Chapter 16 016 Luo Fu smiled back at him, but actually wanted to flip this over even more...
Dingguo Gongfu.
Besides the eldest son Li Wei and the second son Li Chong serving as generals in the provinces, the old Duke Li Gong, the third son Li An, and the fourth son Li Ya all served in the capital.
Li Gong was the first to return. When he dismounted, he appeared perfectly normal, and the gatekeeper noticed nothing amiss.
Lady Liao, the Duchess, was comfortably reclining on the warm couch, petting a tabby cat in her lap. Hearing familiar footsteps outside, she remained reclined until Li Gong, dressed in a dark purple robe embroidered with a qilin, stormed in with an imposing air, his face stern and lips pursed. Only then did Lady Liao sit up straight, still holding the cat, and ask curiously, "Who has bothered you this time?"
She hadn't even mentioned the good deeds Jiulang had done, and her husband was already like this. If she did mention it, wouldn't her husband be furious?
Li Gong sat down on the chair facing north and told him about Xiao Yu's complaint to him. He became more and more angry as he spoke: "I was just going to watch Yang Sheng's good show, but I didn't expect that Seventh Brother and Ninth Brother had already arranged a big show of spoiled brats bullying others for me. Tell me quickly, who saw Ninth Brother's sneak attack on Madam Xiao Yu?"
After a moment of surprise, Madam Liao said, "Fortunately, only Yanzhen and Huaiyun were with Madam Luo at the time, along with their maids. Huaiyun certainly wouldn't tell anyone, and Yanzhen isn't a gossip either. Madam Luo, sigh, she's only sixteen, right? She suffered such a great injustice for no reason, so it's only natural that she would go and ask Xiao Yu about it. I just didn't expect Xiao Yu to be so doting on his wife, directly complaining to you."
In the capital, which of the younger generation wouldn't be respectful to their husbands? Yet Xiao Yu is so audacious.
Li Gong gripped the armrest of the chair and looked at his wife, asking, "Then do you know why Jiu Lang harbors a grudge against Xiao Yu?"
Liao shook her head: "I locked him in the ancestral hall and haven't bothered with him since. I'm just waiting for you to interrogate him. These bastards are most afraid of you. A beating of them is not as effective as a glare from you."
Li Gong snorted. The reason he wasn't in a hurry to change into his everyday clothes was that he wanted to appear more dignified in his official robes, and he deliberately kept them to intimidate his children and grandchildren.
After he explained the whole story, Liao lost all interest in petting the cat. She was both angry and worried: "Don't do evil even if it's small. Xiao Yu is right. Those two brats dared to hurt dogs for fun when they were young. If they weren't restrained in time, they would dare to hurt people for fun when they grow up. The loss of virtue in descendants is a sign of ruin. You have to keep a close eye on them."
He dared to ambush a female guest who came to his own banquet; who knows how lawless he is behind the scenes.
The elderly couple chatted about how to discipline their children and grandchildren. About 15 minutes later, a maid came to deliver a message that the Third Master and the Fourth Master had returned to the mansion.
Li Gong sent someone to inform all the descendants of his four sons to wait at the ancestral hall.
The couple arrived a quarter of an hour late. Seeing their two sons, four daughters-in-law, and a dozen or so grandchildren, both legitimate and illegitimate, standing respectfully, Li Gong led his wife to the north side and coldly rebuked Jiu Lang, the only one kneeling on the ground, in front of the ancestral tablets: "Tell me the truth, what good deeds you did today!"
Jiulang's chubby body trembled, and he dared not hide a single word.
Third Master Li An and his wife hurriedly knelt behind their son, taking the blame for failing to properly educate him.
Li Gong looked at Qi Lang, who was already fifteen years old, and Qi Lang knelt down as well. Li Gong then asked the two brothers to explain their grudges with Xiao Yu three years ago in front of everyone.
Upon hearing this, Li An stood up and was about to discipline his two sons.
