I'm reborn, only a fool would spoil you

[Attention, dear readers who follow the update every day, the first 2500 words of this chapter have been moved to the previous chapter. Please go back to the previous chapter and read it again, otherwise the plot will not be connected.]

[In addition, 2000 words of new content have been added at the end of this chapter. Please remember to reread if you are following the update.]

After the Zhenbian King and his party left, Zhao's mother immediately asked her son with a smile: "Is this princess the one you met today?"

Zhao Shuyuan nodded shyly.

"Do you like her?" Zhao's mother asked knowingly.

Zhao Shuyuan blushed instantly.

"Do you like it or not? If you do, your mother will find a matchmaker to go to the Mu Mansion to propose marriage tomorrow. If you don't like it, then forget it." Mother Zhao asked with a smile.

Zhao Shuyuan quickly replied: "I like it!"

After saying this, he ran away with his face red.

"This silly boy!" Zhao's mother smiled.

When she returned to the pavilion in the backyard, her sister-in-law was still sitting at the stone table waiting for her. When she saw Zhao's mother coming back, she hurriedly stood up, took her hand and asked:

"The King of Zhenbian and the Queen have arrived. What's the matter?"

Mother Zhao said with a smile, with a hint of boasting in her heart, "Nothing serious. Didn't Shuyuan go to see a girl today? Do you know who that girl is?"

"Who is it? Could it be related to the Prince of Zhenbian and the Princess?" asked the eldest sister-in-law from my mother's family.

Mother Zhao said happily, "It's the younger sister of the Zhenbian Prince, the little princess of the Mu Mansion. Shuyuan, I fell in love with her at first sight. I will find a matchmaker to propose marriage tomorrow."

When the eldest sister-in-law from her mother's family heard this, she not only did not laugh, but also looked around. Seeing that there was no one around, she leaned close to Zhao's mother's ear and whispered in a low voice:

"Sister, I'm afraid you don't know... the origin of this little princess of the Mu Mansion?"

Mother Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and she asked in a low voice: "What? Is she a concubine's daughter?" She didn't look like a lowly concubine's daughter. She was full of dignity and nobility.

It is said that since her husband passed away, Zhao's mother has devoted all her attention to cultivating Zhao Shuyuan. She knows little about outside affairs and does not bother to inquire about them.

Therefore, she really had no idea where Dieyi came from.

But her sister-in-law knew everything.

"This little princess has been living outside since she was young, and she grew up in a theatre troupe. She is the Dieyi master who was very popular in the capital last year. She was also favored by Prince Kang, who is in his sixties, and caused quite a stir."

Zhao’s mother: ???

What? The little princess is actually... an actress?!

Mother Zhao immediately pursed her lips.

She was saying, how could the dignified Zhenbian King and Zhenbian Princess personally send their son back for no reason? It turned out that the little princess was of such a lowly origin.

He wanted to win over her and her son so that he could bring the little princess into their Zhao Mansion... and make her his main wife.

Ah!

I don't think about it!

The Zhao family was a family of scholars with a history of hundreds of years. They were the teachers of ten emperors and were a very respectable family. How could they allow a singing opera singer to stay? Even if she entered the family as a concubine, there was no way!

Zhao's mother had always regarded herself as the teacher's wife of Emperor Jingde, and felt that she was high above everyone else and was extremely noble.

Seeing that Zhao's mother looked unhappy, her sister-in-law smiled and said:

"Sister, don't be angry. The two families are just looking at each other. If they are not suitable, we can switch to another family. I happen to have a candidate here. You will definitely like it after listening to it."

Zhao's mother immediately asked, "Whose family is this?"

The eldest sister-in-law from her natal family smiled and said, "She is the county lady of the Lian County Prince's Mansion (Zhao Shuyuan's wife in the previous life), the legitimate daughter of the Lian County Prince's wife. You also saw her at the New Year's Eve palace banquet a few years ago. She was wearing a pink jacket and skirt, and she shyly called you aunt."

When the words "shy face" were mentioned, Zhao's mother remembered.

At the palace banquet on New Year's Eve that year, the county lady was attracted by her son's appearance and scholarly demeanor, and was stunned for a moment. After being reminded by the maid, the county lady immediately called her "aunt" with a red face.

At that time, Zhao Shuyuan was still a student in the academy, and had not taken the imperial examination or become an official. Therefore, Zhao's mother was very taboo and disliked the county lady who blushed and wanted to chat up her son.

However, times have changed.

Zhao Shuyuan has already become an official, and the county princess was born in the Lianjunwang Mansion and is a legitimate daughter of a noble family. Once she becomes his son-in-law, the Lianjunwang and his wife will have to do their best to help their son... and help him take off in his official career.

Thinking of this, Zhao's mother nodded immediately and said, "Sister-in-law is a very suitable candidate. I will ask a matchmaker to go to your house to propose marriage tomorrow."

My sister-in-law from my mother's family smiled.

In fact, Princess Lian had specifically asked her to come here today to sound out the situation.

Okay, it’s done!

