Liu hurried forward, helped Lu Hanyi up, and saw that Lu Hanyi had fainted.
"She, she..." Tong Nanyuan said, holding her belly and frowning.
Seeing Tong Nanyuan's bad face, Lu Lingjun said, "Nanyuan, what's wrong with you?"
"My stomach hurts." Tong Nanyuan covered her stomach while looking at Lu Hanyi who had fainted on the ground. "Don't worry about me for now. Go see how she is!"
Lu Lingjun didn't care about Lu Hanyi, a crazy woman. She quickly called for help, "Quick! Call the doctor! Send the lady back to the house!"
"Yes, yes, yes, let's go check on Nanyuan first!" Liu also said at this time. She hurriedly called her four eldest grandchildren over, "Jianda, Jianye, all of you go over there and take good care of your aunt!"
"yes."
All four children went up, but Tong Nanyuan said, "Mother-in-law, tell the children to go back. We can talk about the stepson later!"
When Liu heard this, she was stunned.
But before she could ask why, Tong Nanyuan and Lu Lingjun entered the room.
Liu quickly pulled one of her eldest grandsons to ask what had just happened.
Cheng Jianda told her everything that Lu Hanyi had just done. Liu just thought that Lu Hanyi had ruined her good plans!
When has Tong Nanyuan ever thought about adopting her son?
Moreover, if I want to adopt Li Shouye, the Li family will not agree!
What is she doing here?
What does it have to do with her!
Wouldn't this incident ruin her plans of adopting a grandson, which she had managed to pry open with great difficulty?
When Liu looked at her unconscious daughter in her arms again, she was filled with anger!
This foolish and stupid daughter of hers not only ruined her own son, but she also ruined her son's grandson!
Really, she was so mad!
Liu was so angry that she didn't bother to care about Lu Hanyi anymore and just asked someone to send her back to the Li family!
How about her!
At this time, the Li family.
Lu Hanyi woke up slowly.
When she woke up, she saw her son standing by her bed, taking care of her.
The moment she saw Li Shouye, Lu Hanyi's eyes turned red.
"Keep the business..."
When Li Shouye heard the call, he just glanced at her, turned his head and silently took the medicine on the table and fed it to Lu Hanyi.
"Protect the business!"
Lu Hanyi called out again, looking at Li Shouye with burning eyes. When Li Shouye didn't respond to her, she closed her mouth and refused to drink the medicine.
Li Shouye fed him several mouthfuls in a row, "What are you doing!"
"Shouye..." Lu Hanyi stared at Li Shouye, "I will only take the medicine if you forgive me."
Li Shouye: "…."
He turned around, put down the medicine bowl, and was about to leave with a gloomy face.
Seeing this, Lu Hanyi hurriedly shouted, "Protect the business..."
When he shouted "Shou Ye", tears welled up in his eyes.
Li Shouye stopped at the door and sighed, "Mom, do you really have to do this?"
Hearing that Li Shouye was talking to her, Lu Hanyi hurriedly said, "Shouye, mother knows she was wrong!"
"What I did before was wrong. I know I was wrong and I will never do it again. Please forgive me!"
Li Shouye sighed deeply again.
He turned around and looked at his old mother who was looking at him earnestly beside the bed. Her face was no longer young and there were very obvious white hairs on her head.
Over the years, he and his mother have indeed depended on each other.
Although her mother was unruly, she always protected him and would not let anyone disturb him in the backyard of the Li family...
"Mom." Li Shouye walked up to her, lowered his head and called her.
"Protect the business!" Lu Hanyi's eyes instantly filled with tears, "My dear son! My good son!"
"Mom, don't do those things again in the future."
"Mother will obey you, mother will obey you!"
"Don't be so mean to your aunt and uncle and don't cause trouble for them."
Hearing this, Lu Hanyi hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Okay! I'll do as you say!"
Seeing Lu Hanyi agree to everything, Li Shouye sighed again, picked up the medicine bowl again, sat beside her bed and fed her medicine, "Take the medicine well, don't worry me."
"Okay, mother will listen to you," Lu Hanyi looked at her eldest son with shining eyes. She drank the bitter medicine mouthful by mouthful and felt it was as sweet as honey.
Her good son forgave her and came back.
No one can take her good son away!
She and her son cannot be separated!
This way, the Lu family.
After Liu asked people to carry Lu Hanyi away quickly, she followed the crowd into Tong Nanyuan's room.
"Nan Yuan, don't listen to your second aunt, that idiot!"
"She has a mental problem. Who can live with her?"
"Just treat her like shit! Don't bother with her!"
"I asked Jianda's kids to come over. You were injured, so I asked them to take care of you!"
Tong Nanyuan listened to Liu's mumbling, her brows furrowed, her face pale and she didn't even have the strength to speak.
Seeing this scene, Lu Lingjun stepped forward and said, "Mother, Nan Yuan is not feeling well. Please don't bother her at this time."
"Nan Yuan, I know you are not feeling well, so this is the right time for you to take a good look at which child is more filial! And more to your liking! This is a good time to show your filial piety!"
Tong Nanyuan's face turned pale, and the doctor was taking her pulse.
Fortunately, Lu Kuan came back at this time.
"What happened!"
Lu Kuan strode in and went straight to Tong Nanyuan who was lying on the bed.
"Husband." Tong Nanyuan held Lu Kuan's hand tightly.
Her hands were scalded by the hot tea and were now red. Lu Kuan saw the burns on her hands at a glance.
"Who did it?"
"Master, it was Second Aunt who rushed in and quarreled with Madam. She knocked over the tea table and scalded Madam." said the maid.
"That Lu Hanyi!" Lu Kuan clenched his fists.
Seeing that he was resentful towards Lu Hanyi, Liu said, "Kuan'er, your second sister is just confused and reckless. Don't bother with her!"
"Her foolishness and recklessness have nothing to do with us. How have we ever done anything wrong to her? She always comes to us to cause trouble. Do we owe her anything?"
Liu smiled awkwardly, "I think she misunderstood and thought you wanted to adopt her to run the business, so she came here to cause trouble without any reason. Don't worry, I promise you that I will never ask her to make trouble again in the future!"
"I won't let her affect your adoption of Jianda and his children."
"Jianye, Jiancheng, Jianlin, Jianda, come quickly, kowtow to your uncle, and take good care of your aunt!"
Liu was only concerned about adopting her grandson. No matter what happened today, she had to make them recognize one!
If Lu Hanyi interferes today, I don't know if there will be such a good opportunity again in the future!
She greeted them enthusiastically, and the four children stood side by side to be selected by Lu Kuan and Tong Nanyuan.
But at this moment, the doctor who was taking Tong Nanyuan's pulse loosened his wrist and raised his eyebrows to congratulate.
"Congratulations, sir, congratulations, madam!"
The doctor's congratulations brought silence to the entire room.
Everyone was stunned, and Lu Lingjun hurriedly asked, "Why are you so happy?"
"Madam's pulse is smooth, she is already one month pregnant!" said the doctor.
"Is this true?" Tong Nanyuan was the first to be surprised. She covered her belly in disbelief.
"I have examined it twice and confirmed that it is correct. Madam, your pulse is doubled, which indicates twins!"
Pregnant...with twins!
"Husband, did you hear that? We finally have a child!" Tong Nanyuan excitedly grabbed Lu Kuan's hand.
Lu Kuan's eyes were blank at this time. After meeting Tong Nanyuan's ecstatic eyes, he didn't know what to do for a moment.
This...how did she get pregnant!
Then when Nan Yuan gives birth, won't she have to...
But the saddest and most frightened person at the scene was not Lu Kuan, but Liu.
When she heard that Tong Nanyuan was pregnant, her head boomed and the sky fell down again.
"Are you sure?" She hurried forward and questioned the old doctor with a long beard.
"I have been practicing medicine for more than ten years, and I have never made a mistake in pregnancy tests. If you don't trust my medical skills, you can ask the doctor to come for a follow-up visit."
"Please, you must, quickly ask for another doctor!" Liu said anxiously. After she said this, she seemed to realize that she had overreacted, and she turned to Lu Kuan with a wry smile.
"Kuan'er, Nanyuan's pregnancy is a very important matter. We must ask several doctors to check it out, right?"
Lu Kuan didn't pay attention to Liu's expression the whole time. Only when he heard her ask a few more doctors to check it out, he hurriedly called for help, "Ask a few more doctors to check it out!"
After one stick of incense.
Six or seven doctors came one after another to take Tong Nanyuan's pulse.
The final results are all the same.
Tong Nanyuan was really pregnant, and with twins.
