Full House Spring

Chapter 70 Disgraceful to politeness
Xia Li knew that she was really thinking about him when she said this, so his expression softened a bit and he said softly, "I know about this matter and will think about it carefully. How do you plan to settle your family?"

Man Qing said calmly, "But wait until they are sold out. I will ask the master to allow me to redeem them with money. Who knows what will happen in the future? Maybe the third prince will be the winner."

Before everything was settled, anything could happen. It was not the turn of two lowly maids to discuss this matter. They were silent for a moment until they saw the door of the main house open and Princess Hui came out.

Man Qing then stood up, without even saying goodbye to Xia Li, and hurriedly ran to Princess Hui. Xia Li took a few steps forward, squatted and saluted when Princess Hui approached. He caught a glimpse of Princess Hui's gloomy face out of the corner of his eye, and it seemed that she did not get what she wanted.

Princess Hui passed by with her servants. A fragrant breeze blew past Xia Li's eyes. She had just straightened up when she heard the sound of a teacup falling to the ground and breaking in the main room, followed by the Duke's exclamation.

Aunt Xie rushed in first, and she shouted, "Quickly call Doctor Zhong, the old lady has fainted."

Xia Li secretly cried out in alarm. Old ladies at this age are most susceptible to strokes. It would be the end of her if she collapsed in bed. Even if she had someone to take care of her, her quality of life would be greatly reduced.

As soon as Madam Xie finished her words, a maid ran towards the courtyard where the court physician lived. Upon hearing the noise, the other maids filed in and stood beside the old lady with anxious looks on their faces.

Xia Li noticed that although the Duke was concerned about the old lady's health, he was holding a jade token tightly in his hand. He thought that it must be the token left by the old Duke. Xia Li did not dare to look at it for fear that the Duke would vent his anger on him.

Aunt Xie hugged the old lady and pinched her philtrum hard. The panic on her face did not seem fake. In Aunt Xie's mind, the old lady was the master whom she had spent her entire life serving. Even though she was afraid of her and wary of her, she always occupied the best time of her life. The two of them had long been inseparable.

Doctor Zhong came quickly. After taking the old lady's pulse, he immediately gave her acupuncture and bloodletting. After her condition stabilized, he spoke:

"Fortunately, the acupuncture was given in time. The old lady needs to stay in bed for a while and must not be stimulated again."

At this time, the first wife and the second wife also rushed over, and the grandchildren were all waiting outside the door. After hearing what Doctor Zhong said, Song turned to look at Lu Jianxing and said:

"Master, what on earth did you do to make the old lady so angry?"

Lu Jianfeng also questioned, "Brother, why are you so confused? Don't you see how old mother is? Why can't you let her do something? Why do you have to make such a fuss? I really don't know what to say to you."

Luo pretended to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes and said with great sorrow:

"Your Majesty, you have such a cruel heart. Mother is so kind and generous. Why can't you just say it in a nice way instead of making her so angry?"

It was indeed Lu Jianxing who pissed off the old lady, but he could not admit it. The jade token was already in his hand, and he was the head of the family, so he had nothing to worry about. He said with a slight anger on his face:

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly make Mother angry? It was clearly that evil creature you gave birth to who made her angry. She acted like a princess in front of the old lady and even wanted our palace to help Prince Hui. She is totally out of her mind."

Luo insisted, "Your Majesty, what you said is not right. Princess Hui has been adopted by you and your sister-in-law. It has been recorded in the family tree. What does it have to do with us? It is not the case that good things have nothing to do with us and bad things are borne by us."

Lu Jianxing flicked his sleeves and said in a deep voice: "I am too lazy to argue with you. If I have the time, I'd rather take good care of the old lady. The court is not stable now, and I have things to do. Don't bother me if you have nothing to do."

He walked away without looking back, as if the old lady was just an insignificant outsider to him. Xia Li felt only irony in his eyes.

The eldest wife was disgusted by his behavior. He could even do such a dirty thing as a substitute, so there was nothing else to be surprised about. She said calmly:
"As for the old lady's care, we two families should share the responsibility. Today, our eldest family will come first, so everyone doesn't have to stay. This will prevent the air in the house from being turbid, which will be detrimental to the old lady's recovery."

Luo thought this arrangement was feasible and said politely, "Thank you for your hard work today, sister-in-law. Please inform us if there is any situation."

After everyone from the second house had left, Lu Lingchuan and Lu Qinghe came into the room. The brother and sister looked a little haggard. Lu Qinghe felt relieved when she saw that the old lady's complexion had returned to normal. It was not that she was particularly filial, but she just didn't want to delay the flowering period by observing mourning at this critical juncture.

