Call Me the Mother of Quick Transmigration

by Usui Takumii

not mine, from bubble tea translations.wordpress.

22. 195 to 205

Chapter 195 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 9)

When Liu Yingniang heard Li Su's words, she was so moved that she wanted to cry. This was a blessing that she had cultivated in her lifetime. How could she have met such a good mother-in-law?!

Li Yu looked at his innocent wife and smiled. His mother was really sick, but not too sick. At the beginning, because he insisted on marrying Yingniang, his mother was very angry. When they got married, his mother didn't have a good impression of Yingniang. Later, when Yingniang gave birth to Yuan'er and Ru'er, his mother changed her mind towards Yingniang. But, Li Yu knew in his heart that his mother had always disliked Yingniang in her heart.

But now, mother's attitude towards Yingniang seems to have changed.

Li Yu knew that it was because his mother was sick, but he didn't know whether his mother's illness was a good or bad thing. But now, it seemed that his mother's illness seemed to be a good thing for others and not himself.

For him, to a certain extent, it didn't seem to be a bad thing.

Li Yu thought like this.

Three months later, the Li family went into a state of emergency. Even the small private school was suspended. Through this period of time where Li Yu spent a sizeable amount of time around Liu Yingniang, he now had a profound understanding of how hard it was for a woman to be pregnant, especially in the later stages. Because of her big belly, Yingniang couldn't lie down to sleep at all. She could only sit and sleep every day. Sometimes, even breathing was difficult.

Now Li Yu looked at Yingniang's huge belly every day and was frightened.

Doctor Xu also changed from visiting twice a month to visiting once every three days. Li Su let Old Lady Doctor Wen from the medical center live here.

One day, Liu Yingniang had breakfast and was just about to get up for a walk, but ended up sitting and holding her stomach for a long time. Li Yu was waiting to accompany her for a walk. After waiting for a long time, there was no movement. He turned his head and saw that Liu Yingniang's face was pale. She was sweating. "Husband Yu, I'm probably about to give birth."

After a while, Liu Yingniang was sent to the delivery room.

Li Su personally sat in the delivery room. Li Yu paced back and forth in the yard. Zuo Kui invited Doctor Xu to come over. The couple was heating hot water in the kitchen room. The three children stood in the corner and their faces turned pale with fright when they heard the occasional noise from the delivery room.

In the end, it was Ling Er and his wife who came here after hearing the news. Seeing that the three children were so frightened, they sent the three children to their home.

Li Yu was so anxious. When Yingniang gave birth last time, he was studying abroad. When he came back, the child was a month old. Naturally, the parents would not mention the dangers of Yingniang's childbirth, nor would Yingniang herself. So, Li Yu didn't know at all that giving birth was so thrilling.

Li Yu turned around in a hurry and looked over at the delivery room from time to time. Yingniang's pained voice reached his ears, and there were basins of blood coming out of the delivery room. Li Yu's anxious face turned pale. How much blood was there?!

Next to him, Doctor Xu was very calm. Doctor Xu instructed the doctor lady through the window with some precautions.

Ling Er wanted to comfort Li Yu with a few words, but he had always been in awe of scholars and didn't know how to talk to Li Yu, so he could only stand on the side in silence.

Ling Er's wife shook her head helplessly when she saw this. She washed her hands and went in to help.

Minutes and seconds passed, but no cry of a baby could be heard. Li Yu was furious. "Doctor Xu, why don't you go in and take a look?!"

As soon as he said that, the cry of a baby came from the delivery room. "It's a fat boy."

"There's one more!"

"Yingniang, don't sleep. Work harder! There's another one in your stomach!"

Immediately afterwards, there was a cry of another baby. "It's another kid."

The knot in Li Yu's heart finally loosened. Before he could be happy, an exclamation suddenly came from the delivery room. "No, there is a lot of blood."

The knot came back.

Then, a medical woman hurried out. "Master, what should I do? The mother is bleeding a lot and we can't stop it."

Doctor Xu was used to seeing such a scene, so he was calm. "Where's the silver needle? Take it out and listen to my commands." Then, he instructed the female doctor through the door to puncture the acupoint with the silver needle to stop the bleeding, and then add hemostasis powder.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Yu finally heard a heavenly voice. "Okay, the blood has stopped!"

Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He only felt that his legs were a little weak. Then he leaned against the wall for support. Only now did he know that it turned out that giving birth was really a life or death situation!

After a while, the inside was tidied up. Li Su opened the curtain and said, "A-Yu, come in and see Yingniang and the children."

Ling Er hesitated and said, "Auntie, this is not good." The delivery room was bloody and full of bad luck. What if it affected the luck of the scholar?

Li Su rolled her eyes. "Doesn't everyone in the world come out of a delivery room? Didn't you have bad luck when you were born? A-Yu, can you come in?"

Li Yu took a deep breath. Before today, he never wanted to enter the delivery room. But now, he wanted to go in and see the woman who gave birth to his children.

Li Su nodded with satisfaction. "Be careful and don't let the wind in."

As soon as Li Yu entered the door, the scent of blood in the room hadn't dissipated. He couldn't help but frown. But, when he thought of who the blood came from, he couldn't help but be afraid for a while. It was a lot of blood. Yingniang was a thin and small person, so it was horrible to lose that much blood.

Li Yu originally wanted to see the child first, but Li Su said, "Go see Yingniang first. She has suffered the most this time."

Li Yu took advantage of the situation and walked to the bed. When he saw Yingniang lying on the bed, he gasped. Yingniang's entire body was like it had been fished out of the water. The doctor lady was cleaning up her lower body and was about to change her clothes when she saw Li Yu coming and stopped.

Although Yingniang was still awake, her consciousness was a little blurry. She stared up and took a long time to recognize Li Yu. When she did, she was shy and nervous. How could Husband Yu see her like this? She struggled to sit up. "Husband Yu, why did you come in? Hurry up and get out!"

As everyone knew, Li Su deliberately chose this time to let Li Yu come in.

Li Yu hurriedly pressed her down gently. "Don't move. Lie down." Then, he said with red eyes, "Yingniang, thank you for your hard work!"

When Liu Yingniang heard this sentence, she was stunned. Her eyes then reddened and she shook her head. "No, it's not hard work. I'm willing to do it."

Li Yu suddenly didn't dare to look into Yingniang's eyes again. He had mixed feelings in his heart. It seemed that something was about to come out, but he wasn't sure what it was.

"Okay, look at your children and go out. It's time to change Yingniang's clothes." Seeing this, Li Su pushed Li Yu.

Li Yu got up in a hurry. He turned around and wanted to leave but then thought that this was not good. He quickly said, "You are definitely fine!" After a thousand thoughts, only these four words came out in the end.

But for Liu Yingniang, it was enough. Such a warm moment was enough for her to remember it for a lifetime.

Liu Yingniang watched Li Yu leave the house. Tears rolled down her cheeks. The tears were gently wiped off by Li Su. "You just gave birth, so don't cry."

The medical lady wiped the sweat off Liu Yingniang's body with a soft cloth and helped her change into clean clothes. Li Su was at the head of the bed and used a cloth to dry off the sweat off Yingniang's head.

"Mother, thank you!" Mother Liu Ying said sincerely.

"Silly child, what are you talking about? You are raising children for the Li family. It should be me thanking you. Don't think so much. Close your eyes and have a good rest," Li Su said.

Li Yu's complicated mood was not alleviated after seeing his two children. What kept appearing in his mind were images of the basins of blood and the pale and weak appearance of Yingniang.

After coming out of the delivery room, Li Yu felt a little uncomfortable. Seeing that Doctor Xu was still there, he quickly walked over. "Doctor Xu, can you take a look at my wife later?"

Dr. Xu nodded. "Of course. This old man has a few recipes for maternal diet and health care here. You can arrange a diet for the mother and it will help the mother's body recover very well." Otherwise, what would he do here? He would naturally have to give advice after taking the consultation fee.

Li Yu took a look and saw that the rest of the items above were normal, except for the bird's nest. "Doctor Xu, the other items are cheap, but is this bird's nest available at Tongren Pharmacy?"

Doctor Xu nodded. "Of course. If your family needs it, then I will order someone to deliver it later."

Li Yu nodded without hesitation. "Then I will have to trouble Doctor Xu."

Ling Er listened to them talk and couldn't help but praise him in his heart. After all, Li Yu was a scholar. A scholar would pay attention to food supplements like bird's nest for the confinement period. Like their family, it would be nice if his wife could drink chicken soup during the confinement period.

After Li Su settled down, she came out. When she heard Li Yu's arrangement, she nodded with satisfaction. It seemed that she had finally made some progress. "I'm not going to eat at home today, Zuo Kui, let your wife cook some pork liver porridge to bring to Yingniang when she wakes up. You go to Taibai Building and ask for a table banquet to let Doctor Xu and Lady Doctor Wen have a light meal."

Both Doctor Xu and Lady Doctor Wen had retired. Li Su had no one to give a thick red envelope to and there were still things to do.

Li Su kept trying again and again, but Doctor Xu still refused. Li Su had no choice but to stop insisting, and waited for Doctor Xu to check Yingniang's pulse. Li Su said, "I would like Doctor Xu to take the pulse of my daughter-in-law on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. It will be fine after my daughter-in-law is done with double confinement."

If there was money to be made, Doctor Xu would naturally agree. For the sake of the generous consultation fee, he simply offered a diet. "In this case, I will write down the diet for the next ten days, and you can prepare it for the mother. After ten days, this old man will adjust the diet according to the physical condition of the mother, and supplements will be added as appropriate."

This was much more detailed than the recipe that was just given to Li Yu. Li Su looked over and laughed. Were there special confinement meals in ancient times?

"Thank you Doctor Xu. A-Yu, send Doctor Xu off," Li Su ordered.

Li Yu walked away in response.

Zuo Kui stood there. "Old lady, what about the banquet?"

"Yeah, second young master. I'm sorry for troubling you today. I'll treat you and your children to a meal later," Li Su said.

Before Ling Er could refuse, Zuo Kui limped out the door.

Anniang was a little embarrassed. "Auntie, I didn't help out much! My sons, Dalang and Erlang, are studying at your house, and you won't take a cent."

Li Su coughed. "Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. We will trouble you in the future, so there's no need to be polite to me!"

Ling Er and Anniang looked at each other and had no choice but to accept.

Chapter 196 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 10)

During the meal, Li Yuan and Li Ru were brought back. Both of them were terrified and had tears in their eyes. They wanted to see their mother.

Li Yu knew that the children were frightened. Even he was frightened by such a scene, so of course the children were as well. He touched his son's head. "Don't worry, your mother is fine! Grandma is watching."

Inside the house, Yingniang had woken up and was eating a bowl of pork liver porridge and a bowl of chicken soup. It so happened that the two children woke up, therefore forcing her to breastfeed. She waited until the children were full, then went to sleep.

Li Su stayed to watch the children, and said to Anniang, "Second young master's wife should go out to eat first. I'll just stay here and watch over her."

"Auntie, you can go out to eat. I can watch." Anniang was not willing.

"You can take care of Yuan'er and Ru'er for me. A-Yu doesn't have any siblings. In this situation, others can be considered family. I'm afraid I will trouble you in the future. There's no need to be polite to me," Li Su patted Anniang's hand and said.

Anniang thought for a while. "Auntie, do you want to hire someone? My uncle's family has a cousin who is disliked by her husband's family because she gave birth to a daughter. Don't worry, auntie, my cousin is in good health. She has no illnesses and her milk is fine. My niece was raised by my cousin and ended up chubby. It's just that my cousin has high spirits. She is afraid of being gossiped about by her brother and sister-in-law and wants to find something to do. If auntie doesn't like it, then pretend like I didn't say anything."

Li Su smiled and said, "Why not?! I've been thinking about this for the past two days. I'm just a little worried. There are too few rooms and not enough places for people to live in. Let's get a house before Yingniang gets pregnant again. It's not easy to start and things will inevitably be delayed. Now, I am in a hurry."

"Don't worry about where you live. My cousin can live in my house. My in-laws don't mind," Anniang said quickly.

"Let your cousin come over and we can meet tomorrow. If it's fine, then she can stay. I'm afraid that I'll be too busy, so if you come and help, I'll pay you," Li Su said.

"I can be here to help. How could I take payment for that?" Anniang waved her hand quickly.

Li Su waved her hand and said, "I'm making the decisions with regards to this matter. Let's do it like this! Please take the children out to eat and look after them."

Then, she pushed Anniang out.

Anniang couldn't do anything, and she didn't care about eating by herself. She first watched Li Yuan and Li Ru eat. She then packed some food and sent it to Li Su. She quietly told Ling Er to send a message to her parents' house to ask her cousin to come tomorrow. Everything was arranged properly, and she quickly ate a few mouthfuls.

Anniang's cousin, Mrs. Fang, came in the afternoon. When Anniang saw her, she was a little dissatisfied. "Cousin, why did you come here dressed like that?" Her cousin was too naive. It was bad to wear white!

Anniang couldn't help but take a piece of her old clothes and let Fang change them.

Mrs. Fang refused at first, but Anniang said she would not take her if she didn't change. Mrs. Fang had no choice but to change, aggrieved.

Only then did Anniang take her to see Li Su. Li Yu did not want to meet them, so when he saw Anniang, he quickly took a detour and walked away.

But, Mrs. Fang stared at Li Yu's back for a while. She then quietly asked, "Cousin, is that Scholar Li?"

Anniang frowned. "Cousin, you can't forget what I told you before I came here! It was my mother who asked me again and again, so I spoke up. The Li family is not an ordinary family. My eldest son, Erlang, is still studying at the Li's house, so please take care!"

Mrs. Fang disapproved a little, but she still pretended to be meek and lowered her head. She was thinking about the face that flashed by just now.

Li Su stood in front of the window and saw that Mrs. Fang was a little unhappy.

