Xu Yunci's words were calm and powerful. Despite being in the dead of winter, Li Shiyue felt as if she were in a spring breeze, and her uneasy and flustered heart was gradually soothed.
Yes, she should just live her peaceful life; it's none of anyone else's business.
Li Shiyue smiled and looked directly at Xu Yunci: "I understand what you mean, cousin. Thank you."
Seeing that she was no longer as downcast as before, Xu Yunci felt much better. He took two steps forward and walked alongside Li Shiyue: "The Earl of Yunyang has submitted a memorial to the Emperor, requesting permission to go to the capital."
Even though Madam Xu has passed away, Li Shiyue is still alive, and the marriage relationship between the Rongguo Duke's Mansion and the Yunyang Earl's Mansion still exists. Xu Yunci can give his uncle, the Yunyang Earl, some face according to seniority.
In the capital, the title of "uncle-in-law" from the heir apparent, Xu Yunci, did offer some consolation to the declining Earl's mansion. But dignity is something one must earn; the Earl of Yunyang, a man of principle, had certain behaviors that Xu Yunci found utterly shameful.
Li Shiyue was not surprised. During her years in the Xu family in her previous life, even though she lived a secluded life, she knew that the relationship between the Duke of Rong and the Yang couple was a model that Xu Yunci was proud of.
With such parents as role models, Xu Yunci considered Yunyang Bo's behavior as nothing more than shameful, which was already the greatest courtesy he could show.
If it were anyone else, Xu Yunci wouldn't even spare a glance. But Li Shiyue and Uncle Yunyang were, after all, father and daughter, and their blood ties hadn't been severed. Even though Uncle Yunyang, as an elder, found it shameful, out of consideration for Li Shiyue's feelings, Xu Yunci wouldn't do anything to Uncle Yunyang.
"Is Father coming to the capital?"
Xu Yunci nodded: "The Yunyang Marquis's family has been hereditary for three generations. The Marquis of Yunyang wants to come to the capital in person to request the appointment of the heir apparent of the Yunyang Marquis's family."
"Do you still remember that Meng family? The Earl's mansion had many concubines, but only Meng had given birth to a son born out of wedlock. The child was only a year old when Meng was divorced. The Earl of Yunyang sent your half-brother to another concubine."
"Currently, the most favored person in the inner quarters of the Earl's mansion is a concubine named Shu. I have had someone inquire about her, and it turns out that she has a very close relationship with my aunt."
Upon hearing a familiar name, Li Shiyue truthfully replied, "I know that's not entirely true; some things were told to me by my grandmother."
“When my mother and father first got married, they were very sweet. Later, my mother gave birth to me, and my father felt that the Earl’s Mansion could not be without a male heir, so he started taking concubines.”
"I don't know how my mother felt about my father taking concubines. I heard from my grandmother that my father took concubines one after another, and my mother just drank her tea cup by cup as if nothing was wrong. My grandmother said that my mother was broad-minded, but that's not necessarily a good thing."
“It wasn’t until my mother’s health collapsed that my grandmother and I realized that my mother actually cared a lot. But my father’s heart was with those concubines, and my mother didn’t even get to see my father before she passed away.”
"As for Concubine Shu, she was the first to enter the mansion. When I was young, I went with my mother to pay my respects to my grandmother. Concubine Shu was honest and refused to associate with those concubines, so they ganged up on her and bullied her. My mother saw this and saved Concubine Shu, but at that time Concubine Shu was already pregnant, and she had also ruined her health by kneeling in the winter, so she could no longer have children."
"Aunt Shu and the other concubines in the inner quarters of the Earl's mansion are all the same; they are all commoner girls with little power in their families. Father has taken many concubines but has no children. In a few years, Father will take new concubines until Meng enters the mansion, completely captivates Father's heart, and even gives birth to Yu-ge'er."
