"Cousin, don't avoid me. I don't intend to ruin your marriage with my second brother. Otherwise, my second brother will definitely not forgive me if he finds out. It's true that I like you, cousin, and it's also true that I hope you can be my sister-in-law."
"My cousin will be the wife of the heir of the Rongguo Duke's mansion in the future, so don't bother me with these trivial matters. I'll let my cousin handle things when we get back to the mansion."
Xu Lingqing smiled, but deliberately lowered her voice. When Yang got into the carriage, she saw the sisters' affection and didn't think much of it.
Li Shiyue glanced at Xu Lingqing, unsure of his thoughts, but saw that Yang had boarded the carriage and said nothing more.
Xu Lingqing held her hand tightly and didn't let go until the carriage stopped, at which point they finally separated.
Li Shiyue looked at the wrinkles on her sleeves but said nothing.
In the evening, Li Shiyue was not the only one accompanying Madam Xu in Shousong Hall. When Madam Yang came in, the maid behind her was carrying a stack of books.
Wei was sitting to one side. When she saw Yang enter, she became somewhat reserved. She hurriedly stood up and looked at Yang's expression as if she wanted to say something, but after her lips moved, she lowered her head.
Ever since Xu Yunxu went to stay at the Guo residence, Madam Yang has been lukewarm towards the third branch of the family, especially Madam Wei.
"Mother."
Madam Yang glanced at the maid behind her, who understood and handed the booklet to Old Madam Xu.
Madam Xu took it, looked at the neat handwriting, glanced at it twice, and closed it: "Wei, you should take a look too."
Seeing that Madam Wei had taken it, Madam Yang then looked at Madam Wei and said in a calm and gentle tone: "There are three families here. Although their official positions are only fourth or fifth rank, they are of good family background and they value the upbringing of their sons very much."
"You are also present at today's banquet as the mistress of one of these three families. If you find anything suitable, take it back and ask the Wei family for their opinion."
The three young men mentioned above all held official positions of the fourth or fifth rank. Although these positions were not high, they all had some family wealth in the capital and were able to establish themselves in the city.
Given the current circumstances of the Wei family, it would be difficult for them to marry into the capital, let alone become the mistress of a household.
Moved, Madam Wei closed the booklet and looked at Madam Yang with gratitude: "Thank you for your trouble, elder sister-in-law."
Madam Yang shook her head: "It's nothing."
As long as they stop bothering her youngest son and prevent him from harassing her daughter's husband every day, these things really don't matter.
She had been Wei's sister-in-law for decades, and now that the Wei family was raising daughters, she had seen enough from Wei over the years. She didn't want her youngest son to live a marital relationship like the third wife.
Her eldest son's marriage made her see things more clearly. As for Xu Yunxu's marriage, she suggested that he follow his own heart.
She decided to ignore the somewhat agitated Madam Wei and looked at Li Shiyue, who was also the matriarch of the Xu family. Her smile gradually widened: "The banquet has been set up and everything is ready. How is the wedding dress embroidered?"
Li Shiyue initially wanted to avoid it, but since Madam Xu didn't let her leave, she quietly stayed by Madam Xu's side, watching without making a sound.
Yang suddenly spoke up, which surprised her a little, but a smile quickly appeared on her face. However, she was still a little shy when the topic of marriage came up.
"It's almost finished embroidering."
Madam Xu seemed to be in a good mood. Holding Li Shiyue's hand, she looked at Madam Yang and said, "Time flies. Once you're married, you'll soon be a grandmother."
Madam Yang looked at Li Shiyue, whose head was bowed even lower, and said with a helpless smile, "You're thinking too far ahead. The two children aren't even married yet."
In truth, she also harbored some expectations, but more so, she longed to see her eldest son's aloof demeanor. If his bloodline were to enter the world, would her eldest son still remain so aloof?
Looking up at Li Shiyue, the shyness on the young girl's face made her momentarily dazed. Having both been teenagers, Madam Yang thought that if anything happened to her eldest son, she should protect Li Shiyue.
If it were based on the eldest son's aloof nature, even if he were to marry a new bride, she might not know how to cherish him.
She wasn't the kind of stubborn mother-in-law; now that things were settled, she saw no need to upset her two children. However, she still had some expectations about becoming a grandmother.
Holding the booklet in her hand, Madam Wei was somewhat excited. After bidding farewell to Old Madam Xu, she hurriedly returned home, probably to find Wei Yujie.
After Wei left, the smile on Old Madam Xu's lips gradually faded: "Sixth Brother, don't come back for the time being."
Madam Yang was a little worried: "But staying at the Guo residence all the time might be too much trouble for them, especially since Fifth Sister and her husband have only been married for a short time."
Li Shiyue was listening quietly when she looked up and met the gaze of Old Madam Xu, and even Madam Yang looked over.
She thought for a moment and said, "Guo Shaoqing is very good to my cousin. Today, in front of all of us, he even said that it would be good for my sixth cousin to stay a few more days to keep my cousin company."
"It's just that my third cousin is returning to his residence tomorrow, and my sixth cousin wants to stay with my cousin for a few more days, and Guo Shaoqing didn't object."
Madam Xu showed no surprise, as if she had sensed it all along: "Alright, don't come back yet."
"After all, this is the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, not the Wei family. If there is any more trouble, the Wei family lady should go back home after being away for many days. You have given her enough face. If Wei is still not clear-headed, then you should show your demeanor as the Duchess."
"The Wei family's intentions... do they really think no one can see through them?" Old Madam Xu said with a light laugh and a shake of her head, but there was a hint of mockery in her laughter and her eyes.
After leaving Shousong Hall and parting ways with Madam Yang, Li Shiyue slowly walked towards Chengyu Pavilion with Chunling in her arms.
Listening to the cicadas chirping in the grass and trees, the quiet night felt somewhat muggy. The thick clouds were also clearly visible in the darkness, seemingly trying to obscure the bright moon.
"It's alright during the day, but it gets really hot and humid at night. Sister Lianchun said it's going to rain again." Chunling's voice wasn't loud as she looked up at the dark night, following Li Shiyue's gaze.
"Hurry back, you feel sticky and uncomfortable." Li Shiyue felt a little irritable for some reason, and couldn't help but think of Xu Lingqing's words on the way back in the carriage.
However, I felt even more irritable.
After bathing and changing into clean undergarments, Li Shiyue sat on the edge of the bed, letting Chunling wring out her hair.
"Miss is asleep. I have something to give to Miss on the orders of the young master."
"Chang Shun? Miss is still awake. Please wait a moment while I go and inform her."
“Sister Lian Dong, there’s no need. Please give the things to me. It’s too late for Miss Biao to see me at this hour. Please help me give the things to Miss Biao so I can go back and report to the young master.”
Instead of hearing Lian Dong's voice, there was the sound of the door closing and Lian Dong's footsteps entering.
She held a dark blue brocade box in her hand; the dark blue silk felt smooth to the touch.
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