Full House Spring

Chapter 64 Fighting
Xia Li returned to the house and continued doing needlework. The ripples in her heart calmed down as the door closed.

What the Lu brothers do is their business and has nothing to do with Xia Li.

Little did she know that the whole process was seen by Xiangru who was squatting in the dark. She was almost overwhelmed by jealousy.

She had guessed that Lu Lingchuan fell in love with Xia Li, but she just couldn't understand why someone like Lu Lingyan who didn't play by the rules would fall in love with Xia Li. What virtue did she have to make two men jealous of her?

After she came back, she couldn't calm down for a long time, but she didn't show it on her face and continued to do her job honestly.

She and Shi Mi were supposed to be on duty at night, but Shi Mi's mother caught a cold, and someone from home asked her to go back to look after her. Shi Mi had no choice but to ask Xia Li for help. Although Xia Li was reluctant to deal with Xiangru, he did not refuse.

After dinner she went to the main room. Now that the weather was warm, the old lady was willing to go out for a walk. She would take a stroll in the courtyard before going to bed to help digest her food. Xia Li and Xiangru supported her on both sides.

Although the old lady was in good spirits, her health was not as good as before. She felt a little tired after walking for a while. She went back to the house and asked the maid to fetch some water. Several people helped the old lady take a bath.

Although Xia Li mainly does needlework, she used to do these things often and is very familiar with them. Xiangru has only recently gained some face in front of the old lady, but the old lady still likes Xia Li the most. She talks to her for a lot and Xiangru can't get a word in.

She looked at him with a knot in her stomach, wondering why Xia Li was so outstanding in every aspect, as if everyone in the mansion liked her. The anger that she had suppressed before began to surge up again. After finally helping the old lady to sleep, the two of them went to the outer room. Xiangru couldn't help but taunt her:

"Xia Li, how does it feel to have the Crown Prince and the Third Master fighting over you? Are you very proud?"

Xia Li was stunned when he heard this, and turned around and asked, "Are you spying on me?"

Xiangru had been suppressing her emotions for too long, so she decided to stop pretending. She said in a deep voice:

"Le Shou Tang is so big, I can go anywhere you can go. It's not like I was peeping, I just happened to run into it. I was going to look for the prince, but I didn't expect to see such a good show."

Xia Li raised his eyes to look at her, and said lazily: "So you only saw the part where the prince went?"

Xiangru didn't understand, she raised her chin and said:
"What I saw should be the most exciting part. The two masters fought for you, and Master Yan San even wanted to marry you. How capable you are! If this matter gets out, what do you think the old lady will do to you?"

The malice in Xiangru's eyes was undisguised. She was no longer the little girl who begged Xia Li to teach her how to read and write. Or perhaps this was her true self.

Xia Li's eyes were as sharp as a knife. He scanned her up and down and said coldly:
"What does the old lady do to me have to do with you? I am upright, but you... first used Zhao Xiaohui and Zhu Da to plot against me, and then conspired with my classmate Sanye to kill Zhao Xiaohui. If the old lady knew the truth, how many times would you die?"

The color on Xiangru's face disappeared completely. She looked terrified and said, "You are slandering me. Why do you want to pin the blame of Zhao Xiaohui's death on me? What evidence do you have to prove that I did all this?"

Xia Li said sternly, "Before you and the prince showed up, Third Master Yan arrived. He said that you wanted to kill Zhao Xiaohui but you were too weak, so Third Master Yan helped you. Is that right or not?"

Xiangru felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. She said in a trembling voice, "That was nonsense from Master Yan San. He had something against me and deliberately framed me. You don't have any evidence. Why should you take what he says as the truth?"

Xia Li approached her with delicate and graceful steps and sneered:

"I don't need evidence. I just need to know the truth and what kind of person you are. You are just jealous of me. It's no wonder. You are not as good-looking as me, not as capable as me, and not even as popular as me. I'm afraid I will always suppress you for the rest of your life. You are really pitiful..."

Xiangru's chest rose and fell violently, her face twisted with anger, her eyes seemed to be able to kill, she gritted her teeth and said:
"Don't be so self-righteous! So what if the prince likes you? He will never marry you in this life. You are not even worthy of carrying Miss Gao's shoes. Even if Master Yan San wants to marry you, the old lady will not agree. You are just a maid, a lowly maid like me..."

Before she finished speaking, Xia Li reached out and grabbed her collar, slapped her in the face, and said proudly:

"You are lowly. You are dirtier and lower than the stones in the toilet. I don't want the princes who are so high and mighty in your eyes. They would rather follow me and beg for mercy than even look at you. This shows how pathetic you are."

