occasionally praising him a couple of times. Di Bao was drunk and satisfied, and only when he had almost finished drinking did Ding Rou mention that she had once learned a wonderful technique for shaking dice from a master, and demonstrated it to Di Bao.

  Di Bao's eyes were fixed on him, insisting that he must learn from Ding Rou. Ding Rou reluctantly agreed, but proposed a condition: to take a look at the map of the Great Qin Dynasty. Di Bao was carrying the map with him and pointed it out to Ding Rou. Ding Rou saw the characters and seals on it, quietly hid one page, handed over his skills to Di Bao, and took the opportunity to put a sleeping pill in his wine. Di Bao fell asleep at the table, and Ding Rou smiled contentedly, having achieved her goal, and left quietly.

  As she was leaving, she happened to run into Li Mama, who was also holding onto her hand. She told Li Mama, "At dusk, Wang the steward will come to my room and I have something to discuss with him." Li Mama sensed that something was amiss, but she had not expected Ding Yu to have such great audacity, planning to escape from the Ding household. Li Mama had always thought that Ding Yu was just trying to earn some extra money for herself, but now it seemed that Sixth Miss could not be judged by ordinary reasoning.

  "The old servant has come to inform Sixth Miss that the Qian family's carriage is here to take you to Beijing, it's waiting outside the door."

  Ding Rou furrowed her brow, and the interactions with the Qian family had been settled last time she went to exchange money. Why would the Qian family send a carriage to pick up Ding Rou again? Could there be a problem? Ding Rou suddenly remembered that Qian Zhao was the same as Chu Ling, the son of the Wang family. After thinking for a moment, she decided to put aside her concerns and ask about the schedule of the escort agency. Many ordinary people from Jiangnan traveled together in groups when going to the capital city, looking out for each other, as not everyone could afford to hire an escort alone. Ding Rou had silver coins, but the three women were weak and isolated, so even if the escort was kind-hearted, she wasn't too reassured. Madame Liu was less than thirty, a woman's prime age, and Lan Xin was...Ding Rou decided to partner with others to travel together. Last time, she heard that several families planned to return to their hometown, which was on the way, so Ding Rou made arrangements for a specific date to make final preparations.

  Riding in Qian's family carriage saves Dinger from having to rent another one, and besides, she has a soft spot for Qian Zhao. Who knows when they'll meet again? It won't be a waste of time if she can persuade Qian Zhao. Without Qian Zhao's introduction, Dinger wouldn't have the confidence to convince Old Man Qian. She never dares to underestimate ancient people because Dinger is friends with Old Man Qian's daughter, which is why he gave her the opportunity to show off her talents. Who would know Dinger without Qian Zhao? She can't earn enough silver on her own.

  Dinger sat in the carriage heading to the capital, and when they passed through the city gate, she lifted the curtain and looked at the big words "Yan Jing". It's been ten years since she last returned to the capital; who knows who will be by her side then?

  Having learned from the failure of her past marriage, Dinger won't make the same mistake again. She won't cultivate a husband with heavy emotions and loyalty. Failure once doesn't mean forever; Dinger will keep her eyes open when choosing a husband and work hard to manage their life after marriage. She won't be afraid to get married just because of one heartbreak.

  Dinger has already taught her ex-husband's shameless sister a lesson, and anyone who dares to wrong her will have to pay the price.

  "Miss Ding, please get off the horse carriage."

  Ding Ruo saw Qian Zhao under the leadership of the servant, but it had been less than half a month since they last met. The changes in Qian Zhao made Ding Ruo almost unrecognizable. His cheekbones were prominent, his cheeks sunken, his eyes red and swollen from crying, his lips colorless, and he was weakly leaning against the yellowish soft cushion. His loose hair bun hung crookedly, with a few strands falling on his chest. Qian Qing held a bowl of medicine in her hands, urging Qian Zhao to take it, while her eyes were red. The room was filled with the strong smell of ginseng, and the sky-blue curtains blocked out the sunlight, making the atmosphere gloomy.

  No wonder when Ding Ruo met Qian Lao Ye outside, he had a bitter face. Qian Zhao was made to look like this by his father, who would be extremely heartbroken. Ding Ruo guessed that Chu Ling Wang Fei must have rejected Qian Zhao, and Qian Lao Ye blamed himself for being a merchant.

  "Let's just say it's because we sisters have bad luck."

