"Third Master, I have come here today because there is something I need to discuss. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me." Mr. Tang put down his teacup, his expression very solemn.
Li Laosan quickly waved his hand, "Mr. Tang, just call me Hansheng. Please feel free to speak if you need anything."
Mr. Tang gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and began to speak.
"Hansheng, you must have heard the news. I've been inquiring about the whereabouts of my clansmen in Jiangbei, but I haven't heard anything. I originally thought that all the clansmen had perished, but I never expected to meet my eldest brother's grandson today!"
Mr. Tang still gets a little excited when he talks about this.
Li Laosan was also happy for him and replied, "Oh, congratulations, Mr. Tang! This is a wonderful occasion for our reunion."
Mr. Tang nodded and said, "Speaking of which, this grand-nephew is related to your Li family. He is Mu Xu, the guard by the princess's side! This child looks so much like my elder brother when he was young, you could say they are exactly the same, there's no doubt about it."
"Our Mu family has finally survived without an heir. Thanks to Heaven's mercy, there are still descendants who have escaped the calamity! As long as Mu Xu marries well, has children, and restores the Mu family's reputation, I can face my ancestors in the afterlife."
Li Laosan hesitated for a moment, nodded in agreement, but did not say a word.
He considered himself the dumbest in the family, not as meticulous as his eldest brother, not as shrewd and clever as his second brother, and not as brave and fierce as his fourth brother.
But he can still maintain at least the basic level of caution.
Especially since this matter seems to involve his niece, he must be even more careful and not agree to it lightly. If he causes trouble for his niece, it will be his fault as her uncle.
Seeing this, Mr. Tang became somewhat anxious and decided to explain things clearly.
"Hansheng, what I mean is to have Muxu stay by my side in the future. I want to teach him to read and take the imperial examinations, and then marry a wife of equal social standing so that the family can have many descendants as soon as possible."
"But this child is stubborn. He remembers the kindness the Marquis showed him when he saved him in Jiangbei, and he absolutely refuses to agree. He insists on fulfilling his promise to be the princess's bodyguard for three years, and even..."
He paused, looked at Li Laosan's pale face, and said with a forced smile, "He even said that he has an agreement with the Marquis to marry the Princess in the future! This child has fallen for the Princess!"
"It's understandable for a young man to be moved by love, but our Mu family is in such a state of decline that we are truly unworthy of the princess. Everyone in your family knows how much you dote on her, and you probably wouldn't want her to suffer in our Mu family..."
"So, Hansheng, I want to ask you to go home and ask if it's possible to let Mu Xu be free? And let's call off that joke-like engagement."
"Of course, I will repay your family's kindness in taking care of Mu Xu."
"As for the Marquis, when he returns from his expedition, I will personally visit him to express my gratitude and apologize..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Laosan's face darkened.
He put it tactfully, but he wasn't stupid; he could easily see the underlying meaning.
He had no daughter, so he doted on his niece, whom he had raised with great affection since childhood.
The family had discussed my niece's marriage for a long time, but each time it came to nothing. We just felt that no man in the world was qualified or capable enough to be entrusted with protecting my niece for the rest of her life.
If we look at Mu Xu alone, he is indeed a good lad. Since he was chosen by the Marquis as a potential son-in-law for his niece, he must have many outstanding qualities.
Otherwise, the Marquis wouldn't have made such a hasty agreement!
But even with a thousand good qualities, none of them matter now because of this old man in front of me!
joke!
Before the Li family could even begin to judge the Mu family, a nearly extinct and dilapidated family dared to look down on their precious Li family member!
What do you mean by "too high to reach"?
They were clearly afraid that the Li family was too powerful and would bully the only son of the Mu family!
Why would you be so reluctant to see the princess suffer?
They clearly look down on the Li family's daughter, fearing she can't endure the hardships with the Mu family!
He grew angrier the more he thought about it, gave a cold snort, raised his chin, looked at Mr. Tang, and said, "I understand what you mean, sir. However, I also have a few words to say, and I hope you will listen carefully."
"First, the princess is the only girl in our Li family, and the whole family dotes on her like a precious jewel. As for her future husband, our family has searched all over the world and felt that no man is good enough for her. Therefore, our family has never made any marriage arrangements with anyone."
"It is best not to tell anyone what you said today, sir. Otherwise, if any gossip spreads and damages the princess's reputation, our Li family will absolutely not allow it."
"Furthermore, the Marquis is the Princess's godfather, as everyone in Xindu knows. The Marquis treats the Princess like his own daughter, and in his early years, he gave her all his honors and the Marquis's mansion, just in case she was wronged."
"Presumably, when he chooses a husband for the princess, he will definitely look for someone with both parents alive and reasonable elders. He can't just grab anyone at random. So, even if he joked with someone back then, it must have been drunken talk, and there's no need to take it seriously."
"When the Marquis returns from his northern expedition, our Li family will remind him to be careful with his words in the future."
Mr. Tang never expected that the usually honest and simple Li Laosan would actually get angry and speak so fiercely, with every sentence filled with intimidation and sarcasm.
He wanted to get angry, but he held back because the Li family also disagreed with the marriage.
Li Laosan completely ignored his expression and continued, "Secondly, our Li family never interferes with our children's marriages. As long as the child is in love with the other person and feels that the other person is a good match for life, then the family will support them to the end."
"Even if we take a step back and assume that the princess and Mu Xu truly have feelings for each other and intend to spend their lives together, sharing joys and sorrows, then no one in the world can stop them from being together."
"Otherwise, neither I nor anyone in my Li family will agree, not even you!"
"If you think that Professor Jiaren has the right to boss the princess around just because he has been writing for a few years, then I believe that Jiaren would rather cut off his left hand and give it to you than sacrifice his sister's happiness!"
He slammed the teacup down on the table with a loud thud, saying, "Goodbye, sir, I won't see you off!"
"Fine, very well!" Mr. Tang's fingers trembled with anger. "I originally meant well for both families' children, but I didn't expect you to be so rude. Then there's no need to say anything more!"
After saying that, he got up and was about to leave.
Li Laosan added coldly, "It's understandable that the master has his own selfish motives, but don't use the guise of doing what's best for the child. I don't care what Mu Xu thinks, but our Li family's children are loved and don't need outsiders to worry about them!"
Mr. Tang snorted heavily, stepped over the threshold, and stormed off.
Da Zhu's wife, who was working in the kitchen, was carrying a plate of snacks. She intended to take them inside, but she bumped into Mr. Tang and was startled by his appearance.
She hurried to the doorway and asked, "Third Master, what happened? Do you need anyone's help?"
"No need! I'm just going to catch the carriage back to the Earl's mansion. You all take good care of the canteen. We'll talk about anything else when I get back tomorrow!" Li Laosan said before hurrying to hitch up the carriage and head home.
Da Zhu's wife cried out, "Third Master, it's already dark. If you leave now, you won't be able to get through the city gate!"
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