Lu Lingchuan glanced at Xia Li inconspicuously. He hadn't seen Xia Li for quite some time. On the one hand, he was busy with affairs and the Third Prince entrusted him with important tasks. On the other hand, he deliberately downplayed his attention to her. When he suddenly saw her today, he felt indescribable sadness in his heart.

Xia Li seemed not to have seen him. She calmly took the hot water brought by the maid, bent down to wrung out the towel and handed it to Aunt Xie. Aunt Xie gently wiped the sweat from the old lady's forehead.

Lu Qinghe took the initiative to step forward and said, "Thank you, Madam. Let me serve grandma."

The eldest wife tried to stop him, "You just twist the towel. You've never served anyone before. What if you hurt the old lady? I'll wipe it."

Lu Lingchuan said in a deep voice: "Mother, let me and Qing He take care of the patient together, you go and rest."

The eldest wife waved her hand and said calmly, "Come back at night. If you have something to do, go and do your work first. Your grandmother is fine now. There's no need to waste time here."

The eldest wife saw how busy her son was and felt very sorry for him. Lu Lingchuan did not refuse. He bowed and turned to leave. Xia Li never looked at him from beginning to end.

Since there was no place for her to use her skills in the house, Xia Li decided not to stand there and went back to her room to pack her luggage. When she came out, she happened to meet Xiangru. Perhaps Xiangru was scared by Xia Li's beating, and Xiangru saw her evasive eyes.

Xia Li simply ignored her and walked straight ahead as if she was nothing. Xiangru had never been treated so coldly before. She clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes full of unwillingness. Just now, Master Yan San came to warn her again, and she had been forced into a corner.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold and tried to enter the house, Shi Mi hurriedly stopped her and said softly:

"You don't have to come. Qiancao will be with the prince tonight to take care of him. We will arrange for you tomorrow."

When Xiangru heard the words "young master", his eyes sparkled and he said obediently, "Then I'll follow Sister Shimi's arrangements. You guys have worked hard serving at the farm, so it's okay to arrange for me to keep watch at night."

Regardless of other things, Xiangru's enthusiasm for work was still very high. Shi Mi nodded slightly and said, "We can't let you suffer alone. No wonder even the old lady praised you. Okay, go back quickly."

Xiangru left without hesitation and without looking back. Shi Mi was a little surprised watching her leaving. She knew Xiangru's feelings for the prince and thought she would argue and want to replace Qiancao, but she didn't expect her to agree so easily.

Xiangru stayed in the yard these days and didn't go anywhere. The old lady suddenly came back home. She didn't know the reason, but she didn't think much about it. Her mind was full of her own little thoughts.

She did not return to her room, but went to the west wing of Leshou Hall to take a look. The bedroom there was clean and tidy, with all the necessary bedding and quilts. It was usually reserved as a guest room. Xiangru had been here before to sweep and clean, so she was very familiar with the situation inside. She touched the fluffy and soft bedding, and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.

After Lu Lingchuan finished dealing with the matters at hand, he went to Leshou Hall early. The old lady had also regained consciousness. Although she was holding a grudge, she had no complaints towards her eldest grandson.

Lu Lingchuan has always been filial. He coaxed the old lady to drink the medicine and eat two mouthfuls of porridge. Although the old lady was saved, she was left with crooked eyes and mouth. She could not speak clearly and drooled easily when she opened her mouth. She had a decent and strong character, so how could she accept herself like this? She simply kept silent.

Lu Lingchuan seemed to see through her thoughts and patiently comforted her, "Grandma, this is only temporary. Doctor Zhong said that as long as you take the medicine on time and relax, you will get better soon."

The old lady looked at him with sorrowful eyes and said incoherently: "It won't get better...your father...is angry..."

Lu Lingchuan frowned slightly, his lips turned pale, and he said in a deep voice: "Grandmother, my father and Princess Hui are looking for you, what is the matter?"

At this point, the old lady no longer had to hide it from him. She said vaguely, "The jade token...was taken away...by your father..."

As the heir to the title, Lu Lingchuan naturally knew about the jade token and immediately understood the meaning of the old lady's words. Although he was valued by the third prince, he did not think he was a reliable superior. However, he could not influence his father's decision, so he said helplessly:

"I'm afraid the jade token has fallen into the hands of the third prince. If the third prince is not the successor, the new emperor may not tolerate our family."

Lu Jianxing was tantamount to gambling with the lives of everyone in the mansion. Lu Lingchuan really couldn't understand. The title in their mansion had already reached the top. As long as they didn't do evil and ruin the ancestral foundation, no matter who came to power in the future, it wouldn't have much impact.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Grandmother, you don't think highly of the Third Prince, do you? But my father has gone down a path that no one can change. I just hope that his wish will come true."

