Chapter 145
Xu Heming felt a buzz in his head.
His only thought was: had Li Tianyou found out about him buying the fake wine?
How did Li Tianyou know?
Did the Emperor tell him?
The idea that the Emperor had betrayed him made Xu Heming frown deeply, but immediately after, he felt it couldn't possibly be the Emperor who revealed it. After all, although the Emperor could be lazy at times, he was still a man of his word.
Moreover, revealing this would bring no benefit to the Emperor.
Qingsong, standing nearby, was utterly terrified.
How had this been discovered? He hadn't even had a chance to inform the prince yet!
What should they do?
Bowing his head, Qingsong stood to the side, burning with anxiety.
Suddenly, Xu Heming picked up a nearby whip and, with a thud, knelt before Li Tianyou. With a face full of sincerity, he said, "Father-in-law, this matter is your son-in-law's fault. Please punish me!"
Li Tianyou hadn't expected Xu Heming to kneel before him and was so startled he stumbled backward.
"What... what are you doing?" Li Tianyou asked, somewhat fearfully.
After all, officially, he was merely a third-rank official with an unstable footing, while Xu Heming was a prince.
Personally, although Xu Heming was his future son-in-law, the word "future" still applied. Xu Heming could completely ignore him if he wished.
Yet, his attitude in admitting fault was so good...
Li Tianyou couldn't help but wonder if there was some ulterior motive.
"Heming knows he has wronged you, Father-in-law, causing you great suffering. Whatever anger you hold, please vent it. Heming will not utter a single word of complaint!" Xu Heming said earnestly, raising the whip above his head once more.
Qingsong, watching from the side, widened his eyes, thinking, "The prince is really playing this up high!"
However, for the prince to kneel before Lord Li was truly beneath his station.
But then again, the prince had nearly caused Lord Li's death, and Lord Li was the prince's future father-in-law. So perhaps kneeling wasn't so inappropriate?
Having reasoned it through, Qingsong no longer saw any problem with it.
Seeing Xu Heming's excellent attitude in admitting fault, and thinking of the genuine anger in his own heart, Li Tianyou couldn't help but point at Xu Heming's nose and scold, "You wretched scoundrel! What wicked ambitions were you harboring? You actually wanted my life!"
"I didn't!" Xu Heming felt terribly wronged. He had been framed by Huo Yunxuan, but this excuse couldn't even convince himself.
Let alone convince Li Tianyou.
Regardless, the fact was he had bought fake wine for Li Tianyou.
And the fact was Li Tianyou had nearly died after drinking that fake wine.
He had no defense. Better to just plead guilty.
"You didn't? Zhou Tong and I nearly lost our lives!" The thought made Li Tianyou furious!
"Do you covet the Li family's wealth?" After turning it over in his mind, Li Tianyou concluded that the Li family didn't have much of anything except money.
Could it be that Xu Heming actually coveted the Li family's fortune?
And that's why he wanted Li Tianyou dead, to later more easily control his daughter and wife?
"No, Father-in-law. Your son-in-law was deceived by someone, and by a twist of fate, ended up buying that fake wine." Xu Heming also felt he was in a difficult position, unable to explain himself properly.
He felt nothing he said would carry any credibility.
"I say, Prince An, you usually appear so imposing and dignified, not at all like a fool. How could you be deceived?" Li Tianyou didn't believe Xu Heming's lame excuse for a second.
Xu Heming turned his face away in shame. Even the best horse can stumble.
He had just carelessly slipped up and been deceived, only this crime had landed on his future father-in-law.
Thinking this, Xu Heming wondered what he could do to extinguish the fire of anger in his father-in-law's heart.
"Are you short on silver?" Li Tianyou stared directly at Xu Heming and asked.
But even as he asked, Li Tianyou himself didn't believe it. Would the illustrious Prince An be short on silver?
That would be the most ridiculous joke in the world.
"If you really need silver, you could have told me! There was no need to take my old life!" Thinking this, Li Tianyou looked at Xu Heming with a pained expression and added.
He wasn't unwilling to give some silver to his future son-in-law for his use.
"Father-in-law, I truly am not short on silver. I paid three thousand taels for that wine. I didn't know it was problematic. If I had known, I would never have given it to you!" Xu Heming explained somewhat helplessly.
He actually didn't want to mention such an embarrassing matter, but if he didn't, he was afraid his future father-in-law would think he was poor and unwilling to marry his daughter to him.
"Father-in-law, this matter is my fault. Whether you wish to beat or punish me, please do as you see fit!" Xu Heming felt it was better for Li Tianyou to vent his anger. After all, if Li Zhiwei found out about this, she might be so angry she'd refuse to marry him.
"What is going on here?"
The Old Princess, having been informed by a servant that Lord Li had arrived and that the prince was kneeling to receive punishment for some unknown reason, arrived in a state of great anxiety.
From afar, she saw Xu Heming kneeling before Li Tianyou and immediately became displeased.
Her son was the illustrious Prince An. How could a mere third-rank minister be worthy of receiving such a kneeling from her son?
And on top of that, he wore an angry expression!
No family would be happy about this!
Furthermore, his daughter wasn't even married to her son yet. What right did he have to make her son kneel?
Thinking this, The Old Princess addressed Li Tianyou in an unfriendly tone, "Lord Li, what crime has my son committed that you would humiliate him like this?"
Already unhappy, Li Tianyou, hearing The Old Princess's harsh tone, responded with no better attitude, retorting sarcastically, "Old Princess, your fine son specially bought me a pot of fake wine at a high price, nearly costing me my life. Now that the truth is out, am I not allowed to come and seek justice?"
"What?" Even The Old Princess, initially dissatisfied with Li Tianyou's actions, now hearing the reason, turned somewhat angrily towards her son and asked, "Is what your future father-in-law says true?"
"Yes," Xu Heming replied, ashamed.
"Wretched scoundrel!" Upon hearing this, The Old Princess lost all her previous haughtiness!
She raised her walking stick and began striking Xu Heming with it!
"Is this how your father and I raised you? You actually wanted your future father-in-law's life!" The Old Princess angrily beat Xu Heming.
Xu Heming dared not dodge. He was in the wrong in this matter, and besides, the one beating him was his own mother.
Li Tianyou, watching from the side, found it satisfying, but he still pretended to dissuade The Old Princess, saying, "Old Princess, let it be. This matter is due to my own gluttony. If I hadn't drunk that wine, nothing would have happened!"
Hearing this, The Old Princess felt even worse. She raised her walking stick to strike Xu Heming again when
Zheng Qiaoshu, standing nearby, quickly grabbed The Old Princess's hand and coaxingly advised, "Aunt, let it go. Cousin surely didn't do it on purpose. Besides, isn't Lord Li fine now? Why must we dwell on this matter?"
As she spoke, Zheng Qiaoshu glanced at Li Tianyou, as if to suggest he was the one who shouldn't be making such a fuss.
