Chapter 110 is coming to an end.
The carriage slowly pulled up and stopped in front of the Li residence.
Li Rong dismounted from the carriage in a daze.
As she entered, she stumbled and nearly fell, but was fortunately caught by Qiu Hui.
Outside the courtyard, there were also guards from the Northern Imperial Guards protecting the small courtyard.
Li Rong was oblivious to the changes in her surroundings.
Upon seeing Mr. and Mrs. Li appear inside the main house, tears of grievance welled up in her eyes instantly.
Li's mother was shocked and rushed forward to catch her daughter, who was almost unable to stand: "Rongrong!"
Li Rong threw herself into her mother's arms and cried.
Li's mother thought that Li Rong had been insulted by that Gui Hou, so she hugged Li Rong tightly.
He complained, "That Lin fellow is so useless!"
"I couldn't even protect you!"
Li Rong shook her head fiercely.
The doorway wasn't a place to talk, so Li's mother helped Li Rong to the bedroom.
Li Rong rushed into the room and collapsed onto the bed, crying even harder.
Li's mother grabbed her arm and saw that the mark of virginity was still on her wrist. Her red eyes filled with confusion.
"Rongrong, the virginity mark is still there!"
Why are you crying like you've lost your virginity?
Li Rong buried her face in the thin blanket.
She didn't know why he was fiddling with his fingers like that.
Her virginity mark is still there.
This is not a problem she wants to think about right now.
She sat up and looked at Li's mother, her voice trembling with sobs: "Mother, let's leave the capital and head south."
Li's mother was unaware of the current situation of Li Qu and Zhou Jin.
When Li Qu left, he told them to live well in the capital.
Li's mother was puzzled: "Does that man surnamed Lin want to divorce you?"
Looking into her mother's concerned eyes, Li Rong felt a surge of grievance welling up inside her.
Tears slowly welled up.
She gripped the mattress tightly in her hands: "He lied to me!"
"The princess sent men to arrest the matchmaker, Lord Hua."
"That Lord Hua said that his birth date on those three books was wrong, the seal was fake, and the government had no records of it."
"It was all an act to fool me."
She then recounted to Li's mother in detail what had happened after she was kidnapped and taken to the Guihou Mansion.
"He said, 'It's just playing around with a woman, you can lie to me if you want,' sob sob sob..."
Upon hearing this, Li's mother broke out in a sweat.
After a long pause, he asked, "He...he really killed someone?"
Li Rong nodded.
Li's mother quietly watched Li Rong.
Li Rong's face shape is more like her father's, rather round, and she is ordinary and loves to smile, making her appear more radiant.
Skin as smooth as ice and as white as jade.
At this moment, her bright eyes were filled with water and mist.
Crow feathers stained with tears.
Broken and easily bullied.
Li's mother turned away to wipe her tears.
She knew it was all over.
"Mother, Mother, let's leave the capital. Third Sister will surely have a way."
Li's mother turned and walked outside.
After Li Rong saw that her mother had left, she threw herself onto the bed again.
She actually took this liar to heart.
Insults and attacks came one after another.
The crying continued intermittently.
Li Han stood quietly outside the door, her fingers unconsciously tapping on the door frame.
A commotion erupted in the living room. Li's mother seemed to be trying to cover up something, and her shouts were loud and clear.
"Isn't this all your mother's fault!"
"If she hadn't sold Rongrong, she wouldn't have gotten sick later!"
"How could a marriage be delayed if you're not sick!"
"If it doesn't delay the marriage, she'll be eager to find someone herself!"
It was clearly an insult directed at Li's father.
Li's mother cried in anger: "Why should a woman be fined for not getting married!"
"Why should a woman who doesn't marry be forced to exile her parents!"
Why should women have to get married?!
The Li family had a fight in the middle of the night. The Imperial Guards from the Northern Garrison, who were guarding outside, glanced at it but didn't take it seriously.
The neighbor next door was still cowering in the corner, not even daring to move to urinate.
Just as Li Rong was torn apart by her emotions, her mother pulled her out of bed.