When Anniang brought her to Li Su, Li Su looked at her carefully. The closer she looked, the more she disliked Mrs. Fang. Although Mrs. Fang pretended to be honest, she glanced around with greed when she entered the door, thinking that others couldn't see her actions. Anniang was honest and loyal, so why was this cousin like this?

Li Su didn't plan to raise tigers. Yingniang was still in confinement and the children were young. She didn't want to have this restless person at home.

"Second young master's wife, I'm so sorry. I discussed this matter with A-Yu. In our current home situation, it would be more appropriate to pay for someone to come in. So, I am sorry to trouble your cousin. Of course, it's not good to let her come here in vain. I have some material here. Take it back and make a dress for her daughter!" Li Su said.

Anniang was a little disappointed, but she nodded. Just as she was about to speak, Mrs. Fang, who was beside her, knelt down with a thud. "Old lady, I'm begging you. Let me stay! I'll work extremely hard. I'm begging the old lady to give me a way to live!" Mrs. Fang covered her face and cried.

She saw Li Yu coming this way from the corner of her eye, so she did it like this. She didn't want her scheming to be unattractive in front of Li Su.

"Silence! Don't you know anything? Don't you know that there are children in my family?! What if you scare the children?!" Li Su looked unhappy.

Li Yu, who was outside the door, was also a little unhappy. He heard his son's cry and Yingniang's voice coaxing the child. He glanced to the side impatiently, then turned around and went to the west wing. His family's second and third young masters (yes, the dignified scholar hadn't figured out his son's names yet!). They were twins, so when one cried, so did the other. Yingniang was still in confinement, so she couldn't be tired. Ling Er's sister-in-law is… What kind of person was this?!

Anniang was not happy anymore and pulled Mrs. Fang up. "Cousin, who are you showing this act?! If I had known you were like this, I wouldn't have suggested you to Auntie!" Then, regardless of what Mrs Fang said, she looked at Li Su apologetically. "Auntie, I'm so sorry. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Then, she dragged Mrs. Fang away, despite Mrs. Fang's struggles. After Anniang left the Li family house, she scolded Mrs. Fang. "Our family and the Li family have been neighbours for decades and things have improved. You have made us lose all face! How can I have the face to see Auntie and the talented scholar's wife in the future?!"

Ling Er heard his wife's voice, so he quickly came out to see what was going on. When he saw that his wife was furious, he quickly asked, "What's the matter?"

"What can I do? I should borrow an ox cart and send her back," Anniang said angrily.

At this time, Mr. Fang stopped her act and didn't make any excuses. She just kept her head down and wept. Unreasonable people saw the situation between the two and thought that Anniang was bullying Mrs. Fang.

Fortunately, Ling Er knew what his wife was like. Besides, one was his wife and the other was his wife's cousin. Naturally, he knew which one was more important.

Therefore, Mrs. Fang's attitude was in vain.

Ling Er immediately went out to borrow an ox cart. When the ox cart arrived, Anniang pulled Mrs. Fang over and pushed her onto the cart.

Mrs. Fang was shocked when she saw this. She had used this one move, crying, all the time before, and had always been in a good position. It was like this when she was at her mother's house, and it was the same when she got married. As long as she cried, no matter who was right or wrong, everyone would instinctively sympathise with her and pity her. But, what was going on now?

When Anniang saw her cousin open her mouth, she was afraid that her cousin would make trouble again, and therefore it would reflect badly on her. She tugged on the rope casually, took a piece of third young master's diaper, and stuffed it into Mrs. Fang's mouth. She then grabbed Mrs. Fang's arm and shoved the person onto the cart.

When the person was sent back to her parents' home, her uncle was still waiting for news and was shocked to see this.

Anniang pushed Mrs. Fang towards her uncle. She clapped her hands and indignantly told them what Mrs. Fang had done to the Li family.

"Uncle, if it wasn't for your repeated pleas, I wouldn't have done this. But cousin went too far. She was dressed in white. What does that mean? My grandma and grandpa are in great shape! When she arrived at their house, her eyes were restless. She looked around with intentions. Did she think that they were a family from a village who couldn't see what she was thinking? Auntie Li has a good heart. She saw my face and knew that my cousin was wrong. She didn't say it clearly, and instead implied it with other words. Cousin knelt down with a thud, weeping, and begging for others to give her a way to live! Let's not talk about whether what she said was justified… There are newborn children in the family. Do you think it's good to scare the children with this attitude?! At that time, I had no face to speak of, so I took her and left!" Anniang said with red eyes.

Anniang's uncle was shocked, but Mrs. Fang hid behind her father and only lowered her head and cried. Ling Er had just parked the cart. His expression changed when he heard her words. "Anniang, is what you said true?"

Anniang nodded, then wiped away her tears. "My Dalang and Erlang are still reading and learning with Scholar Li, and they weren't charging us for tuition. It was good. How do you expect me to face the Li family after that?!"

When Anniang's father heard that his grandson might be implicated, he immediately became anxious and complained. "I told you not to talk to Anniang, but you didn't listen!"

Her mother also regretted it a lot. She glanced at her eldest brother and complained. "Eldest brother, why didn't you make it clear before? If I had known that A-Lan was like this, I wouldn't have said anything! Erlang, Anniang, it's mother's fault. Mother won't care about her matters anymore. Will the Li family blame you?"

Although Ling Er was a little unhappy, he also knew that his mother-in-law was just soft-hearted and not malicious. He frowned. "Auntie is a sensible person and won't blame us. It's just that in the future, mother-in-law, please don't speak about these things. We have something to do back home, so we will return first."

Anniang glared at Mrs. Fang, said hello to her parents, and turned away.

After sending off their daughter and son-in-law, Anniang's parents shed their good persona and immediately ordered the guests to leave. "I still have to work in the fields. This uncle should go back first if he has nothing to do. Don't come here anymore. We will go back to visit our father-in-law and mother-in-law when we have time."

Mrs. Fang was still crying, but her father shook off her hand and walked straight forward. He had lost face at this age!

Mrs. Fang was a little dazed. Her father always loved her the most. How could her father treat her like this now that she had been wronged? But, when she saw the dark faces of her uncle and aunt, Mrs. Fang bit her lip, stomped her foot, and hurried out. She was now at home, but she had to please her father.

Chapter 197 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 12)

Ling Er and Anniang went to Li's house as soon as they got back. They apologised to Li Yu and Li Su.

This was just a trivial matter, and Li Su naturally wouldn't take it to heart. "It's okay, Ling Er's wife, our two families have been neighbours for so many years. Don't I know what your family is like? It was just a trivial matter, so it's nothing to worry about. Before I find the right person for my family, I will have to trouble you, Ling Er's wife."

When Anniang saw that Li Su really didn't take the matter to heart, she was greatly relieved. When she heard that Li Su needed help, she naturally agreed. Anyway, her family's eldest son, Erlang, had grown up, so she didn't have to worry much. He had not been idle these days after classes were suspended. He ran to this house all day to play with Brother Yuan. Although third young master was small, his grandmother could take care of him alone. Her father-in-law and husband have to work, and she was also idle at home alone.

"Auntie, don't be silly. Why would it be troublesome?" Anniang said with a smile. "By the way, did you name the two brothers?"

It was funny when Li Su talked about this. "A-Yu wrote three sheets of paper, but he's not satisfied and hasn't decided yet. Now second and third young master are screaming indiscriminately."

Anniang smiled. "The name is a big deal, so it is better to be careful."

Over there, after Li Yu sent Ling Er away, he finally decided on the names of his two sons – Li Heng and Li Li. If he had another son in the future, he would be called Li Zhen. Yuan Heng Li Zhen1, the four Confucian injunctions for men2.

Li Yu was quite content. When he talked to Yingniang, she was also satisfied.

Liu Yingniang had never read a book, so she didn't know what the four virtues were. She had a kind of blind worship for her husband, so the name he chose must be a good one.

Seeing the admiration on his wife's face, Li Yu had a strange feeling in his heart. He quickly turned his head. "You should rest while the child is sleeping. I will go and study." Yingniang was in confinement. During this period, the Li family's private school was temporarily suspended for fear of disturbing her and her children's rest.

Yingniang nodded and watched Li Yu leave.

Li Su also knew the names of her two grandsons, Li Heng and Li Li. Hmm, they were good names. Anyway, she didn't really understand how the ancients named their children.

Originally, Li Su thought that if no one helped, the two months would be very sad. She didn't expect that it wouldn't be that bad.

First of all, she didn't have to worry about housework. Zuo Kui and his wife had everything covered.

Li Yuan and Li Ru had been upgraded to older brother and sister. Although, they disliked their younger brothers a little and thought they were too ugly. But, they were their younger brothers. Even if they were ugly, they couldn't be discarded. They were aware of their positions as an older brother and sister. They also knew that the family was busy and it had to be quiet. They either played with the two children from the Ling family next door every day, or practiced calligraphy in the sand table.

Li Su and Anniang were in charge of taking care of Yingniang and two children. Li Yu sometimes came to help. Originally, when Li Su asked him to do these things, he was still a little unhappy. However, when he saw Yingniang, he remembered the tragic scene on the day she gave birth, and he reluctantly helped.

In addition, Li Heng and Li Li were quite well-behaved and easy to bring along. A month had passed like that.

Yingniang originally planned to sit for a month. Doctor Xu came to check her pulse and said that she was recovering very well, but Li Su insisted that she would have another month of rest.

Li Yu also persuaded her, so Yingniang had to agree.

Anniang watched from the side, and was very envious. This Li family was worthy of being a scholar family. The family dynamic was good. Anyone who married into the Li family would be really lucky. She couldn't help but rub her stomach. She had stopped changing and washing for a month. She didn't know if she was pregnant. If she was, then it would be good if it was a girl. If she was lucky enough to marry into the Li family in the future, it would be a great blessing.

But Anniang was just thinking about it casually. Her family couldn't climb high. If Dalang and Erlang had a future, it might still be possible. Otherwise, she would just think about it.

Liu Yingniang had been working hard for two months. Her body was plump. Her complexion was rosy. Some of the minor problems on her body had been taken care of.

Li Su looked quite satisfied. Now that everything was fine at home, it was time for her to buy a house.

"You want to buy a house?" Li Yu was very surprised, and Li Yuan and Li Ru were also a little excited.

"Yeah, the number of people in our family is increasing. Heng'er and Li'r are still young and need someone to take care of them. I also plan to buy a book boy for A-Yu and Yuan'er, but the current house is not enough. I want to buy a bigger house," Li Su said.

Li Yu frowned and said, "Mother, I don't think it's necessary to buy a house for the time being. I don't need a book boy. Yuan'er is still young, so he doesn't need one for the time being. As for Heng'er and Li'r, there's Yingniang, so there's no need to get someone else. It's fine for now."

Today's Li Yu was no longer the one who didn't listen to things outside the window before, and only read classical literature. During this time, he took advantage of his spare time to copy a few books for the bookstore and made some money, but these were not enough for his own medicine. He now clearly understood that money was hard to come by. When Li Yu thought about the money he spent before, he felt a little uncomfortable.

Li Su also decided to buy a house because Li Yu had performed well during this period of time and really felt remorseful.

"Yingniang is your wife, and her energy should be used to take care of you. It's not good if she focusses on the children and neglects you. Besides, how can she take care of two children by herself? She can't keep bothering Ling Er's wife! I'm also getting old. I could still help you when Yuan'er and Ru'er were born, but now it's hard. Forget about getting a book boy for Yuan'er then. You need to get one. When you go out, there will be someone to take care of you. We will also be relieved. Didn't you say that you wanted to go out to study and visit famous teachers? Therefore, a book boy and a house must be bought," said Li Su.

Li Yu was very moved. "Mother!" He thought that his mother had forgotten about it, but she still remembered it.

"It's settled! Tomorrow I'll ask Ling Er to help me find out if there are suitable houses around. As for the book boy, I still have to find someone I can trust. Let's take it slow," said Li Su.

Li Yu lowered his head. He felt a little complicated. Li Yuan next to him had already patted his chest and assured his grandma. "Grandma, don't worry. Dad and I will work hard. When I grow up, I will definitely give you your heirloom back."

Li Su touched Li Yuan's head and smiled. "Okay, then grandma will rely on Yuan'er."

Li Yu was a little unhappy in his heart. If his mother wanted to count on someone, she could count on him. She didn't have to rely on her grandson.

At this time, Li Su just said it casually and didn't take Li Yuan's words seriously at all. So when she had her 60th birthday, Li Yu and Li Yuan took out the glass as a birthday gift. Li Su almost vomited to death.

Fortunately, she finally learned that Li Yu and his son did not spend a penny to retrieve the glass. It was His Majesty, the emperor, who accidentally learned that Li Yu and his son had been looking for a glass for so many years. The glass happened to be in His Majesty's hands by chance. His Majesty invited Li Yu and his son to ask them the reason. He was grateful for the filial piety of Li Yu and his son, and gave the glass to Li Yu and his son.

Li Su's heart felt better now, as long as it wasn't bought with money. It didn't matter if the emperor wanted to show mercy. It didn't matter.

These were all stories that happened later. If Li Su had known earlier, she would have dispelled Li Yuan's thoughts. What a joke! A family heirloom? There was still a box of such 'family heirlooms' in her space. She did not dare to take them out for fear of scaring them to death.

Ling Er learned that the Li family was going to buy a house. He was a little regretful. If the Li family moved away, the two families would be alienated. But, he still tried his best to help.

In a few days, they found several more suitable houses. Li Su and Li Yu went to see it in person, and Li Yu preferred a binary residence, which was about 500 taels. Li Su felt that it was better to do it in one step, so she chose a three-entry house, and the price was 300 taels more expensive than the one Li Yu liked.

After that, they signed the contract. Then, they went to the government office to get the house deed.

On the same day, Li Yu wrote down another sum in his account book: house, 800 taels.

The Li family moved in after picking an auspicious day. Li Su still lived in the main room. Li Ru moved into the side room next to the main room. Li Yu, Yingniang, and the two children moved into the west wing. Li Yuan lived in the side room in the west wing.

