Mrs. Yun was suddenly stunned and her eyes widened in disbelief.
It took him a while to come back to his senses, and he cautiously asked, "Fourth Miss?"
Li Nian did not respond to Madam Yun, but just frowned and said, "Madam Yun has recognized the wrong person."
Madam Yun seemed to have just come to her senses and hurriedly explained, "I've heard that the concubine the Crown Prince has is very similar to the fourth young lady of the Yun Mansion."
As she spoke, she smiled politely.
His smile didn't reach his eyes, but he observed her reaction with curiosity: "I thought before that there was only a slight resemblance, but I didn't expect that after seeing you today, you are as similar as if you were cast in the same mold."
Madam Yun spoke in a relaxed tone, as if joking about something insignificant. "No wonder Madam Yun keeps saying you're her biological daughter! If someone didn't know, they'd probably think the fourth young lady had a twin sister!"
Li Nian listened to the probing tone in her words, frowned slightly, and said in a cold and calm voice: "Mrs. Yun has good eloquence, but her jokes are a bit boring."
She asked bluntly, "Why don't you just tell me what your purpose is in coming to my house today?"
Madam Yun's expression froze at her blunt indifference. She suppressed her smile and said, "I came here today to take Second Lady Yun back home. After all, she's a concubine of the Yun family. How can she stay here with you? We don't want people to accuse us of being ignorant of etiquette."
At this moment, Lord Xiao, who had been ignored all along, suddenly asked, "Are you Minister Yun's legal wife?"
Madam Yun looked towards Marquis Xiao with a puzzled look on her face, then nodded and said, "Exactly. Who are you?"
Li Nian: …
I never expected that these two relatives didn’t even know each other?
She kindly reminded him, "Madam Yun, he is Marquis Xiao."
When Madam Yun heard this, her heart was shocked and her face turned pale in an instant.
She hurriedly and respectfully bowed to Marquis Xiao, saying, "My concubine greets you, Marquis. I apologize for any offense I have just caused. I hope you will forgive me."
Lord Xiao casually raised his hand and said calmly, "It's okay, get up."
"Thank you, Marquis." Madam Yun slowly stood up, lowered her head but raised her eyes to secretly look at Marquis Xiao's expression.
Seeing that the marquis, who was dressed in luxurious clothes, had a calm expression, it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry.
He couldn't help but feel regretful. He was so shortsighted that he didn't even notice a nobleman with such outstanding temperament like Lord Xiao. Now he was afraid that he had offended him.
Li Nian said to the uninvited guest at the head of the table, "I have some personal matters to attend to today. Why don't you go back first, Lord?"
Marquis Xiao glanced at her lightly, his originally dignified and upright demeanor suddenly relaxed a bit. He lifted his robe and sat down casually, saying, "This is my son's home. Madam Yun is the legitimate mother of my daughter-in-law, so we have a close relationship."
"Although as a father-in-law, I shouldn't interfere in my daughter-in-law's family affairs, but... now that my son is not in the capital, it's natural for me, as a father-in-law, to stand up for him."
Having said that, he looked at Madam Yun again: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Li Nian looked at the middle-aged man at the top in surprise, and suddenly felt that the Lord Xiao in front of her was very different from what she had imagined before.
Mrs. Yun's heart skipped a beat.
Rumor has it that Lord Xiao and Madam Xiao look down on Yun Qiuwu, but judging from their attitude now, why does it seem like they want to defend that bitch Yun Erniang?
She couldn't guess what Lord Xiao's intention was, and she just felt that she had chosen a bad time today.
After calming herself down, Madam Yun looked up at Marquis Xiao and explained, "Last night, Second Lady Yun came here and didn't return all night. So I thought of coming to take her back myself."
She smiled, her tone sincere, "After all, Second Lady Yun is a concubine of the Yun Mansion. Although the Fourth Lady is the Crown Prince's wife, she is deceased after all. Under such circumstances, Second Lady Yun's prolonged stay in the Crown Prince's residence will inevitably lead to gossip. If someone with ulterior motives spreads rumors, it will likely damage the reputation of the Marquisate."
Lord Xiao nodded his head as he listened, his eyes fixed on Li Nian, who looked displeased, and asked, "Daughter-in-law, what do you think about this?"
How could Li Nian look at this? She had to look carefully.
Li Nian looked at Xiaobai who had been waiting on the side. "Xiaobai, do you have the account book for the things that the Prince's Mansion sent to Yun for Yun Erniang?"
Xiaobai quickly replied, "Yes, including the things Madam sent to the Yun Mansion yesterday, they are all recorded in the account book."
Li Nian said "hmm" and turned his gaze to Madam Yun.
"Yesterday, Yun Erniang came to my house, seeking help. Her body was covered with whip marks, both new and old."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yun hurriedly explained, "It's only because Second Lady Yun really doesn't understand the rules that she keeps making mistakes. As the mistress, I naturally have to discipline her properly."
Li Nian listened to her explanation and did not refute it. Instead, he continued, "The prince, out of a sense of old friendship, sends money and gifts to Madam's biological mother every month. He always clearly states that the gifts are for Second Lady Yun, but you took them all."
Without waiting for Madam Yun to open her mouth to defend herself, she continued, "And yesterday, I asked the servant to personally deliver something to Second Lady Yun. Not only did he not show up, but the item still ended up in your hands. How do you explain all this? Madam Yun, are your actions based on the rules of your Yun Mansion?"
Madam Yun's face flushed red, and she was shocked and angry.
She had previously suspected that the woman before her was the Fourth Young Lady, after all, they looked so much alike. But after hearing her clear and compelling words, her previous suspicions were instantly dispelled.
The fourth girl was so stupid and reckless that she would never say anything that would shock her and leave her speechless.
Madam Yun clenched her fingers nervously in her wide sleeves and said with forced composure, "This is all a misunderstanding. The affairs of the mansion are complicated, so there are bound to be some omissions. I didn't mean to deduct money."
She glanced at Marquis Xiao nervously, secretly groaning in her heart.
I really didn't choose a good time today. Now that I didn't bring the person back, everything that happened before was revealed.
If the Marquis were to investigate, I would be severely punished.
Lord Xiao looked at his eldest daughter-in-law in surprise. He suddenly felt that although this girl was of a low birth, she had some brains and aura.
Thinking of his eldest son, who had been unruly and unruly since childhood, and his grief after Li Nian's death.
If this girl can control Yu'er, she would be a good candidate for daughter-in-law.
Thinking of this, Marquis Xiao frowned, staring fiercely at Madam Yun, and said in a deep voice, "Madam Yun withheld the support my son sent and even assaulted my daughter-in-law's biological mother. This isn't something that can be dismissed as a 'misunderstanding.' Minister Yun is, after all, a fifth-rank official, yet his wife behaved like this. Does she not understand the rules? Or does she not respect our mansion?"
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