"Your elder brother doesn't allow you to go anymore?" Li Bixi asked hurriedly.
"Yes," Cheng Bingzhi was very dissatisfied, "He is the son of the Marquis's mansion. He is really powerful. He can tell anyone not to go if he wants to! Ha! Bah! I won't go!"
When Li Bixi heard this, she knew that her son had been wronged today. She rolled her eyes and softened her tone, saying, "Bingzhi, don't be angry. Those people in Ningyang Marquis' Mansion are ruthless and indifferent to their own flesh and blood. They will definitely get their comeuppance!"
"Hurry up and send a thunder to kill their whole family! And blow up my grandmother's old coffin as well!" said Cheng Bingzhi.
"Hush!" Li Bixi quickly kept silent, looked around, and pulled Cheng Bingzhi into the house to say, "Bingzhi, this heartless and ungrateful family will definitely be punished by God. God will not let them go, but we still have to plan for ourselves before the punishment comes."
Li Bixi's trick of being humble and submissive was brought out again.
Cheng Bingzhi couldn't help but get impatient when he heard what his mother said, but Li Bixi taught him earnestly, "Listen to your mother, go to the Marquis' Mansion a few more times and walk around more. This time, you mainly go to see your grandmother and just say nice things to her!"
"But Cheng Bing'an told me not to go!"
"We have to be more patient since we are weak. Go a few more times. You will be asked to come in once out of ten times!"
Cheng Bingzhi's brows grew more impatient as he listened to this.
Li Bixi pulled out her trump card to persuade him, "You are not a child anymore. You should go to the Marquis' Mansion to meet your grandmother more often. She will definitely arrange a good marriage for you in the future! Don't you want to marry a virtuous lady from a noble family? The Marquis' Mansion will definitely give you a betrothal gift, and your wife will add some to bring a generous dowry!"
Hearing that he had a wife and a dowry, Cheng Bingzhi thought of his elder sister who was rich and prosperous and had a huge betrothal gift piled high when he saw her in the yard today.
Yes! If he could marry a rich girl like his elder sister, plus a generous dowry, wouldn't he be rich!
By then, you won't have to bother with the face of the Marquis' Mansion and rely on their few taels of silver every month to live!
The dowry alone would be enough to last him a lifetime!
He was persuaded, "But I really want to go again, and I don't have the money to buy souvenirs!"
He has money and he received it at the Marquis' Mansion today.
Even after receiving the money, he still has to ask his mother for more.
When her mother heard this, she gritted her teeth and took out a piece of silver from her pocket and said, "Spend it sparingly and don't let your sister know."
"I understand." Cheng Bingzhi took the money and immediately turned his anger into joy.
The next day, he went out to buy some souvenirs and then took a walk around the marquis's mansion.
He was wandering around the cheap south city market, and had just bought a fake mutton-fat jade at a street stall for twenty cents when he heard someone next to him ask, "How much is this book?"
"Young Master, this is an ancient book, it's worth one tael of silver!"
When he heard the price of one or two taels of silver, Cheng Bingzhi immediately turned his head and took a look. He saw a young man in plain clothes standing in front of the bookstall. He opened his purse and bought the book with one or two taels of silver.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but curse, "Stupid, spending one ounce of silver on a tael of silver for a tael of silver."
He took a step forward, and at that moment, he saw a woman in a goose yellow dress walking towards him with a smile.
When Cheng Bingzhi saw her smile, he was immediately moved. He took a big step forward and said, "It's you!"
Xu Yinyin was walking forward when she was suddenly stopped. She stopped and noticed Cheng Bingzhi in front of her. "Are you Xuying's brother?"
"It's me. My name is Cheng Bingzhi." Cheng Bingzhi looked at Xu Yinyin with a playful smile, "I don't even know which family you are from!"
"Our young lady is from County Magistrate Xu's family." said the maid who followed Xu Yinyin.
"Xu County Magistrate..." Cheng Bingzhi frowned, "Why is he such a lowly official?"
"How do you talk like that!"
Even Xu Yinyin became dissatisfied.
Cheng Bingzhi didn't take it seriously at all, and just continued to ask, "Your father is a low-ranking official, how did you become friends with my eldest sister?"
Xu Yinyin was too lazy to pay attention to him at this time. She just walked past him and went behind him.
Cheng Bingzhi stopped her at this time, "Don't leave."
"Do you have anything else to say?" Xu Yinyin frowned and looked at him.
"Although your father is a low-ranking official, I don't think you are as powerful as my eldest sister's friends. If your family can give you more dowry, that would be fine."
Xu Yinyin: "?"
At this moment, a gentle male voice came from the front, "Miss Xu?"
"Mr. Li!"
Li Shouye, who had spent a silver ingot to buy a book, came over.
He looked at Cheng Bingzhi, "Do you know him?"
"I don't know him!" Xu Yinyin quickly shook her head like a rattle, afraid to have any connection with Cheng Bingzhi.
"Mr. Li, are you coming to the south of the city to buy books? Let me walk with you. I know a lot of bookstores here."
She smiled brightly at Li Shouye, completely ignoring Cheng Bingzhi, and was about to leave with Li Shouye.
At this moment, an indignant voice came from behind her.
"How can you be so unfaithful, woman?"
Xu Yinyin: "?"
She turned around and saw Cheng Bingzhi looking at her angrily.
"How can I be unfaithful to my husband?"
"You obviously have feelings for me, so how can you get close to other men!"
Xu Yinyin looked at him in shock: "...When did I become interested in you?"
"You spoke up for me yesterday! Everyone said bad things about me, but you were the only one who stood up for me. You must have some feelings for me, how could you do this?"
Xu Yinyin: "!"
She looked at Cheng Bingzhi, who had a confident face and eyes that saw through her and was holding her in check, and she suddenly felt a surge of regret in her heart.
How mean she was yesterday, helping someone like him out!
It makes sense that some people are disliked by everyone.
You can't say a word more for such people, as it will make their dark, suspicious, sensitive and arrogant hearts throb, and make them mistakenly think that others are interested in them!
Cheng Bingzhi looked at him confidently, "Since you are interested in me, you must behave like a woman! Your family is small, so you should bring more dowry! And if I see you getting close to other men again, you will be in trouble!"
When Xu Yinyin heard his words, she was so angry that her whole body began to tremble.
Li Shouye, who was standing by, also heard the truth and asked, "Miss Xu, do you really know him?"
Xu Yinyin looked at Cheng Bingzhi angrily, "I don't know him!"
"What's wrong with you!" Cheng Bingzhi was unhappy, "If you do this again, don't blame me for being angry!"
"Go ahead and be angry if you want!" Xu Yinyin rolled her eyes and turned away.
Seeing this, Cheng Bingzhi stepped forward and pulled her.
Before his hand touched Xu Yinyin, he was grabbed by Li Shouye.
"Have some respect!"
"What does this have to do with you?"
"I'm Miss Xu's friend."
"Oh! My friend, I think it's a lover! You two are a pair of bastards!"
Cheng Bingzhi shouted loudly, attracting people from all over the street.
When everyone's eyes fell on Xu Yinyin, her face turned red. Cheng Bingzhi was going to ruin her reputation by shouting in the street!
Just as her face turned red with shame, anger and nervousness, a loud shout came from the side.
"What nonsense are you talking about, you rascal!" Li Shouye pushed Cheng Bingzhi away. "Miss Xu and I have only met a few times and have never crossed the line. But you, if you fail to strike up a conversation, you are destroying her reputation. You are so shameless! Get out of here! If you don't, I will report you to the police!"
He spoke up to help Xu Yinyin out, and Xu Yinyin immediately looked at him with gratitude.
She stood beside Li Shouye and nodded, "Mr. Li, I just spoke a word for him at Miss Cheng's house yesterday, that's all! I don't even know who he is!"
Hearing her say this, the people around them looked at Cheng Bingzhi again.
Cheng Bingzhi was furious after being humiliated in public. He pointed at Xu Yinyin and said, "Well, you little slut, you still dare to say you don't know me! It was you who provoked me first yesterday! You seduced me! Do you dare to admit that you didn't speak up for me yesterday?"
Xu Yinyin was very angry at calling him a scoundrel. A decent person would be most afraid of encountering such an unreasonable scoundrel.
It's useless to explain to a scoundrel who is trying to get away with it.
Besides, she was really mean to say something for him yesterday, so she couldn't deny it even if she wanted to.
At this time, Li Shouye glanced at the arrogant and unreasonable Cheng Bingzhi and said, "You keep saying that you know Miss Xu, so what is Miss Xu's name?"