Li Yu also deliberately cleaned up a room and made a study room for several children to study and for him to teach. Li Yu had already thought about it. During his study abroad, he would let Li Yuan act as a temporary little gentleman, and he would write down what he learned every day. At that time, Li Yuan would just teach according to what he wrote.

Ling Er's family felt relieved when they saw that the Li family was not estranged from them.

Zuo Kui's family also had a place to live. Li Su invited two more wet nurses to help take care of the children, and also bought a few servants. The place was so big. She couldn't let Yingniang clean it by herself.

As for the book boy, Li Su thought about it. She had to find a reliable person. She asked Ling Er's family if they could recommend a suitable person.

Ling Er was a little surprised. He didn't expect Li Su to trust him so much. She asked him about the sale of the house and asked him about a book boy. Ling Er felt a little proud.

Ling Er thought about it carefully. There were a few cousins in his family, but unfortunately, none of them could read. A book boy had to be literate. The brother-in-law of his wife's family had attended a private school for a year and knew a few words. He was just like his father-in-law, very honest.

But with what happened to Mrs. Fang, he wasn't sure if auntie still trusted his wife's family.

"Auntie, it's like this. My cousins are quite good. They are honest and hardworking, but they are illiterate. Anniang's younger brother has the same temperament as my father-in-law. He is very honest and knows a few words since he was in a private school. Now, he works in the fields with my father-in-law and he has some strength." Ling Er thought about it carefully before he said this.

Li Su thought for a while. "Since it's like this, you can bring the person to me so I can have a look. Then, you have to let A-Yu see if he will be suitable."

Ling Er responded simply, and immediately went home to discuss with his wife.

Anniang was overjoyed when she heard the news. When she heard that the Li family was looking for a book boy earlier, she thought of her younger brother. If nothing else, her younger brother had read books and was literate. But, because of the previous incident with her cousin, she was embarrassed to speak. She didn't expect that auntie wouldn't mind at all.

Ling Er's parents were also happy when they heard that, They kept urging Ling Er and Anniang to go back to discuss with their relatives.

Ling Er's father and several older brothers did not have the same mother, so they were usually not very close. For such a good thing, they would take advantage of their relatives.

1.(元亨利貞) Yuan Heng Li Zhen: a line from the Book of Changes (周易). Apparently there are different interpretations of this line. Not too sure what it means, but it's from a literary classic, so that's probably why Li Yu chose names based off this phrase.↩

Confucian Injunctions for Men are: piety to one's parents, respect to one's older brother, loyalty to one's monarch, and faith to one's male friends.↩

Chapter 198 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 12)

When Anniang went back and mentioned this, her parents were overjoyed. Even her younger brother was very happy. It was just that her mother was still a little worried. Her mother feared that the Li family would treat her son unfairly because of the previous incident. This son was the treasure that she got after giving birth to four daughters in a row. He was the treasure of the Yang family. When she was younger, her father-in-law was still here and her family was pretty good. Her son went to a private school.

Anniang glared at her mother after learning about her mother's worries. "Mother, what are you thinking? Do you think the Li family is the same as ours? The Li family is a scholarly family, and auntie is the most reasonable person. If she really cared, she wouldn't discuss this matter with us. Besides, it may not work out. After all, they want to meet younger brother and see if they will be satisfied with him. Mother, hurry up and change Anshu into clean clothes. The Li family is waiting. "

Father Yang quickly pushed his wife and asked her to quickly bring clean clothes for his son. Yang Anshu quickly fetched well water, took a shower, put on clean clothes, and went with second older sister and her husband.

Li Su looked Yang Anshu up and down, then nodded in satisfaction. Li Yu knew that he had attended a private school and asked him a few questions. Li Yu learned that, although he had been farming at home these years, he remembered what he had learned in private school. Li Yu asked him to recite a few words. Yang Anshu was a little nervous, and after thinking about it, he started to recite the Three Character Classic, all the way to "The characters in the middle reach Laozi and Zhuangzi1

Li Yu was also very satisfied. He seemed to be a man of learning, so he asked him to write a few words with a pen. Yang Anshu became even more nervous when he saw the pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and wrote his name and the first three words in a crooked manner. The words were not very good, but for Yang Anshu, it was already very good.

Li Yu nodded. "I'm short a book boy, I wonder if you would like to be my book boy?"

Yang Anshu and Ling Er were overjoyed. Yang Anshu stammered nervously, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Li Su also smiled. "The person introduced by second young master can't be wrong of course. Since that's the case, it's up to you. Go back and talk to your parents first, then come back in a few days. In the future, you will get a hundred copper taels every month. If you do well in the future, it can be increased. There is just one thing. In a few days, A-Yu plans to go out to study. Do you want to follow at that time?"

When Yang Anshu heard that he was able to earn money, there was no reason for him to say no. "Yes! Madam, don't look down on me because I'm thin. I'm strong enough to protect uncle."

"There's no need to call me madam. You are just like second young master. You can call me auntie. Then it's settled. You can go home and talk to your parents, then come back in a few days." Li Su smiled.

Yang Anshu nodded excitedly, and Ling Er also looked happy. If only he could read and write, he could have also been a book boy for the scholar.

After they found a book boy, Li Yu's study tour was officially put on the agenda.

That night, Li Su asked Li Yu to discuss how much money he was going to bring for a study trip.

Li Yu had thought about it for a long time. In addition to wanting to go to Nanyang to visit Fang Daru and ask for advice, he wanted to learn more about people's suffering and broaden his horizons. These days, he had thought about it carefully. The reason why he failed after repeated attempts was probably in policy theory. Over the years, he had stayed at home blindly, reading old books, and had ignored the outside. He only had a limited understanding of it from books.

So, he wanted to try to change it this time.

"Mother, I've thought about it. The focus of this study tour is to study, not to travel. I thought that taking twenty taels should be enough." Li Yu gritted his teeth.

Twenty silver taels didn't sound like much. "How long will it take you to go there? Is twenty taels enough?" Li Su asked.

"I have asked other friends who have traveled abroad to study, and they said that if the trip is not far, there should be no accidents. Twenty taels should be more than enough. I thought of bringing more, just in case. If there is anything leftover, I will bring it back." Li Yu had also recorded the twenty taels in the ledger.

Li Su thought for a while. "Okay, you can take that much." She was not the kind of mother who spoiled her children. If Li Yu could really change through these study tours, then it was fine.

But Li Su was still a little worried. She was afraid that, if Li Yu died outside, wouldn't her mission fail? So, she explained a few things to Yang Anshu in private, that safety must be the first most important thing when going out. She quietly gave Yang Anshu 10 taels of silver notes, and explained to him again and again that the money should not be used unless it was a last resort. Although it was a bit small, it should be able to save their lives in a critical moment. She would let him go with peace of mind. She would let Anniang take care of her here at home.

Yang Anshu patted his chest and said that he would take good care of uncle and bring him back safely.

After preparing, Li Yu took Yang Anshu and set off.

Parting was something adults had seen before. As for the children, this experience was new. Li Yuan even thought that, if he was a little older, he could go out with his father and see the world outside. That would be wonderful.

Li Ru was also thinking that it would be great if she were a boy since she would have the opportunity to travel in the future. But, unfortunately, she was a girl. But it didn't matter. Grandma said that girls could also do anything. There were many female poets in history. Although she couldn't take the imperial examination, she still had to work hard.

As for Li Heng and Li Li, apart from eating and drinking, they could only spit bubbles and cry. They didn't understand anything.

Watching Li Yu and Yang Anshu go away, Li Su heaved a sigh of relief and turned to look at Yingniang, who was wiping her tears. "Okay, let's go back! There are still things to be done."

Yingniang wiped away her tears and supported Li Su's arm. "Mother, I'll support you."

Li Su felt a little uncomfortable. "I'm not too old to walk. I don't need your help." Then, she looked at Ling Er and Anniang. "Send your Lingping and Ling'an tomorrow as usual. Yuan'er will teach them."

Then, she looked at Anniang. "You are four or five months along, right? How do you feel?"

Anniang smiled. "Very good. Except for the nausea when I woke up in the morning, everything is fine."

Li Su said with a smile, "Looks like she's well-behaved. I still have some bird's nests left over from Yingniang's confinement. I will bring them when second young master picks up the children. It is suitable for pregnant people to eat."

Anniang quickly declined. "No, no! I don't need these. Auntie, keep them for yourself!"

"I made you worry about your younger brother while you are pregnant. If you don't accept it, then does that mean you consider me as an outsider?" Li Su patted Anniang's hand.

Anniang and Ling Er looked at each other and had no choice but to accept.

Ling Er and Anniang left. Li Su's family also returned to the house.

Li Su looked at Yingniang's uneasy look, and shook her head helplessly. "Ru'er, these days when your dad is away and when you have nothing to do, teach your mum to read and write."

Liu Yingniang was taken aback. "Mother, I need to read and write too?" She was so old. Why does she need to read and write?

Li Su was a little helpless. "A-Yu is a scholar. He might pass the imperial provincial exam in the future. Maybe he can be an official. You are his wife. If you don't know one big character, then the distance between you and your husband will only increase since there won't be a common language. Can you guarantee that A-Yu will not change his mind for a lifetime?"

Liu Yingniang's face was a little pale. This was something she obviously couldn't guarantee. But, why does it matter? She was not good. Naturally, there should be good women by Husband Yu's side. She was Husband Yu's first wife. As long as she served her mother-in-law and took good care of the children, she would naturally have her place by Husband Yu's side. Husband Yu was not the kind of person who would despise her.

When Li Su saw Liu Yingniang like this, she knew that Liu Yingniang didn't take her words to heart. She felt a little helpless. For a person like Liu Yingniang, reasoning would not work, so she could only use her authority as her mother-in-law. "In short, I want you to learn so you can learn. I don't expect you to be able to read everything. Just recognising a few words and not being illiterate is good enough."

Li Yuan looked at his mother with a solemn face. "Mother, I think what grandma said is right. Dad is making progress, so you have to work hard to catch up with him. Even if you can't walk side by side, you can't be too far behind." Although most of the couples now were in the same situation as his father and mother, Li Yuan still felt that it was more important to have the same mind between husband and wife.

Li Yuan knew that only he and his younger brothers were well. No matter how far his father went in the future, it would not shake his mother's position. However, Li Yuan secretly hoped that his mother and father would be good together.

Li Ru also nodded. "Mother, what grandma and older brother said makes sense. Don't be afraid, mother. You have me."

Liu Yingniang had always gone with the flow. Since everyone said yes, she didn't protest so much anymore. "Okay then. I'll learn."

Li Su was satisfied. "That's right. A-Yu is not at home now. Heng'er and Li'er have a wet nurse to take care of them. You have nothing to do, so you can learn to read. You will be able to read a ledger in the future." Li Su even thought that it would be nice if she could invite a wet nurse who retired from the palace or something like that to follow Liu Yingniang and teach her at any time.

But she was just thinking about it. This was not the capital. How could a wet nurse from the palace come here?

Li Su didn't expect to hear that a wet nurse from the palace really came. It was said that this Wet Nurse Yan was from Jixian. After she left the palace, she missed her homeland, so she came back.

Li Su thought about Liu Yingniang and Li Ru, and immediately prepared a generous gift.

Many people came to visit, and many of them had the same idea as Li Su. Li Su was a little worried when she saw this. Right, there were many smart people in this world.

Li Su no longer had any thoughts on inviting Wet Nurse Yan to come home as a teacher. After she handed over the gift and said a few perfunctory words, she planned on heading back.

She didn't expect Wet Nurse Yan to stop her. Wet Nurse Yan inquired about her family's situation carefully, and then put forward some conditions. The Li family agreed, and she went to the Li family.

Li Su's eyes widened. The conditions that Wet Nurse Yan had, such as the Li family supporting her for the rest of her life, and whatnot were not a problem. Why did she choose the Li family?!

Li Su instinctively felt that there was a conspiracy here. But when she thought about it carefully, there was nothing worth thinking about in the Li family.

Except for one… Li Su remembered one thing, and then looked at Wet Nurse Yan. She probably understood.

Chapter 199 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 13)

In this place, there was no one who had a relationship with the Li family and could find someone like Wet Nurse Yan, except for Prince Kang.

Otherwise, it was too much of a coincidence!

Only at this time, Prince Kang should not know who the Li family was! Unless there was a bug in this world and Prince Kang was reborn, he shouldn't have paid attention to the situation of the Li family in advance. This Wet Nurse Yan was likely someone he specially prepared for Li Ru.

But why would Prince Kang pay so much attention to Li Ru? Wasn't his true love that exotic princess? Could it be that he wanted them to serve their husband together and share the blessings of the whole people?

Li Su was a little unhappy. Prince Kang asked Wet Nurse Yan to come. What did he want to teach Li Ru? How to be a good concubine?

For a moment, Li Su wanted to turn around and leave. But after she weighed her options, she endured it. If Prince Kang really had a heart, then if Wet Nurse Yan wasn't able to go through this road, there would be other paths. She wasn't even sure whether Prince Kang had eyes and ears among the servants in the family now. The current Li family couldn't compete with Prince Kang, so they could only endure this.

Li Su was thinking a lot, but she finally calmed down. She then said with a smile, "I will agree to the conditions that Wet Nurse said."

Wet Nurse Yan had been quietly observing Li Su's expression. She could see that the other party thought she was suspicious. She had told the eldest prince that it was too obvious and that anyone with a discerning eye would know something was wrong. But the eldest prince said that it was okay, so she just came.

Now it seemed that this old lady was not simple. It was just that Wet Nurse Yan didn't take it seriously. The Li family was just an ordinary family. The biggest official they had ever seen was probably the seventh-grade county magistrate. Even if she had doubts, she wouldn't suspect that it was the eldest prince.

