Full House Spring

Chapter 73 Showdown
Xia Li's eyes were like a calm lake. Even though the people around her had different expressions, she remained calm.

She stood up slowly and said respectfully, "Thank you for your trouble, old lady. My second brother said that he and his cousin will come to pay their respects to you the day after tomorrow. Do you have any other plans?"

The old lady pondered for a moment and then said, "Is your cousin the eldest daughter-in-law of Minister Cao of the Ministry of Personnel?"

Xia Li lowered his eyebrows slightly, and said helplessly:

"I only met my second brother once, and he didn't have the chance to tell me in detail. I really don't know which family my cousin married into."

The old lady's eyes were deep and she smiled lovingly, "That's the Cao family. I went to the wedding and they said at the time that the bride was from the Fang family in Laizhou. Isn't that your family? I'll meet them the day after tomorrow. You should pack up in advance and go home with them then. Although I'm reluctant to let you go, there's no reason for me to stop you from reuniting with your family."

Xia Li smiled deeply, her eyes sparkling with gratitude, and she said softly, "Thank you for your understanding! I see that there are some outstanding girls among us, but they are just inexperienced. We will have to trouble Grandma and Sister Shi Mi to take them with them and train them a little more."

Shi Mi still couldn't get used to the fact that her former sister had suddenly become the daughter of an official. She wasn't jealous or anything, she just found it unbelievable.

She raised her eyebrows slightly, smiled and said, "My dear girl, don't worry about it. We will take good care of the old lady and won't let her suffer any grievances."

Xia Li raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and said angrily: "Look at what Sister Shi Mi said, as if I were an outsider."

Qiancao covered her mouth and chuckled, "You are not an outsider. You are the daughter of the Fang family who grew up in front of the old lady. We just need to not pretend that we didn't see you when we see you in the future."

Xia Li's expression was slightly restrained, and she said seriously:
"My experience as a clerk in the palace is not a shameful thing that needs to be covered up. It is the path I have come from. It is because of this experience that I have become who I am today."

Xia Li strongly agrees with the saying that extreme honesty is invincible. Qiancao's harmless joke is nothing. In the future, it is inevitable that someone will mention her past. Instead of avoiding it, it is better to be honest with her.

The old lady looked at her with more and more admiration, and even had the idea of marrying her home. However, she looked through her grandchildren and found that apart from the engaged prince, there was really no one she could show off, so she had to give up the idea.

Now that Xia Li's identity was revealed, she naturally could no longer work as a servant. She was now considered a rich lady living away from home, and the old lady would know her place of business. She took the initiative to propose to move Xia Li to a new house, but was rejected by Xia Li.

Although her house was not big, she was already used to living there. There was really no need to go back and forth just to stay there for a day or two, and the old lady didn't force it.

After coming out of the old lady's room, Xia Li went back to her own room. It was time to sort out her things.

There are no secrets in this mansion. Overnight, everyone in the mansion knew Xia Li's life experience. Some people even came to inquire about her, just to find out what made her different from others.

After hearing the news, Qiao He swapped shifts with the kitchen cook and ran over to bang on Xia Li's door. Xia Li quickly opened the door and said unhappily:
"Why are you using so much strength? My door is not strong, and you broke it apart. I have to find someone to fix it."

Qiao He panted heavily, and she couldn't wait to ask: "They all said that your family came to find you, and you want to go home and become a rich lady. Is this true or false?"

After saying that, she bit her lip, with a hint of nervousness and uneasiness in her eyes.

Xia Li knew Qiao He very well. She seemed strong and unyielding, but she was actually fragile inside. She needed someone she trusted to be by her side to feel safe. If Xia Li left without saying a word, it would be a huge blow to her.

Xia Li's smile faded, and he pulled Qiao He into the house, poured her a cup of hot tea, and then sat opposite her and said:
"This is true. I have already made an agreement with my family that I will take you with me when I leave the house. You will be my personal maid in the future. Do you feel wronged by this arrangement?"

Qiao He's eyes suddenly lit up, she shook her head like a rattle, and said without hesitation:
"I'm not wronged. As long as I can be with you, I'm satisfied. You are more capable than me, so there's nothing wrong with me being your personal maid. It's just that I can't do delicate work, and I'm afraid I can't serve you well."

Xia Li smiled brightly and said, "Just take care of the kitchen. When you have time, we can study food together. Others will do the rest. You will never be wronged if you follow me. If you want to get married, you can get married. If you don't want to get married, just stay by my side."

Qiao He's eyes and eyebrows were filled with smiles. This was the best news for her. She didn't care about the status of Xia Li's family at all. It was not important to her at all.

