Li Xinniang felt icy cold inside; she could never warm Madam Wu's heart or gain her approval.
In the end, she still needed to bring out her mother and brothers to keep the servants in check.
This time she was going to take a hard line. If Wu Jingzhi could join her, then they would separate and live separately.
If Wu Jingzhi is wholeheartedly devoted to Madam Wu, then they will probably only have the option of divorce.
The Emperor has already begun to have Xiao Mochen study politics, and Xiao Mochen has his own unique insights into many things.
He quickly gained the approval of many ministers, and even the emperor praised Xiao Mochen as a born emperor.
Xiao Mochen simply smiled after hearing this, without becoming arrogant.
Because he knew his mission. He needed not only the talent of an emperor, but also the power of an emperor.
Therefore, while studying court politics, Xiao Mochen focused more on developing his own power.
Many officials have privately sided with him.
That day, Xiao Mochen had just finished dealing with some matters when his bodyguard whispered a few words in his ear.
Xiao Mochen smiled disdainfully after hearing this, and then said coldly, "A mere Wu family dares to look down on an imperial decree bestowed by the Emperor. It seems that Madam Wu is tired of living."
It would be easy for Xiao Mochen to deal with the Wu family; he could make them disappear from the capital city completely by tomorrow morning.
However, because Li Xinniang was involved, he couldn't do that.
Li Xinniang was, after all, her aunt's daughter. Although her aunt said she didn't care about her, how could someone as sentimental and righteous as her aunt disregard Li Xinniang's life or death?
Thinking of this, Xiao Mochen couldn't help but feel annoyed.
If Li Xinniang had listened to her aunt back then, none of this trouble would have happened.
Not only is his life a complete mess, but he's also being ridden around by that old woman. It's a disgrace to his aunt and to him.
Seeing Xiao Mochen's cold expression, the guard cautiously asked, "Your Highness, should I go and teach that old woman from the Wu family a lesson?"
Xiao Mochen waved his hand and said, "What's there to teach her a lesson? She's useless, who can help her?"
Besides, if she can't even handle such a small matter, how can she be worthy of being her aunt's daughter?
"You can leave now. Just ensure her safety; don't worry about anything else. She brought it all on herself."
As for Yan Qingqing, Li Kaishan heard that she was going to the capital and didn't want to stop her.
Instead, she smiled and said, "Qingqing, who knows when you'll be back?"
Your promotion to the rank of Second Rank Lady is a momentous occasion.
I won't even mention ancestral blessings. To be frank, even our Li family ancestors probably didn't have that ability.
Yan Qingqing chuckled upon hearing this. If Li Kaishan's ancestors heard what he said, they'd probably be turning in their graves.
The key point is that Grandpa Li even looked like he agreed.
Clearly, they no longer have any reverence for the Li family's ancestors.
Yan Qingqing asked, "So, what does Uncle Mayor mean?"
Li Kaishan replied without hiding anything, "I originally planned to open an ancestral hall to worship the ancestor, but we just worshipped him last year, so there's no need for that anymore."
But such a big event, something to be proud of, deserves a proper celebration.
What I mean is, let's have a feast that lasts for several days.
Tell everyone in our Canghe Town that our Li family has produced a lady of the second rank.
Don't worry, this money will be covered by the public funds of our Canghe Town.
Now, every household in Canghe Town is quite wealthy, and there are many people doing business.
In addition, the village distributes dividends, so there is quite a lot of money in the public account of Canghe Town.
Li Kaishan spoke with complete confidence.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Mayor. I can afford this amount of money, but it would be too high-profile."
How about this, we just invite our neighbors and friends over for a meal and that's it."
Li Kaishan frowned upon hearing this; it was far too shabby. This was a lady of high rank, a second-rank official; how could she be treated so carelessly?
However, Master Li agreed, saying, "It's better to keep a low profile. Qingqing is currently very popular. There's no guarantee she won't attract the attention of some unscrupulous people."
"Being careful is always the best policy; paying attention will prevent any mistakes."
In some ways, Mr. Li was quite a wise man.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "What Dad said makes perfect sense. To be honest, we have quite a few relatives and friends."
Add to that our business partners. With so many people, we probably couldn't even fit them all in our yard.
This was Yan Qingqing's most conservative estimate. Many people, upon learning of her promotion to the rank of Lady, would surely come uninvited.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing was definitely not sure what to say, Li Kaishan didn't say anything more.
But he was determined to make this a big deal.
Sure enough, the next day, a long line of people came to the Li family to deliver gifts.
Everyone came to congratulate Yan Qingqing on her promotion to the rank of Second-Rank Lady.
These are all normal social interactions, and Yan Qingqing couldn't turn people away.
Yuan Huiniang and her servants were running around like headless chickens. They didn't even have time to drink a sip of water.
Relatively speaking, Yan Qingqing was quite free. Unless it was someone she needed to see, she would stay in her room and relax.
However, Yan Qingqing did not see everyone.
For example, Master Ding, he really put in a lot of effort and spent a lot of money during the last fundraising.
Those medicinal herbs were worth at least seventy or eighty thousand taels of silver. If it weren't for her, why would Master Ding have donated them so readily?
Yan Qingqing felt somewhat guilty about this. He himself was willing to give up his entire fortune for the Great Yan Dynasty. But she wasn't used to morally blackmailing others.
So when Yan Qingqing heard that Master Ding and Madam Ding had come to offer their congratulations, she immediately had them led to her courtyard.
Upon seeing Yan Qingqing, Master Ding and his wife immediately bowed deeply and said, "Greetings, Madam Mingzhao, it is truly a joyous occasion."
Yan Qingqing quickly stepped forward and asked, "What are you two doing?"
Master Ding replied, "Although Lady Mingzhao has given us face, we cannot be rude."
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing smiled and replied, "Do you know why I hid today? It's because I'm afraid of this."
They're always making you kneel and kowtow. Who can stand that?
If you two do the same, I'll have you both thrown out.
Master Ding and his wife knew that Yan Qingqing was giving them face. They quickly got up from the ground and said with a smile, "Thank you, Madam Mingzhao. In order not to be kicked out, I really can't do this kneeling ceremony anymore."
I hope Lady Mingzhao will not blame me then.
Madam Ding glanced at him and said, "Stop being sarcastic. Don't we know what kind of person Madam Mingzhao is?"
Although Master Ding and Yan Qingqing had known each other for a long time, Madam Ding is now Yan Qingqing's number one fan.
She felt that Yan Qingqing was simply a role model for women.
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