410: Internal Strife

Li Yan met his father's disappointed eyes, and his expression darkened.

In his father's heart, only his eldest brother was the most important. He didn't think that even if his eldest brother could return to Beijing, with what he had done, could His Majesty still let him return to the court?

That was impossible.

He admitted that his talent was not as good as his eldest brother, but he had been working hard for this family. However, no matter what he did, neither his father nor his sister was satisfied with him.

Thinking of this, Li Yan's mood became particularly complicated. Cooperating with King Yi was undoubtedly courting death. The Li family could obviously not get on this ship, so why did they have to take the lives and future of the whole family on it?

In the final analysis, his father valued King Xiang and his eldest brother more, and he, the son, was dispensable.

Not long after his eldest brother got into trouble, his father secretly operated to get him from the position of commander of Wuxiang Guard to the Ministry of Justice as a minister. His father was the Grand Master, the head of the literati. When he went to Wuxiang Guard as a military officer, he didn't know how much thought and effort he had spent to gain a foothold.

As a result, his father didn't care how hard he worked, and immediately sent him to the Ministry of Justice.

Li Yan walked out of the study with heavy steps. He knew that he couldn't persuade his father. Since his elder brother got into trouble, his father has become more and more stubborn.

Mrs. Li Er had been waiting for her husband. Seeing him walk in with a heavy face, her heart couldn't help but tremble, and she hurriedly got up to greet him, "Master, are you okay?"

Li Yan smiled bitterly at his wife, shook his head and went into the inner room.

Mrs. Li Er asked the maids to retreat, and she personally brought a cup of tea and followed in. She placed the teacup on the small table in front of her husband, and then said slowly: "Did you encounter something on the job?"

She didn't dare to ask her father-in-law what he wanted to do with her husband, so she could only test it in a roundabout way.

Li Yan looked up at his wife, "What do you think of Qingyi's marriage?"

Mrs. Li Er smiled bitterly, "What's the use of me being optimistic? Wenxuan's marriage on my sister-in-law's side has been in a tangle and can't be settled. How can Qingyi, as a younger sister, get engaged?"

When it comes to this, Li Yan's face darkened.

When the eldest brother was exiled, the family tried their best to save his life, but the eldest sister-in-law was still the one in charge of the family. Moreover, because of her husband, the eldest sister-in-law became more and more sharp-tempered. She always felt that the second house looked down on her and often targeted her in her daily work.

My father was not completely ignorant of this matter. Perhaps he felt guilty towards his eldest son and acquiesced to this behavior. Now the Li family is really in a mess. The couple is like a mouse in a bellows, and even the children are suffering.

In the past, my son had some bad habits. He often went to watch operas and kept actors in private. However, in the past two years, the eldest sister-in-law has been targeting him everywhere, and even my son has noticed that something is wrong in the mansion. Now it is a blessing in disguise and he has made progress. I don’t know whether to cry or laugh.

Li Yan looked at his wife, "I have my eyes on a family, Zeng Shiming, the son of the Zeng family in Shangjing, is a Jinshi. Although his family is only a small family, he is quite capable. Let's go with him."

Mrs. Li Er was naturally unwilling. With Concubine Li around, how could her daughter's marriage be settled with the son of a small family? But her husband was right about one thing. The eldest sister-in-law is now targeting her. If she chooses a prominent marriage for her daughter, I am afraid that this marriage will be even more distant.

Mrs. Li Er responded with a dark face, "We are the daughter's family. We can't always come to propose marriage. It's better for the Zeng family to take the initiative."

"Don't worry about this. I will hint to Zeng Shiming. If he is interested, he will naturally ask the elders of the family to come forward to discuss the marriage." Li Yan was panicking now. He just wanted to quickly settle the marriages of the children. Although the Zeng family was not prominent, the family tradition was pure and honest. Zeng Shiming was also a gentleman. In the future, if something happened to the Li family, his daughter's life would be settled.

As for his son...

Li Yan took a deep breath, looked at his wife and said, "It's better for our son to marry someone low-class now, and you shouldn't try to marry someone high-class. I think the daughter of Mr. Han is good, so let's go with her."

Mrs. Li Er was really panicked. The Han family was a relative of her mother's family, and they came to visit because they came to Beijing. Miss Han's father was just a scholar, and her son married a scholar's daughter?

"Master, tell me, is there something wrong?" Mrs. Li Er grabbed her husband. If nothing happened, her husband wouldn't have wronged his child so much.