"Rongrong!" Mother Li's eyes shone brightly. "Your mother and father tied her up while Qiu Hui wasn't looking!"
"Pack your things, your father and mother are taking you away from the capital!"
*
Lin Xiaocong slept until the sun was high in the sky.
When the body recovers its vitality, the brain can also think better.
A cool breeze slipped in through the window, gently caressing his robes.
He sat cross-legged on the couch, staring at the hands he had used to do the wrong thing yesterday.
Soft, moist, warm.
First exploration.
He sighed heavily.
"It's all over!"
Breakfast was placed on the low table.
Lin Xiaocong picked up his chopsticks and ate breakfast.
He was refined and gentle, just like the impression he gave people.
"President! President!"
"Please come in and announce my arrival!"
The half-open window was rudely flung open.
Exhausted and furious after staying up all night, Chen Gao shouted, "Didn't you say it would kill instantly upon drawing blood?!"
"Last night I went to the prince's residence, feigning surrender, and finally found an opportunity to poison his tiger penis soup!"
"After waiting all night, he slept with three women and nothing happened!"
"He can still handle the Gui Hou case with a furious temper!"
Lin Xiaocong looked at the food that had been splattered with the other person's saliva and silently put down his chopsticks.
Luckily, the steamed bun in my hand dodged quickly.
He turned to Chen Gao and asked with a gentle smile, "Did you personally see the Fourth Prince drink the soup?"
"yes!"
Lin Xiaocong smiled as he slowly chewed the steamed bun in his mouth.
In desperation, Chen Gao pounded on the window of the coffin: "Your poison has lost its effectiveness!"
Lin Xiaocong swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and said gently, "Are you really furious?"
Chen Gao glared: "Gui Hou is the leader of the Gui Party. Losing Gui Hou means losing his greatest support. How can he not be angry!"
"He first vandalized the prince's residence, and then he went to vandalize the Ministry of Justice!"
"When I arrived, he was looking for me everywhere, sword in hand!"
"If you can't find me, you'll have to come looking for me."
Lin Xiaocong: "What do you want with the younger generation? It's your people surrounding the Gui residence."
Chen Gao: "..."
Lin Xiaocong: "Where did you come from?"
"The Eastern Palace!"
"When I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince woke up at dawn, I went to the Crown Prince to report on matters related to the case of Marquis Gui."
Chen Gao added: "I didn't mention you! It has nothing to do with you!"
Lin Xiaocong put down the steamed bun and tapped the table with his hand.
The cicadas in autumn serve tea.
Lin Xiaocong swallowed the steamed bun that was stuck in his throat, then smiled and said to Chen Gao, "It has nothing to do with this junior."
This was the first time Chen Gao had ever seen how shameless this young man was.
After thinking for a long time, Lin Xiaocong gave Chen Gao the answer, even though Chen Gao looked extremely anxious.
"This junior is skilled at healing and saving lives, but this is the first time I've ever poisoned someone."
"His skill in making poison is not up to par, so the poison has probably really lost its effectiveness."
Enraged, Chen Gao roared, "Lin Qi!"
If the Fourth Prince doesn't die, the Northern Imperial Guards will have to give him an explanation for surrounding the Marquis Gui's residence and slaughtering his entire family.
Lin Xiaocong cupped his hands and said, "I beg the Commander-in-Chief not to wrong this junior."
Chen Gao slammed the window shut in anger, raised his hand to cover his face, and felt a little dizzy.
He shouldn't have been so impulsive as to give him the token!
Let him go to the Marquis of Gui's mansion to die!
The window was pushed open.
A token flew out.
Chen Gao subconsciously raised his hand to take it.
Then he heard Lin Qi Gongzi, who was separated by a window, instruct: "Qiu Chan, change the breakfast."
"The president spat on this table."
Chen Gao left in anger.
If he stayed any longer, he might not be able to resist taking action against this young man he admired so much!
However, just as they left Chuntang Garden, a fast horse galloped towards them.
Hu Jiu tumbled off his horse, ran to him, knelt down, and reported: "Commander-in-Chief, the Fourth Prince has passed away!"