In this era, the name of an unmarried girl could not be easily known to outsiders. In some families with strict rules, no one outside the family knew how many daughters there were.
When Li Shouye asked this question directly, the arrogant Cheng Bingzhi immediately fell speechless.
How would he know Xu Yinyin's name?
I was stumped on the spot.
Seeing that he couldn't even tell her name, Li Shouye asked, "You keep saying that Miss Xu is interested in you and seduced you, but why didn't she even tell you her name?"
This rhetorical question completely freed Xu Yinyin from the situation of being framed.
Yes, if the lady really wanted to seduce him, how could she not even tell him her name!
It's obvious that Cheng Bingzhi is just talking nonsense!
"I, I..."
"You are clearly a scoundrel!" Li Shouye calmly exposed his thoughts, "Seeing that Miss Xu was kind and spoke a few words for you, you had delusions in your heart! Your mind is full of evil and filthy self-righteousness. When she was rejected by the lady, you ruined her reputation in public! I really feel sorry for Miss Xu. She spoke for you, a scoundrel, but she bit back. You are really Mr. Dongguo and the wolf! I helped you, a stupid wolf with white eyes!"
He hit the nail directly on the head when Cheng Bingzhi was thinking, making him feel so ashamed and angry that he felt embarrassed. In addition, Cheng Bingzhi had no knowledge, so he was not able to refute with references to classics. He was immediately speechless after being rebuked by Li Shouye.
"You, you, do you know who I am?" Seeing that he was being ignored, Cheng Bingzhi started to act like a fool.
"Who are you?" Li Shouye looked at him without any fear.
"I am the third young master of Ningyang Marquis's Mansion!" Cheng Bingzhi pointed his thumb at himself, "Do you dare to offend my Ningyang Marquis' Mansion?"
It would be fine if it came to talking about other things, but when it came to Ningyang Marquis Mansion, Li Shouye was stunned.
He looked at Cheng Bingzhi strangely, "Third Young Master? How come I didn't know that my aunt had three sons?"
"Aunt?!" Cheng Bingzhi was also stunned when he heard this title.
Xu Yinyin said at this time, "Mr. Li is Madam Cheng's nephew."
Dear, nephew?!
Hearing this, Cheng Bingzhi suddenly lost all his confidence and prestige.
He was even afraid that Li Shouye would go to Lu Lingyun to complain.
He didn't think that he, a bastard son who had been separated from her family a long time ago, was closer to her than her biological nephew.
Cheng Bingzhi dared to use the name of Ningyang Marquis Mansion to support himself, but he himself did not dare to face Ningyang Marquis Mansion, so he could only use it to scare others.
Immediately, he tucked his tail between his legs and fled.
I will never argue with Li Shouye and Xu Yinyin again.
When the people around saw this, they all sighed and dispersed.
Thinking of what Cheng Bingzhi had just done, they all laughed. This scoundrel slandered others' reputation, and after being exposed, he used his identity and background to bully others, and ended up being bullied in the end!
This is really the most ridiculous thing this year.
After the onlookers dispersed, Xu Yinyin, who was in the center of the crowd, looked at Li Shouye with shining eyes.
"Mr. Li."
"Miss Xu, you don't have to be afraid of this kind of scoundrel. The more you fear him, the more he will push his way. As the saying goes, evil cannot prevail over good. We have a noble spirit in our hearts and believe in justice, so we won't fall into his trap."
Xu Yinyin's eyes were filled with admiration, and she nodded repeatedly, "Mr. Li, you are right."
"Okay, I still have to go buy some books. Excuse me." Li Shouye nodded at her.
"Mr. Li, let me accompany you. I am familiar with this place and I know there is a library here with a rich collection of books." Xu Yinyin smiled at him.
Li Shouye thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Xu."
"Mr. Li is too polite."
Xu Yinyin lowered her eyes slightly with a smile on her lips.
—
Cheng Bingzhi returned home with a gloomy face. When he got home, the first thing he saw was his sister picking vegetables.
He went up and smashed Cheng Lanying's vegetable bowl with a bang.
"What's wrong with you!" Cheng Lanying suddenly raised her voice.
As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Bingzhi overturned the table and chairs in front of her with two bangs.
If he gets angry outside, he will express it back at home!
"Cheng Bingzhi! What the hell are you doing?"
Cheng Lanying shouted loudly, and as soon as she scolded Cheng Bingzhi, Li Bixiang came out of the kitchen immediately.
"What's wrong?"
Hearing his mother's voice, Cheng Bingzhi became even more furious, banging pots and pans, "Bitch, bitch, they are all bitches!"
"Son! What happened to you?" Li Bixi saw this and hurriedly went up to him with concern and sympathy, "Who bullied you?"
"That damned Li who deserves to die eight hundred times!"
Li Bixi: "…"
"You are the only one who is so powerful, and you are her nephew! Your whole family deserves to die!" Cheng Bingzhi smashed things in the house.
"Bingzhi, Bingzhi, what happened?"
Li Bijie looked at her angry son and coaxed him with soft words, and finally she learned from him what had happened.
It turned out that Lu Lingyun's nephew had a conflict with him outside.
The man surnamed Li was referring to Lu Lingyun's nephew Li Shouye.
"Son, don't be angry."
"No, I won't be able to get over it unless I vent my anger!" Cheng Bingzhi overturned the drying rack in the yard with a loud noise.
The whole yard was in turmoil because of him. He rushed into the room and started fighting. Li Bixiang saw this.
"Son, don't fall, mother has a way!"
Li Bixi's eyes rolled around, and a hint of viciousness flashed across her eyes.
If anyone bullies her son, she will teach them a lesson!
"Son, come with me in. I have a plan. I guarantee that I can help you get rid of this anger!" She coaxed her son into the house and gave him some advice. Before entering the house, she only gave one instruction to Cheng Lanying.
"Lanying, pack up everything!"
Cheng Lanying: "…"
Cheng Lanying looked at her brother who was held in the palm of her mother's hand and coaxed all the time, and then looked at the mess on the ground. An unspeakable meaning flashed across her eyes. Finally, she let out a breath, lowered her head and cleaned up the mess her brother made without saying a word.
Just as she started to clean up by herself, a hand helped her lift up the large table.
When Cheng Lanying looked up, she met Wei Dahai's honest smile.
"Miss, let me do it. You are a royal family, how can you always do the work of a servant?"
—
Lu Lingjun was busy with Cheng Suying's marriage in the Marquis' Mansion.
After five days of hard work and all the arrangements had been made, Cheng Suying hurriedly found her.
"Mom, something terrible has happened!"
"Why is it so bad?"
"Something happened to my best friend Yinyin!" Cheng Suying said to Lu Lingjun anxiously.
"What's the matter?" Lu Lingjun raised his eyebrows.
Cheng Suying was so anxious that she started to cry. She said in panic, "Yinyin was framed. She and her cousin Li were secretly having sex outside in the middle of the night and were caught red-handed! Her bellyband and handkerchief fell off and were picked up by someone!"
"How is this possible!" Lu Lingjun was extremely shocked.
"Yes! That bellyband is not hers, but that handkerchief is hers! Yinyin's name is embroidered on it! Yinyin told me that she saw a little kid fall down on the street the day before yesterday, and she helped the kid up. That day she lost her handkerchief!"
After listening to this, Lu Lingjun frowned and said, "Your friend Miss Xu was framed by someone."
Cheng Suying clenched her fists angrily, "Yinyin has always been kind to others. Who on earth would want to slander her like this? And it was her and cousin Li who spread the rumor. Why..."
Cheng Suying was puzzled.
If a rumor was spread that Xu Yinyin was with another man, Cheng Suying and the others would definitely think that the man was interested in Xu Yinyin and used this despicable method to make Xu Yinyin marry him.
But the other person involved in the rumor was Li Shouye!
This is really puzzling.
Li Shouye would never do such a thing!
Coincidentally, Li Shouye rescued Xu Yinyin in the street a few days ago, and many people saw it.
He and Xu Yinyin were both framed with rumors, which inexplicably gave them strong credibility.
Now, everyone in the entire southern part of the city believes that Miss Xu, the only daughter of the Jing County Magistrate's family, and Mr. Li have been having an affair secretly, and have been committing an affair outside before they have even gotten engaged and married.
Although the bellyband was not Xu Yinyin's, the handkerchief was. In this case, there was no point in arguing about whether the bellyband was real or not.
Her affair with Li Shouye was a foregone conclusion.
Lu Lingjun listened to Cheng Siying's words. After thinking for a while, she said, "It seems that someone wants to slander both of them at the same time. Siying, go ask Miss Xu to see if she and Shouye have offended anyone at the same time recently?"
