Chapter 33
"What father-in-law?" Lin Jitong asked, puzzled.
He hadn’t heard Zhou Yutang mention her father coming to the capital.
"Li Tianyou!" Lin Qinian gritted his teeth as he spoke.
"Father, didn’t my engagement with that wretch Li Zhiwei fall through? Why should I go see her father?" Lin Jitong’s face twisted with displeasure.
After all, that wretched Li Zhiwei never gave him a single kind look. What good would meeting Li Tianyou do?
Wasn’t it just inviting a scolding?
He wasn’t stupid—why should he subject himself to that?
Besides, Li Zhiwei was already Xu Heming’s woman now.
He wanted nothing to do with her.
"What do you know? With the Li family’s wealth, you could have any woman you desire!" Lin Qihua glared at his son, exasperated. If not for his impatience to marry Zhou Yutang first, none of this would have happened.
Everything from the Li family should have belonged to the Ruan Marquis household.
"Father, you know I only want to marry Cousin," Lin Jitong muttered resentfully.
"Hmph, marry her? What can she give you? Nothing but a fallen family." Lin Qinian dismissed the idea without hesitation.
He hadn’t originally disliked Zhou Yutang—if his son liked her, he saw no harm in letting him marry her. But that was only if it didn’t harm the Ruan Marquis household’s interests.
Now, because of Zhou Yutang, the Lin family had lost everything. And for that, Lin Qihua blamed her entirely.
"Father, Cousin never wanted things to turn out this way. She couldn’t choose her birth, and besides, didn’t you agree to let me marry her before?" Lately, Lin Jitong had also been feeling bitter.
His father kept pushing him to pursue Li Zhiwei, and because of it, Zhou Yutang had fought with him countless times.
Now, just when things had finally settled for a couple of days, his father had dropped this bombshell—demanding he go see Li Zhiwei’s father.
Wasn’t this just forcing him to apologize?
What crime had he committed by not liking Li Zhiwei?
"Enough. We’ll discuss her later. First, we must see Li Tianyou." Lin Qihua’s face darkened. From what he knew, Li Tianyou would be entering the palace to meet the Emperor early the next morning.
They had to see him as soon as possible. Otherwise, once everything was handed over to the Emperor, there’d be no hope of getting anything back.
In the end, Lin Jitong reluctantly followed Lin Qihua to search for Li Tianyou. But after inquiring at several inns, they found no trace of him.
"Father, isn’t Li Tianyou in Li'an County? How could he possibly be in the capital?" Lin Jitong was convinced his father had misheard.
Why would Li Tianyou suddenly come to the capital?
To back Li Zhiwei up?
What a joke.
The capital wasn’t like Li'an County—here, even an ordinary person could be the relative of a high-ranking official.
As a mere merchant, could Li Tianyou afford to offend anyone?
If not for Prince An’s interference, Li Zhiwei would still be at the mercy of the Ruan Marquis household.
Thinking of this, Lin Jitong cursed Xu Heming inwardly for meddling.
With so many women in the capital, why did he have to choose Li Zhiwei?
"What do you know? Li Tianyou is meeting the Emperor tomorrow morning. We must see him before then." Truthfully, Lin Qihua was afraid Li Tianyou might complain about them to the Emperor—or worse, donate the entire Li family fortune.
If that happened, they’d truly get nothing.
"Li Tianyou meeting the Emperor? Father, he’s just a merchant. Why are you so afraid of him?" Lin Jitong thought his father was overreacting.
In his eyes, a mere imperial merchant wasn’t worth fearing.
Eventually, Lin Qihua tracked Li Tianyou down to West Willow Lane.
"My lord, the Ruan Marquis and his son request an audience," Zhou Tong reported quietly to Li Tianyou.
"They dare show their faces?" Li Tianyou hadn’t even gone to settle accounts with these two hypocrites, and now they had the audacity to come to him?
The thought of how the Ruan Marquis household had humiliated his daughter made Li Tianyou wish he could skin them alive.
"Weiwei, step aside for now. I’ll deal with them," Li Tianyou said to Li Zhiwei.
"Father, those two have nothing to do with us anymore. Why bother seeing them? They’re only here because of our family’s wealth." Li Zhiwei was worried her father might soften and agree to marry her into the Ruan Marquis household again.
If that happened, it would be a fate worse than death.
"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing." Li Tianyou patted his daughter’s hand reassuringly.
"Father, I’ll be in the next room. Call if you need anything." Reluctantly, Li Zhiwei stepped back.
"Fine. Cuiguo, protect your mistress." Li Tianyou instructed Li Zhiwei’s maid.
"Bring them in," he told Zhou Tong once Li Zhiwei had left.
"Dear in-law! Ah, what brings you to the capital?" Lin Qihua greeted Li Tianyou with exaggerated warmth the moment he saw him.
"Ruan Marquis, you must have mistaken me for someone else." Li Tianyou didn’t bother with formalities.
After all, he wasn’t the one in the wrong.
Why should he show respect to these two snakes?
Tomorrow, he’d be meeting the Emperor—let His Majesty deal out the punishment.
"Dear in-law, surely there’s been some misunderstanding between Zhiwei and my foolish son. Let’s clear it up, shall we?" Though seething inside, Lin Qihua maintained an ingratiating smile.
Inwardly, he cursed Li Tianyou—who did this lowly merchant think he was, putting on airs in front of him?
"You brat, apologize to your father-in-law!" Lin Qihua kicked Lin Jitong.
"Esteemed father-in-law, this unworthy son-in-law begs your forgiveness!" Though reluctant, Lin Jitong had promised his father on the way here that he’d play along.
"I am unworthy of such a title. After all, your household’s future lady is someone else entirely. So, Ruan Marquis, what brings you here today?" Li Tianyou showed them no courtesy whatsoever.
The moment he spoke, both father and son stiffened.
They had expected Li Tianyou to be difficult, but not this boldly defiant.
Had Prince An already promised him something before they arrived?
"Kneel!" Lin Qihua kicked Lin Jitong again, then forced a smile and clasped his hands toward Li Tianyou.
"Brother Li, it’s my fault for failing to raise my son properly, leading him to commit such a grave mistake. But he’s learned his lesson now. Our families’ marriage was arranged with all proper rites—if you’re dissatisfied with this brat, punish him as you see fit today. If there’s anything else you’re unhappy with, just say the word. After all, a son-in-law is half a son."
As Lin Qihua spoke, Li Zhiwei’s heart clenched in the next room.
Would her father really force her back into the Ruan Marquis household for the sake of reputation?
The mere thought of returning there made her tremble uncontrollably.
