Before the reward arrived, a letter from Commander Wang's household came first.
The fact that Pan Jinhua entered the palace was known to all the officials and civil servants. Outsiders had also vaguely heard rumors that the Li family had found a rare treasure. Otherwise, why would the emperor send an old lady into the palace?
Furthermore, the Empress and the Crown Prince did indeed get back together later on.
Wang Qianhu was even more enthusiastic about the marriage with the Li family, and was even afraid that the Li family might change their minds.
With too many monks and too little porridge, and he's not the only clever one, someone will surely notice these two. If others try to get a share, then things will get messy.
Therefore, once the rumors died down, he urged his wife to send invitations to the Li family, making sure that these two matters were handled properly.
Although no reward was given from the palace, the Ouyang family had already remembered the Li family's contributions. Even the Duke of Cheng'en sent word that if the Li family kept a low profile, the reward from the palace would not be small.
Mo Qiaoniang was delighted to receive the invitation from the Wang family; she had been waiting for this for a long time. However, Li Xushi started causing trouble again.
Li Xushi was already dissatisfied with Fu Ning's background, but he had been persuaded by his wife and mother. Now, after the Crown Prince's experience with smallpox, his mindset has truly become arrogant.
The Li family has had its share of scandals over the years. However, he has a capable older brother, Pan Jinhua who occasionally keeps him in check, and his nephews and nieces are all very reliable. Whenever he gets carried away, he is restrained and has never caused any major trouble.
Now, perhaps because he was one of the test subjects for smallpox vaccination and knew that his family would surely receive a reward from the palace, things were different now. These past few days, when he went out, he had met many officials, and he had become the one being flattered, with everyone talking about official matters.
Upon seeing Fu Ning's name again, he looked down on her immensely, sitting there either pursing his lips or snorting coldly.
Mo Qiaoniang was initially happy as she tried on the Wang family's clothes inside the house, but his behavior made her extremely annoyed.
"Why is the master making that face?"
"I am naturally not happy about this marriage. Let's not talk about the Wang family, they are barely a good match. As for Fu Ning, I really look down on her. She is an orphan girl who is of no help to Yi'er. Moreover, she lost her father at a young age, which is not auspicious."
The extremely harsh words that came out of Li Xushi's mouth left Mo Qiaoniang utterly astonished, almost not recognizing the person next to her in bed.
Mo Qiaoniang looked at Li Xushi again and again, hesitant to speak.
Li Xushi looked puzzled.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Qiaoniang? Am I wrong? Our Li family saved the Crown Prince and the Empress and helped the Emperor get rid of smallpox. This is a great achievement. The palace will surely reward us handsomely. Our Li family will prosper in no time. Why not take this opportunity to find a noblewoman for our children instead of settling for an orphan?"
"Master, shut up! I think you've lost your mind. Have you forgotten what Mother said last time?"
"When did our family ever use social status as a standard for marriage? If that's how things are, sir, why don't you quickly divorce me and go and marry a noblewoman from a high-ranking family? It seems my status is no longer good enough for you."
Mo Qiaoniang was stunned by Li Xushi's words. After hearing about Fu Ning's situation, she felt only admiration and heartache.
Her own husband, who was older, bullied her and looked down on her. He even used the child's tragic background to attack her. This made her think of Master Lin Shulin again. Putting herself in his shoes, she realized how difficult it was for a woman.
Li Xushi frowned deeply, utterly perplexed as to why his perfectly fine wife had suddenly lost her temper.
"You woman, why are you starting to make trouble and try to use your mother to pressure me? The husband is the head of the household."
I was just a little dissatisfied with how I dealt with Ning, but how come in your eyes I've become a heinous criminal, as if I've committed a terrible crime, and you're even spouting nonsense like divorce? It's truly absurd!
When Mo Qiaoniang heard Li Xu say that she was being unreasonable, she was even more heartbroken, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"My lord, you don't understand. A woman's reputation is more important than anything else. You say that she lost her father at a young age and it's unlucky, isn't that saying she's a jinx? How can that sound good if it gets out? Isn't that forcing the girl to die?"
Li Xushi was embarrassed by what he had said, and seeing his wife so heartbroken that tears were streaming down her face, he finally realized that he had said the wrong thing.
“Madam, I didn’t mean that. I just dislike her humble background. How could I force someone to die?”
"You won't feel any pain until the knife touches you."
Whether this marriage goes through or not is not up to you or me. Mother has already promised the Wang family, and I would never go back on my word. If you're unhappy, go and talk to me. Otherwise, you should put on a smiling face and happily prepare to welcome your daughter-in-law into the house!
While Mo Qiaoniang was arguing with Li Xu, she was also shocked.
She scolded her husband, saying things like "the husband is the head of the household," which made her angry. She was just angry and cursed him out. She wasn't afraid, but she felt better after saying it. Even if she complained to her mother, her mother would definitely be on her side.
Feeling humiliated by Mo Qiaoniang's sharp retort, Li Xushi was filled with anger and resentment. Unwilling to argue with her any further, he turned and left.
Instead of internal strife, Mo Qiaoniang followed and went out the door to Pan Jinhua's main courtyard.
Mo Qiaoniang came in crying, which startled Pan Jinhua. In all the years they had known each other, she had never seen any of her daughters-in-law like this.
"What's wrong? What happened that made you cry?"
Mo Qiaoniang threw herself at Pan Jinhua and told her everything that had just happened. She didn't embellish anything, but the more she talked, the more aggrieved she felt, and she also felt sorry for Fu Ning.
"...The master even lost his temper and went straight out the door."
Pan Jinhua patted her on the shoulder; just hearing it made her furious.
“You’re right. Our Li family can’t do such a thing. If we flatter the powerful and bully the weak today, what good reputation will the Li family have left?”
These days, quite a few families have been sending invitations to his home, most of whom are officials. He's getting carried away by their flattery.
The Duke of Cheng'en even sent someone to tell us to keep a low profile, but I don't think he took it to heart at all. Now, not only has the reward not yet arrived, but even if it did, he'd sooner or later squander it all.
"He's not even a real master yet, and he's already jumping around like this. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. I think he needs to be taught a lesson!"
"It doesn't matter if he's not satisfied, as long as Yi'er is satisfied. When he returns, I will definitely punish him according to family rules. We need to keep a close eye on him these days to prevent him from causing trouble!"
Pan Jinhua flew into a rage and then ordered Yao Niang to call Bai Sha over.
"Madam."
Bai Sha was soon led over by Yao Niang.
"Go and call the second master back. Tell him I need to see him. When he comes back, lock him in the woodshed. There's no need to bring him to see me."
"Investigate further who the second master is currently associating with, and clarify the origins of his wealth and fortune, then report back to me."
Bai Sha was surprised, but she held back her emotions and replied emphatically before leaving the main courtyard.
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