Chapter 27 The Son-in-Law
The next day, after Lin Er left home, Huiyi hurriedly told her maid to instruct the kitchen to grill a fish for her for lunch.
Upon hearing that the princess wanted to eat fish, the imperial chefs brought from the East Courtyard kitchen immediately put their best skills to use and began grilling the fish with all their might.
After a series of sizzling sounds, the young eunuch arrived at the main house door carrying a food box containing grilled fish. He handed the food to Silver Butterfly, who was serving inside, and then respectfully withdrew.
"Princess, it's time to eat fish."
Huiyi was teasing Cuiyi Niang, teaching her to say the words "roasted fish." As soon as she heard that the roasted fish she had been longing for had arrived, she immediately dropped the feather stick and sat down in front of the food table.
The sandalwood food box was opened, and the spicy aroma of roasted fish wafted out.
but……
It still doesn't taste as good as Lin Er's fish-flavored fish.
I took a few sips, and although it was delicious and visually appealing, it just didn't taste quite as good as the one that Lin Er had personally grilled.
She ate the fish half-heartedly, until the head was completely bald. After her stomach was full, her desire for Lin Er's fish diminished considerably.
As dusk settled, golden-red clouds spread across the sky, and birds returned to their nests.
Lin Lanting was probably a bit busy today, as he returned later than usual, and Huiyi had just finished her evening meal.
I don't know how this person's eyes work, but they actually noticed the fish bone that fell out of her grilled fish lunch.
"Did the princess eat fish today?"
"It's not grilled fish, is it?"
Huiyi was startled by the question and immediately denied it, saying, "No, I didn't eat anything today."
Watching others make excuses is always amusing. Lin Lanting's face was full of mischievous smiles as she mercilessly exposed the willful princess's lie, saying, "Oh, then why did I see fish bones on the ground?"
Huiyi felt extremely embarrassed and stammered, "Perhaps it was left behind a few days ago. The maids didn't notice it while cleaning and left it there."
Huiyi offered a lame excuse, feeling guilty, and didn't even dare to look Lin Er in the eye.
Fortunately, the person was sensible and didn't pry or make things difficult for her. He just smiled and went to take a bath.
As night deepened, Yu Niang tidied the bed in the brocade tent, while Hui Yi sat in front of the dressing table, having Jin Que style her hair.
First, comb through the hair, making the long, black hair smooth. Then, use a jade comb dipped in jasmine oil to comb and care for it.
This wasn't the first time Lin Lanting had witnessed this scene.
But this time, out of curiosity, he leaned closer and looked at the woman in the bronze mirror who was sleeping soundly. He mischievously stood behind Huiyi, in a spot that the bronze mirror could reflect.
The person standing inexplicably behind her, with their sinister smile, made Huiyi's heart tremble.
"What are you doing? Standing here like a ghost, trying to scare someone to death?"
Seeing that it worked, Lin Lanting was still satisfied, even though he was scolded again.
"It is my fault. I will go to sleep now."
After speaking in a humble yet assertive manner, Huiyi saw the man obediently return to the long couch and curl up on it with his long, slender body.
Its two legs were dangling over the edge, and it looked very aggrieved.
Huiyi looked at it, hesitated for a few moments, and finally said, "Why don't you go find a room to rest in?"
As allies who have reached a consensus, Huiyi wouldn't force someone to curl up on the couch every night.
"She's so kind," Huiyi thought to herself.
But his good intentions were not appreciated. Lin Er scoffed and said, "I dare not. If I leave this room tonight, my parents will punish me tomorrow."
"Who says a subject is a subject and a princess is a princess?"
With a hint of self-deprecation, Huiyi didn't know how to respond.
With an enigmatic expression, Huiyi hesitated for a long time before finally saying nothing.
It felt like I was the one bullying others.
But how can you blame her for this?
What's wrong with the parents-in-law being so respectful and proper?
"Go ahead."
Huiyi didn't say much more, and slowly crawled into the tent, where she began to have her maid apply perfume to her.
The light and shadow flickered within the brocade tent, and so did the human heart.
...
Late June, the end of summer.
