Chapter 217 The wedding is postponed, sparking much discussion.
Xie Xuanxiao hesitated for a moment.
He was willing to help, but Duke Xue might not want him to get involved.
Moreover, this matter is not as simple as it seems.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Xue Shu angrily shook off his hand, her eyes reddening.
"Brother Xie, are you also unwilling to help? Or have you already decided in your heart that my family did this?"
"No... I didn't."
Xie Xuanxiao quickly waved his hand, unable to bear seeing her shed tears, and nodded in agreement.
"Don't worry, I will definitely help you investigate this matter!"
Xue Shu then stopped crying and smiled.
When Xie Xuanxiao left the Xue family, he saw that it was already late, so he went straight back to the Duke of Xin's mansion.
Lady Xin was waiting for him to return, so she quickly pulled him aside and questioned him.
"The Li family's young lady was startled by a horse in the middle of the city, and you saved her. Now the news is spreading like wildfire."
Some say the Xue family was behind this; the Censorate's report was submitted to the palace by mid-afternoon. Do you know what really happened?
Xie Xuanxiao recounted the whole story.
After listening, the Duchess of Xinguo remained silent for a long time before asking, "What do you think of this matter?"
"...Duke Xue insisted that he was framed, but the groom identified by the beggar was indeed a servant of the Xue family, and had been with the Xue family for more than ten years."
The son thought that if this whole thing was a setup, the person behind it must be incredibly powerful!
"So you believe the Xue family is innocent in this matter? You should know that the Xue family hates Li Nanke to the core because of Xue Ting's affair."
Xie Xuanxiao opened his mouth, then hesitated.
"Would the Duke of Xue stoop so low as to lay a hand on a young girl?"
Lady Xin Guogong remained noncommittal, but earnestly admonished Xie Xuanxiao.
"This matter is probably more complicated than we imagine. Don't get involved. Once you get involved, it means the Xie family is involved, do you understand?"
Xie Xuanxiao's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't dare to say that he had already agreed to Xue Shu's request, and could only give a vague "hmm" twice.
Lady Xin sighed.
“I’ve always felt that the Xue family isn’t a good match, the Xue family members are too calculating… but you yourself have taken a liking to Xue Shu, and we feel sorry for you, so we agreed to the marriage proposal.”
But your father and I have discussed it, and we've decided to postpone your marriage to Xue Shu until next year. You're both still quite young anyway.
Xie Xuanxiao jumped up, his face flushed red.
"Mother, why are you doing this? Are you doubting the Xue family and afraid that something might happen to them, so you're postponing the wedding?"
What will people think of the Xie family? What will they think of me? I... I do not agree to postpone the wedding!
Lady Xinguo's face darkened.
"You have to agree whether you like it or not. Your father has the final say on this matter! And you should stay away from the Xue family these days!"
Xie Xuanxiao was so angry that his eyes reddened, and he jumped up and rushed out.
Lady Xin chased after him, yelling at his retreating figure, "Where are you going? The Li family is coming tomorrow, you're not allowed to run away, stop them!"
The mother and son of the Duke of Xin's mansion were in complete chaos, and with the censor's memorial impeaching the Duke of Xue's mansion being sent to the palace, almost everyone in the court and the public knew about the matter.
Everyone on the streets was talking about it.
"It is said that Duke Xue was ruthless and wanted to harm Miss Li of the Marquis of Anping's mansion, which caused the horse to break out and injured innocent people."
"The Marquis of Anping's residence? Oh, the one that was raided a few months ago and no good stuff was found?"
"It's his house. Strange, why would the Duke's mansion go after a declining Marquis's mansion?"
"I heard that when the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family went to the palace to choose a companion, she had a conflict with the Xue family's daughter."
“That’s right, I have connections. My sister-in-law’s cousin works for the Xue family. He said that the Xue family’s daughter is going to be sent back to her hometown in Jinzhou. It seems that it was Miss Li who caused this.”
Immediately, the city was abuzz with discussion, with all sorts of opinions circulating.
When the news reached the Zhao family, Song Hui was overjoyed.
She had been racking her brains for the past two days trying to figure out a way to kill Li Nanke quietly, but before she could come up with a good idea, the Xue family made their move first.
Indeed, Li Nanke offended the Xue family when choosing a study companion.
With the Xue family involved, they should be able to deal with Li Nanke soon.
She can use this time to think about the next steps.
Since their daughter Zhao Wanqing was not chosen as a princess's study companion, if she and her husband wanted to take things further, all that remained was...
This time she must be careful and not make the same mistake as before.
If the plan succeeds, she will be able to completely crush Song Yi under her feet!
Even if Li Nanke were reborn, it wouldn't matter!
Returning to Li Nanke, she was naturally unaware of the bloodshed and turmoil behind the scenes, and safely returned home in Chen Cong's carriage.
Song Yi had already heard about the frightened horse and was anxiously about to go out to look for her when she looked up and saw that she had returned safely.
With a prosthetic leg that was almost taller than her, Song Yi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled down.
While instructing someone to take the prosthetic limb from Li Nanke's hand, he pulled her up and down, left and right, and looked her over repeatedly.
Then, cupping her small face in his hands, he examined the wound on her forehead, and tears streamed down his face.
"When your mother heard that you were startled by the horse, she was almost scared to death. Luckily you're alright. Come on, let your mother apply some medicine for you."
Li Nanke gently patted Song Yi's shoulder and said with a grin, "Don't worry, Mother, I'm fine. Prince Xuan has already applied the medicine for me."
After comforting her mother, she recounted the incident of the frightened horse.
Song Yi clasped her hands together and repeatedly said, "Thank God, Buddha, please protect me."
He added, "Fortunately, we met Prince Xie. I will have a generous gift prepared to express my gratitude. Tomorrow, you will come with me to the Duke of Xin's mansion to express our thanks."
Li Nanke had the same idea.
"Thank you, Mother."
Song Yi couldn't help but cup her little face and kiss her again and again. Thinking of the frightened horse, she couldn't help but want to cry again.
“I don’t know which heartless bastard would even kill a child. My dear, you must be terrified today. Let’s have someone make you something delicious to calm your nerves.”
Li Nanke's eyes lit up.
"Great! I want to drink stir-fried mutton with scallions, and I also want to eat chicken soup noodles made by Aunt Tao."
Song Yi wiped away her tears and readily agreed.
"Mother will make the arrangements right away."
Li Nanke returned to her room and changed her clothes with the help of a maid. Only then did she have time to sit in front of the mirror and look at her wounds.
I bumped my left forehead and got a bump the size of a small fist. It was bruised and looked a bit scary.
There was a finger-length cut on his right temple, probably from a piece of wood from the cart shaft.
Fortunately, the wound is not deep and will heal in a few days.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief; at least there were no scars.
At this moment, Zisu rushed in, her face pale.
"Miss, are you alright? I came out of the restaurant and heard everyone on the street talking about the frightened horse. I was so worried."
Li Nanke let her look him up and down while urging her impatiently.
"I'm perfectly fine here. Tell me what you've found out! Who were Grandfather and Second Uncle meeting at the restaurant?"
Upon hearing this, Zisu's expression immediately turned strange.
"Young lady, you'd never guess who the Marquis met at the restaurant!"
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