First Madam Luoâs eyes lit up, "Good, thatâs simply wonderful."
"Now the Emperor is our first cousin, but itâs a pity that because of that foolish grandmother of ours, who tries to keep relations with all the princes, our family isnât close to him at all. The fact that our first cousin gave the title to the third branch of the family might have something to do with grandmother, and thus, even when he conferred titles to his maternal family, it had nothing to do with our first branch. Thinking back, the whole of grandmotherâs family always sided with Prince Le, so even if we were to ask our first cousin to give the title of Marquis Wuâan to father, he wouldnât agree. He might even rebuke us."
"Rather than losing face like that, we should take matters into our own hands and make him willingly give us the title."
Luo Linfei spoke these words with a hint of resentment in her eyes, hating that old undying lady, Old Madam Luo, even more so the entire Li Family.
Because Old Madam Luo kidnapped Lele, spreading rumors about her, and because that old woman caused her to be confined for so long.
It was a hard struggle to come out, yet she hadnât married, and now with that old woman dead, she would have to observe mourning for three more years. By then, at the age of twenty, what good family could she possibly find as an old maid?
Moreover, with grandmotherâs family rebelling, itâs likely that she couldnât marry into any respectable family in the Capital City. Thinking of this, she continued,
"Mother, one more thing, if you donât want to seize the title from the third branch, and still wish for father and elder brother not to be suppressed by them, then you must help me."
"Help you?" First Madam Luo, somewhat understanding her daughter, said, "Feiâer, you better abandon this thought. I know what youâre thinking; you want to enter the palace. But not to mention the Emperor has just ascended the throne, and the coronation ceremony hasnât even taken place yet. It will be at least next year before he selects a consort. Even then, youâll still be in mourning; if you wait until your mourning period is over to participate in the next selection, youâll be too old, how could you compete with those young girls in their prime?"
"Moreover, the matter of planning to send you into Prince Leâs Mansion, although done discreetly, itâs hard to escape the Emperorâs notice. Just based on that alone, even if you enter the palace, you wonât be favored. If youâre not favored, not only will it not benefit the family, but the family might even have to support you financially."
"You are motherâs only daughter; life for an unfavored woman in the palace is comparable to a dogâs. I donât want you to live like that." First Madam Luo advised, "Once the mourning for that old woman is over, mother will find you a good family outside. Once our first branch seizes the title from the third branch, with your father and brother there, your future in-laws wonât dare mistreat you, so life wouldnât be bad."
"Mother!" Luo Linfei was still somewhat unwilling, wanting to stand at the peak of the crowd, with no intention of moving to those rural areas.
Indeed, in her eyes, everywhere outside the Capital City was considered rural.
"Is elder brother the only one in your eyes? I am plotting for elder brotherâs benefit; why canât you think of me? How do you know I wonât be favored? People make things happen; if Iâm successful, wouldnât elder brother be better off too?"
"I donât care; my future is my business. You and father just need to find a way to send me into the palace. As for everything else, I have my methods."
Seeing her daughterâs persistence, First Madam Luo could only respond helplessly, "Alright, Iâll discuss it with your father, see what he thinks. As for your plan, Iâll have to talk to him too; after all, itâs up to him to assign people. Hmph, what belongs to our first branch cannot be taken by the third branch."