Tong Nanyuan, lying on the bed, listened to all the doctors' diagnoses and stroked her lower abdomen with a look of anticipation and surprise on her face.
The old face of Liu, who was standing aside, cracked inch by inch, and finally shattered completely to the ground.
Her plan to wipe out Lu Kuan's family and leave all their belongings to her grandson was completely over!
She led her four grandchildren out of the Lu family in a daze.
"Grandma, what's wrong with you? Why do you look unhappy that your aunt has a child?" Lu Jianda asked.
Liu: "...You are stupid! Your aunt has a child, how can she adopt you!"
Lu Jianda said nonchalantly, "What's the big deal? I'll adopt him as my brother. If he doesn't obey me, I'll beat him up!"
Liu: "…"
Well, it's useless to adopt this stupid grandson of mine!
Liu was devastated and left the Lu family.
After they left, Tong Nanyuan was extremely happy in Lu Kuan's room.
She asked someone to give big red envelopes to all the doctors and their entourages who came.
She was so happy that she stroked her belly with her eyes shining.
How can I not be happy? The child I have been waiting for for so long is finally here.
Moreover, after seeing through the thoughts of Lu Jianda's nephews, he realized that his own child should be good no matter what he hoped for!
She doesn't ask for much success from the child in the future, just that he is safe and healthy, that's enough!
Tong Nanyuan was so happy that Lu Kuan really couldn't laugh. After he perfunctorily coaxed Tong Nanyuan, he left the house and looked at Lu Lingjun anxiously.
"Big sister, Nan Yuan is pregnant, what should we do?"
What could Lu Lingjun do when asked this question?
After persuading Tong Nanyuan these days, she is sure that she must have a child.
Even if they told Tong Nanyuan about their family's problem with fertility now, she guaranteed that after Tong Nanyuan knew it, she would definitely prefer the child's life to her own.
If that's the case, Tong Nanyuan must never be told.
"You can't abort the baby once it's conceived. It's better to let Nan Yuan carry the baby and make plans before the birth..." Lu Lingjun frowned and said slowly.
There is really no reason to abort the child since she is pregnant. Not only Tong Nanyuan is looking forward to having her own child, Lu Kuan is also looking forward to having her own child. It would be so cruel for him to arrange for someone to secretly abort his child at this moment.
Moreover, Tong Nanyuan had finally gotten pregnant, but then she miscarried. If she knew it was them who did it, she would surely suffer for the rest of her life.
Therefore, in Lu Lingjun's opinion, it is not feasible to eliminate this option as soon as possible.
They could ask Tong Nanyuan to be pregnant. If she really dies during childbirth like she did in her previous life, they could make preparations in advance in this life. The worst that could happen is that they would not have the child, just like Lu Lingjun did in her previous life.
Then I can see the two babies early, and when I buy them I can tell Tong Nanyuan that they are her biological children.
I have raised my child since childhood, so there are no such things.
Of course, Lu Lingjun also had that one in ten thousand expectation in his heart.
That is, maybe Tong Nanyuan can give birth to both children safely...
After Lu Lingjun finished speaking, Lu Kuan, who was confused and frightened, immediately calmed down. He met Lu Lingjun's eyes and nodded heavily.
"Okay, that's it!"
After Lu Lingjun returned from Lu Kuan's house, she did not let the matter drag on. She asked someone to send letters to the Jiangnan caravan and the Tong family, asking them to inquire about the fertility information of the girls from their mother's clan.
The more the better, the more complete the better.
She discovered a problem with the birth of girls from her maternal tribe. This problem is passed down to girls but not boys. However, boys will still have the same problem when they give birth to daughters, so there should be many girls from her maternal tribe who are related to her by blood.
She wanted to know if there would be one or two who gave birth safely.
Did they take any special medicine during the delivery or pregnancy?
If she wants to save Tong Nanyuan's life, she has to do all these things comprehensively.
Giving birth to a child is like walking through the gates of hell for a woman. Only by doing more and more thoroughly can there be a glimmer of hope.
After sending out her people, Lu Lingjun sat in the yard worriedly.
At this time, Cheng Suying came over.
"Mom, what's wrong with you? Why do you look unhappy?"
Lu Lingjun looked at her, shook his head, and didn't tell her about these trivial matters.
Cheng Suying sat beside her very considerately and comforted her, "Mom, if you have any troubles, you can tell me and I will give you some advice."
Lu Lingjun tapped her head and said, "What ideas can a little girl like you have?"
"I was raised by my mother, so I naturally have plenty of ways!" Cheng Suying said proudly.
When Lu Lingjun heard this, he chuckled, and his heavy mood became much lighter.
She hugged Cheng Suying gently and said, "Your aunt is pregnant, and mother is worried that she will have trouble giving birth."
"This is such a happy event!" Cheng Suying was very happy when she heard this.
"I know it's a happy event, but I'm worried about her."
"Mom, don't worry. The most important thing for a pregnant woman is to be happy. From tomorrow on, I will take my friend to accompany my aunt, talk to her about everything, and make her happy every day. Her delivery will surely be smooth." Cheng Suying said.
Hearing this, Lu Lingjun smiled and touched Cheng Suying's head, "You go."
The next day, Cheng Suying invited her three friends to go to Lu Kuan's house.
Her three friends are Zhang Qingyu, the only daughter of the Minister of War, Lin Zhiyan, the third daughter of Censor Lin, and Xu Yinyin, the daughter of the Magistrate of Jing County.
The first two were the daughters of ladies who were on good terms with Lu Lingjun. Lu Lingjun had become more and more famous in the capital in recent years, and had contacts with the wives of high-ranking officials in the capital. Cheng Suying often went to tea parties and poetry gatherings with her, and she found two of her close friends among the daughters of those ladies.
The last one, Xu Yinyin, from the family of the county magistrate of Jing, was someone Cheng Suying made friends with herself.
The county magistrate of Jing was just a minor official of the seventh rank.
Given their family background, they can no longer associate with the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion.
Cheng Suying was walking on the street one day when she had someone steal her money and was caught red-handed by Xu Yinyin.
Xu Yinyin immediately stood up and scolded the thief who stole the money, which scared the thief so much that he dropped the purse and ran away. Xu Yinyin returned the wallet to Cheng Suying, who immediately took a liking to Xu Yinyin, who was courageous and straightforward.
Later, she asked her out to play several times and found that Xu Yinyin was neither humble nor arrogant in front of young ladies whose family backgrounds were much higher than theirs. Cheng Suying admired her more and more.
As time went by, he brought her into her small circle of close friends.
"Xiying, is this Lord Lu's residence?" Xu Yinyin said after entering Lu Kuan's house.
"Yes." Cheng Suying took them in.
"I've always heard my father mention Lord Lu's name. He was a genius who won three first prizes in the imperial examinations! I admire him so much!"
Cheng Suying heard this and said, "Speaking of geniuses, there is another genius in our family, and even my uncle praises him."
"Who is it?" Including Zhang Qingyu and Lin Zhiyan, all three of them asked.
"He's my cousin, Li Shouye, from the Li family, who is the deputy minister of the Ministry of Rites!" Cheng Suying introduced him to them. "He is only seventeen this year and has just participated in the Spring Examination. My uncle was also twenty when he took the Spring Examination that year. My uncle praised him as being smarter than him!"
"Oh my god! Seventeen!"
"Your cousin is so smart!"
"He must be both smart and hardworking." Xu Yinyin said.
Just then, a young man of about sixteen or seventeen years old in plain clothes walked out of the main courtyard and met the girls head-on.
When they saw the foreign man, the girls stopped in their tracks, and Cheng Suying spoke.
"cousin!"
"Siying." Li Shouye saw Cheng Siying and nodded at her, "Are you here to see your aunt?"
"Yes, my mother told me that my aunt is pregnant, so I brought my friend to see her." Cheng Suying glanced at her friends and said to them, "He is the cousin Li I mentioned, Li Shouye."
When the three girls heard this, they all looked up at him, "Mr. Li An."
"You're welcome, young lady."
Li Shouye politely took half a step back and nodded to them.
"I won't bother you if you have something to do. Please go ahead."
He moved to the side, making way.
Cheng Suying led her friends past him.
After they had all gone far away, Zhang Qingyu hurriedly said, "Siying, your cousin is a very modest gentleman."
"Yes, you are still so young, you must have a bright future!" said Lin Zhiyan.
When Cheng Suying heard the two of them praising Li Shouye, she shook her head at them gossipingly, "My cousin is an excellent person, but his mother is not!"
"What do you mean?"
