Xiao Yi studied Su Xian for several breaths before pulling open a drawer and taking out a letter.
“Sit down and read it.”
Su Xian accepted it and drew out the sheet of paper.
She had already braced herself. Since the letter was from her father, she had expected him to give her a thorough scolding.
Yet after reading it, she could not find a single particularly harsh word.
The letter merely contained a few earnest reminders about how they were all family and ought to support one another rather than undermine each other.
Su Xian found it very strange.
She read the letter over and over again, twice in all.
In the end, she was certain that she had not imagined it.
Su Xian raised her head and looked at Xiao Yi.
“Your Highness, was this really a letter sent by my father?”
The corners of Xiao Yi’s lips lifted.
“What? You can’t even recognize your own father’s handwriting?”
Su Xian slowly shook her head.
“The handwriting is his, but the tone isn’t.”
Xiao Yi looked exceptionally pleased.
“I had the people escorting your mother-in-law home congratulate your second sister-in-law on giving birth to a son.”
“Your second sister-in-law is very clever. She immediately found your second brother’s illegitimate child.”
“Your second brother thought she meant to harm the child and stepped in to stop her.”
“In the struggle, your second brother was injured… there.”
“Ahem…” Xiao Yi coughed twice. “Afterward, your second sister-in-law went home and demanded a divorce.”
“She told the Su family to choose between her and the child, and the illegitimate child.”
“Because your second sister-in-law made such a huge scene, the entire matter became common knowledge.”
“The Su family argued for several days. In the end, your father made the decision to send the illegitimate child away.”
Xiao Yi found the sight of Su Xian’s wide, round eyes rather adorable—a rare expression on her.
He could not help pressing his lips together, his fingers twitching slightly.
When Su Xian saw that he had stopped speaking, she blurted out, “No wonder Xu Jinxin said you were an old fox…”
Realizing that she had misspoken, Su Xian hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.
The smile on Xiao Yi’s face faded slightly.
“A gentleman does not speak ill of others behind their backs.”
For some reason, Su Xian suddenly recalled saying the exact same thing that day.
Xu Jinxin had merely rolled her eyes at her.
“I’m not a gentleman!”
“I’m a woman!”
At the time, Xu Jinxin’s words had made Su Xian laugh so hard she had nearly doubled over.
Thinking back on it now, she finally understood why Xu Jinxin always said that she and Xiao Yi were so alike.
The corners of Su Xian’s lips curved upward.
“What are you laughing at? Was I wrong?” Xiao Yi asked, a faint trace of displeasure in his voice.
Su Xian came back to herself and shook her head.
“No. I just remembered that when Jinxin said that, I said the same thing as Your Highness.”
Xiao Yi glanced at Su Xian. “She certainly didn’t have anything good to say.”
As for Li Jin’s wife, Xiao Yi did not wish to offer any comment.
Everyone had their own philosophy for dealing with the world.
Xu Jinxin and Li Jin clearly belonged to an entirely different world from him.
The only reason Xiao Yi tolerated the Li couple as much as he did was because of Su Xian.
That was all.
“There’s no way! She said that it was only fitting that we were husband and wife, since we spoke and acted alike.” Su Xian felt a little embarrassed as she spoke.
Xiao Yi nodded.
“Birds of a feather flock together. Only Li Jin and she would make such a good match.”
Su Xian smiled. “That’s true. After all, they’re from the same hometown.”
Xiao Yi did not want to continue the subject. He had no habit of discussing other people behind their backs.
“This letter may appear to be addressed to you, but in reality, your father wrote it for me.”
“Your second sister-in-law’s uproar has caused the Su family to lose all face.”
“The Su family’s second branch has also lost all credibility.”
“This letter was probably written under pressure from your elder brother.” That was Xiao Yi’s guess.
Su Xian glanced at the letter in her hand and nodded with a smile.
“It really does sound like my elder brother!”
“From the looks of it, my elder brother is in charge of the Su family now.”
“Wonderful! This means my elder brother and sister-in-law can finally hold their heads high!”
Su Xian was sincerely happy for them.
Xiao Yi remembered that there was another letter.
After hearing how tumultuous matters had become in the second branch, and after Yunxi told him about Old Madam Su’s behavior in the capital, the Su family’s eldest son had been furious.
He proposed splitting up the household.
The eldest branch would separate from the family and live on its own!
That threw Old Master Su into a panic.
Since ancient times, it had been unheard of for children and grandchildren to divide the family while their parents were still alive.
However, Old Master Su knew perfectly well that his wife had always favored the second branch.
The emperor loved his eldest son, while ordinary people loved their youngest.
That had always been the way of things.
Thus, Old Master Su had turned a blind eye to his wife’s behavior.
Besides, the entire eldest branch had always been obedient and filial, so he had simply pretended not to notice.
But now that the second branch’s reputation had been ruined, if the eldest branch separated from the family as well, the Su family would collapse completely!
Naturally, Old Master Su refused to agree.
So, after struggling with the matter for some time, Old Master Su handed the management of the Su family over to the eldest branch.
Old Madam Su objected, but Old Master Su frightened her into silence by threatening to write a letter disowning her if she continued making trouble.
When the second branch learned of this, it was too late for regret.
After being injured, the Su family’s second son quarreled with his wife every day.
He even made a scene about leaving home to become a monk.
In the end, after Old Master Su spoke with him privately, he finally calmed down.
Xiao Yi also recalled that the letter said Old Master Su had not actually sent the child away. Instead, he had sent the child to one of the family estates.
A flicker of amusement appeared in Xiao Yi’s eyes.
His father-in-law certainly had some skill!
It made sense. If his father-in-law had been an honest and straightforward man, how could he have married a woman like his mother-in-law?
As the old saying went:
People of the same family do not enter the same household.
“Did you know that your mother-in-law has already arranged a marriage with the Wang family, the household of Vice Minister Wang?”
Su Xian would certainly find out sooner or later, so Xiao Yi had no intention of hiding it from her.
Su Xian looked up in astonishment.
“When did that happen? Why didn’t my mother tell me?”
The corners of Xiao Yi’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“Indeed. I was surprised as well.”
“The last time Prince Rui came to visit, he specifically mentioned it to me.”
“Afterward, I sent someone to investigate.”
“It turned out that your mother-in-law had secretly arranged for someone to deliver a letter to the Wang residence and exchange betrothal tokens. She couldn’t wait to settle the marriage.”
Su Xian was left speechless with shock.
Ever since her mother had arrived, she had been constantly on edge, keeping an eye on her every moment.
When had her mother managed to send out a betrothal token?
Why had she not noticed anything at all?
Besides, shouldn’t a betrothal be discussed properly by both families sitting down together?
How could a marriage be settled with nothing more than a token?
Such a marriage would only count if the Wang family acknowledged it.
If the Wang family refused to recognize it, the whole thing would be nothing but an empty claim.
Su Xian was utterly exasperated.
Why was her mother so eager to throw herself at them?