She had no bad intentions when she came to Li family's house. The eldest prince asked her to carefully teach the girls of the Li family. Although she didn't understand why the eldest prince was so concerned about the little Li family, the eldest prince saved her life. The eldest prince helped her get out of the cage. As long as the eldest prince was alive, she would listen to him.

"That's good. I'll go to the house when I'm ready in a few days," said Wet Nurse Yan.

Li Su showed a smile and then went out.

On the way back, Li Su kept thinking about what exactly Prince Kang wanted to do.

At the same time, in the capital city, thousands of miles away… In Prince Kang's mansion, Zhao Zongqing had just left the martial arts training ground covered in sweat. He returned to his yard, avoiding the maid, Mingzhu, and went to the bathing room by himself. After washing, he came out in clean clothes.

Mingzhu looked at the eldest prince, aggrieved. The eldest prince had been messing with her for a few days. After suffering from a cold, he was beaten a few times by His Highness and punished by kneeling. It was only after the county princess came back to persuade His Highness that His Highness let the eldest prince rise. That night, the eldest prince had a high fever. When the eldest prince woke up, it was as if he had changed. He never messed with them again. He married a gifted woman and a woman that was intended for him successively. He was bestowed a wife, but she was still too young, so he left her alone.

His Highness and his wife, and the county princess were naturally happy to see the eldest prince's repentance and hard work. But, Mingzhu still missed the former prince. The eldest prince was very gentle before.

"Get out!" Zhao Zongqing said when he saw Mingzhu's aggrieved expression. He hid the disgust in his eyes.

Mingzhu's eyes were popping out of their sockets.

Zhao Zongqing's gaze fell on Mingzhu's back. His gaze was slightly cold. In his last life, he was the one who was wrong. He spoiled these girls too much, and their egos were even bigger. Therefore, when he favored Ru'er, they tried every means to target Ru'er.

He moved Ru'er out, but they still didn't let her go.

Ru'er's death in his previous life was a mistake due to a strange set of circumstances, but Mingzhu's and a few other people's instigation played a large part. If it weren't for them, how could imperial concubine mother and the eldest sister force Ru'er to die while ignoring their own flesh and blood in her belly?

When Zhao Zongqing thought of this, his eyes darkened. He was only infatuated with Ru'er for a while, and Princess Jinlin was his favorite. It was just that, in his last life, he and Jinlin never had children. Although the husband and wife were in love, there was gossip behind their backs and slander. The two had endured a lot of pressure.

He and Jinlin had seen a lot of doctors, but the doctors said that they were in good shape and had no problems. Under the pressure of his prince father and imperial concubine mother and Jinlin, he was given several concubines and he worked very hard. Unfortunately, there was no news. In his last life right up until he died, he had no heirs except for Ru'er's child. In the end, he had to adopt the seventeenth prince to inherit the title of Prince Kang's mansion.

In this regard, Zhao Zongqing still held grudges. So after he came back from his rebirth, Zhao Zongqing thought a lot. In this life, his princess consort would only be Princess Jinlin. It was enough for Ru'er, as the only woman who had ever conceived his child, to be a side concubine.

But the position of concubine of Eldest Prince Kang who had an heir was not an easy position to have. First of all, her family background had to be clean. Therefore, the first thing Zhao Zongqing did when he came back was to order someone to find the whereabouts of Li Ru. He didn't expect that the Li family in this life was very different from the Li family from his memory. Li Ru had not been sold, and she had two younger brothers. This was a good thing for Zhao Zongqing. Like mother, like daughter. Li Ru's mother had two sets of twins in a row. It seems that Li Ru was also fertile. No wonder she was the only one who was lucky enough to conceive his child in his last life.

Zhao Zongqing didn't take the changes of the Li family to heart. After all, he was a person who was reborn once. It was just the Li family, so he wouldn't bother much with them. Since Li Ru didn't end up in a brothel, it was for the best. She also had a father who was a scholar. Now he only needed to send a Wet Nurse to teach her mother.

As for Li Yu and Li Yuan, the mistakes of his previous life would not be repeated in this life. As long as they kept themselves safe, Zhao Zongqing was willing to give them a way out for Li Ru's sake. After all, they were also the grandfather and uncle of his future sons.

What he had to do now was meet Jinlin as soon as possible, so that they could be inseparable, and be deeply in love. Zhao Zongqing thought about how he could justifiably leave the capital and go to Xiluo Country to find Jinlin.

Although Li Su had been very guarded towards Wet Nurse Yan, she had to admit that Wet Nurse Yan was very good. Yingniang had made obvious progress in dealing with people under Wet Nurse Yan's guidance. She was very convinced of Wet Nurse Yan's abilities.

Wet Nurse Yan was also well aware of the arrangements of the Li family. She was afraid that the old lady would not believe in her ability, so she did not ask to teach Young Miss Ru directly. But it was fine. There was still a long time to go so she could take her time.

It was Li Su who asked Li Ru privately what she thought of Wet Nurse Yan. She learned that Li Ru did not like Wet Nurse Yan. When Li Su asked Li Ru why, Li Ru couldn't explain. "I just don't like what she said to mother." Be humble first and foremost. Be respectful and obedient. These were great gifts for a woman. Her mother was very convinced of these principles, but she disapproved a bit.

Li Su nodded, "Okay, I understand. I originally invited her to teach you, but since you don't like her, she can teach your mother. I think your mother is soaking up her guidance. Your mother has made a lot of progress." Regarding Liu Yingniang, Li Su couldn't do anything. Li Su would just let her be. Everyone's path was different and it was hard to force someone.

Li Ru nodded. "I think grandma and older brother taught me very well. I don't need anyone else to teach me."

Li Su smiled. She knew very well how Wet Nurse Yan taught Yingniang. If Prince Kang had really been reborn, and Wet Nurse Yan was really sent by him to teach these sorts of things, then it was likely that Prince Kang did not want to marry Ru'er as a princess consort. He probably wanted to take Ru'er as a concubine, so he asked Wet Nurse Yan to teach Ru'er how to be a wife.

Damn, the powerful were really amazing. Well, in this day and age, it was pretty amazing. But she was a dignified transmigrator. If she really allowed her granddaughter to be a concubine, then she would lose face! She would wait and see how it would turn out!

In the blink of an eye, Wet Nurse Yan had been in the Li family for half a year. She once thought that she would just be spending the initial time with Mrs. Li. Then, after the old lady of the Li family saw her methods and abilities, the old lady would let her go teach the young miss. She didn't expect that even half a year later, the old lady didn't ask her to teach the young miss.

Mrs. Li mentioned it a few times, but she was distracted by the old lady.

Wet Nurse Yan found that, although Mrs. Li was the mistress of the house, she was not assertive. This Li family followed what the old lady said. Not only did Mrs. Li obey the old lady's words, but even the children of the Li family did the same. She heard that Scholar Li, who was out on a study tour, was also like this.

There were no rules at all in the Li family. The young miss was studying with her older brother and the two brothers from the neighbor's house. Even her young serving girl was with them. What they learned was the same. She had a few ears throughout the house. Among the children, young miss Ru had the second best homework next to Li Yuan. Now, she had started to learn the Four Books with Master Li Yuan.

Wet Nurse Yan did not object to the young miss learning how to read. In fact, the young ladies from powerful families in the capital were knowledgeable and outstanding in the literary arts.

It was just that girls, no matter how good their homework was, would not participate in the imperial examinations in the future. It was better for them to learn some poetry and painting, along with cultivating their temperament.

The Li family was accustomed to this. Wet Nurse Yan once tried to talk to Mrs. Li, but Mrs. Li just murmured, "Their homework was all set before Husband Yu left." Didn't Wet Nurse Yan say that a woman should be respectful and obedient? How could she object to what Husband Yu had decided?

Wet Nurse Yan found Li Su again, but Li Su said directly to her, "Ru'er is naturally intelligent, and is not inferior to Yuan'er. Although she is not allowed to take the imperial exam, it is good for her to read more books. As for the other side, needlework or something, her mother taught her."

"But the young miss is getting older every day, so it's time for her to learn social etiquette," Wet Nurse Yan said anxiously.

"Learn social etiquette? What kind of social etiquette? What kind of family is our family? Why do we need to learn that? I don't expect Ru'er to marry into a high-ranking family in the future. Ordinary people would want someone who is honest, kind, and caring. That's all. There's no need to learn this kind of social etiquette," Li Su said directly.

Wet Nurse Yan's anxious face turned pale, but she couldn't say anything. She could only swallow her words and go back to the room. Then, she wrote a letter to the eldest prince to complain, asking for countermeasures.

Chapter 200 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 14)

In the backyard of Li family's house, Li Su stood under the eaves and watched a pigeon fly in.

Li Su looked at it coldly and said nothing. Li Yuan walked out from behind her with a bad expression on his face. "Grandma, who is it? Why didn't you stop it?"

Who was colluding with outsiders? What did their family have? Could it be because of grandma's heirloom? Li Yuan thought a lot about this.

"Until you know what other people want to do, the best way to deal with it is to stay still, so as not to startle the snake." Li Su patted Li Yuan on the shoulder.

"Grandma, what do you think is of worth in our family? Is it related to your family heirloom?" Li Yuan trusted his grandma and asked her directly.

Li Su shook her head. "I don't know either. However, just be more careful in the future." After all, this matter was too bizarre. She couldn't tell Li Yuan.

Li Yuan was also puzzled. He looked at the place where the carrier pigeon flew. It seemed to be the west wing, where his mother lived. The suspicious Wet Nurse Yan was also there. Li Yuan did not know what to think.

Li Yuan did not express his doubts. In his opinion, when dad was not at home, he was the pillar of the family. His dad said not to disturb the grandma and the others about these little things. Wet Nurse Yan was suspicious, but unfortunately he had no evidence. It was better not to startle the snake, and to observe things in secret.

Li Yuan was thinking about it, and suddenly saw the carrier pigeon fly out again. It was about to fly out of the Li family's yard. Suddenly, the carrier pigeon suddenly fell down in a strange way.

Li Su and Li Yuan glanced at each other, and quickly went in the direction in which the carrier pigeon fell.

When they reached there, they were out of breath. They found that Zuo Kui was grabbing the pigeon and preparing to shed its feathers. When Zuo Kui saw Li Su and Li Yuan coming, he was a little nervous. "Old madam, young master!"

"You shot the carrier pigeon? Do you still have this ability?" Li Su asked with a smile after seeing the carrier pigeon.

"When I was in the countryside, I used to catch birds like this." Zuo Kui also saw that the pigeon was very fat and it should have a lot of meat. In addition, this pigeon was not raised by his master. So he just shot it.

"Bring it over for me to see." Li Yuan said with his hand stretched out.

Zuo Kui quickly handed over the carrier pigeon. Li Yuan took the pigeon, and found something abnormal on the pigeon's leg. He took the small bamboo tube and returned the pigeon to Zuo Kui. "It's okay. This pigeon doesn't belong to our family. If you see another pigeon in the future, just kill it."

Zuo Kui nodded quickly. "Don't worry, young master, leave it to me. I'm a good shot!"

Li Yuan nodded, gave Li Su a wink, and the two went back. They looked for a place where there was no-one around before Li Yuan took out the things on the pigeon's leg. He retrieved a letter and opened it. Li Yuan and Li Su looked at each other. What was written on it?

"Could it be that these are code words?" Li Yuan asked, which made it even more suspicious. Who the hell were they, and what did they want with their family?

"Maybe we are thinking too much. How could it be so serious along with the use of a code? Maybe it's a prank. There's nothing in our family that is worth paying attention to." Li Su tore the note and threw it into the drain in the corner. "Yuan'er, we have a clear conscience. We are not afraid of shadows, so we don't have to take these little things to heart. If you study hard, that's the right way. Besides, you have grandma and your dad."

Li Yuan nodded. "Grandma, don't worry. I know what to do." The doubts in his heart had not diminished. It was just that grandma was getting older, so he didn't want to let her worry about these things. She had him.

Li Su raised her head and glanced in the direction of the west wing. Although she didn't know how Wet Nurse Yan got in touch with that side, if this way did not work, they surely had a second way. She wanted to see what tricks they would play.

After Wet Nurse Yan sent the letter out, she waited for a reply from the capital. But, after waiting for more than two months, there was no news at all. Wet Nurse Yan thought that something happened to the carrier pigeon on the way, so she had to send a letter out again.

She didn't expect that the letter was lost on the way again. There was no reply from the capital until Li Yu returned.

Wet Nurse Yan was a little flustered. What did the eldest prince mean?

In fact, after Zhao Zongqing learned that Wet Nurse Yan had successfully entered the Li family, he forgot about the Li family. He believed that with Wet Nurse Yan's methods, Li Ru could become a respectful and qualified concubine. He had more important things to do.

Yes, he successfully persuaded the grandmother of the empress dowager, obtained the approval of the emperor's uncle, and made an envoy to represent Daqi as an ambassador to the country of Xiluo. He would see Jinlin soon. He had already imagined what he would say and do after seeing Jinlin. He was ready to win Jinlin's heart again.

He was fully prepared. In this life, he would meet Jinlin at the best age, get to know each other, fall in love with each other, and promise themselves to each other for a lifetime. In this life, he would give Jinlin the best of everything.

When Wet Nurse Yan's second letter was delivered to the capital, Zhao Zongqing had already left the capital and was on his way to the country of Xiluo.

Li Yu was busy the entire time. When he finally got home, he took a shower, changed clothes, ate a hot meal, and then fell asleep. When he woke up, he realised there was something different at home. Li Yuan and Li Ru's homework had improved. Heng'er and Li'er had also grown up. There was a new wet nurse in the family, and his wife's words and deeds were also very different from before. Although she was still as gentle and thoughtful as before, she had improved a lot in terms of receiving people. She could also now manage the housework, just like a qualified female master.

Li Yu wondered what had happened. When he was greeting Li Su, he took advantage of Yingniang being busy and asked quietly, "Mother, how did you teach Yingniang? Why does she seem different than before?"

