During lunch, Qiu Ling met everyone from the Marquisate in the hall, including the current Marquis of Yongyi, the Marquis's son, and the second young master. Only the two legitimate sons were present; the rest of the illegitimate sons were not present.
Xu Ting, the son of the Marquis's family, had been sitting at his table, enjoying his meal with a calm expression. But upon seeing Qiu Ling enter, his composure faded, and he eagerly asked about Xu Wen.
Qiu Ling glanced at the Marquis' wife, and when she nodded, she recounted Xu Wen's story over the past decade in detail. Hearing that Concubine Hong had bribed the wet nurse and nearly harmed Sheng Shu, Xu Ting slammed the table. Then, catching the Marquis's gaze, he put away his numb hands and sat back in a proper position.
The second young master Xu Lin also clenched his fists and looked unhappy. Madam Hou wiped her eyes and was comforted by Mother Chen.
When Qiu Ling mentioned that he had returned to Jinling but was stopped by the Jin family, Xu Ting suddenly stood up and was about to leave. The Marquis said in a deep voice, "Sit down and listen to what I have to say."
Xu Ting, with his back to the crowd, was too embarrassed to sit here. People often say that he taught his wife well behind her back, and it was because he hadn't taught her well that he made such a mistake. Xu Ting said in a muffled voice, "My son went to kneel in the ancestral hall and didn't teach his wife well. It's all my son's fault."
Madam Hou said in a hoarse voice, "Ting'er, even if Sister Wen knew, she wouldn't blame you. If you really want to kneel, wait until Sister Wen comes back."
Turning around, Xu Ting looked at Madam Hou and said, "Mother, won't my younger sister blame me? But I blame myself. If I had noticed the evil deeds of those around me earlier, Mother's health wouldn't have deteriorated, and Young Lady wouldn't have been heartbroken for so many years."
The sitting Marquis said, "If you want to kneel, then kneel. Don't talk nonsense. Kneel all night long. You still have to inspect the inner city tomorrow, so don't delay."
After receiving the order from the Marquis, Xu Ting stood up straight, saluted and retreated.
The Marquis's wife looked at him, shook her head, wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and fell silent. Then she signaled Qiu Ling to continue. Qiu Ling took out her confession and handed it to the Marquis, recounting the events before coming to Jinling.
After reading the confession with a frown on his face, the Marquis's already cold expression grew even colder. He lowered his head, calmed himself, and said to the Marquis's wife, "Why not send someone to escort Qiu Ling back to the capital so she can see Sister Wen in person?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Hou nodded. She also had the same idea: "Why don't I go to the capital to see my daughter?"
Seeing that everyone shook their heads, the Marquis' wife asked in confusion, "Why not?"
The second young master, Xu Lin, who had been sitting silently to the side, said, "Mother, you haven't fully recovered yet. You need to be well-nurtured. You're not in a good condition to travel far." After a pause, he suggested, "Why don't you let me go to the capital to visit my sister? Firstly, I'm in good health, and secondly, the autumn exam is only a few months away. I can think of it as my son preparing for the exam in advance. I heard that my brother-in-law is a world-renowned third place winner. I can ask him for some advice this time."
Upon hearing the name "Tanhua Lang", the Marquis and his wife both turned cold. They still couldn't accept this son-in-law. Furthermore, hearing that he had dared to favor his concubine over his wife in recent years, they were even more disgusted with him.
Seeing his parents' faces change, Xu Lin touched his chin, coughed lightly, and said, "I'm going to seek justice for my sister. I'm going to teach that bad guy a lesson and let her vent her anger."
After hearing this, the Marquis's expression softened. He stood up, put his hands behind his back and said, "Follow me." He was thinking that he would teach his son a few more moves so that he could deal with Sheng Huairen properly.
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