Yesterday, when Princess Lian came to see her, she gave her a priceless mutton-fat jade Guanyin. Now that the matter is done, she doesn't know what kind of expensive return gift she should give her.

Thinking of this, my sister-in-law's eyes were full of smiles.

As for the little princess of the Mu Mansion who was separated by her, she could only blame her fate for not being destined to be with Zhao Shuyuan. Otherwise, how could she easily find the flaw of "actress" and dispel Zhao's mother's idea in one fell swoop?

My sister-in-law covered her mouth with a handkerchief and smiled.

~

It is said that after Zhao Shuyuan returned to his study with a red face, the first thing he did was to sit in the chair in front of the desk, quietly missing Dieyi, sitting there alone and smiling foolishly.

After grinning foolishly for a full quarter of an hour, the second thing he did was to pick up a pen and write a letter to Dieyi.

In the letter, he wrote a whole page expressing his admiration for Dieyi, and at the end he specially invited Dieyi... to go to the theater to listen to a play after finishing his shift tomorrow.

Why go to the theater to listen to a play?

Because Fu Linghao told him that Dieyi likes opera.

In order to have enough topics to talk about tomorrow, Zhao Shuyuan even found dozens of opera-related books on the bookshelf and stayed up all night to read them all!

"Dieyi, I will read more books related to opera in the future and try to... understand you better."

Zhao Shuyuan muttered to himself before he fell asleep on the desk due to exhaustion.

After saying this, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

There was a sweet smile on her lips.

~

It was already the next morning when the Mu Mansion received Zhao Shuyuan's love letter.

Fu Yushu shook the envelope.

When they were in love, she received hundreds of love letters from Mu Shaoheng, at least one a day, and sometimes two or three.

So, Fu Yushu just pinched a few and knew how many pieces of letter paper Zhao Shuyuan had written.

"It's your first time writing, and you have eight pages?"

Fu Yusu smiled. It was as if Zhao Shuyuan fell in love with Dieyi at first sight.

Putting the envelope on the table, Fu Yushu instructed the maid Qingzhi: "Invite the princess and tell her that I have something to discuss with her."

Soon, Dieyi came.

"Dieyi, sit down." Fu Yushu warmly invited Dieyi to sit next to her.

The aunt and sister-in-law sat together on the couch by the window. Fu Yushu did not give her the love letter immediately, but asked softly:

"Dieyi, Zhao Shuyuan likes you very much. What about you? How do you feel about him?"

Upon hearing this, Dieyi told the truth: "Sister Wang, I don't hate him... but also..." She didn't say the rest of the words.

However, Fu Yusu understood that this meant that he had no feelings for Zhao Shuyuan.

Fu Yushu nodded and smiled, "I see. Your brother and I are only giving you some advice on your marriage. The final decision is up to you."

Hearing this, Dieyi's eyes were filled with joy.

This is a rare thing among aristocratic families.

Generally speaking, the marriage of an unmarried girl is entirely decided by the mistress of the house. It is rare for someone like Fu Yushu to respect her personal wishes.

"Mrs. Wang, you are so kind." Dieyi thanked her sincerely.

Fu Yushu smiled: "We are about the same age. As your sister-in-law, I just hope that you can marry a good husband and live a happy life."

Afterwards, Fu Yusu handed her the love letter on the desk.

"This is a letter from Zhao Shuyuan. It's up to you whether to read it or not."

~

Zhao Mansion.

The next day, Zhao Shuyuan woke up lying on the desk. When he opened his eyes, he found that the saliva at the corners of his mouth was on the pages of the opera book.

He quickly wiped the pages of the book clean with his sleeves.

Dieyi loves opera, so he treasures his opera books very much and is afraid of damaging them!

It was as if Dieyi would be angry if the opera book was damaged!

When I finished processing the pages of the book, the sky was already getting light.

Although Zhao Shuyuan was not of high rank and was not qualified to attend the morning court in the palace, he was very diligent in his work and often arrived at the Ministry of Revenue at dawn to sort out the accounts submitted by various places.

So, seeing the sky turning pale, Zhao Shuyuan hurried out of the study and ran back to his bedroom. He quickly washed up, changed into his official robes, and went to the upper room to eat breakfast.

Then, just like every day before, I would be able to sit at the eight-immortal table in the main hall...

See mother!

Zhao's mother only had him as her son, who went out early and came back late, so she was rarely seen all day. So Zhao's mother would get up early and personally supervise the cook to prepare her son's favorite food.

Then, I sat at the table and watched my son eat the delicious food.

Only in this way can Zhao's mother feel at ease and have hope for the future.

"Son, come quickly, we have your favorite fried dumplings this morning." Mother Zhao sat at the table and greeted her son with a smile.

After Zhao Shuyuan sat down, he took a look at the breakfast on the table without picking up his chopsticks. Then he turned to Zhao's mother and smiled:

"Mom, ask the kitchen to get some chili peppers. My son wants to learn how to eat chili peppers."

"Chili peppers?" Zhao's mother asked in confusion, "Why did you think of eating chili peppers for no reason? The climate in the capital is relatively dry, so it's not suitable for eating chili peppers."