Li Yan grabbed his wife's hand, looked at her and said slowly: "Nothing has happened now, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future. If there is any trouble in the family in the future, Zeng Shiming will not despise his daughter, and Miss Han will not despise our son because of her humble background. Whether it is Zeng Shiming or Miss Han, although they are of humble backgrounds, they are both good in character, and fundamentally speaking, they are not wronging our children."

"Master..." Mrs. Li's face turned pale, "Then how can I mention this matter to my eldest sister-in-law?"

Li Yan felt disgusted when he thought of his eldest sister-in-law. In the past, he felt guilty about his eldest brother's affairs, so he tolerated her everywhere, but she became more and more excessive over the years, and that little bit of guilt had long been worn away.

"Just tell her directly that our two children are old. If the marriage of the eldest son is not settled, we will marry the daughter first."

"What if the eldest sister-in-law makes a scene in front of father?"

"Tell her that if she makes a scene, the eldest brother will never come back in this life."

Mrs. Li sat back down. She understood that her father-in-law must have forced her husband to bring the eldest brother back. This method must be very dangerous, so her husband was in a hurry to settle the children.

Mrs. Li Er's tears welled up in her eyes, "Our Qingyi is such a good girl. She is so talented and well behaved. Which lady in the capital wouldn't praise her? Yi Ming used to be a bit out of tune, but this time You have seen how hard he has worked for more than a year. Why is God so unfair? Why do we, the whole Li family, suffer in the end? Master, can't we live separately for the sake of our children? "

She doesn't ask for wealth, she is content as long as her husband and children are safe.

Li Yan smiled bitterly and said nothing.

Mrs. Li Er only complained, how could the family be separated while her father-in-law was still alive?

Besides, even if it is for the eldest brother, the father-in-law will not agree to the husband leaving the sister-in-law alone.

This day is really going by with no hope at all.

Mrs. Li Er gritted her teeth and said, "I will tell my sister-in-law tomorrow that I won't let her go this time. If she really dares to make trouble, I will fight her to the death at worst."

Li Yan was so angry that he was amused by his wife's words. He looked at her and slowed down her voice and said: "Sister-in-law is a smart person. She won't make trouble for the sake of her eldest brother coming back. However, you are right, this time You have to be stronger and don’t be weak in terms of momentum.”

Mrs. Li Er's heart moved and she raised her eyes to look at her husband.

Li Yan and his wife looked at each other. There were some things they couldn't say clearly, but they had been married for the rest of their lives, so they could understand it without saying it.

Mrs. Li Er understood her husband's hint and wanted her to compete with her sister-in-law everywhere in the future. Her husband could not disobey her father-in-law. However, she was just a daughter-in-law and it was a matter in the back yard. Her mother-in-law had already returned to the west, and her father-in-law Can you still reach out and take care of the affairs of the woman in the back house?

Mrs. Li Er thought that her husband had other ideas, but he couldn't do it, so she had to do it.

For the sake of her husband and her children, Mrs. Li Er is willing to be this evil person.

Early the next morning, Li Yan went to the Yamen. Mrs. Li had breakfast, dressed up solemnly, and then walked to Mrs. Li's yard.

Mrs. Li hadn't cleared the table for breakfast yet. When she heard that Mrs. Li had arrived at this time, her face darkened and she said directly to the mother in charge: "Let the second Mrs. wait a moment."

After hearing the reply from the mother in charge, Mrs. Li Er's face became ugly and she said directly: "Since the sister-in-law is not free, I will go back here first. After all, our second house has a lot of things to do. Our son is getting a wife and our daughter is getting married, so we have no time. Wait for sister-in-law.”

Mrs. Li's second wife raised her voice and spoke through the curtain into the forehead and ears of Mrs. Li in the inner room. Mrs. Li's expression in the inner room changed on the spot, and she immediately stood up and walked out.

"Second brother and sister, what are you talking about? There has always been an order of growth and development. If the elder brother and sister haven't married yet, how can it be Qingyi and Yiming's turn?" Mrs. Li said angrily with a dark face.

Mrs. Li Er came to make trouble today and said angrily on the spot: "Sister-in-law, what you said is really funny. I see that you have no intention of getting married to your children. How old are the two children? How many more years do you want to stay? That's up to you." We can't let my Yi Ming and Qing Yi delay."

"you dare!"