Li Su showed him a meaningful smile. "It's a coincidence. This Wet Nurse Yan came from the palace and was reluctant to leave her homeland, so she returned to Jixian. Many people in Jixian came to ask for help, even the magistrate's wife came to the door in person. I didn't expect that Wet Nurse Yan had chosen our family. What's more, I don't know what she said to the rest of them. The families who Wet Nurse Yan didn't choose didn't have any resentment at all. That was more than enough to see her ability. I had planned to invite her to teach Ru'er. But, it was more suitable for her to follow and teach Yingniang."

Li Yu frowned. "How was the family during this time?"

Li Su glanced at him. "Everything is normal." She also found it strange that, after the pigeon incident, she had not found a single flaw in Wet Nurse Yan's behaviour even though she had been paying close attention to Wet Nurse Yan.

Li Yu took a deep breath. "That's weird."

Li Su was quite calm about this. "Forget it. There is nothing to worry about. We can adopt measures that are appropriate at the time. We have a clear conscience, and there is nothing in our family that we cannot see."

Seeing her so magnanimous, Li Yu smiled. "Mother is still the most thorough!"

Li Su looked at Li Yu with a smile. "I haven't had time to ask you about your trip. What did you gain from this study tour?"

Li Yu nodded. "I gained a lot. When I went out this time, your son not only met Fang Daru, but also gained a lot from his advice. During the study tour, I also gained a lot of knowledge."

Li Su smiled. "That's good. There's still more than a year left until the provincial exam. Next, study at home!"

Li Yu pondered for a while. "Mother, I want to send Yuan'er to Qingcheng Academy to study. This time, your son went out and stayed in Qingcheng Academy for a few days. It is a good place. Yuan'er is the eldest son of your son, and your son has high hopes for Yuan'er and doesn't want to delay him."

Li Su said, "I have no opinion on this matter. You can discuss it with Yingniang and Yuan'er. But, as soon as Yuan'er leaves, you have to study carefully. Ling Ping, Ling An, and the others will not be able to read the books. You need to talk to Ling Er about this."

Li Yu was confident. "Your son has already made up his mind, and your son plans on discussing things with second brother Ling. If his family plans to let Ling Ping and Ling An continue to study, your son can recommend them to go to the private school opened by Brother Xie. Brother Xie is a scholar without a qualification. He has been running a private school for over ten years and has taught two scholars, which is not bad. Tuition isn't that high, so the Ling family should be able to afford it. If they really can't afford it, I can also help out a bit."

Li Su nodded with satisfaction. Li Yu had made a lot of progress in terms of human relationships and sophistication when he went out this time.

Although Yingniang was reluctant, she knew that her son's future was important, so she did not object. Li Yuan himself was also very happy. Only Li Ru was a little unhappy. As soon as her older brother left and her father wanted to study, she was left alone.

In the end, Li Yuan promised her that when he left, he would leave her his books and notes. Li Ru was happy.

When Li Yu and Li Su talked to the Ling family about Ling Ping and Ling An's reading problems, Ling Er came up with an unexpected answer.

"You want Ling Ping to follow Yuan'er to be his book boy?" Li Su asked in surprise.

Ling Er nodded. His brother-in-law, Yang Anshu, went out with Scholar Li, and the Ling family saw the changes after Yang Anshu returned. He knew very well what his son's aptitudes were. They went to school with Li Ru, but they couldn't even catch up with her. Ling Er had already given up on the idea of letting the two study for the imperial examinations.

However, as a father, he always had to find a way out for his children. When he saw his brother-in-law, Ling Er's heart moved. In the future, if Scholar Li was successful in passing the provincial exams or the highest level of the imperial civil service exams, Anshu would also rise with the tide. As the eldest son of Scholar Li, Li Yuan was also smart. Li Yuan's future achievements would surely not be inferior to his father's. He wasn't wrong in letting A-Ping follow Li Yuan. Maybe in the future the two would rely on Li Yuan for support.

Ling Er made this decision after discussing it with his family!

"Are you willing? Qingcheng Academy is far away from here, and it is estimated that you can only come back once a year," Li Yu asked. He could bring a book boy to the academy, and Li Yu also thought about choosing either Ling Ping or Ling An to be a book boy for his son. Considering the relationship with the Ling family, Li Yu did not speak about this. He didn't expect the Ling family to actually take the initiative to bring it up.

Chapter 201 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 15)

Ling Er smiled honestly. "If you are willing, then we are willing too. If the two of them are willing to study, and they have the heart to learn, I have to help them study. But the two of them are really not cut out for it. It is expected that as a father, I can only find another way for them. Following Li Yuan is one way. Our families are old acquaintances, and we know each other well, so you can rest assured. If they follow Li Yuan to learn, there will be a way out in the future. "

Li Yu looked at Li Su. Li Su thought for a while. "Have you discussed this with Anniang? What about A-Ping himself? Have you asked for his opinion?"

Ling Er was stunned. Did they still want to ask for A-Ping's opinion? Shouldn't the adults agree to this?

When Li Su saw this, she knew that he had not asked for Ling Ping's opinion. "You ask for A-Ping's opinion first. If A-Ping is willing, then we are willing. If A-Ping is unwilling, then there is no need to force him. Children have their own ideas, and parents should also properly respect their opinions."

Seeing that Li Yu also had the same thoughts, Ling Er scratched his head. People who read a lot were really different. But since auntie said it, he went back and asked.

To Ling Er's surprise, Ling Ping was unwilling. He wanted to stay at home and learn carpentry from his father. It was Ling An who wanted to be a book boy for Li Yuan.

Ling Er was also very speechless in the face of such a result, He walked back and forth in the room several times, angrily. "Why didn't you say something earlier?!"

Ling Ping and Ling An looked at each other. Ling Ping muttered, "You never asked us."

Ling Er glared at him. "Could it be my fault?"

It was! Ling Ping muttered in his heart.

In the end, Ling Er had to go to Li family's house again in embarrassment. Li Su was mentally prepared for this. Earlier when the two boys of the Ling family were studying in the Li family, she could see that Ling Ping was a fool who didn't know how to adapt and stick to the rules. He preferred there was little change. On the contrary, the second child, Ling An, had a lively temperament. He was clever and knew how to be flexible. So when it came to Ling Er, Li Su knew that if one of the two boys in the Ling family was willing to be a book boy for Yuan'er, it would be Ling An and not Ling Ping.

"Since the child is willing, then it's settled. There is no need to rush over these days. I will wait until this side is cleaned up and then tell you." Li Su smiled.

Ling Er nodded. It just so happened that Anshu was at home, so he let his second son and Anshu learn more on how to be good book boys.

Yang Anshu was also very happy to learn that his second nephew was going to be a book boy for brother Yuan. "It just so happens that uncle and nephew can also take care of each other." After he came back, he returned the 10 taels of silver the old lady gave before he left to the old lady, but the old lady didn't ask for it, saying that he took good care of uncle this time. The 10 taels of silver was his reward. He was given another month off to rest well.

Yang Anshu didn't know until he got home that his parents showed him a marriage. They had taken advantage of this time to arrange a marriage.

With money, everything was easy. His parents and a few older sisters took care of the marriage. Instead, Yang Anshu became the most idle one. It so happened that second brother-in-law brought his nephew. Yang Anshu began to teach his nephew how to become an excellent book boy.

A month later, Li Yu personally sent his son to Qingcheng Academy to study. After returning, he began to study behind closed doors.

Time flew and four years passed in a flash.

Three years ago, Li Yu took the provincial exam again and failed. Li Yu did not lose heart and continued to work hard. Finally, three years later, he passed the provincial exam in 52nd place.

In the same year, Li Yuan passed the county-level exam at the age of twelve and became a scholar.

Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief after learning that he had passed the provincial exam. If he didn't pass this time, then it would have been a real shame.

After Li Yu passed the provincial exam, he did not celebrate, but prepared to go to the capital to participate in the metropolitan exam in February next year.

The Li family, Li Su, her daughter-in-law, and granddaughter were preparing the items Li Yu would bring to the capital to take part in the exam. Twelve-year-old Li Ru was as beautiful and refined as a flower. Even Li Su, a person who had seen a lot of beauties, was stunned when she saw Li Ru today.

Li Yu and Yingniang were both good looking, but Li Ru was obviously better. Even her twin brother was not as good-looking as her. Li Yuan was a little worried about his current appearance. However, every time he went out, he would attract the attention of countless young ladies.

But also because of Li Ru's appearance, the Li family was a little worried, especially Li Yu and Li Yuan. What if such a good daughter/younger sister was robbed by an unsightly villain one day?

This was also one of the motivations that stimulated Li Yu and Li Yuan to study and improve.

Wet Nurse Yan was somewhat satisfied with this. Although she had never taught young miss Ru over the years, she had seen her growth. The Li family's young miss Ru had been brought up very well. Although she liked to do some light reading, she still had good etiquette.

In the past few years, after she learned the good news that the eldest prince had married, she understood what the eldest prince meant. The eldest prince probably wanted to take young miss Ru as his concubine. Now it seems that the identity of young miss Ru was obviously enough. She had a father who passed the provincial exam and an elder brother who passed the county exam. She had a clean and refined appearance and would be qualified to be a concubine in the future. This was the case, right?

Wet Nurse Yan thought with little confidence.

Wet Nurse Yan didn't quite understand the eldest prince's intentions when he asked her to come over. How old was young miss Ru at the time? But most wealthy people always had one or two problems that could not be tolerated in the world. The eldest prince was probably one of them.

In order to please the eldest prince, Wet Nurse Yan also painted a portrait of young miss Ru and sent it to the eldest prince.

In Prince Kang's mansion, Zhao Zongqing just had a quarrel with Jinlin. He was tired and sitting in the study when the portrait sent by Wet Nurse Yan arrived. He opened it, and his memory seemed to return to his previous life.

In the last life, he and Ru'er also spent a good time together. When he thought about it now, the corners of his mouth rose subconsciously.

But Zhao Zongqing immediately remembered Jinlin was a jealous person. He became troubled again. If Jinlin saw this portrait, then she would definitely do something. It would be bad if it spoiled his plans.

Zhao Zongqing glanced at the portrait a few more times before burning it.

Looking at the flames burning the paper, Zhao Zongqing fell into contemplation. Why was he still the same him, but Jinlin was not the same? They met a few years in advance and came together as he wished, but this life was different from before. Except for the fact that he still had no children, everything was different from his previous life.

Where did it go wrong?

Zhao Zongqing didn't understand.

The only change was probably that in the last life, Jinlin had taken the initiative to chase him. In the last life, he guarded the frontier by himself, which coincided with the civil strife in Xiluo where he was ordered to assist Queen Xiluo to quell the chaos. He wasn't sure when Jinlin saw him, but she pursued him all the time. When royal uncle called her back, Jinlin abandoned her identity as a princess to follow him.

He was moved by her true feelings, and after that, they got together smoothly. Apart from having no children, they were doing fine. For his sake, Jinlin never returned to Xiluo country in her life.

In this life, it was him who actively pursued Jinlin. Because he felt bad for Jinlin in his previous life, he had to make up for it in this life. With the help of Queen Xiluo and Jinlin's elder sister, they still got together. When he returned to Daqi, Jinlin also went back with him.

But he didn't expect that there would be so many problems. The two of them clearly loved each other, but there were so many issues.

Jin Lin was not able to fully integrate into Daqi's life, and her father and concubine mother also had a lot of dissatisfaction. In addition, Jinlin was a very jealous person. As long as he talked to other women, Jinlin would lose her temper regardless of the occasion.

Zhao Zongqing didn't understand what was going on! This kind of life made him very tired.

"Eldest prince, the county princess is back. The princess ordered this servant to invite you over," Xiao Jia said outside the study door.

When Zhao Zongqing heard that his eldest sister was coming, his head hurt even more. In this life, he took action in time to prevent his eldest brother-in-law from being killed, and the relationship with his eldest sister improved. Eldest sister would not become a widow, and naturally she would not take a fancy to Li Yu. Eldest sister's tragedy should have been avoided. But his eldest sister and Jinlin quarreled as soon as they met. He wasn't sure if they had some sort of conflict in his previous life. Eldest sister said that Jinlin didn't understand the rules, and Jinlin said that the eldest sister was nosy. Really…

In fact, Zhao Shuning, county princess Qinghe, did not live up to her name at all1. She was not well-read and did not have a peaceful temperament. She was the eldest daughter of Prince Kang and Princess Kang, and the eldest granddaughter of the imperial grandmother. The imperial grandmother brought her into the palace when she was born, which made her a veritable daughter of heaven. Before she was born, His Majesty and Prince Kang's two sons were declining! After she was born, His Majesty had a son on the left and a daughter on the right. In a few years, he had eight sons and five daughters and all of them survived. The imperial grandmother directly said that it was all the good luck brought by county princess Qinghe to the imperial family.

Later, it was the imperial grandmother who saw that her younger son had never had an heir, so she asked county princess Qinghe to return to the Prince Kang's residence for a few months. It was also during this period that Princess Kang successfully became pregnant. This further confirmed the blessing of county princess Qinghe. After Princess Kang gave birth to her son, county princess Qinghe was taken to the palace again. After that, she had been living back and forth between the palace and Prince Kang's mansion.

She was favored in the royal family, and the ordinary princesses were not as favored as her, except for the princess Anguo, who was the direct descendant of the empress. Princess Anguo was the only one who could compete with her. But Princess Anguo was only eight years old this year.

As soon as Zhao Shuning saw Zhao Zongqing, she looked away. The wet nurse behind her brought a pile of drawing paper over. "Look, these are the concubine candidates that the imperial grandmother and I have chosen for you, and they all look good and their family backgrounds are not bad. They are worthy of being your concubine. You can choose a few and imperial grandmother will give you marriage decrees."

The veins on Zhao Zongqing's forehead popped. He could imagine that, if Jinlin heard this, she would definitely be furious. He couldn't bear to think about this too much. There was a sound of gold and jade hitting the floor behind him. He turned his head and saw that Jinlin had stepped in and was glaring at Zhao Shuning.