She put down her teacup, stood up and said, "You are leaving tomorrow, right? Then I have to go back and pack my luggage, so I won't be in a hurry."

Xia Li did not stop her and said softly, "This is the plan for now. If something happens, it is possible that it will change. It will only happen in the next few days, so there is no need to rush."

Qiao He was reassured and no longer anxious. She came and left quickly, as if someone was chasing her from behind, which made Xia Li laugh and cry.

The eldest wife naturally also knew that Xia Li was a girl from the Fang family. The Fang family of Laizhou had a profound foundation. Although they did not seem to hold an important position in the court, they had a prominent position among the civil officials. If one wanted to take the path of imperial examinations to enter officialdom, marrying into their family would be the most appropriate choice.

The Gao family rose to prominence only during the generation of Prime Minister Gao. In terms of background and foundation, they are certainly not as good as the Fang family, not to mention that Xia Li himself is extremely intelligent.

The eldest wife regretted missing out on such a good candidate for daughter-in-law right under her nose. However, before she could sigh again, a eunuch came to tell her that Concubine Shu was summoning her into the palace.

Song couldn't help feeling disgusted when she saw Concubine Shu, but she couldn't refuse. She dressed up and followed the eunuch into the palace. When she saw Concubine Shu, she noticed that she looked gloomy. The eldest wife asked curiously:
"What happened to your majesty? Did something serious happen in the palace?"

Concubine Shu said worriedly, "Last night, the emperor's condition worsened. The palace gates were heavily guarded, and the concubines in the harem could not enter. I'm afraid the situation is dire..."

The eldest wife didn't care about personal grudges and asked anxiously, "Where did the third prince go? Could it be that he did nothing?"

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a commotion outside. It seemed that the Queen and Concubine Zhang had brought people in. Concubine Shu said solemnly:
"I shouldn't have summoned you to the palace today. Go out immediately and ask the Duke to contact his subordinates and take tough measures if necessary..."

The eldest wife's eyes flickered and she nodded slightly in agreement. She didn't say much. As the noise outside became louder and louder, she quickly left through the side door.

Although Song didn't get much information, she knew that this was a critical moment. If she couldn't take the initiative after entering the palace, wouldn't it be a pity?
She did not rush to leave the palace, but spent all her money to gather information in the palace. After learning that King Hui had the upper hand, she left the palace and returned home.

Now that King Hui has seized the initiative, the palace where His Majesty resides has been surrounded, and outsiders have no idea what is going on inside, and the situation is tense for a while.

At the same time, although Lu Jianxing had the jade token in his hand, he could not get the recognition of the generals. The number of people he could gather was limited, and he could not explain to the third prince. He was full of anger and had no way to vent it, so he sneaked into the inconspicuous backyard of Chunshanju.

Tao Yao, Lu Lingyan's biological mother, couldn't stop trembling when she saw him. Every time he came, he would abuse her. She was obviously the second master's concubine, but she was still serving the first master because of her eyes that looked like someone else. After he entered the room for a while, he heard muffled groans and gasps, and from time to time there were low begging sounds. I don't know how long it took, when Lu Jianxing vented his anger, he sneered while adjusting his clothes:
"Don't look at me with those lifeless eyes. If you didn't look a bit like her, I wouldn't have redeemed you. Being able to serve us two brothers is better than being slept with by thousands of men. You should cherish your blessings!"

After saying this, he walked out as if nothing had happened, leaving Tao Yao lying naked on the ground, lifeless.

When his back disappeared, Lu Lingyan pulled the eldest wife out from the corner. He released his hand that was covering the eldest wife's mouth and said with red eyes:
"You saw it, that old beast tortured my mother in this way. He married you, but he was thinking about your sister, and my mother became a tool for him to vent his lust. How disgusting."

Song was pulled over by Lu Lingyan as soon as she returned to the mansion. She had no idea that Lu Jianxing had such a beastly side. She opened her mouth and it took her a long time to find her voice and said, "Since you know everything, why don't you save your wife from the mansion?"

Lu Lingyan said in a cold voice: "My mother doesn't want to, she said I need to have a respectable background and a bright future, she thinks she can endure anything for me, don't you think it's ridiculous?"

Song still didn't understand, "Why is Lu Jianfeng willing to wear this green hat? Doesn't Luo know about it?"

Lu Lingyan sneered, "Lu Jianxing has set up a separate house for his good brother, and there are all kinds of women in it. They all think I am Lu Jianfeng's child. Even if Luo Shi knew what kind of life I live, she would not care. What does these dirty things have to do with her?"

The eldest wife looked at Lu Lingyan with sympathy, and she said in a hoarse voice: "Then what's the point of you looking for me? I can't make the decision for you."

