The Marquis of Iron Will Mansion was engulfed in a strange atmosphere, with not a single person daring to breathe too loudly. Servants wished they could shrink their necks and walk on tiptoe, lest they be caught doing wrong and punished by their masters.
Li Yi returned from court with a grim expression and went to the back courtyard. Madam Bai had been waiting for him and immediately stepped forward, ordering a maid to fetch a towel for Li Yi to wipe his face.
Li Yi was a man of impeccable cleanliness.
A young maid tiptoed in with tea, only to be impatiently dismissed by Madam Bai.
"My Lord, how did it go?"
Li Yi irritably threw the towel onto the table, took a sip of tea, and then said, "It's not easy. His Majesty is currently in a fit of rage, and no one dares to provoke him."
"Then are we just going to sit and wait for death?" Madam Bai paced anxiously, "What are we to do?"
What Madam Cui had done was already a done deal. She had personally confessed her guilt, so there was no hope of overturning the verdict.
Madam Bai was so angry she didn't know what to do. She sat on a chair, dabbing her forehead with a handkerchief, and grumbled through gritted teeth, "This venomous woman..."
Perhaps her resentment was too great, for her voice unintentionally rose. Li Yi overheard it. He slammed his teacup down on the table and roared, "What nonsense are you spouting? That is my mother."
In normal times, Madam Bai would not have dared to retort, but the situation in the Marquis's mansion was vastly different now. Madam Bai, harboring her own grievances, no longer cared about Li Yi's feelings.
"Mother?" Madam Bai's voice turned sharp. "Does that venomous woman deserve those words? The Old Marquis was at the peak of his prime, and she managed to kill him. Not only did she rob you children of your father, but she also cost the court a valuable general. If Father were still alive, with his standing in the court, who knows if you wouldn't have been promoted? How else would you still be a mere six-rank editor?"
Li Yi fell silent. Madam Bai was right. If the Old Marquis were still alive, their family's situation would likely be entirely different.
"The Old Marquis's foundation and connections were all left to Big Brother, but what about Big Brother? He's paralyzed now!" Madam Bai wept in anger, wiping her tears haphazardly. She continued to complain.
"If she hadn't poisoned the Old Marquis, and if it weren't for this Ning clan affair, even if our family's rank was reduced, we would at least still be a Duke's household. Once the heir took over, who would dare to slight us? Qingzhou and Qingcheng are about to have their examinations, and with this incident, the children's prospects are in jeopardy." Madam Bai fretted, tears streaming down her face. "Can't you think of another way?"
Li Yi sighed helplessly. "What other way can I think of? Everyone is avoiding me now, afraid of being tainted by our family's troubles."
Madam Bai gritted her teeth. "How about we split the family?"
"Split the family?" A hint of confusion flickered in Li Yi's eyes. This was something he had never considered.
"It's better to split the family now than after she's convicted!" Madam Bai, full of resentment, her dissatisfaction evident in her eyes. "Perhaps we'll be implicated then. With her as an example, what kind of respectable family would marry their daughter into ours? How will Tian'er get married in the future?"
Li Yi wavered. "But won't others say we're kicking them while they're down? After all, she's..." his mother!
"Our lives are our own!" Madam Bai shrieked. "Why do you care about others? Do you think you can still get her out? Perhaps the Dali Temple won't even need to investigate; she'll be executed in a few days."
Meanwhile, in the Minghui Courtyard, Liu Shi, who had recently married, also had swollen eyes from crying.
"Why is my fate so bitter!" It was already bad enough to be married to a cripple and live as a widow, but now her mother-in-law had become a prisoner. She, a newlywed bride, had no power or influence, and was worse off than a servant in the mansion.
The accompanying maid whispered, "Miss, why don't we go beg the County Princess?"
"Beg her?" Liu Shi recalled Li Man'er's cold gaze and shook her head. "Never mind, she..."
The maid grew anxious. "If you don't go, how will you live your life in the future? I've inquired, and the wealthiest person in this mansion is Princess Anning. Her mother left her a lot of money when she died, a dowry worth ten miles of red silk! And now she's a Princess, more noble than ordinary people. You are her nominal mother-in-law, why can't you beg her? Even a little bit of her wealth would be enough for us to live comfortably for years."
Liu Shi's heart pounded. "I won't go!"
The maid became agitated. "Miss, if you don't go, how will you live your life? I've heard that the second and fourth masters of the mansion are both thinking of splitting the family!"
Liu Shi was shocked. "Splitting the family?"
"Indeed! The second master has a salary from the yamen, and although the fourth master is merely a scholar, I've heard that Fourth Madam's family provided a generous dowry. As for the third master, there's no need to mention him; he's a high official now, and since Third Madam is not the Old Madam's biological daughter, it won't affect her much. Only us, with the Marquis like this, if the Heir takes the throne, will you still have a good life? In a few years, when he gets married, you might become useless. Have you considered that your family is waiting for you to gain wealth and support them? If you can't produce money then..."
The more Liu Shi listened, the more nervous she became, her eyes welling up with tears. "Then, what should I do?"
"Go find the County Princess. She is your nominal daughter. If she doesn't care for you, then accuse her of filial impiety. So what if she's a Princess?"
The maid's eyes darted around. "Even if we split the family, it's not impossible. They have to give us money. Not to the Heir, but specifically to us."
Liu Shi nodded. "Yes, you're right. Then pack up, we'll go now."
The two unfortunate women, after a brief preparation, quietly left the mansion.
The Second and Fourth Mansions received the news simultaneously.
Madam Bai heard it and simply smiled. "That's good. It'll add some bad luck for Li Man'er. Let the chaos begin!"
When Madam Tian heard the news, Bao Ge had just been taken away by his wet nurse. She thought for a moment, then said, "This is not a big deal. The Princess's temperament is well-known. Liu Shi will only embarrass herself by making a fuss. However, have someone keep an eye on them. If they have any malicious intentions, notify the Princess immediately. Also, aren't the Liu family preparing to come to the capital?"
"Yes!" Ever since they had hitched themselves to the Li family, the Liu family had begun preparing, selling all their land in their hometown. They kept their ancestral home, intending to live a good life in the capital.
Madam Tian said lazily, "Have someone keep an eye on them! We can't let them have too comfortable a life. Those who don't know their place should suffer a little."
Although their Tian family wasn't particularly powerful, dealing with a family like the Lius was quite easy.
Liu Shi was completely unaware of this. At this moment, she and her dowry maid had arrived at the County Princess's mansion.
The doorman at the County Princess's mansion was one of Qi Yihan's men. He sized up the maid, then looked at Liu Shi not far away, and asked coldly, "Do you have a calling card?"