Chapter 289: Formality Cannot Be Skipped
Ninth Lady Pan sobbed as she got into the carriage and went home. Afterward, the day was surprisingly peaceful, with no incidents at all.
On the way back to the city, Fourth Mistress Wei’s heart was in her mouth. According to her expectations and her understanding of her aunt, at least seven or eight things should have happened today. There should have been so many events that her aunt could properly assess whether Miss Li was magnanimous, sensible, and so on. But after this one incident with Ninth Lady, why was there nothing else afterward?
Did her aunt not approve of Ninth Lady after this one incident and therefore stopped looking?
In Li Xiaonan’s carriage, Wan Jing felt the same worry as Fourth Mistress Wei. As soon as she voiced her concern, Li Xiaonan asked strangely, “Didn’t you say last time that ever since the Prince’s Estate knew about me, they would definitely have people watching me at all times, not just watching, but also sending people to inquire about my family for generations?”
Wan Jing was immediately relieved. “Exactly!”
Yu Ting sat at the front of the carriage, straining his ears to listen to Wan Jing and Li Xiaonan. Upon hearing Wan Jing’s “Exactly!”, he immediately relaxed and said through the curtain, “I knew it! What can you tell from watching for just one day? Back then, my mother chose a son-in-law for me, and she started watching him from when he learned to walk. There was one family my mother quite fancied, but when that young man was learning to walk, his mother chopped at his legs more than ten times with a knife, yet his legs still wouldn’t separate. My mother said that boy would definitely be controlled by his mother for everything, big or small, right or wrong. That wouldn’t do.”
A Wu, driving the carriage next to Yu Ting, poked his head out and asked, “Which family’s boy? Have I met him?”
“How could you not have met him? You even went on a blind date with him.”
“Ah! A Wu, you went on a blind date!” Wan Jing was extremely surprised.
“My mother said it wouldn’t do, and yet she still made me go on a blind date with him?” A Wu was as surprised as Wan Jing.
“It wouldn’t do for me, but you can fight and kill, you’re not afraid of that.” Yu Ting patted A Wu.
A Wu was immediately relieved. “That’s true. By the way, A Nan, you know the Young Lord has excellent kung fu, right? I can’t beat him.”
“Mm, he said your kung fu is good, and you can last three to five moves under him.”
“Three to five moves, my foot! I can last at least ten moves. A Nan, the Young Lord is better than you in every way. I’m really afraid you’ll be wronged.” A Wu sighed worriedly.
“What are you talking about! How could A Nan be wronged!” Yu Ting elbowed A Wu hard.
“Hey! Didn’t you say that? You wouldn’t let me sleep in the middle of the night, asking what to do if A Nan was wronged.” A Wu expressed his contempt for Yu Ting’s hypocrisy.
“It’s Miss! You can’t call her A Nan!” Wan Jing, angry, snatched the round fan from Li Xiaonan and hit A Wu.
Li Xiaonan quickly lifted the gauze curtain for Wan Jing.
……………………
Prince Rui’s Mansion.
First Great Aunt Gu and Second Great Aunt Gu sat on either side of Princess Consort Wei.
Second Great Aunt Gu looked from her Eldest Sister to Princess Consort Wei, and then back to her Eldest Sister.
Both of them didn’t look well. She had just arrived and didn’t know what was going on.
“You tell her,” Princess Consort Wei gestured to the stewardess standing beside her.
“Yes.” The stewardess stepped forward two paces and recounted the exchange between Ninth Lady Pan and Li Xiaonan.
Second Great Aunt Gu raised her eyebrows and looked at her Eldest Sister. “How is Ninth Sister? And your aunt?”
“Mother said that what Miss Li said was reasonable,” First Great Aunt Gu said, looking at Princess Consort Wei. “She said someone should teach Ninth Sister a good lesson like this, and perhaps Ninth Sister will improve after being taught.”
Second Great Aunt Gu raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“What news has your aunt received?” Princess Consort Wei asked directly.
“She didn’t say, but judging by her expression, she probably has received some news,” First Great Aunt Gu sighed.
After Eldest Son Pang’s leg was broken, he could no longer take on tasks. Her father-in-law took Eldest Son Pang’s position in the Ministry of Rites, becoming Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
For her father-in-law, this position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites was like a pie falling from the sky. Recently, her father-in-law’s aunt somehow learned that the origin of this pie was that Miss Li. Because of this, in her father-in-law’s aunt’s eyes, that Miss Li became a noble person with great fortune.
“It does make sense,” Second Great Aunt Gu said, looking at her Eldest Sister and then her mother, and tentatively spoke.
First Great Aunt Gu and Princess Consort Wei ignored her.
“Mother, don’t mistreat yourself,” First Great Aunt Gu said, looking at Princess Consort Wei.
“I don’t want to mistreat myself,” Princess Consort Wei said irritably. “It’s easy for me to let this go, but what about afterward? What will happen next? You, and you, tell me, where else can I propose marriage? Which girl will your younger brother agree to?”
Second Great Aunt Gu subconsciously leaned back against the chair back, while First Great Aunt Gu forced a dry smile.
“The other day your father said the Emperor wants to see your younger brother settled in marriage. Alas.” Thinking of the Emperor’s illness, Princess Consort Wei felt a pang of sadness.
“Let’s think on the bright side. Mr. Gao from our mansion said: This Miss Li is unprecedented in her investigation of things; she is a genius.” Second Great Aunt Gu tried to ease the tension.
“Although that young lady is rough, her words and actions are reasonable,” First Great Aunt Gu also tried to look on the bright side.
“Yes, yes! Mother always said that being reasonable is the most difficult thing,” Second Great Aunt Gu quickly agreed.
“You don’t need to persuade me. Alas!” Princess Consort Wei sighed deeply. “I used to think that after having three daughters, I finally had your brother, and it was bitter first then sweet. Now I realize that the three daughters were my sweetness.”
“Mother, don’t say that. Brother is also quite good. Everyone outside says he’s much more sensible now.” Second Great Aunt Gu quickly stood up, sat next to Princess Consort Wei, and picked up a beauty pestle to massage her legs.
“Brother is indeed much more sensible.
“Mother, do you remember Erlang’s cousin, Pan Shiyi? Father praised him several times, saying he could settle down and do the trivial matters of prefectures and counties. But Brother always disliked him, calling him materialistic and someone who could only see trivial matters. Yesterday, Erlang wrote to me saying that Brother wrote Pan Shiyi a letter inviting him to join them. Erlang was very emotional, saying half of the letter was about how much Brother had changed.” First Great Aunt Gu also sat down and massaged Princess Consort Wei’s shoulders.
“Right, right! I heard that too. Silang said he heard Prime Minister Pang is very wary of Brother. He said one time he heard Prime Minister Zhang say that Brother, in his early twenties, had already surpassed his teachers. It wasn’t polite talk in front of Father, but something said in private conversation. Silang said he could tell that Prime Minister Zhang’s words came from the heart.” Second Great Aunt Gu chimed in.
“Alright, you don’t need to comfort me. Stop massaging, you’re hurting my shoulders.” Princess Consort Wei pushed her two daughters away. “You two discuss and arrange for me to meet this Miss Li. What’s her name, Xiaonan? I heard she’s very pampered.”
“Mother, don’t worry. Eldest Sister and I will definitely arrange it perfectly.” Second Great Aunt Gu quickly pledged.
