Full House Spring

Chapter 78 Kyoto Incident
If the old lady had not paved the way in advance and Lu Zhiyao had not been brave and resourceful, it is possible that the Lu family would have been confiscated and exiled. It can only be said that everything is determined by fate and has no control over anything.

After Lu Lingchuan came out of the prison, he went home to wash up and then went to the mourning hall to burn incense. He knelt in front of the old lady's coffin for a long time and was unwilling to get up.

Song looked at her son's thin face, feeling indescribable. She said in a low voice:
"Lingchuan, you don't have to be too sad now. Although you have been demoted, your foundation has not been damaged. As long as you work hard in the future, it may not be worse than before."

Lu Lingchuan burned the paper expressionlessly, the flames illuminating his face. When the paper was burnt to ashes, he asked indifferently, "Where did Lu Lingyan go?"

Song tightened her grip on the handkerchief and said with a gloomy look in her eyes:
"He has taken Taoyao out of the mansion and announced that he will sever ties with the mansion. He will be left to fend for himself and we don't need to interfere. His unruly character will only cause trouble if we keep him around. Let him go."

Lu Lingchuan slowly stood up, looked at Song with sharp eyes, and said in a cold voice: "Mom, how long are you going to hide this from me? Does my father really have to die?"

Song's face turned pale. She was silent for a moment before she said solemnly:
"Since you already know, I won't hide it from you. If he lives, he will only lead us down a dark path, offending the new emperor even more, and in the end, the whole mansion will be buried with him."

Lu Lingchuan pursed his lips tightly, his eyes full of confusion and sadness. He said with great sorrow: "If you don't want him to go out, you can restrict his movements and lock him in the house, so that he won't..."

After hearing this, Song felt her son walking towards Lu Jianxing, and said excitedly:

"Why not? He and Concubine Shu bullied me first. He took advantage of my feelings, ignored me and tortured me. Why can't I resist?"

Lu Lingchuan clenched his fists tightly, his expression showing weakness and frustration. He suppressed the pain in his heart and said hoarsely:
"He is my father. How can I avenge his father's murder? And my grandmother was also angered to death by you. Others don't know. Don't you feel guilty?"

Song's face lost all color, tears glistened in her eyes, and she said in a choked voice:

"He is your father, but I am your mother who gave birth to you after ten months of pregnancy. I endured all the grievances for you and your sister, but in the end, you took sides with him... I feel guilty towards the old lady, but Lu Jianxing deserved to die!"

The loss and sadness in Lu Lingchuan's eyes made people feel the same. He said in a heavy tone: "I will not mention this matter to anyone. After the funeral is handled, mother will be confined to her house for a month to reflect on herself. Please remember that I am the head of this house in the future, and no one is allowed to act privately against my orders!"

Song's tears slid down her cheeks. She raised her hand and gently wiped them away, her voice choking with sobs:

"Mother, I'll listen to you...Did Lu Lingyan tell you the truth? He is always a hidden danger, I'm afraid he can't be kept."

Lu Lingchuan looked at her with deep eyes and whispered, "He won't go crazy again after getting his revenge. The Lu family doesn't have many descendants. It would be a good thing if he could make a name for himself outside. There's no need to hold on to him."

Mrs. Song wanted to say something else, but seeing her son's firm attitude, she gave up and said obediently, "I will do whatever you say. When Miss Gao comes home, I will unload the burden of housekeeping and management. I can rest assured and enjoy my old age without any worries."

Lu Lingchuan said with a complicated expression: "I'm afraid this marriage will not work out. The Gao family has not been affected by the change of court officials. Prime Minister Gao no longer looks down on our family."

Song's hands trembled slightly. She said anxiously, "How is this possible? The two families have already made an appointment. At the very least, you are still the Earl of Cheng En. How can you not be worthy of Miss Gao?"

Lu Lingchuan smiled bitterly and said, "The Earl of Cheng'en who is passed down from one generation to the next and the Duke of Guo who is hereditary are not at the same level at all. Mother, why are you deceiving yourself? Besides, I still have to observe mourning for three years, and I shouldn't waste Miss Gao's youth."

Mrs. Song felt heartbroken watching her son being wronged. She wanted to rush to the Gao family to ask Prime Minister Gao why he was so excessive.

But she couldn't do such an unpresentable thing rationally. Every breath she took was like a sigh. She couldn't help but say:

"Since Miss Gao is in no hurry to get married, let's find another bride. I think Xia Li is a good choice. Although she has been a maid in our family for a few years, she is outstanding in every way and is no worse than Gao Mingyu. Moreover, the Fang family has a deep foundation. In the future..."

Before she could finish, Lu Lingchuan said angrily, "Mother, what nonsense are you talking about? Why do you think Xia Li can let you pick and choose? If she hadn't come home to recognize her relatives before, it would still be possible for you to marry her for me. But now, forget it."