"Eldest sister," Zhao Zongqing pleaded.

"What are you afraid of? She's been here for three years and has nothing to come out of. It's already considered giving face to the country of Xiluo, and she is still so clueless!" Zhao Shuning rolled her eyes. She had never been afraid of anyone in her life. The first princess from the Central Palace had to respectfully call her eldest sister when she saw her. Jinlin was only a princess from a small country. If it wasn't for her younger brother's sake, who would dare to talk to Jinlin in the entire Daqi noble circle?!

Chapter 202 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 16)

Prince Kang and Princess Kang looked at their daughter with approval. "Ning'er is right. It's long overdue." They were also dissatisfied with this daughter-in-law. They didn't know if she had done something to their son, otherwise, with so many noble women, how could their son choose her?!

Jinlin walked in angrily looking like she was just about to have a seizure, when she suddenly remembered the secret letter sent by her eldest sister. She suppressed her anger, took a few deep breaths, and suddenly her eyes were full of tears. "Brother Qing, when you asked do you remember what you said when you proposed to me?"

Zhao Zongqing felt distressed. This was the first time he saw Jinlin cry. In his memory, Jinlin was always noble and beautiful, and seldom cried. Even though the country of Xiluo was in civil strife when they met in her last life, she never cried.

"Don't cry, I remember. I remember all of it. I said that I would be good to you all my life." Zhao Zongqing quickly stepped forward, put his arms around Jinlin, and wiped away her tears.

Prince Kang and the princess frowned. Disgusting.

However, Zhao Shuning sneered. "Yo, is this a sudden change of nature and gentleness, or do you know about the rebellion of the Emperor of Xiluo? Your country of Xiluo is thousands of miles away from the capital of Daqi, and you are so well-informed!"

As soon as those words came out, everyone's expressions changed.

Prince Kang nervously looked at Jinlin and then at his daughter. "Ning'er, what's going on?" Prince Kang liked extravagance and enjoyment, and had no ambitions. As long as he could continue to enjoy himself, nothing else mattered. He didn't care when his eldest daughter was taken into the palace to raise, and he didn't care that she didn't return for a few years.

What he was the most afraid of was being implicated and being unable to continue enjoying himself.

Princess Kang was a little better than Prince Kang. She was a self-motivated woman. But, she wasn't self-motivated with such a husband. Fortunately, her son and daughter were in good spirits, and her position was also very stable.

"Ning'er, how did you know?"

"Yesterday, emperor uncle invited me to the palace to accompany him for dinner. I heard it with my own ears. Princess Jinlin, you are very well-informed. It was only one day slower than the eight hundred mile urgent message of the Ministry of War." Zhao Shuning looked at princess Jinlin's pale face and she angrily said, "Tell me, what are you and Queen Xiluo trying to do? Since you are married into Daqi, you are now a person of Daqi. Although Xiluo is your home country, you need to have a sense of propriety. What is your intention with such a collusion?"

Zhao Zongqing's expression also changed. It was not a surprise that Xiluo's civil unrest happened a few years in advance. With his changes, many things had changed. What surprised him was Jinlin's reaction!

Was it really like what eldest sister said, that Jinlin and Queen Xiluo had been secretly keeping in touch? So, what news did she send back? What was the purpose of her marrying him? Was it not because of love?

Zhao Zongqing was unwilling to continue imagining and he did not dare to think about it any further.

Jinlin forced a smile. "I don't know what the princess is talking about?" She couldn't admit it. She couldn't.

"Whether you admit it or not, the fact is that it has already happened. Uncle emperor has his own ideas about the civil unrest in Xiluo. Younger bro, you don't say much, but you should take the initiative to avoid suspicion! To avoid being gossiped about! Your mother and father only have one son, you. I only have you as a younger brother. You are a prince of Prince Kang's Mansion! Younger bro, you have to remember that the most important thing for you right now is to have heirs. The eldest prince is only five years older than you and he is already the father of six children!" Zhao Shuning said.

Although she grew up without her parents, her grandmother and emperor uncle were also very kind to her, but her blood relationship could not be changed. After growing up, Zhao Shuning still preferred her biological parents. Sometimes, she even wondered, if she was raised by her parents, would she have had more siblings?

When Jinlin heard this, she immediately looked at Zhao Zongqing nervously. The situation in her mother country was critical. What she and her older sister were most afraid of was if Daqi chose to sit on the sidelines and watch the infighting at this time, then only intervene when the internal fighting was over. For this reason, her mother country would be crippled and it would take many years to recover.

Thinking of this, Jinlin couldn't help but have regrets. If she had known this, then she should have abandoned her arrogance and lowered her noble head to please these people. Now that it was like this, they should speak for her mother country!

Jinlin also knew that in this palace, the only person she could rely on was her husband. Since her husband was so committed to her, she was very confident.

Therefore, Jinlin was not very flustered at this time. She just looked at Zhao Zongqing with tears in her eyes. "Brother Qing, you can't ignore Xiluo. No matter what, it is my home country! My eldest sister and I have been dependent on each other since childhood. If anything happens to her, I don't want to live anymore."

"Then you can sacrifice yourself for the country," Zhao Shuning said lightly. "If you are so resolute, then this county princess still admires you a little bit. But, I'm afraid you are just saying things."

"You!" Jin Lin glared angrily.

Zhao Shuning gave her a provocative smile!

"Eldest sister!" Zhao Zongqing was very confused. Many things went beyond his imagination. On the one hand, he didn't want to doubt Jinlin's intentions to be with him, but on the other hand, he was also awakened by the words of the eldest sister.

In his last life, when he met Jinlin, there was internal turmoil in Xiluo. Under Daqi's indifference, although the country of Xiluo finally suppressed the rebellion, its national strength was severely decreased.

Every time he saw Jinlin crying in the direction of her mother country, he would unconsciously think about it for her. Because of his love for her, she didn't have to say anything. He did everything for her. In court, he had been fighting for the country of Xiluo.

At that time, Jinlin was not as arrogant as she was now. She had a good relationship with his mother and father. Even the empress dowager praised her repeatedly. At that time, because of Jinlin, the entire royal family was very friendly towards the country of Xiluo.

Under such circumstances, the country of Xiluo, which originally took 20 years or more to recover, regained its national strength in just 10 years.

As the heir of Prince Kang's mansion, the education he received since he was a child, coupled with the experience of reincarnation, meant that he was not a fool. Maybe he was really blindsided before. In his previous life, the love between him and Jinlin was based on the fact that the country of Xiluo had to rely on Daqi.

In this life, they met and fell in love earlier. At this time, although Xiluo was still a vassal of Daqi, its national strength was still good. Jinlin naturally could maintain the pride of a princess of her country. Now that the news of the civil unrest in Xiluo had arrived, Jinlin would have this change!

Zhao Shuning stood up, walked to Zhao Zongqing's side, and pulled him to sit beside her. "Younger bro, listen to eldest sister. Regarding the matters of the country of Xiluo, emperor uncle and the ministers in the court have their own decisions. You can't interfere. It should be noted that although emperor uncle is our uncle, he is still the emperor. As the heir of Prince Kang, you must be careful."

Jinlin had meant to sit back and watch, but when she heard this, she was anxious. She ran over and took Zhao Zongqing's hand. "Brother Qing, you can't ignore it! You need to go to the emperor and lead troops to suppress the rebellion. I'll go back with you. Let's go back together. Save my older sis! Brother Qing!"

Zhao Zongqing waved Jinlin's hand away with difficulty. "Xiluo is a subordinate country of Daqi. Daqi will naturally not idly sit by and will send troops to quell the rebellion. It's just that the matter of when to send troops and who to lead them are not decisions that you and I can make. The emperor will make a decision!"

Jinlin's eyes widened. "Zhao Zongqing!"

Zhao Shuning slapped her unceremoniously. "You can call my younger bro's name too?"

The maids who were brought to Daqi by Jinlin were shocked and angry when they saw their princess being beaten. They immediately drew their swords and surrounded them.

Little did they know that this was Daqi – Prince Kang's mansion and Zhao Shuning's home. The guards around them were seasoned fighters, so they surrounded the maids, removed their swords, and tied them up.

"You dare to draw a sword in front of the prince, the princess and the county princess. You people from Xiluo have such good manners! Escort them away and deal with them on behalf of this county princess. Ensure that the people around the eldest prince's consort are checked one by one. No collusion is allowed. The news coming into the manner, and the rebellious behaviour from today are not allowed to happen again," Zhao Shuning said as she gave Jinlin a proud look.

"Yes! The county princess!" The guards escorted the people down without saying another word.

Jinlin only saw them for a short moment before her confidant was sent to the **. She might not be able to keep the rest! These were the people that her older sis gave her. These were the people who were responsible for protecting her and helping her keep in touch with Xiluo. If they disappeared like this, then wouldn't she be even more isolated and helpless in Daqi in the future? She would not be able to know about Xiluo's situation!

"You dare! I am the princess of Xiluo. If you dare to touch the people around me, are you not afraid of causing the two countries…" As soon as Jinlin said this, she remembered the current situation in her mother country. She was afraid that nobody would care about these little things.

Zhao Shuning looked at Jinlin's face pale instantly, and her heart was very happy. How dare a princess of a small affiliated country be arrogant in front of her!

"The eldest prince's consort's health is not good. Please go back to Fragrant Orchid Garden to recuperate. She is not allowed to go out and move around until her body recovers. Wet Nurse Liu, the eldest prince's consort has been married into Prince Kang's mansion for several years, and she has always lacked etiquette. Wet Nurse Liu, you are a person by imperial grandmother's side, so you will be responsible for teaching the princess in the future. Next year is imperial grandmother's sixtieth birthday, and imperial grandmother will definitely be happy to see a new granddaughter-in-law," Zhao Shuning said proudly.

A maid with a stern face behind her took a step forward. "This maid will carry out the orders. Please rest assured."

Prince Kang and princess Kang glanced at each other, and a smile appeared in their eyes. They were not dissatisfied with their daughter's overstepping. They had long disliked Jinlin. She was only a princess of a vassal state and was so proud!

When Jinlin saw Wet Nurse Liu's vicious eyes, she knew that this person would not be easy to mess with. She quickly looked at Zhao Zongqing. "Zhao Zongqing, am I your wife? What did you say when you asked me to marry you? When we left Xiluo, what did you promise my older sis? Did you forget all about it? Are you really okay with watching these people humiliate me?"

Zhao Zongqing's heart was in a mess at this time. He didn't dare to look into Jinlin's eyes. "Eldest sister is doing this for your own good. Jinlin, you have to remember that from the moment you married me, you were no longer Xiluo's princess, but the princess consort of Prince Kang's Mansion!" Zhao Zongqing said with increasing confidence until he finally dared to meet Jinlin's gaze.

Chapter 203 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 17)

Jinlin didn't expect Zhao Zongqing to say this. She had been married to him for three years, and Zhao Zongqing had always treated her very well and was extremely tolerant. She didn't like Daqi's service, Daqi's food, and Daqi's etiquette. She still maintained her habits from Xiluo. Zhao Zongqing was tolerant, and even sometimes wore Xiluo's clothes with her and ate Xiluo's cuisine. Because of Zhao Zongqing's tolerance and love, she was living so happily in the past three years.

It wasn't that Jinlin was not moved. She just didn't think about changing and being a little better to Zhao Zongqing. She was used to being the dominant one in this relationship. She was used to Zhao Zongqing's dedication and tolerance towards her.

But now, everything had changed.

Jinlin subconsciously thought that this was not her fault. It was Zhao Zongqing who had changed. Since he married her, he should be good to her all his life. He was so tolerant of her in the past few years and inflated her heart, so he should continue to be tolerant.

"Liar! Zhao Zongqing, you are a liar! You lied to me! You lied to me!" The situation was over. Jinlin knew that no matter how much she quarrelled, he would not be able to please her, and she might even put herself in crisis. What about older sis and Xiluo? Right now, she could only temporarily show weakness, and then slowly plot.

Jinlin pretended to be lost, but she saw a trace of distress and pity in Zhao Zongqing's eyes. No matter why Jinlin was with him, Zhao Zongqing's love for her in his two lifetimes was not fake.

Jinlin wanted to say something else, but Zhao Shuning saw that the situation was wrong, and winked at Wet Nurse Liu. Wet Nurse Liu immediately went over to support Jinlin. She was seemingly gentle but in fact, she was secretly exerting force. "Princess consort, you should rest." Then, without further ado, she took Jinlin out.

Zhao Zongqing wanted to go with them, but he was stopped by Zhao Shuning.

"Younger bro, listen to me!" Zhao Shuning sighed inwardly. Her little brother was soft-hearted, even after learning of all of this. It was easy for such a person to fall for such a woman. Even if he was a member of the imperial family, if he had no shortcomings at all, then it would be time to worry.

"I know you like Jinlin, but don't you think you spoil her too much? She has been married to you for three years. How many times has the palace summoned her? If she was always sensible and courteous, for her and your sake, emperor uncle would be a little more attentive towards Xiluo. You can be good to her, but you can't just spoil her all the time. There will always be times when you can't take care of it, right? What would she do then?" Zhao Shuning said seriously.

After hearing this, Zhao Zongqing reflected. Was it really his fault? He always wanted the best for Jinlin, and perhaps to some extent, he also harmed Jinlin.

Zhao Shuning stopped when things looked like they clicked. She believed that with her younger bro's intelligence, he would definitely understand. At that time, Jinlin would suffer. Men, no matter how much they pampered women, would put their thoughts first. A bit of land in the backyard was a woman's world.

"Okay, let's not talk about this. You just need to know that eldest sister is doing this for your own good. Right now, the more important thing is to choose a side concubine for you. Emperor uncle has always been the most filial, and imperial grandmother has always been worried about you. If you can let the imperial grandmother carry a great-grandson, then imperial grandmother would be happy. When imperial grandmother is happy, the emperor uncle is also happy. That would be for the best," said Zhao Shuning.

