After Xu Yunbo finished speaking, his head hit the ground.
Suddenly, a slender figure turned the corner from the corridor, her steps quick, and she rushed to Wei Shi's feet, calling out, "Aunt..."
Only then did they realize that the person who came was Wei Yujie. She was wearing a light-colored jacket and only had a silver hairpin in her hair. Her hair was loose and her tearful appearance added to her pitiful look.
Li Shiyue understood what was going on. The young men had been drinking, and Wei Shi was worried about Xu Yunbo. Wei Yujie happened to be nearby, so she followed Wei Shi's instructions and brought him a bowl of hangover soup.
As a result, many people saw Wei Yujie running out of Xu Yunbo's room in disheveled clothes. Before they could even ask what had happened, it was already a fact that Wei Yujie had run out of her husband's courtyard in disheveled clothes.
When Wei Shi found out first, she was so upset by Wei Yujie's crying that she went directly to Shousong Hall to complain to Old Madam Xu.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Old Madam Xu fainted from anger, and the entire household was alarmed.
Madam Wei was already worried about Xu Yunbo, and all she could hear was Wei Yujie crying. Helplessly, she looked up at her mistress, only to be met with Xu Huaiting's displeased expression. At a loss, she clutched her handkerchief and began to cry softly as well.
"Cry, cry, cry! All you know how to do is cry!" Xu Huaiting waved his hand angrily, plopped back down, and didn't even look at Wei Shi.
Duke Rong and Lady Yang exchanged a glance; Lady Yang did not believe the matter would be so simple.
“Wei, one is your son, and the other is your niece. What do you want to do? You know that Mother has just woken up and the imperial physician has already been summoned. If word gets out about what happened today, she may not be able to become the principal wife.”
As soon as Madam Yang finished speaking, Wei Yujie tightened her grip on Madam Wei's clothes. She looked at Madam Wei with hopeful eyes; in her current state, she had no chance of survival except marrying her cousin.
Even if she became her cousin's concubine, she would never return to the Wei family and marry an old man. As a noble concubine in the Duke's mansion, with Wei Shi around, she would definitely capture Xu Yunbo's heart.
Finally, under the watchful eyes of several people, Madam Wei had no choice but to nod. Xu Yunbo remained kneeling without uttering a word throughout.
After leaving the flower hall, neither Li Shiyue nor Xu Yunci mentioned the matter again. A few days later, after Madam Yang had handled the situation and Old Madam Xu had recovered, the third branch's courtyard was cleaned and restored.
A pink sedan chair was carried into the mansion through the back gate, but Xu Yunbo returned to the military camp the very next day.
Even that night, Xu Yunbo didn't stay in Wei Yujie's courtyard. When he left the mansion the next day, he was indifferent to Wei Yujie, who came up to him with concern.
After Xu Yunbo left, Old Madam Xu summoned Wei Shi to Shousong Hall, and even Yang Shi was not allowed to enter. Later, a maidservant recounted that Old Madam Xu had been extremely angry that day, and Wei Shi had come out crying uncontrollably.
Li Shiyue frowned slightly as she listened to Chunling's words: "Just listen to these things in the future, don't spread them around. If your aunt finds out, these people will be punished again."
Chunling stuck out her tongue: "This servant knows, and I dare to learn from you, Miss. This time, everyone in the manor knows that the old lady is furious."
The sweltering summer heat was unbearable, with the sun blazing overhead. Li Shiyue gripped a round fan and quickened her pace as she entered the corridor, managing to shield herself from the scorching sun.
But she stopped a moment later and looked at Wei Yujie who was walking towards her. She was wearing a rose-red, narrow-sleeved, dark-patterned jacket, and her hair was tied up in a bun with a begonia flower.
When she saw Li Shiyue, she didn't avoid her; instead, she walked over with a smile. Although her hair was combed up like a bride's, a strand of hair still lingered on her forehead. She raised her eyebrows slightly, seemingly with a hint of smugness.
"Cousin Yan Yan, what a coincidence."
Before, this address was just polite, but now that their identities have reversed, Li Shiyue doesn't want to deceive herself. Hearing "Cousin Yan Yan" come out of Wei Yujie's mouth actually makes her feel disgusted.
Li Shiyue raised her eyes and looked at her calmly: "Aunt Wei."
Wei Yujie was about to speak when she heard Li Shiyue address her as "Aunt Wei," and her face nearly fell. She gripped her handkerchief tightly, her smile becoming somewhat unnatural: "Where is the County Princess going at this hour if she's not at Shousong Hall?"
"My cousin said he's going to the palace to see the Empress today, so he won't be chatting with my aunt. I'll be leaving now." Li Shiyue was telling the truth, and Wei Yujie then noticed that she was dressed much more elegantly than usual.
Especially the pure gold hairpins on both sides of her hair bun; as she walked away step by step, the swaying of the hairpins was not large, but under the sunlight, they seemed to make people unconsciously fall into a trance.
Wei Yujie was so engrossed in watching that by the time she came to her senses, Li Shiyue and her servant were long gone. She gave a bitter smile, as if mocking herself.
She thought she was so precious after marrying into the Xu family, but now she's just a concubine, and the difference between her and the others is enormous.
After leaving the palace, Li Shiyue was carrying a lot of things. She hesitated, "I feel uneasy that Consort Fu has given me so many things for this trip to the palace."
Xu Yunci glanced at the gold and silver jewelry behind her out of the corner of his eye, then turned to her as if to comfort her: "The imperial decree of marriage has been read out. These things are congratulatory gifts from the Pixiang Palace. If you don't like them, send them to the storeroom to keep for you to use as gifts."
“They all came from the palace, it wouldn’t be appropriate to send them away. Forget it, let’s just send them to the storeroom. Chengyu Pavilion doesn’t need anything for the time being.” Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze; even if she did, she wouldn’t want to use anything from Pixiang Palace.
Xu Yunci reached out his hand, and Li Shiyue took his hand and got into the carriage first. Before she could get in, she heard the sound of horses' hooves behind her.
"What a coincidence, Prince Xu."
Li Shiyue turned around in response. Opposite the carriage was King Zhao, who was riding a horse and holding the reins in his hand, without dismounting.
Before the two had even let go of each other's hands, King Zhao raised an eyebrow and gave them a mocking look.
"The county princess is here too."
Li Shiyue withdrew her hand, stood on the carriage and slightly bent her knees. Xu Yunci spoke first, subtly shielding Li Shiyue behind her.
"Is the King of Zhao going to the palace?"
"Yes, there are some things I need to report to Father, and some things cannot be delayed. Let's invite Prince Xu and the County Princess for tea when we have some free time." The look in Prince Zhao's eyes was somewhat unreadable. He dismounted and tossed the reins to the guards behind him.
Watching him enter the palace gates, Li Shiyue stepped out from behind Xu Yunci, and hesitated for a moment: "Let's go back too."
Xu Yunci turned around and nodded, and the two sat back down. The carriage traveled smoothly toward the Duke's mansion. Li Shiyue pursed her lips and said, "I feel that Prince Zhao has a strange enthusiasm for my cousin and for me."
"More than that, the King of Zhao's thoughts are far more complicated than the previous one. Do you remember what happened in Huayuan County?" Xu Yunci rubbed his thumb on the ring, a subconscious action reflecting his inner turmoil.
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