Perhaps it was a telepathic connection between mother and daughter, just as Huiyi was thinking of going back to see her mother, an imperial decree arrived, summoning Huiyi to the palace.
Huiyi was originally going fishing, but upon hearing the news, she put down the tofu cake, happily agreed, and went to get ready.
She thought her mother missed her or had received something good to give her, but when she arrived at Hanyuan Hall where her mother was, she saw her elder sister weeping.
Her niece, Minghui, had already been taken out to play by the palace servants. Only her elder sister remained, but she was pale and had red eyes.
She looks like she's been wronged and is coming back to her parents' home to complain.
"Sister, what happened? Did the Xie family upset you?"
My sister is gentle and kind, and she never argues with anyone outside the home. She can only suffer this kind of anger at her husband's home.
Li Huaiyu stammered and couldn't explain clearly, only looking dejected with a forlorn expression.
Empress Du couldn't stand it any longer and told her the whole story.
“Xi Nu also knows that your sister’s mother-in-law is not easy to deal with. Now that your sister has only given birth to one daughter and has not had any children for four years, she is secretly trying to get your sister to agree to her son taking a concubine!”
"They're just taking advantage of your sister's weakness and lack of temper, and they don't even respect our family!"
Even with her composure, Empress Du couldn't help but feel indignant, and her face turned ugly.
After hearing this, Huiyi understood and her face was filled with anger.
"Outrageous! How dare the Xie family!"
Huiyi already harbored some resentment towards her brother-in-law, and seeing him push his luck, her temper flared up even more.
"Is that what my brother-in-law meant?"
Suppressing her anger, Huiyi calmed herself and asked.
In her view, if her son-in-law also felt the same way, then she could find someone else.
This world is inherently unfair to women. She was incredibly lucky to be born as a princess in the imperial family, and she can rely on her family's power to keep her husband from misbehaving.
If a princess is born with the obligation to share a husband with other women, then that princess is truly the most pathetic person in the world!
The fact that the Xie family dared to secretly try to persuade their daughter-in-law to agree to their son-in-law taking a concubine is the most audacious thing in the world.
Faced with her sister's questioning, Li Huaiyu's already embarrassed expression became even more fragile and pitiful. She said sadly, "Your brother-in-law said it depends on my opinion. If I nod, he will agree."
At this point, Li Huaiyu seemed to finally break down and began to sob softly.
She had always been happy and willing to endure the Xie family's dissatisfaction and the hardships of marrying her husband, only to be told such things in the end.
It's not only a betrayal of her, but also a disregard for her.
Because of her concessions over the years, Xie Yun has taken advantage of her to this extent, wanting her, a princess of the imperial family, to serve him alongside other women.
Li Huaiyu still remembers how she almost lost her balance when Xie Yun said those words, her heart pounding with fear.
"You're really giving him too much credit!"
Huiyi was so angry today, one thing after another, she was almost driven crazy.
Although she believed no woman would willingly allow her beloved husband to take a concubine, Huiyi was worried that her sister might be foolish enough to agree, so she said urgently, "Sister, you absolutely must not agree. The Xie family is taking advantage of your good nature. If you make a foolish decision and agree, who knows how outsiders will laugh at you!"
Huiyi was really afraid that her older sister would continue to act foolishly for Xie Yun's sake. She even thought that if her older sister was not sober, she would definitely go to the Xie family's door and curse that family of bastards on her behalf.
Seeing her sister's indignant expression, Li Huaiyu felt helpless but also warm inside.
Turning to look at her mother, Li Huaiyu saw that her mother's face was also full of worry. She quickly explained, "Mother, Xinu, what are you thinking? No matter how weak I am, I can't let our family lose face in this matter."
"Taking a concubine is absolutely out of the question. Even if we divorce, I will not allow him to take a concubine to disgust me!"
Seeing that her elder sister spoke with conviction, Huiyi finally felt at ease.
However, the second half of her sister's sentence just now did give her a wake-up call.
Sister should divorce Xie Yun, no, she should divorce him!
Thinking of this, Huiyi's eyes lit up. She grabbed her elder sister's arm and pressed on, "Elder sister, why don't you consider getting a divorce?"
