Chapter 210 Taking a Concubine, Events of That Year
"However... I no longer have a second aunt, second uncle, you've misspoke!"
Li Nanke's voice was clear and loud, like something a child would blurt out.
Li Yao's expression froze for a moment, then he gave an awkward laugh.
"Ke'er is right. Your second aunt... no, it's Sun Shi who harmed people first. She's malicious and doesn't deserve to be called your second aunt."
"Besides, I've already divorced her, so don't worry, she'll never have another chance to harm you."
Li Nanke smiled happily and said to Madam He, "Last night, Second Uncle disagreed with divorcing Madam Sun and almost got into a fight with Father."
I never expected my second uncle to have come to his senses so quickly, it's wonderful!
Madam He frowned slightly, looking at Li Yao with suspicion.
"You don't agree to divorce Sun?"
Li Yao's lips twitched almost imperceptibly twice, then he lowered his head in shame.
"It was my son's momentary lapse of judgment. Last night, his father already reprimanded him, saying that Sun Shi was malicious and that keeping her around would only bring disaster to the family."
After much agonizing thought, your son has finally made up his mind. Don't worry, your son will personally deliver the letter of divorce to the yamen in a little while.
The father said he would find a new wife for his son and a new mother for Zhenxuan and Youyou, and that his son would no longer yearn for Madam Sun.
Madam He's expression softened slightly.
"It's good that you can understand. When you marry, you should marry a virtuous wife, for a virtuous wife will bring prosperity to three generations."
Li Yao bowed his head and agreed.
Li Nanke chimed in crisply, "Now that Second Uncle has figured things out, he certainly won't resent Father anymore, right?"
Li Yao's expression froze.
But when he met Li Nanke's dark, grape-like eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say the word "blame."
After all, he had just personally admitted to Sun's crimes and said that Sun would bring disaster to the family.
No wonder my father said that Li Nanke is different now than before; he's quick-witted and has a lot of tricks up his sleeve!
Li Yao gritted his teeth and forced out a sentence through gritted teeth with an embarrassed smile.
“Of course, how could I blame your father? He is my own elder brother.”
Li Nanke patted his chest, looking relieved.
"That's good. Father was heartbroken for a long time after he went home last night, afraid that Second Uncle would blame him."
"Second Uncle, you won't take revenge on Father, right?"
Li Yao.......
Damn it, he didn't believe Li Mu would be sad!
Li Yao practically clenched his teeth to squeeze out those two words.
"Won't."
The sense of unease in Li Nanke's heart grew stronger.
My second uncle's behavior changed drastically overnight!
What exactly did his grandfather promise that made him endure this much?
Li Yao was unwilling to speak to Li Nanke anymore, and turned to He Shi and said: "Although Sun Shi is wrong, she has given birth to two children for her son, and the Sun family does not pity her."
Therefore, the son wanted to bring Sun back from the old house and rent a place for her to live in, as a way to fulfill his long-standing marital obligations to her.
He paused, then added another sentence.
"The father has agreed to his son's request."
He's gaze darkened, then he nodded.
"I see."
It means they know, but it doesn't mean they agree.
Li Yao seemed oblivious to the difference, smiling gratefully.
"Thank you for your permission, Mother. There is one more thing I need to trouble you and my sister-in-law with."
"Speak."
"The son's house is no longer attended to by the mistress, and the two children are still young and need someone to take care of them."
Therefore, the son wanted to take the maid Chunlan as a concubine, and have her temporarily manage the second branch's courtyard, and the father had already agreed to this.
He took a deep breath, and the last faint smile on his face disappeared.
"knew."
"Thank you, Mother. Then I'll trouble you, Sister-in-law, to help with the arrangements."
Li Yao bowed to Song Yi.
Song Yi returned the greeting, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Chunlan is a servant girl, so let's have two tables of food and drink at the mansion tomorrow."
We've invited Chunlan's close friends to the wedding banquet, and we're also going to draw up a marriage contract for her as a concubine. What do you think, Second Brother?
"Let's do as my sister-in-law says."
Li Yao smiled and thanked him, then took his leave.
The atmosphere in the room was quiet for a moment. Madam He let out a heavy sigh, her brows furrowed with lingering melancholy.
"He's not in a hurry to take a concubine; he's clearly afraid that you'll get involved in his affairs. It's obvious that he's already grown distant from you."
Song Yi didn't know how to respond.
Li Nanke walked over, took He Shi's hand, and asked with feigned confusion, "Father and Second Uncle were both born to Grandmother, so why does Second Uncle seem somewhat distant from Grandmother?"
Madam He sighed deeply.
"It's a long story. When I gave birth to him, he was breech, and I was in labor for a full day and night before I finally delivered him..."
As He recalled events from over twenty years ago, her eyes flickered, and she appeared dazed.
When she was pregnant with her second child, her entire pregnancy went smoothly.
Unfortunately, in the last month, when the doctor took the child's pulse, he found that the child's head was up and he couldn't turn it around.
She tried many methods, but failed even on the eve of her delivery.
Therefore, she suffered terribly during childbirth, in excruciating pain, and it was only through the doctor's acupuncture that the baby was pulled out.
However, after the baby was born, she suffered a massive hemorrhage and almost died. Even though she survived, she remained in a daze in bed for more than half a month before regaining consciousness.
She woke up to find that her husband, Marquis Anping, had dismissed the wet nurse she had originally hired and replaced her with another one.
"The wet nurse you originally hired has a sick child at home and doesn't have enough breast milk, so she probably won't be able to take good care of the child."
Don't worry about these things. Just focus on taking care of yourself. I promise I'll take good care of the second child.
Her husband, Marquis Anping, explained with a smile.
She felt that the child was more important, so she didn't ask any more questions and focused on recuperating.
Occasionally, she would ask the wet nurse to bring the second child over for a look, but strangely, as soon as she held the second child, the second child would cry, crying heartbreakingly.
She felt terrible. The child she had given birth to after risking her life was not close to her.
Depressed and suffering from persistent postpartum lochia, her health nearly collapsed, and it took a full year of recuperation for her to recover.
After her health improved, she told Marquis Anping that she wanted to bring the child over to raise him herself.
Marquis Anping disagreed, saying, "You've only just recovered, yet you still have to manage the Marquis's residence and personally take care of the child."
Besides, the second child cries a lot at night; your body simply can't handle it.
She insisted on bringing the child back and keeping him by her side, but reality soon devastated her once again.
As Mrs. He recalled what happened back then, her eyes welled up with tears.
“I held him in my arms and he started to cry incessantly, crying during the day and crying at night.”
I tried to feed him, but he spilled it, cried, and preferred to go hungry rather than eat. At night, I tried to put him to sleep, but he cried until his face turned blue and he still refused to sleep.
After all, he was her own child. It was heartbreaking for her that he wasn't close to her, but she couldn't bear to see him suffer.
“I tried for a few days, and he lost four or five pounds and became seriously ill. Your grandfather got angry and took him away again.”
After that, I refused to believe it and tried a few more times on and off, each time ending with him falling seriously ill and me giving in.
He paused, his expression bitter.
“After that, I gradually gave up and watched him grow distant and estranged from me.”
"It's really strange. He's clearly my biological son, but sometimes when I'm around him, I even have this absurd illusion..."
He covered her face, her voice trembling slightly with suppressed emotion.
"I even feel like he's not my biological son!"
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