Cheng Suying saw that there were only four of them. As close friends who trusted each other and shared all kinds of gossip with each other all the time, she pulled the three of them aside and whispered, "His mother is crazy, always cursing and making trouble. A few days ago, my cousin took the imperial examination, and she sewed blessing paper in his knee pads, which almost prevented him from taking the imperial examination! Afterwards, we helped them, but she didn't appreciate it and even cursed my mother and my aunt."
"Ah, how could Mr. Li's mother be such a person?"
"This is too unreasonable!"
After hearing this, Zhang Qingyu and Lin Zhiyan's faces were filled with disgust and resistance.
These young ladies have all reached marriageable age. If they are not engaged, they would pay more attention to the outstanding men in their best friends' families.
The most important thing when getting married is to marry someone you know well. Most of my best friends' families are of similar background, and I have been in contact with them since childhood. I have some understanding of the temperaments of their parents and elders. If there are good sons and daughters in their families, they are all good candidates for husbands.
When Cheng Suying first talked about Li Shouye, they all admired him very much, but when they heard about his mother's behavior.
Just forget it.
Who wants to have a mother-in-law like that?
Not to mention that Li Shouye's family background is not good enough.
Suddenly, Zhang Qingyu and Lin Zhiyan lost all interest in Li Shouye.
After listening to Cheng Suying's words, Xu Yinyin was silent for a while and said, "It's really not easy for Mr. Li to have such a mother and still be successful at such a young age."
When Cheng Suying heard her say this, she nodded in agreement, "My mother always says this, too. My cousin has worked very hard to get to where he is today."
At this time, the maid in Tong Nanyuan's courtyard came out.
Cheng Suying didn't say anything private to them anymore and took the three of them to see Tong Nanyuan.
A few days passed in a flash.
In a blink of an eye, it was the day for the announcement of the results.
There are crowds of people outside the Imperial Examination Hall today.
However, Lu Hanyi had a quarrel with Tong Nanyuan and Lu Lingjun last time, so on the day when Li Shouye announced the results, Lu Lingjun and Tong Nanyuan did not come.
Only she and Li Shouye came to look at the list together.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
Lu Hanyi pulled Li Shouye and pushed through the crowd to get to the list of results.
There was a long row of bright red lists posted all the way.
Lu Hanyi started from the first one and read it line by line.
The first one, no.
The second one, no.
The third one, no.
Page one, no.
...
Just like the scene more than ten years ago.
Finally, when Lu Hanyi saw the last list, she heard someone teasing behind her.
"Brother Wang, did you pass the exam?" a candidate stepped forward and asked his fellow villager.
The fellow villager shook his head and said, "The winner is Li Shouye."
"Hmm? Who is Li Shouye?"
"The last one."
Lu Hanyi: "!"
As she finished speaking, her eyes quickly turned to the last line of the list.
The last name on it is - Li Shouye!
Good news, Li Shouye won.
Bad news, he came in last.
Lu Hanyi felt dizzy when she saw Li Shouye, who was the last one on the popular list.
Seventeen years ago, she was looking forward to Li Wenxun making a stunning debut in the imperial examination, but in fact he ranked at the bottom half of the list.
Seventeen years later, the son she had nurtured with all her heart and placed all her hopes on could avenge her past shame, but in the end... he actually ranked last in the exam!
His ranking is even worse than his father's back then!
This, this, how can she compare with Lu Lingjun!
If Lu Lingjun knew about this, she would definitely laugh at her behind her back!
For a moment, Lu Hanyi felt dizzy, with thousands of thoughts in her mind, making her disappointed, lost, resentful, unwilling, jealous, dissatisfied and angry.
"Why are you the last one?"
"Why am I the last one..."
"Last one... There's something wrong, there must be something wrong! The imperial examination must be unfair, they all cheated and ranked my son's paper last!"
Li Shouye: "…"
Li Shouye saw his mother muttering about using a big move, so he pulled her out one step ahead.
"Son! Let's go find your uncle and ask him to use his connections to get your paper out for re-marking. There's no way you can be ranked last!"
Li Shouye looked at her, "Why can't I be the last one? Don't you know what happened on the day of the scientific examination?"
These words hurt Lu Hanyi's heart and shut her up even more.
"After what you did that day, I was lucky enough to be able to reenter the examination room and finish the test paper. What else do you want from me?"
When Lu Hanyi heard her son accusing her, her eyes wandered for a moment, "Son, those people were blind for not choosing you. You don't have to be angry or sad. We have the ability. We can still pass if we get last place. It will be the same if we make a big splash in the palace examination!"
As she spoke, she looked at Li Shouye eagerly, "The results of the imperial examination are not important, the palace examination is the most important! Just take the imperial examination casually, as long as you can pass the line, mother has not delayed your important matter, you should do well in the palace examination and come back as the top scorer for me!"
Li Shouye heard his mother's words that were full of shirking responsibility.
The examiners were blind, and the examination was unimportant. When it was her turn, she was not delayed or affected. All the mistakes and problems were others'. She felt deeply powerless.
But when he met the look in his own mother's eyes, he was too lazy to say a word of rebuttal to her.
Don't want to talk.
I really don't want to talk to her.
Some people can force their children to not even want to talk to them!
He kept silent, and Lu Hanyi just assumed he was listening. She even pulled him back with great interest, imagining the future with him all the way.
"Son, when the time comes, you will make a big splash and win the top spot in the imperial examination, and make your mother proud!"
"I can't count on your father, that useless guy, at all. He's still the magistrate of Donghai County in his entire life. After you win the first place in the imperial examination, we should start as prefects! In the future, you can rise to the top and become the prime minister of the dynasty. Then ask for an imperial decree for your mother!"
Li Shouye: "…"
Lu Lingjun heard from Tong Nanyuan that Li Shouye had won.
When she heard that he passed the exam, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief for Li Shouye.
"It's fine as long as you pass. It doesn't matter if you're the last one."
As long as you are on the list, no matter how you do in the palace examination, you will be a Jinshi.
Regardless of whether he is a high-ranking official or a low-ranking official, his future prospects are all put aside. His inclusion on the list means that he has already entered the official career and has successfully landed a job.
"With a mother like that, Shouye is lucky to make the list." Tong Nanyuan said, "I wonder how happy his mother is at home now, because she won again!"
Hearing this, Lu Lingjun smiled softly, "Hanyi has been hoping for someone to help her achieve success in her life. Being on the list is just the first step. She must be urging people at home to give her a good rank in the palace examination."
Cheng Suying and her friends were sitting around a small table. When she heard this, she was the first to express her dissatisfaction. "She only knows how to urge my cousin to make progress every day and does nothing else. My cousin has to study and be nagged by her. He is so unlucky!"
Zhang Qingyu beside her also said, "Mr. Li is really unlucky. If a family has such a good and talented child, they would be spoiled, well-served, and nagged and urged every day. Who can stand it?"
Lin Zhiyan said, "If children want to be successful, they need the support of their parents. How can it be possible if he just relies on his efforts alone?"
When Lu Lingjun heard Lin Zhiyan's answer, his eyes lit up and he looked at her again.
"Mr. Li is kind and filial. Someone like him will definitely get good results in the palace examination!" Xu Yinyin spoke finally.
Lu Lingjun smiled at this time. She looked at Xu Yinyin, who spoke last, and saw a glimmer of expectation and admiration in her eyes.
Just at this time, Li Shouye came.
"Madam, our cousin is here." The maid came to report.
Tong Nanyuan, who was nursing her baby, waved her hand and said, "Ask him to come in."
"yes."
After a while, Li Shouye was led into the courtyard by a maid.
"Hello, auntie," Li Shouye greeted Tong Nanyuan first, then turned around and saw Lu Lingjun, "Auntie is here too."
"Congratulations on keeping the business going." Lu Lingjun smiled at him.
"Yes, it's amazing that you passed the exam at such a young age!" Tong Nanyuan praised.
"Thank you for the praise, aunt and uncle." Li Shouye came here to tell them the good news and to apologize to Lu Hanyi for the trouble she had caused a few days ago.
Lu Lingjun and Tong Nanyuan are so nice to him, why does he have to show up?
"Cousin, I'm not exaggerating at all. You passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen. You're the first person to do so since the founding of this dynasty!" Cheng Suying said from the side, "You are so gifted that you can really be called a genius."
When Li Shouye heard Cheng Suying's words, he smiled at her and said, "Thank you, cousin."
Zhang Qingyu and Lin Zhiyan also said to him, "I wish Mr. Li success in the imperial examination and a bright future."
