Xu Wen, the second wife of the Sheng family, and the sister-in-law of the eldest wife, was born into a prestigious family, the Yongyi Marquisate of Jinling. Having witnessed the lecherous behavior of nobles from a young age, she sought a poor yet talented civil servant. She assumed that a man, considering her noble birth and willingness to marry him, would show some respect and compassion, and would not harm his wife for the sake of her beauty. However, no matter a man's background, once he achieved power, he would also indulge in beauty and favor his concubines over his wife.
In her previous life, Xu Wen eventually became Madam Sheng. Childless and widowed at an early age, she was forced to raise a bastard son and educate him to adulthood. Madam Sheng greatly admired her sister-in-law, Xu Wen. In her previous life, this sister-in-law had helped her a lot. Later, Xu Wen played a significant role in the Sheng family's recovery from decline.
After grinding the ink and picking up the pen, Mrs. Shengda didn't know where to begin. Was she supposed to write down everything that happened in her previous life? Mrs. Shengda looked up at herself in the bronze mirror again, calmed herself down, and wrote three pages in one breath before stopping.
As soon as she had packed the letter, Grandma Liu came in and invited her to dinner. Old Madam Sheng told Mama Liu to seal the letter with red lacquer and have someone reliable deliver it quickly to the second branch of the Sheng family in Beijing.
Only then did Mrs. Sheng remember that, at her current age, she was no longer the Mrs. Sheng of several decades later, but the eldest lady of the Sheng family's main house. Of course, no matter how old she got, her name would remain the same: Li Yuxin.
Seeing Li Yuxin's serious expression, Mother Liu quickly agreed to deliver the letter. After leaving, she went to find her own son Liu Gui and told him to personally hand the letter to Xu Wen, the eldest lady of the second branch of the Sheng family.
Li Yuxin wasn't sure if this letter would save her sister-in-law from the disaster. She was thinking that if she didn't celebrate Hong'er's birthday, she would head to the capital early. If Concubine Liu wasn't at the Sheng residence right now, she would leave immediately. But with Concubine Liu still around, she couldn't trust the child. Should she entrust the child to her parents' care? Thinking about it, it didn't seem feasible. Wei'er was already twelve years old, and she would have to take the imperial examination soon. She couldn't leave.
Li Yuxin thought for a moment and called Madam Liu in again. She spoke to her carefully, "After the letter is delivered, ask your sister-in-law a question... If, after reading the letter, she still wants to deal with the matter in person, then persuade her to bring her son to Youyang as soon as possible. The old man is seriously ill and we can't delay even a moment."
Mother Liu agreed cautiously and spoke kindly to her son Liu Gui. That same day, Liu Gui boarded a speedboat to the capital.
Li Yuxin was lost in thought while eating. The Sheng family had three sons, and two of them favored their concubines over their wives. She couldn't help but sigh.
Suddenly, a piece of pork ribs was found in the bowl. Li Yuxin looked at the well-behaved Hong'er, smiled and said, "Hong'er, be good. The pork ribs she picked are the most delicious. But, just enjoy your meal and don't worry about me."
Hong'er smiled widely, revealing two sweet dimples, and said with a smile, "Mom, Mama Liu said that eating more will help you grow taller."
Li Yuxin caressed Hong'er's soft head, then Yun'er's, and the three of them chatted and laughed as they ate. Afterward, they sat and drank some honey water, then retreated to the inner chamber for a nap. Old Madam Shengda held one daughter in each arm, her left and right, breathing in the milky fragrance of her little girls, her heart filled with contentment. Now that she had been blessed with this opportunity to be reborn, holding two sweet, soft daughters, she felt truly blessed by God, and she would devote herself to worshipping the Buddha in the future.
The two little girls fell asleep soon after they lay down, but Li Yuxin couldn't fall asleep. She was very excited thinking that she would see Wei'er after dinner. She looked at Hong'er on her left and Yun'er on her right. She couldn't get enough of them. She just put her hands on Hong'er's little face and kissed her.
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