Chapter 35
Lin Qihua’s face darkened with fury as Xu Heming ruthlessly exposed the truth.
He never expected that Xu Heming would show not the slightest regard for the Ruan Marquis Residence, brazenly revealing everything to Prince An.
"Brother Li, do you really think Prince An is helping you out of sincerity?"
Now that the truth was laid bare, Lin Qihua dropped all pretenses.
After all, Prince An had stolen his son’s betrothed—there was no chance of reconciliation between them now.
Even if Li Zhiwei was someone his son no longer wanted, Lin Qihua was determined to stir trouble between the two.
"Prince An is only after your Li Family’s wealth. Did you know that the contributions your family made have earned Prince An great merit in the Emperor’s eyes?" Lin Qihua sneered, his expression dark as he glared at Xu Heming.
"What a pity. Originally, your Ruan Marquis Residence could have earned that merit too. Now, the opportunity belongs to someone else." Li Tianyou refused to take the bait.
He was more than willing to let Prince An take the credit—just not the Ruan Marquis.
Hmph. Let this old fool choke on his anger.
"Li Tianyou, don’t tell me you actually believe your daughter can marry Prince An? He’s only using her. Once your Li Family’s wealth dries up and you can no longer provide silver, Li Zhiwei will be nothing more than a forgotten ghost in Prince An’s mansion. And without his protection, your entire family will be wiped out!" With those final words, Lin Qihua stormed off in a huff.
Xu Heming remained silent throughout, though his expression was far from pleasant.
He hadn’t expected Lin Qihua to openly threaten Li Tianyou in his presence. It seemed the man truly didn’t fear Xu Heming reporting every word to the Emperor.
"Father-in-law, rest assured. I’ve already arranged guards to protect this residence. The Ruan Marquis Residence won’t dare disturb you again." Xu Heming bowed respectfully to Li Tianyou.
"Your Highness, I dare not accept such an address. As for your relationship with Zhiwei, I will seek the Emperor’s judgment tomorrow. And if the Ruan Marquis Residence dares to act, I, Li Tianyou, am not one to cower." Li Tianyou’s expression was grim.
He had only just arrived, yet one incident after another filled him with guilt toward his daughter.
Still, he wasn’t afraid of any moves the Ruan Marquis might make. The Li Family’s vast wealth came with its own connections. Though he rarely dealt with officials, there were martial arts masters willing to protect them.
The jianghu had its own rules.
The court had its own methods. All Li Tianyou wanted was the safety of his wife and child.
If he couldn’t even ensure that, then the Li Family didn’t deserve their fortune.
His only fear was underhanded schemes. Now that Lin Qihua had laid everything bare, Li Tianyou would be on guard.
In the side chamber, Li Zhiwei finally steadied her thoughts. This life would be different—she was sure of it.
"Miss, Prince An is here. Will you go out?" Cuiguo asked cautiously.
"Yes." Li Zhiwei’s emotions were still unsettled, but at least Xu Heming’s intervention had helped her father.
Otherwise, the Ruan Marquis wouldn’t have left so quickly.
"Thank you for your assistance, Your Highness." Li Zhiwei curtsied to Xu Heming.
"Does my consort intend to remain so distant with me forever?" For some reason, Xu Heming disliked her formality.
Once he decided to marry her, he had no intention of going back on his word.
Besides, he had already given his word before the Emperor.
"Your Highness, I believe the Ruan Marquis was right about one thing. Our statuses are mismatched. I am unworthy of the title of Princess Consort." Li Zhiwei glanced at her father before speaking firmly.
"Worthy or not is for me to decide. I’m the one taking a wife, not the Ruan Marquis. Why should you care what others say?" Prince An frowned, a sour taste in his mouth.
In the past, it was always him rejecting women who threw themselves at him.
Now, this woman had the audacity to refuse him?
Did she not know how many noble ladies in the capital longed to marry him?
Yet here she was, pushing him away.
"I..." Li Zhiwei was momentarily speechless.
"Stepmother, you didn’t run away just to avoid making me that double-layer milk pudding, did you?"
Before she could respond to Xu Heming, a petulant child’s voice rang out behind her.
Xu Qingshi stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at Li Zhiwei.
He had been eagerly waiting for her to make the dessert, planning to take some to the palace later to show off to the Third Prince.
But then he heard she had run away!
This wretched woman! She was already married to his father—how dare she flee?
It was all his father’s fault for being so useless he couldn’t even keep a woman.
Li Tianyou frowned at the child’s words. So this was Prince An’s son?
The way the boy looked at Li Zhiwei made him seem difficult to deal with.
To openly call his daughter "stepmother" like that...
Even in merchant families, stepchildren didn’t address their stepmothers so disrespectfully.
The thought made Li Tianyou’s temper flare.
"Father, it was the young master who saved me," Li Zhiwei quickly explained, noticing his expression.
Li Tianyou paused, recalling Wu San’s words—that it was Prince An’s heir who forcibly took Li Zhiwei from the Ruan Marquis Residence, sparing her from the unwanted marriage.
His anger subsided.
He looked at the child again.
Now, the boy’s words sounded more like a child’s sulking toward a mother.
Thinking of how young he was to have lost his own mother, Li Tianyou felt a pang of pity for Xu Qingshi.
"Young Master, it’s improper for me to stay in the manor. If you still want the pudding, I can make it for you tomorrow, alright?" Li Zhiwei crouched down, speaking gently to Xu Qingshi.
"No! You already tricked me once!" Xu Qingshi pouted.
"So you’re the young master who saved my daughter?" Li Tianyou also crouched, meeting Xu Qingshi’s gaze.
The boy looked at him in confusion before turning to Xu Heming for help.
"Call him Grandfather," Xu Heming instructed, completely ignoring Li Tianyou’s earlier refusal.
Whether they were willing or not didn’t matter. If he wanted Li Zhiwei, she wasn’t escaping.
Xu Qingshi thought of his other grandfather from the Zhou family and frowned. He didn’t like that grandfather—always saying things he couldn’t understand.
This grandfather seemed much gentler.
Not as annoying as the Zhou one.
"Grandfather," Xu Qingshi called sweetly, wrapping his small arms around Li Tianyou’s neck.
Li Tianyou was taken aback, then smiled.
This child... it seemed fate had tied him to the Li Family.
