Chapter 30 Promise

Bai, who was waiting in line behind Li Qu to come in and complain, waited and waited but Li Qu didn't come out. She was so angry that she stomped her feet.

Finally, she saw the curtain swaying. She quickly straightened her skirt and saw Second Master Zhou helping Second Madam Yao out with smiles, followed by the young ladies of the Second Branch.

Master Zhou laughed and said, "You're absolutely right. Putting everything else aside, just their looks alone are a perfect match for the third brother."

Ms. Yao just smiled and didn't respond, but her expression was relaxed, so she must have been in a good mood.

"Hey, Madam, this Li family helped me vent my anger. If I don't show some appreciation, wouldn't that be inconsistent with my wealthy and powerful image?"

"Madam, as you know, that scoundrel Zheng dared to come to our door and insult our third son! He doesn't respect the Zhou family at all!"

"We can't kill him to vent our anger, and we don't have the upper hand even if we beat him. He's so angry!"

Madam Yao smiled gently: "Second Master brought back some trinkets for the women when he returned to the manor. Everyone in Third Brother's room received one. Madam Li's trinkets were more valuable because she served Third Master well, and no one can find fault with them."

"Wonderful ma'am."

"When will Second Master return home this time?"

"Wait for news from the third brother. You know, business in the south is inseparable from the river. Speaking of which, I haven't seen the fourth girl yet, even though I've been back for a few days."

"Aunt Qin was sent to the estate by the old lady, and the fourth young lady and the fourth young master begged to go with her."

"Wouldn't Ye Ge'er's going to the manor interfere with his studies?"

"The Fourth Young Master is unwilling to be separated from his birth mother, and I have no good solution. I can only invite a famous teacher to the manor to teach him. The Fourth Miss also has a nanny to teach her."

"Furthermore, the Fourth Miss and Fourth Young Master's clothing, food, lodging and transportation will be provided in the same way as before. A carriage has also been arranged at the manor so that the Fourth Miss and Fourth Young Master can return to the manor at any time."

Master Zhou said sheepishly, "Madam is very considerate."

By the time the second wife's voice completely disappeared, Madam Bai had not received any news of Xueying inviting her in to pay her respects. On the contrary, that vile woman Li had not yet come out.

In the main hall, incense smoke curled gently. The old lady had let her hair down, and Li Qu was massaging her.

"The massage from Snow Oriole is never as comfortable as the one from you."

Li Qu replied respectfully, "I will come often to help the old lady relieve her fatigue from now on."

"I was forty when I had my third child. My second child is fourteen years older than my third. Because my second child had two older sisters, he was spoiled too much and his personality is slightly off."

"Therefore, when I was raising my third son, I was much stricter with him, for fear that he would be as rebellious and unreliable as his second brother."

"As a result, the third son was born upright and even more polite and well-mannered than the eldest son."

"In addition to strict upbringing, they became increasingly rigid and unapproachable."

"Normally, we only saw that he was well-mannered, excellent in everything, and a bit taciturn. But when we discovered that he was stubborn and extreme, always taking things too seriously, and would beat and kill old servants who made mistakes without any mercy or change in expression, his father and I were already at a loss."

"The old man was heartbroken, but had no choice but to send him to study with the hermit of Yunshan for twelve years. When he returned, he went north to participate in the imperial examination with the pride of winning five top honors, but he missed the chance to become the top scholar."

The old lady would always feel regret and remorse whenever she mentioned this.

"Later, he served as the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations and spent more than seven years navigating the officialdom."

Li Qu silently calculated that Zhou Jin was twenty-six this year, and nineteen seven years ago.

The 19-year-old third-place scholar was indeed a young prodigy.

Going back further, he was seven years old when he killed a slave without batting an eye.

Seven years old, childhood.

The image of a child losing his baby teeth ordering a murder gradually overlapped with the image of the person in Li Qu's mind who said "castration and sending to the authorities."

She couldn't help but shiver.

The old lady seemed oblivious.

"Being apart for long periods of time has resulted in him returning home, but he is not close to his family."

"Fortunately, I have you now."

Li Qu quickly replied, "It is my good fortune."

"For a mother, her son's safety is more important than anything else. You must stay by his side and persuade him to kill less. Just like that Lord Zheng, if you hadn't happened to run into him, he would probably have already been killed in the Brocade Hall."

"The canal soldiers are in charge of the water system, which connects the south and the north and is of great importance. However, the canal soldiers have recognized my Zhou family as their master for three hundred years, which has aroused the suspicion of the royal family for a long time."

"When the eldest son became an official in the capital, wasn't he also being coerced by the Zhou family by sending a hostage to the capital?"