Chen Gao grabbed Hu Jiu and demanded, "What happened?!"
"I don't know. The Fourth Prince went to the Northern Court with his sword, but couldn't find you, so he went to the Chen residence to cause trouble!"
"Your subordinates will personally guard the gate of the Chen residence."
"Unexpectedly, when the Fourth Prince arrived at the Chen residence, before he could even dismount, he suddenly clutched his heart, his face contorted in pain, and collapsed from his horse, dying!"
"The arrival of the traditional Chinese medicine doctor was too late!"
Chen Gao quickly asked, "Is it poisoning?"
"A sudden heart attack, with no signs of poisoning!"
"Even the imperial physician was puzzled, saying that the Fourth Prince's pulse had always been healthy before."
Chen Gao released Hu Jiu abruptly.
With his back to Chuntang Garden, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He strode toward his horse.
He mounted his horse and thought of Hu Jiu's report about what happened last night.
I changed my assessment of Lin Xiaocong as "ruthless" from last night.
"This boy is not to be trifled with; he is extremely ruthless!"
*
No sooner had Chen Gao and Hu Jiu left than the Eastern Palace Attendant came to summon Lin Xiaocong to the Eastern Palace.
Lin Xiaocong enjoyed a delicious breakfast.
Smiling, he went out and followed Eunuch Chang to the East Palace.
It was the Crown Prince's turn.
After dealing with these fools who can't even understand how to fight for the throne.
He then went to fetch Rongrong and take her back to the Marquis's residence.
This time, no one will bother them anymore.
*
He was like a butterfly flapping its wings, suddenly taking action due to personal matters, stirring up a storm that caught all parties off guard.
*
The cold front is moving southward.
The temperature dropped and rain fell in Hezhou.
The sound of weeping was deafening from the beginning of the morning at Shou'an Hall.
"Sister-in-law, if you don't like Qingsu, just tell your sister-in-law."
"Why should the eldest brother send a beauty into the second master's room? What face will the younger brother and sister-in-law have left!"
When the Second Madam Bao got up early in the morning, she was so angry that she almost died when she learned that Zhou Lang had sent a beauty into her husband's room the night before.
Inside Shou'an Hall, the old lady sat upright at the head of the table, holding Buddhist prayer beads.
Zhou Lang stayed at Shou'an Hall last night and did not do this.
So it's obvious who did this, even a fool could figure it out.
Bao sobbed, "Sister-in-law, all the seven brothers, including Qiong, know how to compose poems, paint, play the zither, and make friends."
They all follow the artistic path.
"How can one endure hardship in the army?"
"Why did my elder brother suddenly order them to be recruited into the army?"
The Bao family had seven legitimate grandsons, the eldest of whom was named Zhou Yeqiong.
An old lady is making Buddhist prayer beads.
Only the youngest son had the right to freely use Zhou Lang's seal.
There's no doubt that the youngest son did this!
The old lady put down her prayer beads and picked up her teacup: "Is there any more?"
Mrs. Bao paused for a moment as she wiped away her tears with her handkerchief.
"What does sister-in-law mean?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xueying reported, "Qiaogu, who serves the Second Madam, says she has something important to discuss with her."
The old lady gently pushed the lid of the cup and invited Qiaogu inside.
After Qiaogu entered the door, she bowed and greeted them, and then explained her purpose.
"Early in the morning, the guards stopped a man and a woman who were coming to the gate of the Zhou Mansion on Chaoyang Street."
The woman said that she was originally engaged to the man beside her.
"It was the Second Madam who forcibly separated her from her lover and forced her to enter the mansion as a concubine for the Third Master..."
A scream interrupted Qiaogu's words.
The old lady was so startled that she flipped her chin off the teacup she was about to bring to her lips.
Bao screamed and stood up, asking Qiaogu, "Could it be Qingsu?"
Qiaogu lowered her eyebrows respectfully: "This woman introduces herself as Qingsu, and is a daughter of the Bao family of Huaiyang, your maternal family, Second Madam."
"Oh dear!" Madam Bao turned around and covered her face with a handkerchief.