Xiangru was so angry at these words that she stretched out her hand to hit Xia Li in the face. However, Xia Li was prepared and his arm was longer than hers, so she couldn't take advantage of him at all. She cursed angrily:
"Xia Li, you bitch, you will not have a good death. Sooner or later, you will be sold to a brothel, and you will be a bitch who is fucked by thousands of men..."

Xia Li laughed in anger, turned over and pressed her to the ground, picked up a towel to cover her mouth, and beat her with his hands and feet.

Xiangru's frail little body was nowhere near as strong as Xia Li's from regular exercise. She couldn't scream and could only cry in humiliation. Xia Li specifically hit the parts of her body that were covered by her clothes and inconvenient for others to see, making her suffer in silence.

Xia Li vented all the grievances she had suffered during the day. Although she was a little tired physically, she was mentally relaxed. Just when she was stretching her wrists, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

Xiangru, who had been beaten to the point of being unable to move, immediately struggled. Xia Li was sitting on her waist and punched her hard on the back, then lowered his voice and said, "The door is not locked, come in by yourself."

Shi Mi pushed the door open lightly, and as soon as she entered, she saw Xia Li sitting in such an overbearing manner. She was slightly startled, and asked hesitantly, "What are you two doing?"

Xiangru spit out the towel in his mouth. Afraid of waking up the old lady, he lowered his voice and cried, "Sister Shimi, please save me quickly. Xiali beat me..."

Shi Mi rolled her eyes at Xia Li and said calmly:
"You two should settle your personal grudges behind closed doors. What if this disturbs the old lady's sleep? Xia Li, you too, we are sisters, how can you be so cruel?"

After that, she pretended to pull Xia Li away and helped Xiang Ru up. How could Xia Li not understand what Shi Mi meant? She adjusted her hair and said in a deep voice:
"If you want to blame someone, blame her for being evil-minded. You can ask her why I beat her up."

Xiangru avoided her gaze and said, "No matter what, it's wrong for you to hit someone."

Shi Mi lightly scolded Xiangru: "You know what kind of temper she has. She dares to fight with others at such a young age. Why bother to provoke her?"

Xia Li sneered and said, "If you don't want to be beaten in the future, stay away from me. If you still jump around in front of me, I will expose your past and make sure you can't stay in the mansion anymore."

Xiangru's eyes flickered, and it was obvious that she was scared by Xia Li's beating. Shi Mi changed the subject and said, "My mother's fever has subsided, and my father is taking care of her. I don't need to stay by her side. Xiangru, go back and rest. I'll be on duty with Xia Li." Xiangru's appearance was indeed not suitable for staying. How could she not see that Shi Mi was on Xia Li's side? Even though she was very angry, she didn't dare to say anything and could only leave alone with frustration.

Shi Mi watched her figure disappear into the night before she went into the house and closed the door. She turned around and said angrily, "Why are you so impatient today? It's not the first time she's been naughty. Why don't you just pretend you didn't see it?"

Xia Li wiped his hands and sneered, "This time she deliberately provoked me. If she didn't want to fight me, why would she bother? It's better this way. She won't dare to jump around in front of me in the future."

Shi Mi shook her head and sighed, "Everyone knows her thoughts. She is always ahead of us in everything. We just don't care. If it were someone with a deeper mind, we would have long since stopped her."

Xia Li rubbed his wrist and chuckled, "She is just an ungrateful person. Don't give her face in the future. You have to be careful of her. She is cruel and can do anything."

Shi Mi didn't know that Zhao Xiaohui's death had anything to do with her, but she instinctively believed Xia Li more. She said in a deep voice:

"I've got it in mind. We can't leave her alone with the old lady. I'm a few years older than her and I'm not a threat to her. I don't think she'll do anything to me."

Xia Li disagreed, "That may not be the case. If she can indirectly benefit from harming you, do you think she would do it? She is a person who will do anything to achieve her goals. It will always do you good to be more careful."

Shi Mi nodded in agreement. As long as she didn't stay in the same room with Xiangru, Xia Li would be in a good mood. She and Shi Mi kept watch in the first half of the night and the second half respectively. They both slept for a while, so they were not too tired to be on duty the next day.

Ever since the second young lady got married, the palace has returned to its former tranquility. However, on the day when the third young lady returned home, Prince Hui did not accompany her, nor did he personally take the second young lady back to the palace. But the second young lady kept her composure, without the slightest dissatisfaction on her face. She was dignified and virtuous, as if she had become a different person.

