activa-t Chapter 195: The Cannon Fodder Sister Who Was Married Instead in Ancient Chinese Literature 75
Chapter 195: The Cannon Fodder Sister Who Was Married Instead in Ancient Chinese Literature 75
Aunt Hua was stunned for a moment, then quickly restrained her expression and continued to smile.
"Madam Xu, this is my fault! When I was young, I got pregnant soon after entering the Marquis' Mansion, but later I had an unexpected miscarriage. The doctor found out that it was because of my young age, and because of this, I never got pregnant again. Seeing that Madam was not very old, I felt a little worried, so I said a few more words."
Aunt Hua looked a little depressed and ashamed.
"If Madam Xu is upset, blame me. It's all my fault for talking too much."
Mother Xu looked at Aunt Hua with an unclear expression. She had also inquired about the Marquis's Mansion before her daughter married into it. It was true that Aunt Hua entered the Mansion at a young age, but there had never been any news of her being pregnant.
Is the reason what she said?
Xu was extremely worried. No matter what she said, the people in the Marquis' Mansion could always come up with a corresponding explanation, which almost blocked her way.
She could only look at her mother, hoping that she would not be deceived by them.
Mother Xu laughed, "Madam Hua is joking. Although what Madam Hua did was indeed a bit presumptuous, a concubine actually managed the affairs of the prince's main wife, and Madam Hua was able to manage all the affairs of the Marquis's mansion in an orderly manner, it was really amazing! But Madam Hua also said that since you did something bad with good intentions, I naturally won't blame you!"
"But," she changed the subject and glanced at the Marquis and the Prince, "My daughter has been married to the Marquis' Mansion for more than a month, and she has never had this disease at home! She has been in the Marquis' Mansion for just over a month, and she has suffered so much. As a mother, I naturally want to take good care of my daughter. Since the Marquis' Mansion can't take good care of her, let her go home with me to recuperate for a few days."
Aunt Hua naturally didn't dare to agree easily, so she could only glance at Marquis Zhongyi and Lu Zhao.
"Of course! I'm so sorry, my dear. I will personally bring my son to apologize to you some other day!" Marquis Zhongyi agreed immediately.
Xu's mother came in person to pick her up. If they don't let her go, wouldn't that just confirm the fact that they are keeping the bride under house arrest? And that would mean they would break off relations with the Xu family.
"Mother, and Sister Li!"
When Xu heard that her mother was going to take her away, she quickly reminded her.
Upon hearing this, Xu's mother looked directly at the Marquis of Loyalty, "My Lord, would you mind if the Xu family invites the Crown Prince's wife to stay for a few days?"
"Of course I don't mind!" Marquis Zhongyi said without hesitation.
Today's events will surely spread out soon after Xu's mother leaves the Marquis' Mansion.
It was difficult for them to deal with the arrival of Xu's mother, wouldn't it be even more difficult if the Li family came as well?
If Xu's mother took Li away, even if the Li family knew what happened today, they would only come to the Xu Mansion to ask for the person.
Mother Xu then looked at Li, who looked calm, and asked softly, "Good child, let me ask your sister if she is willing to stay at your house for a few days?"
Li was stunned. She looked at the two of them in disbelief. Xu was pulling her hand and shaking it around, with an expression that said, "Hurry up and agree."
"It is an honor for Madam Xu to invite you. Don't worry, she will leave with you in a while."
Before Li could speak, Marquis Zhongyi answered for her.
Xu seemed not to have heard anything. She just looked at Li in front of her, waiting for her answer.
Li then nodded gently, her voice a little hoarse, "Yes."
Xu was very happy and quickly pulled her into the inner room to clean up.
Li quickly wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief while she was not paying attention, and listened to her arrangements obediently.
......
"Mother, did you receive the silk handkerchief?"
In the carriage, the three people who left the Marquis' Mansion sat opposite each other, and Xu asked curiously.
"Ah."
"Who is the person behind this? Why would he help us?" Xu became more and more curious.
Mother Xu shook her head. "I don't know. The man only left a note. After I enter the Marquis' Mansion and understand everything, someone will come to find me."
"Oh? So that's it..." Xu seemed to be thinking about something, frowning his face.
Xu's mother quickly smoothed the wrinkles on her forehead, "Okay, don't think about it. Your father and I will take care of this matter. That person is not afraid of us turning against him, so it will be fine. The most important thing for you is to take care of yourself. I haven't seen how much weight you have lost!"
"Oh, okay, okay, I get it, mother!" Xu said coquettishly.
"And Yi'er, you also need to eat well and take care of yourself. Can I call you that?"
Xu's mother suddenly looked at Li, who had been listening to their conversation quietly after getting on the carriage, and asked softly.
