"If a rift develops between the two of them, it's better to make things clear early on. I don't aspire to be a person of great wealth and status. Just as my grandmother hoped, it's enough that you can protect me."
She didn't necessarily seek great wealth and status, nor did she want to stand out.
When Xu Yunci came back in, he was wearing the same clothes that Li Shiyue had brought him earlier. Since they weren't tailored to his body shape, they didn't fit him quite right.
He walked in calmly, his expression indifferent, showing no shame in having eavesdropped for so long.
Li Shiyue was kneeling inside, intently massaging Old Madam Xu's other leg. She didn't see Xu Yunci walk in until Old Madam Xu coughed lightly to remind her, after which Li Shiyue stopped talking.
The topic ended there, but Madam Xu understood what she meant: Li Shiyue and Xu Yunyao were polite and proper to each other, and even after marriage, they couldn't escape the mutual respect and formality. There was no deep affection between them, and Li Shiyue clearly didn't open her heart to him.
That's normal; if she opened up to people so easily, it wouldn't be like her at all.
Xu Yunci sat in his previous spot. He had come in a hurry, and only when he reached the foot of the mountain did he realize that he had acted like a naive young boy. Now that he had changed his clothes, he had calmed down.
"grandmother."
With a hint of a smile in her eyes, Madam Xu replied slowly, "You've come here so abruptly today, is there something you need?"
Xu Yunci choked, sensing that Old Madam Xu had asked the question on purpose. He looked at Li Shiyue. His little cousin's heart was completely focused on Old Madam Xu's lap; she didn't even glance at him.
He looked up and met Old Madam Xu's smiling gaze, and sighed silently.
"There is something. During the morning court session yesterday, the Prince of Yan's men openly tried to trap the Crown Prince. The method wasn't sophisticated, but His Majesty didn't take it seriously, and His Highness easily resolved the situation."
Yesterday morning at court, someone suddenly impeached the Crown Prince, saying that he favored Consort Liangdi of Chonghua Palace and neglected the Crown Princess. As the heir apparent, he should be a role model for the world and should not do such a thing as favoring a concubine over one's wife.
After the morning court session, the Crown Prince was detained by the Emperor and learned that a concubine from Chonghua Palace had deliberately vied for the Emperor's favor and broken the palace rules. The Crown Prince wanted to punish her according to the rules, but the Crown Princess pleaded that the concubine had just entered the palace and was not yet familiar with the rules, so she could be given a lighter punishment for the first time.
She was ordered to stay at home for a month and learn etiquette from the palace maids. Somehow, the word got out that the Crown Princess was going to severely punish the concubine, but it turned out that the Crown Prince was protecting her in every way.
The official who impeached the Crown Prince was a censor-in-chief who was usually unassuming and unambitious. Xu Yunci became suspicious and made inquiries in private before discovering that the censor-in-chief, like the current vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, had already sided with the Prince of Yan.
“I remember that the Prince of Yan has not yet married a princess.” Madam Xu looked at Xu Yunci, slowly turning her prayer beads in her hand.
"Yes, but one of the concubines in the manor is the legitimate daughter of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the one who caused such a big fuss before. The other is a concubine's daughter who was completely disgraced by the heir of the Marquis of Guangping and was beheaded by Madam Fan and sent to become a nun."
Xu Yunci spoke calmly, simply recounting the tragic remaining lives of the two women: "The heir of the Marquis of Guangping was sent back to Luling by the Emperor, and the Marquis of Guangping's residence was downgraded to an earldom."
"The Guangping Earl's Mansion has never had any merits, and after being sent to a post outside the capital, it has become even more oppressive to the people. The Emperor no longer wants to tolerate it, so he took this opportunity to demote it to an Earl's Mansion. He plans to find a pretext to completely remove the title and leave it as a civil official."
"This is the result of his evil deeds. Not to mention that he has been harassing our family, the things he has done as a grown man are truly unspeakable."
Madam Xu sighed. She still had some impression of Fu Chen when he was young. The little boy was soft and cute, but she never expected him to grow up to be so wretched.
"Enough. Others have their own way of living. You must be extremely careful even in the previous dynasty."
"Yes." Xu Yunci replied respectfully, his expression showing great concern.
Summer's end came abruptly, and in the blink of an eye, autumn's crisp air arrived. Such a change in weather is somewhat disorienting.
Returning to the Xu family home gave me a familiar sense of belonging, and this feeling seemed wonderful.
After getting off the carriage, Li Shiyue turned around and reached out to help Madam Xu, and together with Xu Lingzi, they helped Madam Xu off the carriage.
"I hope Mother comes back soon. Luckily the sun isn't too strong, otherwise Mother's health would be harmed, and I would feel terrible about it."
Standing beside Yang, Zhou smiled and took two steps forward with her. Her first words made everyone laugh.
Outside the gates of the Duke's mansion, the entire Xu family, along with Madam Yang, welcomed Old Madam Xu back to the mansion. Madam Zhou smiled and looked Li Shiyue up and down, not avoiding Li Shiyue's gaze, but instead showing a kind smile.
Li Shiyue nodded and smiled in return, probably understanding in her heart where Zhou's friendly attitude and sudden friendliness came from.
In fact, there were rumors throughout the Xu family. After all, Xu Lingzi accompanied her on this trip, but the fact that both of her husbands were traveling together inevitably made people think.
When Madam Xu returned, it was quite a grand affair. The entire Xu family dined together in the flower hall, a custom reserved for holidays and festivals. Normally, they would dine in their own courtyards.
As night fell, the Xu family was enveloped in tranquility, especially the young master's courtyard in the front yard, which was completely serene.
Don't be fooled by how heartily this young man drinks at the table; if he drinks too much, he'll still have to be carried back home.
When Xu Yunyao was brought back, he was almost unconscious. His personal servant glanced at Xiangye and Xiangzhi. The former was fine, but the latter's restless desire was practically written all over his face.
As Xu Yunyao's personal servant, he was well aware of Xu Yunyao's feelings for the two girls, so naturally he was unwilling to leave Xu Yunyao in the room and let the two girls take care of him.
"Go fetch some water, I'll wipe my husband's body."
Xiangye, with a pure heart, agreed and looked at Xiangzhi. Sure enough, the resentment and eagerness on her face were almost written all over her face.
The personal servant's expression was not good, even carrying a hint of warning and helplessness. Xiangye stopped looking and turned to fetch water. When she returned, the room was empty.
The bed curtains fell in layers, obscuring the view inside. Seeing that everything was alright, Xiangye put down the copper basin filled with water, turned around, and left.
她是不敢肖想五郎君了，方才香枝那样子，贴身小厮感觉都要生气了，若是五郎君醒来知道发生了何事，怕是要将人撵走的。
她不想走，离了这处指不定被分到哪里去，活计指不定要多出来多少。她左右望了望，这周围不见熟人，干脆关上房门她一屁股坐在台阶上，望着天上的圆月，数着星光竟然昏睡着了。
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