Xu Huailou's mouth never stopped. He and his wife were the most eloquent in the entire Xu family, especially when facing a shameless person like Yunyang Bo. He could even take turns cursing him for three days and three nights without stopping.
"Furthermore, regarding your own troubles, what can a mere young girl like Yan Yan do? To plead with the Emperor for your unjust accusation, or to have Li Ze, a censor, bail you out? Do you think the Jingzhao Prefecture is your private property, where you can do whatever you want?"
“You’re just being redundant. You might as well not go back to Yunzhong County. Just pack your things and move into Jingzhao Prefecture. You should stay here and leave some good places in Yunzhong County.”
He must have been tired of talking, because he finally stopped and took a freshly brewed cup of tea from the servant, gulping it down in two mouthfuls.
Thanks to his years of martial arts training, Xu Huailou, though well past thirty, was still tall and imposing. His arms and shoulders were broad and strong. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the water from his mouth.
Then, with gentle movements, he carefully put the handkerchief away, making the others feel ashamed. Xu Huailou snorted softly and said sarcastically to Yunyang Bo, "This handkerchief was embroidered for me by my wife, so I must keep it safe. Li Wenting, I am not like you, who favors his concubine over his wife and forgets his wife and daughters."
Good heavens, they even called out the name of the Earl of Yunyang, which shows that the two families are no longer in a normal marriage relationship.
Although the Minister of Rites had been in officialdom for many years and had seen many wives who respected their wives, he had never seen anyone treat his wife so tenderly before.
Despite being over fifty, Xu Huailou still looks like a newlywed.
Yunyangbo's face turned as red as a pig's liver that had just been taken out of a steamer, so red that it looked as if it was cooked and steaming. He stammered and could not refute it at all.
"My uncle is just being straightforward and doesn't mean any harm. Please don't take offense, sir. It's all because he loves his juniors too much."
Li Shiyue stepped forward and curtsied to the Minister of Rites, her gaze slightly shifting to capture the expression on the face of the Marquis of Yunyang.
"As the Minister of Rites, Your Excellency, you have always emphasized the importance of 'propriety' throughout history. Since we are here at your esteemed residence today, I would like to ask Your Excellency to bear witness and make a decision for this junior."
She stood beside Xu Yunci, with Xu Huailou standing to the side. Clearly, neither of them intended to stop her. In fact, Xu Huailou stood even more upright, slightly raising his chin, looking quite like a mountain king.
Although Xu Yunci didn't say anything when he came in, he stayed by Li Shiyue's side the whole time, which was more like a silent endorsement. The attitude of both of them was very clear: they were there to support Li Shiyue.
The Minister of Rites, with a long black beard, sighed deeply: "Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. Well then, since the county princess has brought it up, I will settle the trivial matters between you and your father today."
Li Shiyue smiled and curtsied again, still performing the junior's greeting: "Yan Yan is here, thank you, sir."
This wasn't exactly a trial. Li Shiyue sat on the wooden chair on the left, turned her head to look at Xu Yunci, and their eyes met briefly.
Yunyangbo sat back down on the wooden chair on the right, the flush on his face still lingering.
"Very well, let the Minister evaluate whether you, as a daughter, have fulfilled your duties of 'propriety'?"
"cut."
Xu Huailou let out a soft sneer upon hearing this. Seeing that Yunyangbo's face had turned even redder, he crossed his arms and remained silent.
Yunyang Bo cheered himself up, raised his right hand, made a fist with four fingers, and pointed one finger at Li Shiyue: "Today, your father will have a good talk with you. As a father, you are suffering in prison, and your daughter doesn't even come to visit you, or even give you any money to bribe your father."
"The food in the prison is inedible. You can't sleep or eat well, and you have to endure insect bites. You haven't sent anyone to ask about any of this. You, on the other hand, live in the Duke's mansion, where you eat and drink well and sleep well."
He probably couldn't say anything else bad about Li Shiyue, since ever since Li Shiyue became sensible, her impression of her father was that he was selfish and heartless, nothing more.
Not to mention their usual kinship; aside from being passed down through a single lineage, they really had no other connection. Ultimately, this was the only thing Uncle Yunyang could bring up.
Li Shiyue shook her head and smiled bitterly: "Father accused his daughter in every word, but he never visited her in prison. But does Father know that not everyone can enter the prison of the Capital Prefecture?"
Yunyang Bo naturally didn't believe it. His brows furrowed with resentment, and he wanted to point at Xu Yunci, but when he saw Xu Yunci's cold eyes, he was afraid that he would lose his finger.
"He is the Vice Magistrate of the Capital Prefecture. With him around, you can do whatever you want. Isn't it said that the Xu family dotes on you?"
Disappointment in Li Shiyue's eyes: "It's precisely because he loves me, and because of this matter concerning Father, that not only was my cousin investigated by the censor in the capital for several days, but also several uncles and other cousins in the previous court were implicated."
"If it weren't for the fact that his character is beyond reproach, Father would have been implicated and made a trip to the capital. The Emperor is benevolent and loves the people the most. He was furious about the Huayuan County case. Do you really think you can withstand the Emperor's lingering anger and return to Yunzhong County safely?"
"Father was able to get out of here because my cousin pleaded with the officials. I never expected that Father would leave the capital tomorrow, away from all this strife, and then cause such a scene at the Minister's mansion."
“Father insists on talking about ‘etiquette’, so today I’ll ask you, Father, what ‘etiquette’ have you been able to do all these years as a father and role model?”
"Was it when Mother was alive that you moved Mother's dowry to entertain your cronies outside, or was it because of a few concubines that Grandmother was so angry that she couldn't get out of bed and kept vomiting blood? Or was it when I was mourning Grandmother in the dead of winter that Father was having fun with the concubines of the Earl's Mansion?"
She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering as tears welled up: "These are countless, but I still want my daughter to recount all of Father's absurd actions over the past ten years."
“With his wife by his side, Father never showed her any respect; with his mother bedridden, Father never served her. I dare ask, Father, where have you set an example as a father?”
When Li Shiyue looked up, two lines of clear tears fell. She remembered those days when, after her mother passed away, only her grandmother cared for her. Her grandmother was so angry with her father that she vomited blood and died in front of her.
The thought made Li Shiyue's heart feel as if it had been gripped tightly by someone's hand. She cried even harder, raising her head to meet Yunyang Bo's terrified face.
“Since Father insists on making a scene, I will not care about saving face. I will ask the Minister to judge. The ‘etiquette’ that Father speaks of is the opposite of Father’s own behavior. Now you want to pin such a serious crime as unfilial piety on me.”
"If that's the case, then we don't need this kind of family bond."
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