Lu Lingjun immediately figured out a clue.
When Cheng Suying heard this, she stood up without saying a word and said, "Mom, I'll go right away."
"Well, I'll go look for Shouye, too."
Lu Lingjun went to Tong Nanyuan and asked Tong Nanyuan to call Li Shouye over.
After a while, Li Shouye came.
He doesn't know the rumors outside at the moment.
He has been studying at home these days, and the palace examination will be held in three days, so he has no interest in anything else.
When he was called over, he was startled when he saw Lu Lingjun, "Aunt."
"Shouye, sit down." Lu Lingjun asked him to sit down. After he sat down, Lu Lingjun did not rush to tell him about the rumors outside. She only asked, "What is your impression of Miss Xu?"
"Miss Xu?" Li Shouye thought for a moment, "Is it Miss Xu from the Jing County Magistrate's family?"
"Yes." Lu Lingjun smiled faintly.
"Miss Xu is a good person. She is kind and upright, and also has some heroic spirit." Li Shouye said.
Hearing this, Lu Lingjun asked, "Have you been in contact with Miss Xu recently?"
Li Shouye shook his head. "I have been studying at home recently and have not seen Miss Xu again."
"But Shouye, people all over the street are talking about you and Miss Xu." Tong Nanyuan looked at Li Shouye worriedly.
"What's up!"
"That's right, that's right..." Tong Nanyuan was unable to speak for a moment.
"Aunt, tell me what's going on!"
Lu Lingjun asked at this time, "Shouye, have you ever offended anyone with Miss Xu before?"
Li Shouye frowned and thought, "Offended someone? To be honest, the last time I saw Miss Xu was five days ago. That day, she was falsely accused of innocence, and I reprimanded that person for her."
Li Shouye raised his head and said, "Aunt, that man claimed to be the third young master of Ningyang Marquis's Mansion."
When Lu Lingjun and Tong Nanyuan heard this, they both frowned.
The Third Young Master? Cheng Bingzhi?!
"Aunt, aunt, what happened?"
Tong Nanyuan turned her head and looked at him, "Shouye! People outside are saying that you and Miss Xu are having an affair, and that you were secretly giving things to each other at night, and Miss Xu's private belongings fell out!"
"How is this possible!" Li Shouye got anxious when he heard this. He immediately figured it out while he was explaining himself. "It must be that scoundrel who framed us! We offended him that day, so he privately spread rumors to discredit our innocence! I'm going to go out and clarify!"
"Shouye." Lu Lingjun stopped Li Shouye at this time, "Now the rumors are getting bigger and bigger, it's useless for you to clarify now."
This time the rumor is clearly of a higher level and uses more sophisticated means.
Even if Lu Lingjun found out who was behind the incident and tortured him, he would refuse to admit it and there would be nothing she could do.
Moreover, this rumor was half true and half false. The other party first got Xu Yinyin's handkerchief, and then used something like a bellyband, which was difficult to talk about but also interesting, to attract people to listen, and the rumor spread everywhere in a short time.
It was of no use for Li Shouye and Xu Yinyin to clarify again.
This is also the reason why Lu Lingjun first asked Li Shouye what his impression of Xu Yinyin was.
Because this matter can no longer be resolved by clarification, the only thing we can do is to force the two to get engaged to silence them.
And after the engagement, the two of them will still be criticized for having an affair before marriage...
And if they don't get engaged, Xu Yinyin will have no way to survive.
The plan this time was insidious and vicious, only harming others and not benefiting oneself!
It's completely intended to destroy others.
It's simply because I offended a villain!
Li Shouye was stunned for a moment when he heard what Lu Lingjun said.
Just then, Cheng Suying hurried here.
"Mom! Something terrible has happened!"
"What's wrong again?" Lu Lingjun raised his eyebrows as he looked at Cheng Suying who was jogging towards him.
"Yin Yin, she committed suicide!"
"What!"
Li Shouye's eyes widened in shock.
When Xu Yinyin got into such a big trouble, her father, County Magistrate Xu, immediately sent people to investigate and seek justice for his daughter.
He arrested several people for spreading rumors, but he couldn't catch the person who was behind the rumors.
Those who were arrested had only heard others discussing the rumor that County Magistrate Xu's daughter had an affair with someone at night. The rumor was so convincing that people even took out something to circulate, so they followed suit.
When County Magistrate Xu heard this, he was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.
As the saying goes, to catch a thief you have to seize the stolen goods, and to catch an adulterer you have to catch him in bed. Anyone who thinks carefully about this rumor will know that it is bullshit.
But such rumors are extremely popular.
No matter when, creating a female Huang Yao has the lowest cost and the strongest attack power.
Even if it is clarified, it will still leave a stain on people.
County Magistrate Xu suppressed the rumors forcefully, and threatened to tear the person who spread the rumor about his daughter into pieces! The rumors outside gradually died down.
But unfortunately, Xu Yinyin's reputation was ruined.
It will be difficult for her to get married in the future, unless she marries Li Shouye, the man in the rumors.
After hearing the rumors, Xu Yinyin locked herself in the room for the whole day and hanged herself on the beam at night. Fortunately, her maid was always watching her and rescued her as soon as possible.
Now the whole Xu family is in chaos. Her mother hugged her and cried bitterly. Her father was angry and anxious, with a gloomy face and didn't say a word at home.
His family didn't know how to solve this predicament, so they went directly to the Li family to ask Li Shouye to be responsible, but the Li family was also slandered!
We have no obligation to be responsible for their family.
Moreover, they heard that the Li family was also a group of clean civil servants. If they wanted to gain fame and clear themselves of all charges, they would be completely helpless.
Since ancient times, women have been the ones to bear all the blame when something goes wrong.
County Magistrate Xu was extremely distressed.
At this time, Li Shouye came to Xu's house.
"Master, Master, Miss Cheng and Master Li are here!"
"Mr. Li!" County Magistrate Xu widened his eyes.
Li Shouye followed Cheng Suying to Xu's house.
"Uncle Xu, how is Yinyin?" Cheng Suying asked as soon as she came in.
"Yinyin has been rescued, and her mother is in the house trying to persuade her now." County Magistrate Xu said, but his eyes were completely on Li Shouye.
He looked him up and down, "Are you Mr. Li?"
"Uncle, Yinyin and I have never done anything beyond the rules." Li Shouye stepped forward and saluted him. "And I have been studying at home these days and have never left the house. Everyone can testify to this."
When County Magistrate Xu heard this, he said, "Mr. Li, I know this is a rumor. My daughter has never left the house in these days!"
He said with a face full of anger, "If I catch any scoundrel spreading rumors and seriously injuring my daughter, I will tear them into pieces!"
Li Shouye heard this and said, "Uncle, just believe that we are innocent."
After he finished speaking, County Magistrate Xu sighed and looked at Li Shouye, "Mr. Li, of course I know you are innocent, but now it is not something I can just believe. Rumors are stronger than tigers, and my daughter Yinyin has a strong temper. She will definitely die to prove her innocence."
"My poor Yin Yin, how could she encounter such a thing!"
This kind of rumor is not easy to make up.
Everyone saw Xu Yinyin and Li Shouye deal with Cheng Bingzhi together in the street.
The two of them had close contacts, so it was only when they spread the rumor that people believed it. If it had been anyone else, there would have been no need for County Magistrate Xu to suppress the rumor, and the rumor would not have spread.
No one is stupid. How could Miss Xu do something inappropriate with a stranger in the middle of the night?
Otherwise, anyone can be slandered by rumors.
There is no smoke without fire. There must be some sign to cause the smoke to blow.
Unfortunately, once this storm starts, it cannot be quelled with just a few words.
County Magistrate Xu was extremely worried.
At this time, Li Shouye looked at him and said, "Uncle Xu, I have a responsibility for this matter. If you think highly of me, after I have completed the palace examination and have some achievements, I will come to your house to propose to Miss Xu."
Li Shouye's voice was loud and clear.
When County Magistrate Xu heard this, his eyes lit up instantly.
He stared at Li Shouye, "Mr. Li, are you serious?!"
"Of course I take it seriously. It is because of me that Miss Xu is caught up in the rumors. I must be responsible for Miss Xu."
Li Shouye's words made Xu County Magistrate's eyes tear up. He looked at Li Shouye and said, "Mr. Li, you are so sensible that you are saving my daughter's life. Don't worry, as long as you are willing to marry my daughter, our Xu family will prepare a dowry of 100,000 for her. We will do our best to help you!"
County Magistrate Xu himself is not a high-ranking official, but his wife's family is a well-known wealthy businessman!