Zhao Zongqing gave a wry smile. He knew what eldest sister meant. She was afraid that he would go to emperor uncle to make a petition to ask Daqi to send troops to help Xiluo to quell the rebellion. She deliberately tried to delay it. Not to mention whether he could have children or not, even if he did, it would at least be 2-3 months later. At that time, he guessed that Xiluo would have already been destroyed.

In fact, Zhao Zongqing didn't care at all whether Xiluo was destroyed. Although he loved Jinlin, he was a person of Daqi and naturally considered the state's affairs first. He also understood that he agreed with emperor uncle's attitude towards Xiluo.

However, it was not easy for him to have children.

"Eldest sister and empress mother can handle this matter! I have no opinion." Anyway, there would be no children! Zhao Zongqing stood up and said, "I still have something to do, so I'll go first." He then left without waiting for Princess Kang and Zhao Shuning to say anything.

Prince Kang was not interested in these trivial things. He was only interested in eating, drinking and having fun. He heard that Wanxiang Tower had an ethereal and celestial beauty who could play the pipa well, so of course he wanted to go and take a look! "I have something to do. I'll go first."

In a blink of an eye, Princess Kang and Zhao Shuning were the only 2 left in the room. Fortunately, the mother and daughter didn't expect them to stick around, so they got together and discussed which girl looked good.

Zhao Zongqing originally wanted to go to the martial arts training area, but he went to Fragrant Orchid Garden instead.

In Fragrant Orchid Garden, there was chaos. Jinlin was sitting on the chair with a blank expression while Wet Nurse Liu was directing someone to replace all the original Xiluo-style accessories.

Zhao Zongqing couldn't help but frown. When Jinlin, who was originally expressionless, saw him, her eyes reddened and she looked like she was about to cry.

As a woman he had loved for two lifetimes, Zhao Zongqing still couldn't be hard on her. "If you like them, then you can keep one or two pieces."

Jinlin shook her head. "You know that's not what I want, right?"

"Do you want me to go to emperor uncle to intercede and send troops to help Xiluo quell the rebellion?" Zhao Zongqing asked.

Jinlin didn't speak, but her eyes clearly showed that was what she wanted.

Zhao Zongqing explained patiently, "Jinlin, don't worry. Xiluo is a vassal country of Daqi. Daqi will definitely send troops to suppress the rebellion, but this matter needs to be discussed at length…"

"What do you mean, discussed at length? It's obvious that you want to delay things. You want Xiluo to lose its national strength or perish due to this civil unrest!" Jinlin originally planned on acting spoiled and soft, but for some reason, as soon as she saw Zhao Zongqing, she wanted to take the initiative.

"Jinlin!" Zhao Zongqing snapped.

"What? I reveal to you the reason and you become angry?" Jinlin felt a little satisfied. "Do you know why I left my hometown to marry you and why I came to Daqi with you? It's because Xiluo is a small country. If we wanted to survive and grow, we could not do it without the support of Daqi. Originally, if I hadn't married you, my older sis would have let me marry Daqi's crown prince or even His Majesty! But you said that you like me. You pursued me so enthusiastically. You made me fall in love with you. I did not hesitate to go against my older sis' wishes and so I insisted on marrying you. But what did you do to me? If I had known this earlier, then I…"

Zhao Zongqing's expression changed greatly. "Jinlin, you have disappointed me!" After speaking, he turned around and left!

Jinlin yelled angrily. "Coward! Zhao Zongqing, you are a coward! You are a liar!"

Zhao Zongqing ignored Jinlin's hysteria. He just thought that maybe he was wrong in the beginning. Maybe he had made a big mistake! He shouldn't have met Jinlin in advance. Just now, he discovered that he didn't love the current Jinlin, but the Jinlin who had been burdened with the fate of her motherland and the one who had endured humiliation.

He could be unconditionally kind to Jinlin, which was based on what he was willing to give. Once Jinlin reached out to him for it, everything would change.

Zhao Zongqing was a little dazed when he walked out of Fragrant Orchid Garden. The world was so big. For a while, he didn't know where to go. He thought about his unforgettable love, which had been mixed up with so many things. What was the point of his rebirth?

Zhao Zongqing suddenly thought of a person, Ru'er! He desperately wanted to meet her to prove the meaning of his rebirth.

Thinking of this, Zhao Zongqing was a little excited. He immediately returned to the study and took out the letter sent by Wet Nurse Yan. Yes, Li Yu would go to Beijing to participate in the metropolitan exam next year. If he successfully passed the metropolitan exam, then he would stay at Hanlin Academy. Then, the entire Li family was bound to move to the capital. If that was the case…

Zhao Zongqing felt excited when he thought of this possibility. Ru'er's family background was a bit humbler compared to the girls his eldest sister had in mind. But, if she was the only one who could give birth to his own children safely, then in the hearts of his mother and eldest sister, she would naturally be different.

When Zhao Zongqing thought of this, he sighed in relief. When she entered the capital, he only hoped that Ru'er would be the same as in his previous life and would not change.

When Li Yu arrived in the capital, His Majesty had already decided to send troops to help Xiluo quell the rebellion. Of course, if he didn't send troops, it would be too late. Queen Xiluo was dead. If he didn't send troops, then Xiluo would cease to exist.

Li Yu took Yang Anshu to find an inn to stay in. Yang Anshu was a little nervous. It was the first time he had come to the capital. Li Yu was sitting in front of the window, looking down at the imperial bulletin. When he saw it, he smiled and said, "If you want to go out for a walk, just go. There's nothing to do now."

Yang Anshu shook his head like a rattle and smiled. Before he came, there had been so many people who had told him not to leave Master Scholar's side, just in case he was assassinated. In those dramas, things like the food being drugged, being deliberately pushed so that the person suffered a broken leg, getting injured, and so on were things that happened. If Master Scholar was delayed in taking the test because of this, then he would be useless.

"It doesn't matter. I'll stay in the inn. I won't go anywhere, and I won't eat things indiscriminately. When you go out for a walk, you can also inquire about what's new in the capital. It will be beneficial for me," Li Yu said with a smile.

"Really?" Yang Anshu hesitated.

Li Yu nodded solemnly.

"Okay, then I'll go right away. Master, please don't eat just anything. There's some snacks here. If you're hungry, you can eat this first. I'll bring you something delicious when I come back." Yang Anshu nodded and looked at the items again. The teapot was on the table and the tea inside was cold. He picked up the teapot and went out. After a while, he came in with a pot of hot tea.

"I personally watched the young waiter boil water just now. The tea leaves in it were brought from home. If you are thirsty, please drink this tea." Yang Anshu was not at ease. He looked around to confirm that there was nothing wrong and then went out.

After Yang Anshu left, Li Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Anshu was fine, but he was easily nervous. Li Yu was cautious and always vigilant along the way. He was a little nervous at first, but being surrounded by Yang Anshu made him even more nervous.

However, it was good to be careful. Li Yu did not forget how he missed the provincial exam a few years ago. He studied hard for many years and finally became a scholar. If he could not pass the metropolitan examination in one go, he would miss another three years. He didn't want to let his family down again.

Li Yu took a sip of hot tea and looked down at the imperial bulletin in his hand.

Chapter 204 – The Old Madam is From a Scholarly Family (part 18)

At the same time, in the Li family, Li Su and Yingniang were preparing for Li Ru's marriage. Li Ru's marriage was finalised after Li Yu passed the provincial exam. The candidates were personally selected by Li Yuan. Li Yu had seen them one by one, and after he inspected them, only one was selected. Li Su also personally inspected the other party's family, especially the temperament of the mother-in-law and sister-in-laws. After all the aspects had been inspected and confirmed, the decision was made.

The other party was Li Yuan's classmate, Wan Hong, who was 2 years older than Li Ru. He had a good personality and came from a wealthy family. His father was a scholar who opened a private school in his hometown. His parents were kind and had a good reputation among their neighbours. There were three brothers in the family and Wan Hong was the third. There was also a younger sister. The brothers and sister-in-law were honest people, and the sister-in-law was only 8 this year.

The Wan family was also very satisfied with the Li family. The two families had secretly exchanged the contracts. They were just waiting for the news of Li Yu's promotion before they were to be officially married.

Liu Yingniang didn't understand why her mother-in-law and husband chose a marriage for Ru'er at this time. But, since her mother-in-law and husband both agreed, she naturally would not object. It just so happened that Wet Nurse Yan had suffered from a cold a few days ago and moved out to recuperate.

In addition, the matter of Li Ru's marriage was not widely publicised. In the entire Li family, only Li Ru's mother and Li Yuan knew about it.

Wet Nurse Yan was moved to the back room to recuperate and Li Su also sent a little girl to serve her. It was just that Wet Nurse Yan had been ill for more than a month and had never recovered.

After a long time, Wet Nurse Yan also began to wonder if she was being plotted against. The reason why she didn't think of this before was because she was too conceited and felt that no one would have the ability to plot against her. So, she secretly contacted the person hidden in Li family's house to take out the dregs of her medicine and find a doctor to take a look at them. Those dregs turned out to be fine.

Wet Nurse Yan was relieved and began to worry. Since no one was targeting her, why was it that she couldn't recover for a long time even though it was just a little cold?

On this day, Wet Nurse Yan excused herself to rest. She found a random reason to send that stupid little girl out.

After a while, she heard footsteps. "Wet Nurse, the medicine is here. Drink it while it's hot."

Little Hong was the servant of the Li family who was responsible for cleaning the yard. Because of the huge red birthmark on her face, she was afraid of being seen.

Wet Nurse Yan drank the medicine under Little Hong's gaze, and sighed again. "You come to me frequently these days. You won't be found out, right?"

"Don't worry, Wet Nurse. I'm careful. No one has found out," Little Hong said.

"Is everything okay in the family? What is the young miss doing?" Wet Nurse Yan asked again.

"Everything is fine. The young miss accompanied the old lady to the temple to give incense a few days ago, and the young miss is reading books at home these days. The eldest young master brought back a lot of books and notes," Little Hong said one by one.

Wet nurse Yan nodded. "Is there any news from the capital?"

Little Hong shook her head. The capital seldom sent news to them. If it wasn't for Wet Nurse Yan's determination, she would have doubted whether the prince had forgotten them.

"But Wet Nurse, I heard them say a few days ago… Oh, I overheard the old lady and the uncle talking. They said that the Queen of Xiluo is dead." Little Hong thought for a while, then said.

Wet Nurse Yan frowned. Wasn't Queen Xiluo the elder sister of the eldest prince's wife? The only direct descendants of Xiluo in this generation were the Queen and the eldest prince's wife. The queen had no heirs. Once the queen died, only the eldest prince's wife could inherit the throne. But, the eldest prince's wife was already married to the eldest prince. Was it possible for her to leave the eldest prince and go back to inherit the throne?

Probably not!

In fact, except for Wet Nurse Yan, many people thought so.

She didn't expect for Xiluo to ask Daqi to allow Princess Jinlin to return to inherit the throne. On that day, Princess Jinlin suddenly appeared in the courtroom dressed in the mourning clothing of Xiluo and begged His Majesty to allow her to divorce Zhao Zongqing. She wanted to return to her country to inherit the throne and lead the people of the country of Xiluo to rebuild their homes.

After much consideration, His Majesty the Emperor agreed to Princess Jinlin's request.

Zhao Zongqing couldn't believe his ears and eyes. As Prince Kang's heir, he naturally had his place in the court. But, at this moment, he was standing there as others pitied him. He appeared stupid.

He never thought that Jinlin would want to leave him! Although he no longer doted on Jinlin as much as before, Jinlin was his wife. He would love and respect her for the rest of his life. Even if he took in a few concubines, they would not be able to have children. It wouldn't affect Jinlin's status. Ru'er was the only one who could give birth to his own children. She had also been taught the rules of being a side concubine since childhood, so she would never be disrespectful to Jinlin.

It was okay to go on like this.

But Jinlin actually wanted to go divorce him, and uncle emperor agreed!

Zhao Zongqing didn't know how he left the court and how he returned to Prince Kang's mansion.

He only knew that after he recovered, Jinlin had already moved out of the Prince Kang's Mansion with the divorce document given by uncle emperor. She had moved to the inn, and lived with the envoy of Xiluo.

His eldest sister said these things in a hurry, and Zhao Zongqing didn't feel the worried eyes of the father and mother. Suddenly, he hurried out of the palace, got on his horse, and rushed towards the inn.

"Eldest Prince Kang, please stay. The princess is discussing state affairs with the lords and she has no time to meet His Highness. Please go back!" The guards of Xiluo stopped him faithfully, and the officials of Honglu Temple also watched, worried. However, although Xiluo's national strength had greatly suffered, Daqi now needed Xiluo to block the barbarians for Daqi. They said they were too ruthless. Wasn't that what Xiluo was like now?

"Go and tell the princess that I'm here and that I want to see her!" Zhao Zongqing took a few deep breaths and calmed down.

At this moment, the door suddenly opened. A maid came out and bowed to Zhao Zongqing. "His Royal Highness, the princess said that she and you have divorced and will not see each other again in the future. There is nothing to say. Your Highness, please go back."

Zhao Zongqing stared over there. "She is so cruel? She won't even let me see her face again?"

"Why does Your Highness make such an affectionate appearance? Although us servants came to Daqi for the first time, we also heard that His Highness had accepted three or four concubines. Even without our princess, His Highness will not be short of beauties. Ah! If His Royal Highness thinks that it is not enough, then we will send some beauties to serve His Highness," the maid said coldly. She then turned around and left and closed the door along the way.

Zhao Zongqing's face was ashen! He did not expect Jinlin to be so ruthless when it came to them being husband and wife.

Zhao Zongqing wanted to break in, but the guards of Prince Kang's mansion came and tied him to the carriage.

"Eldest sister, what are you doing? Why are you stopping me?! I want to ask her why she is so ruthless!" Zhao Zongqing said angrily when he saw Zhao Shuning in the carriage.

