The Phoenix is Back - Chapter 10

Chapter 010 Madam Li Pleaded for Mercy
The Matriarch would definitely stay at Chao An Temple for seven days every year, but today, it was only three days before she hurriedly brought people back to the manor. Moreover, the first thing she did when she returned to the manor was to order someone to lock up Third Miss Xiao Xile in the ancestral hall.

When Madam Li heard the news and rushed to the Tranquil Garden, the Matriarch was leaning against the couch and closing her eyes to rest, while Xiao Xiwei was pressing her shoulders behind her.

“Mother.”

Hearing the noise, the matriarch raised her eyelids. Seeing that it was Madam Li, she glanced at her indifferently and did not say anything.

Xiao Xi walked up to Li shi and blessed her. “Wei’er greets mother.”

“Hao Wei’er, I heard that something happened on the way to Chao An Temple. Did I scare you?” Madam Li stepped forward and grabbed Xiao Xiwei’s hand. Her face was full of worry. Anyone who looked at her would feel that Madam Li’s stepmother treated the second young miss left behind by the former madam as if she had come out and cared for her very much.

Xiao Xiwei smiled warmly and shook her head gently. “Thank you mother for your concern. My daughter is fine.”

As Mrs. Li spoke, she secretly glanced at Old Lady Jun and said, “Wei’er, you are still steady. Your sister is inferior to you. She has been weak since she was young …”

The matriarch snorted coldly and smashed the jade bead string in her hand heavily onto the table. “She is still cowardly. In my opinion, no girl in the boudoir has the courage to do so!” She said angrily.

“Mother.” Hearing that, Madam Li hurriedly knelt on the ground. His snow-white face was filled with fear and grievance, “You watched Le’er grow up. Don’t you know her temperament? How can you believe a few casual words from the temple’s uncle?”

“Then why didn’t they go and arrange other people? Why did they have to arrange her instead!” The matriarch glared at Madam Li angrily.

In her opinion, the reason why Xi Le was so reckless was because of Li shi’s habit! Have an exaggerated opinion of one’s abilities!

“Old Lady, Xi Le clearly only went to thank the Fourth Prince for saving her life and was secretly suspected by some people to slander her reputation. My wife also asks the Old Lady to thoroughly investigate this matter and capture those people who are willing to save her, so that Xi Le will be innocent.” Madam Li said as he knelt on the ground.

The matriarch raised her eyebrows, “Don’t you think this matter isn’t big enough? Don’t you think that our loyal and courageous Marquis Mansion hasn’t lost face enough?”

It was not easy for her to suppress this matter, but Madam Li actually wanted to find out more about it! Whether Xiao Xile was going to thank the Fourth Prince or anything else, it was her fault that she did not strictly observe the gender distinction and let people catch hold of the rumors and spread them! Madam Li was still wholeheartedly trying to excuse her! It was truly a great loss for the Thorned Mother!

Seeing that Madam Li was about to speak again, the matriarch impatiently waved her hand and frowned, “Alright, you can go back to your courtyard if you have nothing else to do!”

“Mother, little sister was a little frightened a few days ago. That’s why grandmother asked little sister to go to the ancestral hall to write down the Buddha’s Heart Calmly and concentrate, so that Buddha can bless her. I’m sure that little sister will come out in a few days.” Xiao Xiwei walked over to Madam Li and said with a smile.

Madam Li opened his mouth, but in the end, he swallowed the words that had reached his mouth.

She knew the old lady’s temper. No matter how unwilling she was, Li Xi didn’t dare to anger her at this time. She borrowed Xiao Xi Wei’s hand to bless the old lady. “Then the wife will leave first.”

“Grandmother, Wei’er won’t try to get you to rest anymore.” Xiao Xiwei also blessed herself.

“Go.” The old lady who had always been strict with Xiao Xiwei squeezed out a rare smile.

Mrs. Li’s eyebrows twitched fiercely.

What exactly happened during the past few days in Chao An Temple, and it actually caused Old Lady Jun’s attitude towards Xiao Xiwei to change?

