Chapter 30: Taking Advantage of the Situation
Minister Li has always been indifferent to family affairs.
Yesterday, after drinking a few extra glasses of wine at his daughter's wedding, he went to his aunt's place to rest, without noticing at all that his wife had done anything earth-shattering.
Mrs. Li was too lazy to care about him and spent the whole night in the Buddhist temple praying to the gods for everything to go smoothly.
He felt relieved only after the people who were watching at several gates of the mansion said that there was no commotion. He drank two cups of ginseng tea to refresh himself, and at daybreak he quietly led his men out of the mansion to look for the head of the Li family.
Mrs. Li was also single. As soon as she entered the room, she kowtowed to the clan leader several times, and then told him all about her plan to marry someone else.
The head of the Li family was furious. He had not expected a woman to be so bold. He was so angry that he asked Minister Li to divorce his wife.
Madam Li kowtowed again and said, "No matter how wrong it is, it's all my niece's fault. Uncle, please don't get angry and hurt yourself.
Mingyue was the only child of my niece's wife, and she couldn't bear to see her marry a eunuch and live alone for the rest of her life.
What's more, our Li family has more than ten girls who are about to reach marriage age. If one of our sisters really marries a eunuch, we will be criticized in future marriage proposals.
The niece-in-law knew that she had committed a serious sin, and she left it to her uncle to decide whether to beat her or punish her.
But please help Mingyue for the sake of the clan's honor."
Patriarch Li really wanted to slap her to death, but he raised his hand but in the end he didn't have the courage to slap his niece's wife.
Finally, he slammed the table in anger and said, "Aren't you quite capable?
Since everything is done, why are you still looking for me? "
Madam Li saw that there was a way, and hurriedly said, "The marriage exchange is indeed done, but whether Mingyue can be the wife of the prince of Ningguo Mansion safely depends on the support of uncle.
Miss Jiang, who was originally going to marry into the Zhao family, was extremely beautiful and had rich dowry. If she had not vowed that she could please Governor Xiao's niece-in-law, she would not have dared to do such a bold thing.
That girl is really capable. If Governor Xiao was not satisfied with the marriage exchange, he would have come to the door last night. Since he did nothing, it means he approves it.
As for Prince Zhao...
My niece-in-law was afraid that Prince Zhao would recognize the bride, so she asked the maid to bring medicine. She fooled him last night, but this morning..."
Having said this, Patriarch Li already understood everything.
There were four people who got married. The daughter of the Jiang family was satisfied, Governor Xiao was satisfied, and Mingyue from their family was also satisfied.
It turns out that only Prince Zhao was kept in the dark.
It would be strange if the daughter of a fourth-rank official with a rich dowry was replaced by the daughter of a fifth-rank official with a mediocre dowry.
But now the matter is done and his wife will definitely not come back.
There are only two ways to remedy this.
Either force Li Mingyue to admit that she was the biological mother of the lion and then ask the Li family for compensation.
Either send Mingyue back with a letter of divorce and choose another noble lady.
Of course, the Li family still has to bleed.
After all, the value of the original wife is different from that of a remarried wife. They, mother and daughter, have disturbed someone else's good marriage out of selfish motives, so they must express their feelings.
Don't talk about evidence or no evidence.
I'm not stupid. Even without evidence, I know who did it.
Not only will the Li family girl lose money, but her reputation will also be damaged. She will definitely lose both her wife and her army.
Chief Li sighed, "I heard from your aunt that you are a capable person. Since you have come to see me, I think you have already made some rules.
Tell me, how do you want me to help you and your daughter?"
Madam Li immediately showed joy in her eyes, "My niece is worried that Mingyue is still young and was frightened and said something wrong, so she asked you to go to the Ningguo Mansion.
The marriage exchange was a matter of fate, and we must let the Zhao family know that Mingyue has a clan to rely on, and we can't become their punching bag."
As she spoke, Mrs. Li took out two thousand taels of silver and respectfully placed them on the table.
