Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 491 - 489

Chapter 491: 489

Li Mansion

Upon returning to the mansion, Madam Li called Li Mingjun for a word.

In the flower hall, all the maids had gone out, leaving only two trusted nannies standing outside the door!

"Mingjun, did you intentionally set Tianlang on the Marquis Zhongyong’s wife in the Imperial Garden today?" Madam Li asked her grandson with a serious face.

"Grandmother, I didn’t. Tianlang suddenly ran out at that time, and I couldn’t hold him back. She hit Tianlang with a purse, angering him, and that’s why he chased her and bit her!" Li Mingjun, who had already prepared his argument, responded calmly.

At that time, he was pretty sure no one was paying attention to him.

"Wretch! You better admit it! The Mistress of Rui’an County saw you standing by the rockery, disregarding Tianlang biting the Marquis’s wife! The Seventh Prince even heard you using mutton as bait to tempt Tianlang to bite the Marquis’s wife! The Marquis’s wife is pregnant, and she was so scared that she fell into the lake, and she could have died with her unborn child! What do you plan to repay them with! How have I taught you! One should not neglect small kindnesses and do evil things regardless of their seeming insignificance!" Madam Li was so angry that she smashed her teacup on the ground.

Tea splattered all over the floor.

Frightened by the scene, Mrs. Li quickly had her son kneel down: "Mother, calm down, Mingjun is still young, we can teach him slowly!"

"Is Mingjun still young at twelve years old? In three more years, he can take a wife! The eldest son of the Marquis Shengping was already a scholar at twelve! even the Seventh Prince at the age of seven understands the principle: ’Sincerity is the highest form of truth; without sincerity, one cannot move people’! Other people’s twelve-year-old children are sensible and have understanding, yet the child you raised needs to be slowly taught at twelve!" Madam Li was even angrier upon hearing this. Indeed, indulgent mothers often spoil their children, Mingjun was ruined by her indulgence!

Mrs. Li blushed as she listened to these words. What do you mean other people’s children are sensible and understanding at twelve, yet the child she raised is still young at twelve! Isn’t twelve years old still a child? And she doesn’t think Mingjun did anything wrong; it’s just not good to let others grasp your weaknesses! The Di family deserved it! Ungrateful! It’s not wrong for her son to teach them a lesson! She wanted to teach them a lesson too!

Today, her son had certainly avenged her! She couldn’t get this revenge, but her son was just a half-grown child, and no one would really take it seriously with a half-grown child! Everyone knew that half-grown children didn’t really understand things. A few scoldings would be enough! It wouldn’t hurt!

"Mingjun, you were in the wrong this time, quickly apologize to your grandmother!" Mrs. Li said, not too severely. After saying that, she winked at Li Mingjun.

Seeing this, Li Mingjun quickly bowed his head: "Grandmother, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have deliberately let the dog bite people, I was just angry at the woman who took away everything that belonged to my sister! If she hadn’t seduced Brother Di, Brother Di wouldn’t have called off the marriage, and if Brother Di hadn’t called off the marriage, my sister wouldn’t have been betrothed to the Sixth Prince, and then mother and sister wouldn’t have cried all night. I’m also heartbroken for my sister, but I know I was wrong now, and I will never do it again!"

Upon hearing this, Li Mingfang felt a little guilty and didn’t dare to tell the truth about the broken engagement.

If her grandmother found out that Di Shaowei broke off the engagement because she confessed her feelings to Zhao Youwei and then tried to drown herself in the lake because he rejected her, and Zhao Youwei rescued her, which led Di Shaowei to call off the engagement, her grandmother would surely break her legs!

Besides, she knew that Di Shaowei was eavesdropping at that moment, which prompted her to say those words to let him back off.

Never did she expect that fate would play such a cruel trick on her, when her mother rejected the Zhao family’s marriage proposal!

By the time she finally managed to persuade her mother, the Zhao family no longer sent anyone to propose marriage!

Madam Li didn’t expect her grandson to set the dog on someone for this reason. She unconsciously softened her tone: "The reason your sister got betrothed to the Third Prince is because your mother asked me to request it from the Empress Dowager. It’s just that I didn’t make it clear at the time, and the Empress Dowager made a mistake. The Third Prince had been raised by the Empress Dowager since he was young, and she was betrothing her favorite grandson to Mingfang."

It was also her mistake. She swallowed her pride, yet didn’t clarify which prince she was referring to.

Despite the Empress Dowager’s fondness, the Empress Dowager will not be the one inheriting the throne!

The Third Prince is not favored by the emperor, so the chances of him ascending the throne are slim. But it would be different once he becomes an in-law with their family.

Sigh! She has been quite troubled lately! The contest for the crown can be most dangerous! If you don’t compete, can you survive?

The Empress Dowager betrothed Mingfang to the Third Prince, which may offer the Third Prince some hope and provide a counterbalance to the Empress.

Upon hearing this, Li Mingfang looked at her mother incredulously, "Mother, how could you do this! Are you trying to get me killed?"

Knowing that she wanted to marry Zhao Youwei, she still asked her grandmother to seek a marriage proposal from the Empress Dowager. She was furious!

"Mother, I absolutely refuse to marry the Third Prince! You marry him if you want!" Li Mingfang stormed out after dropping these words!

"Ah, what kind of nonsense are you talking about, child! If I could get married, don’t you think I would! He is a prince after all!" Mrs. Li muttered.

Marrying a general, living in constant fear and loneliness, what’s the point!

"Bloody nonsense!" Madam Li, furious, picked up the teapot on the table and splashed tea on her face!

"Mother, I was just joking, don’t be angry!" Mrs. Li wiped the tea leaves off her face and laughed apologetically.

Madam Li couldn’t stand to look at this daughter-in-law of hers who was missing a screw. She turned to Li Mingjun who was kneeling on the ground and said, "No matter how you look at it, setting the dog on someone was wrong. Prepare some gifts tomorrow and we will go and apologize in person!"

"Yes, grandmother!" Although Li Mingjun was dissatisfied, he dared not refuse! He glanced at the teapot on the table, fearing that his grandmother, with no tea left to splash, would throw the teapot at him.

"Mrs. Zhang, go to the warehouse and get the hundred-year-old wild ginseng, and also the premium bird’s nest and fish maw that was bestowed from the palace recently, plus a piece of silk cloud yarn gifted by the emperor. That should be about right; I’ll think about what else we can give tonight."

Mrs. Li bit her tongue to stop herself from screaming aloud when she heard this. She said sarcastically, "Mother, didn’t the Mistress of Rui’an County give a thousand-year-old ginseng to Madam Zhongyong a few years ago? They probably won’t think much of this hundred-year-old wild ginseng. Better not send it; it could enhance Mingfang’s dowry and make it more impressive!"

"The thousand-year-old ginseng of the Marquis Zhongyong’s family was meant to save lives in critical times. We can send this one to them for the Marquis’s wife to have. It also serves as a gesture from us. The premium bird’s nest and fish maw are good for the baby, which shows our sincerity. We have been friendly with each other for many years. We cannot let this incident become a feud." Madam Li said.

Madam Li was considering that, just in case something unforeseen happens in the future, they could seek help from them. In everything, one should always leave some leeway for future encounters.