The twelfth great uncle of the Li clan is already in his sixties. Perhaps because he did not take good care of himself or he is just getting old, his hair has turned completely white, his face is full of wrinkles, and his eyes are cloudy, like a piece of rotten wood that will collapse at any time.

Since he entered the Pei family's hall, he has kept his eyes half closed and has not said a word, as if what happened in the hall has nothing to do with him.

When Pei Yan called his name, he finally opened his eyes, bowed slowly, and said, "Master Pei San, I am half deaf and half dumb, and it is good enough that I can hear roughly what is said. What else can I say? How to deal with this matter, let Li Duan decide!"

The implication was that he had no control over it and would just do whatever Li Duan said.

Seeing the main branch of the clan being controlled by the side branches in this way, everyone thought of what happened just now outside the Pei residence, when the Li Duan brothers took the lead and the main branch of the Li family followed breathlessly behind, and they couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable.

You know, many of the gentry sitting here are the clan leaders of their respective families.

Li Duan's behavior undoubtedly infringed upon everyone's interests.

The country gentlemen all looked unhappy.

I feel that Li Duan's family is too neglectful towards the Zong family.

Li Duan cursed Li He and his son in his heart.

Because of the rise of their branch, the Zong branch has always been a bit weird. This time when they came to Pei Mansion, they did not inform the Zong branch at all, because they were afraid that the Zong branch would not only not help them but also hinder them. They even guarded against someone informing the Zong branch, and had people guard the Zong branch, preparing to find a way to stop it if the Zong branch knew about it, but who knew that the Zong branch still rushed over at the last minute.

I don’t know who informed them of this.

Just as they expected, Zongfang did not do any good.

Li Duan was angry, but he couldn't show it on his face. Instead, he said respectfully, "Twelfth Uncle, you are so embarrassed to say that. My father is not here, and I am still young. If I do something wrong, I have to ask Twelfth Uncle to point it out. How can I dare to make a decision on my own? I have to listen to you on this matter."

He just couldn't believe that his twelfth uncle would dare to turn against their family at this time.

If the Li family didn't have this branch of theirs, they wouldn't be able to get away with any taxes or levies.

The Li clan's main branch did not dare to turn against Li Duan's branch. No matter how dissatisfied they were with Li Duan's branch, they could only say a few words. If they really ignored Li Duan's branch, not only would they lose the clan's magnanimity, but it would also affect the interests of the entire family.

The clan family could only do so much.

Hearing what Li Duan said, the twelfth uncle had to stand up and say, "Our Li family has always been upright, and Li Yi has been a good parent in recent years. It is impossible for the Yu family and the Wei family to wrongly accuse the Li family without reason, and it is impossible for the Li family to kill people just because of a marriage of their children. It can be seen that the chief steward of Li Duan's house is the key. Although there has been the story of Cheng Ying saving an orphan since ancient times, there has also been the story of Lu Bu killing his master, which shows that things in this world cannot be generalized. As for why the chief steward of Li Duan's house did such a thing, please give our Li family a face, Master Pei San, Master Yu, and Master Wei, and don't pursue it now. I will write a letter to Li Yi and ask him to give an explanation to the two families. What do you think?"

After he finished speaking, he stood up and bowed to everyone, whispering, "Whatever compensation you need, our Li family will not hesitate."

Anyway, when it comes down to it, it will be Li Yi who will have to worry about it, so why should he be the bad guy?

Of course the Yu family and the Wei family are dissatisfied, but what can they do?

Unless the chief steward of Li Duan's family can bite Li Duan on the spot.

But that's impossible.

If the chief steward of Li Duan's family confessed to the crime, he might lose his life, but he could keep his family alive and well in the Li Mansion. If he confessed that the Li family was behind the crime, not only would he lose his life, but the lives of his entire family might also be in danger.

Everyone can do the math.

This is also the reason why Yu Tangning would rather seek justice from the Pei family than sue the Li family.

But it is impossible to let the Yu family and the Wei family just let it go.

At least before coming here, Yu Tang had discussed with his father and brother many times what they should do if things developed to this point. Yu Wen was a little hesitant about Yu Tang's idea at first, but later he discussed it with Grandpa Wei and his son. Grandpa Wei and his son both thought that Yu Tang's idea was feasible, so he had nothing to worry about. After hearing what the twelfth uncle of the Li clan said, he exchanged glances with Grandpa Wei, and then the two stood up together. Yu Wen spoke on behalf of the two families, "If that's the case, we, the Yu family and the Wei family, are not unreasonable people. The master humiliated the servant and the servant died. The servant did something wrong, so the master should also be responsible. We hope that the Li family can solemnly apologize to both of us - the eldest son of the Li family will wear mourning clothes and go to Zhaoming Temple to perform three days of rituals for Wei Xiaoshan; and Madam Lin will personally go to the gate of the Yu family and kowtow three times to our Yu family."

What?!

Everyone was stunned.

Li Duan's face turned pale, and he suppressed his surprise and shouted, "What did you say?"

Yu Wen had already expected this.

