Chapter Seventy-Three
Girls?
Xu Heming frowned. Two girls?
Soon, Xu Heming realized that Li Tianyou was referring to Qinghua and Qingyue.
"Uncle, I often have many duties to attend to and worry that Zhiwei might encounter trouble again. So, I specially requested two skilled palace maids from His Majesty to take care of her," Li Tianyou quickly explained.
After all, Qinghua and Qingyue were ostensibly palace maids, but in reality, they were female covert guards he had trained for Zhu Jingchen.
Now, for Li Zhiwei's sake, he had agreed to many of Zhu Jingchen's demands to secure these two.
Female covert guards, especially skilled ones, were far harder to train than their male counterparts.
Li Tianyou hadn’t expected these two to be of such importance, so his earlier displeasure faded slightly.
For a moment, he had feared they were sent by the An Prince Residence to teach Li Zhiwei etiquette and rules.
After all, back then, the Ruan Marquis Residence had sent two matrons under the guise of teaching Zhiwei manners, but in truth, they were nothing more than money-grubbing nuisances.
At the time, since Li Zhiwei was to marry into the Ruan Marquis Residence, he and his wife had tolerated those two old hags.
Had they known their daughter wouldn’t end up marrying into the Lin Family, they wouldn’t have indulged them.
"Hmm." Li Tianyou didn’t oppose the arrangement. His daughter had been in the capital for some time now and truly needed protection.
Though he could also recruit capable individuals, none would compare to those trained as covert guards.
Moreover, Xu Heming and Li Zhiwei’s marriage was decreed by the emperor—there was no changing it.
In that case, whatever Xu Heming sent, his daughter could accept without guilt.
They were just two maids, not concubines.
Thinking this way, Li Tianyou felt slightly better.
"Grandfather, can you go see Mother?" Xu Qingshi suddenly emerged from behind Xu Heming, asking awkwardly.
Xu Qingshi had always referred to Li Zhiwei as "stepmother."
But after Li Zhiwei saved him, Xie Yanzhi, and Jiang Yu, he felt calling her "Mother" wasn’t undeserved.
Besides, he couldn’t even remember what his birth mother looked like—she had passed away giving birth to him. Deep down, he longed for a mother.
Li Tianyou’s brows furrowed at the sight of Xu Qingshi.
His daughter’s injuries today were all because of this little brat.
Though he believed children were innocent, others’ children meant nothing to him—his own child was the one suffering.
"Grandfather?" Xu Qingshi noticed Li Tianyou’s displeasure.
Remembering Li Zhiwei had been hurt protecting him, Xu Qingshi felt a pang of guilt.
"Fine, go ahead." Li Tianyou sighed and relented.
After all, the child couldn’t just vanish. His daughter would eventually marry into the An Prince Residence, and he could only hope Xu Qingshi would remember her sacrifices and not make life difficult for her.
The challenges of being a stepmother were something Li Tianyou understood all too well.
Seeing his son allowed to visit Li Zhiwei, Xu Heming looked at Li Tianyou hopefully. Unfortunately, while the elder might soften toward the young, he had no such mercy for the old.
If Xu Heming had been capable of protecting his son, Li Zhiwei wouldn’t have suffered!
Hmph! He was the real culprit!
Wei Family
"Has the master returned?" Lin Ziyi hadn’t seen Wei Jing'an for several days and wanted to discuss the upcoming banquet with him.
At first, she hadn’t thought much of it, but when she needed him, she realized—had it really been days since she last saw him?
"Madam, the master hasn’t returned yet," a maid quickly replied.
"A mere Minister of Ceremonies—what could possibly keep him so busy? One would think he’s a Grand Secretary, swamped with affairs of state!" Lin Ziyi grumbled.
"Perhaps there’s an important ritual requiring his attention," Xi'er chimed in with a smile.
"Hmph. If there were a major ceremony, it would’ve been announced long ago." Lin Ziyi was bursting with curiosity about the banquet and wanted Wei Jing'an’s input.
But since she couldn’t find him, her frustration grew.
And Lin Ziyi wasn’t one to keep things bottled up.
The more she thought, the more upset she became.
Remembering Li Zhiwei was also invited, she perked up.
"Xi'er, prepare some of the kitchen’s newly developed candied hawthorns. I’m going to visit a friend." She decided to seek out Li Zhiwei.
After all, they hadn’t finished their conversation yesterday before Li Zhiwei left.
When Lin Ziyi saw Li Zhiwei’s injuries, her brows knitted tightly.
"I just saw you yesterday—how did you end up like this?" she asked, bewildered.
"It’s a long story, but the wounds look worse than they are. I’m fine now," Li Zhiwei reassured her with a smile.
The bruises hadn’t faded, but the medicine Xu Heming had sent worked wonders.
Plus, Qinghua and Qingyue seemed particularly skilled at treating such injuries.
She truly felt much better.
"My eyes tell me you’re lying. Who would dare attack a defenseless woman like this? Was it the Leng Family?" Lin Ziyi recalled how Leng Qi had once abducted Li Zhiwei. Though the Li Family had been dealt with, the Lengs might still have allies.
After all, the Leng Family had once held considerable influence in the capital.
"No. Sister Lin, remember when I went to Rushan Academy yesterday?" Li Zhiwei sighed, feeling rather unlucky. Since arriving in the capital, it seemed she’d been constantly injured.
Still, given the chance, she’d save the children again without hesitation.
"Rushan Academy did this? How dare they?!" Lin Ziyi shot to her feet, furious.
"Not them—the Luo Family." Li Zhiwei’s expression darkened at the mention of them, though she doubted they’d gotten off scot-free.
With Xu Heming’s temperament, he wouldn’t let anyone harm his son. Add the Yongning Marquis Residence and the Xie Family to the mix, and the Luo Family had bitten off more than they could chew.
"Which Luo Family?" Lin Ziyi mentally ran through the capital’s nobility but couldn’t recall any Luo Family of significance.
Given the An Prince Residence’s power, few would dare cross them.
Even her father-in-law, the Grand Preceptor, wouldn’t provoke the An Prince Residence.
As for the rivalry between Xu Qingshi and Wei Herui, they dismissed it—children quarreled one day and made up the next. No one cut ties over childish spats.
"The maternal family of the Prince of Zhennan’s consort," Li Zhiwei explained, recalling how the Luo Family had introduced themselves.
