Chapter 12: Suspicion 3 How could a person's birthmark disappear for no reason...

Li Taian was really pissed off by this bastard and immediately decided to deduct nearly two months' salary from him and put him under house arrest for a month, not even allowing him to go to the academy.

He Manyun wanted to speak well of her son, but was also scolded by Li Taian.

Li Jianye hated his father so much that he wished he would die immediately.

Of course, he hated that so-called sister even more.

She actually dared to deny it in public. Wasn't she making a fool of him?

Li Jianye was not satisfied, but he could do nothing about it. He was beaten, caught a cold, and was so angry that he really developed a cough this time.

He coughed all day and all night, so painfully that he wished he could cough off the roof of Moxiangyuan.

Within two days, his already thin body became even more emaciated.

He Manyun was panicked and hurriedly called a doctor.

After the doctor's diagnosis, he concluded: "Your son may be suffering from tuberculosis."

He Manyun couldn't believe it, tuberculosis is a terminal illness.

She was at a loss for a moment: "Did the sir...did he make a mistake in the diagnosis?"

The doctor looked unhappy and said, "If you have any doubts, you can find another expert to take a look."

He Manyun had indeed spent a lot of money and, through various connections, invited an old imperial physician from the palace. After a thorough examination, the old physician came to the same conclusion: "Tuberculosis."

Then he comforted her, "But don't worry, Madam. Your son's condition is not serious. With careful care, his life will be safe for the time being."

What’s the point of not worrying about your life for now? Your career and prospects are all gone.

He Manyun felt like the sky had fallen. After the imperial physician left, she turned back to her son's bedside and cried long and short tears.

If it weren't for this son, why would she have endured the "humiliation of being a concubine" for several years?

If it weren't for this son, why would she be so attentive and considerate in front of Li Taian.

Now, the son finally became the legitimate son of the Li family, but he happened to be diagnosed with a disease that makes people live in the dead.

But it just so happened that a few days ago, Li Taian's concubine gave birth to a son named Li Mingze.

There would be no place for them and their son in the Li family from now on. He Manyun cried more and more sadly.

Li Jianye coughed and sighed, "I'm not dead yet, it's too early for mother to cry."

He added, "Even if I die, I will not let Li Shuli go."

He Manyun stopped crying upon hearing this and helped her son drink a few sips of tea. Seeing that his cough had eased a little, she asked with a sob, "Was it really Li Shuli who led you to Feihong Pavilion?"

Li Jianye asked in return, "Could it be that Mother doesn't believe me either?"

"Then why did she lead you there?"

"I told you, she seduced me."

He Manyun seemed to be half-believing and gave him a look of disapproval.

After a moment, he asked, "You were unconscious, but was she the one behind it?"

Li Jianye thought for a moment and said, "If it's not her, then who else could it be? I don't know how she could have done this."

He only remembered that he suddenly lost his strength after hugging Li Shuli that night.

He still remembered the smooth back without birthmarks.

He wanted to mention Li Shuli's birthmark to his mother, but he was afraid of being scolded, so he had to endure it.

After all, what brother would know his sister's body so well?

He Manyun was so angry that she gnashed her teeth. It was bad enough that that little bitch poisoned her with arsenic, but now she even dared to touch her son. This was intolerable.

She said, "Since she is so ungrateful, don't blame me for being rude."

"Does mother have any way to punish her?"

He Manyun sneered, "She's getting married soon, isn't she? I'll make sure she doesn't get a single cent of her dowry. A woman's dowry is her dignity. Not only will she be too embarrassed to see outsiders, she'll even have trouble living in the Xie family."

Then she warned, "This matter must be kept secret. Don't let that little girl know about it. Otherwise, if she talks to your father about it in advance, she will have the upper hand."

Li Jianye's brows finally relaxed: "Mother is wise."

Xiaolian, the maid guarding outside the door, was stunned when she heard this and secretly clenched her fists.

Xiaolian served in the main courtyard. She was not very favored and was always scolded by He Manyun.

But Xiaolian also has her own good friend in the mansion, and that person is Chunlan.

Chunlan often took care of her, chatted with her, and always brought her delicious cakes.

Therefore, she had to go and inform the police.

Although she didn't like the domineering young lady in the mansion, Chunlan said that the young lady had changed her temperament after returning from the villa and was more caring towards the servants, so she might as well help her.

After coming out of Moxiangyuan, Xiaolian didn't have time to rest. She found an excuse to slip out and hurried to Yixiangyuan. She found Chunlan and told her about He Manyun's attempt to deduct the young lady's dowry.

Chunlan was shocked and quickly reported the matter to Su He.

Su He looked at the embroidered wedding dress on the couch and was speechless for a long time.

Zhang Xiuhua was no longer calm.

She thought that the small treasury would be full, but she didn't expect that Mrs. Li would deduct all the dowry. Isn't this a ruthless act?

"Miss, should we go find He Manyun and have a big argument? Let the whole palace and the whole city know about it. Then she will be forced to consider what others say and give a generous dowry."

Su He's expression remained calm, his dark eyes like deep pools.

She spoke slowly and calmly, "He Manyun has always been very cautious and thorough in the Li family. Even when Li Shuli poisoned her, she pretended to be open-minded and kept silent. Wasn't it all for her son, Li Jianye? Now that Li Jianye has tuberculosis and his future is hopeless, she has given up and revealed her true colors. Now, let alone arguing with her, even if we start a fight, she will definitely not care about what others think."

Zhang Xiuhua was at a loss: "What should I do?"

