Second Mrs. Li returned in tears, her eyes swollen and red. It was rare to see a noblewoman crying so openly. After ordering tea and dismissing the servants, Mrs. Fang watched her sister-in-law sob uncontrollably. Mrs. Fang felt guilty toward her sister-in-law as her engagement to the second young master of the Li Family was arranged after the incident where Miss Li hanged herself and the Li Family caused a scene at the general’s wedding banquet.

The Princess had a major falling out with the Li Family, and her brother was seldom in the capital due to the wars. The situation was so dire that stories circulated about the Fang Family being responsible for the death of a Li Family girl, thus owing them another girl in marriage. After her parents’ passing, Second Mrs. Li was raised by her elder brother, who was like a father to her. Wishing not to burden him with familial conflicts while he was dealing with military affairs, she agreed to marry into the Li Family to quell their anger, thus becoming a bridge between the Fang and Li Families.

The general and his wife strongly opposed this marriage. Back then, Miss Fang Er was also stubborn and resolute in her decision, fully aware that should the marriage not proceed, the Li Family would not readily let it go. The Li Family had initially proposed the marriage alliance with the Fang Family. As the general could not marry Miss Li and inadvertently caused her death, the Fang Family had to marry over a girl as compensation. After much negotiation and compromise, the general ultimately had his younger sister marry the eldest son of the second branch of the Li Family instead of the main branch.

Had she married into the main branch, she would have been tormented to death. After she married into the Li Family, he swiftly supported the second branch, sending a clear message: as long as my sister lived, the Li Family should treat her well. With the general’s and the marquis’ friendship like that of brothers and their combined military power in the capital, the women of the household might bully her, but the men understood the greater importance and dared not go too far.

For this reason, Mrs. Fang always felt a sense of sympathy and guilt towards her. She did not interact with the Li Family much but was very protective of Miss Fang Er. Nevertheless, she did not want Fang Chuning and Fang Lingjun to associate much with her children.

Now that Second Mrs. Li herself was a mother-in-law, it was rare to see her crying like this.

"Has the Li Family been bullying you?" Mrs. Fang waited until she finished crying before pouring out her cold tea and refilling it with new tea. Second Mrs. Li, who had been steadfast in marrying into the Li Family, rarely came to the Princess to complain about their torment over the years. She got what she wanted, without complaints. But now, the Li Family’s plans for her daughter’s marriage displeased Miss Li Er.

"Sister-in-law, they want my Yuanyuan to marry into the Liu Family. I’ve compromised enough, but now they want my Hua’er to marry into the Chen Family. That should have been a match for the main family’s daughter, so why should my Hua’er suffer? Sister-in-law, please help me. I haven’t asked you for anything over all these years, just this one request, please ask you and my brother to help me!" Second Mrs. Li wept silently. She had swallowed the bitterness of her suffering in the Li Family for years for the sake of her brother’s family. Her sister-in-law disliked the Li Family and didn’t want their children interacting with her side, so she seldom brought her children back to avoid contact.

But she couldn’t just watch her daughter be pushed into a firepit.

Second Mrs. Li’s eldest daughter married into the Liu Family, the main branch’s mother-in-law’s household, which was considered a clan—not so prestigious but worry-free when it came to food and clothing. Her son-in-law had passed the imperial examination thrice, earning minor fame, and though not the firstborn, could secure a position with her help, they wouldn’t live too poorly.

But the main family’s second daughter’s marriage was originally set to the Chen Family’s eldest son. That Chen son was not promising, with a chaotic household, which might have been endurable. However, he became erratic after a drunken fight at a brothel and, though recovered, still behaved madly during the southern wind days.

The main family didn’t want their daughter to suffer and intended to have her daughter marry in her place. Second Mrs. Li couldn’t accept this. Her husband and mother-in-law, who stood with her, also didn’t know what promises the clan elders were made. Fighting desperately to protect her daughter, she tried to quickly arrange a match for her, only to be obstructed, and in desperation she sought help from her brother and sister-in-law.

"This is indeed too much!" Mrs. Fang was extremely disgusted with the Li Family and had no desire to meddle in their affairs, but Second Mrs. Li was burdened due to her and her husband, and the children are innocent. "What do you want to do about this?"

"Sister-in-law, the only solution now is to quickly arrange a match for Hua’er. Does Big Brother have any young military generals in the army, so Hua’er can marry and go to Jiangnan with him, and they won’t be able to do anything about it."

Second Mrs. Li’s youngest daughter was two years younger than Fang Lingjun, gentle and quiet by nature, and she left a decent impression on Mrs. Fang. She didn’t have any suitable candidates in mind immediately; the general would likely be more familiar with this matter.

"The wedding swap is the elders’ decision. Even if we find someone suitable, we have no authority to intervene..."

"Sister-in-law, I have no other choice now than to plead with you and my brother. If there’s someone suitable, please secure a marriage decree from the emperor. No matter how domineering the Li Family clan is, they cannot defy an imperial edict. I really don’t want Hua’er to marry a madman. I beg you, sister-in-law."

"... Understood!" Mrs. Fang frowned, knowing this couldn’t be resolved immediately, "I’ll have Tunan come back; he might have a suitable brother for the match."