In the Pine Crane Hall of the Iron Gallant Marquis's residence.
Madame Cui had just finished her prayers to the Bodhisattva and was sitting cross-legged on a lounger, flipping through something.
Granny Wang placed a teacup on the small side table and said softly, "Old Madam, take care of your eyes. Have some tea and rest!"
Madame Cui closed the booklet in her hand and sighed, "My eldest son's marriage has become my heart's ailment. Even if he remarries, the bride must have a good family background and be attractive. The first one was a merchant's daughter, and she was short-lived to begin with. Madam Guo, alas..."
Speaking of Madam Guo, it was a long and complicated story. If she hadn't been cornered, she would never have allowed Madam Guo to enter the family. She would have preferred Ning Shi. With their family's status, what kind of daughter couldn't they marry? So this time, she wanted to choose carefully.
"The Marquis is distinguished and a close minister to the Emperor. How many people would vie to be the Marquis's wife? Old Madam need not worry so much."
Everyone loves to hear compliments. Madame Cui smiled broadly upon hearing this. She picked up the teacup and said, "I wonder how the Marquis is doing. The last letter I received was two months ago. I'm really worried."
"Didn't young master Qingyan say that the Marquis is doing well? I suppose he's all recovered."
"That brat actually has some skills." Madame Cui took a sip of tea and added, "We still need to persuade Her Highness to act in her own best interest and not act arbitrarily."
Madame Cui had considered sending Li Man'er to the palace to help Li Qingshu. However, Li Qingshu could not agree to share her husband with her niece, and thus refused, which made Madame Cui very unhappy.
"Qingshu is kind-hearted and doesn't want that brat to enter the palace, but who am I doing this for? She's not young anymore, and the Fourth Princess is gone. Without favor or children, how can she stand firm in the harem?" Madame Cui's eyes and brows carried a hint of coldness as she spoke. "The Ning family's brat, though good-looking, can help Her Highness maintain her favor after entering the palace. She's young, and any children she has will be raised by Her Highness..."
As for whether Li Man'er would suffer or endure hardship, what did that have to do with her?
Granny Wang was about to offer some comfort when someone rushed in in a panic, "Old Madam, the Marquis is back."
Madame Cui rejoiced, her triangular eyes widening slightly, and she asked urgently, "Really?"
The person said, "The army is already outside the city, but..."
"Quickly, tell me." Seeing his demeanor, Madame Cui inexplicably felt a sense of panic. In her haste, she fumbled the teacup, which crashed to the ground.
The person, seeing this, became even more frightened and bowed his head to the ground, "Replying to Old Madam, although the Marquis has returned, he was brought back in a carriage. I heard... the Marquis is paralyzed."
Madame Cui thought she had misheard and quickly glanced at Granny Wang.
"What nonsense are you spouting! When young master Qingyan returned earlier, he said the Marquis was fine. How could he be paralyzed?"
The person insisted, "This servant doesn't know, but the army returned with the Ninth Prince and General Xiao. The Ninth Prince sent someone ahead to deliver a message to the manor, saying only that the Marquis is paralyzed and will be brought back shortly..."
Madame Cui felt as if the world was spinning. She swayed and fell backward.
Granny Wang exclaimed in alarm, "Old Madam, Old Madam, quickly call a doctor..."
Without the Emperor's decree, the army could only camp outside the city. The barbarian captives being escorted to the capital had been divided and imprisoned. Their fate would likely be to be sent to coal mines, salt fields, and similar places, losing their freedom for life and toiling until death.
Qi Yihan returned to the palace ahead of time to report, while Xiao Xiang and his subordinates waited outside the city for an audience. As for Li Man'er, she naturally had to return home, and she had to bring the paralyzed Li Shu back to the Iron Gallant Marquis's residence.
Now, Li Shu was no longer fit to face the Emperor. To be disrespectful in front of the throne was a grave offense!
The carriage slowly stopped in front of the Marquis's manor. Servants entered and exited, carrying Li Shu into the residence in a small oil-paper sedan chair.
Those who had been lurking in the shadows to gather information dispersed. In a short while, the news that the Iron Gallant Marquis was paralyzed spread throughout the capital.
Madame Cui had recovered and nearly fainted again when she saw Li Shu.
Li Shu, lying in bed, was emaciated. His once handsome features had become somewhat ghastly due to his extreme thinness. What she found most unbearable was that Li Shu could not speak, his limbs were uncontrollable, and his hands were like chicken claws, extremely unsightly.
She simply could not accept that her eldest son had become this way.
Madame Cui's grief welled up, as if she could already see the decline of the Li family.
"Scoundrel." The first thing Madame Cui thought of was to confront Li Man'er. "How exactly did you take care of your father for him to become like this?"
Li Man'er's expression was blank. She said, "Please ask Grandmother to dismiss everyone, and this granddaughter will explain the circumstances to you."
Madame Cui wished she could tear her apart. "What can't be said? Only those who have done wrong cannot speak of it. Say it here."
Li Man'er then said, "Father was poisoned twice, and his body was already much weaker than before. I had already successfully treated him and repeatedly warned him to abstain from indulgence and eat a light diet. However, Father did not listen. He even took in a maidservant and suffered from 'horse wind' (a sudden, violent erection), almost dying in that woman's embrace. If not for my superb medical skills, he would have died. This is his own doing."
Madame Cui's face turned red and then white, then white and then red. "You, talking nonsense! How dare you falsely accuse your father."
The servants all became like cowering turtles, wishing they could burrow into a crack in the earth, not wanting to hear such a private matter.
"If Grandmother does not believe me, you can summon Father's personal guards and ask them. They will tell you the details. Although I am a doctor, I am still a woman, and there are some unsavory words I truly cannot utter." Li Man'er sneered. "This incident in Mobei, while not known to everyone, could not be completely hidden. The commotion that night was so great, and that woman was executed by the Xiao family. How could the news not leak out?"
Madame Cui was speechless. After thinking for a long time, she didn't know whether to scold Li Shu for being useless and unable to control his desires, or to scold Li Man'er for gloating and doing nothing.
"I think you are malicious. Your medical skills are superb, how can you not cure him? You clearly did this on purpose."
"If my medical skills were not superb, what would have been brought back like this would be Father's ashes." Li Man'er said, "Grandmother, Father has traveled a long way, and he is already very tired. Although he cannot speak, he knows everything. You should still show him some respect, send people away, and then call a doctor to examine him."
Before Madame Cui could speak, Li Man'er added, "Are you suspecting me of harming him? Then please invite a doctor to examine him and see whether I harmed him or your son brought this upon himself."