Chapter 117 Evil Spirits
Madam Li dared not comment, but Butler Xiao nodded subconsciously: "What Madam says is true!"
Madam Xiao slapped the small table and said, "Yuyao and Juege are in love. Now that the old lady has spoken, I naturally agree to let them get married. Go and tell the master that I want to officiate at the wedding for the two children."
Butler Xiao was caught between the master and the mistress, feeling utterly overwhelmed.
"Madam, but Master doesn't agree..."
"What? The old lady has spoken, how can the master risk being labeled unfilial to refuse?"
After Steward Xiao left with a belly full of troubles, Madam Li said, "Madam, there's something fishy about this."
Leaving aside why the master was so adamant about not agreeing to the marriage between the fourth young lady and the eldest young master, the timing of the old lady's letter was also not quite right.
Although there are canals connecting the capital and the Jiangnan region, a round trip would take at least five days.
Could it be that the eldest young master could foresee the future and knew that this matter would be exposed before he was beaten, so he wrote a letter to Jiangnan in advance?
This is completely illogical.
"What could be the strange thing? The old lady likes Jue-ge'er and Yu-yao so much. If she suddenly finds out about this, she certainly has no reason to refuse."
Madam Xiao closed the account book: "Alright, that's enough. I have a terrible headache. When is that female doctor coming?"
Mrs. Li had no choice but to agree, saying, "They said they'd be free later tomorrow."
"However, even if Madam doesn't want to bring it up, this old servant still has to ask: what are your plans regarding the matter of Fifth Miss?"
"What?"
Sure enough, as soon as the Fourth Miss was mentioned, the Madam became obsessed and couldn't care about anything else.
"Didn't Steward Xiao just mention something else? The old lady wants Fifth Miss to return to Jiangnan for upbringing..."
Li's mother swallowed the rest of her words.
The reason was so absurd that she found it ridiculous.
All the unrest in the household was because the Fifth Sister was found, which is why the Fifth Sister was asked to leave the capital and go to her hometown in Jiangnan to cultivate for two years and cleanse herself of the "evil spirits".
Where did Madam Xiao hear these rumors from? How could she believe such superstitious tales?
Madam Xiao seemed to have just remembered, and frowned for a moment.
"What the old lady said makes sense, but we still need to ask the master's opinion on this matter. Never mind, let him decide. I don't want to get involved in these things..."
As she spoke, she rubbed her temples again and closed her eyes wearily.
Li's mother's lips moved, but in the end, she didn't say anything in rebuttal.
Madam, do you know that everything you are doing now is pushing Fifth Sister further and further away?
By the time you realize it, it will probably be too late.
Li's mother sighed inwardly, her face showing a hint of sorrow.
"Madam, don't look at the account books yet. They are quite a lot of work. This old servant will help you to rest."
Lanting Pavilion.
"Miss, something terrible has happened! The master and madam said..."
Bihui came running in from outside, panting so much she could barely speak, which startled the people inside.
Xiao Yuxuan frowned and looked at her: "No rush, sit down and talk slowly."
Qin Yuan took a few steps forward and helped the person sit down on the embroidered stool.
Bi Sui gasped for breath, finally managing to catch her breath, and said anxiously, "Miss, Master and Madam want to take you to the old mansion in Jiangnan!"
Xiao Yuxuan was not surprised, and said in a calm tone:
"Didn't we already say that?"
Bi Sui waved her hands repeatedly to explain, "No, it's not about going back to study, it's about going back to cultivate oneself!"
"The old lady sent a letter saying she would officiate at the wedding of the eldest son and the fourth daughter, and that the recent unrest in the Xiao family mansion in the capital was because of... because..."
"Speak your mind to me without any reservations."
"The old lady said that the Xiao family in the capital is in turmoil because you have been found. You are carrying some evil spirits from outside, so you have absorbed the good fortune of the Xiao family. She wants to send you to the old house to cultivate in seclusion for two years to properly temper those evil spirits!"
Bi Sui spoke quickly and urgently, but her pronunciation was clear, and everyone in the room understood her.
"Where did this absurd theory come from? Even evil spirits are being mentioned?! The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits. Old Madam Xiao is going too far..."
Cheng Yan stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, at Qin Yuan's prompting glance.
"Please forgive me, young lady. I spoke carelessly and had no intention of slandering Madam Xiao..."
They didn't know Xiao Wu's attitude towards Old Madam Xiao, so they couldn't say such things rashly.
Xiao Yuxuan shook her head slightly, also finding it strange.
Logically speaking, Madam Xiao would be too busy looking down on herself to let her go back to Jiangnan alone.
Moreover, Madam Xiao is probably already somewhat senile and can't recognize many people anymore, so how could she possibly associate her with evil spirits or anything like that?
Could it be that someone deliberately muddied the waters, trying to take advantage of the chaos?
She was at a loss for words, but after weighing the pros and cons, she knew she couldn't go back to Jiangnan alone. The matter between Xiao Yuyao and Xiao Jue had only resulted in Xiao Jue being demoted and Xiao Yuyao being imprisoned, which was far from enough.
Her initial plan was to lure out Xiao Yuyao's birth mother and shift attention to the mistress's resemblance to Xiao Yuyao.
Thus, Xiao Yuyao could not easily escape, and she naturally did not need to "accompany" Xiao Yuyao back to Jiangnan.
Now, by cutting off the source of the problem, the old lady actually wants to officiate the wedding of Xiao Yuyao and Xiao Jue, leaving Xiao Yuyao to go to Jiangnan alone.
Which part of the process went wrong?
The mother must know about the mistress's existence, but she hasn't allowed her to enter the house yet.
Then there's only one possibility: she hasn't seen what the mistress looks like yet.
"Master also said that Miss is not allowed to spend the Dragon Boat Festival in the capital. He told her to pack her things immediately and set off tomorrow!"
Xiao Yuxuan was startled and subconsciously stood up from the couch.
"Qin Yuan, Cheng Yan".
The two of them each took a step forward.
"Since Your Highness has bestowed you two upon me, the three of us, master and servant, shall work together with one heart. You have both seen my current situation in the Xiao family, and I do not wish to be manipulated by others. I hope you two will help me."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yuan and Cheng Yan were both shocked.
“Miss, the Princess said a few days ago that we will only recognize you as our master from now on. Although you have a contract with both of us, you have never mistreated us. Whatever you ask us to do, it is our duty.”
"I need one of you to go to the Princess's residence immediately and seek Her Highness's help to save me, while the other..."
...
In a narrow, dimly lit courtyard in the west of the city, the sounds of arguing could be heard continuously.
"Brother! What time is it? If you don't pay this money now, how will you even survive to participate in this year's autumn imperial examination?!"
Xie Yunyun clutched a delicate purse in her hand, her eyes bloodshot with anger.
She only just found out that her brother had secretly hoarded so much silver and was reluctant to spend it! He even kept saying it was someone else's money!
She had assumed that her brother must have secretly hidden it before the family fell into decline.
But now, Xie Tingzhou is dying and still can't bear to spend the money, so she's a little uncertain again.
"It's hard to repay favors, I can't owe her so much..."
Compared to half a month ago, Xie Tingzhou's face had become much thinner, and his long, thick eyelashes, like raven feathers, drooped slightly, concealing the struggle in his eyes.
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