And she is her only child.
Their family is not very prominent, but their wealth is surprisingly rich.
Moreover, County Magistrate Xu is the county magistrate of Beijing and has extensive connections in the capital. If Li Shouye marries his daughter, he can help him find connections and get him a seventh-rank official position!
Li Shouye frowned when he heard this, "Uncle Xu, I'm not the kind of person who takes advantage of others."
"Mr. Li, please don't say anything more. As long as you are willing to marry our daughter, you will be the benefactor of our whole family." County Magistrate Xu was afraid that Li Shouye would regret it, so he gave him money and gifts. Knowing that Li Shouye loved reading, he gave him books from his room. When Li Shouye refused, he asked someone to pack them up and send them to Li's house.
When Li Shouye saw County Magistrate Xu like this, he knew that he was worried, so he left a token in exchange.
When he returned, it was the Xu family's carriage that personally sent him back.
Inside his house, Lu Hanyi was waiting in the yard.
Ever since Lu Hanyi made a big fuss that day, she has been quiet for a long time.
Because her son was going to take the palace examination, she treated him even better these days and never made trouble for him.
Seeing Li Shouye coming back, Lu Hanyi stepped forward and said with a smile, "Shouye, you're back. What did your uncle call you to do? And what did your uncle give you?"
The books sent by the Xu family were also sent back.
Li Shouye: "…"
Only then did Li Shouye realize that he had privately agreed to marry Xu Yinyin, but had not yet told his mother!
"Mom, I have something to discuss with you."
"What do we need to discuss? Just tell me directly. Is there anything that mother would not agree with you?!" Lu Hanyi smiled and heard her son speak.
"Mom, I want to marry Xu Yinyin, the daughter of the county magistrate of Xu County, Beijing."
After Li Shouye finished speaking cautiously, Lu Hanyi's smiling face changed in an instant.
"What did you say? Who are you going to marry?!"
Li Shouye mustered up his courage and repeated, "Mom, I want to marry Miss Xu Yinyin. She is also a good friend of cousin Xu Ying. I have met her several times."
Lu Hanyi stared at Li Shouye with eyes as big as copper bells, and after a while, she said, "Tell me again, where is that girl from?"
"The Xu family of Jing County Magistrate, the daughter of Xu County Magistrate, Xu Yinyin."
"You are going to marry the daughter of a seventh-rank official!"
Lu Hanyi thought about it and first figured out what kind of official the Jing County Magistrate was.
The magistrate of Jing County is of the seventh rank!
"Mom." Li Shouye frowned unhappily, "Father is only the magistrate of Donghai County. The Xu family is a good match for ours."
"How can you say you are a good match!" Lu Hanyi exploded on the spot, "You are going to be a noble and a prime minister in the future! How can she, the daughter of a county magistrate in a poor capital, be worthy of you!"
Li Shouye: "…"
"I won't allow you to do that! I absolutely won't allow you to marry that girl from the county magistrate's family! Only the legitimate daughter of a first-rank official, the prime minister, is worthy of a man as outstanding as my son!"
Li Shouye: "…"
"Mother, I have already promised her that I will propose marriage after the palace examination. If you are unwilling to propose marriage for me, I will ask other elders to propose marriage for me."
Li Shouye has made up his mind. He has already promised to release the person, so how can he take it back now?
And if he doesn't take responsibility for Xu Yinyin, Xu Yinyin will have no way out.
It is reasonable and logical for him to marry Xu Yinyin.
But when Lu Hanyi heard that her son was so determined to marry the daughter of a seventh-rank official, she was so angry that she cried out, "You unfilial son! Mother won't allow you to marry her! Mother will never allow you to marry her! She is not worthy of you! You are the most outstanding man in the world, and only the best and most noble girl in the world is worthy of you!"
"My son! You will be the number one in the imperial examination! When the time comes, all the ladies who want to marry you will line up from the street to the end of the alley, and there will be plenty for you to choose from! You can't marry a little official girl like that!"
"Mother, if you don't agree with me marrying Miss Xu, I won't take the palace exam!"
"Li Shouye!" Lu Hanyi stared at Li Shouye.
Li Shouye was extremely resolute. "Mother, Miss Xu is deeply involved in rumors because of me. I have already promised to marry her. If you don't agree, you will call me unfaithful and unrighteous. If that's the case, why should I take the exam?"
"Shouye, you can't not take the exam. You must take the palace examination! You, you have to finish the exam first!"
Lu Hanyi panicked immediately after hearing this and coaxed him to pass the palace examination.
"Mom, I must marry Miss Xu. If you don't propose marriage to me, I will find someone else to propose marriage to me."
Lu Hanyi gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, son, you take the test first! Everything will be settled after you finish the test!"
After she agreed, Li Shouye went back to his room to review his books.
Lu Hanyi felt so aggrieved when she saw her son being coaxed.
She had to wait, she couldn't make a fuss anymore.
We have to wait until he passes the palace examination first!
Three days passed in a blink of an eye, and soon it was the day of the palace examination.
Lu Hanyi got up early today and prepared to send Li Shouye to the palace examination.
Today, when she sent Li Shouye to take the exam, she met Tong Nanyuan outside the palace. She brought Cheng Suying and a girl she had never seen before.
"Second aunt, let's go together to send Shouye off." Tong Nanyuan said.
After she finished speaking, Cheng Suying spoke first, "Cousin, I wish you a smooth day and a stunning success."
"Thank you, cousin." Li Shouye nodded to Cheng Suying.
He moved his gaze again and it fell on the young woman next to Cheng Suying.
"Mr. Li, just relax and do well in the exam. I believe that your talent will help you get a good rank." As she said this, she half lowered her head, a blush of embarrassment on her face.
Li Shouye smiled at her, "Yeah."
When Lu Hanyi, who was standing by, saw this scene, her eyes widened instantly.
She didn't need anyone to introduce her, she had already guessed the girl's identity... It is said that mothers-in-law are naturally sensitive when they see their daughters-in-law, and they recognize them at the first sight.
It's her, it's her, it's her!
After Li Shouye responded to everyone, he went into the palace to take the exam. As soon as he left, Lu Hanyi looked at Xu Yinyin with a sinister look.
Xu Yinyin had naturally noticed Lu Hanyi a long time ago. She took a step forward and said shyly, "Hello, Madam Li."
"What are you saying? Who asked you to say hello?" Lu Hanyi's face was full of hostility, which frightened Xu Yinyin.
Tong Nanyuan hurriedly said, "Second aunt, this is..."
"I know who she is! No need for you to say anything!" Lu Hanyi directly brushed away Tong Nanyuan's hand.
Tong Nanyuan was pregnant, so she quickly stepped back to steady herself.
Cheng Suying and Xu Yinyin both stepped forward to support her.
"aunt!"
"Mrs. Lu!"
"You are the one with the surname Xu, right?" Lu Hanyi completely ignored Tong Nanyuan and looked at Xu Yinyin aggressively.
"Mrs. Li, it's me." Xu Yinyin raised her eyes half-timidly, her eyes full of caution and flattery.
Lu Hanyi looked her up and down. "You look decent, but you used some despicable tricks to seduce my son! My son must marry you!"
"Mrs. Li, I..."
"Second aunt, Yinyin didn't have one. It was my cousin who took the initiative to say he wanted to marry her."
"Shut up!" Lu Hanyi glared at her, "Do you have the right to speak?"
Cheng Suying told her to shut up.
Lu Hanyi turned around and glared at Xu Yinyin, "I'm telling you, my son will never marry the daughter of a minor official like you! He wants to be the top scholar and a high-ranking official in the future! Only the daughters of high-ranking officials are worthy of my son! You'd better give up and stop pestering my son!"
When Xu Yinyin heard this, her eyes immediately turned red.
Outside the palace, the other family members who came to see them off all looked over.
Lu Hanyi didn't care at all, she pointed at Xu Yinyin's nose and yelled, "You said you were from a good family, how could you be so shameless! You're seducing people before you even get married! Is this how your parents taught you to behave?"
"Lu Hanyi!" Tong Nanyuan saw this scene and said, "Are you crazy?"
"Don't try to smooth things over here. Don't think I don't know that you and your cousin must have instigated this! You two sisters just can't bear to see me live a good life! You've ruined my son by asking him to marry the daughter of such a minor official! I tell you, a girl from a small family like her wants to marry into my family, only I'm dead!"
When Xu Yinyin heard this, she covered her face and ran away.
"Yin Yin!"
Cheng Suying and Tong Nanyuan spoke at the same time. They no longer cared about Lu Hanyi and hurried to follow.