"The current royal family not only controls the eldest grandson line of my Zhou family, but also wants the third son to cut off his own arm and send the grain transport troops back to the royal family."

"The royal family is going too far."

Li Qu listened silently, wondering what the old lady's purpose was in telling her all this today.

"Unfortunately, the royal family miscalculated."

"During the third son's travels, wherever he went, the canal soldiers protected him with all their might. In addition, he became famous at a young age, and he was the successor that the canal soldiers in the Zhou family were looking forward to."

"Letting him return south is no different from letting a tiger return to the mountain."

"It would be best if the Zhou family and the royal family could coexist peacefully; if not, it is the inevitable trend of the times."

"I fear that the third son's nature is hard to change. When he is fighting against the royal family, he will be heartless and ungrateful, and will not care about the affection between brothers."

"Since you have gained favor with him, I entrust the safety of the eldest son's family to your words."

Li Qu withdrew her hands, knelt down, and begged for forgiveness: "I am terrified."

The old lady sat up, her long, black and white hair tumbling and taking shape in Rong Mama's hands, then being sealed into a hair bun by hairpins.

"If you can save Zheng Changxing's life, then you must also be able to save the lives of the eldest son's entire family."

At this moment, Li Qu had a deep understanding of her second sister's mindset when she made things difficult for her.

“I will not misjudge you. If you agree to this, I will grant you another request in the future.”

Li Qu suddenly raised her head, her pupils inexplicably dilating.

The pounding of his heart could almost shatter the wisps of smoke in the incense burner.

Li Qu suddenly lowered his head and lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to move for a long time.

"Of course, you can't do that now, after all, you don't even know how many canal soldiers the third brother has met."

"Let's leave aside the matter of relying on you as a informant."

"What you need to do now is maintain and upgrade your current value."

"Don't even think about leaving the third brother until the eldest brother's family is safe."

"Madam Li, wife of Magistrate Zhao of Wanxian County, recently gave birth to another son. I suppose you haven't received the news yet. This is the baby hair of the second young master Zhao. Take it back as a souvenir."

Li Qu felt something soft hit her head. She looked up slightly and saw a dark green purse embroidered with water lilies lying in front of her.

Instead of her previous nervousness, she spoke calmly, her voice as still as a pool: "Men are fickle. If Third Master tires of me in a month or two, he will replace me with a new concubine..."

"Then there's nothing for you to do. And I won't make things difficult for you or your family."

Li Qu reached out and put the purse into her palm, then knelt down and kowtowed: "Your concubine obeys."

After leaving Shou'an Hall, Li Qu found that her back was ice-cold.

Old ginger is spicier.

Xu Mama stood guard outside the door, unaware of what had happened. Seeing Li Qu's pale face, she assumed that Li Qu had been scolded by the old lady. She held an umbrella over Li Qu and helped her walk outside.

"It's hot, Auntie, please slow down."

Bai Shi never got to see the old lady; Xueying had asked her to leave long ago.

After helping Li Qu down the steps, Granny Xu cautiously asked, "What happened? Did the old lady have a hard time with you?"

Li Qu shook her head, unwilling to say more.

After watching Li Qu and her servant leave together, Granny Rong returned to the old lady's side.

The old lady sighed: "Parents love their children and plan far ahead for them."

"If this plan succeeds, the eldest brother will have a chance to survive, and the third brother will be able to win the heart of his beloved."

Xueying announced that the kitchen had delivered the meal. Rong Mama waved her hand, indicating that Xueying should take the meal to the side hall.

The old lady got up, fiddling with her prayer beads.

Granny Rong stepped forward to help her up: "With the old lady overseeing things, no one can escape her discerning eyes."

The old lady chuckled: "What kind of insight do I have? It's just that Li Shi's desire to leave is completely undisguised!"

"She was favored by the emperor and did not want to interfere in the affairs of the third wife's family before the mistress entered the house, so she did not have any intention of managing Fanghua Garden."

"Do you think she's such a fool who doesn't even realize these things?"

Granny Rong did not respond.

How could someone who can make an old lady laugh one minute and then betray her the next minute be a fool?

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he's cunning and calculating.

"Seeing that the third son has taken it to heart, I can't just stand by and watch him suffer the consequences."

"Then you'll make a promise to Aunt Li?"

As the two were talking, they arrived at the side hall.

In the side hall, Lu Yanyan, who had been waiting, smiled and stepped forward to greet the old lady, saying, "Aunt."

The old lady smiled and nodded, took her seat, and said to Granny Rong, "Things shouldn't be taken to extremes."

Lu Yanyan, accompanied by her maid, carried copper basins, spittoons, mouthwash, and clean cloths to serve the old lady before her meal.

Granny Rong chimed in, praising, "The old lady is truly wise."

The old lady just chuckled softly.