"Yes, Mr. Li, I believe you can do well in the exam." Xu Yinyin stood up and encouraged him.
Li Shouye, who had been exhausted by his mother's constant nagging, was overwhelmed by the heartwarming encouragement. He was so warm-hearted that he nodded to everyone and said, "Thank you."
After he chatted with Tong Nanyuan for a while, Lu Kuan came back.
Li Shouye followed Lu Kuan to his study.
After he left, everyone in the room began to feel sorry for Li Shouye again.
The one who asked the most questions was Xu Yinyin. She asked Cheng Suying a lot about her cousin's family, including where his father worked as an official. She learned that he had lived alone with his mother in the capital since he was a child and had not seen his father for more than ten years. There were many other miscellaneous questions like these.
Zhang Qingyu and Lin Zhiyan were listening and talking, but they just thought it was gossip and didn't take it too seriously.
Lu Lingjun and Tong Nanyuan sat at another table and listened to the girls talking. The sun was setting and the group of girls were about to disperse.
After Zhang Qingyu and the other three girls left, Lu Lingjun also took Cheng Suying back to the Marquis' Mansion.
On the way back, she asked, "Siying, your close friend named Yinyin was the one who helped you catch the thief before, right?"
"Yes, it's her!"
Cheng Siying said.
She told Lu Lingjun all her little secrets and concerns.
Lu Lingjun naturally knew Xu Yinyin.
But today, Lu Lingjun was particularly interested in Xu Yinyin.
She asked Cheng Suying in detail about Xu Yinyin's home.
I learned that her father was a seventh-rank county magistrate in the capital, and that her mother's family was just merchants, and her family background was extremely simple and humble.
The county magistrate of Jing was not considered a high-ranking official, but he held considerable power.
The current dynasty implements the system of separation of powers, with different opinions interfering with each other.
High-ranking officials, such as those of the first and second ranks, do not actually exercise much power. Their words and deeds express different political opinions, and they restrain and check each other.
Those with lower official positions, those grassroots officials, have the power to do practical work, but because of their low positions, they are restricted at every level.
For example, the Li family, who were sixth-rank officials, had the power to do practical work, but their official positions were not high.
For example, Xu Yinyin's father is a seventh-rank county magistrate in Beijing. His official position is low and his hope of promotion in this life is not high, but within the scope of his own field, he holds almost 90% of the power.
If the superiors have some issues to resolve, they still need to come to him privately and in a nice manner to get things done.
These grassroots Beijing officials actually live a pretty good life.
Of course, there is basically no prospect for them to be promoted or transferred to a bigger position.
Not to mention that Xu Yinyin's mother's family is just a business family, and her family background has no support at all.
"Although Yinyin's mother comes from a merchant family, she is well-educated and knowledgeable. The Yinyin she taught is no less than those ladies from wealthy families." Cheng Suying said.
After hearing this, Lu Lingjun smiled and nodded at her, "I understand."
Just at this moment, they saw Li Shouye coming out of Lu's house.
He came here on foot, without a horse or a carriage. The Li family was not far from the Lu family, and it would only take an incense stick of time to walk there.
When Cheng Suying saw Li Shouye, she subconsciously wanted to ask Lu Lingyun to stop the car and give him a ride, "Mom, my cousin is coming out, let's give him a ride..."
"Hush." Lu Lingjun hissed at this time. She did not ask the carriage to stop. Their carriage passed by the side at normal speed. At this time, Cheng Suying saw another carriage stopped in front of Li Shouye.
The carriage stopped for a while, as if to say something to Li Shouye. After a while, Li Shouye actually got on the carriage.
But he was sitting outside the carriage and did not enter the inner carriage.
"Isn't that Yinyin's family's carriage?" Cheng Suying asked in surprise.
Lu Lingjun lowered the car curtain and chuckled, "Miss Xu is a passionate person."
Lu Lingjun didn't care about what happened next and just took Cheng Suying back to his own mansion.
As soon as she entered the Marquis' Mansion, she received urgent news.
"Ma'am, something happened!"
"What's wrong?"
"The old lady is ill!"
Qin fell ill? !
When Lu Lingjun heard this, he took Cheng Suying and hurried to Qin's yard.
At this time, Ningxinyuan.
Qiu Ling and Ling Long had already gathered several doctors, and a large group of people were standing inside and outside.
After Lu Lingjun arrived, everyone automatically made way for her.
"Mother!"
Lu Lingjun strode to Qin's bed, and Qin's face turned red.
"What's wrong?"
"Perhaps it was because it was cold last night, and the old lady caught a cold."
"How did you serve me?" Lu Lingjun's face turned cold.
"Lingjun." A hand held Lu Lingjun's hand. Lu Lingjun turned around and met Qin's old and no longer clear eyes. Qin had aged a lot.
Ever since what happened ten years ago, she aged suddenly. In the past ten years, she has been sick often, mostly with minor ailments, but she has been taking medicine all the time, and has been taking tonic medicine, but her complexion has never improved.
"Mom is fine." Qin held Lu Lingjun's hand and said with a smile.
"Mother, take good care of yourself, you'll get better soon." Lu Lingjun tucked the quilt in for her and comforted her in a gentle voice.
Qin smiled and asked, "When will Binghao come back?"
"There's still half a month left."
"Half a month..." Qin suddenly started to mutter about the time, "Mother will definitely be able to support Binghao to come back."
When Lu Lingjun heard her tone, her heart skipped a beat for no reason. She held Qin's hand tightly and said, "Mother, what nonsense are you talking about? It's just a cold, a minor illness, and it will be healed soon."
Qin forced a smile at this time, "Yes, yes, it's just a minor problem, it's okay."
She yawned loudly, with fatigue between her brows.
Seeing this, Lu Lingyun asked everyone to leave first and let Qin have a good rest.
She will bring Siying to see her tomorrow.
As she walked out, she heard Qin on the bed behind her muttering in a low voice, "Half a month, half a month, I have to wait for Binghao to come back..."
As soon as Lu Lingjun left the room, he asked all the doctors to stop.
"What happened to the old lady?"
"Madam, the old lady is very heavy and her pulse is weak. It seems to me that she has a serious illness."
"Isn't it just a cold?" Lu Lingjun immediately asked nervously.
The leading doctor shook his head and said, "The old lady has been taking medicine all year round, and her body has long been hollowed out. A little cold is enough to cause a serious illness."
"Then why don't you prescribe medicine and cure the old lady!"
The doctor shook his head and said, "Please forgive our poor medical skills and it is difficult to prescribe the right medicine for the old lady. Madam, why don't you ask an imperial physician to take a look at her."
When Lu Lingjun heard this, she frowned even more. She looked at the group of doctors in front of her who were helpless and said, "You guys go back first."
"Yes, ma'am."
The group of doctors did not dare to prescribe medicine for Qin. They just collected some consultation fees from Lu Lingjun and left.
Lu Lingjun looked at the faintly flickering candlelight in Qin's room behind him and sighed softly.
"Everyone go back first and take good care of the old lady. I will go and ask the imperial physician to come tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am."
Everyone received the order and dispersed.
The next morning, Lu Lingyun went to the Imperial Hospital and asked for an imperial physician.
Doctor Zhang, who used to diagnose Qin's pulse and treat her illness, passed away a few years ago, and now his apprentice, Doctor Qian, has taken over his position.
After carefully examining Qin's pulse, Doctor Qian left Qin's room and said to Lu Lingyun, "Madam, I'm afraid that Madam Xue will not be able to get a doctor. She is about to die."
After he finished speaking, Lu Lingjun felt a loud bang in his head.
The bad premonition I had yesterday actually came true.
Her body trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She looked at Doctor Qian and said, "Doctor Qian, please take another look. My mother-in-law just caught a cold. It shouldn't be this serious!"
Doctor Qian looked solemn, "Madam, you should know Madam Xue's health condition best. She suffered a serious injury ten years ago, and she has been very depressed. She has been worried for many years, and her depression has not been resolved. Over the years, all five elements of her body are deficient, and it is difficult to cure with medicine."
"I think Mrs. Xue is at the end of her rope, and she is getting worse day by day."
As Doctor Qian spoke, a heavy cough was heard from inside the room.
The coughing sound made Lu Lingjun feel even heavier in his heart.
Qin has never been happy in the past ten years.
She always had a smile on her face when she came, but Lu Lingjun could feel that she had never been truly happy.
The old marquis died in battle and Cheng Yunshuo became a monk. It was such a huge blow to Qin, how could she get away with it?
Whenever I think of it, I cry for a long time in the middle of the night.
