Chapter 81 Abstinence and Health
Mother Li lamented, "I don't know if I can wait until that day. I just hope that the emperor can show mercy and spare the Li family. Otherwise, what is the point of us two mothers enduring humiliation for the past ten years?"
Li Chu's eyes were sore when he heard this: "Mother will surely live a long life. Don't say such sad words. Your Majesty is a wise ruler. My son will work for him, and he will clearly reward and punish me."
"I hope so." Li's mother was full of worries about the future.
In July, the corn planting area has expanded this year, and Rongyin has more corn to make starch. The bakery announced that it will hold a promotion recently, increasing the daily production of cream cakes from one to three, on a first-come, first-served basis.
This undoubtedly stimulated consumption again. The shopkeeper looked at the store crowded with customers who had reserved cakes and was counting the money until his hands were stretched. But when he thought of the bonus at the end of the month, the smile on his face suddenly became brighter.
Coincidentally, Li's mother's birthday was coming up soon, and Li Chu managed to grab a reservation and brought the cake to her on her mother's birthday.
The cake was topped with longevity peaches and Li's mother's zodiac animal. It looked so beautiful that Li's mother was reluctant to cut it with a wooden knife. In the end, she finally divided the cake amid the teasing of the guests.
Mother Li's birthday party was not a grand affair. Firstly, the Li family was not suitable for the limelight right now, and secondly, she was too lazy to spend time on those meaningless things that were a waste of time and energy.
She simply prepared a few tables of food and wine, and invited all the wives of officials with whom she had been in close contact recently to come over to have some fun and deepen their relationship.
Each person was given a piece of cake. Since Li Chu was a man, it was inconvenient for him to sit at the same table with the female family members, so he went to the next yard to entertain the few male guests.
Everyone was eating cake and chatting happily when a servant suddenly ran in hurriedly. Li Chu saw that he was from the main courtyard of the Li family, so he quickly stood up and walked over.
"But what's the matter, father?" Li Chu asked in a low voice.
The servant nodded vigorously and whispered something quickly into Li Chu's ear.
Li Chu's eyes widened, and he subconsciously asked, "Has the doctor been there?"
After he spoke, he realized that his voice seemed to be too loud. The guests next to him stopped talking and looked at him.
Li Chu showed a regretful expression, as if he had let the cat out of the bag because he was too surprised.
He waved his hand, told the servant to go back first, then turned around and bowed to the guests, saying, "Everyone is invited here, and I should have done my best to entertain you, but something unexpected happened in the mansion, and I urgently need to go and deal with it. I can't continue to entertain you, I hope you can understand."
Everyone heard what he said just now. It was serious enough to require a doctor's attention, so it must not be a trivial matter.
"Master Li, there is no need to be polite. Family matters are more important. You don't have to worry about us."
"That's right, Lord Li, just go and do your work."
"It just so happens that the banquet is almost over, so we will take our leave now."
A group of people politely comforted Li Chu, and stood up with interest, calling the family members next door who had not yet figured out the situation. Li Chu and Li's mother sent them out of the house one by one.
In fact, strictly speaking, what Li Chu and his mother did was extremely inappropriate.
When a wealthy family like theirs holds a banquet to entertain guests, unless someone has died, even if something goes wrong, out of their own face and respect for the guests, they should send someone to quietly handle the matter while quietly entertaining the guests.
Instead of doing something like chasing away customers like we are doing now.
So even if the guests didn't say anything in person, after they left, they would inevitably discuss the Li family's lack of manners behind their backs, saying that it was a real disgrace to the family.
But when they found out what had happened in the Li Mansion, they suddenly felt that being "driven out" was not such a bad thing.
The news spread throughout the capital - the head of the Li family fell on his concubine's belly in broad daylight. His life was saved, but he became paralyzed and could not even move his fingers. He was like a useless person.
It was broad daylight, and it was his wife's birthday, so he might as well do that. He even paralyzed himself. If this news gets out, others will feel embarrassed when they talk about it.