"This is the end of the matter. There is nothing more to say. I said that the people around her must be cleaned up. You were too lenient. As a result, they really had a secret way of contacting, resulting in the humiliation of Prince Kang's Mansion today!" Zhao Shuning said through gritted teeth.

"Eldest sister, what are you going to do?" Zhao Zongqing asked quickly when he saw that her expression was wrong.

Zhao Shuning sneered. "She is now Queen Xiluo. What can I do? It's already reached this point and you still miss her! Zhao Zongqing, do you still have any backbone?! Divorce! Since the founding of Daqi, there has not been any divorce in the imperial family. This is the first time! Thank you for being able to bear it!"

Zhao Zongqing's face was ashen. In his last life, he was ridiculed behind his back for a lifetime because he had no children. He endured it, but now he was divorced! He was angry because he didn't believe that Jinlin would treat him like this! He understood that Jinlin wanted to go back to Xiluo, but why did she not discuss it with him and then they could plan? Did Jinlin really have no feelings for him at all?

Seeing his ashen face, Zhao Shuning slowed down. "Younger bro, this is the end of the story. It's useless to talk about it. There are plenty more fish in the sea! Does she think it is a good thing to be queen? Sooner or later, she will regret it! Don't take this matter to heart. Tomorrow, I will go to the palace and find imperial grandmother to choose a better marriage for you! When you and your wife are in love, your children and grandchildren are prosperous, and she will regret it more!" Zhao Shuning said.

Zhao Zongqing shook his head. "Eldest sister, I don't want to marry for the time being. I want to go to Shazhou!"

Zhao Shuning's eyes widened. "What nonsense are you talking about! You don't even have a son, let alone a daughter so far. Why do you want to go to Shazhou?!" This was all because of that bitch Jinlin. Otherwise, how would her younger bro think of joining the army?! This bitch. If she didn't show her a little bit of strength, then she would think there was nobody in Daqi!

Jinlin brought such humiliation to Prince Kang's Mansion. She would end the bloodline of Xiluo!

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Zhao Shuning's eyes.

"Eldest sister, listen to me. Now that I can't stay in the capital anymore, it is better to go out to avoid the limelight instead of being ridiculed in the capital. If I can make some achievements in Shazhou, I can come back splendidly! As for children, I am still young, so I am not worried," Zhao Zongqing knew that if his eldest sister agreed, his road to the army would probably be much smoother.

Zhao Shuning thought about it carefully. "Alright, but you have to promise me one thing. You must take one of your concubines with you!"

"Okay!" Zhao Zongqing agreed quickly before he could think about it.

With the help of Zhao Shuning, the empress dowager, Prince Kang, and Princess Kang agreed to Zhao Zongqing's request. Out of guilt for his nephew, His Majesty wanted to appoint his nephew as a third-grade Zhenbei General. After being rejected by Zhao Zongqing, His Majesty was satisfied with his behaviour, but was also more distressed.

Zhao Zongqing smiled bitterly. The general who was in charge of guarding Shazhou was of the third rank. Zhao Zongqing also spent several years fighting in the military camp in his previous life. He knew that military achievements in the army were what mattered.

What he could do in his previous life, he could do in this life.

It was just about the selection of a concubine. As soon as the news spread, several of Zhao Zongqing's concubines fell ill. In the end, Zhao Zongqing only brought two followers and left alone.

Zhao Zongqing knew that this meant that they did not want to go to Shazhou with him. He didn't care either. He didn't have any expectations for those women either.

But Zhao Shuning and Princess Kang were so angry when they sent Zhao Zongqing away. The mother and daughter turned around and began to discuss how to deal with those women.

Chapter 205 – The Old Madam is From a Scholarly Family (part 19)

In the inner courtyard of Prince Kang's mansion, Princess Kang and Zhao Shuning sat down. Zhao Shuning gave a look, and the maid behind her went out with all the people who were serving her.

Zhao Shuning poured a cup of tea for Princess Kang. "Concubine mother, drink a cup of tea to calm down."

"These bitches!" Princess Kang said through gritted teeth.

"Don't worry, concubine mother. I have something in mind." Zhao Shuning snorted coldly. "I have already let people get some medicine, and I have watched her eat it with my own eyes. Even after eating it for three days, if a Daluo Immortal came, it wouldn't matter."

How could she let go of that bitch, Jinlin, so easily? In order to deal with Jinlin's current status as Queen Xiluo, she used a secret medicine left by the imperial family of the previous dynasty on Jinlin. It was colourless and tasteless. It also did not cause any special damage to the body. After she ate it, she wouldn't be able to have children in this lifetime. This secret medicine was extremely precious, and imperial grandmother actually gave it to her.

It was a pity that her consort, Murong Huai's Murong family style was good, but she couldn't use them. She had to ruin Jinlin. It could be considered as a congratulatory gift.

Only then did Princess Kang reveal a smile. "That's good." As for those in the house, weren't they seriously ill? Then they could keep getting sick! It wasn't like the Prince Kang's Mansion couldn't afford to support idlers! If they were sick for a year and a half, they could die.

Zhao Shuning didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Concubine mother! Since ancient times, these drugs had only been useful for women! Younger bro has no children, so he probably followed uncle emperor and father! Didn't uncle emperor and father have no children after being married for many years? The chance has not come yet! Concubine mother doesn't have to be nervous!"

Princess Kang sighed in relief. "What you said makes sense."

"Mother, if you care about it too much, you will be confused! What is younger bro's identity? How can you be afraid that there will be no women? Just wait for younger bro to have military achievements in Shazhou, then I will ask uncle emperor to give younger bro a marriage. He will have glory! Concubine mother, just wait for a grandson!" Zhao Shuning herself did not worry about the matter of offspring. She had been regarded as a lucky star since she was a child. When she married into the Murong family, she became pregnant and gave birth to three sons in five years. She was afraid that she would have too many children, that her body would not recover well, and it would not be good for her body. So after discussing it with her husband, she took medicine.

Princess Kang nodded, and then asked nervously, "Are you sure that bitch took the medicine?"

Zhao Shuning rolled her eyes impatiently. "I'm taking care of this matter. Don't you feel relieved?"

Princess Kang thought about it too. The people around her daughter were all given to her by her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law, the empress dowager of the dynasty, was from a small noble family. She managed to become a concubine, then an imperial concubine, then the highest-ranking imperial concubine, and finally to the empress. She ruled with a reign of terror and slaughter. Yes, her ability and means couldn't be underestimated. One couldn't go wrong with the people she gave.

In other words, the empress was really good to Shuning. Princess Kang was not as good as Shuning in front of her mother-in-law.

Princess Kang was inevitably a little sour in her heart, but she laughed at herself immediately. Shuning was her own daughter, and she was actually jealous of her daughter.

And Zhao Zongqing, who was out of the capital, finally remembered that he had forgotten something. The matter of children! Yes, the results of the palace exam had come out. Li Yu did well in the exam, and his ranking was better than in his previous life. He managed to get second place, and as he wished, he was able to stay at the Hanlin Academy as an imperial compiler, whose job was to write national history.

Maybe the Li family was already on their way to the capital at this time.

However, when he was about to leave, he forgot to leave a letter to Wet Nurse Yan to explain Li Ru's matters. But it shouldn't be a big problem. Ru'er was still young now, and there was Wet Nurse Yan. With Wet Nurse Yan's intelligence, she should be able to understand what he means.

His current self did not care too much about children. There were more important things waiting for him!

Zhao Zongqing quickly forgot about Li Ru.

On the Li family's side, after Li Yu's promotion, they returned home to give offerings to their ancestors. The Li and Wan families officially signed a marriage contract and set a wedding date.

Although Li Ru was still young, Li Su knew that after Li Yu was promoted, the Li family had to move to the capital. She had no choice but to marry Li Ru off first, but only after the Wan family agreed that Li Ru would not consummate the marriage until she was 15. Li Su also told Wan Hong's mother in private that Li Ru was too young, and that the matter of the children could be discussed after she turned 18.

The Wan family didn't care about that. Wan Hong's two older brothers had already had biological children, so the Wan family was not in a hurry for more grandchildren. On the contrary, the more the Li family paid attention to Li Ru, the happier the Wan family was. Therefore, Wan Hong's mother didn't have to go home to discuss this matter and instead agreed immediately.

Li Su was relieved.

The two families had officially discussed the marriage. Although the days were a bit tight, the two families had already prepared things according to the rules.

It was only at that point did Wet Nurse Yan know about this. She was shocked. She knew exactly what the eldest prince's thoughts were, but now that young miss Li Ru was engaged… What should she do?

Wet Nurse Yan thought about it over and over again, but couldn't think of a good way. She had no choice but to take the risk and report her identity to the Li family.

It so happened that Li Yu, Yingniang, and Li Su were discussing the dowry. Wet Nurse Yan came in with a serious expression, and before they could speak, she gave a solemn salute. "Irrelevant people, go out first. This old slave has something important to say."

A trace of displeasure flashed in Li Yu's eyes. Just as he was about to speak, Li Su stopped him as if watching a good show. "Cui'er, you all go out first!"

After everyone left, Li Su said, "Now we can talk. What's the matter?"

"This old slave is a servant of Prince Kang's eldest son, and at the order of the eldest prince, this servant came to your palace to teach young miss Ru. The eldest prince took a fancy to young miss Ru, and after young miss Ru reached a marriageable age, he would accept young miss Ru as a concubine. This servant didn't need the old lady to pay this servant a lot of money. But, the old lady even betrothed young miss Ru privately." Wet Nurse Yan had a solemn face. "Now it's too late to correct this mistake. The eldest prince doesn't know about it yet. This old slave will not tell the eldest prince."

Li Su rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? You said that you are from the eldest prince. Where's the evidence?"

Wet Nurse Yan glared. Just as she was about to speak, she found that she really had nothing to prove her relationship with the eldest prince. "If it wasn't for the eldest prince, then why do you think I came to this remote place?"

"How am I supposed know? I'm not the roundworm in your stomach!" Li Su said angrily. "Wet Nurse Yan, you must be confused, right?"

Liu Yingniang was shocked and speechless.

However, Li Yu rubbed his forehead. "Wet Nurse Yan, you said that you are one of the eldest prince's people, so do you know that the eldest prince and his concubine divorced and his ex-wife went to Shazhou? You said that the eldest prince intends to take my family's Ru'er as a concubine. Do you know that there are already four concubines in the eldest prince's mansion. Isn't that enough?"

Wet Nurse Yan was unable to get news, so how would she know this? She was speechless for a while.

Seeing this, Li Su smiled and said, "Wet Nurse Yan must be confused and stunned. That's all. Feng'er, help Wet Nurse Yan to have a good rest!"

Wet Nurse Yan was taken out by Feng'er in a daze. When she went out the door, the wind blew. She woke up, and wanted to struggle, but found that the usually stupid little girl was very strong and she couldn't fight back at all. Then, she was taken to the backyard by Feng'er in a confused manner and locked up.

Liu Yingniang patted her chest. "It turned out to be nonsense! It scared me to death!"

Li Su pointedly said, "What if what Wet Nurse Yan said is true? Would you like to marry Ru'er to the palace?"

Liu Yingniang shook her head like a rattle. "What kind of family is the prince's mansion? That's something out of our reach. I think the Wan family is very good!"

Li Su glanced at Li Yu again. Li Yu knew that his mother was berating him inwardly, and he smiled bitterly. "Mother, I will not use Ru'er's marriage to cling to the powerful. Otherwise, why would I agree to my mother's suggestion of Ru'er's marriage in advance?" Although he valued his son more, but now that he had three sons and only one daughter, Ru'er, he naturally also attached great importance to her.

"It's good that you understand. This world is inherently unfair to women, so you must be cautious when it comes to marriage. You should find the right family which have the same interests," Li Su said. "I can't control what you men do in the officialdom, but you must not make a fuss about the girl's marriage, not only for Ru'er, but also the girls of the Li family in the future!"

Li Yu stood up hurriedly and said yes. "Don't worry, mother, I will write this into the family rules. If anyone dares to violate this rule in the future, they will be expelled from the house."

Li Su nodded in satisfaction.

The Li family did not take Wet Nurse Yan's words to heart and continued to prepare for Li Ru's marriage.

A few days later, Li Ru married gracefully with a generous dowry.

Li Yu also had to rush back to the capital after his break. Before leaving, he was a little reluctant. Li Su smiled and did not speak.

One month later, during the holidays, Li Yu came out of the Hanlin Academy, and Yang Anshu picked him up at the door. Li Yu saw that the road they were taking was not the way back. "Anshu, where are we going?"

"Master, you will know when you arrive." Yang Anshu said with a smile.

Li Yu suddenly thought of something. It couldn't be?

When he stopped in front of the relatively old yard and saw his two young sons playing at the door, his eyes couldn't help but redden.

Li Yu was pulled into the house by his two sons. When he saw that the ground on one side of the yard had green shoots emerging, he resisted the urge to cry.

When he entered the room, he saw Li Su sitting. His wife, Yingniang, put down her needle and thread and greeted him. Li Yu couldn't help but pull off his robe and kneel down. "It is this son who is dragging mother down."

Mother could obviously stay in her hometown and be served by someone. But for him, she came to the capital and lived here! Mother was doing this all for him!

"Okay. The ground is cold. Get up quickly!" Li Su motioned to Yingniang to help him up, and then she slowly told Li Yu what was going on.

Li Su sold the house and dismissed the family's servants, except for Zuo Kui's family. Zuo Kui's daughter Yan'er was Ru'er's maid and went to the Wan family with Ru'er. Zuo Kui and his wife were reluctant to part with their daughter, so Li Su asked them to guard the old house and look after Ru'er.

As for that Wet Nurse Yan, on the day Li Ru got married, she left behind a letter and left.

Ling Er personally escorted them to the capital and helped them sell the house and settle down. After they settled down, Ling Er set off to go back.