Li Gong stopped him: "All you know is how to hit people. You should reason with them first and explain exactly where they went wrong!"
What did Qilang and Jiulang do wrong?
Their mistake was violating the ancestral teachings of the Li family. The Li family's sons practiced martial arts to serve the emperor, the country, and the people. To learn martial arts to bully the weak was the act of bandits and bullies, which not only disgraced the family but also put the entire clan in danger of being scorned by the people, impeached by the censors, and rejected by the emperor.
"A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole. This Duke's mansion is a dike that your fathers, uncles, and I built by fighting and braving battles. If you grandchildren are sensible, you will do your part to reinforce the dike when you grow up. If you learn the ways of spoiled brats, you will become ants that corrode the dike when you grow up!"
"Seventh Brother, Ninth Brother, tell me loudly, do you want to be generals who protect the country, or pests and ants in the future?"
Both children raised their heads high and loudly declared that they wanted to be generals who protect the country.
Li Gong: "Would the General Protector of the Nation bully his own people? Would he be so cowardly as to take his anger out on cats and dogs on the street?"
Shichiro and Kuro lowered their heads in shame.
Li Gong then warned his other grandchildren: "I don't have time to deal with you, but I'm warning you now: if I find out again that any of you are causing trouble outside, I'll send my granddaughter away to marry as soon as possible, the farther the better. As for my grandson, I'll send him to the border army so he can be a lowly soldier for life. That's the least of it. If it gets worse, I can expel you from the family or personally throw you in jail. If you don't believe me, go ahead and try!"
All the sons and grandsons in the ancestral hall knelt down.
After intimidating them, Li Gong said to Li An and his wife, "You two should immediately take Qi Lang and Jiu Lang to the Xiao family to apologize sincerely. Don't play games by hitting or scolding the children in front of them. If they want to hit you, hit them back. Give each of them ten lashes, and also punish them by keeping them confined for a month to copy the ancestral family precepts. They must submit at least two copies to me every day for inspection. Also, tomorrow, go to the home of the village child they bullied back then and apologize to that child."
Shichiro and Kuro: "..."
.
When Xiao Yu returned to the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence, it was already dark.
Luo Fu waited for him in the front yard. Seeing that his face was white from the cold and he was radiating cold air, Luo Fu asked Ping An to go to the kitchen to get a bowl of ginger soup. Then she pulled him into the side room and asked, "Where did you go?"
If he were to come home late more often, she wouldn't be so worried.
Xiao Yu, wanting to make a big fuss about this, didn't intend to hide it from his wife. He changed into a clean outer robe and explained the situation in a calm tone.
Luo Fu was stunned. In just a few moments, a jumble of thoughts flashed through her mind. For example, would the old Duke hold a grudge against Xiao Yu and even the entire Xiao family after he got angry? Would the old Duke give his two grandsons a good beating when he got home? Would the Duchess make it difficult for her to gain a foothold in the noble ladies' circles of the capital because she doted on her grandsons?
At this moment, a pair of cold, large hands grasped hers. Luo Fu looked up and met Xiao Yu's overly calm eyes: "I have never done anything wrong, and you should not be implicated by me. Once the old Duke has given us justice, the sons of powerful and wealthy families in the city who have had conflicts with me should no longer dare to bully you."
Luo Fu belatedly realized that Xiao Yu had waited for so long outside the city in the cold winter wind in order to stand up for her.
How could she then blame him for his recklessness, which might lead to endless trouble?
To avoid Xiao Yu noticing her disapproval, Luo Fu leaned into his arms, seemingly touched, and said with heartache, "I'm not blaming you. How could you be so foolish? That's the Duke of Dingguo. You're a scholar. Aren't you afraid he'll protect his own and beat you up to vent his anger for his grandsons?"
Xiao Yu: "The old Duke is not that kind of person."
Luo Fu: "What if he is?"
Xiao Yu: "Then I will go to the Censorate to report him for beating the people without cause."
Luo Fu: "What if they protect each other and refuse to accept your case?"