"Doctor Qian, please prescribe some medicine to replenish my mother-in-law's energy and prolong her life, so that she can live longer." Lu Lingjun said.
Doctor Qian stroked his beard and said, "Of course."
Doctor Qian left behind a prescription that included thousand-year-old ginseng, Tianshan snow lotus, and a bunch of expensive and hard-to-find medicines.
Lu Lingjun ordered the housekeeper to go to the storehouse to get all the things, and if they couldn't find all, they should buy them all, so that Qin wouldn't suffer any loss.
The steward searched everywhere for the Tianshan Snow Lotus, but couldn't find it. Lu Lingjun then remembered that he seemed to have this thing in his own private vault.
She sent someone to the Xikelai Grocery Store and asked Zhiran to take the things out.
As for Qin, she didn't keep anything for herself. If she needed something, she would give it to her without feeling sorry!
Her mother-in-law treated her very well. When the Marquis's Mansion suffered a heavy blow, they had been together for ten years and had long become as close as mother and daughter.
She married a rebellious playboy, but having such a good mother-in-law was considered lucky in that era.
She did her best to take care of Qin during her last period of time. At the same time, she was also thinking about other things.
"Lingyun, is your mother-in-law really dying?"
In her yard, Lady Li Niyue, wife of Duke Xu, came and she spoke nervously with concern.
In the past ten years, the old Duke of Xu's Mansion passed away. Four years ago, Li Niyue's husband officially inherited the title, and she was successfully promoted to the Duke's wife.
Her mother-in-law, Mrs. Cui, retreated to the second line, but still wanted to hold the power of the Duke's Mansion and refused to hand it over to Li Niyue.
When Li Niyue was a young wife, she didn't dare to say anything because of her mother-in-law's behavior. But now that she has become the mistress of the Duke's Mansion, her mother-in-law still wants to suppress her, which only makes her more dissatisfied with her.
Her mother-in-law is still biased.
It seems that she feels that since she gave the title to her eldest son, she owes it to her youngest son. She has not yet agreed to divide her house between her two sons. All the good things are given to Cui Tonghua and her family, and she also asks her, as the eldest sister-in-law, to take the initiative to help her younger uncle's family.
This really made Li Niyue very angry, and sometimes she couldn't help but envy Lu Lingjun.
When she was young, my mother-in-law was sensible. She was given the power to manage the family as soon as she entered the house. Later, when something happened in the mansion, the widowed mother-in-law took care of her daughter-in-law, and they supported the mansion together without causing any trouble.
How can one not like such a mother-in-law!
Like her mother-in-law, she has to take care of both big and small matters. In recent years, the open and covert struggles between her and her mother-in-law have intensified. Under Lu Lingjun's guidance, she has managed to gain some power.
At least now she can be the master of her children, husband, and the affairs in her own yard.
Lu Lingjun met Li Niyue's eyes and nodded, "Doctor Qian said that medicine cannot cure it, and can only extend his lifespan."
"Alas." Li Niyue gently waved her jeweled tasseled round fan and sighed, "Madam Xue is such a kind person, this is too sad."
As she spoke, she held Lu Lingyun's hand and said, "Lingyun, you have to hold on."
Lu Lingjun raised his head and looked at Li Niyue solemnly, "Niyue, I want to arrange the marriage of Siying and Qianer as soon as possible to bring happiness to my mother-in-law."
Cheng Suying had been engaged to Li Niyue's son Xu Zhengqian a few years ago. Because they were engaged and the man was a good friend of Lu Lingjun in Beijing, Lu Lingjun was not in a hurry to marry Cheng Suying off.
It would be good to keep it with you for a few more years.
But now, Qin's health is getting worse day by day. Lu Lingjun is worried about Qin, and also has to think about the other children in the mansion.
The first one is Cheng Suying.
She couldn't stay any longer and had to marry Cheng Suying off right away. If something happened to Qin, she would have to observe mourning for three years, and by then she would be too old.
"Chongxi" is just a way of saying to avoid observing mourning.
Of course, if there is a happy event, it would make Qin happier and better, which would also be a good thing.
As soon as Lu Lingjun finished speaking, Li Niyue immediately understood what he meant.
After thinking for a while, she replied, "It's time to celebrate Aunt Qin's wedding. Your family hasn't had a wedding in many years. Let's have a good time during this season."
When Lu Lingjun heard this, he laughed.
Just then, Cheng Suying came over with her friends.
When Li Niyue saw Cheng Siying, she waved at her and said, "Siying, come here and ask your mother-in-law to take a good look at you."
When Cheng Suying heard this, she said coquettishly, "Aunt Li!"
"Why are you still embarrassed?" Li Niyue looked at Cheng Suying and said with a smile, "Your mother finally agreed to marry you into my family!"
When Cheng Suying heard this, her face suddenly turned red.
She looked at Lu Lingjun shyly, "Mom!"
"You are not young anymore, and your grandmother is not in good health. I want to marry you off as soon as possible to bring happiness to your grandmother." Lu Lingjun said from the side.
She kept saying she was celebrating, but every word she said was an excuse. How could Cheng Suying not hear that?
However, with such an excuse, Cheng Suying had no reason to run away in shame. She bit her lower lip and looked at Li Niyue shyly with her watery eyes.
She and Xu Zhengqian knew each other. The two families would get together during the holidays, and Li Niyue and Lu Lingjun would intentionally or unintentionally ask them to interact more.
Xu Zhengqian was well-educated by Li Niyue. He has good character and looks like a first-class young man.
During the Chinese New Year and other festivals, Xu Zhengqian would give Cheng Suying a gift, and they were like childhood sweethearts.
"Your brother Zhengqian kept asking me a few days ago when he could hire you back home! Now his wish is finally coming true! You are finally going to become a member of my family!" Li Niyue reached out and stroked Cheng Suying's head.
"Aunt Li!"
Li Niyue smiled and said, "You have to change your words and call me mother-in-law from now on!"
Hearing her mother-in-law's words, Cheng Suying's pretty face turned red. She couldn't stay here any longer, so she quickly pulled her friends into the house.
Li Niyue laughed when she saw this. She looked at the time, stood up and said to Lu Lingyun, "Lingyun, I will take care of this matter when I get back."
Lu Lingjun saw Li Niyue off, and the next day, Duke Xu's mansion officially sent the betrothal gifts and set the wedding date.
The wedding date is sixteen days later, when Cheng Binghao returns to Beijing.
Although Cheng Suying was a daughter born out of wedlock, she was raised by Lu Lingyun since she was born and was her only legitimate daughter. Everyone regarded her as Lu Lingyun's legitimate daughter.
Li Niyue and Lu Lingjun have been friends for more than ten years, and what she values most is Lu Lingjun's character.
It was she who first asked Cheng Suying, the daughter she raised, to come over and arrange the marriage for her son.
Now that Lu Lingjun wants to marry off her daughter, Li Niyue is the first one to agree.
In addition, Cheng Suying's reason for getting married was to bring good luck to Qin. If her nosy mother-in-law had married off another grandchild, she would definitely have tried to stop it.
There are taboos in marrying for the purpose of bringing good fortune!
Generally, only those with high status can have good marriage. If the relatives of low status encounter such a situation and want to rush to get married, they are very likely to be caught. Some families with strong concerns may even cancel the engagement directly.
However, the one who was going to bring good luck was Qin, a former good friend of Cui.
After learning about Qin's current physical condition, she was silent for a long time, and then she proposed to hold a grand wedding and marry Cheng Suying in a grand manner.
To this end, she even picked out ten loads of betrothal gifts from her own private storage and added them to the betrothal gift list to prove how much she values this granddaughter-in-law who is marrying into the family!
Her action made Xiao Cui jealous.
Her son was also ready to get engaged, but she had never seen her aunt have such an idea! She just asked her to follow the rules of the mansion.
She is so biased!
Xiao Cui was so jealous that she asked her aunt on the spot whether she would give the same thing to her son when he got married.
Her words only made her aunt unhappy, and she scolded her on the spot, saying that she was so old but still immature, and punished her to go home and reflect on her mistakes and copy the family rules.
Xiao Cui was scolded and sent back to the room to reflect on her mistakes in great depression, but Li Niyue was very happy.
This happy event made her smile with joy.
The huge betrothal gifts amounted to 128 loads, and were carried in a grand manner to the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion with music and fanfare.
Everyone in the capital knew that Duke Xu's Mansion was going to marry the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion.
For a moment, everyone looked on with envy.
When Qin found out that her eldest granddaughter Cheng Suying was going to marry into the mansion of Duke Xu, her complexion was visibly much better and she looked more energetic.
