Xu Yunci's expression was serious, not like he was joking. Moreover, it was such an important matter as burning mugwort. He said, "There is an epidemic in the capital, and some people are already running a fever."
The sudden outbreak of the epidemic initially caused a lot of chaos, but after Madam Yang stepped in, everything in the mansion was in good order and there was no trouble.
When Li Shiyue returned to Chengyu Pavilion, the maid who burned mugwort had already come over and cleaned the inside and outside. After all, the epidemic came suddenly, and it was hard to guarantee that people would be panicked.
How could there be an epidemic when everything was perfectly fine?
Early spring is usually a good time for outings, but now no one dares to go out. Even the palace is plagued by an epidemic, and the Imperial Hospital is helpless. People are losing their lives every day.
In addition, the spring rains continued and the dark clouds never dispersed, casting a somber atmosphere over the entire capital. After about a month, the Imperial Medical Academy finally developed a prescription, and after another ten days or so, the epidemic in the capital was gradually brought under control.
But there are no natural disasters or man-made calamities at present, so how could there be an epidemic? The emperor was furious and insisted on investigating the matter, and this responsibility fell on the shoulders of the Jingzhao Prefecture.
When Xu Yunci was seen again, it was already the end of March. The news Xu Yunci brought back was that the Prince of Yan had been demoted to a useless person, and many of the ministers who had joined the Prince of Yan's faction were implicated, including the second branch of the family.
Xu Yunci looked exhausted, perhaps from days of investigating the case, which had drained his body. He looked at the old lady Xu sitting at the head of the table: "Grandmother, Second Uncle has been exiled, Third Brother has been sentenced to beheading, and he did many things for the Prince of Yan."
"This epidemic was caused by Sanlang's embezzlement of the Ministry of Revenue's money on behalf of the Prince of Yan. Chaohe County was suddenly flooded, and the dam that should have been repaired was not built, which led to the current situation. Moreover, after the incident, an epidemic had already broken out in Chaohe County. The Prince of Yan's people went to suppress it, but it spread to other places."
For a long time, the room was quiet and there was no sound. When she opened her eyes again, there were tears in the corners of Madam Xu's eyes: "So be it. This is the path they chose themselves. So be it."
Li Shiyue sat beside Old Madam Xu, her face revealing nothing, but the red marks on her palms hidden in her sleeves betrayed her true feelings.
Xu Yunyang is going to be beheaded! What news could be more joyful than today?
She recalled the last time Xu Yunyang stood in front of her, looking smug as if he were the one who was going to ascend the throne, but now he was about to be beheaded.
This can be considered divine retribution. She was reborn, but all she did was stir up trouble before Xu Yunyang left the manor. She arrogantly tried to claim credit, and now she has ended up like this.
Back at Chengyu Pavilion, she stood before the beaded curtain without moving an inch. Chunling walked forward in confusion, only to see Li Shiyue's face covered in tears. Just as she was about to say something, Li Shiyue suddenly laughed.
Her crying and laughing startled Chunling, who wanted to call for help, but Li Shiyue grabbed her hand and had to stand and support her.
"Thank God!"
"Miss?" Chunling asked tentatively, worried that the young lady might have suffered some kind of shock.
Li Shiyue quickly calmed down and, after having dinner, took the Buddhist scriptures she had written and went to the small ancestral hall.
It was her mother's memorial tablet, which was carefully placed in the mansion along with her dowry after she arrived in the capital. Thinking of this, Li Shiyue couldn't help but think of Xu Yunci. If it weren't for his intervention, how could she have enshrined her mother's memorial tablet here?
She clasped her hands together, and probably no one but herself knew what she was thinking. Kneeling on the prayer mat, her back was ramrod straight, as if everything around her was irrelevant to her.
Perhaps Buddha heard her prayer, for the next day was the day of Xu Yunyang's execution. Li Shiyue was unable to leave the house, but Chunling was different; Xu Yunyang would certainly recognize her.
She eagerly awaited Xu Yunyang's reaction upon seeing Chunling. The person who had caused her so much suffering in her past life was now getting their comeuppance, and Li Shiyue felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
He opened his eyes, a tear slid down his cheek, clasped his hands together, looked at the memorial tablet above his head, and the smile on his lips gradually widened.
The fall of the Prince of Yan was fleeting, insignificant compared to the Prince of Zhao, who had just begun to show his power. Along with the Prince of Yan, the Changping Earl's Mansion also faded into obscurity. The Changping Earl's Mansion has long since abandoned its arrogance, keeping a low profile and fearing being implicated by the Prince of Yan. Where is the arrogance of its days when it sought to become the Prince of Yan's son-in-law?
The sedan chair stopped outside Chonghua Palace, and Lady Yang, dressed in the attire of a noblewoman, stepped down. Looking at the three large characters "Chonghua Palace" above her head, she followed her maid inside.
When the mother and daughter met, they naturally had a lot to say, leaving only their trusted confidants to serve them.
Madam Yang took a sip of tea and looked thoughtfully at her eldest daughter: "I came to the palace today to seek your advice."
Xu Lingyu became interested and looked at Madam Yang with a smile: "I wonder what is it that makes Mother so worried? Could it be because of Erlang?"
Madam Yang looked at her eldest daughter and nodded: "It's his business. The second branch of the family has been implicated until now. Although your grandmother doesn't say anything, she's not in good spirits. Your father and I have discussed it and want to find a new wife for Erlang."
“Erlang is getting on in years, we can’t let him run wild anymore. I have a few candidates here, you can take a look.”
Xu Lingyu remained silent, watching as the nanny beside Madam Yang produced portraits. The portraits depicted the women as exceptionally handsome, and their families were mostly of the third rank or so. In the capital, they could only be described as relatively well-known scholarly families, not as prominent noble families.
After glancing at the portrait briefly, Xu Lingyu put it down: "Has Mother spoken to Erlang about it?"
Seeing that Yang remained silent, Xu Lingyu smiled and said, "Could it be that Erlang hasn't seen it yet?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Lingyu noticed the hesitation on Yang's face and didn't rush to speak. Finally, Yang rubbed her forehead and told her eldest daughter everything about Xu Yunci's feelings and their conversation that day.
Surprisingly, Xu Lingyu showed no surprise, as if it were expected.
"Yan Yan is a good girl."
Madam Yang sighed, "How could I not know? But if those worries come true, what will become of their fate?"
Xu Lingyu smiled gently: "Mother's concerns are certainly reasonable, but you might as well think about it. Erlang is not the type to throw a tantrum. Mother knows his character better than anyone else."
“Since he could speak so firmly in front of Mother, he must have put his heart into it. If we were to say that Yan Yan’s character is bad, we would have to hesitate a bit, but doesn’t Mother also feel sorry for Yan Yan?”
"I've heard that Yan Yan has been learning housekeeping for quite some time. If we're only talking about the Yunyang Marquis's mansion, she's nothing to worry about. Yan Yan has been in the capital for a long time now. Just look at when the Yunyang Marquis was imprisoned. Did she ever lose her temper? No, on the contrary, she was afraid of causing trouble for us and didn't say anything."
"If Mother asks me, I have no objection. But it would be best if Mother discussed it with Father, and Grandmother would also have to agree."
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