No wonder the Li family was in a hurry to see the guests off that day. They were probably busy rescuing people. If he hadn't been rescued in time, the head of the Li family would have died. There were many old men in the capital who died of horsetail disease.
After this incident, the Li family suddenly became the biggest topic of conversation in the entire capital.
"Tsk tsk, Mr. Li is already so old, but he is still imitating the youngsters' 100-day propaganda. Now he has lost half his life."
"If we talk about bad luck, it's Madam Li. I went to her birthday party, but I didn't see Mr. Li. I was a little suspicious. I didn't expect him to be in my aunt's room at that time. It's a good thing he was just paralyzed, but he's still alive. Otherwise, it would be unlucky for her husband to die on her birthday."
"Oh, if it were me, I would have been vomiting for three days and three nights."
"Which concubine are you talking about? Master Li has so many concubines, who is so powerful that he almost killed everyone?"
"Who else could it be? That person's mother passed away on the way to the border. She is the most favored one in the whole mansion. Only she has the ability to lure the old man to her own courtyard on the mistress's birthday."
"Isn't this a ruthless person? When her son was still alive, she was bullying Madam Li. Later, when her son died, other concubines bullied her, and it was Master Li and Madam Li who stood up for her. Not only is she ungrateful, but she actually did such a thing."
"I can only say that Madam Li and Young Master Li have raised an ungrateful person. However, she has made a serious mistake this time. Even if a concubine is not beaten to death, she will not end up well."
"Well, it's just what you deserve."
…
Li Mansion, in the firewood room.
My aunt's hands and feet were tied, her hair was disheveled, and she sat in the corner like a piece of wood, staring out the window with a blank look in her eyes.
She didn't understand. How come she was a pampered concubine just a few days ago and suddenly became a prisoner who murdered the master of the family?
Her maid had clearly assured her that the person who gave her the medicine had said that although the medicine was harmful to the body, it would not be life-threatening as long as it was taken in the right amount.
Mr. Li did not show any symptoms of discomfort before he collapsed, and everything was fine as before.
She was just jealous that her mistress's son was still alive, and didn't want the head of the Li family to celebrate her birthday, so she fed the head of the Li family medicine and asked him to stay with her.
This wasn't the first time she had done this, so why did something go wrong this time?
When the head of the Li family fell on her, she was almost scared to death. The maid heard the scream and ran in. After seeing the scene clearly, she screamed and ran away.
The aunt couldn't call her back, so she could only get up and dress herself trembling. She also took great pains to change the clothes for the Master of the Li Family, trying to make it seem like the Master of the Li Family had fainted on his own, and it had nothing to do with her.
The difference between fainting in her yard and fainting in her bed was different, as was the punishment she faced. Although my aunt was a little stupid, she was not too confused.
It's just that her plan was good, but the reality was completely different from what she expected.
Before she could drag Mr. Li off the bed and pretend to be at the scene, her maid arrived with the court doctor, followed by Li's mother and Li Chu, who were invited by the servant.
As soon as Li's mother arrived, she had someone arrest her, and then with red eyes, she anxiously told the doctor to save the head of the Li family at all costs, and she was willing to do so no matter what the cost.
Li Chu also showed his power as the head of the family. He tied up all the servants in the aunt's courtyard and made them kneel in the courtyard. After knowing that the head of the Li family fainted due to taking too many aphrodisiacs, he immediately interrogated all the servants in the courtyard. If he could not get any information out of them, he would beat them until they were willing to talk.
My aunt's personal maid couldn't stand the beating and confessed everything.
She said that her aunt was afraid of losing favor and wanted to get pregnant again, but her husband did not come to her courtyard often. So her aunt gave her money and asked her to find aphrodisiacs and bring them back. In the end, they were all used on the head of the Li family.
The medicine seller said that this medicine was harmful to the body and should not be used too much. However, the aunt, who was trying to have a child, did not care about the health of the master of the family and often gave him excessive doses. This is what led to the problem that the master of the Li family is having now.