But Zhao Shuyuan blushed slightly and said shyly: "Mother, the princess... likes to eat chili peppers. I want to practice first, so that after we get married... I can keep up with her."

Zhao’s mother: ???

Her son has never touched chili peppers since he was a child, and now he has to practice eating chili peppers for that actor?

Mother Zhao immediately frowned and said unhappily:

"Shuyuan, our family members are prone to getting angry easily, so we don't like eating that. The princess's family is from the southwest, where the climate is humid and everyone can eat spicy food. People from the capital won't get involved."

Zhao Shuyuan: …

Seeing that his mother's words made sense, he didn't know how to refute.

He picked up his chopsticks, lowered his head and ate his breakfast in silence. But he made up his mind to order a few more dishes with chili peppers when he had lunch at the government office.

If you practice every day, you will become a master at eating chili peppers sooner or later.

Then, I will be able to enjoy the delicious food with Dieyi.

Thinking of this, a gentle smile appeared in the corners of Zhao Shuyuan's eyes and eyebrows.

Zhao's mother sat aside, looking at her son all the time. How could she not know the smile in her son's eyes?

After seeing this, Zhao's mother also laughed.

I feel that my son is becoming more filial and sensible as he grows older. He even knows that not letting him eat chili peppers is for his own good!

In this way, Zhao's mother happily watched her son eat the dumplings one bite at a time and relishing their meal.

After dinner, Zhao's mother saw her son out, and as usual, she walked him all the way to the door.

"Mom, please go in quickly. Your son is leaving now." Zhao Shuyuan stood under the horse and bowed to say goodbye.

Mother Zhao looked at her son with a smile.

Then, as usual, he helped his son put on his official hat, straightened his collar, smoothed the jade belt around his waist, and finally bent down to pull the hem of his son's robe.

After making sure her son's appearance was in compliance, Zhao's mother reluctantly said, "Go ahead, son. I'll go in when you leave on horseback."

Zhao Shuyuan bowed again to say goodbye, then jumped on his horse and galloped away.

However, Zhao's mother did not go in in time. Instead, she looked at her son's back as he rode away on his horse with reluctance. Only after he turned a corner and could no longer be seen did she sigh and walk back.

As he walked, he sighed, "Alas, son, I will have to get back home from work tonight to see him again."

Unexpectedly, just as I was about to close the door, I suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves coming back.

Zhao's mother hurried out to take a look, and sure enough, her son had returned!

She immediately smiled and said, "Son, did you drop something?"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Shuyuan jumped off the horse and said with a red face, "Mother, you said yesterday that you would find a matchmaker to propose marriage to the princess today. You...don't forget it."

Zhao’s mother: ???

Did you come back just for this?

She immediately became unhappy and said with some displeasure: "Just do your job well. Mother will take care of this matter. You don't need to worry about it."

If it were a normal day, seeing his mother unhappy, Zhao Shuyuan would definitely keep quiet.

But since it was about Dieyi, Zhao Shuyuan was unusually firm and said, "Mother, you promised me yesterday that I will propose today. As the ancients said, you must keep your word. Mother, you must not break your promise to me."

Hearing this, Zhao's mother became even more unhappy. She actually started to teach her a lesson just for an actor!

Before you even start to develop your character, you're already starting to turn your elbows outward!

However, worried that her son would be late for work, Zhao's mother suppressed her unhappiness and said casually:

"Okay, I'll ask a good matchmaker to propose marriage to you today. My little ancestor, go to work quickly, and don't be late to affect your career."

Zhao Shuyuan knew that his mother was a person who kept her word. When he saw that his mother agreed to propose marriage today, he was immediately delighted and rode away with a red face.

He was happy in his heart. He felt that the autumn scenery on both sides of the road was much more charming than usual. The yellow fallen leaves fell on the ground, like a yellow leaf rain. It was particularly beautiful!

Riding a horse through the fallen leaves makes you feel great!

Zhao Shuyuan had no idea that as soon as he left, Zhao's mother's face turned completely black!

"Want to marry an actress? No way!"

Mother Zhao threw her handkerchief, went back to the upper room angrily, and threw a set of tea sets!

Before her son's heart was seduced by a woman, he was very obedient and would do whatever she said. But now, he actually started to talk back to her for an actor!

You dare to do this before getting married. If you really let your son marry that actor, what will happen in the future?

Is it destined that after marrying a wife, one will forget the mother?

One got so angry that he smashed another set of tea set!

Afterwards, Zhao's mother sat back on the couch by the west window and called the housekeeper over and instructed:

"Butler Tong, take twenty taels of silver immediately and hire a matchmaker. Go to the Lian Junwang Mansion today to propose marriage to the county lady."

Butler Tong: ???

Instead of proposing marriage at the Mu Mansion, why not go to the Lian County Prince's Mansion?

However, Butler Tong has always been obedient, doing whatever he is told and never disobeying Zhao's mother.

So, after a while, Butler Tong received twenty taels of silver from the accountant and went to find a matchmaker to propose marriage.