Su He pondered for a moment. "Actually, the one who can truly decide the amount of my dowry isn't He Manyun, but the head of the family, Li Taian. If He Manyun wants to deduct my dowry, she'll have to get past Li Taian. And her way of persuading Li Taian is nothing more than showing weakness and playing the victim. She'll then recount the evil deeds of me poisoning her and causing Li Jianye's illness. Li Taian is known for his softness, so maybe he'll give in to her."

Chunlan was deflated: "So this time...are we going to lose?"

Su He did not respond immediately, but turned around to check the almanac. The wedding was to take place in ten days.

There is not much time left, she must finalize the dowry as soon as possible.

Su He replied: "If He Manyun can convince Li Taian, so can I. I am still his daughter."

She turned and went into the inner room, saying as she walked, "Change your clothes and go to welcome 'father' back home."

She must convince Li Taian before Li Manyun does.

Li Taian is on duty at 3:00 PM every day.

Most of the time, he would chat about official business with his colleagues at the Wuyou Tea House, have some tea and snacks, and then return home at dusk.

Su He waited directly in the lobby of Wuyou Tea House.

As soon as Li Taian came in, she stood up to greet him and called him "Father" obediently.

Li Taian was stunned: "Li'er...why are you here too?"

Su He said solemnly, "My daughter has something important to tell her father."

Li Taian was puzzled for a moment. After greeting his colleagues, he took Su He to the private room on the second floor. "Li'er, what is it that you can't say at home? Why do you have to say it here?"

Su He fell to her knees with a plop, tears streaming down her cheeks: "Ever since my mother passed away, my father has been my only relative in this world."

Li Taian was confused and tried to pull her up, but he couldn't. "Why is your father your only relative? Don't you have a brother and a stepmother? And now you have a younger brother."

Su He cried and shook her head. "My father saw how my brother wronged me, and now my stepmother is blaming me for my brother's illness. I admit that I was ignorant and did many wrong things before, but now I have changed for the better and listened to my father and got married. Why do they still treat me like this? I really can't stay at home in this family anymore."

"Nonsense, as long as your father is here, you'll have a place to stay."

Li Taian still pulled her up with force and continued, "Besides, you're getting married in a few days. You should be preparing for your marriage now. Why worry about these trivial matters?"

"But father, what if my stepmother withholds my dowry out of spite?"

Su He burst into tears. "If that's the case, my future in the Xie family will definitely be difficult. Now I only have my father to rely on. I hope he can seek justice for his daughter."

Li Taian readily agreed: "I promise that there will be no deduction of dowry."

"Does father keep his word?"

"It's natural."

Su He wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and then took out a list from her sleeve: "Father's words are not enough, only the seal of approval will count."

Li Taian took the list with a puzzled look on his face. "Is this... the dowry list you drew up yourself?"

Su He stopped talking nonsense. "Most of this property is my mother's dowry. I'm your only daughter, so naturally I should take it with me. The rest of the farms and shops are the Li family's marginal assets. I believe you won't be reluctant to part with them. After all, my last name is Li, right?"

But Li Taian just couldn't bear to do so.

The Li family has never been well-off in terms of money, otherwise he would not have married Guo, who came from a merchant family, against his will many years ago.

In recent years, he has devoted all his energy to managing the business and focusing on his official career, which has made it possible for the Li family's warehouse to become increasingly full.

But even if the warehouse is full, it cannot withstand the tossing of the dowry.

Seeing that he remained silent, Su He spoke again: "Compared to the betrothal gifts sent by the Xie family, my dowry is not that generous, right?"

What he meant was that Li Taian didn't suffer any loss either.

In fact, Su He was still in the villa when the Xie family proposed, but she also heard that the betrothal gifts amounted to more than 60 sets, almost occupying half of the street.

Li Taian looked at Su He in front of him and felt a little strange for a moment.

When did his arrogant daughter, who had brains but no IQ, become so scheming?

He declined, "This is such an important matter, I have to discuss it with your mother."

"Father knew that my stepmother would make things difficult for me, but he still wanted to discuss it with her?"

Su He was determined to do whatever she wanted. "Then I will go downstairs to find my father's colleagues and ask them to judge whether the dowry I want is reasonable and legitimate."

When he heard that he wanted to seek the advice of his colleagues, Li Taian immediately softened his tone: "How can we talk about family matters to others?"

Su He cried and replied: "My daughter has no home now, she just wants some truth."

Li Taian sighed and finally relaxed: "Forget it, forget it, your father has agreed to your request." After that, he took out the seal of the head of the family from his sleeve and stamped it firmly on the page of the list.

No regrets after signing!

The matter of dowry is a done deal.

Su He also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She won.

After returning from Wuyou Teahouse, Zhang Xiuhua's face was about to burst with laughter. She quickly ran to the kitchen and stewed a bowl of hot ginseng soup for her mistress.

At this time in the main courtyard, He Manyun broke down and cried.

It would have been fine if her son had suffered an unexpected disaster, but now her husband had given that little bitch a large dowry without her knowledge and had even given her the seal of the head of the family.

Once the seal falls, there is no room for change. Otherwise, if the little bitch takes the dowry list and spreads it outside, will the head of the family still have face?

After she finished crying, she started smashing cups and bowls, making the room a mess.

Li Taian couldn't bear it any longer, so he turned around and went to his aunt's yard to accompany his youngest son.

At this time in Moxiang Courtyard, Li Jianye was coughing and thinking deeply. How could a birthmark that a person is born with disappear for no reason?

Why?

Su He in Yixiangyuan had a sound and dreamless sleep that night.

In the next few days, she will wait for her marriage with peace of mind.