She called Cheng Suying to the yard, pulled her aside and talked to her about a bunch of things.
There was the sisterly relationship between her and Cui in the past, how to be a new bride after marrying into the Xu Guogong Mansion, and if she encountered any problems, she must always remember her parents' home and have them take care of her.
Cheng Suying listened to everything, squatting at her knees and listening to her speak.
The Ningyang Marquis' Mansion was filled with joy, and Lu Lingjun was busy arranging the wedding.
at this time.
Luoguxiang.
The news of Duke Xu's marriage proposal soon spread here.
"Miss, something big happened in the Marquis' Mansion!" Wei Dahai came in from outside carrying firewood.
As soon as he entered the yard, he said to Cheng Lanying who was picking vegetables.
At this time, Cheng Bingzhi and his maid were also there, and he was telling his sister what to eat tonight.
After Wei Dahai finished speaking, Cheng Bingzhi was the first to turn around and look at Wei Dahai with eyes burning with anger. "What happened to the Marquis' Mansion? Did it collapse?"
Cheng Lanying: "…"
"Or maybe my eldest brother died suddenly, and there's no one to inherit the Marquis' Mansion, so I have to inherit it!" Cheng Bingzhi became more and more excited as he spoke, and his eyebrows were about to rise.
At this time, the woman next to him with a gilded hairpin on her head said excitedly, "Third Young Master, if you inherit the title of Marquis, what about me? You won't forget me, will you?"
"Xiaoying, don't worry. When I become a marquis, I will raise you as my concubine. Even if I marry you in the future, I will not bully you!"
Cheng Lanying rolled her eyes as she listened to the nonsense spoken by her brother and his maid. She put down the basket in her hand and went to the kitchen, so as not to hear any more words or she would be so stupid as to want to hit someone.
At this time, Wei Dahai hurriedly called her, "Second Miss, something happened to the eldest lady!"
"Oh? What happened to my eldest sister? Could it be that she is dead too? Now my wife wants to take my second sister in as her daughter!" Cheng Bingzhi said.
Everyone: "…"
The maid Xiaoying said at this time, "Wei Dahai, tell me quickly, what happened to Miss Cheng?"
"She is engaged today! Duke Xu's Mansion went to the Marquis' Mansion to propose marriage today, with a total of 128 loads of dowry!" Wei Dahai described to everyone the grand scene he had just seen outside with shining eyes.
"The betrothal procession of Duke Xu's residence went around two streets! Each piece of dowry was very heavy, and the procession of musicians and drummers distributed wedding money along the street. Each envelope of wedding money contained ten coins!"
As he spoke, Wei Dahai showed a red envelope of wedding money that he had just received on the road.
Today we have only proposed marriage and not officially married, but Duke Xu's Mansion has already given out gift money as a gift. This shows how wealthy Duke Xu's Mansion is and how much they value and love this new bride!
The moment he showed the red envelope of wedding money, Cheng Bingzhi said bluntly, "For such a big thing, go again and get my share as well!"
Wei Dahai: "…"
"Forget it, I'll go there myself, and they'll have to give me a big one no matter what!"
Cheng Bingzhi walked out.
As soon as he left the house, Li Bixi came out of the kitchen and asked, "Bingzhi, where are you going?"
"Young Master is going to the Marquis' Mansion," Wei Dahai said.
"Why did he go to the Marquis' Mansion?"
"Today, Duke Xu's Mansion is offering marriage proposal to the eldest daughter. There is a large crowd of people at the mansion!"
When Li Bixi heard this, her eyes turned and a thought came to her mind. She stepped forward and said, "Bingzhi, wait a minute. I'll go with you to take a look!"
They were both out.
Only Cheng Lanying was left standing in the yard.
"Second Miss, do you want to go and take a look too?" Wei Dahai said behind her.
Cheng Lanying stood there, not knowing what to think. She went back to her room in silence.
At this time, the maid Xiaoying called out to her, "You haven't picked all the vegetables yet! The Third Young Master will come back to eat more!"
After she finished speaking, Wei Dahai put down the firewood and yelled at her, "Do you still know who is a young lady and who is a maid? How dare you, a lowly maid, ask the young lady to work!"
When Xiaoying heard Wei Dahai's roar, she immediately shut her mouth.
In the past, in this courtyard, because of Cheng Bingzhi, she did nothing. She was not only a maid, but also a person in Cheng Bingzhi's room.
She whispered in Cheng Bingzhi's ear and didn't want to do anything, so Cheng Bingzhi told his mother not to ask her to do anything. Xiaoying only served him, and his mother doted on him so much that she naturally obeyed her in everything.
On weekdays, relying on Cheng Bingzhi, she secretly instructed Cheng Lanying to do many things.
But no one was there at the moment. After being yelled at by Wei Dahai, Xiaoying tucked her tail between her legs. She glared at Wei Dahai, who was meddling in other people's business, and turned around and went back to her room.
After a long time.
Li Bixiang and Cheng Bingzhi returned with regrets.
"The Xu family is stupid and evil. They gave all the money to the poor, but didn't give a big red envelope to my brother-in-law! They will be finished sooner or later!"
Li Bijie and Cheng Bingzhi just went to Ningyang Marquis Mansion.
The main entrance to Ningyang Marquis's Mansion was packed with people, and the two of them couldn't squeeze in at all.
The heavy dowries tied with red knots were carried inside one by one. The steward of Duke Xu's mansion, wearing a crimson silk gown, personally led the dowry team and read out the list of names at the door.
There were East China Sea gold beads as big as pigeon eggs, South China Sea red coral ornaments, Persian long-pile hand-woven carpets, Western Region agate cups, a large porcelain mahogany self-ringing clock with a painting of a hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix, a white jade bimaru plate, a beaded and filigree step stool... every single item was extremely luxurious.
Any one of them would be worth something that an ordinary person could never earn in their entire lifetime.
The chief steward of Duke Xu's mansion read out the name list while asking his subordinates to distribute red envelopes.
If someone applauded and praised them to make them happy, they would reward them with large silver ingots.
The white copper coins and silver sprinkled out like water, leaving Li Bixiang and Cheng Bingzhi staring in amazement.
These people are so rich!
Don't treat money as money!
They were once people from the Marquis' Mansion and had seen the world, but even when Qin Shaojing got married, she married into the Duke Liu's Mansion and had never seen such a grand scene.
In addition, times have changed and Er is no longer a member of the Marquis' Mansion. They have been living a simple life outside for ten years. They were extremely shocked to witness Cheng Suying's grand ceremony out of the blue.
The Marquis's Mansion is so wealthy!
The Duke's Mansion is so wealthy!
The nobleness is overwhelming, the wealth is dazzling, the gold, silver, copper coins, silks and satins are just so eye-catching!
How can he be so rich? How can he be so enviable?
How could this immense wealth not be theirs?
Cheng Bingzhi followed Li Bixi and tried to grab red envelopes several times. However, because he was short and fat and was not active due to being supported by Li Bixi, he could not grab the red envelopes from the common people who were good at everything and had quick hands and eyes.
Cheng Bingzhi failed to grab several things in a row, and he became anxious and angry. He pushed people and shouted loudly that he was the brother-in-law of Duke Xu and the younger brother of Miss Cheng, and asked everyone to get out of his way.
But his words only made people around him laugh.
The brother-in-law of Duke Xu?
Miss Cheng's biological brother?
Wouldn't that be the young master of the Marquis' Mansion?
Will the young master of the Marquis's Mansion come to snatch the ten or twenty-cent wedding gift from them?
Besides, they had never heard of Miss Cheng having a younger brother. All they knew was that she had two older brothers, one was the young prince of a marquis's mansion, and the other was a young general who was fighting against the Japanese pirates in Jiangnan!
Where did the third young master of Ningyang Marquis Mansion come from?
In wealthy families, not every child in the family will make themselves known to others.
It is often good enough to have someone in charge or someone who has some prospects and is known by others.
Unless someone is inside the Marquis' Mansion or has close dealings with the Marquis' Mansion, no one knows about Cheng Bingzhi, the illegitimate son who was kicked out of the family early on!
He was standing outside the door, joining everyone in grabbing the wedding money and saying these things, but no one took him seriously.
After all, he did this kind of thing, who would believe that he was Miss Cheng's biological brother!
Seeing that no one believed him, Cheng Bingzhi was so angry that he wanted to talk to the steward of Duke Xu's mansion, but Li Bijie stopped him.
She looked at the wealthy and prosperous Marquis' Mansion and the solemn and solemn Duke's Mansion with deep eyes. She persuaded and pulled Cheng Bingzhi to go back.