Song said dissatisfiedly: "I asked you to marry Xia Li because I knew you had her in your heart. Xia Li is the only one who has the courage and insight to stand shoulder to shoulder with you. It's not just because you are attracted to the Fang family. Do you understand my good intentions?"

Lu Lingchuan said with a complicated expression: "It's too late for everything. No matter what the reason is, it's useless. If I don't mention this unreasonable request, I still have some face for Xia Li when I meet him. If I mention it, there will be no connection anymore."

Song's face was dejected, her eyes were empty and lifeless, and after a while she said as if resigned to her fate:

"There will always be other suitable girls. You have to observe mourning. There is no rush."

Lu Lingchuan nodded slightly, and said calmly: "I'd like to trouble you, mother, to cancel the engagement tomorrow and say that you won't delay Miss Gao's blooming season."

Song had not expected him to be so anxious, and hesitated, "Can't we wait a little longer? The funeral is not over yet, I don't think the Gao family would be so inconsiderate."

Lu Lingchuan said calmly: "Why make people anxious? It is better to let the Gao family owe us a favor if the marriage fails than to make enemies with them."

Song immediately understood what her son meant. After thinking about it, it made sense. Since the matter was already a foregone conclusion, she might as well try to gain some benefits from it. She figured it out and said in a gentle voice, "I will prepare it tomorrow. You don't have to worry."

Lu Lingchuan never doubted the Song family's ability to do things. After this matter was settled, he could calm down and polish himself. The future was at his feet, and everything else was just a passing cloud.

After the affairs of the Lu family became clear, people from other mansions came to pay their respects one after another, and the funeral was handled in a proper manner.

Mai Dong had not expected that so many things would happen in the manor during the few days she stayed there. If not all the things were settled, Manager Zhou would not let her go back home. During the worst days, his whole family was prepared to be sold again, and the marriage with the Li family was almost cancelled. Fortunately, Li Ang insisted.

Maidong went back home to pack her luggage. Seeing that only the maids were left in Leshou Hall, she felt very upset. She probably would never have the chance to come back, so she wanted to go see Xiangru before leaving.

There are not many maids in Linfengju, and Lu Lingchuan likes to do many things himself. Although Xiangru is a maid who shares the same room with the emperor, no one cares about her in Linfengju. Apart from living in a separate room, she is just like an ordinary maid.

When Maidong passed by, he saw her busy washing clothes. She was still wearing the same clothes she wore when she worked for the old lady. Her face was bare of makeup, and her hair was pinned with a few cheap silk flowers. She looked shabby from head to toe.

Mai Dong's eyes widened in surprise, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. She said angrily, "Is this the life you've always dreamed of? Is this maid really more prestigious than a first-class maid?" The sudden voice frightened Xiangru so much that her hands trembled. She slowly raised her head and looked at Mai Dong, her eyes cold, "Are you here to laugh at me too?"

Mai Dong took two steps forward and said unhappily, "What jokes of yours are worth seeing? Didn't you have the ambition to be a concubine? How did you let yourself fall into this situation?"

Xiangru pulled the corners of his mouth stiffly and said self-deprecatingly: "The prince never even looked at me straight in the eye. Even after entering Linfeng Residence, he never saw me. I am not even as good as a servant girl here. Are you satisfied with what I said?"

Mai Dong showed an expression that looked like she was about to cry but didn't. She sniffed and said in a low voice, "If it really doesn't work out, let my parents find a good family for you and you can marry out."

Xiangru threw the clothes into the basin and said angrily:
"Why should I serve those peddlers? Just because I gave birth to a child for the prince does that mean I am the master and will be their slave for generations? Don't even think about dragging me into this fire pit!"

Mai Dong was slightly stunned. She said patiently, "Now the prince is the Earl of Cheng'en. He has a heavy burden on his shoulders and has to support the family. If he ignores you now, he will definitely ignore you in the future. Aren't you afraid of wasting your life?"

Xiangru's eyes were a little dazed, and she said stubbornly: "Since the uncle has kept me, it means that he still has some sympathy for me. He is just trying to temper my character, and he will not ignore me forever."

Mai Dong sighed and changed the subject, "This is the last time I come to see you. I have to go home to get married. I probably won't be able to enter the mansion in the future. Take care of yourself."

Xiangru was surprised and asked, "Who are you going to marry?"

Mai Dong pulled the corner of his mouth and said weakly: "I married an ordinary rich man with some land at home. Our family is quite well-off and we can barely have enough food and clothing."

Xiangru sneered, "The family your mother picked for you must be good. You should live your life peacefully. After the old lady passed away, I heard that Aunt Xie also died for her master. Where did Fang Xiali work for?"