When Lu Hanyi saw the person she had driven away, a big smile appeared on her face.
All these questionable women were driven away by her!
In the afternoon, the gate of the palace opened and Li Shouye, who had finished his exam, walked out.
Lu Hanyi was the first to greet him, "Son! How did you do in the exam?"
"Mom, I got first place in the second class, and the list is announced." Li Shouye was refreshed.
"First place in the second class, announced..."
The top three are ranked first and the top ten are ranked second.
The first place in the second class will be announced!
Li Shouye made a great comeback.
"It's good to be admitted! The first in the second class is also the first!" Lu Hanyi laughed.
As she was laughing, she heard Li Shouye beside her ask, "By the way, mother, where are Miss Xu and the others?"
Hearing Li Shouye asking Xu Yinyin, Lu Hanyi wisely advised him, "Son, you have passed the imperial examination now, and you have a bright future ahead of you. How can that girl, who is a seventh-rank official and whose mother is a merchant, be worthy of you!"
"Now that you have finished the exams, your mother will carefully choose a wife for you. When it comes to family background, we will not even consider officials below the fifth rank. When it comes to appearance, only a beauty that can make fishes sink to the bottom of water, geese fall to the ground, and the moon hide in shame on flowers will be worthy of you! When it comes to character, we must choose the daughter of a scholarly family and a lady from a noble family!" Lu Hanyi said with great energy.
Li Shouye passed the imperial examination, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.
Lu Lingjun is finally no match for her this time!
Among those kids she raised, none of them is as capable as her son!
"My son, I will definitely marry you a wife who is as virtuous and kind as me, beautiful and intelligent. I will make sure that you will have a successful career and rise to the top in your career, and enjoy endless happiness in your life!"
Li Shouye: "…"
His fists clenched little by little, "Where did Miss Xu go?"
"Why are you still thinking about that Xu girl? She looks just like your aunt, unlucky and short-lived, unable to give birth to a son! I've driven her away for you. If she still has a bit of shame, she won't bother you in this life!"
After hearing what Lu Hanyi said, Li Shouye's pupils widened inch by inch, "You chased her away? Didn't you promise me that you would hire Miss Xu for me as soon as I passed the palace examination?"
Lu Hanyi sneered, her eyes full of wisdom, "Shouye, you are too kind, that's why those little cats and dogs were clinging to you before your palace examination, trying to snatch you as their son-in-law! You can't see it, but mother can see it! Mother just wants you to do well in the exam, and after you pass the exam, there will be a bunch of good girls waiting for you. Now that you have passed the Chuanlu, how can that girl named Xu be worthy of you! Mother will chase them away for you, and you will never be entangled with such a cheap woman again!"
Li Shouye looked at his mother's clever and calculating appearance, feeling extremely ashamed and angry. He clenched his fists and ran away while his mother chattered on.
"Protect the business! Protect the business!"
Li Shouye went to Xu Yinyin's house first.
He went to Xu's house today, but the door was closed and he was refused entry.
The steward of the Xu family came out and looked at him with disdain, "Mr. Li, if you don't want to marry my young lady, you could have just said so long ago. Why tease us? Your behavior of being respectful at first but arrogant later makes us wonder if our Xu family has offended you, and if our young lady owed you her life in her previous life!"
Li Shouye didn't hear a word of the scolding. He just asked, "Butler Xu, how is Miss Xu now?"
"Mr. Li, you don't need to worry about our young lady's life or death. Just go straight to your career and find a good wife and concubine!"
Butler Xu closed the door with a bang.
When Li Shouye saw this, he knew that his mother must have scolded Xu Yinyin badly.
Just when he was at a loss, the Xu family's door opened again and Cheng Suying walked out.
"cousin!"
"Cousin Li." Cheng Suying saw Li Shouye coming and looked up at him, her eyes full of indescribable emotion.
"How is Yinyin?"
Cheng Suying sighed, "Yinyin wants to become a nun."
"This, this..." Li Shouye frowned immediately.
Cheng Suying looked at him, "Yinyin asked me to tell you that she doesn't blame you. She knows you are kind and upright. She is grateful that you have stepped forward to help her out of trouble several times. She doesn't want to delay you in the future. You should find another good match. She wishes you all the best in the future and a smooth career."
As she spoke, she handed over the token that Li Shouye had left behind.
Li Shouye clenched his fists. After Cheng Suying finished saying this, she was about to get on the carriage to return to the mansion, but Li Shouye stopped her.
"Xiying, I will go back to the Marquis' Mansion with you, and I will ask my aunt to marry Yinyin for me!"
Now, he could only ask Lu Lingjun to come forward to save the situation.
Ningyang Marquis Mansion.
Cheng Binghao will return to Beijing in two days.
Lu Lingjun checked everywhere in the mansion, and from time to time he would go to Cheng Binghao's yard to see if he was missing anything.
She was walking around when Shuanghong came over to report.
"Madam, the eldest lady is here with Master Li."
Li Shouye is here?
Lu Lingjun's eyes flickered, "Let's go back to the yard."
As soon as she returned to her main courtyard, she saw Li Shouye sitting in the yard, lost in thought.
"Protect the business?"
"Aunt!" Li Shouye suddenly came back to his senses.
"What's wrong with you? I remember that you took the palace examination today. Didn't you do well in the examination?" Lu Lingjun asked in a gentle voice.
Li Shouye shook his head and said, "Aunt, I have passed the imperial examination."
Lu Lingjun's eyes lit up immediately after hearing this. "Congratulations to the first place in the second class!"
Although I am not in the top three, it is not that easy to get into the top three!
The Li family could not help Li Shouye at all, yet Li Shouye was able to get fourth place, which was already a great honor for his ancestors!
Lu Lingjun is not Lu Hanyi, who keeps her eyes closed and mouth open all day long shouting that she wants her son to be the top scorer in the imperial examination. She recognizes the value of this imperial examination.
Li Shouye is indeed promising.
"You must pass the imperial examination. I hope your mother won't make things difficult for you."
Hearing the greeting to Lu Hanyi, Li Shouye clenched his fists and said, "No."
Lu Lingjun nodded. It seemed that Lu Hanyi had grown up a bit.
Now the announcement can be accepted.
How could she not accept it? In the last imperial examination, she got the last place in the test given by Li Shouye. Lu Hanyi's mind became half clear now.
This time, Lu Hanyi was really relieved to have been ranked fourth.
She was afraid that her son would end up like her husband, only being a fellow Jinshi, which would be a real disappointment for her.
The first in the second class is still the first, no different from the top scorer!
This time, Lu Hanyi let herself and Li Shouye go.
"If that's the case, why are you still looking so sad?" Lu Lingjun looked at Li Shouye.
At this time, Li Shouye knelt down towards Lu Lingjun with a plop.
"Aunt, I want to ask you for something!"
Cheng Suying, who was standing by, also spoke up at this time, "Mom! Please help my cousin!"
After half a cup of tea, Lu Lingjun knew the whole story.
It turned out that Lu Hanyi scolded Xu Yinyin and drove her away today.
After listening to it, she just frowned and asked, "Why did you tell your mother in advance?"
She knew that Li Shouye had previously gone to the Xu family and agreed to marry Xu Yinyin.
But she had no idea that Li Shouye had told Lu Hanyi about the matter in advance.
She knew Lu Hanyi's bad temper, and she would definitely make a scene. She was ambitious and felt that a girl from a poor family was not worthy of her son. She thought that after Li Shouye finished the palace examination, he would tell her that he wanted to get married and asked her to find a girl for him first.
After she inquires outside, she will ask the people outside to wake them up.
Marrying a wife is always marrying a lower class woman, unless you are looking for a son-in-law!
Her family was neither high nor low, so it was extremely difficult for Li Shouye to be favored by the wealthy families. Her bad temper made her even more despised by the people of the same family. No matter which family wanted to marry their daughter to her, she would definitely not be able to find a good daughter-in-law even if she was picky.
When she feels discouraged, she will mention Xu Yinyin, whose family background is not too bad, and she will definitely consider it at this time.
Listening to Lu Lingyun's question, Li Shouye said disappointedly, "I wanted to make this matter a done deal, so I told her in advance. My mother clearly promised me before the palace examination that she would marry Yinyin to me after I passed the examination, but she changed her mind today and even scolded me and sent me away."
Li Shouye clenched his fists.
Lu Lingjun listened to Li Shouye's words and sighed, "Shouye, you are still too young."
He took it for granted that his mother would do what she promised, but he didn't know that with people like his mother, it was useless to have a good discussion.
After she agreed, she wanted to go back on her word, but if she said a few more words, the word "filial piety" would weigh down on her.