"Bingzhi, you are the third young master of the Marquis' Mansion. It is beneath your dignity to speak to that group of poor people." Li Bijie said to him.
Cheng Bingzhi listened and nodded, "Yes, so I should go directly to the one in the red coat. I am the younger brother of their future mistress, so he should give me a big gift anyway!"
When Li Bixi heard this, the disdain in her eyes disappeared. She looked at her eldest son and taught him carefully, "Why are you going to the Duke Xu's Mansion? You are the third young master of the Marquis' Mansion. Your sister is getting married, so you have to go to the Marquis' Mansion."
"How can I go?" Cheng Bingzhi waved his hand when he heard this. "I asked my wife to separate the family and drive me out ten years ago. How can I enter the mansion?"
Ever since Cheng Bingzhi came out of the small gate of the Marquis' Mansion ten years ago, he had wanted to go back and play, but as soon as he arrived at the door, he was stopped by the gatekeeper.
The people in the Marquis' Mansion told him that he had moved out of the mansion, and from then on he could not enter the mansion casually. If he wanted to enter, he had to inform his wife and get her permission.
When Cheng Bingzhi heard this, he turned around and left, and never went there again.
"I don't want you to go directly like this," Li Bixi looked at Cheng Bingzhi, "I want you to go and give gifts to the Marquis' Mansion!"
"Give them gifts?" Cheng Bingzhi was confused. "Why should I give them gifts? Our family is so poor and the Marquis' Mansion is so rich, how can I give them money?!"
"You are stupid!" Li Bixi instructed her son, "You just bring some gifts to congratulate your elder sister, of course they will invite you in! You are the third young master of the Marquis's Mansion, the people of the Xu family will naturally respect you, and when the time comes, they will give you, their brother-in-law, less!"
When Cheng Bingzhi heard this, he suddenly realized.
"Yes, yes, yes! I can just pick up some cheap things and exchange them for a big red envelope from Duke Xu's Mansion! Great!"
Li Bixi was relieved to see her son coming to his senses. "Bingzhi, when you go to the Marquis' Mansion, don't think about asking for anything. Congratulate your elder sister and the old lady. Say something nice, and they will naturally think of you and give you a reward!"
"Okay, I got it." Cheng Bingzhi said, and walked out as soon as he came back.
At this time, he thought of the fact that he had no money on him, "Mom, please give me some money first, I'll buy some things and bring them over!"
Li Bixi heard this and said, "Mother, how can we have any money? The monthly allowance from the Marquis' Mansion has not been paid yet, and mother is worried about how to get by in the next few days."
There was light in Li Bixi's eyes and she cried poor.
Of course she had money. She would keep half of the monthly allowance from the Marquis's Mansion and save it in her private treasury. She would use the rest to support the entire family. She was very frugal and lived a very frugal life.
It is absolutely impossible to deduct money from her!
"As for you, your mother gave you your monthly allowance, so you can use it yourself!"
Li Bijie asked Cheng Bingzhi to get the money himself. She did not touch her son's monthly allowance and gave it all to him for his own use.
But Cheng Bingzhi himself has no money!
He gave all the one or two taels of silver to his maid Xiaoying, and was unable to keep any of it.
When Cheng Bingzhi heard his mother asking him to get the money, he was afraid that she would ask him about the whereabouts of the money, and would nag Xiaoying again if she asked. At this time, he glanced at the yard and saw Wei Dahai.
"Wei Dahai! Didn't you just receive a ten-cent red envelope? Give it to me!"
Wei Dahai: "…"
Cheng Bingzhi took ten cents from the groom Wei Dahai, went to the street corner to buy a few pieces of old peach cakes, and went straight to the marquis's mansion to congratulate him.
At this time, the betrothal team had already completed the ceremony.
After the people watching the excitement at the door dispersed, the entrance of the Marquis's Mansion was still full of joy.
Cheng Bingzhi entered through the main gate carrying something. The gatekeeper watched him coming and looked at him carefully for a long time before recognizing him. "Master Bingzhi? Why are you here?"
"I'm here to congratulate my elder sister!" Cheng Bingzhi raised the peach cakes in his hand, "Why don't you go and report it!"
The security guard looked at the small piece of cake in his hand with disdain, it was so shabby!
It's a pity he can come up with such a thing.
But today is their eldest daughter's wedding day, so how could he dare to say more? He quickly responded and went in to report, "Okay, Master Bingzhi, please come in and wait."
He went straight to the marquis's mansion to wait.
At this time, the guest courtyard.
Lu Lingjun was sitting in the main seat. The chief steward of Duke Xu's mansion and a group of people were smiling respectfully in front of her, presenting a list of betrothal gifts and asking Lu Lingjun to take a look.
In the yard, there were Cheng Suying and her friends.
Several of them gathered around Cheng Suying, looking at the boxes of betrothal gifts filling the yard, and whispering and laughing with her.
At this time, Shuanghong came over to report.
"Madam, Master Bingzhi is here."
"Oh? Why is he here?" Lu Lingjun said as he looked at the betrothal gift list.
"He came to congratulate the young lady."
Hearing this, Lu Lingjun raised her head with a smile on her face, "Please invite the person in."
"yes."
After a while, Cheng Bingzhi came over with a bag of peach cakes.
"Good luck to you, madam. Please also pay your respects to your grandmother. I am here to congratulate my elder sister."
Lu Lingjun's eyes fell on the small bag of snacks in his hand, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, "You are thoughtful."
She gave Shuanghong a look, asking her to accept the gift from Cheng Bingzhi.
After receiving it, Cheng Bingzhi still stood there, glancing at Lu Lingjun and then at the people in Duke Xu's mansion.
Why did you just take the things without any expression of gratitude?
"Do you have anything else to say?" At this time, Lu Lingjun's voice sounded.
Hearing her voice, Cheng Bingzhi became even more uneasy.
Since he was a child, he has been afraid of his mistress. After so many years, he is still afraid when he hears her voice.
"Ma'am, I, I, I'm fine."
"If you have nothing else to do, go back first." Lu Lingjun waved his hand and told him to go back.
Hearing this, Cheng Bingzhi became really anxious.
Why didn't you do as his mother said? He brought things with him, shouldn't you treat him well or give him something else?
How can you just tell him to leave?
It's impossible for him to come here and get a ten-cent peach cake!
He stood there becoming more and more anxious, but he felt that he couldn't just ask for things now. He couldn't help but regret it in his heart. Why did he listen to his mother and come over to say hello!
It would have been better if he had just asked for the wedding money!
Lu Lingjun saw his embarrassed, regretful and struggling look, and she pursed her lips and smiled.
Li Bixi's methods have always been so shallow.
After all these years, it's still like this.
He sent her son over, said a few words, and gave her a few small gifts, hoping to get a lot of benefits from her.
To some extent, Li Bixi is also a pragmatist, and her efforts must be rewarded.
In other words, every time she attacked, she had a clear purpose.
Like before, she seduced Cheng Yunshuo just to marry him and become his concubine, and she performed everywhere in front of Cheng Yunshuo just to get tangible benefits every time.
She never seeks love, anything illusory, or such a big step. She always calculates how much benefit she can get when she makes a move.
But after all, being petty has its own consequences, and her son is really generous at all!
Today is Suying's big gift day, and on such an important day, he only brought such a small gift. According to her style, she would give him a lot in return, but she is his own sister. As long as he can show his sincere blessing and care for Cheng Suying, say congratulations and leave decently, even if she doesn't give him anything in return this time, she will still remember him, Cheng Bingzhi.
It's good to make her remember it once, but can she still miss him in the future?
Li Bixiang was not like that. She simply and directly focused on the benefits she could get this time and asked her son to come over and show his face.
Seeing that he was about to be asked to leave, Cheng Bingzhi couldn't help but said anxiously, "Madam, I brought something for my elder sister!"
His words made the people in Duke Xu's mansion look over. The chief steward, who was wearing a crimson silk gown, glanced at Cheng Bingzhi, his eyes, smiling like Maitreya Buddha, were full of brilliance.
After taking a glance at the little pastry he brought, her smiling brows couldn't help but frown.
All he was thinking was why he had never heard of such an unpresentable young master in the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion.
"I know you have such a heart." Lu Lingjun still had a smile on her face. She asked, "Are your mother and sister doing well?"
Cheng Bingzhi didn't understand why, so he just nodded, "Not bad."
"Go to the accounting office and get an extra month's salary. It's Siying's wedding, so you can add some dishes to your own courtyard to share in the good fortune." Lu Lingjun waved his hand.
