Chapter 11 Warning
Madam Xiao paused, then thought of something else: "I've already spoken to your Third Aunt. The Liu family is acting too recklessly. We, the Duke's Mansion, absolutely cannot get involved in this mess."
Old Madam Xiao herself had no objection to the girl from the Liu family. Before, except for the eldest grandson, she had not paid much attention to the marriages of the other grandchildren, thinking that their parents should have an idea.
But not long ago, after hearing Xiao Mo mention to her that Liu Qingwan's father seemed to be secretly communicating with the prince, she began to worry.
Since the third daughter-in-law was planning to get closer to the Liu family, she had to give her some reminders.
Xiao Mo nodded, and talked to the old lady for a while before leaving.
Mrs. Xiao thought of her third son and sighed in her heart.
The third branch of the Xiao family, the eldest son inherited the title and had to guard the border all year round. The two children born to the first branch were also good. As soon as the eldest grandson came back, he took over the position of leader of the imperial guards. This was also his own achievement.
The emperor valued the first wife, so the second and third wives would not be given any real positions.
Although the second wife was born out of wedlock, Xiao Xiaoping had a good character. He currently held an idle position of the seventh rank in the Military Affairs Department and was relatively law-abiding.
San'er was the second legitimate son and could not inherit the title, so Old Madam Xiao had been more lenient with him since he was a child.
I just hope that he can maintain the status quo under the protection of the Duke's Mansion for the rest of his life, but he is a man with great ambition.
Old Madam Xiao frowned, not knowing whether he knew about the Liu family's affairs.
Thinking about this, he asked the nanny beside him again: "Has Xiaolian returned yet?"
Xiao Xiaolian, the third son of the Xiao family, currently serves as a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue.
Although he is only a seventh-rank official, he has to get up early and go to bed late.
This is the case with all vacancies in the six ministries. Unlike the idle positions prepared for the sons and nephews of nobles, they usually work in the same court with civil servants who entered the officialdom through the imperial examinations. It is always not good to be too casual.
Nanny Liu went to the outer room and came back a short while later to report, "They say the Third Master has returned and is sitting at the table having dinner. He will come to see you later, Madam."
Madam Xiao said "oh" and sat back with her eyes closed. Madam Liu signaled a maid to come over and help fan her.
It was not until it was completely dark that the third master entered the side room of Songhe Hall, lifted the curtain and called his mother.
The maid handed over a stool, and Xiao Xiaolian took a towel and wiped away the sweat from walking all the way. "It's hot, why is there no ice in mother's room?"
"It's okay. They'll be used during the day, but now that it's night, they've all been cleared out."
A maidservant had already come forward to fan the Third Master, and the lights in the room flickered for a moment.
"Mother……"
The old lady waved her hand, dismissing the people around her, and then asked, "How much do you know about the Liu family?"
She stared at her son, and seeing hesitation on his face, it was obvious that he was not completely unaware of the situation, so her face immediately darkened.
Mr. Xiao San, sweat on his forehead, said earnestly, "Mother! Although the emperor values our Xiao family now, he is already over sixty years old. In the future... in the future, who can predict?"
What he didn't say was that even if his eldest brother could inherit the title, what about his children? They would only be able to start from the lowest seventh rank, or even the seventh rank might not be achieved.
He has no daughter and cannot enter the palace to be an empress, but since the second prince has extended an olive branch, why not try to be his heir?
At present, although the eldest prince is the eldest, he is not the queen's son, nor is he favored by the emperor, and his personal qualifications are mediocre.
Only the Second Prince is the legitimate son of the Empress and holds a noble status.
Although he was only twenty years old, he already had the potential to be an emperor. He was favored by everyone in the court and the country. Even the emperor's imperial tutor, Master Shen, praised his intelligence.
In Xiao Xiaolian's opinion, the second prince is almost the undisputed candidate for the crown prince. If the Xiao family rejects the second prince's friendship now, will the Xiao family still be in a good situation when he becomes emperor in the future?
Even though he had selfish motives, he was also thinking about the entire Xiao family.
Xiao Xiaolian naturally knew that since the establishment of the Xiao family, they had never sided with any prince.
Neither his eldest brother nor his mother would allow him to do this, but Master Xiao San did it with the mentality of being able to convince his mother.
Times are different now. Who would remain indifferent to the obvious benefits?
However, before he could figure out how to convince his mother, his thoughts had already been seen through.
With a "bang", a teacup was thrown at the feet of Master Xiao San.
His heart trembled, and he knelt down quickly: "Mother!"
"Who are you betting on? How do you know you're not making a mistake? You're so confused, Xiaolian!" The old lady pointed at her son in front of her with both hands, her voice trembling with anger.
Seeing that he seemed to have something else to say, she added, "The Emperor is still alive! How do you think I knew that? It was the Emperor who asked Mo'er if the Liu family and my Xiao family were related by marriage."
Madam Xiao looked at her son coldly: "Do you think the emperor is unaware of these little tricks? The emperor is worth a fortune, even if he is just chatting, he will not speak without purpose, do you know?"
Master Xiao San was so frightened that his face turned pale. He stammered, "Mother! My son...my son hasn't... agreed yet."
He thought of his previous meeting with the eunuch in the Queen's palace through his uncle, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat and tremble like a sieve.
"Mo'er didn't tell me immediately after returning. Instead, he went to check the current situation of the Liu family. Only then did I understand why that person suddenly mentioned the Liu family to him. Since Liu married into the Chengguo Mansion and had two children, she is a member of my Xiao family. As for that Liu girl, she can stay here if she wants, but there is no need to talk about marriage. Do you understand?"
When Old Lady Xiao met San'er, she knew the interests involved and presented her views to him one by one.
Xiao Xiaolian listened to his mother's arrangements with gratitude in his heart. He could not divorce his wife and marry another woman, and his two sons also could not live without Liu.
My mother meant that the Chengguo Mansion would protect my wife, but would draw a clear line with the Liu family in the future.
"Son, I understand." Xiao Xiaolian kowtowed heavily to the ground, then stood up dejectedly.
"Okay, go ahead!"
Master Xiao San returned to Liu's yard with heavy steps. When Liu saw him, she hurried to greet him.
As soon as Songhetang heard that her husband had returned home, they came over to call for him. It was obvious that he had something to tell her. Seeing him like this now, and thinking back to the old lady's previous request that she take her niece out to socialize, could it be...
Liu Shi didn't dare to ask directly, so she asked with concern, "But what happened in the mansion?"
The Third Master waved his hand, and after entering the room, he dismissed his attendants and pulled her to sit in front of the bed. Then he said solemnly, "I have something to tell you. Please listen carefully!"
Next, Xiao Xiaolian told Liu Shi what his mother had said to him after slightly changing it. Although Liu Shi was from the Liu family and had a close relationship with her brother, she was the daughter-in-law of the Duke of Cheng after all, and had a pair of children, so she knew what was more important.
But she would not do nothing. Since the emperor had brought it up, it was a warning to these people. She could still send a letter back to implicitly warn her brother.
As for the outcome, we can only leave it to fate.
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