It has always been others who follow her wishes, never she who follows others' wishes!
"Mom, please help my cousin! Yinyin wants to become a nun now!" Cheng Suying said anxiously, "If you don't help her, her life will be over!"
Listening to the two of them begging her, Lu Lingjun thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but everything from now on depends on me."
"yes!"
"Thank you, auntie!"
Lu Lingjun was not in a hurry to go to the Xu family. She first asked someone to go to the Li family, avoid Lu Hanyi, and invite her sister-in-law Wei over.
Wei was flattered when she arrived at the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion.
"Mrs. Cheng, why did you call me here?" Wei asked cautiously.
Lu Lingjun looked at Wei, who in her previous life was always a smiling tiger scheming against her and instigated her mother-in-law to make things difficult for her, but now was cautious, respectful and polite to her, and smiled faintly.
Wei is a very calculating person who is also very good at pretending to be a good person. If you meet her in the inner house, it will be difficult to deal with her easily.
But now, she has no conflict of interest with Wei, and her status is even higher than hers, so she enjoys all the kind appearance of pretending to be a good person.
She had to act in front of Lu Lingjun! Try to please her!
"Sister Wei, actually I have something to ask you." Lu Lingjun took a sip of tea and said with a smile.
Hearing Lu Lingjun speaking to her so politely and calling her Sister Wei, Wei immediately smiled, "Madam Cheng, why are you so polite? We are all relatives. Although you are Hanyi's biological sister, you have a higher status than me, so you don't have to call me sister. Just call me Wei."
"How can I do that? It's because you're the aunt who's guarding the business that I have to call you sister." Lu Lingjun smiled.
Her reply was not about Lu Hanyi, but about Li Shouye.
Wei was a very smart person. When she heard that Lu Lingjun was referring to her relatives from Li Shouye's side, her eyes suddenly lit up and she understood what she was thinking.
Lu Lingjun came to her not because of Lu Hanyi, but because of Li Shouye.
Immediately, she smiled again, "Yes! Shouye is a very sensible and motivated child. I heard that he passed the imperial examination, which really makes me, his aunt, proud! Madam Cheng, you are Shouye's aunt, so I can accept calling you a sister!"
Wei was very sensible and agreed to Lu Lingjun's words.
When Lu Lingjun heard this, the smile on her face became even bigger. She held the teacup in her hand and said, "Sister Wei, I invited you here not for anything else but to keep the business going."
"What's the matter with keeping the business?"
"I have a good friend whose niece's surname is Xu and name is Yinyin. Her father is the magistrate of Jing County. These two children met because of Siying. Unexpectedly, they have feelings for each other. Now that the Shouye Palace Examination is over, I want to act as a matchmaker for them and arrange a marriage." Lu Lingjun said slowly.
"This is great news!" Wei's eyes rolled around, "The county magistrate of Jing is from the seventh rank, which is a good match for our family!"
If it was Wei's own son who passed the imperial examination and wanted to marry the daughter of a seventh-rank official in the capital, she would have thought it over carefully.
Although their family has not made any progress in the officialdom in recent years, the head of the family, Master Li, is a sixth-rank official. Based on his family background, he can also pick out a young lady from among the officials of higher ranks in the capital.
Just like Lu Lingjun and Lu Hanyi's family, they are fifth-rank Hanlin book editors!
The 7th rank official is a bit smaller...
But, isn't Li Shouye her nephew!
That's a perfect match.
If Li Shouye is so successful and marries a good wife, what will happen to her sons?
Wei quickly responded happily, "This is a great match, and since you are the matchmaker, Madam Cheng, Miss Xu must be a very good person! Our family is blessed to be able to keep the business!"
Lu Lingyun looked at Wei's mischievous expression, and her happy face after she had finished counting the beads on the abacus, and followed her words, "Sister Wei, I know that you are a sensible person. I asked you to come here to ask for a favor. Please talk to the grandparents who are guarding the business at home about this matter. If Master Li and the others agree, I will go to the Xu family in person to propose marriage so that these two children can become a couple."
After hearing what Lu Lingyun said, Wei's eyes turned again.
She had completely understood what Lu Lingjun meant!
Lu Lingjun wanted to bypass Lu Hanyi and get Li Shouye's marriage arranged by the two oldest elders of the Li family.
She didn't want to ask Lu Hanyi to arrange it!
Wei thought about it again and realized that Lu Lingjun certainly couldn't let Lu Hanyi know.
If it weren't for Lu Hanyi's temper, how could she let her son marry the daughter of a minor official!
Wei thought over and over again.
This matter, this matter...
Lu Lingjun looked at her expression and called out, "Shouye, come out and talk."
As she finished speaking, Li Shouye came out from the back of the house. He looked at Wei and said, "Aunt, I want to marry Miss Xu, and I'm asking my aunt to be the matchmaker."
After Li Shouye finished speaking, Lu Lingyun added, "Sister Wei, don't worry, I will be the matchmaker. Just discuss it with Master Li and the others for me."
Lu Lingjun's words completely dispelled Wei's concerns.
She called Li Shouye out, and he told her in person that it was really Li Shouye who agreed to this marriage.
She also said that she was acting as a matchmaker, which meant she was telling her that if Lu Hanyi knew about it, she should ask her to look for Lu Lingjun.
It has nothing to do with her!
All her worries were dispelled, and all that was left was to pass on a message to Li Shouye, asking him to marry the daughter of a minor official...
Why wouldn't Wei have any fun doing that?
She hurriedly agreed, "You kid, you fell in love with Miss Xu but didn't tell me first and only looked for your aunt. Don't you trust me?"
She scolded him while looking at Lu Lingjun. "Mrs. Cheng, I'll do as you say. I'll go back and talk to my parents-in-law. The children have their own ideas. How can I, as their aunt, not help them?"
Today, he would rather demolish ten temples than ruin Li Shouye's marriage!
Wei returned to the Li family.
He used all kinds of tricks to persuade his parents-in-law and praised Xu Yinyin to the highest degree.
The Xu family is a family of officials. Although the father is a low-ranking official, he is still an official in Beijing. She is an only daughter in the family and her family is powerful, so it would be no problem for her to marry Li Shouye.
The two of them were attracted to each other, and because they were introduced by Lu Lingyun, and her mother, the head of the Ningyang Marquis's Mansion, acted as a matchmaker, the old couple agreed to the marriage on the spot.
By the time Lu Hanyi returned to the Li family with a heroic and high-spirited step, ready to select a famous lady from all over the capital to be a wife for her son, Li Shouye's marriage had already been decided.
"What! You want to marry that girl named Xu to Shouye!"
"Sister-in-law, this is an excellent marriage." Wei went up to persuade her with a smile, "Miss Xu is gentle and virtuous, well-educated, and from a famous family. She is also beautiful, elegant and pretty. She is a perfect match for our Shouye. I have sent someone to calculate their horoscopes, and the master said that they are a perfect match!"
As she spoke, Wei took out the paper with the horoscope written on it and showed it to Lu Hanyi.
When Lu Hanyi saw this thing, his whole body was shaking with anger.
After Wei said "perfect match" he landed.
She was furious and snatched the two people's horoscopes.
"Bullshit!"
She tore the two of them apart and glared at Wei fiercely with red eyes.
"What kind of match is that! What kind of match is that! How can that lowly wild girl from a seventh-rank official's family be worthy of my son! My son got first place in the second class of the palace examination! He passed the imperial examination! The legitimate daughters of the prime minister and the prime minister are lining up to marry my son! And you find such a nobody to give to my son!"
Hearing this, Wei sneered, "Sister-in-law, our successor is a successor, not a champion. Even if he is the champion, the daughter of the prime minister is out of reach. You should be more realistic."
At her level, she can become a queen in the palace and marry a prince, a duke. Why does she marry you, the son of a county magistrate in Donghai?
"How can I be unrealistic! How is my son not outstanding? My son passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen! Can your son do the same?"
"Sister-in-law, I didn't say Shouye is a loser. He is the pride of our family for passing the imperial examination. But if my son is as successful as Shouye, I will ask him to marry Miss Xu! Miss Xu's family background is well matched with our Li family, and the two children are interested in each other. As a mother, I am very satisfied from the bottom of my heart!"
Hearing this, Lu Hanyi became even more angry and shook.
"You farted!"
If her son really passed the imperial examination and was asked to marry the daughter of a seventh-rank official as his daughter-in-law, how could she do that!
"If you want to marry that slut named Xu, then tell your son to marry her! You can marry her however you want, but I won't allow Shouye to marry her!"