When Cheng Bingzhi heard that he had finally given the money, he smiled and said, "Thank you, ma'am! Thank you very much, ma'am!"
He turned around happily and followed Shuanghong down.
The butler of Duke Xu's mansion in the room saw him go down and asked, "Madam, is that the third young master?"
"They have been separated from the mansion a long time ago," Lu Lingjun said, "The wedding banquet doesn't need to include their room, they can eat by themselves."
Lu Lingjun just told them to add vegetables in the yard themselves, implying that they didn't need to come to Cheng Suying's wedding.
The young master of Ningyang Marquis' Mansion does not count as Cheng Bingzhi.
The butler was not a fool. He immediately understood what Lu Lingjun meant. "I understand. The banquet will be properly arranged!"
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Steward Xu. I'll take the betrothal gifts list and you can go back and report."
"Yes, ma'am."
The butler respectfully stepped back from Lu Lingjun's presence. After he left the house, Chunhe stepped forward and handed him a large purse full of money.
This bag of silver and money contains much more than the one given to Cheng Bingzhi!
Butler Xu did not refuse at all, and happily accepted it, saying words of blessing.
On this side, Cheng Bingzhi walked out of the house and saw huge dowries piled up all over the yard. He stared at these things with his eyes wide open.
At this time, he saw Cheng Suying surrounded by people.
"Big sister!"
"Who are you?" Cheng Suying looked at the short and fat man in front of her and subconsciously pulled her sisters back a step.
"I'm Bingzhi!" Cheng Bingzhi looked her up and down, his eyes becoming more and more sour. "You are really different now. You will marry into the Duke's Mansion and become the Duke's wife in the future! You won't recognize your brother now that you are rich!"
"Are you Bingzhi?" Cheng Suying recognized Cheng Bingzhi.
"It's me, big sister. You are doing so well."
Cheng Bingzhi's eyes sparkled as he looked at Cheng Suying, who was walking with Lu Lingjun and was dressed in jewels. He could not help but want to reach out and touch her silk sleeves that were shining with dark golden light, and tug at the necklace with big pearls on her waist, and put it in his pocket when no one was paying attention, and then turned around to ask his mother to sew it on his hat.
His mind was moved and he went up to secretly grab Cheng Suying's pearl necklace. When his hand touched Cheng Suying, she was startled and quickly pulled her friends back two steps.
"Xiying, who is he?" Zhang Qingyu asked dissatisfiedly.
Cheng Siying frowned, "He is my third brother, Cheng Bingzhi, and he moved out with his aunt a long time ago."
"So it's my aunt's child." Zhang Qingyu glanced at Cheng Bingzhi, who looked like a rat, and said, "I was wondering how there could be such a young master in the Ningyang Marquis's Mansion."
"What are you saying?" Cheng Bingzhi straightened his back when he heard this. "To be honest, my eldest brother, second brother, and eldest sister are all illegitimate children. What's the difference between them and me?"
Zhang Qingyu rolled her eyes at him and said disdainfully, "How can a child raised by an aunt compare to the mistress!"
Lin Zhiyan also shook her head at this time and said, "Siying and the others are officially registered under Madam Cheng's name. They are legitimate children, and there is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children."
"That's right. Besides, you are a branch family that lives alone with your old aunt. How can you compare with Siying and the others after the separation? There is a huge difference between you two!"
Cheng Bingzhi was ashamed and angry when he heard their words of disdain for him. "You ladies who look down on others with your noses, stop looking down on me! I also have the blood of the Cheng family flowing in my veins! What's the meaning of legitimate or illegitimate? You really said that Cheng Suying is just a little girl, and a daughter who is married off is like water spilled. How can she compare with the grandson of my mansion!"
How can the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children be compared with the superiority of men over women? No matter what, his surname is Cheng and he has the roots of the Cheng family. Once she, Cheng Suying, gets married, she will no longer be a member of this marquis's mansion!
"What did you say?" At this moment, a moderate and gentle male voice sounded behind Cheng Bingzhi.
Cheng Bingan, dressed in gorgeous silk clothes, walked over in a gentle and elegant manner.
Cheng Bing'an is seventeen years old this year. Three years later, when he reaches the age of twenty, he will be able to inherit the title of marquis and officially become the Marquis of Ningyang.
But at his age now, he already had the aura of a head of the family. He walked over steadily, and his upright figure immediately formed a sharp contrast with the short and fat Cheng Bingzhi.
Cheng Bingzhi was even more dejected when he saw his elder brother, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and looked completely different from himself, and actually felt an aura similar to that of his father, whom he had been afraid of since childhood.
"Big, big brother?"
"Bingzhi?" Cheng Bing'an glanced at him, "What are you doing here?"
"I, I'm here to congratulate my elder sister." Cheng Bingzhi half lowered his head, no longer showing any arrogance.
Zhang Qingyu was even more disdainful when she saw his wretched appearance. "You're still trying to congratulate me? Who just said that a married daughter is like spilled water, and is not worthy of being compared with a distinguished grandson like you!"
Hearing this, Cheng Bingan frowned and looked at Cheng Bingzhi, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Cheng Bingzhi shrank back in fear, "They were the ones who provoked me first!"
"It was you who attacked Siying first and tried to pull her hairpin!"
Cheng Bingzhi was extremely embarrassed. "I, I just haven't seen my elder sister for a long time, and I want to get closer to her."
His words only made everyone around him look at him with the most contempt.
Cheng Bingzhi's actions and words just now were all seen by everyone.
If he had any serious look, he wouldn't make people so speechless.
No wonder he lives alone with his aunt, he is so dishonest!
Just when Cheng Bingzhi was extremely embarrassed, Xu Yinyin spoke up for him, "Forget it, he is Siying's brother after all, and he came here to congratulate Siying today, so let's not make things unpleasant."
Xu Yinyin's words made people around her too lazy to argue with Cheng Bingzhi anymore.
Cheng Suying glanced at her cowardly and mean brother, too lazy to say a word to him, and left with her friends.
After everyone left, Cheng Bing'an left a message to Cheng Bingzhi, "Go back, and don't come here again."
After saying that, he left.
After everyone had dispersed, Cheng Bingzhi couldn't help but sneer and muttered something similar, "Go back, don't come here again, humph! What's there to be proud of!"
After he said this, he looked at Cheng Bingan's expensive clothes and extraordinary aura, and he felt a strange feeling in his heart.
Obviously, everyone was the same when they were young, but now, Cheng Bing'an is going to become the Marquis of Ningyang, and he is nothing!
How can the gap be so big?
He left the mansion in a lack of interest.
When they arrived at Tongluo Lane, his mother was guarding the door.
When Li Bixi saw Cheng Bingzhi coming back, she immediately approached him warmly, "Bingzhi, you're back!"
"Um."
"Have you seen Cheng Suying? Have you seen your grandmother?"
Cheng Bingzhi was annoyed by her series of questions, "Are you annoying?"
"Bingzhi." Li Bixi said softly, looking at him lovingly, "Your elder sister's marriage is a good opportunity for you. You should go out more often in the Marquis' Mansion, meet your elder sister and your grandmother more often, and care about them. Who knows, they may arrange a good marriage for you in the future."
Li Bijie did not expect Lu Lingjun to remember her and her three daughters and arrange a good future for them.
She knew Lu Lingjun very well. She had spared the three of them and given them a leave certificate. She had done the most she could and she would never pay attention to them again.
In this case, she didn't expect to get any benefits from Lu Lingjun. Just getting some money would be enough.
Cheng Suying or Qin Shi is her new target.
Especially Qin, Cheng Bingzhi is her grandson after all. So many years have passed, if he shows up in front of Qin, maybe Qin will remember him.
But after she said this, Cheng Bingzhi became even more angry. "Who am I? How could they remember me? And even arranged a marriage for me? I am just a child born to a lowly concubine! I wish they would not kick me out!"
Cheng Bingzhi's words startled Li Bijie.
She looked at the angry Cheng Bingzhi and said softly and carefully, "Bingzhi, what happened to you in the Marquis' Mansion today?"
"You asked me to give gifts, but none of them treated me as the Third Young Master! Cheng Suying, Cheng Bingan and the others all looked down on me! Don't I have the same father as them? Don't I have the same blood as them? Why did they treat me like that and not allow me to go again? Look at how arrogant Cheng Bingan is! He will get his comeuppance sooner or later for treating his own brother like this!"
Cheng Bingzhi was furious with his mother and took out all the anger he had suffered in the Marquis' Mansion on her.
When Li Bixi heard this, she keenly grasped one thing: she didn't allow him to go again.