Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Three
Zhong had already noticed the commotion over here.
Although he had received the young mistress's order not to open the gate, this order certainly did not apply to the mistress.
Steward Zhou had also hurried out, intending to take Xu Heming to the guest quarters.
As soon as Zhong opened the gate, he saw Xu Heming and Qing Chuan following behind Lady Yao.
"Mistress, you have returned," Steward Zhou said respectfully.
"Hmm, take him to change his clothes first. If there are none, have someone fetch a few sets from the tailor's shop," Lady Yao said with a look of disdain.
She was terrified that Xu Heming's attire would utterly disgrace the Li family's reputation.
Xu Heming deeply felt his future mother-in-law's dislike for him.
He sighed inwardly!
It seemed this trip to Li'an County required not only coaxing Li Zhiwei but also carefully winning over this future mother-in-law.
"This subordinate will have someone prepare the clothes immediately," Qing Chuan promptly said.
He also lit a metaphorical incense stick in his heart for his prince.
Lady Yao sat in the courtyard, her face cold, and said, "Chuntao, send a message to the master. He must return home at once!"
"Mistress, the master is currently serving as an official at court. I'm afraid he won't be able to return on such short notice," Chuntao carefully explained.
"Tell him to find a way. If not, just say his wife is gravely ill, on her deathbed, and he must return to see her one last time!" Lady Yao said, sipping her tea.
"Mistress, such words are inauspicious to say," Chuntao quickly responded.
"Say it exactly like that!" Lady Yao was currently filled with rage. Back then, she had disagreed with her daughter marrying into the capital. It was Li Tianyou who said that as long as they provided a sufficiently substantial dowry, their daughter likely wouldn't suffer mistreatment in her husband's household.
She hadn't suffered mistreatment in her husband's household because she never even made it through the front gate.
Thinking of this, Lady Yao felt a pang of heartache.
Now, regarding this betrothal, that scoundrel Li Tianyou hadn't consulted her at all, as if the daughter were his alone.
By the time she found out, everything was already settled. Until today, she hadn't even known whether her future son-in-law was human or monster.
Li Tianyou hadn't even bothered to explain things clearly to her.
And now that she had seen him? Perfect!
A shabby, impoverished prince!
Is her daughter not worthy of marrying someone well-off?
All she gets paired with are rotten fish and stale shrimp.
Xu Heming looked at the small, ordinary guest courtyard Steward Zhou had arranged for him and sighed inwardly.
The Li family certainly did not think highly of him!
Thinking of his future mother-in-law's attitude towards him just now,
Xu Heming dared not imagine what would happen if Lady Yao found out he had nearly cost Li Tianyou his life. Would she actually have him thrown out?
"Father!" No sooner had Xu Heming finished washing up than he heard a cheerful voice.
It was none other than Xu Qingshi.
"Dad, have you come to take me and the pretty sister back to the capital?" Xu Qingshi asked, looking at Xu Heming with anticipation.
Hearing this, Xu Heming felt somewhat puzzled. Before coming to Li'an County, didn't Xu Qingshi call Li Zhiwei 'mother'?
Why the change in address?
"Dad?" Xu Qingshi looked at Xu Heming's furrowed brow, somewhat confused. Why wasn't he responding?
"Hmm? What did you say?" Xu Heming snapped back to attention and asked again.
"Dad, you couldn't possibly be thinking about that bad auntie, could you?" Xu Qingshi widened his eyes and asked incredulously.
"What bad auntie?" Xu Heming asked, frowning.
"The one you saved today! Dad, why did you save her? She's a bad person. She abandons children!" Xu Qingshi said, hands on hips, displeased.
"Where is your mother?" Xu Heming sighed, not intending to explain to a child. He needed to explain this clearly to Li Zhiwei himself.
"Pretty sister said she doesn't want to see you. Once you're tidied up, please leave!" Xu Qingshi said without a second thought.
Hearing this, Xu Heming frowned. She must be really angry this time, he thought.
Li Zhiwei looked at Lady Yao, who was fuming.
"Mother?" Li Zhiwei was startled, not understanding why Lady Yao was so angry.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Lady Yao asked her daughter angrily.
"Mother, you already know?" Li Zhiwei was shocked. Had her mother already found out about Xu Heming sending the fake wine to her father?
"I'm furious! How can you marry someone like that?" Lady Yao said indignantly.
"Mother, please don't be angry. Father is fine, after all. Luckily, this matter was discovered in time," Li Zhiwei explained softly.
Although she was also angry, she was truly worried her mother would make herself ill.
She really wouldn't know how to explain it to her father later.
"What do you mean?" Lady Yao wasn't pleased upon hearing this. What did this have to do with Li Tianyou?
"Mother, didn't you know that Xu Heming sent Father a jug of wine that was fake? Father drank it and nearly had an accident?" Li Zhiwei asked, bewildered.
"What?" Upon hearing this, Lady Yao stood up furiously.
Good heavens! She originally thought the man was just a bit poor, and if her daughter truly liked him, she would accept it.
"Mother?" Li Zhiwei called out cautiously, thinking, oh no, her mother probably hadn't known about this.
"When did this happen?" Lady Yao asked through gritted teeth.
"The day I returned home, Mother. I only found out later myself. I didn't mean to keep it from you," Li Zhiwei said softly.
"He treated your father like that, and you still want to marry him?" Lady Yao asked her daughter disapprovingly.
"Mother, I was waiting to discuss it with Father before making a decision. You must understand, this is a marriage decreed by imperial edict. It's not something I can simply withdraw from if I wish. There's a reason they say 'a gentleman's word is as unchangeable as a chariot drawn by four horses,'" Li Zhiwei explained quietly.
"Damned! I knew at first glance he didn't seem like a good person. You're not even married yet, and he already wants your father's life? Isn't he just after our Li family's wealth? Daughter, you absolutely must not marry such a man! What if one day he drains you of your worth? You certainly won't come to a good end!" Thinking of this, Lady Yao began to sob.
She thought bitterly, why was her fate so wretched?
"Mother, I know," Li Zhiwei said, biting her lip, remembering her previous life when she married into the Ru'an Marquis's household. Hadn't she met exactly that fate?
Originally, she also thought Xu Heming was trustworthy, but now it seemed he too had ulterior motives.
Thinking this, Li Zhiwei's heart sank a few degrees lower.
"Young Mistress, the Prince is here," Qinghua said softly from outside the door.
She and Qingyue were trained in martial arts and had overheard the entire conversation between mother and daughter clearly.
Although they didn't believe the Prince was that kind of person, they had no right to speak on the matter.
"Tell him to leave!" Li Zhiwei frowned. She had no desire to see him at all.
"Let him in. I want to see for myself what he intends by coming to our Li family," Lady Yao said, her face darkening.
Lady Yao wanted to confront Xu Heming directly and ask him exactly how the Li family had wronged him, to warrant such humiliation of their daughter.
"I beg the Princess Consort and Mother-in-law for forgiveness!" Upon entering the room, Xu Heming, disregarding the several maids present, knelt directly before the two women!
"What are you doing?" Li Zhiwei exclaimed, startled, quickly standing up!