Li was stunned for a moment, and when her eyes met Xu's mother's, she realized belatedly that she was talking to her.
Oh, by the way, her name is Li Fangyi, Yier is calling her that.
Li Fangyi only felt that her always cold heart seemed to have a tiny crack.
"Yeah...okay."
"I want to call you that, too, Sister Yi, how about that?"
Xu looked at Li Fangyi with sparkling eyes.
Li Fangyi nodded, chuckled, and answered solemnly, "Sister is amazing!"
Xu was extremely happy and kept calling out to Li Fangyi over and over again. Every time, Li Fangyi would respond very cooperatively.
Finally, Xu's mother couldn't stand it anymore and she stopped the enthusiastic Xu.
"Okay, stop yelling. You're already a grown-up, and you're my elder sister, why are you still acting like a child? Yi'er's mouth is almost dry from answering you, so you should be quiet for a while."
Mrs. Xu was a little dissatisfied, "Sister Yi, why do you think mother is like this?"
Li Fangyi smiled and said to Xu's mother, "It's okay, Aunt Xu, my sister is happy too."
"Oh, Yi'er, you are just soft-hearted. If she gets happy, she will never stop. If you don't stop her early, she might call you for the whole afternoon."
Mrs. Xu stuck out her tongue in dissatisfaction, snorted, and then calmed down. She no longer called Yi "sister", but just held Li Fangyi's arm intimately.
It seemed that after leaving the Marquis' Mansion, the shackles on her body were removed and she became more lively.
The three of them then became serious and talked about what had happened today.
As soon as Xu's mother received the silk handkerchief, she took people to the Marquis' Mansion on time, and just happened to meet Lu Zhao who was about to go out.
She directly stated the purpose of her visit. She had not seen her daughter for many days and came to see her specially.
However, Lu Zhao made excuses and said hesitantly that Xu was not feeling well and could not see anyone, so she was resting in the courtyard.
Mother Xu immediately felt something was wrong. She pointed at someone behind her and said, "What? My daughter is sick? It happens that there is a doctor with me. He can help take a look."
Lu Zhao looked hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Xu's mother pretended not to see anything and led her people into the mansion without saying a word.
Lu Zhao did not give any orders, and the servants in the Marquis' Mansion did not dare to stop her, so Xu's mother went straight to the courtyard where Xu was.
Seeing this, Lu Zhao could only follow in panic, thinking quickly about how to deal with the situation.
The two of them also knew what happened afterwards.
"Mother, I get angry when I talk about this! That Lu Zhao is simply not a human being, everything he said is false..."
Filled with righteous indignation, Xu told everything that had happened in the past few days. Due to inconvenience, she had only written down the key points on the silk handkerchief, so Xu's mother didn't know anything about it.
"How can this be possible? The Marquis' Mansion really thinks that there is no one in my Xu family! Don't worry, I will tell your father when I return home!"
Mother Xu was so furious that she looked at Xu and Li with a look of heartache.
......
On the second day, as expected, Xu's mother and father received an unknown invitation.
They guessed that the person behind the scenes was the one who delivered the message for their daughter, so they went directly to the private room booked in Fuxianglou to keep the appointment.
As soon as the two entered the box, they saw a woman wearing a veil sitting in front of them. She was covered so tightly that her identity could not be seen at all. On the table was a set of paper, ink, brush and inkstone.
"You two guests, please take a seat."
The woman raised her hand lightly, invited the two to sit down, and poured a cup of tea for each of them.
"The entire Xu family is grateful for your help. If you have any requests, just tell me and my husband and I will do our best to help you." Mother Xu looked at the woman gratefully and stated their positions straight away.
"You two are really responsible! I only have one request..."
She picked up the paper and pen beside her and wrote a few big words.
As Father Xu read on, his eyes widened and he stared at the paper in disbelief.
The woman stopped and made sure that both of them had seen it, then lit the paper in front of the candle flame.
......
After coming out of Fuxianglou, Father Xu’s frown never relaxed.
It was not until they got on the carriage that Xu's mother comforted him, "Okay, you stubborn old man, people have said that they will not violate morality, what are you still worried about?"
Father Xu sighed, "Alas, I still feel a little uneasy."
"What's there to be uneasy about? That girl actually knows how to use alum water to convey information. She is smart and mysterious, and obviously not an ordinary person. If she really wanted to frame the Xu family, why would she be so roundabout? Besides, don't you know how the Marquis's Mansion treats our daughter? They are unkind and we are unjust, and this can be regarded as giving us a chance to vent our anger! Don't even think about it!" Xu's mother retorted impatiently.