When the maid said these words, the aunt was kneeling beside her. When she heard her confusing right and wrong, she was so anxious that she wanted to crawl over and hit her.
It's a pity that she was tied up and her mouth was blocked, so she couldn't seek redress even if she wanted to.
She wanted to tell everyone that the maid was talking nonsense. It was clearly the maid who advised her to have another child for the sake of the future.
It was clearly the maid who recommended the medicine to her, and she believed her because of their many years of master-servant friendship.
She clearly gave Mr. Li family medicine according to the dosage told by the maid every time, so why did the doctor say that the dosage exceeded the limit?
She is obviously a victim too, why are you talking like she is the culprit?
Li Chu looked at his struggling aunt, his expression looking extremely disappointed: "Aunt, Dad loves you so much, how could you do this to him?"
Mother Li also shook her head and frowned, saying, "As a concubine of the Li family, you actually did such a dirty thing. If this gets out, where will our Li family save face?"
"Mmmm! Mmmm!" Mother Li shook her head, trying desperately to speak.
But Li Chu and his mother seemed not to see her needs. After sighing, they asked someone to lock her up in the woodshed to await her fate, and then they went into the house without looking back.
After they locked her up in the woodshed, they took away the handkerchief stuffed in her mouth. Then the aunt cried loudly to appeal for justice, saying that she did not do it on purpose and that it was the maid who deceived her and that the maid was the mastermind.
But her voice was hoarse from crying, and no one paid any attention to her. Finally, she was out of strength and could only shrink back into the corner, waiting for the head of the Li family to wake up or for Li Chu and his mother to come find her so that she could tell them about her grievances.
But several days had passed, and except for someone occasionally bringing her some food and drink to keep her from dying of hunger or thirst, no one else in the family came to see her, as if they had completely forgotten her existence.
She asked the servant who brought her food whether the master was dead or alive, but the servant refused to say a word and just pried open her mouth and force-fed her food.
Gradually, the aunt became desperate.
How she hoped that this was just a dream, and when she woke up, her Ao'er was still alive, and the head of the Li family was still fine, and she could continue to be her concubine, without any worries.
"Is he still alive?"
Inside the house, Li's mother was drinking fruit tea. She didn't look at all distressed about her husband lying sick in bed. Instead, her complexion was even rosier than before, as if she had encountered some great joy.
The maid in charge of looking after the concubine bowed and said, "Don't worry, Madam. She has run out of energy to shout after shouting for a long time. She has been fed water and food these days. She won't starve to death, but she won't have the energy to escape either."
The smile on Li's mother's lips was peaceful, as if she was not talking to the old woman about a person, but about unimportant cats and dogs.
"Send her to the manor tomorrow. After all, my son promised to treat her like a half-mother. We can't just send her to the government or beat her to death. She did such a wrong thing, but she can live out her old age in the manor. It doesn't mean my son broke his oath."
As for how to enjoy his old age on the farm, that is not up to my aunt to decide.
The old woman understood and said, "Yes, I will listen to you, Madam."
"Oh, right." Mother Li remembered the doctor's instructions, saying that it would be best not to provoke the old man in the next few days, otherwise it would easily aggravate the condition. "She and the old man are husband and wife after all. Before she leaves tomorrow, take her to the old man's room to say goodbye. There is no need to block her mouth then. Let her say whatever she wants."
The old woman was stunned for a moment, then she seemed to understand something and quickly lowered her head and said yes.
After the old woman left, Li's mother looked up and looked around the room. Thinking that those two things would never bother her again, she couldn't hide the smile between her eyebrows.
However, she no longer has to hide her emotions.
Now the Li family belongs to her and her son. Who can control her?
As the saying goes, family disgrace should not be made public, but the fact that the head of the Li family was paralyzed was deliberately publicized by the mother and son of the Li family.
They have waited for this day for so many years, and of course they want everyone to share this joy with them.
So on the day of the birthday banquet, after knowing that something happened to the head of the Li family, the mother and son deliberately "drove away the guests" so that everyone's attention would be focused on the Li Mansion. Later, news would spread about the head of the Li family's romantic affairs. Doing so would not only ruin the head of the Li family's health, but also his reputation.