When he first heard Yu Tang say this, he thought it was impossible like everyone else.

But in the end, things were still going in a direction that was beneficial to the Yu and Wei families.

He calmly repeated the requests of the Yu and Wei families: "The eldest son of the Li family will wear mourning clothes and go to Zhaoming Temple to perform three days of rituals for Wei Xiaoshan; Madam Lin will personally go to the gate of the Yu family and kowtow three times to our Yu family."

"Impossible!" Li Duan said without thinking, with undisguised anger in his eyes.

Do they still think that the Li family is really helpless?

Otherwise, why didn't the Yu and Wei families file a complaint with the authorities?

He just didn't want to offend the Pei family.

Both the Yu and Wei families were so ignorant that they actually wanted his mother to go to the front door of the Yu family and kowtow three times as an apology!

Who is his mother? She is a lady of the fourth rank, the mistress of the Li family. She kowtowed to the Yu family in front of all the people in Lin'an City. Will she be able to live as a human being in the future?

Pei Yan also found it difficult to suppress the surprise in his heart.

This kind of thing, which is almost humiliating, is something that most women in the inner chambers can think of.

It must have been Miss Yu’s idea.

I don’t know what she is thinking.

It's okay to do a three-day ceremony, but asking Mrs. Li to pay compensation is like trampling on the face of the Li family. The Li family would rather go to court than agree. Instead of fighting for face, it would be better to let the Li family pay some money to achieve the goal.

Pei Yan looked towards Yu Tang.

But she saw Yu Tang was calm and composed, as if everything was within her expectations.

Pei Yan couldn't help stroking the Pixiu in his hand. The uneven patterns on the surface of the Pixiu had been polished by him until they were round and no longer sharp, but round and smooth.

At this moment, he was very curious about what Yu Tang was thinking and what she was going to do next.

Yu Tang did not let him down.

She took a few steps forward and said to Li Duan, "Impossible? What is impossible? Why does Mr. Li think it is impossible?"

Yu Tang had already been in the spotlight just now. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Yu Wen didn't want Yu Tang to be in the spotlight again. He coughed lightly, signaling Yu Tang not to say anything and that he should come forward.

However, Yu Tang felt that it would be better for her to step forward instead of her father to deal with such a trivial matter as buying a side dish, so that everyone could see how Li Duan, a scholarly gentleman, could compete with a young girl.

She reached her hand behind her back and waved it towards her father, then continued to say to Li Duan, "Are you unwilling to apologize to both of our families? Or do you think the conditions we proposed are too harsh? Both of our families, one lost their son, and the other lost their innocence. Isn't this worth an explanation from your Li family?"

Yu Wen didn't want to embarrass Yu Tang in front of so many people. Although he was anxious, he could only watch Yu Tang and Li Duan argue.

Yu Tang's clear and pleasant voice, like knocking on ice and jade, made Li Duan's heart shiver, and his rationality finally returned.

The Yu family was clearly well prepared. If he couldn't remain calm, he might end up falling into an even bigger trap.

"Ms. Yu, I came here sincerely to solve the problem and to pay your family back." He said solemnly, "not to be insulted by you. You made my mother kowtow to your family in front of everyone to pay her back. It's not enough to kill someone, you are going too far!"

Yu Tang sneered and said, "So, Master Li, do you think that wearing mourning clothes and performing a three-day ritual for the Second Master of the Wei Family in Zhaoming Temple is not an insult to you?"

Of course Li Duan was unwilling to do so.

But compared to asking his mother to kowtow, performing a ritual was more acceptable to him.

Moreover, if he compensated the Wei family in such a high profile, others would only think that he was kind-hearted, humble, and a man of great character. Not only would it not tarnish his reputation, but it would also be beneficial to it.

Could this be the purpose of the Yu and Wei families?

Propose two solutions and compare them, so that he will subconsciously choose the solution that he is more likely to accept.

The Yu and Wei families just wanted him to wear mourning clothes for Wei Xiaoshan?

I just don’t know whether this was Yu Wen’s idea or Miss Yu’s idea?

Li Duan looked at Yu Tang carefully.

She was of medium height, wearing a half-new, dull blue gown made of fine cloth. Her black and shiny hair was tied up in a bun on top of her head. Her androgynous outfit could not hide her snow-white skin and exquisite curves. Her cold expression could not hide the gentleness and charm of her eyes and eyebrows.

This shouldn't be her idea!

She is such a beautiful woman, how could she have so many evil thoughts.

It must be that her father asked her to come forward in order to make everyone feel sympathy for their family.

Li Duan felt relieved and said, "Miss Yu, my servant is immoral. I can wear mourning clothes for Wei Xiaoshan, but my mother is a woman in the inner house. It is not okay to ask her to kowtow to you at the door of your house!"

Pei Yan pricked up his ears.

He also felt that making Li Duan wear mourning clothes was the purpose of both the Yu and Wei families.

Now it seems that the Yu family's goal has been achieved.

But he felt that the Yu family could not possibly propose only this one condition.

Next, it depends on what kind of conditions Yu Tang will put forward and how the Li family will respond.