As soon as he left the Tranquil Garden, Madam Li impatiently grabbed Xiao Xiwei’s hand and said with tears streaming down his cheeks, “Xiwei, who exactly are the people who arranged the music to make Old Lady Jun so angry? If I catch her, I will skin her!” As he spoke, he stared into Xiao Xiwei’s eyes.

Xiao Xiwei sneered in her heart, but an awkward look flashed on her face. “Mother, actually … isn’t it arranged?”

“What do you mean?” Madam Li raised his eyebrows.

Xiao Xiwei hurriedly told the story of Xiao Xile being molested by a few hooligans and rescued by the Fourth Prince in the marriage pool that day. Finally, she carefully sized up Madam Li’s expression and said, “Mother, the Fourth Prince saved my sister twice and three times. Perhaps she …”

“Nonsense!” Madam Li interrupted Xiao Xiwei sternly.

How could Xi Le have taken a fancy to the Fourth Prince!

“Yes, my daughter is talking too much.” Xiao Xiwei hurriedly lowered his head in fear.

Madam Li stared at Xiao Xiwei for a long time, and finally relaxed his expression. He waved his hand at her, “Forget it, it’s been a hard journey for you. You should go back and rest first.”

“Yes,” Xiao Xiwei replied, leading the girl away with a trace of fear.

“Xiuxin, do you think there’s something wrong with this girl?” Madam Li looked at Xiao Xiwei’s back and whispered.

Today, Old Lady Jun’s attitude towards this girl really made her feel a little strange.

The matriarch had never been close to her, and she had avoided the matriarch because of her deliberate provocation. However, her performance in front of the matriarch was completely different from her previous appearance in the Tranquil Garden today. Although Nurse Cui said that in Chao An Temple she had stayed in her room to copy the scriptures besides accompanying the matriarch in her lecture, she still felt that Xile’s matter was related to her.

“This servant does not feel that something is wrong with Second Miss.” Said Nurse Zhu.

“It’s better to be careful and let Nurse Cui keep an eye on her.” Madam Li coldly glanced at Nurse Zhu.

“Yes.” Granny Zhu hurriedly replied.

As soon as Xiao Yan returned to his mansion, he was called to the Tranquil Garden by the Matriarch. Half an hour later, he didn’t even drink a single mouthful of tea before heading straight for Hua Jin Garden in Madam Li.

“How did you discipline your daughter! How embarrassing! How embarrassing!”

Hearing this, Mrs. Li’s tears gushed down her cheeks as she said, “Does Master believe those words arranged by others? It’s fine for others. Le’er was brought up in your hands when you were young!”

Xiao Yan’s anger dissipated a little after being washed away by Madam Li’s tears, but he still snorted coldly with a stern face.

Madam Li hurriedly poured a cup of tea for Xiao Yan and pulled the handkerchief and cried, “Master, it’s all my fault that I didn’t teach Le’er well. If Master wants to blame me, then blame me. I only hope that Hou’er can see that Le’er grew up with your palms and ask you to plead in front of the Old Grand Lord. The night in the ancestral hall is cold and wet. How can Le’er’s body endure it?”

“How could her body be so delicate? Wei’er had been locked up in the ancestral hall by the Old Grand Lord for seven days without seeing her harrumph!” Even though he said that, Xiao Yan still felt a little distressed in his heart. “The Matriarch has been angry these past few days. Let’s talk about it in two days!”

“Master, then, those rumors …”

“The Matriarch has already ordered someone to suppress this matter.”

Madam Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yan’s voice sounded again.

“I’m afraid that the Fourth Prince will use this matter to make a fuss …”

“Master, you mean” Madam Li felt his heart sink. He pulled his handkerchief with both hands and stared at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan frowned and pursed his lips for a long time without answering.

