Since entering with his elder brother, the Duke of Rongguo, the Second Master Xu Huaijiang has remained silent.
If the Duke of Rong were not here today, he could speak to Xu Yunci as an elder. However, with the Duke of Rong right in front of him and his stepmother in such a state, if he were to speak rashly, he would likely be accused of disrespecting his stepmother and not loving the young.
As he was pondering, Xu Huaijiang was caught off guard by the gaze of the Duke of Rongguo, whose eyes seemed to hold a sinister meaning. He steeled his resolve, walked up to Lady Liu, and pulled Xu Lingwan from her embrace.
"Apologize to your cousin right now!"
Xu Lingwan was immersed in the fear of being subjected to family discipline when she was suddenly pulled out of her mother's warm embrace by a strong force. She stood there stunned for a moment, forgetting to cry.
Xu Huaijiang grabbed Xu Lingwan by the collar, tightening it slightly until faint red marks appeared on her slender, white neck: "Admit your mistake!"
Xu Lingwan bit her lip and stubbornly raised her head: "Why should I admit my mistake? If it weren't for her coming, Grandmother would have spoiled me all along! It's all her fault, her father doesn't love her and her mother doesn't care for her, yet she still dares to dream of being a daughter of the Xu family!"
Chang Shun had already brought in the ruler, which was placed in a rectangular sandalwood box. It was ten inches long and two inches thick, and was a reddish-brown ruler.
Xu Yunci picked up the ruler and walked straight to Xu Lingwan. His face, which was usually cold and aloof, now seemed to hold a storm brewing in his eyes.
Master Xu sighed, had no choice but to let go, and turned his head away as if he didn't see it.
Xu Yunci stood tall and straight in front of Xu Lingwan, who shrank back in fear. Seeing Xu Lingwan turn to run away, he suddenly spoke up: "Wulang, hold her down."
Xu Yunyao responded with an "Ah," his tall figure blocking Xu Lingwan's path. He placed his hands on Xu Lingwan's shoulders, and Xu Lingwan's legs went weak, causing her to kneel down.
With one hand free, he held Xu Lingwan's left hand firmly in mid-air, her palm exposed.
Twenty strokes of the cane landed squarely on Xu Lingwan's palm, her initial loud cries eventually fading into sobs.
"Admit your mistake."
Xu Lingwan's vision was already blurred from crying, and her palms were burning with pain and swollen.
"I was wrong."
Xu Yunci frowned: "Can't you call out to people?" He made a gesture as if to raise the ruler.
Xu Lingwan quickly said, "I was wrong, please forgive me, cousin."
Li Shiyue could tell that Xu Lingwan's apology was reluctant, but now was not the time to dwell on that: "Sincere repentance is important, and it's even more important not to worry the elders. My cousin has already admitted her mistake, so please be lenient, cousin."
Xu Yunci put away the ruler, gave Xu Yunyao a look, and the two brothers returned to Old Madam Xu's side.
It was just a pretense to scare Xu Lingwan. Xu Yunci took advantage of Li Shiyue's excuse to back down and let the Liu mother and daughter cry their hearts out.
Now that Madam Xu had calmed down, her voice carried a hint of weakness: "Shi Niang is unruly. She has been punished and confined to her quarters for a month. Go and calm down. Liu Shi, you should go with her too."
After all, Lady Liu was the mistress of the household, so she was only confined to her quarters for a month, which was still a way of saving face for her.
The Duke of Rongguo's phoenix eyes swept around, and he gestured for Li Shiyue to come over.
"Although A-Yue does not have the surname Xu, before her death, Madam Li clearly entrusted A-Yue's upbringing and marriage entirely to the Xu family."
“From now on, A-Yue will be raised by her mother. As the head of the family, I hereby declare clearly that A-Yue will be a daughter of the Xu family from now on. If anyone from the Li family comes looking for her, or if anyone objects, I, as her maternal uncle, will not acknowledge her, nor will the Rongguo Duke’s Mansion.”
“What elder brother says is true. A-Yue should also call her son uncle. Besides, A-Yue is so well-behaved. We can rest assured that she will accompany Mother in the future.” The one who spoke was Fourth Master Xu Huailou, Zhou’s husband.
"Besides, our Xu family is large and wealthy. We can easily support a young girl like A-Yue."
He had a dashing appearance and stepped forward to stand in front of Madam Xu.
After the two masters expressed their opinions, Madam Xu's expression improved slightly. Unwilling to see the second branch of the family again, and knowing they had lost face, the second branch members slunk away from Shousong Hall.
It wasn't late, but after all that commotion, Old Madam Xu had lost her energy.
After helping Old Madam Xu to lie down, only Xu Yunci remained. The two left the inner room together; Li Shiyue's eyes were red from crying.
The night was hazy, and the soft moonlight poured down along the night sky, like a thin veil draped over a celestial fairy.
Don't take today's events to heart.
Li Shiyue looked confused and looked up directly at Xu Yunci. When she met his phoenix eyes, she realized that he was referring to the Liu mother and daughter.
She shook her head and smiled calmly: "My cousin underestimates me. I've heard those words countless times."
Xu Yunci's gaze held a moment of doubt, but then he saw Li Shiyue place her hands in front of her, walk down to the corridor, and exhale white mist as she spoke.
“After my mother passed away, even though my grandmother wanted to protect me, she was old and couldn’t possibly be in charge of everything. Not to mention others, even that Aunt Meng from before, who was in charge of the household affairs, didn’t need to make a big fuss if she wanted to torment me. All she needed to do was provide me with a lack of charcoal and cotton clothes in winter and leftovers in summer.”
"Or even harsher words, but nowadays, as long as they don't involve my mother and grandmother, I just treat them as passing breezes."
Moreover, life in the Earl's mansion was far better than the days she spent in the Xu family, where she made the wrong choice and stepped into a den of wolves.
Li Shiyue spoke calmly, glossing over the years of hardship in just a few words, as if she were talking about an ordinary person.
To Xu Yunci, it took on a different meaning.
Xu Yunci scrutinized Li Shiyue, this was probably the first time he had properly looked at his cousin since they met. He knew his cousin was beautiful and well-behaved, and he had just learned from his father in the front yard that his cousin looked very much like his aunt when she was young.
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