When Li Jinniang saw her mother, she smiled gently, took Madam Li's arm, and rubbed her body a little aggrievedly: "Mother, can I really go out to play?"
Ever since Li Jiamin returned to her hometown to study, Princess Mingchang's attitude towards her has become much worse than before. Even Liu from the second room and Kong from the third room looked at her as if she were a black-eyed chicken, and often said unpleasant things to her in a sarcastic tone. She had been brought up in luxury since she was a child, and even her uncles and aunts were kind to her. Now she experienced the fickleness of human nature and was unable to accept the huge gap, and she was sick for a long time.
She seldom went out recently. Even when she went out, she only went back to her parents' home with Madam Li, or occasionally went to a temple with Madam Li. As for those flower parties and elegant gatherings among girls, she had not been there for a long time.
This time when Qiu Wei said he would take her there, she still found it a little unbelievable.
Madam Li saw that she was so thin that her chin was pointed, and her big eyes were full of anxiety and flickering. She was furious and quickly hugged her and patted her on the back: "What nonsense are you talking about? You are the county lady of our princess's mansion, why can't you go? Not only can you go, but you have to go in a grand manner! Whatever jewelry or clothes you like, just tell me and I will buy them for you."
Li Jinniang pouted and wanted to cry, but she quickly held back and asked Mrs. Li carefully: "Then, will grandma agree? Mother... will grandma... "
Princess Mingchang became much more distant from the first wife because of Li Jiamin's incident. There were also rumors that Princess Chang even wanted to replace the heir to the title.
Mrs. Li's face darkened, and she patted her daughter's head and said sarcastically, "It doesn't matter what she does. Besides, she doesn't have time to take care of you now."
Princess Mingchang's attitude towards their first wife was changing, but hadn't the first wife's attitude towards Princess Mingchang also changed
In the past, Mrs. Li wanted to obey her mother-in-law's words, but now she is gradually becoming dissatisfied with her mother-in-law.
Li Jinniang was thoughtful, knowing that there must be conflicts and contradictions between her mother and grandmother that she didn't know about, but she didn't want to care about it now. Princess Mingchang kept saying that she loved her granddaughter, but when it came to choosing between her grandson and granddaughter, she chose Li Jiamin without hesitation.
After Li Jiamin returned home, Princess Mingchang took her anger out on Li Jinniang and ignored her reputation. When Li Jinniang's fiancé came to test her family, Princess Mingchang did not cover up for her, but bluntly said that the child was ignorant and had caused a lot of trouble, and now she is sick.
The other party had originally come to test Li Jinniang after hearing about the infighting among Princess Mingchang's several rooms. Princess Mingchang's words simply confirmed Li Jinniang's reputation for being bellicosous and also revealed her dislike for her.
A county lady who had lost the support of Princess Mingchang and whose family was in turmoil was no longer noble, even if she was a county lady. The other party quickly and tactfully proposed to cancel the engagement. Although the reason she gave was that an elder in the other party's family was seriously ill and she was afraid of delaying County Lady Yunzhang's youth, who didn't know that this was just an excuse
This incident was like a slap in the face for Li Jinniang. She had now used up all her last bit of affection for her grandmother. No matter what happened, it was none of her business. Her mother would always feel sorry for her and stand on her side, but her grandmother was everyone's grandmother.
Madam Li comforted her daughter and came out. She returned to her room and saw Master Li lying on the bed. She couldn't help but frowned: "What does it look like to lie on the bed in broad daylight? If someone sees you, they will say you are disrespectful."
Master Li sat up impatiently after hearing what she said: "This is really new. Now I can't even lie down for a while in my room. What's going on? Am I the master or are they the masters?"
"We are not the masters!" Madam Li laughed sarcastically and said sharply, "Who is the master in this house? Only your mother is the master! She doesn't like us at all. We are just sand and rubble, what can we do? The second and third houses have united to exclude us, and you are still dreaming here!"
Mr. Li has been hearing this kind of talk so many times that his ears are almost callused. Seeing Mrs. Li's resentment, he couldn't help but shake his head: "You are almost there. What's the point of talking about it? Besides, isn't it because of Jiamin's matter that mother is in a bad mood recently..."
Madam Li sneered, "Yes, they are all grandsons, so why is our son inferior to that troublesome ancestor? Ever since Li Jiamin returned to her hometown, your mother has been finding faults with us all day long. Look at what she has done to the children. Jinniang, who was usually fearless, is now like a quail..."
Master Li was really annoyed by what he heard. He stood up suddenly, put Madam Li's complaints behind him, and quickly went out. He originally wanted to hide away, but when he reached the gate of the courtyard, he was stopped by a maid who said that the princess was looking for him.
He had no choice but to follow her to Princess Mingchang's main courtyard.
When Princess Mingchang saw him, she ordered him with a stern face without saying a word: "Boss, take some people and go to Yanggu County."
Going to Yanggu
Master Li was stunned for a moment, a little bewildered: "What are you doing there for no reason?"
Their family doesn't have any property there, and the autumn harvest is almost approaching, so he has to follow the bodyguards.
Princess Mingchang snorted coldly, and after a while she said, "Go and find Jiamin."
What? Master Li suspected that he had heard wrongly, and frowned subconsciously: "Isn't Jiamin studying in her hometown? If you want to find her, you should go back to Fujian..."
But Princess Mingchang looked at him coldly, and he immediately understood, feeling a little surprised and confused for a moment.
Seeing that he was silent, Princess Mingchang said in a deep voice: "I have already found out everything. The child appeared in Yanggu. You take people there. Don't alarm anyone and don't reveal his identity. Find a way to bring him back."
Master Li couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat: "Mother, this matter can be a big deal or a small one. To put it in a small way, he is ignorant. To put it in a big way, this is disobeying the emperor's order!"
Emperor Yuanfeng stripped him of his title and ordered him to return to his hometown to reflect and study, but he has run away now. To put it more seriously, this is considered disobeying the emperor's order. If the higher-ups want to investigate, they will definitely hold him accountable!
Princess Mingchang immediately frowned and sneered: "Are you going to report your own nephew?"
How could Master Li dare
However, seeing that Princess Mingchang favored Li Jiamin to such an extent, he couldn't help feeling a little resentful when he thought of his wife's nagging.