Although the Li family would also be implicated by this, the mother and son didn't care at all.
In fact, the condition of the head of the Li family was critical at that time. As long as they delayed the court doctor for a while, the head of the Li family would soon die. But they did not want to let him die quickly. They insisted on keeping him alive, so that he could only watch them, mother and son, take control of the entire Li family.
In order to pull the head of the Li family back from the brink of death, the mother and son spent a lot of money.
Now everyone in the capital city would feel sympathy for the mother and son, thinking that Li Chu was filial and obedient, and Li's mother was sensible.
Even if the head of the Li family came, he couldn't say what was wrong between the mother and son.
The next day, when the aunt was dragged to the master's room, Li Chu and Li's mother sat behind the screen watching the excitement.
The once glorious head of the Li family and his concubine can only lie on the bed like a piece of wood now. The only part that can move is his eyeballs. His mouth is open and cannot be closed, and saliva flows from the corners of his mouth onto the pillow.
As for the other one, after several days of detention, he had lost his original dignity and pride, his hair and clothes were disheveled, his eyes were dull, and he smelled like rotten food.
So when the two saw each other for the first time, they almost didn't recognize each other.
After knowing that the servant was going to take her to see the master, the aunt secretly prepared words to beg for forgiveness. She felt that the master of the Li family doted on her so much that as long as she said that it was the maid who framed her, the master of the Li family would definitely forgive her.
But when she saw that Patriarch Li was in such a miserable state that he couldn't even hold back his saliva, the words she wanted to say suddenly got stuck in her throat and she couldn't utter a single word.
She was frightened.
That medicine actually harmed the head of the Li family to such an extent, how could I be forgiven?
The aunt was in despair, but the moment the head of the Li family saw her, he couldn't help but become excited.
He didn't feel sorry for his aunt's disheveled appearance, but he wanted to get up immediately and slap her to death!
After he woke up, he heard that it was his aunt who drugged him, causing him to have a stroke and he would never be able to recover his former health.
"hehe!"
The head of the Li family couldn't even speak, and could only make a chuckle from his throat. He stared at his aunt with eyes wide open, and his eyes were so ferocious that it seemed as if he wanted to eat her alive!
The aunt fell to the ground in fear, and subconsciously shrank back, trembling, "Master, I didn't mean to do that. The medicine was given to me by the maid, and I only used a small amount each time. I don't know why it turned out like this, wuwuwuwu..."
When Master Li heard his aunt admit that she had used drugs, his expression became even more ferocious, like a demon that had crawled out of hell.
The aunt was frightened and dared not look at the head of the Li family anymore. She cried, "Master, don't blame me. I just wanted to give birth to Ao'er as soon as possible. Ao'er is still waiting to go home. Otherwise, he will just become a wandering ghost."
People are selfish, just like the aunt mentioned Li Ao in order to reduce her guilt. When the head of the Li family heard Li Ao's name, he remembered that he had fallen to this point because of him. His original love for him turned into disgust, and he also hated the aunt to the extreme!
“Ha…ha…get out!”
The Li family head's chest was heaving violently, his face was red with anger, and he used all his strength to squeeze out the unclear word "get out" from his throat.
But this was enough to scare the already trembling aunt out of her wits, and she no longer had the idea of seeking justice for herself in front of her master. She just wanted to get away from this horrible man as soon as possible, even if she was locked up back in the woodshed.
Seeing that the head of the Li family was about to die of anger, Li Chu and his mother knew when to quit. They signaled the maid to drag the concubine away, and then asked the court doctor standing nearby to go up and treat the head of the Li family.
Not long after, the court doctor came back to report that the head of the Li family had fainted and his condition might get worse.
Li's mother asked, "You won't die, will you?"
The court doctor, who already knew the mother and son's attitude towards Patriarch Li, said honestly, "He won't die, but he will be in pain for a long time."
