Aunt Wang got a cup of water splashed all over her face.
Once she realized what was happening, Aunt Wang immediately started throwing a tantrum.
"You little slut, you little whore, if I felt sorry for you, who would be willing to help you find a husband?"
Aunt Wang cursed as she tried to tear Pei Zhi apart.
Without wasting any words, Pei Zhi went straight into the house, grabbed a pig-slaughtering knife, and rushed over.
"Come on, if you dare to come, I'll kill you, I'll kill your whole family, anyway, I'm the only one who's full, my whole family isn't hungry."
Pei Zhi knew all too well that dealing with these uneducated women was futile; they would throw tantrums and...
You absolutely must not be afraid; on the contrary, you should act even more shrewish than them.
Only in this way will they not dare to make a move on her.
Aunt Wang was terrified by Pei Zhi's fierce appearance and scrambled out of Pei Zhi's house.
Pei Zhi followed her out with the knife in her hand, intending to scare Aunt Wang so much that she would never dare to come back again.
When Aunt Wang saw Pei Zhi chasing after her, she ran even faster, shouting "Murder!" as she ran.
Lu Xiuyuan heard the commotion in the next room and quickly came out to check.
Pei Zhi stood angrily in the yard, holding a knife.
Lu Xiuyuan hurried over and snatched the knife from Pei Zhi's hand: "What's wrong?"
When Pei Zhi saw Lu Xiuyuan, her eyes immediately welled up with tears of grievance. "That Aunt Wang just came to my house and said she wanted me to become a concubine for a fifty-year-old man."
Lu Xiuyuan sighed and gently patted Pei Zhi's shoulder. "It's okay, it's okay. Don't listen to her. If she comes in the future, don't open the door."
Pei Zhi covered her eyes and threw herself into Lu Xiuyuan's arms.
"Brother Xiuyuan, tell me, just because I'm an orphan, does that mean I have to be humiliated like this?"
Lu Xiuyuan had never been so close to a girl before, but he didn't dare to push Pei Zhi away, lest he make Pei Zhi even more upset.
"Don't listen to what Aunt Wang said. Even if you're the only one left in the family, you still have to live well."
Pei Zhi frowned. No, she had already taken the initiative to this extent.
Couldn't Lu Xiuyuan have said something like, "I'm marrying you, and from now on we'll be family"?
Is it so hard to say that?
"Fine," Pei Zhi sighed. Since Lu Xiuyuan wouldn't say anything, she was the one to speak up.
"Brother Xiuyuan, why don't you marry me? We can live together from now on, and I'll help you take care of your mother. Then I won't be bullied like this anymore."
Lu Xiuyuan refused without even thinking, "No way."
Lu Xiuyuan said with a stern face, "Aya, I'm telling you, you can't even think about that."
"If you need my help with anything, I'll do it without hesitation. As for the rest, forget about it."
Lu Xiuyuan escorted Pei Zhi back to her house, but didn't even go inside before turning around and leaving.
Pei Zhi glared fiercely at Lu Xiuyuan's back, then touched her face.
No, she took the initiative to speak up, yet Lu Xiuyuan still rejected her?
With her looks, she doesn't need a dowry.
Marrying her is like having a free nanny.
How could Lu Xiuyuan refuse such a good offer?
This is clearly a windfall! Is Lu Xiuyuan alright?
Lu Xiuyuan returned to the house, poured the medicine from the stove into a bowl, and personally fed it to his mother.
Lu's mother asked, "What was that noise outside just now?"
"Aunt Wang from the village went next door to bring bad luck on Aya."
After finishing her medicine, Lu's mother couldn't help but cough twice. "Your Aunt Wang is always bullying people. When we were struggling, she came to our door and told me to sell you."
As she spoke, Lu's mother became angry and coughed violently twice.
Lu Xiuyuan patted his mother on the back, "Alright, don't be angry, it's all in the past."
“The girl next door is Ah Ya. Why don’t you marry her? You can live together and keep each other company. That way, no one will bully her.”
Lu Xiuyuan was silent for a moment before saying, "Mother, please don't mention this matter again."
Lu's mother hurriedly said, "Why don't you mention it? If you're embarrassed, I'll go ask for you."
"Mother!" Lu Xiuyuan raised his voice slightly, "I have nothing now. Do you expect her to marry me and live a life of uncertainty, where we don't know where our next meal will come from?"
Lu Xiuyuan rejected Pei Zhi because he didn't want to drag her into his mess.
His family was so poor they couldn't even afford food, and his mother still needed medicine. He married Pei Zhi, intending for her to suffer with him, so why should he burden her?
Upon hearing this, Lu's mother slapped her thigh and said, "In the end, it's all my fault. With this body of mine, I'd rather be dead than a burden to you."
Lu Xiuyuan quickly grabbed his mother's hand, "Mother, what are you saying?"
"How is it that you're a burden to me? If you hadn't raised me, I would have starved to death long ago."
“It’s all your father’s fault. That day I told him not to go fishing, but he insisted on going, and he died. Otherwise, my son and I wouldn’t have had such a hard life all these years.”
Lu Xiuyuan listened as his mother muttered and cursed his father who had died young.
Lu's mother kept saying that if Lu Xiuyuan's father were still alive and Lu Xiuyuan had the money to study, Lu Xiuyuan would definitely have passed the imperial examinations long ago.
Lu Xiuyuan didn't reply and went to the kitchen to prepare a meal.
Inside the palace, Emperor Xiao finished processing the memorials in his hands and rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat tired.
Emperor Xiao took a sip of hot tea and asked, "Has there been any activity from the Eastern Palace these past two days?"
The palace attendant hesitated for a moment, then said, "His Highness went out for a stroll today, and he took a troop of men with him."
"Where should I go to relax?"
Xiao Chengci lay in the Eastern Palace for nearly half a month before he fully recovered.
After he recovered, his temper became unpredictable.
If anyone displeases him, he will pick up his sword and kill them.
Xiao Chengci had not left the Eastern Palace for a month, nor had he come to the palace to pay his respects.
Emperor Xiao personally visited the Eastern Palace to see Xiao Chengci, but Xiao Chengci ignored him.
"I heard it's heading in the direction of the temple."
Emperor Xiao nodded slightly, "It's a good thing for him to go to the temple now and listen to the monks talk about the scriptures. It will help calm his mind."
Emperor Xiao slowly took another sip of hot tea and sighed, "Now that the Crown Prince has left, he can be considered to be alright, right?"
Just as the palace attendant was about to reply, two imperial guards knelt outside the imperial study.
Without orders, they dared not come in.
Emperor Xiao waved his hand, signaling the palace servants to go and see what was going on.
Upon hearing the news brought back by the Imperial Guards, the palace servants collapsed onto the threshold of the Imperial Study.
He practically crawled into the Imperial Study, then knelt on the ground, trembling.
Seeing this, Emperor Xiao put down his teacup and asked, "What happened?"
The palace maid swallowed hard, wiping the cold sweat from her brow. "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Crown Prince... he..."
Emperor Xiao also hurriedly stood up, "What's wrong with the Crown Prince?"
"His Highness the Crown Prince... he smashed up the temple, and... he even set the temple on fire."
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