Chapter 114
Li Zhiwei was momentarily stunned by Lady Yao’s words. Had her father not told her mother about her relationship with Prince An?
Considering all that had happened since her father went to the capital, perhaps he simply hadn’t found the time to inform her mother yet.
Or maybe he hadn’t mentioned it to avoid worrying her.
“Mother, do you know why I was originally supposed to marry into the Ruan Marquis Residence, but in the end, it didn’t happen?” Li Zhiwei cautiously looked at Lady Yao.
She wasn’t sure how much her mother knew about her affairs in the capital.
So she had to start from the beginning, probing gently.
If her mother didn’t know, she would explain everything carefully.
“I know. Hmph! That damned Lin Family just wanted to swindle a dowry from my son. You didn’t marry into the Lin Family because the ancestors were protecting you!” Lady Yao said, her teeth clenched with hatred at the memory.
“At that time, I was waiting outside the Lin Family’s mansion when the young heir of Prince An’s residence took me back. That’s why my daughter planned to donate all her dowry,” Li Zhiwei whispered. But she dared not mention her rebirth to her mother—such a thing was too unbelievable.
She also feared her mother might be frightened, thinking she was some kind of monster.
“My poor son,” Lady Yao thought of the scene and felt a deep ache in her heart.
She only had one daughter in her entire life.
She had wanted to keep her daughter close, but unexpectedly, someone from the capital had persistently sought to marry her off.
Though they suspected that man’s intentions, they had no other choice but to support their daughter with a generous dowry.
Yet despite all that, her daughter was still mistreated.
Thinking of this, Lady Yao couldn’t help but shed tears.
“Mother, please don’t cry. None of this is your fault. Besides, isn’t your daughter doing well now?” Li Zhiwei nestled into Lady Yao’s arms, letting her feel her presence, speaking gently.
“But even if that child saved you, he shouldn’t have called you an unmarried girl, my dear,” Lady Yao said after crying, still feeling uneasy. That man saved her daughter; they could have offered him plenty of silver.
Though, perhaps, Prince An’s heir wasn’t short of money.
“Mother, the Emperor has arranged my marriage. The groom is Prince An himself,” Li Zhiwei whispered, barely daring to meet Lady Yao’s eyes.
“What?” Lady Yao exclaimed in shock.
She had the impression that the prince was very old.
The thought of her beautiful daughter marrying a man well over fifty made Lady Yao utterly unwilling.
“Call me ‘Mother’ during the Qing era, that’s fine. After all, my marriage with his father was already set in stone. Mother, Prince An is a good man. You don’t need to worry,” Li Zhiwei said earnestly.
Yet deep down, she wasn’t sure if her mother would believe her before meeting Xu Heming.
She thought to herself that she must go to the capital soon and let her mother see Xu Heming in person.
“Foolish! Absolutely foolish! How could your father have agreed to this?” Lady Yao quickly recalled when Li Tianyou went to the capital. The marriage hadn’t been granted yet at that time. Why didn’t Li Tianyou refuse then?
Is it because you can’t bear to part with the money?
Lady Yao steeled her heart.
No, she couldn’t let her daughter marry into Prince An’s mansion.
“Mother, don’t worry. Prince An is really a good man,” Li Zhiwei quickly said, sensing Lady Yao’s anxiety.
“Look, Qinghua and Qingyue are the secret guards Prince An specially assigned to protect you,” Li Zhiwei added, pointing to the two not far away.
“He even controls the people around you?” Lady Yao, who never liked this, felt her heart sink even deeper. After all, the person who used to be by Li Zhiwei’s side was Cuiguo, but now Cuiguo hadn’t come back with her.
He replaced Prince An’s maid—could it be to spy on my daughter?
“Daughter, be honest with me. Is Prince An restricting your movements?” Lady Yao pulled her daughter close and whispered.
“Mother, why would you say that?” Li Zhiwei looked at Lady Yao in confusion, unable to understand why her mother would think that way.
“Then why didn’t Cuiguo come back with you this time?” Lady Yao stared intently at her daughter.
“Cuiguo...” Li Zhiwei was about to explain that Cuiguo had been injured, but she stopped herself. This wasn’t something she could tell Lady Yao.
If Lady Yao knew that Cuiguo was hurt protecting Xu Qingshi, she would only think worse of Prince An.
“Mother, you’re overthinking it. Qinghua and Qingyue are palace secret guards. They not only take care of me but also protect my safety,” Li Zhiwei quickly switched to a lighter tone.
But Li Zhiwei’s hesitation just now only deepened Lady Yao’s suspicions. “Really?”
Lady Yao knew her daughter’s character well.
Her daughter clearly wanted to say something else but chose not to tell the truth.
It seemed that in the capital, her daughter must have suffered great grievances.
“Of course it’s true. When have I ever lied to you?” Li Zhiwei lowered her head, avoiding Lady Yao’s gaze.
She dared not tell her mother about everything that had happened in the capital these past two months, fearing Lady Yao wouldn’t be able to bear it.
“Ugh, this Li Tianyou is really going backward with age!” Lady Yao muttered in dissatisfaction but could only blame Li Tianyou for everything.
Capital City, Ministry of Revenue office.
Tang Xiuyong was sweating nervously as he looked at Huo Yunxuan.
The emperor had ordered an audit of the Ministry’s accounts, but unexpectedly, someone had been sent to investigate.
This young master Huo was a mystery—he sat there silently, flipping through the ledgers without even touching an abacus.
It was as if he was just playing around.
Tang Xiuyong had no idea what the emperor was up to.
Meanwhile, the Ministry’s two main assistants, Li Tianyou and Xiao Guozhi, were both out on other assignments.
No matter what Tang Xiuyong asked Huo Yunxuan, the latter only gave him a cold glance, refusing to answer.
Tang Xiuyong didn’t know who Huo Yunxuan really was and dared not offend him.
“How’s it going, Young Master Huo?” Xu Heming rushed in and asked the man studying the ledgers at the table.
Huo Yunxuan maintained his usual aloof demeanor, not responding to Xu Heming.
“His Highness Prince An!” Tang Xiuyong smiled politely and saluted Xu Heming.
Huo Yunxuan set down the ledger in his hands and sized up Xu Heming.
So this is Prince An?
Huo Yunxuan gave him a thorough once-over, feeling a bit displeased as he thought to himself, "Not all that impressive."
He didn’t think he was any worse than this guy.
With that in mind, Huo Yunxuan put the ledger aside, stood up, and looked at Xu Heming with a hint of irritation in his tone as he asked, "You must be Prince An?"
Xu Heming was momentarily taken aback. He didn’t think he knew this Young Master Huo before.
Why did he feel like this man was looking at him with some hostility?
He must not have offended him, right?
If his guess was correct, this man was probably someone Li Tianyou had sent over. Could it be that he held a grudge against Li Tianyou?