Wei frowned, "Sister-in-law, Shouye loves Miss Xu. He told me so himself. As her mother, we can't break up the couple!"
Lu Hanyi threw a tantrum on the spot, "What does he know! I'm his mother, how can I not understand him! What I chose for him is what he likes! He doesn't even know what love is!"
"You know how come you can't even capture your husband's heart!" Just then, Grandma Li spoke.
Old Mrs. Li looked at her second daughter-in-law with disgust.
When she was looking for a daughter-in-law for her second son, she had her eyes on her eldest sister Lu Lingyun.
At that time, she felt that the girl was gentle and steady, and would make a good wife, so she didn't have much impression of Lu Hanyi.
But when he sent the engagement letter to match the horoscopes, he was told that Lu Lingyun had been chosen by the Ningyang Marquis's family. Their second daughter, Yunying, was also unmarried and was also at the banquet that day. She had always admired the talent of the second young master Li.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Li allowed them to exchange the birth certificates to match the horoscopes of Lu Hanyi and her second son.
She thought that Lu Hanyi was Lu Lingjun's biological sister. Lu Lingjun was a good girl at first sight, so her biological sister should not be any bad either.
Who would have thought!
After Lu Hanyi married into her family, everything became chaotic.
She can't get along with her sisters-in-law, and she is not popular in front of her mother-in-law. She goes back to her parents' home when something happens at home. She has brought shame to the Li family.
Later, his son passed the imperial examination in spring. Although he was only a fellow Jinshi, he was also a promising young man.
Several of them passed the imperial examination and became Jinshi in their early twenties.
But she just had to make a fuss and act up.
If it weren't for the fact that she gave birth to a son for the Li family, she would have asked her parents to come and take her back!
Later, her son went to Donghai County to be the county magistrate. As his wife, she did not take care of and support her husband, manage his rear, or build relationships and pave the way for him to move up. Instead, she spent all her time competing with the concubines in the backyard for his favor and getting angry with her son.
Later, I simply brought my son back to Beijing!
If it weren't for the fact that her elder sister from her natal family married into the Ningyang Marquis's Mansion and became the Crown Prince's wife and her own grandson, she would never have tolerated her!
This Lu Hanyi is obviously a sister of her elder sister. Her elder sister Lu Lingjun is well-known in the capital, but she is so naughty and noisy, making the whole family restless!
Old Mrs. Li disliked her second daughter-in-law more and more, and now she saw that she was going to arrange a marriage for her grandson.
She couldn't let such a promising grandson be ruined in her hands again!
Immediately, she used her dragon-headed cane to arrange Li Shouye's marriage.
"You can't even hold your husband's heart, and you still have the nerve to say that you understand the idea of preserving the business! I think Miss Xu is great, and she is a perfect match for our family, so this marriage is settled!"
Old Mrs. Li pounded the ground with a bang.
When Lu Hanyi heard this, her eyes immediately widened into bells.
"Oh! No! Absolutely not!"
Old Madam Li narrowed her eyes and looked at Lu Hanyi, with a cold light in her eyes, "Shouye is from our Li family, I can be his master! If you can't do it, go back to your mother's house!"
After saying that, Old Lady Li asked someone to pull Lu Hanyi out of her room.
I feel disgusted if I look at her for even a second.
Lu Hanyi was carried out by the servants on a fork. She screamed wildly and rolled on the ground howling madly.
"No! No!"
"I won't allow that Xu guy to enter my house!"
"My business is going to be ruined!"
"Let me go, let me go! I will fight you!"
With a bang, the door of Old Lady Li's yard closed.
Lu Hanyi was pushed out of the door and banged on it loudly. No one answered her, so she sat on the ground kicking her legs and howling loudly.
At this time, Wei walked out from a door at the side.
Lu Hanyi saw her and rushed towards her with red eyes.
"You bitch destroyed my son, I'm going to kill you!"
Wei looked at Lu Hanyi, who was furious and had murderous intent in her eyes. She quickly dodged to the side and asked the nanny and maids to stop her.
"Sister-in-law!"
"Wei Huifeng, I must kill you!"
When Wei met Lu Hanyi's murderous eyes, she quickly distanced herself from him.
"Sister-in-law, don't blame me. I was just asked to do that."
"who!"
Wei looked at her and said, "It's the wife of Ningyang Marquis. She asked me to arrange a marriage for Shouye."
Anyway, Lu Lingjun had given her a guarantee, which saved her from any future trouble.
If Lu Hanyi wants to find someone to hate, she should hate Lu Lingyun, not her.
Otherwise, she would not agree to this easily.
When Lu Hanyi heard Lu Lingjun's name, she suddenly shifted her target in anger.
She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and her eyes were filled with hatred.
"I knew it was her! She did it!"
"That woman just can't bear to see me live an easy life! I'm going to fight her!"
Lu Hanyi pushed away all the maids and nannies who were trying to stop her and rushed out in a hurry.
Go straight to Ningyang Marquis Mansion!
At this time, in Ningyang Marquis Mansion.
Lu Lingjun had just gone to the Xu family and helped Li Shouye finalize the marriage with the Xu family.
Since she came forward to act as a matchmaker, how could the Xu family not give her face?
Xu Yinyin was also persuaded by everyone.
Because of Lu Hanyi's disturbance today, she also knew in advance what kind of person Lu Hanyi was.
Lu Lingjun asked her alone whether she would still be willing to marry even if she knew what kind of person her future mother-in-law would be.
After listening to Lu Lingjun's words, Xu Yinyin pondered for a long time and only told her that she didn't know that Li Shouye had such a miserable life in the past, and she felt very sorry for him.
After hearing this, Lu Lingjun felt that it was worth it to help these two young people and offend Lu Hanyi.
True love is hard to find in this world.
In many marriages, it is already good enough if the two parties can not get tired of each other. If one of the two people is happy with each other, they are extremely lucky.
Lu Lingjun offended Lu Hanyi for the two of them, so let her offend him.
She wasn't afraid of her anyway.
Lu Lingjun was thinking this when she heard a servant coming to report in a hurry not long after she came back.
"Ma'am! Your sister is here!"
Lu Hanyi came right after me... It wasn't even a day late.
"Let her in." Lu Lingjun waved his hand.
Shuang Hong looked at her worriedly, "Madam, I see that the second young lady is coming with great force, as if she is specifically looking for trouble with you!"
"It's okay." Lu Lingjun said.
After a while, Lu Hanyi was brought in.
As soon as she stepped into Lu Lingyun's yard and saw her, she rushed towards her like a cow with red eyes.
"Lu Lingjun! I'm going to kill you!"
She had only taken a few steps when she was stopped by the maids in Lu Lingyun's yard from a distance.
At this time, the elderly Nanny Wan stepped forward and said, "Second Miss! What are you doing?"
"I want to kill Lu Lingjun! Let all of you go!"
Nanny Wan glanced at Lu Lingjun, then frowned at Lu Hanyi, "Second Miss, what are you crazy about? Isn't the eldest lady good to you?"
Nanny Wan is now completely Lu Lingjun's person.
He no longer recognized Liu and Lu Hanyi as the masters.
She lived a very comfortable life following Lu Lingjun for the rest of her life. Lu Lingjun was such a good master that there was nothing to complain about.
As long as she had no ulterior motives and did things properly, Lu Lingjun treated them very well.
With the help of Lu Lingyun over the years, she asked Liu to release her grandson from slavery, and now he can take part in the imperial examination.
She no longer has Liu and Lu Hanyi in her heart.
On the contrary, looking back now, she felt that the second young lady whom she had watched grow up was really stupid and annoying!
She is already a mother-in-law, but why is she still so childish? She wants to compete with her own sister in everything. The lady of their family helps her in everything, but she is not grateful at all and even comes to find fault!
Nanny Wan dislikes Lu Hanyi.
"You are a treacherous old slave who helped Lu Lingyun bully me! Your conscience has been eaten by a dog! Do you still recognize who your master is?"
Lu Hanyi yelled at Nanny Wan angrily.
When Nanny Wan heard this, her old face pulled, but she straightened her back, "Second Miss, since I was assigned to the eldest lady by the Madam eighteen years ago, I am the eldest lady's slave, and the eldest lady is my master!"
Hearing this, Lu Hanyi was furious and felt a sharp pain in her heart. "Okay, okay, you all betrayed me one by one! What's so good about Lu Lingjun? Why do you all only like her and not me?"
"You are all heartless and blind pigs and dogs!"
"You all deserve to die! You all deserve to die!"
Lu Hanyi started to cry as she cursed.
Nanny Wan was speechless as she looked at Lu Hanyi who broke down and cried.