"Why don't I dare!" Mrs. Li Er sneered, "Sister-in-law, after my eldest brother's accident, if my master hadn't been running around, you and your children would have been exiled. We don't have to thank you for all the efforts we have made. But don’t treat people like fools. Your son wants to be a monk, and your daughter wants to be a sister-in-law. That’s your business. If you dare to delay my child again, I will make the whole capital know about it. I want to see if you still want this face, what does the noble concubine in the palace say?"

"You... are really rebellious. I'm going to find my father right now. I don't believe that my father can't control you!" Mrs. Li was furious, shaking her hands and about to walk out.

"Go, just go!" Mrs. Li Er said lightly, "Our second master is still thinking about letting the eldest brother return to Beijing. I think there is no need to bother so much now. As far as what the eldest sister-in-law has done in the past few years, It’s not worth our trouble.”

"What did you say?" Mrs. Li paused and turned to stare at the second lady, her eyes seemed to be on fire.

Mrs. Li Er refused to say it again, and only spoke slowly and slowly, "Sister-in-law, I am waiting for your good news here."

After saying that, Mrs. Li threw the veil and left. The master was right, there was a bait hanging there, and it would be impossible for the sister-in-law not to lower her head this time.

As for how she lowers her head, that's her business.

Mrs. Li couldn't stop Mrs. Li, she felt like she was fried in oil, and her face changed from red to white.

Doesn’t she want to marry her daughter to have a wife?

She wanted to too.

But after her husband's accident, her children's marriages were always unsatisfactory. She did fall in love with several people, but they all declined after sending letters. It wasn't that she didn't understand, it was just that she was unwilling to accept them.

Mrs. Li Er dared to threaten her with her husband's affairs, so she recorded the debt.

If my husband can really come back...

Mrs. Li's heart immediately became hot. As long as her husband could come back, what trouble would there be in the children's marriage?

However, the second wife is in a hurry to marry her daughter and daughter-in-law, and she cannot rush to arrange the marriage of her children. What should she do?

Mrs. Li became anxious, remembering Mrs. Li Er's look of being a villain, she gritted her teeth, wishing she could go to her father-in-law immediately to complain, but she was also afraid that Mrs. Li Er would really fall out with her completely.

What if the second wife leaves her husband's affairs alone?

Mrs. Li sat in the hall for half a day, and it was like a year of suffering.

If her husband was still here, who among these people would dare to talk to her like this?

***

Su Xinyi didn't know about the Li family's affairs. She got the news that her uncle went to catch someone who looked like Xu Yurong, but she was late. There was no sign of her at Wantong Tea House. She secretly asked and found out that the woman had suddenly left the capital the day before.

Su Xinyi frowned. Why was Xu Yurong's luck so good every time?

She ran away last time she was caught.

This time, she ran away again.

Although she couldn't be sure it was her, Su Xinyi felt that it was her based on this strange behavior. This was really strange.

Did the news leak out?

There should be no problem with her, but it was Uncle San's side?

Although Uncle San was a bit rough, he was always cautious and shouldn't make such a mistake. What was going on?

"Crown Princess, Zhan Qiao is here."

"Let him in." Su Xinyi said with energy.

Zhan Qiao bowed as he entered the room, then stood up and said, "Crown Princess, the latest news came from the Third Master. The woman's whereabouts were found. She went to Yuling Temple. Fortunately, the people we arranged in Yuling Temple did not withdraw. As soon as they got the news, they caught her when she came out of the temple."

Su Xinyi was shocked, "It's really not easy. Where did she send her?"

"She was sent to the Third Master's manor. It's safe there, and Aunt Weng is also there. Some things need Aunt Weng to check." Zhan Qiao smiled.

Su Xinyi let out a long sigh, looked at Zhan Qiao and said, "Let Cao Qing go. It's not good for you to show up now. Too many people know your face. Let Cao Qing go quietly."

"I have already said hello to Cao Qing before. He should be out of the city now. Don't worry, Crown Princess." Zhan Qiao smiled.

Su Xinyi was in a good mood. She looked at Zhan Qiao and said, "Please pay attention to the news at any time. I still have to receive Madam Jiang here. If there is nothing important, I will not report it in advance."

Zhan Qiao agreed and left.

As soon as he left, Madam Jiang arrived.

Su Xinyi was in a good mood, so she went out to greet him in person and met Madam Jiang in the courtyard.

Madam Jiang hurried forward to greet him, and Su Xinyi held her hand and said with a smile: "Madam, there is no need to be polite, let's go in and talk."

Su Xinyi saw that Madam Jiang looked a little haggard and didn't look very comfortable, and her heart skipped a beat. Could something have happened again?