Yao Ling walked along the matriarch and Madam w.a.n.g, following the path to the matriarch's room. She could see the affection between the matriarch and Madam w.a.n.g. They seemed to get along in harmony. The other proof also could be seen by the way the matriarch treat the concubines. She treated them coldly. Maybe she would ask them about it if she had the chance.

When they arrived at the matriarch's room, they sat on the small table near the matriarch's bed. The decoration inside the matriarch's room was in contrast with the mansion design. It was pretty simple without excessive and expensive things to display. It seemed like the matriarch didn't really like extravagant things. Yao Ling was wondering why but didn't ask about it. It was a personal choice, but it certainly made her admire the matriarch.

The matriarch noted Yao Ling's reaction. She knew that Yao Ling was confused with the plain decoration inside her room. "Are you thinking why the decoration inside my room is so plain and simple?"

Yao Ling never guessed that the matriarch would understand her though and brought the subject herself. Naturally, she would ask to satisfy her curiosity. "En~"

The matriarch laughed softly at her honest response. Usually, people would feel bad and lie through their teeth that they didn't think that way. "I used to live an extravagant lifestyle. However, when I fell in love with your grandfather, we started from the bottom. Your grandfather was only a poor merchant. After getting married to him, of course, I'd have to follow his humble lifestyle."

The matriarch's eyes were staring at a blank s.p.a.ce. It seemed like she was reminiscing the past. "We started from the bottom, so I lost my pampered lifestyle. I didn't mind, but I could see how it broke your grandfather's hard. He kept feeling sorry for me. However, those times were the times I was really happy about being in love and being loved in return. We didn't have much but we lived in harmony."

"Grandmother, I've heard that you are from a n.o.ble background. How come Grandfather didn't get married into your family? Or maybe asked for their help?" Yao Ling asked curiously.

The matriarch laughed at her silly question. "You are really naïve. Of course, I couldn't ask for their help. They didn't give us a blessing so we ran away together. Only the Empress, my sister, gave us her blessing. But that was way before she became an Empress. So… she also had no power to help me at that time. Besides, your grandfather was a proud person. He wanted to prove that he could become successful without help." The matriarch turned to Yao Ling and laughed, "You know… men…"

Yao Ling giggled at the way the matriarch said it. Yes, we did know that men are always prideful. The matriarch looked around her room, slightly smiling. "This is how our room looked like at that time. It feels like he was here with me, so I won't feel lonely. I can always imagine what happened back then and how our love blossomed inside that room."

Yao Ling could see the sadness behind her smiling face. She never thought that the matriarch was a romantic person. She wanted to be basked with her lover's love forever and chose to decorate the room this way. She could feel their love and somehow it made her feel in awe.

Yao Ling didn't miss Madam w.a.n.g's admiring look towards the matriarch. She could also see a slight envious feeling. What woman wouldn't feel touched with such a sweet love story? The matriarch even bravely abandoned everything for the so-called love.

"Is it worth it?" Madam w.a.n.g asked softly. Then, she gasped in surprise. She probably didn't think she accidentally blurted out the question. Yao Ling couldn't help but felt sorry for Madam w.a.n.g. She probably had a bitter feeling with the concubines' presence.

The matriarch sighed at the question. How could she not understand Ji An's feeling? Would a woman want to share her own husband with other women? No. Therefore, she could also see the pain in Ji An's eyes.

"Hmm… there was always a positive and negative outcome in our choice. The positive thing from my story is the fact that we were in love with each other for better or worse. The negative things are a lot in order to achieve that love. I had gone through the hards.h.i.+p of being poor and losing dignity in front of my family. The same things happened to your grandfather. It wasn't so easy back then."

The matriarch looked at Ji An kindly. "You don't need to compare your life to mine. Not everything is as good as it sounds. You should cherish your relations.h.i.+p with Luo Hai. Your circ.u.mstances and mine back then are far too different. Your father-in-law died at a young age. Though we loved each other, I could only live in memories now. It's more painful. Not being able to touch or see him smile anymore for a long time is pure torture. If it weren't for Luo Hai, I probably wouldn't live until today. Instead, I would choose to follow your father-in-law."

The matriarch's words stroke a core to both of the younger women. Yao Ling put what she said inside her heart and it would be her strength and guidance to pa.s.s her upcoming troubles. 'There's no need to envy others. It will only lead a bitter life. Grandmother is correct. She should cherish every moment with Yao Ying.'

Madam w.a.n.g felt ashamed with her shortcomings. She used to freely love w.a.n.g Luo Hai, but lately, her heart was full of bitterness. Not being able to give an heir with the pressure of concubines' presence, she felt lost. Maybe she should put her mind at ease. She looked at Yao Ling. Maybe she should pour her heart in loving her new daughter, instead of feeling bitter all the time.

Madam w.a.n.g understood that she had to keep certain boundaries with Yao Ying because he wasn't her real son. It was inappropriate for her to be close to him. They didn't have a blood relation and she didn't raise him from small, so the connection wasn't going to be there. Luckily, Yao Ying got himself a wife. Yes, that was a good idea.

The matriarch seemed to notice the subtle change in Ji An from the way she looked at Yao Ling. This was what she planned to do from the start. When she was gone, Ji An would get a backing from Yao Ying and Yao Ling and she would feel at ease. She was old but she wasn't blind. The matriarch could see the greediness of the concubines. If it weren't because of the need of an heir, then there would be no concubines in this household. Who knew that it was actually w.a.n.g Luo Hai's fault in the first place? The matriarch didn't approve the act of favoring concubines instead of the main wife. Luckily, her son wasn't that muddleheaded.

The matriarch smiled to herself because her mission was completed. "Your lesson with Zhang Mo Mo will start tomorrow. You can spend more time with your mother today. Being close to each other isn't so bad. Go now! I feel tired."

Madam w.a.n.g and Yao Ling nodded in understanding and bid goodbye to the matriarch. They left the matriarch's room. Madam w.a.n.g felt she should be the one who broke the ice. When the three of them were together, usually, the one who talked was the matriarch and Yao Ling. Maybe she should be the one who took the first step forward.

"Why don't we enjoy the scenery in the garden? It seems that there's a lot of things we need to talk to each other." Madam w.a.n.g invited Yao Ling for a walk.

Yao Ling gladly accepted. "Okay, Mother."