Chapter 208

Chapter 208: A Sudden Turn, Tao Yi Ran Is Pregnant

Madam Tao was a little unhinged at this moment, yet inside she felt an extraordinary relief; she had never felt so satisfied in her life and no longer cared about consequences, saying whatever she wished. Old Madam Tao’s chest heaved violently as she scolded: “Your stewardship is incompetent, and instead of reflecting, you dump all the fault onto your mother-in-law. Is this the code of conduct of your Wang family?” She followed with a decree: “Since that is so, from now on the management of the household will be handed to the young madam. You will reflect properly.”

It was only the power to manage the household, yet Madam Tao refused to relent and kept arguing loudly with Old Madam Tao, even brandishing her birth family to press her point. Old Madam Tao finally could not withstand it, closed her eyes, and fainted. Having spent all her fury, Madam Tao also failed to catch her breath and collapsed in turn. The rear compound descended into chaos until Madam Li arrived to stabilize the situation; she immediately forbade any discussion of the matter, declaring that any woman discovered gossiping would be sold to a brothel regardless of age, and any man would be sold to the mines.

Under such heavy pressure, not a single person dared to speak.

Huddled in her own courtyard, Tao Yi Ran quickly received the news and was thrown into a panic. She had not worried when her affair with Tang Rong was spread outside, trusting the marquisate to handle it just as at the Moon-Inviting Banquet; in the end, had the one punished not been the Crown Princess? [The marquisate would surely take care of it again.]

But she could not believe her father would abandon her. [“To request to be set aside” sounded pleasant enough, but what then? Was she to spend the rest of her life with an oil lamp and prayer beads for company?]

“Where is Father? I want to find Father,” she said.

“Young Madam, the master has given orders: you may not leave the courtyard,” a servant replied.

The servants in the courtyard had already been replaced; no matter what was said, they would not allow Tao Yi Ran to step outside. Perhaps too agitated, Tao Yi Ran also fainted.

In the front hall of the Tao family, Lord Tao took one look at Tang Gang’s face and knew he had come to demand justice, which only deepened Lord Tao’s conviction that Tang Rong was a man without responsibility. Even if Yiran had taken the initiative, if he had been unwilling, could she have forced him? The moment trouble arose he hid and refused to show himself, displaying not a trace of a man’s duty. Such a son-in-law was no great loss. He therefore gave Tang Gang no chance to perform his censure and stated his own decision first. Tang Gang thought he had misheard, unwilling to believe Lord Tao would be willing to give up an alliance with a marquisate.

“To request to be set aside? Brother Tao, where did that come from?” Tang Gang asked in shock. He had not yet spoken his accusations when the other side simply threw down the matter.

Lord Tao said calmly: “Ever since our families were joined, your son has met misfortune at every turn, and the Tao family has been beset by repeated storms. Looking back, the children’s horoscopes were never matched before the marriage; it seems their fates are incompatible.”

“Rather than continue to harm each other, it is better to sever this early so that neither side delays the other’s future marriage prospects.”

Marchioness Wang had not expected the Tao family to be so crisp and decisive, yet she still tried to persuade him: “They say one would rather tear down a temple than break apart a marriage. The rumors outside may be unpleasant, but they also, in a roundabout way, show that the two children have deep feelings.”

Lord Tao sighed: “To speak plainly, we should never have made a mistake and then let it stand. Otherwise both families’ reputations would not have been dragged down.”

“My mind is made up on this. Madam, please do not persuade me further.”

Tang Gang’s expression soured. He truly did not wish to let Tao Yi Ran return to the marquisate, but for the Tao family to say it first made it seem as though the marquisate was the party at fault. “Brother Tao, please reconsider,” he said.

“I will not reconsider,” Lord Tao answered firmly. “The Marquis and I serve in the same court, and I would hate for these matters to harm our friendship. Let us settle it thus. Your son has outstanding looks and learning and will surely find a better match.”

