Chapter 96
Xu Heming followed the servant toward the backyard.
"Hmph! I refuse to believe they can stir up any trouble in our household!" Madam Lou glared at Xu Heming's retreating figure and muttered discontentedly.
She thought to herself that she must have a serious talk with her daughter later. This Prince An was truly lawless!
Their Liu Family was not a place just anyone could barge into and search as they pleased!
Beside her, Liu Zongcheng was sweating nervously, silently praying that his secret room wouldn’t be discovered.
Otherwise, it could mean the crime of exterminating nine generations—after all, that room was filled with gold.
The mere thought made Liu Zongcheng even more uneasy.
He had no other hobbies but hoarding gold. That room was deliberately packed with gold bars, and he forbade anyone from approaching it, allowing himself to lie back and count his treasures in peace.
Inside were tens of thousands of taels of gold he had accumulated over the years—piled on the floor and even stuffed into the walls.
If this were discovered...
"Old man, why are you just standing there? Hurry and go to the palace to ask the Emperor to intervene on our behalf!" Madam Lou snapped when she saw Liu Zongcheng remaining silent despite her complaints.
"What’s the rush?" Liu Zongcheng dared not leave now.
What if Prince An took his gold while he was gone?
The thought made him even more reluctant to go—those gold bars were his lifeblood!
"You old fool! They’re practically trampling all over you, and you’re still not in a hurry? Do you need them to actually defecate on you before you react?" Madam Lou fumed.
In her eyes, Prince An’s actions might not harm the Liu Family, but they were undeniably humiliating.
How could they let this insult go unanswered?
"What do you know, woman?" Liu Zongcheng retorted impatiently. How could he explain to her about his hidden stash of gold?
---
Xu Heming frowned as he surveyed the empty room. Was this the suspicious place his subordinates had mentioned?
He glanced around and noticed that despite its simplicity, the room was unusually clean—clearly not abandoned.
"Your Highness, we didn’t think much of this room at first, but look." A guard suddenly pulled a loose brick from the wall.
Xu Heming was stunned when he saw the gleaming gold bars hidden inside.
"Ha! Liu Zongcheng, you sly fox—tear this room apart!" Xu Heming hadn’t expected to find gold concealed here.
"Search carefully. Check if other rooms hide gold as well, and look for any secret chambers in the mansion," he ordered. The guards immediately obeyed.
Originally, Xu Heming had worried he might leave empty-handed without finding any leverage against Liu Zongcheng. But now, it seemed his concerns were unfounded.
---
Li Family
"Father, are you really letting him stay?" Li Zhiwei was surprised that Li Tianyou had agreed to keep Xu Qingshi.
"Of course! Why refuse a free gift? We’re getting a grandson for nothing," Li Tianyou grumbled.
"Father, you don’t have to force yourself. If it’s too much, I can send him back," Li Zhiwei said carefully, worried that Xu Qingshi’s presence would only anger Li Tianyou further.
After all, the Li Family had no obligation to raise someone else’s child.
"No! Didn’t that brat say he’d take our surname? Then he’s a Li now!" Li Tianyou thought spitefully—this would infuriate that bastard Xu Heming!
"Father, as long as you’re happy." Li Zhiwei sighed. She didn’t understand why her father insisted on provoking Xu Heming. In her view, since the Emperor had decreed the marriage, it was unlikely to be canceled.
But they could at least delay the wedding.
"Don’t worry, daughter. I have a plan!" Li Tianyou reassured her, assuming she was still troubled by the engagement.
"Father, don’t overexert yourself. Now that we’re settled in the capital, perhaps I should bring Mother back from Li'an County?" Li Zhiwei suggested.
Since her marriage to Xu Heming was inevitable, she couldn’t leave her mother alone in Li'an County.
"I don’t want you traveling alone. Wait a few days, and I’ll go with you," Li Tianyou said, missing his wife.
But with the Liu Zongcheng matter unresolved, he couldn’t leave the capital just yet.
---
Wei Family
Wei Herui lay slumped over the table, utterly dejected.
His mother had actually beaten him this time.
"Zhuzi, do you think my mother doesn’t love me anymore?" Wei Herui asked his servant mournfully.
"Young Master, of course the Madam loves you," Zhuzi quickly replied, though he couldn’t understand why the usually gentle Madam had suddenly punished her son so harshly.
Wei Herui’s backside was covered in bruises—it looked painful just to see.
"Then why did she take her anger out on me?" Wei Herui muttered in confusion.
"This... I don’t know," Zhuzi admitted helplessly. Perhaps the Madam had been in a bad mood?
After all, she had been ill for days before suddenly recovering—only to immediately discipline the Young Master.
What was stranger was that the Master had been present but hadn’t intervened at all.
"Do you think... my mother is pregnant?" Wei Herui suddenly recalled Jiang Yu’s words about his mother giving him siblings.
Was that why she didn’t love him anymore?
The thought made him gloomy.
Siblings were the worst—they stole affection before they were even born!
"Young Master, if the Madam is with child, it’s a joyous occasion," Zhuzi offered, though he didn’t fully grasp the implications.
"Ugh! What do you know?" Wei Herui turned away, refusing to speak to the "clueless" Zhuzi.
If siblings were so great, why had his mother hit him?
Wei Herui grew more upset, burying his face in his arms and sobbing quietly.
Zhuzi scratched his head, unsure how to comfort him, and could only stand awkwardly by.
Eventually, Wei Herui cried himself to sleep.
When he woke, Zhuzi was gone. The thought of his suffering made him realize—this home was no longer his.
If he stayed, his mother might beat him to death one day!
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Wei Herui stood up.
He had made a decision—he would run away!
If this family didn’t want him, then he would leave!