"Sister-in-law, how could the thieves have kidnapped Qingsu and forced her to talk nonsense?"
Upon hearing Qiaogu's words, Bao had only one thought.
"Go and execute that thief who dared to kidnap my daughter on the spot!"
No one in Shou'an Hall obeyed her orders.
She turned to look at the old lady sitting in the main seat.
The old lady was wiping the tea stains off her clothes.
Bao: "My poor daughter, how could she have suffered such an undeserved calamity?"
“Sister-in-law, I just handed the person over to my third nephew’s wife yesterday.”
"How come there were thieves who could fly and dive into the earth last night, breaking into the Zhou family mansion and kidnapping people?"
The women in the inner quarters of the house could never escape the Zhou residence.
Not to mention the high walls and deep courtyards, the constant patrols inside and outside the mansion would not let out a single mosquito.
By choosing to question, Mr. Bao was choosing to pursue the matter to the end.
She has not yet connected the two events—her seven grandsons being conscripted into the army and Zhou Lang sending a beauty to her second grandfather last night—with the Bao Qingsu incident.
The second branch of the family clearly did not want to get involved in the power struggle between Li Qu and the Second Madam.
Qiaogu spoke up: "The autumn accounts entering the manor coincided with the betrothal ceremony for Young Master Cheng, and the Second Madam was busy until midnight yesterday."
“Young Master Dun made a ruckus again last night, and the two ladies didn’t go to sleep until dawn.”
"Seeing that the Second Madam has been working so hard, I have come directly to report this matter to the Old Madam for handling."
“This servant has overstepped her bounds; please punish me, Madam.”
After saying that, she respectfully kowtowed and admitted her mistake.
The old lady waved Qiaogu away and instructed Xueying, "Go and invite the Third Madam."
He said to Granny Rong, "Go yourself and invite Miss Bao into the house."
After Xu Mama and Xueying left to carry out their orders, Madam Bao brought up her grandson's matter again, but the old lady waved her hand:
"Take care of Ms. Bao's matter first."
Mr. Bao then shut up and sat down again.
She picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and put it down, saying, "Sister-in-law, jealousy is a crime punishable by seven grounds for divorce!"
"How did my innocent niece end up being lost to the world?"
“If you don’t give me an explanation today, I will kneel in the ancestral hall and beg my relatives.”
The old lady got up and left the bed, not responding to the remark: "You're so old, why are you making such a fuss!"
"I was so scared I swallowed a whole cup of tea and choked on it!"
Granny Rong stepped forward to help the old lady change her clothes.
After the old lady left, the second madam quickly summoned her personal maid to her side to whisper in her ear.
"Call Qiong's daughter-in-law and the others, as well as the people from the Third Madam's household. Call as many people as possible."
"Yes." The old nanny accepted the order and went to carry it out.
The Second Madam sat up straight and took a deep breath.
Since their children and grandchildren are no good, they can only hope that women can find a way to get Zhou Jin's help.
With so many people around, we're not afraid of the eldest sister-in-law showing favoritism or bias.
*
Li Qu hadn't slept well last night, and when Xueying came to call her, she hadn't gotten up yet.
Zhou Jin was not in the mansion.
So the first to arrive were the Third Madam and the women from the Second and Third Mansions.
There were many people. When Li Qu arrived, she heard a lot of chattering coming from the flower hall.
A man with his hands tied behind his back was kneeling in the courtyard.
He was dressed in a traditional Chinese robe, like a student.
The man had a cloth bag over his head, and his whole body was soaked by the rain; he looked extremely disheveled.
Xueying announced, "The Third Madam has arrived."
The chattering discussion in the flower hall subsided.
Xueying lifted the curtain for Li Qu.
Granny Xu folded the umbrella and helped Li Qu inside.
inside the house.
The old lady leaned against the armchair, idly playing with her prayer beads.
To the lower right of her, the Second Madam sat in the first seat, followed by the Third Madam.
Behind the two matriarchs stood several women of Li Qu's generation.
The seats on the left were completely empty.
Clear stance.
When Li Qu's eyes swept across everyone in the room, everyone in the room was also looking at her.