There was a bloodthirsty light in Lu Lingyan's eyes. He lowered his voice and said:
"I know that the emperor is critically ill and there will be unrest in the near future. I don't believe that the first lady doesn't want to kill that old man. How about you and I work together to make it look like he was stabbed to death by bandits in the chaos? Anyway, he is useless except for wasting food, so we might as well end it here."

The eldest wife's pupils widened, and she said in disbelief: "What you did is tantamount to patricide. Aren't you afraid of retribution for such a serious sin?"

Lu Lingyan smiled and said, "Why do you have to pretend in front of me? If I don't kill him myself, how can it be considered patricide? Besides, what kind of father is he? It's up to you whether you do it or not. I'm only responsible for the aftermath."

After Lu Lingyan finished speaking, he cupped his hands and said seriously, "That's all I have to say. You can do whatever you want."

The eldest wife was in mixed emotions and almost felt sick when she thought of Lu Jianxing. After her reproductive value was exploited by him in this life, she was kept in the mansion as a decoration. Her youth was gone and she lived like a walking corpse. Her resentment was no less than Lu Lingyan's.

If King Hui wins, he will not let Lu Jianxing off easily. His death would be a good thing. The eldest wife has been thinking about this all the way. She really wants to kill him. Only by killing Lu Jianxing with her own hands can she eliminate the hatred in her heart.

When she stepped into Yize Hall, she saw Lu Qinghe sitting there bored and dazed. Seeing her coming back, he raised his voice and said, "Mother, have you heard that Xia Li is actually a girl from the Fang family in Laizhou? It's incredible."

The eldest wife was always more tolerant of her daughter. She said calmly:

"I know about this. So what if she is a girl from the Fang family? Your brother has already made an engagement with Gao Mingyu. Do you want to break off the engagement?"

Lu Qinghe said with an unpleasant expression: "Even if we are willing to break off the engagement, I'm afraid Xia Li won't be interested in my brother. He is so desperate that he even wants a lowly maid like Xiangru. Xia Li won't pay attention to him."

The eldest wife was also extremely disappointed with her son. She didn't want to continue discussing this topic, so she said, "Don't mention this to Xia Li. Just treat her as a friend. Don't run around randomly these few days. It's safest to stay in the mansion."

Lu Qinghe was quite perceptive. She asked seriously, "Did something happen when Mother entered the palace today? The Third Prince hasn't contacted me for a long time. What is the situation now?"

The eldest wife rubbed her swollen temples and said in a deep voice:

"This is not your business. You should also give up the idea of marrying the Third Prince. If he fails, our family will be implicated. If he succeeds to the throne, the position of Queen will not be yours."

Lu Qinghe's face was extremely ugly. She was a sophisticated egoist and saw that the third prince had little chance of winning, so she said calmly:

"Don't worry, mother. I won't hang myself on that crooked tree. When the situation stabilizes, you can find someone else for me."

The eldest wife looked relieved and said, "I'm glad you can think it through. I have a lot of things to do here, so I won't keep you here. You can go back."

Lu Qinghe nodded slightly. She had to go back and prepare a farewell gift for Xia Li. After all, they knew each other and had a good relationship. She couldn't be impolite.

After the eldest wife made up her mind, she asked Nanny Gui to invite Lu Jianxing to have dinner together. After all, she was the mistress of the house, and Lu Jianxing could not ignore her even if he disliked her, so he agreed.

However, when it was time for dinner, he did not show up for a long time. The eldest wife sent people to urge him several times, and the dishes were reheated several times, but he finally arrived until nightfall.

As soon as he entered, he said in a dissatisfied tone:

"How can you be so ignorant? I have something important to deal with. If you can't wait, just eat first. Why are you shouting at me over and over again like you're asking for my life?"

The eldest wife raised her eyelids and said expressionlessly:

"I'm afraid that if I don't say something today, I won't have the chance to do so in the future. Master, there's no need to be so angry."

Lu Jianxing felt that her words were a little off. He sat at the low table, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the food, and said in a deep voice: "Just say what you want to say. There's no need to waste time here."

The eldest wife drank the wine in the glass, looked at him with deep eyes, and asked coldly:
"Since the master loves Yao'er so much, why didn't he stop her from entering the palace? If I remember correctly, the Concubine Shu took the initiative to approach the emperor."

Lu Jianxing looked at her as if he had seen a ghost, and said angrily:

"How dare you peek at my letters? How can you be a virtuous lady? Who gave you the courage?"

The eldest wife found his bluffing ridiculous. She said calmly, "Do you think you can get away with this by avoiding the topic and making random accusations against me?"

(End of this chapter)