The Valued Lady is Truly Dominant

Song Ruqi was both expectant and slightly anxious about going to Jiangnan. Although she was not marrying far away, she was marrying into the prestigious circle of the capital. If anything happened, she could immediately notify her family for support and seek help, just like the incident of her miscarriage that year.

But once she left the capital for the south, it meant she truly had to grow independently and rely on herself in difficult situations. After all, distant water can’t quench a nearby fire, so she genuinely wanted to learn from the elders how to conduct herself in life.

Song Ci considered for a moment and then said, ”You know our family’s customs. This year, we added a family rule that a man must be forty and childless before he can take a concubine, but not every family does this. You are already married, a wife and a mother. Your husband comes from nobility, and in Duke Ying Mansion, from top to bottom, most men have one or two concubines in addition to their wives. Your second uncle seems to have three, doesn’t he?”

Song Ruqi nodded, with a hint of disdain and schadenfreude towards her second sister-in-law in her eyes.

”Duke Ying Mansion has no rule against taking concubines, Qi’er. Do you know what that implies? Qi Zhen is considered an unusual outlier, yet couldn’t avoid having a concubine in the past. To be blunt, even if he takes another wife in the future, it wouldn’t be odd to your grandmother. Silently, how the father and brother behave at home sets an example, so he wouldn’t find it unusual.”

Song Ruqi was startled, her expression slightly changing. She clenched her handkerchief into a ball and forced a smile, saying, ”He said he wouldn’t think about those things.”

”That was before. When a man speaks, believing even eighty percent is enough. A couple’s journey is only fully seen when they die of old age together,” Song Ci laughed softly, saying, ”When a man achieves success and fame, having different thoughts is not surprising in the slightest. Whether he acts on them purely depends on his self-control.”

Song Ruqi was silent, pursing her lips.

”You’re leaving soon, and it’s uncertain when you’ll return to the capital. From then on, everything depends on your own grasp. Even if we want to assist, distant water can’t quench a nearby fire. You will gradually understand human affairs, and as for a man having multiple wives, grandmother hopes you remember not to be too adamant or let other women cause discord between you and your husband. It’s not worth it. Just imagine, with discord, what benefits could come to you and your children?”

Nanny, hearing this, lowered her eyes, thinking back how you once meddled strongly against the Prime Minister’s wife. Yet now, you tell such words to your granddaughter, tsk.

So hypocritical.

”Grandmother means that if Qi Zhen takes on concubines in the future, I should just let him?” Song Ruqi asked, feeling aggrieved.

Song Ci said, ”A man’s heart wanting to wander isn’t something you can prevent. Don’t possibly think because you’re the Prime Minister’s daughter, your husband’s position secured by your father’s support meant he should listen to you, indulge you, stay by you.”

Isn’t it so?

”I can honestly tell you, even your father wouldn’t act against him as long as your husband isn’t engaging in anything too outrageous, like elevating a concubine to dismiss the wife. Your father can’t live life for you.” Song Ci said calmly, ”Speaking of this now doesn’t mean Qi Zhen is about to take someone new. It’s to hope if that day ever comes, you don’t become too fixated on it, thereby pushing yourself into a corner, and having irreconcilable disputes with your husband.”

Song Ci glanced at her expression and said, ”If you have to argue, only make a minor fuss, let him know your unwillingness. But for the overall situation, you need to provide a way out. Moreover, you must excel as the wise helpmate. As long as you manage the household as steady as Mount Tai, with order and calm, educate your children meticulously, and navigate social interactions within the circle of Imperial Decree with ease. Do you think he could easily distance himself from you and not respect you as the legitimate wife and Lady?”