"Besides, my cousin's position in the capital is not to be trifled with, and at worst there is the Ministry of Rites. From both a moral and logical standpoint, the He family's actions are simply unacceptable."
Li Shiyue's voice wasn't loud, but it struck Xu Yunci's heart with force. She lowered her eyes, remembering that Xu Lingwan's claim of dislike was false, but there was really no need to kick someone when they were down.
Moreover, after she marries Xu Yunci, according to Yang, she will become the matriarch of the Xu family. Therefore, she should not be selfish in her dealings with others, and she should naturally have a longer-term perspective.
"However, this method requires her and Liu to stay at the He family's residence for some time. Once the situation becomes more serious, we can have the people from the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Ministry of Rites personally go and see how the He family treats Liu and Xu Lingwan. This will be far more useful than Xu Lingwan's own assertive words."
"I only have a clumsy method. If my cousin has a better method, that would be best." Li Shiyue lowered her eyes, feeling deeply sorry for the fate of Liu Shi and Xu Lingwan.
The once arrogant Liu and Xu Lingwan are now trapped in the He family's territory, unable to live or die.
The weather gradually got hot at the end of May, until a heavy rain on the first day of June lasted for several days before stopping. After the rain, the sunshine shone on the ground and took away the dark clouds.
Xu Yunci acted swiftly, and the He family ultimately did not fare well in this matter. Xu Yunci had discussed it with the Duke of Rongguo, and although neither father nor son appeared in person, they had done their utmost behind the scenes, ultimately bringing the matter to the morning court session.
Therefore, the He family had no way to escape when facing the Imperial Guards, and their fate was naturally not good. On the other hand, the Duke of Rongguo met with the Emperor after the morning court session.
He obtained an imperial decree to bring Liu Shi and Xu Lingwan back to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion to be cared for for a while, and then send them back to their hometown, never to set foot in the capital again.
The emperor was merciful; the execution of Xu Huaijiang and Xu Yunyang did not implicate Liu and her daughter, so he naturally agreed.
No one in the Rongguo Mansion mentioned the mother and daughter. However, when Old Madam Xu found out, she was slightly taken aback and remained silent for a long time. She only sent a lot of things over by Granny Chang and did not see Liu Shi or Xu Lingwan again.
As the weather gradually got hotter at the end of June, it was alright to use ice inside Chengyu Pavilion, but once you stepped outside, it felt like there were two different temperatures inside and outside.
Unexpectedly, after the rain cleared, Xu Lingwan was the first to arrive at Chengyu Pavilion. She loosened her hair and styled it into the double-loop bun commonly seen on young ladies in their boudoirs, wearing only a pair of begonia hairpins.
She had changed into a light, plain-colored dress and walked in, sitting down next to Li Shiyue, her fingers nervously twisting together.
"I'm going back to my hometown of Fengxi with my mother tomorrow. I've come here today to thank you for advising my second brother."
Li Shiyue shook her head and said truthfully, "Even if I don't speak up, your cousin will save you. Although the family has separated, you still bear the surname Xu. It is your father and brothers who have done wrong, not you. Your uncle and cousin will not implicate you."
Xu Lingwan seemed to have made up her mind. She stood up, took a deep breath, and then curtsied: "Lingwan will miss my second brother and sister-in-law's happy occasion. I have come today to congratulate my second brother and sister-in-law on their wedding."
“I was wrong in the past, please forgive me, sister-in-law. I don’t have anything worth having now, except for this hairpin, which was my mother’s last possession.”
Li Shiyue didn't look at what the maid behind her was carrying. Instead, she tilted her head to look at Xu Lingwan, then got up and helped her up: "It's all in the past for a child to make a mistake."
"Since you call me sister-in-law, you will naturally need money after returning to Fengxi, so I will accept the gifts. In addition, I will prepare five hundred taels of silver notes, which you can take. We probably won't have many opportunities to meet in the future, so it's not much. I just hope that you and your daughter can live together for a while."
Xu Lingwan stubbornly refused to get up, but her trembling shoulders and soft sobs softened people's hearts.
It's hard to imagine that Xu Lingwan has gone through so much, transforming from a spoiled young lady into someone so cautious. It's a cycle of cause and effect, I suppose.
Fortunately, the Duke of Rongguo was kind-hearted. His family in Fengxi sent a letter to take good care of the mother and daughter, and to find a suitable marriage for Xu Lingwan when she came of age, with the dowry provided by the Duke of Rongguo's mansion.
To have done so much is already an act of utmost benevolence and righteousness.
After calming herself down, Xu Lingwan looked up at Li Shiyue with a somewhat ambiguous expression: "I have left the capital. Cousin, you should still be careful of Xu Lingqing. She may not be as serene as you think she is."
When Xu Lingqing was mentioned, Li Shiyue didn't react for a long time. She recalled Chunling's description that day, and looking at Xu Lingwan's meaningful gaze, she knew that Xu Lingwan must know something.
Xu Lingwan was unwilling to bring it up again, and Li Shiyue didn't know where to begin. The atmosphere gradually quieted down, and she didn't even realize when Xu Lingwan had left.
It had been some time since I'd seen Xu Lingqing, and neither had Zhou Shi or Xu Yunyao from the fourth branch of the family come over for a long time. Occasionally, I'd hear that Fourth Master Xu was coming to pay his respects to Old Madam Xu.
Perhaps it's better not to see him. Seeing Xu Lingqing will remind her of the scene Chunling described that day, and Zhou Shi should know it.
Shaking her head, trying to forget these chaotic thoughts, Li Shiyue got up and walked towards Shousong Hall with Chunling.
"The young lady is too kind-hearted. They treated her so badly before, and she even gave them advice and five hundred taels of silver."
Chunling complained softly. Perhaps it was because of the hot summer, but there was no one around and it was quiet. Only the chirping of cicadas in the grass and treetops could be heard.
"What happened before is one thing, and they have already suffered a lot. We don't need to kick them when they're down because of what happened before."
Besides, five hundred taels isn't much for me, but it's enough for them to buy quite a few things. We won't have many chances to meet again anyway, so there's nothing to say about it.
Li Shiyue thought to herself that although Xu Lingwan and she didn't get along, she wasn't the kind of person who would pity everyone she saw, even though she had been reborn.
It's just that her remaining kindness makes it impossible for her to escape. If she were to kick someone when they're down, she would lose her kindness and be no different from the previous Xu Lingwan.
People should always look forward. Clinging to the past will only leave you with unresolved issues, and you'll only make yourself unhappy.
Madam Xu hadn't taken a nap at this hour, so she was slightly surprised to see Li Shiyue arrive.
"It's so hot outside, why don't you bring an umbrella?"
Li Shiyue sat down next to Old Madam Xu, habitually grasping her hand in return, and replied with a smile, "I was in such a hurry to leave that I forgot. But you, why aren't you taking a nap at this hour? Did you eat too much roast goose at noon?"
Madam Xu tapped her nose: "Little rascal, half of that roast goose went into your mouth. You didn't take a nap and ran out. You must have eaten too much."
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