Just look at yourself in the mirror and see who can like her!
Just when Lu Hanyi was crying out of breath, Lu Lingjun said, "Let her go."
As soon as the maids let go of her hands, Lu Hanyi rushed straight towards Lu Lingjun, wanting to die with her.
Just then, a figure came out from the side, blocked Lu Lingjun's way, and grabbed his mother.
"Mom, please stop picking on your aunt."
Li Shouye stepped forward and said, "I asked my aunt to propose marriage for me."
Hearing this, Lu Hanyi raised his head and looked at his son, "What did you say!"
"It was my aunt who asked for help." Li Shouye repeated word by word.
Hearing Li Shouye say this, it was like a thousand arrows piercing Lu Hanyi's heart. She loudly questioned her son, "How can you beg her! Don't you know that she is the person I hate the most!"
Everyone is on Lu Lingyun's side and she can accept it, except Li Shouye!
This is her own son!
How could she do this to her!
He knew clearly that she hated Lu Lingjun the most, but he went to beg Lu Lingjun behind her back! This made her, as a mother, feel so upset!
"Because you lied to me."
At this time, Li Shouye spoke.
"You clearly promised me that you would marry Miss Xu after my palace examination, but you drove her away without telling me."
Li Shouye questioned Lu Hanyi like this.
When Lu Hanyi heard him talking about this, she looked away for a moment. She said with a worried look in her heart, "Son! That Xu guy is really not worthy of me..."
"But I like Yin Yin!" Li Shouye said loudly.
When Lu Hanyi heard her son speak to her so loudly, she was stunned.
"You never asked me what I like. From childhood to adulthood, you always forced me to like something! I finally met a woman I like and wanted to be the boss. You clearly promised me, but you went back on your word! Are you really doing this for my own good?"
Lu Hanyi didn't say anything, her eyes froze for a moment, and she looked like she had aged ten years.
Li Shouye looked at his haggard mother, and his eyes softened. He said to her, "Mom, I'll be the boss this time, and I'll obey you from now on, okay?"
Lu Hanyi vented all her anger and responded, "She's surnamed Xu, so let her be surnamed Xu. If you want to marry her, just marry her."
Lu Hanyi finally agreed to her son's marriage. Li Shouye brought her mother back to the Li family and talked to her for most of the night, finally making Lu Hanyi recover from her grief. She agreed, but she didn't care about the betrothal gift.
The Li family and Lu Lingyun should take care of it themselves! This daughter-in-law is not the one she wants to marry, so if Xu Yinyin wants to marry, just marry her! She won't give a betrothal gift! Wei was entrusted to promote this marriage, but she was asked to take out a generous betrothal gift to marry Xu Yinyin for Li Shouye.
That was impossible. To be honest, the old Li family should have split up long ago. Li Shouye's father, Li Wenxun, went to Jiangnan to be an official for more than ten years and didn't pay a penny to his family. Lu Hanyi and Li Shouye lived and ate at the Li family, so they were taking advantage of their eldest wife.
Today, her second son, Li Shouye, is getting married, how can Wei take out a generous betrothal gift. She drafted a list of the most basic betrothal gifts in the mansion and sent it to the matchmaker Lu Lingyun. Two sets of bowls and chopsticks, six wedding quilts, two pieces of cloth, tables, chairs, benches, screens, bathtubs and other large items that took up space were listed, totaling thirty-eight loads of dowry, which were shoved away in a rush. As for the real estate, land and other valuable things, there was none!
These should be prepared by the parents for their son, and Li Shouye should go to his parents to ask for them! Lu Lingyun received the betrothal gift list sent by the Li family. Xu Yinyin's mother Zhang was at Lu Lingyun's place at the time. Lu Lingyun took a look at it and sighed softly, "Shouye is not favored at home." Zhang heard this and asked for the betrothal gift list.
If it were another family, this betrothal gift list alone would offend the girl's family. This is too insincere! The Li family was at least a sixth-rank official in Beijing. When they hired the daughter of the Lu family, they prepared 68 loads of dowry. Now it was their grandchildren's turn, and they were the most promising ones, so they only prepared such a small amount of things to send people away!
But after Lu Lingyun said this, Zhang read the dowry list and said, "I have seen Shouye, a good child. The Li family does not value him, but our family does. We will give Yinyin a dowry with a yard for the children to live in!" Zhang was not stupid. She could see that the Li family had a complicated environment. Li Shouye's father was not in the capital, and the whole family still lived together.
Li Shouye was not valued at home, and her daughter would suffer if she married! Giving a lot of betrothal gifts might also be secretly occupied by their family. She simply gave her daughter a new house as a dowry, and when she got married, all the dowry was carried to the new house! She prepared enough dowry for her daughter and asked her daughter and son-in-law to live in her house.
Let's see who dares to bully Xu Yinyin in the future! Seeing Zhang's attitude, Lu Lingjun smiled at her and added two betrothal gifts to the list of Li's family as an aunt. Her attitude only made Zhang grateful and close to her.
After returning to Xu's house, she said to Xu Yinyin earnestly, "Yinyin, when you get married in the future, just get close to the wife of Ningyang Marquis's Mansion. If you have something that is inconvenient to go to your mother's house, just go to Madam Cheng. You should treat her as half a mother-in-law!" Xu Yinyin listened to her mother's words and nodded heavily.
She had seen what kind of person Li Shouye's mother was. With such a mother-in-law...she really had to find another good one. After the engagement, the date had to be set. After Lu Hanyi learned that the Xu family's dowry also had a separate house, she lay at home for half a day and then got up vigorously to discuss the big day of the wedding as a mother-in-law. It's time to get married early!
The sooner the better! She can move out of this aggrieved Li family! She finally has her own house! From now on, she no longer has to think that her parents' home is not her home, and her husband's home is not her home either. She finally has a home of her own! She also has to let her annoying sister-in-law take a good look at how capable her son is! He married a daughter-in-law with such a generous dowry! Unlike her son, who married only money-losing women! Lu Hanyi is doing well again!
Lu Lingjun looked at Lu Hanyi who was making orders in the wedding room of the Xu family's dowry, and shook her head helplessly. She has no time to take care of her these days because her son Binghao is back! "Lu Lingjun, when it comes to getting married, we are both the same, and no one has won over the other! But when it comes to sons! Your son can't compare to me at all!"
Lu Hanyi said to Lu Lingjun with great satisfaction after deciding the date for Xu Yinyin to marry. "My son is the youngest Jinshi, and he ranked fourth in the imperial examination this year! What about your son! He hasn't even passed the Juren exam!" Lu Lingjun: "..." At this moment, Shuanghong ran in with a happy face.
"Madam! Madam! You're back!" "Who's back? Look at you, you're so useless. You're so old and still can't keep calm. You're really embarrassing our Lu family!" Lu Hanyi glanced at the maid from her family who came with Lu Lingjun as a dowry. The people around Lu Lingjun are just not good enough. If she could become the mistress of the Ningyang Marquis' Mansion in her previous life, she would have replaced all the servants with smart, pretty and presentable ones. The maids of the ladies of those wealthy families are all capable, good-looking and know the rules. They are very smart and can make their masters happy without any worries! Unlike Lu Lingjun, she still keeps these stupid old people around! She really doesn't know how to be a mistress.
She is useless as a mistress! As Lu Hanyi was disdainful in her heart, a tall and handsome young general in armor walked in. The armor on his body made a heavy metal sound with every step he took. The sharpness of the young man was as dazzling as light. In an instant, everyone around him became a background board.
Even her most outstanding son Li Shouye, if he was next to him at this moment, his light would be extinguished in an instant. He was as dazzling as the morning sun. He knelt in front of Lu Lingyun with a plop. "Mom!" Lu Hanyi was stunned by the call of mom. She was shocked to see the handsome young general kneeling in front of Lu Lingyun, calling mom excitedly. He, he is Lu Lingyun's second son, Cheng Binghao? ! "Binghao, you're back."
Lu Lingjun stood up happily and walked to Cheng Binghao joyfully, "Get up quickly and let mother take a good look at you." The armor clanged, and the young general Cheng Binghao stood up calmly, showing a bright smile to Lu Lingjun, "Mom." Lu Lingjun grabbed her grown-up second son and looked him up and down, left and right, and saw that he had no missing arms or legs, and everything was very healthy.
Only then did she remember, "Why did you come back? I remember you should go to the palace to pay homage to His Majesty at this time." "I went into the city and went home before Uncle Wang and the others. They have just entered the city gate now."
Cheng Binghao showed a mouthful of white and shining teeth, and smiled very happily, "I was anxious to go home to see you first!"