Mai Dong was surprised. "Don't you know that Xia Li's family is here to look for her? She is a daughter of the Fang family, a prominent family in Laizhou. She is very different from us. Why would she need to work for us?"

Xiangru's body trembled slightly, and her eyes revealed uncontrollable anger. She was detained in Linfeng Residence and could not go out. She was not informed of many things. "You mean, Xia Li is going to be a rich lady? How is that possible?"

Mai Dong said calmly, "What's impossible about this? She is different from us. She has suffered so much over the years, and she is lucky to be found by her family."

Elsholtzia glared at her like a wild beast and said hysterically:
"Why are you celebrating for her? She should have married a lowly servant, given birth to a bunch of lowly slave children, and only be taken back when she was no longer human. That's how she should have lived her life."

Mai Dong's eyes flashed with anger, and she scolded loudly:
"You are totally unreasonable. You are so heartless. Can't you just hope for the best for Xia Li? She didn't do anything to you."

Xiangru sneered, "She stole my uncle's heart, which is an unforgivable crime in my eyes. How could she be so lucky to be a superior person? I was sincere to my uncle, but he treated me like this. How unfair is God!"

Xiangru was broken, she couldn't accept that Xiali lived better than her. Maidong was completely disappointed to see her crazy look, and said distantly: "I have said everything I need to say. This day is the one you chose. Don't blame others in the future. I am leaving, you take care of yourself..."

Maidong left resolutely. Xiangru stared at her back with a dull look. A tear slipped silently from the corner of her eye. She raised her hand to wipe it away expressionlessly and muttered to herself: "I don't regret it. In the future, I will definitely be a high and mighty master..."

Xia Li, who was being carefully cared for far away in the Fang Mansion, had no idea what was going on in the Cheng Enbo Mansion. Even if she knew, she would just laugh it off. Xia Li was still a little uncomfortable being suddenly freed from the heavy workload.

She slept in for a few days, and no one in the mansion lectured her. Fang Jingzhi would bring her some strange little gadgets when he came home after finishing his official duties. He really spoiled her like his own child.

When Qiao He saw this, she couldn't help but sigh, if she hadn't been kidnapped by the kidnapper, she would have been spoiled to such an extent.

A letter was also sent from Laizhou at full speed. Not only were her parents and eldest brother overjoyed, but all the young and old in the clan were very happy. Her father and brother wanted to come and pick her up in person, and would hold a grand banquet when she returned home.

Xia Li felt the warm love of her relatives just by reading the letters. She couldn't help feeling homesick and was also worried that her father was too old and would be too tired to travel across mountains and rivers to pick her up.

Fang Jingzhi spent a few days with her and got to know her personality. He gave her some heart-warming advice, telling her that her father had traveled far with her mother when he was young and that he was in good health. It was just that her mother had been worried about her over the years and her health was not as good as before. He told her to just wait patiently.

Fearing that she would have unbridled thoughts at home, Fang Jingzhi personally went to Minister Cao's residence to bring his cousin home to keep her company. When Xia Li first met her sister Fang Tangli, she was struck by her charm.

Fang Tangli's eyes were as flowing as autumn water, her eyebrows slightly raised, and her voice was a little lazy and charming:

"Sister, you are worthy of being our Fang family's daughter. Look at your figure and appearance. You have completely inherited the advantages of your uncle and aunt. Now that you have returned home, the elders in the clan will be busy again."

Xia Li asked in confusion, "What are the elders busy with? Sister, please teach me how to deal with it."

Fang Tangli was amused by her innocent appearance. Her eyes sparkled like stars and she said in a brisk voice:

"You just need to play with them. Our family is different from other families. You will know when you go back. My sister has suffered a lot outside for so many years. We must not let that damn kidnapper go."

Fang Jingzhi, who was waiting on the side, interrupted and said, "That man has been escorted to Laizhou. Now that he is in our territory, he can only wish for the best."

Fang Tangli's eyes flashed with viciousness, Xia Li was a little surprised. Fang Tangli was afraid of scaring her sister, so she quickly restrained her expression and said:

"Don't be afraid. No one can harm you in the future. My mother-in-law has been acting up these days, and things have been going on in the mansion, so I was delayed in coming to see you. I've heard about your life in the Duke's Mansion. I'm so happy to know that there is a clever and skillful sister like you. If I wasn't afraid of delaying your entry into the family tree, I would definitely let you stay for a few more days."

Fang Jingzhi took the opportunity to say, "When my father comes, it won't be too late for me to keep them. I haven't spent enough time with my sister yet."

Fang Tangli rolled her eyes at him and said angrily, "You don't even know how to think about your aunt. She's almost going blind from longing for Xia Li, and you still have the nerve to keep her."

　Xia Li is going to refresh the copy~

　　
　
(End of this chapter)