She was dressed very formally today.
She wore a heavily embroidered robe, a headdress inlaid with gold and jade, and a necklace with a jade pendant around her neck.
Noble and beautiful.
Calm and composed.
After bowing and taking their seats, a maidservant served them tea.
Li Qu then noticed that the Second Madam's sleeve was covered by a woman with red, crying eyes who was lying on her lap.
The moment Bao Qingsu met Li Qu's gaze, she threw herself onto the Second Madam's lap and burst into tears.
Her voice was choked with sobs and filled with grievance.
The show is about to begin.
Li Qu sipped her tea gently.
Madam Bao smiled and said, "Third niece-in-law, you look really beautiful today. Half an hour probably won't be enough."
"I'm late, I've kept my second and third aunts waiting." Li Qu looked tired.
"Last night, for some unknown reason, my cousin Qingsu suddenly tried to kill herself in my yard."
"I was so scared that I couldn't sleep all night."
"My niece-in-law has a clever tongue," Madam Bao said, still in a casual, conversational tone.
"I kindly sent my niece-in-law a capable helper."
"Firstly, it can help you share the pain of childbirth; secondly, it can help you share the burden of daily chores."
"I heard that after you took the person back, you cried and made a scene with Lao San."
"Did it force the third son to marry her off to someone else?"
Li Qu looked surprised: "Whose nonsense did Second Aunt hear?"
"After you left your cousin Qingsu behind, my niece-in-law, who was heavily pregnant, immediately went out to find Third Master to make arrangements, for fear of neglecting my cousin Qingsu."
"As for how Third Master arranged things for Cousin Qingsu, my niece-in-law knows nothing about it."
"I heard earlier that my cousin Qingsu was seen on Chaoyang Street with a strange man."
As Li Qu spoke, he instructed the person behind him: "Have the gatekeeper wait outside. Invite her in and ask Cousin Qingsu how she left the manor."
Madam Bao: "No need. Since my niece-in-law can't tolerate Qingsu, I'll take her back myself."
Li Qu smiled and said, "No matter what crime your second aunt accuses your niece-in-law of, she will accept it with a smile."
"But things must be sorted out, otherwise if someone says that you, Second Aunt, conspired with your niece to frame your niece-in-law for being jealous, it will make people laugh at Zhou Shi."
Before the Second Madam could refuse again, Granny Xu had already invited the gatekeeper over.
The gatekeeper said, "Miss Qingsu was escorted out of the mansion by Huaiqiu, who was by Third Master's side."
Li Qu's ultimate goal was to leave the mess to Zhou Jin.
Li Qu: "I'm afraid we'll have to ask Third Master about the specifics."
Madam Bao smiled and said, "My niece-in-law is so lucky to have such a good husband who can manage everything, both inside and outside the home."
"My husband is autocratic and domineering, and my niece-in-law is weak and incompetent. She can only report everything to him and dares not do anything rash."
Zhou Jin arrived at this time.
As a servant announced, "Third Master has arrived," he lifted the curtain and entered.
Li Qu stood up and bowed to him.
According to the rules, Li Qu should have yielded his position of honor to Zhou Jin.
Zhou Jin casually sat down to the left of her. Li Qu then returned to her own seat.
When the maidservant served tea, he picked up the cup and twirled it in his hand, showing no intention of greeting the elders.
The room suddenly became quiet because of his arrival.
The old lady sat at the head of the table, sipping tea, and happily prepared a stage for her son's performance.
Zhou Jin spoke up: "Second Aunt, why are you making things difficult for my wife?"
Bao's heart tightened.
She was more afraid of this nephew than of Zhou Lang.
Because we're not familiar with each other.
Also because of their natural subservience to those in power.
Even though she is an elder.
She said casually, "Nephew is joking. My niece-in-law is beautiful and dignified. I like her very much."
"If you need anything in the future, just contact me directly. Don't bother her; she's pregnant and it's very hard for her."
The women in the room all looked up at him because of these words.
Bao Qingsu, who was lying on Bao's lap, secretly looked at him, her eyes filled with grievance and longing.
She wants this man.
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