Chapter 48: The Offending Siblings' Verbal Battle and Qing Jing's Awkward Moment
The young couple looked awkwardly at Liu Niangzi, Li Qiongxi, and Li Longyue.
The five people looked at each other, unsure how to break the deadlock.
Looking at the bewildered Li Shimin and Changsun Qingjing, Lady Liu turned to her two elder sisters and said, "Then I shall take the liberty of saying a few words, since you two are Erlang's elder sisters. Now that Madam is no longer here, it is only right and proper for you to remind your younger brother to be filial and observe proper etiquette..."
After hearing this, Li Longyue secretly nudged Li Qiongxi's shoulder, her voice almost inaudible: "Second brother is most afraid of you, you tell him..."
"You're the best at pretending to be a good person!" Li Qiongxi glanced at her younger sister and complained helplessly, "When has he ever been afraid of me?"
“Father said there’s no rush. You haven’t slept for days. Rest a little longer. Your brothers and sisters will take care of the vigil,” Li Longyue said with some concern.
“Auntie, I’d better mind my own business. Although there is a distinction between master and servant, and I shouldn’t interfere, I can’t let the young master continue to be willful. He’s not eating or drinking a single grain of rice or a drop of water, abusing his health, and is disrespectful to his wife!” Madam Liu said solemnly, and ordered a maid to bring a small table and place the soup and rice on it. “Young master, have you thought it through? Do you want to continue being willful, refusing to eat or drink, and disturbing your wife’s spirit in heaven?”
Li Shimin lowered his head and remained silent, pondering how to appease his wet nurse.
The three older women fell silent again, exchanging glances for a moment, which made the young couple wonder if they had done something inappropriate again, and they felt uneasy.
Li Qiongxi suddenly spoke up: "Ana and Fourth Sister are both people who cherish their reputations. It seems that I will have to play the villain!" These words seemed to have taken a lot of courage to say, which was inconsistent with her usual decisive and efficient style.
She moved the cushions prepared by the maid closer to the young couple, dismissed all but five other people, and then sat down at eye level with Li Shimin and his wife. She then said somewhat seriously, "Your elders are worried that you two are too young and ignorant, so they specifically asked me to tell you that according to the rules of funeral rites, even if you are newly married, you two should not be too intimate in your daily life... Do you understand what I mean?"
"Sister, actually what we were doing just now..." Changsun Qingjing simply wanted to explain that what they had just done was to comfort a boy who had lost his mother, but she felt that the more she explained, the worse it would get, and she felt powerless, so she simply shut up.
Li Qiongxi said, "The elders mean that according to custom, you two should sleep in separate rooms. It may seem a bit unreasonable to newlyweds, but it is what children should do. We were so busy before that we forgot about this important matter. Now that we remembered, we came to tell you both. Thinking about it carefully, it's not too harsh. You two are still under the same roof after all. Just be careful not to be frivolous. Also, it will be a little more troublesome and complicated when you two want to have a private talk."
“No trouble at all,” Li Shimin said to his wet nurse, Liu Niangzi. “Ana, have someone tidy up Xuanba’s old room. I’ll stay there comfortably. When I returned to Daxing in the past, I often talked with Xuanba by candlelight late into the night. His room is no different from my own, and I feel quite at ease living there… As for Guanyinbi, she can stay here. There’s no need for her to come back.” He nudged Changsun Qingjing with his elbow: “Is this alright, Guanyinbi?”
Changsun Qingjing kept her head down, muttering to herself, "I will follow the arrangements of my two elder sisters. I will also strictly observe the mourning rites and would never dare to act rashly."
“Since you have already made all the plans, just have A’nai instruct the maids to do as she says. Your fourth sister and I will be at ease.” Li Qiongxi turned around and greeted Lady Liu, who was waiting at her side. Lady Liu responded and subtly pushed the food table a little closer to Li Shimin before stepping back behind the screen.
Sure enough, a creaking sound came from outside the screen, indicating that someone was busy tidying up the new room. However, the two elder sisters showed no sign of leaving, which made Changsun Qingjing feel quite uneasy.
"Third sister, haven't you been resting well lately? Why do you talk like you're climbing a mountain, with one mountain after another blocking your way?" Rather than Li Shimin's complaint, this was more of a surprise at his third sister's unusual behavior.
“I’m perfectly fine, I’m just afraid you’re confused.” Li Qiongxi said seriously.
Li Shimin thought his elder sisters believed he would act impulsively and commit suicide to commemorate his deceased mother. This was followed by another lecture about whether he could accompany his father to Luoyang.
Fourth Sister, always childish and naive, didn't understand his grand ambitions, which was fine. He just thought to himself how Third Sister had become so disdainful of people today, so he replied nonchalantly, "Sister, just ask, I'll answer truthfully!"
"Since you two got married... have you ever..." Li Qiongxi stammered, shrinking her slender neck back as if she had done something wrong.
The once spirited and dashing daughter of a duke suddenly appeared vulgar and petty.