The old lady scoffed at this in her heart. She didn't think that a woman like Song Shiyi could raise a wise ruler. If the third prince had strong supporters, he would not cling to their family so tightly. Prince Hui definitely had a higher chance of winning than him. Unfortunately, she gave up power too early and could no longer influence her son's decision.

She uttered a few words slowly, "With Princess Hui...protect her...your life will be safe."

Lu Lingchuan immediately understood that his grandmother was saying that with the protection of Princess Hui, no one in the palace would die. Lu Lingchuan didn't understand why his grandmother was so sure. He said indifferently, "Prince Hui has already made a name for himself in the court and is indeed very capable of governing. But Princess Hui can't even protect herself, so how can she protect us?"

The old lady reluctantly said, "Money...support..."

Lu Lingchuan's pupils widened and he trembled as he said, "Could it be that my grandmother secretly..."

He suddenly realized something, changed the subject and stopped talking, exhaled lightly, and spoke again after calming down:

"With grandma paving the way in advance, we won't fall too badly. I feel a little more at ease. Well, let's just leave it to fate."

The old lady nodded with difficulty. She had already spent most of her energy communicating with Lu Lingchuan, and she was really tired now. The room returned to silence. Lu Lingchuan massaged his grandmother's body attentively so that she could sleep more soundly.

Only when the old lady began to breathe deeply and fell into a sound sleep did Lu Lingchuan step back, take out the file and sit down to read it.

Qiancao was guarding the outer room, waiting for orders at any time. After an unknown amount of time, there was a sudden sound outside the window. It was as if someone was knocking on the window intentionally.

Lu Lingchuan frowned and subconsciously glanced at the old lady. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly and had not been woken up, he felt relieved.

He stood up suspiciously and walked towards the window with very light steps. Lu Lingchuan had been practicing martial arts since he was young, so it was difficult for ordinary scoundrels to get close to him, so he was not afraid.

He slowly pushed open the window and saw a note on the windowsill. He guessed it must have been written by someone in the mansion. He opened the note and saw that it said, "See you in the west wing. I have something to discuss with you."

The signer was actually Xia Li. Lu Lingchuan's breathing stagnated slightly. He held the note tightly, his hands trembling, and his face was full of excitement and anticipation that he could not hide. He had no doubts, closed the window and walked out without hesitation.

Before leaving, he did not forget to remind Qiancao to take good care of the old lady. Although Qiancao did not understand why he was inexplicably excited, she did not say much.

Lu Lingchuan strode towards the west wing with the help of the lanterns under the eaves. When he got closer, he found a faint candlelight flickering inside. He wondered if Xia Li had something important to tell him, and he wanted to rush to her side immediately.

However, he became timid again when he stood outside the door, fearing that he would hear her cold rejection again. He hesitated for a long while, but finally went forward and pushed the door open. As soon as he entered, he smelled an unusually sweet smell, which made him dizzy and his eyes were dazed.

He was dazed and saw Xia Li walking towards him. He subconsciously smiled very gently and murmured, "Xia Li, I'm coming..."

After saying this, he fell to the ground, feeling hot all over and in urgent need of a way to vent.

Xiangru looked at Lu Lingchuan's painful breathing expressionlessly, tears sliding down her face uncontrollably. She squatted down and took the initiative to extend her hand to him, whispering softly:
"My Lord, I am the one accompanying you at this moment. It is you who made your dream come true. She doesn't care about you. I want you..."

After that, she leaned down with Lu Lingchuan's strength and threw herself into his hot embrace. The passion in the room was like fire, burning the soul of Xiangru, making her fearlessly move forward...

Xia Li had a good night's sleep. She had never been a good sleeper and felt too constrained sleeping on the same bed with her grandma in the farmhouse. She felt more comfortable sleeping in her own room.

After she had finished tidying up, she went to the main room to do her work. Thinking that Qiancao could not sleep because she was taking care of the old lady, she went to replace her earlier so that she could catch up on her sleep. She entered the room quietly and saw that Qiancao was the only one inside. She lowered her voice and asked, "Has the prince left?"

Qiancao yawned tiredly and said in a hoarse voice: "He left last night and hasn't come back yet. Maybe he has something urgent to do..."

Before she finished her words, she heard a commotion outside. Xia Li turned around and looked outside, only to see Luo and the children of the second wife coming over. The Third Master Yan actually kicked open the door of the west wing and shouted:
"Is this the way the prince takes care of his grandmother? He even pulled the maidservant beside his grandmother into bed. It's really disrespectful."

Luo also shouted as if she was watching a play: "The prince has already been engaged to Miss Gao, why are you so impatient? If you really like this maid, let the ancestor give her to you. Young people just like to mess around."

(End of this chapter)