Right now, His Majesty was getting older and older. Although the Crown Prince had the support of his descendants, the Seventh Prince was doted on by His Majesty. The fourth prince, Chu Yanzhi, was raised under the knees of Consort Shen because his birth mother was humble. Consort Shen, however, was the first empress’ twin sister and also the Crown Prince’s biological aunt. It was at this moment that he suddenly appeared to save the Matriarch and inexplicably spread these rumors. This made him think a lot …

Seeing that Xiao Yan hadn’t spoken for a long time, Madam Li was so anxious that his tears fell. Xiao Yan had inadvertently analyzed the situation in the court with her, saying that the seventh prince had a good chance of succeeding to the throne, and was also interested in marrying the seventh prince. If she hadn’t said that, the Fourth Prince would have been a very good choice, but since she had heard these words, being a queen was more than a hundred times better than being a princess! “Master, you must think of a way!”

Xiao Yan coldly glanced at Madam Li and said, “What are you still doing? Why don’t you go down and backup the gifts?”

Madam Li’s eyes lit up, and she quickly bowed to Xiao Yan, “I will go down and prepare a bow.” After saying that, he hurriedly walked out.

Outside the window, a dark cloud floated over without warning, and then it started to rain.

Xiao Yan looked sideways at the pear tree in the courtyard that had been beaten into pieces by the rain. He felt very irritated in his heart, and he could not suppress it no matter how hard he tried.

If there was nothing to be done about it, what would happen?

There was also a pear tree in the courtyard of the Sparse Shadow Pavilion. The moist water vapor gushed in from the window with a faint fragrance of flowers. Xiao Xi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The corner of her lips unconsciously curved into a faint smile.

Nearly a hundred years after the founding of the Great Yue Empire, the relationship between the wealthy aristocrats in the capital was intertwined. Xiao Xiwei’s grandfather, Zhongyong Hou Xiao Qi, was only a plain-clothed man. Even though he had been awarded the title of Zhongyong Hou by the emperor’s decree, he was still looked down upon by these aristocrats privately compared to the lack of resources of the wealthy aristocratic families in the capital. Although Marquis Mansion’s foundation was very shallow, he still held military power in his hands. However, there was a surge of undercurrents in the dynasty, and the princes were fighting for it openly and secretly. The Marquis of Loyalty, who held military power in his hands, had obviously become the target of the prince’s rope-in. However, Xiao Yan’s ambition was not limited to a single meritorious hero. Since they were all gambling, why not bet more! Behind the Crown Prince was Duke Zheng and Duke Lu. Even if he was on the Crown Prince’s side, “and when that crown prince came to the throne some day, He still couldn’t compare to Duke Zheng and Duke Lu in terms of status, But the Seventh Prince was different … Not only was he doted on by His Majesty, His Imperial Concubine Mother Yan came from a humble family. His mother’s family was not strong. More importantly, he did not have an Imperial Concubine at attention. If he married his daughter to the Seventh Prince as his Imperial Concubine, the moment the Seventh Prince ascended to the throne, he would be the abbot above ten thousand people. Who in the capital could compare to his loyal and courageous Marquis Mansion!

Regardless of whether it was in her previous life or in this life, her father was truly bent on exploiting the imperial power and wealth! Unfortunately, no matter how good the plan was, it would still be a mirrored flower in the end …

“Miss, Housekeeper Sun just left the manor.” Hong Yu pushed the door open and whispered.

Xiao Xiwei looked at the drizzling rain outside, and the corner of his lips unconsciously curled into a trace of coldness.

Before the rain stopped, Housekeeper Sun was sent to deliver gifts. It seemed that her father was really afraid that Chu Yanzhi would take this opportunity to propose marriage …

“There’s one more thing …” Hong Yu looked at Xiao Xi and hesitated.

Xiao Xiwei turned around and looked at Hong Yu, his eyebrows slightly raised.

“When this servant came back, I saw … Nurse Xiao.”

“Nanny Xiao?” Xiao Xiwei frowned slightly and looked at Hongyu in confusion.

Hong Yu pursed his lips for a while before whispering, “It was the stepwife who sent the manor to take care of the fourth young miss.”