She displayed her temperament to the fullest extent, and Xu Lingzi had never seen her truly angry, nor did she want to.

Xu Lingzi reached out and pulled Li Shiyue across the square table in the middle, her tone softening: "I really like you too. No matter how many times you become my sister-in-law, I will still like you the same."

"But don't you really have someone in mind? Your grandmother will probably decide for you."

She was actually a little worried. Her second brother, fifth brother, and seventh brother were naturally fine, and her fourth brother was slowly getting better. As for the other illegitimate sons, there was no need to consider them. Naturally, Madam Xu would not agree to marry Li Shiyue to those illegitimate sons.

She was just worried that Li Shiyue, being young and secretly in love, might be deceived and fall for her treacherous third brother. With a mother-in-law like Liu Shi and a sister-in-law like Xu Lingwan, her future days would be difficult.

She never seemed to care much about Li Shiyue, and a look of worry easily appeared on her face.

Li Shiyue turned her head and met Xu Lingzi's gaze directly: "Grandmother favored my fifth cousin and my seventh cousin, and asked me to choose one. I chose my fifth cousin."

"It's not that my seventh cousin is bad, but if my grandmother insists that I choose one, I've had more contact with my fifth cousin."

Li Shiyue herself felt guilty about saying that. If she counted carefully, the number of times she met Xu Yunyao was "many" – excluding visits to Shousong Hall and special circumstances – could be counted on one hand.

Xu Lingzi understood her meaning clearly. She chose Xu Yunyao not because she was in love with him, but to fulfill the wishes of the old lady, so that the old lady could pass away peacefully after closing her eyes and put an important matter on her mind.

Actually, she wanted to say that there are countless young men in the world, but when she thought of examples like Yunyangbo, which had been placed in front of Li Shiyue since childhood, she wondered if it might have left some kind of shadow on her husband.

Although a loving and harmonious marriage between Xu Yunyao and Xu Yunyao is unlikely to blossom in the Xu family, Xu Yunyao's character is such that he would not do something like favoring a concubine over his wife.

Especially since Madam Xu's current darling is Li Shiyue, Zhou Shi always follows Madam Xu's wishes and would never act arrogantly towards Li Shiyue, her new bride.

The same applies to Xu Yunxu. The best condition is being the eldest son of the main branch. Even if he doesn't amount to much in the future, he can still live a life of wealth and honor under Xu Yunci's protection.

Xu Lingzi lowered her eyes, unable to articulate the changes in her emotions. It wasn't that she felt any ill will towards her younger cousin's treatment at Old Madam Xu's place; it was just that upon closer examination, she didn't feel that this path was a fair one.

Life is short, only a few decades, isn't it all about having fun?

If one loses all joy, what a boring thing it would be to come into this world.

"Fifth cousin is also very good. I don't need to worry about him doing anything outrageous. Cousin values ​​rules and regulations, and the reputation of the Duke's mansion will only get better in the future. Fifth cousin always listens to his cousin and would never cause a scene with the family over something."

"My cousin is more than just a cousin to me. Let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. I have never thought about getting married. I just want to stay by my grandmother's side. I even think that if my grandmother really leaves this world, I will take my dowry and travel around the Great Yong."

"I don't want to get married. I want to travel around and not limit myself to this capital city. I want to see every corner of the Great Yong. When I'm tired of traveling, I'll come back. By then, my cousins' children will all be grown up. As their aunt, I'll prepare some things for them."

“Back in the capital, I can find a quiet, scenic courtyard to retire in. When I’m in a good mood, I can hire an opera troupe to sing for me; when I’m in a bad mood, I can just wander around. That’s a very comfortable way to live.”

As Li Shiyue spoke, a hint of longing appeared in her eyes. Then, her gaze seemed to be veiled by a thin gauze, obscuring the light: "Grandmother will definitely not allow it. She wants me to marry into the Xu family, where I will have the care of my uncles, aunts, cousins, and other relatives. I will definitely no longer have to suffer."

"She has never suffered much hardship in her life, but she has been shedding tears every day for my mother for the past few years. As she gets older, her body can't take it anymore. When I look at Madam Xiao from the Ministry of Revenue, who is about the same age, I feel that my maternal grandmother is much older."

“If I disregard the old lady’s good intentions and act according to my own will, my grandmother’s health is not suitable for bearing worries. What would I do if something happened to her?”

"I might as well listen to her. I'll get married and that's fine. Just like my aunt said, I'm marrying into my own family anyway. My maternal grandmother personally chose me, so she won't treat me badly. Even if my fifth cousin finds someone he likes in the future and wants to take her as a concubine, I only want the respect I deserve. I won't care about anything else."

"However, my maternal grandmother also said that although my fifth cousin was a straightforward person, he was the most disciplined person besides my cousin since childhood."

Xu Lingzi pouted and muttered, "She's disciplined, but she can also be mischievous."

There was no hint of joking on Li Shiyue's face; it was clearly what she truly felt. Xu Lingzi took her hand: "If that's how you think, then naturally there's nothing I can do to persuade you."

"Whether you become my sister-in-law or my brother's wife, I want you to live a good life. Even if you are my second brother, and you suffer any injustice in the future, I will still seek justice from him."

Xu Lingzi suppressed a little heartache in her heart. From the day her little cousin entered the mansion and when she accompanied her to pay respects to the various households, she felt that her little cousin was different.

It's as if she's lived for many years, and the principles in her heart are all perfectly sound. The idea of ​​"one love for life, one partner" is based on mutual affection and a situation where, after decades, they never tire of each other.

If things start out well, but later the true nature of the ruler is revealed, and the ruler is greedy for beauty and does not pay attention to the rules, and does not give his wife the dignity she deserves, then wouldn't such a life be a torment for both of them?

"But I need to think about what I should give you when you really become my sister-in-law."

Li Shiyue didn't care much. In her opinion, the matter was still far from settled, and Old Madam Xu might not even tell Xu Yunyao. In fact, Old Madam Xu hadn't even decided whether to choose Xu Yunyao or Xu Yunxu yet.

Ultimately, it's between these two people.

Li Shiyue lowered her eyes and suddenly remembered those clear and cold phoenix eyes. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but it seemed like she had met Xu Yunci more often these past few times.

She even found that whenever something happened, no matter how big or small, the first person she would think of was always Xu Yunci.

On her first day in the capital, Xu Yunci appeared in Shangjing County that very night.