"Okay, okay, I got it!"
Father Xu's voice was gradually drowned out by the sound of the carriage.
On the second day, rumors spread throughout the imperial city, all of which were about the Marquis's harsh treatment of the new bride.
Suddenly, the crowds of onlookers in the imperial city became active again, running around the streets and alleys to get the first news.
From time to time, people would pass by the door of the Marquis of Loyalty's Mansion, or move around nearby, waiting quietly for the servants to come out and ask them questions.
After hearing a lot of exaggerated words from Jiang Yueshu's "spies", everyone felt indignant for the two brides in private, and they hated the Marquis' Mansion and denounced its cruel and cold-blooded practices.
Some smart people also set their sights on the Xu and Li families.
Soon, someone found out that Xu's parents were extremely angry and were willing to offend the Marquis' Mansion in order to meet with the current emperor to seek justice for their daughter and to ask the emperor to rule for the two to divorce.
As soon as this incident happened, what spread on the streets was not only the ridicule of the Marquis' Mansion, but also the praise for the loyalty and righteousness of Xu's parents and the sympathy for the two brides.
The Xu family has expressed its attitude, but the other family involved, the Li family, has not made any move yet. Now everyone is staring at the Li family.
After Li's father learned about this, he ordered that no one in the house should go out, and began to investigate the news and think of countermeasures.
They also knew that the Xu family had taken Li away a few days ago, but they did not want to fall out with the Marquis' Mansion directly, so they pretended not to know about it.
Now that there is discussion everywhere, they can no longer hide and pretend to be turtles. They must resolve the matter as soon as possible.
Xu family.
"Sister Yi, don't worry, we are good sisters. No matter what the result is, I will stand by you!"
Xu comforted Li Fangyi in a serious manner.
Li Fangyi looked at her somewhat at a loss, with mixed feelings.
"Don't worry, it will be fine. Don't worry about it, both of you. The Li family will definitely stand on our side."
Xu's mother calmly drank a sip of tea to comfort the two of them, with a determined look on her face.
Only then did Xu heave a sigh of relief and was no longer so nervous.
Li Fangyi was smart and precocious, and she also saw the trick. The Li Mansion could not avoid this matter at all, and could only deal with it head-on. If they chose the Marquis Mansion, they would have to consider the emperor's suspicion.
Therefore, they could only stand with the Xu family.
She was not worried about the outcome of the matter, but she did not expect the Xu family to do this. It was obvious that this matter did not need to be spread deliberately, and she could just go directly to see the emperor.
In today's world, a woman's reputation is very important. Although the fault lies with the Marquis's family, it will ultimately damage the woman's reputation and will also hinder her future marriage.
She didn't care about her reputation. After all, she always knew that no one except herself could be trusted. If her reputation was ruined, it would be worth it in exchange for a free life. At worst, she could spend the rest of her life with a quiet and peaceful mind.
But Xu didn't care about his reputation and rejected other more roundabout methods, and directly let the Xu family make a big fuss about the matter.
They did this simply to put pressure on the Li family.
And all this is because of her.
"Well, Aunt Xu, sister, don't worry, I'm fine!" There was a layer of mist in Li Fangyi's eyes, but she still smiled at the two of them.
......
Without making the onlookers wait too long, Li's father and mother made a decision.
Less than half an hour later, a servant of the Li family left the house and inadvertently leaked the news that the Li family would meet the emperor together with the Xu family.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone dispersed and left Li's house in a good mood, waiting for the outcome of tomorrow's events.
On the second day, Xu's father and Li's father pointed out in public in the court that the Marquis's mansion was being harsh on the new bride.
Lu Zhao immediately protested his innocence and repeated what he had said to Xu's mother that day.
The ministers in the court all looked at each other, not knowing whether the words of both sides were true or false. It seemed that each side was extremely reasonable.
"Your Majesty, since the prince said so, then you should all produce evidence to prove your innocence!"
It was the first time that Father Xu heard Lu Zhao speak in such a confusing way, and he was so angry that his eyes turned black.
After the emperor agreed, Xu's father directly summoned a group of people to come and testify. These included the doctor who took the pulse of the two ladies that day, the female official who verified the innocence of the two women, and the maid who had always served them.
After the few people saluted, they explained the situation one by one in an orderly manner.
Upon seeing this, Lu Zhao also had servants and doctors from the mansion brought over.
After that day, all the servants in the mansion were informed one by one, and today's situation is a stalemate.
Lu Zhao listened with satisfaction as the maids and servants came forward to testify one by one, and he felt at ease.
The next moment, a confession different from the previous ones made his face change instantly. He looked at the maid who spoke the truth with a pale face and clenched his fists tightly.