Months after their marriage, Liu Yixuan had not read a single book. At first, she attributed it to his hand injury. Later, she realized she couldn't remain a village woman forever. She married Liu Yixuan not just for his looks, but also for his talent, hoping he might become an official one day. Seeing Liu Yixuan neglect his studies, she couldn't help but urge him to pursue learning and advancement. However, Liu Yixuan always found numerous excuses.
Now, looking back, perhaps he knew his studies were hopeless for this lifetime and didn't want to waste any more time. This thought struck Li Qingrou so hard that she swayed precariously.
Liu Yixuan reached out to support her, but she fiercely slapped his hand away. Glaring at him and Liu Mu with hatred, she gritted her teeth and said to the maid supporting her, "Let's go."
"Qingrou, listen to me, I can explain," Liu Yixuan hurried after her, trying to defend himself.
"I don't want to hear your explanations anymore. I forgot to tell you, the reason the Li mansion was raided was because your former fiancée, Liu Feixue, found a powerful patron. She's now a wealthy merchant that ordinary people can't easily see. She knows what we did to break off your engagement and won't forgive you or me. With that in mind, you figure out how to explain it to her." Denying him and Liu Mu any further chance to speak, she directly ordered them to be thrown out of the mansion.
Standing on the bustling street, Liu Mu still wanted to make a scene, but Liu Yixuan stopped her.
In reality, if Liu Yixuan had wanted to, he could have protected Li Qingrou. He just didn't want to. In his eyes, no matter how much dowry a wife had, it was still the wife's. Only what went into his own pocket was truly his. Thus, every time his mother and Qingrou argued over money, he tried his best to stay out of it.
A mother knows her son best. Liu Yixuan had always been a decisive person since childhood, and many important family matters were decided by him. Seeing her son distance himself, Liu Mu knew he supported her, so she acted with impunity and became even more extreme.
This time, Li Qingrou was angry because she wanted to move to town. Liu Mu's condition was that they must all live in the town residence together and that she must also provide a large sum of silver.
Failing to reach an agreement, Li Qingrou became enraged and left without regard for the consequences.
Liu Yixuan took Li Qingrou's words to heart. He believed that with a matter of such importance, Li Qingrou wouldn't lie.
Therefore, he told his mother to return to the countryside and took a hired carriage to the city himself. Thanks to marrying Li Qingrou, Liu Mu had received no small amount of benefits from her.
Although he had fallen out with Li Qingrou, the money he had was enough for his family to live comfortably in the countryside for the rest of their lives. Therefore, he always carried money with him.
Upon arriving in the prefecture city, he casually asked someone about Liu Feixue. The person he asked spoke about her enthusiastically. It wasn't surprising, as Liu Feixue was now a prominent figure in the city, with her businesses booming and shops opening one after another.
Listening to others' evaluations of her, Liu Yixuan seriously doubted if this was the Liu Feixue he had known for many years. If he had known she had such capabilities, why would he have gone through all that trouble?
Honestly, in his heart, Liu Feixue was more beautiful, gentler, and more virtuous than Li Qingrou. He had chosen Li Qingrou purely because she was wealthy. If he had known Liu Feixue was so capable of earning money, why would he have sought out Li Qingrou? After all, most of the Li family's wealth would go to their son, not their daughter Li Qingrou. Liu Feixue, on the other hand, was capable of earning her own money, and all of it was hers.
Thinking of this, Liu Yixuan felt immense regret, as if he had lost the watermelons while picking up sesame seeds.
Moreover, he learned through his inquiries that her relationship with the Prefect was very good. The Prefect's wife had even attended her opening ceremony.
As his inquiries deepened, he began to consider the possibility of reconciling with Liu Feixue.
Wu Caiwei was unaware that Liu Yixuan was still thinking of her. If she had known, she would have scoffed at the idea.
Autumn Frost and Winter Chill were about to leave. After living together for several months, they had developed feelings for each other. When they were leaving, Wu Caiwei wanted to give them her dividends from the past few months. They firmly refused, believing it was rightfully hers for saving Prince Qin.
They also revealed a little bit about the matters they had handled. It turned out that the Commander had cultivated many assassins, some hidden within the army, others concealed in the nearby mountains. Those who had pursued Prince Qin were precisely these individuals, and the county magistrate of Yangshan County was also involved.
Initially, due to the Li mansion's case, the county magistrate of Yangshan County had harbored the Li family. The Prefect had merely placed him under house arrest, preventing him from participating in the investigation of the entire case. Later, Autumn Frost suspected a connection between the Commander and the magistrate.
The Commander's mansion was difficult to enter, guarded by many hidden sentinels. However, the magistrate's residence was easy to access. In a secret compartment in the magistrate's study, they discovered a large amount of evidence of correspondence between him, the Commander, and Prince Wu. Perhaps, as a contingency, he had preserved proof of Prince Wu's instructions to cooperate with the Commander in hunting down Prince Qin. When this evidence was presented to the Emperor, he flew into a rage. He severely reprimanded Prince Wu and placed him under house arrest.
Regardless, Prince Wu was the Emperor's son, and his life was not in danger. However, his followers were not so fortunate. The Emperor believed these individuals had instigated Prince Wu, and therefore, anyone implicated in the case was executed at the Meridian Gate, their assets confiscated, and their families exiled to Lingnan.
It turned out that Madam Li had sought out the Commander because Li Qingrou's birth mother, Li Laoye's original wife, had been like a sister to the Commander for fifteen years.
During the years of war, the Commander's mother gave birth to him amidst the chaos of battle. In the confusion, the wet nurse carrying him and his birth mother were separated. For years, she raised him as her own son, but never forgot to search for her true masters. When he was fifteen, he finally found them. By then, his biological parents had become high-ranking generals. Through their influence, he had achieved his current position.
When they sent him away, his adoptive parents claimed they were going to a foreign land to procure goods. When they returned, they brought back a coffin, weeping sorrowfully, saying their son had fallen ill and died from the unfamiliar climate. They held a funeral for him at home. His biological parents never mentioned that their son was lost, only that their eldest son was recuperating in the countryside. Thus, no one suspected their relationship, nor did anyone suspect he would collude with the county magistrate of Yangshan County.
From the tone of the two women, the Emperor was extremely disappointed in Prince Wu due to this incident, and Prince Qin had consequently risen to become the Crown Prince. The Emperor was old and his health was deteriorating day by day. If nothing unexpected happened, Prince Qin would be the next Emperor.
Thinking of the Prince Qin token at home, Wu Caiwei instantly felt that she hadn't just embraced a powerful ally, but a titan.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring prefecture city, the Hu family was in a heated argument. It turned out that Master Hu had brought home two more concubines from outside. Since his dismissal from office, such incidents had become frequent. Master Hu, despising his son's lack of ambition, felt that he hadn't studied diligently when the imperial examinations were an option, and now he couldn't manage the family business. He wanted to take more concubines to have more sons.
However, Madam Hu was not easily fooled. She tightly controlled the family's assets. The moment Master Hu brought in a new concubine, she would sell her. Even if a concubine was pregnant, she had ways of ensuring she wouldn't give birth.
Thus, after so many years, even with a grandson in his teens, the Hu family had not added anyone to compete with Master Hu for the family fortune.