"Uncle, if Mingyue can secure the position of the Crown Prince's wife, it will be considered a marriage of high status. In the future, the marriages of my cousins can also be brought up."
Patriarch Li glanced at the banknote and raised his eyebrows. He understood what the other party meant.
Marriage is the union of two sexes.
What connects us is personal connections and what forms an alliance of interests.
Li Mingyue's father is indeed not good enough, but it would be different if he stood behind Li Mingyue in the name of the head of the Li family.
The Ningguo Mansion had long been on the decline with only the title, and apart from Zhao Chengye, there were no other notable figures.
But their Li family is different. They have many branches and successful children. Even if they are just minor officials, when put together they form a huge network of relationships.
Haha, who said that women are all long-haired and short-sighted? There is also a female Zhu Ge, who has used all kinds of coercion, inducement and temptation.
If he doesn't agree.
This is a matter of the Fifth Rank Minister's family versus the Ningguo Duke's Mansion. Li Mingyue will naturally not end up well, but the reputation of the girls in the clan will also be affected.
But if I acknowledge this marriage in the name of the entire Li family and make certain promises, then it will be a win-win situation for both parties.
Even if the Ningguo Mansion cannot help them with the affairs of the previous dynasty, Li Mingyue can use the name of the Crown Prince's wife to lead the girls in the family to a higher level.
Patriarch Li is a sensible man and has never thought of gaining any advantage by relying on the girls' connections.
But he is the head of the family, and he cannot ignore the negative consequences if Li Mingyue is divorced.
Patriarch Li finally agreed to support Li Mingyue, but he also put forward conditions.
This time, because the mother and daughter were so audacious and reckless that they almost damaged the reputation of the entire Li family, he paid out of his own pocket to purchase an additional 100 acres of sacrificial land for the clan.
Mrs. Li seemed to be prepared. Without saying a word, she took out another two thousand taels and placed them on the table.
Patriarch Li nodded, turned around and left. The two carriages went straight to the Ningguo Mansion.
The old man was also thinking that if Mingyue had the same scheming and tactics as her mother, she would really be worth cultivating.
Even though the Ningguo Mansion is in decline now, Zhao Chengye, who is a disciple of the Left Prime Minister, is still a rare young talent.
Given time, it may be possible to restore the glory of your home.
Ningguo Mansion.
When the Duke's wife heard that the head of the Li family and Li Mingyue's mother had arrived, she became furious.
When the old woman brought someone in, she immediately slammed the table and said, "You, the Li family, still have the nerve to come to our house, but you are here to pick up your shameless daughter."
Mrs. Li had a stern face when she entered the room. When she heard this, she immediately pouted.
“Although my Li family is a small family and cannot compare to the power and influence of the Duke’s Mansion, we have produced ten Jinshi scholars through generations of scholars.
My daughter is a pure and innocent girl, and you cannot slander her with your red lips and white teeth."
"Who would drug a man if he was innocent and pure?"
You didn't want to marry a eunuch, so you replaced my chosen daughter-in-law with my son. You are not only shameless, but also vicious."
"I am vicious, why don't you say your son is blind and lustful?
It was just a coincidence that you got on the wrong sedan chair. When Governor Xiao was getting married, he found out that something was wrong. If you hadn't already entered the bridal chamber, why couldn't you get a change?
Hand over my daughter immediately.
Even if I take her home, I will never leave her here for you to torture her.
You haven't done anything yet but you've already thrown basins of dirty water at our Li family. Who knows how many more vicious tricks you have waiting for us?
My Mingyue is just a little girl in her teens, there is no way she can defeat you.
You even said that my daughter drugged her. Are you planning to stuff a voodoo doll into my daughter and say that she cursed your son and that’s why your son had his wedding night.”
Mrs. Li's fierce and stingy accusations made the Duke's wife's face turn pale, and the head of the Li family couldn't help but laugh in his heart.
What a good move to strike first and then attack without any courtesy. It is indeed difficult to raise a woman and a villain.
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