Li's mother was so idle that she almost yawned: "Boring."
Li Chu smiled and said, "Mother, go and see Aunt off. She should want to see you very much."
Mother Li smiled and said, "That's a good idea."
Having said that, she left the house in high spirits.
When she arrived, her aunt was crying and saying that she did not want to go to the farm. The servants tried to drag her into the carriage, but she pushed them away.
It’s been a while since I had a proper meal, but I still have the energy to push people. It’s true that people’s explosive power is endless in moments of crisis.
When she saw Li's mother appear, the aunt immediately rushed over, but she did not want to hurt Li's mother. Instead, she knelt down and kowtowed to her.
"Madam, I was wrong. I shouldn't have insulted you and allowed Ao'er to bully the eldest master. You can be killed or mutilated as you like, but please don't let me leave the Li family. Please, please..."
Although the aunt was silly, she was not stupid. She understood that if she was sent to the manor, no one would remember her in the future. After a while, if Li's mother sent someone to kill her and just threw her on the mountain, no one would know.
At least if I stay in the Li family, I still have a glimmer of hope.
Mother Li looked at her coldly and said, "If you don't want to go to the manor, that's fine."
The aunt stopped kowtowing, raised her head and looked at her expectantly with tears in her eyes.
Li's mother said coldly, "We actually have reason to send you to the government for drugging and murdering the master of the house. However, we have no say on whether you will be sentenced to death or beating. And do you think that if the master of the house knew that you were still in the house, would he let you go?"
Hearing what Li's mother said, the aunt was stunned. She thought of the horrible face of the head of the Li family just now, and cold sweat immediately broke out on her back.
She had followed the head of the Li family for so many years and knew how cruel he was to those he disliked. If she were to be subjected to the same shady private punishments in the mansion, she would definitely not live to see the next day.
My aunt shuddered and her face turned pale as paper.
Seeing this, Li's mother smiled and said, "Do you still want to stay in the mansion now?"
My aunt shook her head blankly.
Li's mother said, "Since my son has said that he will treat you well, he will not kill you. You can go without any worries."
The aunt looked at her, not knowing whether she believed it or not, but she stopped making a fuss and obediently let the servants help her into the carriage.
Only after the carriage was out of sight did Li's mother turn back.
"Let's go and see if the old man has recovered his breath."
Rong Yin has been busy adding new products to the store recently, and it was Zong Zhengxiao who told him about the bustle in the Li family.
After hearing that the head of the Li family had suffered a stroke due to excessive indulgence, Rong Yin felt that the ice cream in his mouth no longer tasted good.
He swallowed, and seeing that there was no one around, he went to Zong Zhengxiao and whispered, "Let's do less of that kind of thing in the future. I don't want to go to see King Yan at such a young age. Hmm, how about once a month? I think it's healthier this way."
Zong Zhengxiao explained to him, "Old man Li has health problems because he is old and takes too many medicines and does that kind of thing every day. We don't have any of these conditions, so there is nothing to be afraid of."
"It's better to be safe than sorry." Rong Yin said, "Health preservation should be started from a young age."
Zong Zhengxiao was silent for a few seconds, then said, "What Ayin said makes sense."
After saying that, he suddenly took away the whole box of ice cream from Rong Yin's hand.
Rong Yin was confused: "Isn't there another one next to it? Why did you take mine?"
Zong Zhengxiao smiled: "The imperial physician said that we should not eat too many cold things in summer. It is not good for the body. You want to stay healthy, so why not give up ice cream, popsicles and iced drinks and drink cool tea with me."
Rong Yin was shocked, summer ice was his life, how could he give it up!
"I was wrong." Rong Yin quickly admitted her mistake and grabbed Zong Zhengxiao's sleeve and acted coquettishly, "From now on, Your Majesty, I will accompany you whenever you want, as many times as you want, and for as long as you want. Please don't deduct my snacks, okay?"
Zong Zhengxiao shook his head: "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond. I will listen to Ayin, and Ayin will listen to me. It's settled."
Rong Yin: “…”
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