Empress Du was taken aback upon hearing this and fell into deep thought.
Li Huaiyu was momentarily bewildered, his emotions a jumbled mess.
This must have been a difficult decision for her.
Huiyi couldn't stand her older sister's attitude. It was because of this soft heart that her older sister was looked down upon by the Xie family. If she were to marry into the Xie family, Huiyi would definitely slap anyone who dared to bully her.
Especially Xie Yun.
"Sister, do you know that even if the Xie family backs down this time because of your parents' reprimand, things will only get worse in the future?"
"Does my sister really want to spend the rest of her life suffering like this in the Xie family?"
These words probably touched a nerve with Li Huaiyu, whose face darkened and whose eyes seemed to hold bitterness.
After a long silence, Li Huaiyu finally spoke in a hoarse voice, "I just don't want to."
“But I already have Minghui with him. If I divorce him, what about Minghui…”
Before she could finish speaking, Huiyi blurted out, "Of course you'll take him home!"
"Sister, have you forgotten that you are a princess? What's wrong with you getting a divorce and bringing your own daughter back to raise? Your parents have spoken, would the Xie family dare to say anything?"
"Sister, you're just too kind-hearted!"
Upon hearing this, Li Huaiyu's mind cleared up as if he had suddenly understood, and he looked at Empress Du with a questioning gaze.
Empress Du looked at her gentle and obedient eldest daughter and couldn't help but sigh.
Yue Nu's temperament is even gentler than both she and her husband combined.
But not in this matter. So, Empress Du put on a majestic posture, wanting her eldest daughter to know that she had a strong backer, and encouraged her with words: "Xi Nu is right. Your parents are not dead. This little thing is not worth mentioning. You just need to think clearly that you are a princess and the palace will always be your home."
Li Huaiyu's lips trembled, and she shed tears again.
To calm down and think about his future, Li Huaiyu did not go back tonight but spent the night in the palace.
Before leaving, Huiyi offered a few more words of advice, which finally put her at ease, and she returned to the Lin family.
"That damned Xie family, that damned Xie Yun, how dare they bully my sister like this! They're incredibly arrogant!"
"As a son-in-law, yet a son-in-law living with his wife's family, he still foolishly dreams of taking a concubine. How beautifully he thinks!"
"I'll teach Xie Yun a lesson he'll learn sooner or later!"
When Lin Lanting returned from his post, he heard the spoiled princess cursing and swearing as soon as he entered the house. She looked so fierce and funny, like a rabbit baring its teeth.
He overheard bits and pieces of the conversation and asked curiously, "What is the princess cursing about? Who dares to anger our Princess Chang Le? Let me hear it too?"
The boy smiled brightly, but there was no mockery in his smile; it was more like casual conversation.
Huiyi was in the middle of confiding in Lin Er when he asked her with a smile, so she answered generously.
Enraged, Huiyi once again berated the Xie family mercilessly, then retorted, "Tell me, isn't the Xie family courting death? Isn't Xie Dalang taking advantage of their kindness and ungrateful?"
After hearing the whole story, Lin Lanting was truly speechless at the Xie family's seemingly out-of-touch behavior.
Because the princess's daughter-in-law was gentle and kind, she was bullied like this. Xie Dalang was even more audacious. He married the princess of the imperial family and still wanted to take a concubine.
Considering that Lin Lanting had been arrogant for so many years, he had never entertained such thoughts, and he actually had some respect for this Xie Dalang.
What a family of fools! If he were like that, not to mention the emperor and empress, his parents would have to force him to apologize.
“The princess is absolutely right. The Xie family is foolish and arrogant, and they deserve to be punished.”
Hearing a pleasing remark from Lin Er, Huiyi's anger subsided, and she merely sneered, "That's right, once you become a prince consort, you should know the rules of a son-in-law. So what if he's the eldest son of the Xie family!"
Lin Lanting was smiling calmly, but when he heard the term "son-in-law," his expression turned strange for a moment.
Because he, like Xie Dalang, was a prince consort.
"What do you mean by 'son-in-law'? A prince consort is not a son-in-law!"
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Author's Note: Updated! [Thumbs up]
I almost forgot! [faded]
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