Chapter 208 Li Mu was crippled

Li Nanke felt a little sad.

If possible, she also hopes that her father can be free and live the life he wants.

However, in their current situation, they are threatened by Song Hui, a reborn woman, and their grandfather and second uncle are sharpening their knives.

Their family is too weak now.

The little girl trembled involuntarily at the thought of her family's tragic deaths in her dream.

She said softly, "Father, have you thought about what we would do if our family were to suddenly encounter a calamity, and if you didn't have the protection of your official position?"

Li Mu frowned.

"Misfortune? The three of us live our own lives, how could we possibly invite misfortune? Besides, fortune and misfortune are determined by fate."

"What is meant to be will be; if it's not a blessing, it's a curse; if it's a curse, there's no escaping it. Even if I become an official, does that guarantee I'll avoid disaster?"

Li Mu paused, then suddenly his eyes filled with wariness.

"Ke'er, tell your father, did that brat Shen Cong tell you these things? I knew he had no good intentions."

Your father is telling you to stay away from that brat Chen Cong from now on.

What is his relationship with our family? He told me to run for office, so am I supposed to go and suffer like this?

Li Nanke looked helpless.

"It wasn't King Xuan who said that; he only told me about the selection of officials by the court."

She wanted to persuade her again, but saw Song Yi gently shake her head.

"It's late, my dear, Ke'er, you should go to sleep. Your mother and father will consider what you said."

Li Nanke knew that persuading his father to become an official was not something that could be accomplished overnight, so he could only helplessly jump off the chair.

"Father, Mother, Ke'er is going to sleep now."

Li Mu got up and saw her to the door, not forgetting to give her another word of advice.

"That boy is pale and thin like a ghost, yet he is extremely ruthless at such a young age, and His Majesty indulges him. Such a person will not have a good end in the future."

"Ke'er, remember, we won't associate with him anymore."

Achoo, achoo!

Inside the residence of Prince Xuan.

Shen Cong suddenly sneezed a series of sneezes.

Erfeng quickly picked up the cloak from the clothes rack. "It's too cold, Your Highness, why don't you put this on?"

Shen Cong raised his hand to stop him.

"It's okay to be a little cold; it makes you more alert."

Erfeng felt a sudden pang of sadness.

Since he started vomiting blood frequently over the past six months, the prince has been having a very hard time.

Not only did he cough up blood, but he also had to endure excruciating pain all over his body. He spent countless nights guarding the prince.

Watching him curl up into a small ball, his body covered in cold sweat that soaked the blanket, yet he still gritted his teeth and endured it, without uttering a sound.

If the Empress Dowager were still alive, she would be heartbroken to see the prince like this.

Erfeng suppressed the stinging in his eyes, quickly turned around, took a piece of pressed borneol and put it into the incense burner.

The cool, spicy fragrance spread throughout the room like a mountain spring, suppressing the bitterness in Erfeng's eyes.

"Did Your Highness tell Miss Ke'er today that the Ministry of Works is going to establish the Water Conservancy Bureau, so that Ke'er can tell her father to try to get the position of Water Conservancy Commissioner?"

Shen Cong put down the book in his hand and hummed in agreement.

Erfeng frowned.

"Is Li Mu up to the task? He's never even been to the Ministry of Revenue, such a prestigious position. How can he possibly endure the hardships of a job like the Water Conservancy Commissioner?"

Shen Cong leaned back on the soft pillow behind him and remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"You'll only know if you try."

Erfeng sighed.

There are too few people who can serve the prince, otherwise the prince would not have chosen a young nobleman like Li Mu who only knows how to idle around.

Although he thought this in his heart, he still smiled and said, "That's good. If Li Mu really succeeds, no one will suspect that he has a prince behind him."

Just as no one believed that an eight-year-old girl like Ke'er could have earned the prince over ten thousand taels of silver.

Shen Cong silently curled the corners of his lips.

Erfeng added, "But Li Muming clearly doesn't like being an official. What if Miss Ke'er can't persuade her father?"

Shen Cong's expression was resolute.

"She will persuade Li Mu."

Erfeng looked surprised. "Your Highness trusts Miss Ke'er so much? Well, Miss Ke'er has a strong competitive spirit."

It all comes down to who can outmaneuver whom, father or daughter.

Shen Cong thought about how Li Nanke had earnestly advised his father and couldn't help but chuckle.

Erfeng couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Sure enough, the prince's smile would brighten whenever Ke'er was mentioned.

Even symptoms of coldness and general discomfort will be much less frequent.

Erfeng couldn't help but mutter, "If only Miss Ke'er could live in our Prince's mansion, she would surely make the Prince happy every day."

Shen Cong glanced at him, his smile fading slightly.

"Has there been any news from Guiliu?"

Erfeng: "We received a message by carrier pigeon yesterday saying that we have entered Miao territory. Now we can only wait for news."

The night grew deeper, and the moon had somehow disappeared into the clouds, leaving only a hazy outline.

In the study of the Marquis of Anping's residence.

Li Yao sat opposite Marquis Anping, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Father, is there really no other way? After all, Madam Sun is my husband, and she has given birth to a son and a daughter for me."

She's not favored in the Sun family; if she goes back, she'll be bullied.

Marquis Anping tapped the table impatiently.

“She’s just a woman. You can marry another one if you lose her. I’ve told you that several times already. Why are you still worrying about this?”

The most important thing now is to find a way to make that rebellious son give up his position as crown prince. If you take the crown prince's position...

"In the future, won't you be in charge of the Marquis's mansion? If you want to bring Lady Sun back, who can stop you?"

Li Yao understood the meaning behind Marquis Anping's words, and his eyes lit up immediately.

"Father is right, it is your son who is confused."

He then changed the subject and whispered, "After all, my elder brother is Father's eldest son. Does Father really want his son to become the heir apparent and take over the Marquis's mansion in the future?"

Marquis Anping nodded and patted him on the shoulder.

“Ah Yao, you must remember that in my heart, the person I trust and love the most is you. As for that unfilial son, ha... if I could, I would pretend that I never gave birth to him.”

Li Yao was secretly delighted.

“But my elder brother is the eldest son and the legitimate son. It’s not easy to remove him from his position as heir apparent if he hasn’t made any mistakes.”

Marquis Anping didn't take it seriously and snorted coldly, "It's all up to people. I was thinking that since he doesn't have a son, the title will definitely go to Zhenxuan in the future."

But now that the Song family is in charge of the household affairs and the eldest branch of the family is becoming increasingly powerful, we cannot let them continue like this.

Previously, you served in Nanyang, which was far away and inconvenient. Now that your term has ended, you need to be re-selected in Bianjing.

This period is convenient for us to carry out our plans.

Li Yao's eyes brightened slightly.

"Could it be that Father already has a plan?"

Marquis Anping smiled and nodded, "That's right. To suppress Li Mu, the first step is for you to have a powerful position."

It just so happens that that brat Li Nanke became the princess's study companion, so we used that as an excuse to get around.

"I have already found you an official position."

Marquis Anping picked up his brush and wrote a few words on the paper.

Li Yao was stunned.

"Father, this...this assignment, how is that possible?"