A battle raged in Tang Gang’s heart. For all his previous tough words, now that the Tao family had taken the initiative he hesitated. “Brother Tao, the situation is not beyond remedy. We can still think of ways. You are acting on impulse today. Let us discuss this on another day,” he proposed.

Lord Tao remained steadfast, and Marchioness Wang again tried to persuade him: “It is only idle gossip outside. It is not some world-ending matter. Why must you take it so far, kinsman?”

Lord Tao breathed out a long sigh: “It is merely a doomed affinity. Much as I am reluctant to part with such an accomplished son-in-law, if he is continually delayed by this, my conscience would not be at ease. My little girl’s blessings are thin; she is not worthy of the Heir Apparent.”

“From now on, let her pray for the Heir Apparent’s fortune in the family shrine.”

Tang Gang heard the pleasant phrasing and the resentment hidden beneath it. Since that was the case, he no longer felt the need to insist: “If Brother Tao is determined, I cannot force it. It is a pity that the two children were fated to meet without being fated to be together.”

Lord Tao snorted inwardly but nodded in agreement on the surface. Just as they were about to discuss the subsequent arrangements, a maidservant came to report: “Master, Young Madam fainted just now. The household physician has taken her pulse. Young Madam is with child.”

…

For a moment, the three in the hall could not come back to themselves. Tao Yi Ran was pregnant?

And at this exact juncture.

Marchioness Wang was the first to react, bringing her hands together: “Amitabha. This is a great joy. Kinsman, for the child to come at this moment is heaven’s will.”

It had not come earlier or later, but precisely now. Marchioness Wang let out a long breath, having thought that today they would have to grant Tang Gang his wish; who would have thought that heaven’s will is hard to defy.

At this moment, Lord Tao and Tang Gang wore complicated, even stupefied, expressions. Tang Gang forced a stiff smile: “Since it is heaven’s will, Brother Tao, do not overthink it. Let us pretend the matter we just discussed was never mentioned.” The disappointment in his heart had already brimmed in his eyes.

Lord Tao sat unmoving, plainly struck off balance by the news of the pregnancy. He had already driven his words to a dead end, and yet the situation had turned.

Marchioness Wang, however, looked entirely delighted: “Marquis, since our eldest daughter-in-law is with child, it is no longer appropriate for her to remain in her parents’ home. What do you think?”

At this point, even Tang Gang could not manage a false smile. The feeling was as if he had been force-fed something foul, neither able to swallow nor spit it out. “You handle it,” he said.

Marchioness Wang nodded with a smile: “I will go look in on the rear courtyard.”

As a mother-in-law, she could not remain indifferent after learning her daughter-in-law was pregnant. Tang Gang wanted to rise and leave, but remembering the purpose of his visit today, he had no choice but to stay seated: “Brother Tao, there are still matters we must discuss.”

With a child, the two families were bound even tighter. Whatever dissatisfaction lay in their hearts, both sides had to swallow it, and they began striving toward a shared goal.

In the Tao family’s rear courtyard, the newly revived Madam Tao wept with joy upon receiving the news of this sudden turn. Ignoring her lingering dizziness, she went straight to Tao Yi Ran’s room and, wiping her tears while laughing, said: “This is a blessing beyond measure. This child is a bringer of fortune. Once he arrives, every problem will cease to exist.”

In matters of lineage, children come first. Even if the marquisate bore further grudges against Tao Yi Ran, they would treat her leniently for the child’s sake. “From now on, do not concern yourself with anything. Just nurture the fetus in peace.”

“In less than two days the marquisate will send people to take you back. You—” She wanted to put on airs, to say she would not let the marquisate take her daughter so easily. The Tao family had been suppressed by the marquisate these days, and was this not the time to regain face? Yet she feared further mishaps. “Just go back with them,” she said instead.

Tao Yi Ran smiled faintly and stroked her belly: “I know.”

With the child in her womb, all displeasure toward her would dissipate. [If she bore a son, her standing in the marquisate would become unshakable; not even Xin An could touch it.]