Yang came from a prestigious family and had been the matriarch of the Xu family for decades. It was truly unprecedented for Yunyang Bo to be so angry that he gritted his teeth.
She let out a deep breath. Just thinking about Yang Shi made her angry. Yesterday, she said she was sending some fabric to Li Shiyue to make clothes. Yang Shi was somewhat relieved when she heard that, thinking that no father would not love his daughter.
As it turned out, even the maids couldn't wear that fabric. Whether it was because they didn't have the money or because the Earl of Yunyang simply didn't care, the Rongguo Duke and his wife were so angry they were speechless.
"No, the person who came to visit today was a concubine from the Marquis of Yunyang's mansion."
Madam Zhou looked troubled, clearly surprised that the Earl of Yunyang had come to the capital with his concubine.
Li Shiyue's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Zhou Mama: "I wonder what that aunt's surname is?"
Mother Zhou thought for a moment: "Her surname is Shu. She is holding a young man in her arms. She said she knows the young lady and came today to see her. She has something to give to the young lady."
Remembering what Xu Yunci had said a few months ago about the Earl of Yunyang going to the capital to petition for his half-brother to be granted the title of heir apparent, Li Shiyue stood up: "Aunt, I would like to see her."
The thin morning mist dissipated, and the sun hid behind the clouds, revealing only half of its rosy face. Its rays shone on the snow-white pear blossoms, which hung fragrantly on the branches.
Inside the flower hall, Aunt Shu held Li Yu, seemingly waiting for quite some time. The teacup beside her had long since gone cold, but Aunt Shu didn't seem to care. Her eyes kept glancing outside the flower hall, and finally, when she saw a figure approaching in the distance, her eyes lit up.
As Li Shiyue approached, she finally saw the person in the flower hall clearly. Unlike the Aunt Shu in her memory, the woman in front of her was dressed in brand-new brocade, with a rosy complexion and her eyes gradually becoming moist.
Aunt Shu, holding Li Yu in her arms, took two steps forward, her expression a mixture of caution and expectation: "Eldest Miss?"
"Aunt Shu." Li Shiyue smiled and pulled Aunt Shu to sit down.
She seemed different from before; the corners of her eyes turned up, and she seemed less sorrowful. Her features were serene and graceful, and especially today, wearing a dark blue jacket, she looked exceptionally beautiful and kind.
Upon closer inspection, Aunt Shu's brows and eyes carried a hint of sorrow, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes indicated that her life was not entirely comfortable.
Li Yu, who is just over a year old, is lying obediently in Aunt Shu's arms, sleeping soundly.
Aunt Shu smiled bitterly: "This is Yu'er, the second son of Meng. Ever since Meng was sent away, the master has sent this child to me."
“I’m not afraid of being called heartless by you, young lady. When I saw this child, I even wanted to strangle him. But I can’t bear to do what his aunt did.”
"There's another matter I brought him with me today, but I'll keep it brief."
She didn't even need to wait and see. Holding Li Shiyue's hand, she said, "No matter what the Lord mentions, Miss, you must not agree, especially the matter of returning to the Lord's mansion."
"Before the old lady passed away, she planned for the peaceful days that the young lady has today. Now that the Xu family is protecting you, the young lady must not go back. The Earl is unreliable. Although he promoted me after Meng Shi was gone, he has also taken several concubines. The Earl's mansion is in great chaos now."
“Especially since the lady’s dowry is now in the young lady’s own hands, the lord’s purpose in coming here is to take the young lady away. The lady’s dowry is one reason, and the young lady is now the noble county princess.”
As she spoke, Aunt Shu's eyes showed urgency: "Young lady, you must not agree. Yunzhong County is far away. If you do what you did before, the Xu family may not be able to help you in time. So no matter what the Earl says, young lady, you must not be soft-hearted."
She was a woman from Jiangnan, with a gentle tone, and even when she was anxious, she was not flustered or disorganized.
Aunt Shu raised her hand and wiped away the tears on her cheeks: "The eldest daughter is doing well now, so I'm sure the madam and the old lady will be at peace in heaven."
Li Shiyue grasped Aunt Shu's hand in return, and couldn't help but feel the calluses on her palm: "Aunt, are you doing alright these days? Without Madam Meng, the others in the Earl's Mansion are no match for you."
Aunt Shu smiled and shook her head: "I am fine. Anyway, I don't want my master to live a good life. Now that Erlang is here with me, I only pray that Heaven will have mercy on me and that Erlang will be upright in the future so that he can be a support for you, Miss."
Although they didn't come from the same mother's womb, Aunt Shu thought that if she taught the child well, he would definitely not become like his biological father when he grew up.
If one truly succeeds in the imperial examinations and achieves official rank, then one day in the capital, one can live a good life with one's elder sister, which would be the best outcome.
Thinking of this, Aunt Shu burst into tears. Suddenly remembering something, she looked at Li Shiyue and said, "Before we set off from Yunzhong County, Meng had already passed away."
Li Shiyue was stunned for a while before she came to her senses and understood what Aunt Shu meant by "gone".
The two looked at each other in silence. Aunt Shu's eyes held a deep meaning, while Li Shiyue had questions in her mind but didn't ask them aloud. Aunt Shu couldn't stay too long; she had come today to give Li Shiyue a message.
As for Meng Shi, Li Shiyue didn't want to know, nor was she bothered to find out. Looking at Aunt Shu's appearance, she figured it was probably related to Aunt Shu.
After having Aunt Shu seen off, Li Shiyue sat in the flower hall for a long time, lost in thought.
"No matter what the Lord mentions, Miss must not agree, especially the matter of returning to the Lord's mansion."
"Before she passed away, the old lady planned for the peaceful life you have today. Now that you have the Xu family's protection, you must never go back."
“The Earl is unreliable. With Meng Shi gone, although he has been promoting me, he has also taken on several concubines. The Earl’s mansion is in complete chaos now.”
"Especially since the lady's dowry has been sent over, the Earl's purpose on this trip is to take the young lady away, firstly for the lady's previous dowry, and secondly because the young lady is now the noble county princess."
The sun was high in the sky outside, having somehow broken through the clouds, and its rays felt warm and comfortable on my skin.
Aunt Shu's words still echoed in her ears, yet Li Shiyue felt as if she were still trapped in the depths of winter, unable to escape its chill. They were blood relatives, the closest of father and daughter, so how could things have turned out this way?
It seems like it was wrong from the very beginning. Mother shouldn't have married Father. Perhaps without her, Mother might have divorced with Uncle's help.
Li Shiyue lowered her eyes. This good father of hers really knew how to calculate. Without her mother's dowry to support the Marquis's mansion, the Yunyang Marquis's mansion probably had nothing left to offer now.
Aunt Shu's clothes were brand new, clearly made just before she left home. Having fallen from grace and grown accustomed to a life of luxury, it's no wonder her good father couldn't bear her current financial straits.
However, she was so moved by Aunt Shu's willingness to bring the news that she almost cried.
It's ironic that a concubine who has received small favors from you is more caring than your own father.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com