Tianliangyuan

Chapter 398 The Clueless Mother Li

After Li Shun understood, he bowed again.

“Your Highness, it was all due to my lack of foresight. Today’s incident was caused by the wicked servants of my aunt. I have already reprimanded them, and I beg Your Highness to forgive them.”

"Is this your attitude?"

Xu Zhaozhao's voice was cold. Now that Xie Zheng was not here, Xu Zhaozhao was sitting in the hexagonal pavilion in the courtyard, while Li Shun did not even have the qualifications to enter the hexagonal pavilion. He was now standing below and answering questions.

Li Shun was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond, and even more confused about what the county princess meant.

At this moment, Granny Lin, who was waiting outside the pavilion, spoke up: "Lord Li, Madam Qian and Miss Qian humiliated our Duke's seventh daughter, and you just let it go with a light 'forgive'? Besides, this mother and daughter are in mourning and staying at the Li residence, don't you find it inappropriate?"

Reminded by Granny Lin, Li Shun quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Your Highness, please forgive me. Before I left, I instructed my servants to clean up after the two of them and send them back to Lantian County soon. As for those two rude servants, my men will personally oversee their slapping once we return to Lantian County."

This was also because Li Shun wanted to save face for Xu Zhaozhao.

We can't just let them go back with swollen faces, can we?

"The Qian family mother and daughter must leave the capital before dark. Li Shun, I hope you will remember my words and not really anger me."

"Yes, I understand. I beg the county magistrate to forgive what happened today, and please do not tell the Seventh Miss for the time being. This matter is entirely the fault of my Li family. We will definitely prepare a generous gift to apologize to the Seventh Miss later."

What Xu Zhaozhao wanted was not an apology, but rather an attitude from Li Shun.

She also needed to use this incident to find out just how much influence Li Shun had in the Li family.

When Li Shun returned home, he was somewhat listless, and his undershirt was already soaked with cold sweat.

As soon as he entered the house, Li's mother invited him over to talk.

Neither Madam Qian nor Qian Pan'er were present.

Li's mother held her son's hand, her face pleading: "Son, your aunt is a recent widow, and she's had a hard time. For my sake, please give her a couple more days. Once she finds a house in the capital, she can move out, okay?"

Li Shun quickly recalled the words of the County Princess Anle. He remembered them clearly: the county princess asked him and his daughter to leave the capital, not to move out of the Li residence.

"No! Mother, please don't bring this up again. I just returned from the Duke's mansion. If you think my official career is going too smoothly, then so be it. At worst, I'll just take you back to our hometown to farm!"

Upon hearing Li Shun's words, Li's mother felt as if the sky were about to fall.

"My son, is there really no room for negotiation?"

"Mother, I have duties to attend to at the Imperial Academy, and there's no room for negotiation on this matter. Not only must they be sent back, but those wicked servants must also be severely punished!"

Li Shun turned and left.

Upon reaching the front yard, he summoned the steward and several servants, instructing them to ensure that Madam Qian and her daughter were sent away no matter what.

"It's not noon yet, there's still time. You must get the mother and daughter safely to the Qian residence in Lantian County, and then publicly punish those two wicked servants."

"Yes, eldest son."

Since Li Shun's father passed away, Li Shun has become the male master of the Li family. He should be addressed as "Master," but Li Shun felt it was inappropriate, mainly because he was afraid that his mother would be saddened by thinking of his deceased father, so he never changed it.

As for Li Shun's younger brother, because he was away from home most of the year, he was still referred to as the Second Young Master when he occasionally returned home.

No sooner had Li Shun entered the gates of the Imperial Academy than Madam Qian, along with her daughter, came to Li's mother to weep and complain.

"Sister! I have no other choice. If we go back like this, my daughter and I will probably lose our lives."

Qian Pan'er just huddled in a corner and cried, her soft sobs were truly pitiful.

"Sister, we are siblings from the same mother. Over the years, I have never asked you for anything. Can you really bear to watch my mother and I be devoured alive by the Qian family? We can give up the family fortune, but we can't lose our lives!"

How could Li's mother remain unmoved when she saw her younger sister crying so pitifully?

However, matters at home should be decided by Li Shun.

She was just a woman. When the master was alive, he was the one who made the decisions. Now that the master has passed away, the eldest son has taken over the household, so naturally the eldest son should be the one to make the decisions.

But seeing her sister and niece in such a miserable state, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Madam Qian could tell that her sister cared about her, so she cried even harder, "Sister, you are the mistress of this house! My nephew's wife hasn't even entered the house yet, but she can already boss people around about the Li family. Once she enters the house, will you still have any say?"

These words really struck a chord with Li's mother.

No matter what, she is still her mother-in-law.

So what if Xie Juan is a daughter of the Duke of Huguo's mansion?

She is just a concubine's daughter. I heard that her birth mother is just a poor branch of the Duchess's family. I also heard that her birth mother is a concubine's daughter. Now that she can marry her own son, it should be her good fortune. How can she interfere in the Li family's affairs?

At this point, Li's mother's heart had clearly turned away.

For wealthy and powerful families, certain rules and customs are of great importance.

For example, if a couple who are in mourning move into the house this year, it is taboo, but Li's mother doesn't think there's anything wrong with it!

This is outrageous!

It wasn't that Li's mother thought she was right, but rather that it was only natural because her sister and niece were the ones moving in.

If it were someone else's family, Li's mother would definitely not have thought that way.

Mrs. Qian and her daughter cried and complained for a long time, and Li's mother was gradually persuaded by them, and also felt that the Xie family was interfering too much.

The girl hasn't even entered the house yet, and she dares to be so arrogant. What will happen when the bride marries in? Will she even be able to make decisions for her?

How can this be!

Li's mother said firmly, "Sister, don't cry. Our parents are long gone. It's my responsibility as your older sister to come to me after this trouble. I'll back you up. Don't be afraid!"

Because of Li's mother's insistence, the steward and several servants outside were unable to wait for Madam Qian and her daughter to come out and pack their belongings. Seeing that it was getting late, the steward had no choice but to send someone to the Imperial Academy to report to the eldest son.

But to everyone's surprise, Li's mother ordered the gate to be locked tight, and no one was allowed to leave.

"You're not even listening to me anymore? Let me tell you, if even one of you dares to tip off the young master, I'll slit my own throat!"

Tsk!

The butler was naturally terrified.

The mistress of the household threatened suicide to scare people; who would dare to make a move?

And so, Madam Qian and her daughter returned to their residence peacefully to enjoy their tea.