  Qian Ying feeds Qian Zhao the ginseng soup, while Ding Rou listens with complaints about Old Man Qian. The fire that had been suppressed in her heart suddenly erupts. Her father, who refused to continue the family line, still says she has bad luck? Ding Rou's expression is cold and stern, first closing the curtains to dispel the darkness in the room. Qian Zhao, feeling unwell, closes his eyes slightly, his voice hoarse: "Sister Rou."

  Ding Rou walked up to her sisters, seeing the thin anger in Ding Rou's bright eyes, Qian Qing didn't dare make a sound, but Ding Rou said: "I'd like to ask what is considered good luck? Is it that Father Qian provides for our food and clothing or is he strict with us?"

  "Little sister misunderstood me, I meant if father wasn't a businessman it would be better."

  "How can we provide a life of luxury and wealth for our sisters if not through business? Not everyone is good at reading books, Uncle Qian has a unique talent for doing business, without him there would be no us sisters."

  If he were to live in modern times, Mr. Qian would likely become a respected entrepreneur. As soon as Ding Rou mentioned the phrase "modern marketing methods", Mr. Qian's eyes lit up and he came up with some ingenious ideas that benefited Ding Rou greatly. Mr. Qian's love for his daughter touched Ding Rou deeply, and she thought to herself that even in modern times, such fathers are rare. She said: "Haven't you heard the saying, where there is a stepmother, there is also a stepfather?"

  Qian Qing and Qian Zhao were both taken aback, which was also the reason why Ding Rou didn't want to be a stepmother. Ding Rou found it difficult to have good feelings towards other people's children. After giving birth to her own children in the future, Ding Rou wasn't confident that she could treat them equally. Naturally, her own flesh and blood would be different. She would give them enough love and care, but what about her stepchildren? Ding Rou didn't have such great patience, especially when it came to family property. She was afraid that she might harbor ill intentions, so in modern times, she refused Lin Chaosheng, not only because of his entanglement with his mistress, but more importantly, because he had children.

  "Qian Zhao is only concerned with sorrow, but has forgotten about his father? For a man to live and die for nothing, it's despicable."

  Qian Zhao sobbed, "Rou Mei Mei, I don't know, he is half of my life."

  "If I die in such a wronged way, will my brother remember for several years? But Master Qian will remember for the rest of his life." Ding Rou stood beside the bed, "In this world, there is no one who loves more than parents. Money Zhao doesn't know how much I envy him. My brother has never visited until now, it seems he has given up. In his eyes and heart, the title is more important, not that what he did was wrong, but I don't think he's a coward?"

  "No, Brother Biao is not a coward. He said he would take me away, but I didn't want to go...I..." Qian Zhao retorted against Ding Rou. Qian Qing persuaded: "Sister, why don't you just go with him? Auntie will forgive us, and the clouds in the sky will disperse."

  "What grudge does Qian Zhao have against her? Is she harming her." Ding Rou was very disappointed with Qian Qing, Mr. Qian's education had a big problem, and Qian Qing, such a daughter, would not be able to take over properly. What if one day Mr. Qian passed away, the Qian family's wealth could be squandered by Qian Qing. "Does she not remember that she was originally a concubine?"

  "I'm not... I forgot... as long as Aunt is in charge, or they leave the capital far away and live a stable life, isn't that good?"

  "Let's not talk about what kind of life they will have, let's just talk about Yang Mo. He doesn't regret today, he won't regret tomorrow, but what about the day after? When emotions are high, he makes promises, but when things calm down, won't he regret it? Qian Zhao, can you guarantee that he won't regret it?"

  Qian Zhao bit her pale lips, her throat was so hoarse that she couldn't speak, and her sobbing became even more heartbreaking. Ding Rou used a handkerchief to wipe away Qian Zhao's tears, "It's not worth delaying a lifetime of happiness for the sake of a slight possibility. Everyone has a time of youthful ignorance, but also a time of awakening. One must distinguish clearly what should be done and what shouldn't be done. How many couples end up as sworn enemies in the end? The gap between a merchant's daughter and a prince's illegitimate son cannot be bridged by emotions alone. Sister Zhao is not inferior to those noble ladies, but in other people's eyes... even if Sister Zhao marries into the Yang family for a lifetime, she would have to tread carefully every step of the way, and couldn't afford to make any mistakes. As for becoming a concubine, it's even more unthinkable. No matter how honorable the position of a concubine may be, her life would not be easy."

  Qian Zhao buried her face in Ding Rou's shoulder and sobbed silently. Ding Rou patted her back, "Cry, cry out the grievances and tomorrow you can smile." Qian Lao Ye quietly left the doorway, remembering Ding Rou's kindness to Qian Zhao.

  Complete works txt download, full text free, e-book, remember 77 reading books