Xiao Yu: "There are so many censors in the capital. I don't believe that the old Duke can cover up the truth. If that's the case, I will go directly to the outside of the capital to appeal for justice."
Luo Fu: "..."
Fearing to hear more shocking things from Xiao Yu, Luo Fu dared not gamble any more. At this moment, recalling her mother-in-law's words that Xiao Yu was straightforward and often offended people, Luo Fu finally understood the true meaning behind it.
Her heart pounded, and Luo Fu, her hands and feet cold, tried to comfort herself: "I hope what you said is true, that the old Duke isn't that kind of person."
As for whether the Duchess and Madam Li will hold a grudge against her, Xiao Yu has already made a big fuss, so there's no use in her thinking about it. At worst, she can deal with whatever comes her way when they meet in the future!
Ping An brought over the ginger soup, and Luo Fu took the opportunity to distance herself from Xiao Yu, watching him slowly drink most of the bowl, his pale face gradually regaining color.
Just after they finished drinking, a maid from Wanhetang came to deliver a message that the third master of the Duke's Mansion, Li An, had arrived with his son, and the Marquis wanted the couple to go to Zhongzheng Hall in the second courtyard to receive the guests.
After the maidservant left, Xiao Yu smiled at his wife and said, "The old Duke is indeed a man of propriety."
Luo Fu smiled back at him, but actually wanted to roll her eyes at this hothead even more.
Before long, the couple met Xiao Lin and Li Huaiyun outside Zhongzheng Hall after hearing the news. When they went inside, they found that Xiao Hu and Yang Yanzhen had already arrived and were entertaining guests with Xiao Rong and Deng Shi.
Luo Fu's gaze fell directly on Master Li, who was sitting in the guest seat. He was wearing a dark blue brocade robe, was nearly forty years old, and had a resolute and solemn face. Behind him stood two children, one on each side. The one who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old should be Li Qilang, and the strong and fat one was Li Jiulang whom she had seen during the day.
After everyone gathered in the main hall, Xiao Lin and Xiao Yu first led their respective wives to pay their respects to Li An, and both addressed him as "Third Uncle" in the same way as Li Huaiyun.
Li An nodded slightly, waiving the formalities for the four people.
The two couples then stood on the side of Xiao Hu and his wife, leaving the middle space empty.
At this moment, Li An made his two sons stand in the middle to be scrutinized by the Xiao family. He then recounted the brothers' misdeeds from three years ago: "...You worthless bastards! The Third Young Master gave you kind advice, but instead of repenting, you instigated the guards to attack the Third Young Master. Why don't you apologize to the Third Young Master at once?"
Xiao Rong, Deng Shi, and the others were still shocked when they first heard about this. Li Qilang and Li Jiulang, under their father's piercing gaze, turned to Xiao Yu and apologized: "We know we were wrong, please forgive us, Third Young Master."
Xiao Yu helped the two brothers to their feet. Seeing that Li Qilang seemed genuinely repentant, and Li Jiulang's evasive gaze suggested he had only come because he feared his elders, he didn't say much. He simply said, "To err is human, to forgive divine. I hope you will both grow into upright heroes and generals, living up to the Li family's century-old reputation."
The two brothers bowed again.
After the ceremony, Li An only asked Li Qilang to return to his side. Li Jiulang understood his father's meaning, his chubby face flushed, and he bowed to Luo Fu, saying, "I shouldn't have attacked you with a stone during the day. I was wrong. Please punish me, Madam."
The Li family's apology was sincere, so Luo Fu wouldn't hold a grudge. She patted the boy's head and said, "It's good that you know you're wrong. Don't do it again."
Li Jiulang awkwardly agreed and turned to look at his father.
Li An told him to step down as well, then rose from his seat and personally bowed to Xiao Yu in thanks, saying, "While I was serving in the camp, I was often out early and back late, neglecting to teach my brothers. Fortunately, Yuanzhi gave me some painstaking guidance, which enabled me to urge them to correct their ways in time, so that they would not continue to run rampant and ruin the Li family's reputation."