"What does my sister want to ask?" Li Shimin found the situation very strange. This was completely different from what he had expected his sister to say, urging him to put aside his grief for the time being and accompany his father to deal with the emperor's test.
Li Longyue, who had been silent all along, suddenly glanced helplessly at the high curtains, then looked down and rubbed her forehead: "You two chat, I'll go see how A-Nai is doing with the arrangements?"
Third Sister grabbed the hem of her mourning clothes and said, "Don't leave. If things turn out as badly as we expect, you have to stay and help me come up with ideas."
Changsun Qingjing found this unpleasant and secretive situation quite annoying, and San Niang was not as straightforward and frank as usual. He was suspicious, but it was inconvenient for him to ask more questions.
"Third sister, you may speak frankly. Even if His Majesty the Emperor detains me because of my talent, you don't need to hesitate."
"You're so shameless. Even if the emperor detains you, it won't be because you have any talent that would make him jealous."
Why are you speaking so bluntly?
"Then let me ask you, did you and Lady Changsun consummate your marriage?"
Now everyone understood; it was absolutely astonishing!
He wanted to comfort Changsun Qingjing, who was overwhelmed with shock and embarrassment, but his wife, still in shock, turned her back to one side, showing no intention of intervening in the nonsensical exchange between the siblings.
Now that she had spoken, Li Qiongxi naturally didn't back down: "I'm only asking you because you have the same thick skin as me! Do you really want to force my gentle sister-in-law to question this poor child who was scared to tears by me?"
She glanced at Changsun Qingjing, knowing she was shy, and felt a pang of guilt. But things had come to this point, and she had no choice but to back down.
Li Qiongxi had no choice but to muster her spirits and, adopting the same domineering attitude she used to intimidate her younger brother in her teenage years, asked again, "You're shameless, so answer me, did you or didn't you?"
"No." Li Shimin glared fiercely at San Niang. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"
"No." The tense atmosphere immediately eased.
Li Qiongxi breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back on Li Longyue's shoulder.
"You're the one who talks too much." Fourth Sister rubbed Third Sister's temples and couldn't help but punch her back. "Look at you, you're so outspoken, you've offended your younger brother and sister-in-law."
"What do my two elder sisters really mean? I don't think they intend to pry into my private affairs. Why don't you tell me clearly?" Li Shimin snapped out of his indignation, a sense of crisis returning to his heart.
His words struck a nerve with Changsun Qingjing. Li Qiongxi was quick-witted and capable, while Li Longyue was cautious and thorough; both were upright and honest people. It was impossible for them to speak so rudely.
Although Changsun Qingjing was stunned by this sudden and blunt question, she couldn't believe that her two elder sisters were gossipy and nosy. They must have had their own reasons for offending her like this.
So at this moment, she felt that she might as well put aside her doubts, embarrassment, and even anger, and listen to the Third Sister and Fourth Sister explain the whole story in detail.
Changsun Qingjing peeked through the gaps in his hand that was covering his cheek, secretly observing Li Shimin's expression. As his eyes darted around, they inadvertently met Li Shimin's concerned gaze.
Her ears burned, her heart pounded like a deer, and she quickly placed her hands on her knees, her fingers unconsciously rubbing together, her eyes fixed on the floor.
Li Longyue stepped forward and said softly, "Since there are no outsiders here, I will make things clearer for the elders and third sister." She walked around Li Qiongxi, crawled on her knees to Changsun Qingjing, and sat down solemnly, saying, "We two have been rude and have frightened you, sister."
Changsun Qingjing looked directly at Li Longyue and said, "Sister, please speak freely. I will not act coy like a child."
Li Longyue nodded and said, "...Seeing the world in turmoil, this is precisely the time for Father to realize his grand ambitions. At this moment, the head of our Tang State Palace must not allow anyone to seize upon the minor matter of lax household management and slander him before His Majesty, lest his promising future be ruined in an instant..."
Li Longyue glanced back at Li Qiongxi, who was pretending to be asleep: "Hey, wake up, stop pretending to be asleep! I wasn't wrong, was I!"
“You’re right, you’re very clear and logical, better than me… You speak politely, continue to explain things clearly to those two.” Li Qiongxi rubbed her eyes and said.
Li Longyue was a little annoyed: "My mind is a mess, I can't continue. You're always so eloquent, you explain to them!"
Before her second brother was born, Li Longyue was the most pampered of the six children in the family. Although she was clever by nature, she was spoiled and delicate. Sometimes she was lazy and hesitant in the face of things, and always longed for the protection of her parents and brothers and sisters.
"What does this have to do with our private matters?" Changsun Qingjing thought to himself.
"So Guanyinbi wasn't testing me, but volunteered to persuade me herself..." Li Shimin admired her. "She was quick to help my family and wasn't afraid of my stubborn nature; her courage is commendable..."
The two of them suddenly realized that reality was far more unpredictable and complex than their naive plan.
No, it's even more interesting.
Author's note: I'd love to see your reactions! [Sprinkling flowers]
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