The next day was still sunny and nice.
Li Nian and Li Sisi were called over by the nanny from the main courtyard. They originally thought that it was Old Madam Xiao who was up to something again.
But in the reception room of the main courtyard, Madam Xiao and Xiao Yunya had red eyes, and Marquis Xiao had a serious expression.
Seeing the two of them enter the room, Lord Xiao hurriedly asked the servants to make tea.
Li Nian and Li Sisi bowed, looked at each other, and then sat down next to each other.
The hall was filled with the scent of sandalwood and the atmosphere was solemn.
Lord Xiao spoke in a deep voice, "This morning the Ministry of Rites delivered a secret letter stating that the Emperor intends to select a concubine, and Yun Ya's name is on the Ministry's preliminary list."
"I don't want to go into the palace!" Xiao Yunya's voice was filled with tears, and her fingers twisting the handkerchief were getting tighter and tighter.
Madam Xiao: "I told you to meet Young Master Liu at the Spring Banquet, but you refused to listen. Now that the Emperor has ordered the selection of a concubine, if you refuse, you will be disobeying his order!"
Xiao Yunya's eyes flushed as she defended herself, "That young master of the Liu family spends all day hanging out in brothels. I don't know how many women he's had. If I were to marry a man like that, I'd rather have my hair cut off and become a nun!"
"Nonsense!" Madam Xiao scolded, "The young master of the Liu family is still unmarried, so he must be a little confused. But if he gets married, he will naturally calm down."
She glanced at Li Nian, who was sitting upright and silent.
She continued, "Look at your eldest brother. He was a playboy before marriage, but he's completely different since marriage. He's been brought under your eldest sister-in-law's thumb. As the saying goes, a prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold."
Li Nian: …
It's true that Xiao Yunyu is arrogant and dissolute, but he's also a playboy...
Thinking back to when the two of them first started, Xiao Yunyu was eager to learn from the sketchbook and didn't look like he was very experienced.
But Sisi said that men are quick to come the first time, but Xiao Yunyu lasted very long. She also felt that this shouldn’t be Xiao Yunyu’s first time…
Here, Li Nian was thinking divergently.
Madam Xiao continued, "If only you could learn more of your sister-in-law's methods of training men..."
"That's true," Li Sisi sneered. "When it comes to obedience, no one can compare to father, right? Everyone in the capital, and even the whole country, knows that father dotes on you like his darling. You're almost forty, and father doesn't even have a concubine. I heard that father's maidservant when he was young was sold off after you got married. You're quite capable. Why don't you train Yun Ya yourself?"
Marquis Xiao's concubine has always been a topic that the two of them avoided talking about.
After Xiao Yunyu's mother married him, she was very tolerant and forgiving towards the two maids.
Madam Xiao was angry that while Marquis Xiao and his wife were enjoying their romantic life, he was at home every night flirting with his maidservant.
"How dare you!" Madam Xiao glared at her angrily. "You are so disrespectful to your elders. Is this how you raise your children in the Shen family?"
Li Sisi shouted back, "Elders deserve respect, so of course I respect them. There's no need to be polite to elders who don't deserve respect. You're always complaining about my brother's shortcomings, or my sister-in-law's. Do you have any fun? You're so powerful, why don't you take care of Yun Ya's entry into the palace? You're just bullying yourself!"
"Bang!" A cup of hot tea suddenly fell at Li Sisi's feet. Mrs. Xiao stood up, pointed at Li Sisi and cursed.
"How insolent! How disrespectful! Just like that evil creature who brought death upon my mother..."
When Li Nian heard what Madam Xiao said, his eyes, which had originally been indifferent, suddenly turned cold.
Perhaps, Mrs. Xiao had said this more than once, and she might even have said it in front of Xiao Yunyu.
Xiao Yunyu must have felt very uncomfortable at that time, right?
Resisting the urge to smash the teacup in Mrs. Xiao's face, Li Nian loosened his grip and the teacup fell to the ground with a "bang".
Seeing everyone's eyes looking at her, she sneered and said in a low voice: "Sorry, my hand slipped and I couldn't hold it."
Madam Xiao said harshly and unceremoniously: “I think you did it on purpose.”
"If you say so, then so be it." She stood up and looked at Lord Xiao. "I don't know what the point of you calling me here is. To listen to Ayu's stepmother slander him? Sorry, I don't like it."
After saying that, she turned around and left without caring about other people's reactions.
Li Sisi caught up with her, walked beside her and lowered her voice: "Sister, why are you suddenly hard?"
"I'm not getting tough, I'm planning to break up." Li Nian suppressed the anger in his heart and said in a calm tone, "I finally understand why Xiao Yunyu didn't like returning to the Marquis' Mansion before."
She turned her head to look at Li Sisi: "Starting tomorrow, I won't greet you."
"Ah?" Li Sisi looked at Li Nian in surprise, "Are you serious?"
"Um."
Li Sisi sighed, "A few days ago we were discussing whether there was a way to avoid getting up early to pay our respects to the old lady, and now it's just happened so easily?"
Li Nian said calmly, "Before, I was planning to save face for everyone and skip the hassle of getting up early to greet them. Now there's no need. She won't give us face, so why should I give her face?"
Before, she thought that Madam Xiao was the mistress of the mansion after all, and Xiao Yunyu was the heir of the Xiao mansion. In addition, Marquis Xiao really loved Jinhe, so she endured it.
But the old woman was really going too far.
The more a person lacks something, the more he desires it.
Although Xiao Yunyu looks arrogant, he definitely longs for maternal love in his heart.
But the old woman said that Xiao Yunyu killed his biological mother!!!
That’s too much!!
The more Li Nian thought about it, the angrier she became. If someone else had said this to her, she would have been heartbroken.
"That's right. I won't go tomorrow either." Li Sisi immediately agreed.
Li Nian turned her head to look at her: "Do you want to talk to Xiao Yunchen? You and I are different. Madam Xiao is Xiao Yunchen's biological mother."
Li Sisi curled her lips: "So what? I don't think the old woman treats me well just because I'm her own son's wife. Isn't she always finding fault with me?"
Li Nian sighed softly. "Actually, I really don't understand her thinking. Isn't it better for everyone to just get along? She always has to say something unpleasant and make everyone unhappy. Doesn't that do her any good?"
Li Sisi lowered her voice: "You don't know this?"
She raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Old women like this are called... a troublemaker personality."
Li Nian: ...I thought she was going to say something profound!
Pursing her lips, she chuckled softly, "You better keep your voice down, otherwise the old woman will see it and she'll come to trouble us again."
Li Sisi suddenly suggested, "How about we move to Yunjingting together?"
"We?" In fact, Li Nian had wanted to move there for a long time, but Li Sisi was here, so she stayed in Marquis Xiao's mansion.
Xiao Yunyu also wrote several times, saying that if he was unhappy living in Marquis Xiao's Mansion, he could move to Yunjing Court.
Li Sisi: "Yes, let's go together."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
