The Valued Lady is Truly Dominant

Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Unwilling for Daughter to Marry into a Poor Family

Song Zhiyuan watched Madam Song’s nervous demeanor and couldn’t help but smile.

”Would Madam be willing to betroth Qi’er to an ordinary scholar from a farming family?”

Madam Song’s heart stopped for a moment, her mouth froze, and she asked without thinking, ”A scholar from a poor family? Who is it? Has the Prime Minister already decided?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt her tone was too sharp and questioning and quickly corrected herself, ”Prime Minister, my intention is to ask if you have already made up your mind?”

”Not yet. But I see that Madam is not willing to choose a poor scholar as a son-in-law.” Song Zhiyuan’s voice was calm.

Madam Song pulled at the corners of her mouth, explaining, ”Prime Minister, you should know Qi’er’s temperament; she has always been strong-willed, never admitting defeat, and has high standards. If you let her marry a poor scholar, how would she agree? Even her elder sister married into an established family; why would she be willing?”

”She is unwilling, but what about Madam?”

Madam Song pressed her lips together and thought for a long while before replying, ”If the Prime Minister wants the truth, then my answer is that I am unwilling.”

Song Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow.

”As a mother, no one would want their daughter to suffer. Our Qi’er has been pampered since childhood, raised in luxury, the kind who would cry if her hand were pricked by a needle. Sending her to a poor family would be her end.” Madam Song bitterly smiled, ”Prime Minister, it’s not that I look down on poor families; I understand you yourself came from humble beginnings and have worked your way up, and I have seen the hardships you endured.”

”Today, even if you blame me, I must say, I’ve suffered and don’t want my daughters to suffer. I am unwilling to let Qi’er marry a poor scholar.”

”Even if he has the potential of a Prime Minister?”

Madam Song was stunned. Such high praise?

She pursed her lips and shook her head, ”Unwilling. Prime Minister, Qi’er can marry beneath her station, but not to the level of a poor family. Perhaps you believe he has the potential of a Prime Minister, but that would take a long time. Prime Minister, does our Qi’er have such resilience? I fear she would exhaust her heart and soul in this inner court and still not see it happen.”

Song Zhiyuan held his tea in silence. Madam Song felt anxious, somewhat regretful, but when she thought of Qi’er, she revealed a bitter smile.

How much hardship does a daughter from a high family have to endure marrying into poverty, doesn’t she know?

Back then, she was willing because she saw something in Song Zhiyuan, and he did not disappoint her, but the pressure and suffering endured, only those who experience it know.

It is precisely because she knows that she doesn’t want her daughter to endure the same. It’s not that she doubts Song Zhiyuan’s judgment but fears that Song Ruqi might not be able to handle it.

Not everyone is Gu Xiangyi.

Just as Madam Song was lost in thought, warmth suddenly enveloped her hand, and she looked up in surprise.

”If Madam is unwilling, then let it be.”

Madam Song: ”You’re not angry with me?”

”Why would I be angry?” Song Zhiyuan smiled, ”Only by experiencing hardship can one know its bitterness. Naturally, one’s own children should be spared.”

”But Prime Minister...”

”As your husband, I just thought that the scholar has a good character and disposition. Even if he comes from a poor family, Qi’er’s rich dowry would shield her from hardship. But you’re right, not everyone has your endurance over the years, and you fear she might be worn down by the long, empty wait. How could a father bear that?”

Madam Song’s throat choked up.