“In the period immediately after my grandmother passed away, Meng was in charge of the household affairs and made things difficult for me quite a bit. It was around this time that Aunt Shu started to protect me regardless of the consequences, and as a result, she was often targeted by Meng.”
Xu Yunci's gaze was deep and unfathomable: "The Aunt Shu you mentioned seems to be a different person from the one I've been asking about."
Li Shiyue was silent for a moment, then raised her head and spoke again: "Aunt Shu was the first to enter the mansion. She was able to protect me from Meng Shi, so she must have some scheming. She just doesn't care to compete, and she doesn't care to harm others like Meng Shi and the others in order to win Father's favor."
“But she doesn’t harm others; it’s others who harm her. Aunt Shu was supposed to have a half-brother born in her womb. If it weren’t for Meng’s instigation of others to harm her, she wouldn’t have lost the opportunity to be a mother.”
Li Shiyue roughly guessed what Xu Yunci meant. It was probably because the Earl of Yunyang had received a memorial from the Emperor to divorce Meng Shi, and it was likely that Aunt Shu had instigated this.
If a person doesn't look out for themselves, they'll be punished by heaven and earth.
This is a principle that has been followed throughout history. Does she have to stand on a moral high ground and accuse Aunt Shu of being cold-blooded?
However, it is clear that Meng was the one who harmed others first. Firstly, as a concubine, she did not know her place and was disrespectful to others. Secondly, she instigated others to harm their offspring.
Xu Yunci naturally understood this principle. What worried him was that the Earl of Yunyang would not remarry, and that the inner quarters of the Earl's mansion were now controlled by Concubine Shu.
Putting aside the past, there's the possibility of future benefits. He feared his naive cousin might be taken advantage of and even forget about it. He felt compelled to remind her that, judging from her tone, Aunt Shu was probably a good person after all.
Li Yu, born to Madam Meng, is the eldest son of a concubine in the Earl's Mansion. In the past, the eldest son of the legitimate wife was always the first choice when it came to the title of heir. Now, Concubine Shu is raising the future heir of the Earl's Mansion. If Concubine Shu is a good person and is on the side of her cousin, even if the Earl's Mansion fails in the future, it will still be a noble family, and her little cousin will have an extra layer of support behind her.
However, judging from what my little cousin said, it's clear that she is not confused about right and wrong; in fact, her thoughts are quite rational and clear.
Shousong Hall was just ahead, but the two of them slowed their pace in unison.
The two walked together, and Li Shiyue was a head shorter than Xu Yunci. But she was slender, and both of them wore cloaks. From a distance, Li Shiyue's figure even looked much thinner than Xu Yunci's.
Xu Yunci could see her little cousin's cheekbones out of the corner of her eye. Her face was round, and her small face was not very fleshy. Her cheekbones added a sense of three-dimensionality to her soft face.
Her wispy bangs were parted on both sides, and the occasional gust of cold wind made her look somewhat delicate with her fair skin.
However, the vibrant color of the brocade she wore added a touch of allure to her face.
Looking at Shousong Hall ahead, Xu Yunci began to stroke the patterns on the jade thumb ring with one hand behind his back.
The cool touch brought him back to his senses, and Xu Yunci withdrew his gaze: "When the Marquis of Yunyang comes to the capital, he should pay you a visit. If you don't want to see him, then you don't have to."
If her own father came to the capital to visit, and she simply refused to see him, people would gossip about her. But Xu Yunci insisted on making an exception for Li Shiyue. How could other girls be so spoiled? What did his cousin from the Xu family lack?
The other women have powerful backers, so the Xu family can also be a big tree behind my little cousin.
Li Shiyue understood the meaning behind Xu Yunci's words and covered her mouth with a smile, saying, "Cousin, are you trying to spoil me?"
"So what?"
Li Shiyue stopped and looked at Xu Yunci's face. His eyes were upturned at the corners, with a hint of nonchalance, and he looked arrogant.
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