Chapter 221 Shifting the Blame East
"Because he never even saw the Bai family girl!"
Li Nanke was taken aback.
Li Mu continued, "He returned to Changyuan to find the Bai family girl, but the Bai family said they dared not offend the Marquis's mansion and had already sent the Bai girl away overnight."
He caused a scene at the Bai family's house for a long time and even got into a fight with them, but in the end, all he received was a letter from Miss Bai.
No one knows what was written in the letter. According to the people at the old house, he was deeply shocked after reading it and returned to Bianjing that very night. Later, he married your grandmother.
Upon hearing this, Song Yi couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
"Most likely, it was because that Miss Bai said something resolute in her letter that he was provoked and gave up. That's how it's written in storybooks."
Men, they'll always hold onto what they can't have, and over time it'll become a cherished memory.
That's pretty much how the father-in-law treats this Miss Bai. He has his heart set on her, so how could he possibly treat his mother-in-law well?
It's just a pity for the mother-in-law; she's the most innocent one. She couldn't resist her parents' arranged marriage, and after marriage, she still had to endure her husband's infidelity...
Song Yi felt sorry for her mother-in-law, Madam He, and her eyes involuntarily reddened.
Which girl doesn't dream of love?
Although Lady He married into the Marquis's mansion at the behest of her parents, she must have been sincere towards her husband, Marquis Anping, and hoped to live in harmony with him and grow old together.
Little did she know that the Marquis of Anping had no feelings for her. Not only did he not love her, he also tried to replace her biological child with a bastard!
Li Nanke murmured, "No wonder my grandmother was always so upset. Her sincerity didn't earn her sincerity in return, only disgust!"
Mentioning the He family brings great sadness to all three members.
Li Nanke forced himself to stay alert and pressed on, "And then what? Was Miss Bai really sent away?"
Li Mu said, "According to the people at the old house, she was indeed sent to live in another place for a period of time, and returned after less than two months. After that, they said that Miss Bai was bedridden and rarely went out."
So even among the clansmen in the old house, very few had seen her. After another year or so, the Bai family simply moved away.
The family members in the old house privately gossiped that Miss Bai was so heartbroken that her family had left for distant lands.
"Father, have you found out where the Bai family moved to?"
Li Mu shook his head.
"The strange thing is that nobody knows where the Bai family moved to; it's as if they disappeared overnight."
Li Nanke frowned slightly.
A person may suddenly disappear without a trace, but how can an entire family disappear overnight?
Unless they have someone backing them up!
"Father, do you think it's possible that Grandfather contacted Miss Bai again, had a second uncle with her, and secretly arranged for the Bai family to disappear?"
Li Mu neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Even if they were secretly plotting... there's no need to make the Bai family disappear, is there?"
Li Nanke was completely bewildered and slumped dejectedly onto the table.
I thought I could find evidence that my second uncle was an illegitimate child from my grandfather's past, but the clues just went cold.
They currently have too little information.
Thinking of this, she suddenly sat up.
"Father, do you have a portrait of the Bai family's daughter?"
Li Mu got up and a servant brought him his painting basket.
He had returned in a hurry and left his painting basket on the carriage.
After rummaging through the contents for a while, he found a portrait and handed it to Li Nanke.
"This is a drawing I made based on descriptions from neighbors and relatives near the old house. They confirmed that it bears a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to the Bai family girl."
The woman in the portrait has willow-leaf eyebrows, an oval face, and a beautiful appearance, with a touch of charm in her eyes and brows.
"Ke'er, what do you want the portrait for?"
Li Mu pressed for an answer.
Li Nanke wanted the portrait so that Shen Cong could help with the investigation. But as she was about to speak, she suddenly remembered Li Mu's repeated warnings not to let her get too close to Shen Cong.
So he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue and instead told her about his plan to combine Song Yi's two shops to open a high-end custom-made embroidery shop.
"...I want to use this embroidery workshop as a network for gathering information on officials in the capital, so I want to give Master Huang the portrait of Miss Bai first. This will be their first task for investigation."
Li Mu stared blankly at Li Nanke, his expression complicated.
"Ke'er, you...you're only eight years old, you don't need to...you don't need to work so hard."
Li Nanke smiled slightly.
"I've thought it through, Father. If you really don't want to become an official in the court, forcing you to do so will only cause you great pain."
"Instead of that, I'd rather work a little harder and do more so that Dad won't have to work so hard."
Li Mu sniffed, his eyes reddening.
Waaaaah...
What incredible luck he must have had in his past life to have such a sweet daughter like Kerr!
Even at such a young age, he already knows how to share his parents' burdens.
Moved, Li Mu hugged Li Nanke tightly, unaware of the fleeting slyness in her eyes.
The next moment, she sighed softly, "I need to work hard and grow up quickly so that I won't be afraid of my grandfather and second uncle harming us, nor will I be afraid of my aunt's side harming us, nor will I be afraid of the Xue family harming us."
"Oh, Father, do you think I'll be killed by them before I even grow up? Like that frightened horse today, I almost lost my life."
Li Mu's gratitude vanished instantly, and he said with a pale face, "Don't talk nonsense, our Ke'er will definitely be safe and sound!"
what to do?
Why are there always so many bad people trying to harm them?
His daughter is so young and she already knows how to work hard. Doesn't that make him, the father, seem like a complete failure?
Li Mu fell into deep self-reflection.
Meanwhile, in the study.
Li Yao sat opposite Marquis Anping, a gentle smile on his face.
"Just as Father predicted, Li Mu rushed back as soon as he heard the news, still clamoring that he was going to the Xue family to settle accounts with them."
Song stopped him, crying. Her father's tactic of shifting the blame was truly brilliant!
Marquis Anping looked disdainful.
"That rebellious son is single-minded. Once he's convinced that the Xue family harmed Li Nanke, even if he doesn't go to the Xue family to make trouble, he'll still write a memorial to His Majesty demanding justice!"
Just wait and see, this matter will become even more of a big fuss starting tomorrow! Remember to cooperate with him tomorrow and encourage him to make a big fuss.
The bigger the commotion, the better; the bigger the commotion, the more we'll benefit in the end.
Li Yao rubbed his hands together, looking excited.
“My son knows what to do.”
After a pause, Li Yao looked around and asked in a low voice, "Father, there is something I don't understand."
"explain!"
"How did Father manage to persuade the groom of the Duke of Xue's mansion to cooperate with you in this matter? Afterwards, the groom even agreed to commit suicide to help, leaving the Xue family with no way to explain themselves. This is simply outrageous!"
A strange glint flashed in Marquis Anping's eyes.
"You don't need to worry about that; it's just about money."
Li Yao was surprised.
How much money could make someone give up their life?
But he knew his father's personality; there was no point in pressing him about things he didn't want to talk about.
Li Yao suppressed his doubts and changed the subject.
"The second son of the Han family sent a message, asking his son to write a letter of self-recommendation and send it over. He will try to persuade the Left Prime Minister to recommend his son."
"Okay, then go back and get ready quickly."
Li Yao left the study, and a servant came over and whispered his report.
"The eldest young master rushed to the study and hasn't come out yet. I heard he's torn up a bunch of paper balls."
Li Yao sneered.
"Ha, good-for-nothing. He can't even write a proper impeachment memorial. It seems I, as his younger brother, will have to lend him a hand."
At this moment, Li Mu was indeed in the study, facing the paper in front of him, on the verge of tears.
But he wasn't writing an impeachment memorial; rather...
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