Xia Li glanced at her from a distance and did not go forward to greet her. She must have suffered a lot of hardships in the early days of her marriage. The fact that she could stand up and talk and laugh was enough to prove that such a small thing could not crush her.

But after the second girl left, the old lady felt much more depressed. She chanted scriptures and recited Buddha's name alone in the Buddhist temple for most of the day, probably praying for the second girl.

Two or three days later, the ladies came to pay their respects, and the old lady said she wanted to stay at her farm outside Beijing for a few days.

Now is spring, the time of blooming flowers, growing grass and singing birds, and the scenery on the farm is pleasant. The wives have to take care of the trivial matters in the mansion and serve the master, so they can't go.

Several girls were very enthusiastic and wanted to go with the old lady. The happiest one was Maidong, because her father was the manager of the farm outside the capital. Xia Li originally planned to stay in the mansion or go back to the house in the back alley to live for a few days, but she was enthusiastically pulled to go along.

In addition, Xiangru took the initiative to stay and look after the yard this time. There were not many people serving the old lady, so she had no choice but to go, so she had to accompany her.

Two days later, everyone set off in a grand manner in a carriage. In order to show closeness, Lu Qinghe specially called Xia Li to sit in her carriage. The old lady had someone to serve her, so Xia Li did not refuse.

After all, Lu Qinghe was the legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion, so she had the best food, clothing, and other necessities. Even the carriage was stocked with various snacks. As soon as Xia Li came up, he invited her to eat.

Xia Li was not shy. After thanking him, she took the candied fruit and took a bite. Lu Qinghe smiled and said in a brisk voice:
"I have good news for you. Yao Dizhu can no longer dream of the Third Prince. She has already had an affair with the imperial guard. It's already a done deal. I'm afraid they will get married soon."

Xia Li widened his eyes in shock and said in disbelief:

"What's going on? The county lady is clearly determined to get the third prince, so why would she be with the guards..."

Lu Qinghe sneered, "That imperial guard is the second son of the Yongyi Marquis's mansion. Not only is he handsome, he is also a favorite of the emperor. He is a perfect match for her."

Xia Li was in no mood to eat candied fruit, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Who did it this time? Did the county lady offend someone in the palace?"

Lu Qinghe gloated, "She has offended many people. I guess it was Concubine Shu who did it this time. Princess Yongxin invited me to the palace to accompany her that day. The Third Prince also came back, and we had dinner together in the Concubine's palace.

As a result, Yao Dizhu came uninvited, and she also spoke nonsense and said something that was not appropriate for public speaking, which probably angered the queen. "

Xia Li understood and took over the conversation:

"Madam Shufei has been in the palace for many years, so it would be easy for her to deal with a reckless girl. But isn't she afraid of being blamed by the Princess and the Emperor for doing this?"

Lu Qinghe said with a complicated expression: "The reason why I know it was Concubine Shu who did it is because she hinted to me.

The Princess and her companions had no evidence, and the Emperor might not be happy to see Yao Dizhu marry the Third Prince. All they could say was that this was Yao Dizhu's fate.

At least the queen didn't choose a man who was not presentable for her, otherwise, even the Duke of Yu's Mansion would be disgraced."

Xia Li didn't sigh too much. No matter how bad Yao Dizhu was, she could still marry the second son of the Marquis's Mansion. She didn't need her sympathy. She turned to ask, "So how is the relationship between you and the third prince going? Has he expressed anything?"

Lu Qinghe had no shyness on her face and said calmly:
"He gave me a jade pendant, saying it was the one I had asked him for when I was young. I had no recollection of it, but I accepted it with great joy. The Concubine Shu must have made up her mind to choose me."

Lu Qinghe's status is high enough to match that of the Third Prince, and the Duke's Mansion has not gone downhill. Both the Duke and the Crown Prince are capable of important responsibilities, and Concubine Shu may not be able to find a better family than the Lu family to marry into.

Xia Li said in a steady voice: "The imperial decree has not been issued yet, so it is not too late for you to regret. The Third Prince will definitely participate in the fight for the throne in the future. If you marry him, I am afraid you will not have an easy life."

Lu Qinghe said in a gentle voice: "Did you see the grand ceremony of Second Sister's return? She has never had such a grand ceremony before. Only when a woman marries the right man can she change her fate.

If I don't fight, I will be inferior to others all my life, and even have to kowtow to my second sister. You are smarter than me, and you should know that love is the most useless thing."

(End of this chapter)