Xiao Yu: "Third Uncle, you flatter me. We are all family. I hope you and the old Duke don't blame me for meddling."
After some polite exchanges, Li An apologized to Luo Fu.
Xiao Rong and the others had no chance to interrupt until Li An and his son left, at which point the Xiao family was finally able to speak freely about the matter.
Ignoring the presence of his daughters-in-law, Xiao Rong berated Xiao Yu: "You couldn't stand them bullying the village children, so you just stepped in to stop them. Why did you have to tie them to a tree and shoot them with a slingshot? If I did that to you, could you stand it?"
It was only because Li Gong was magnanimous that he didn't hold a grudge. If it were someone petty and narrow-minded, they wouldn't bother with their son, but they would still try to trip up their father.
Including tonight, who knows if Li Gong is just putting on a show and has already made a mental note of the father and son, waiting for the right moment to strike?
Xiao Rong was furious. It wasn't easy for him to curry favor with the powerful and influential, but in the end, he acted as their grandson, while his son dared to act as their father, bringing hatred and resentment upon his family!
Xiao Lin, who always sided with his father, glared at his third brother with equal displeasure.
Xiao Yu scoffed: "When has Father ever seen me bully others by abusing my power?"
Xiao Rong: "You still dare to bully others by relying on your power? Even when I didn't have any power to rely on, you still dared to beat up the sons of the Duke's mansion. If I really had power, you could tear the sky apart!"
Madam Deng stood between the father and son and advised Xiao Rong: "Alright, the Duke's Mansion didn't even make a fuss, so why are you still shouting? I'm hungry, hurry up and bring the food. You should all disperse and go back to your own courtyards to eat."
Xiao Hu and his wife, and Xiao Lin and his wife, left first. Xiao Yu went to get the apology gift that Li An had given to his wife. When he reached out, Xiao Rong was even angrier. His own son was thick-skinned and no longer afraid of his scolding. Xiao Rong glared at his daughter-in-law and said, "It's not worth going home and complaining about a child throwing a stone."
If the daughter-in-law hadn't complained to her son, the son wouldn't have gone to the Duke of Dingguo, and the grudge would have naturally been resolved.
Luo Fu has been married for almost a month, and she hardly ever sees her father-in-law, who leaves early and returns late. Since she doesn't have to interact with him, she doesn't care whether he likes her or not. She just looks at her mother-in-law with a wronged and timid expression, as if she is worried that her mother-in-law will also blame her.
Seeing her usually cheerful and sweet-talking daughter-in-law so frightened by her husband, Deng's anger flared up. She put one hand on her hip and pointed at Xiao Rong's eyes with the other: "What are you glaring at? Did Fu'er get beaten innocently? The feud was started by the third son, and he's not going to resolve it. Today Li Jiulang dared to hit Fu'er, he'll dare to hit me in a while! Fine, are you hoping he'll kill me so you can make room to marry a young, beautiful, high-society woman?"
Xiao Rong: "..."
Xiao Yu seized the opportunity to pull his wife away.
Deng called out to her son and handed him another gift that Li An had given him as a token of gratitude: "This is what you deserve, take it."
Xiao Yu: "Keep it for public use."
The gifts exchanged between the eldest and second eldest brothers were all paid through the public account, and the gifts received from guests were also handed over to the public account. Only the gifts given to the sisters-in-law were left for them to handle themselves.
Xiao Yu simply didn't want to wrong his wife, and he himself wasn't greedy.
Only then did Mrs. Deng put down her things and continue arguing with her dead husband.
A note from the author:
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Here it is! I'm going to be a paid seller tomorrow! As usual, I'll try my best to update with 10,000 words per update!
My goal for this book is to write in a lighthearted, humorous, and heartwarming tone about how a righteous yet eccentric couple supported each other and left their mark on history. It's a new attempt, and I will try my best to write it well. Thank you all for your company and support! [kissing emojis]
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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