bayedsolid Chapter 517 Sun Banquet
Chapter 517 Sun Banquet
Xue Huai-ren was invited to the Censorate, and Prefect He was also invited to attend the trial.
After hearing the message from the yamen runner, Magistrate He paused for a moment, realizing that this was most likely the prince's intention. Knowing that Magistrate He had a fairly good relationship with Xue Huai Ren, the prince was worried that Magistrate He might have other ideas, and thus sent someone to invite him to the trial.
Xue Huai-ren's case did not go smoothly.
Because some of the witnesses mentioned by that man denied the charges, and since he could not be convicted for the time being, Xue Huai-ren returned to his residence every day.
Xue Huai-ren sensed that this situation might be troublesome. After much deliberation, he decided to send his wife and children with some valuables to avoid trouble for the time being. To the outside world, he would simply say that his wife was unwell and that their son was accompanying her to the countryside to recuperate.
Upon hearing Xue Huai Ren's arrangements, Feng Yuxi merely sneered. Was he really so blatant in arranging a way out for his wife and children? Did he really think everyone else was a fool? Did he think that by transferring all the assets under his name, he could escape his scrutiny? Or that he could prevent his wife and children from living a life of constant displacement?
Finally, with both witnesses and physical evidence, Xue Huai-ren was powerless to refute the accusations. Prefect He, looking disappointed, angrily flung his sleeves and returned directly to his residence.
Xue Huai-ren was ultimately sentenced to twenty years in prison.
Because of the silver he embezzled, the Censorate ordered the confiscation of his property to make up for it.
Madam Xue and her eldest son, who were hiding in the countryside, were not spared either. Their carefully hidden banknotes were still found and used to cover the deficit.
Mu Xin Nuan didn't care about these things, and Duanmu Chu Ze wouldn't be foolish enough to bother her with them.
Before they knew it, it was time for the Lu family to hold a full-month celebration for Lu Shaofeng's son.
Several days ago, Mu Xin Nuan had ordered someone to make an extremely exquisite little gold lock. Duanmu Chu Ze was too busy with official duties to go.
Because her father was highly regarded by the prince, Lady Liu gradually became popular among the powerful and influential in Yanzhou. Especially now that she had given birth to a son, she was naturally showered with compliments and congratulations.
Liu herself understood that a woman who gets married but has no children will inevitably be abandoned sooner or later.
Fortunately, when Lu Shaofeng returned this time, she learned through subtle questioning that neither of the two maids she had sent to him had given birth to any good news. Otherwise, she would probably have been quite upset again.
Mu Xin Nuan's personal attendance at the child's full moon celebration naturally delighted the entire Lu family. Apart from Madam Lu, who was somewhat embarrassed and unsure of how to conduct herself, everyone else was exceptionally happy.
Mu Xin Nuan first looked at the baby. Because he had just turned one month old, the baby's face had some flesh, but he wasn't particularly chubby. However, he was quite fair-skinned. Since he slept most of the time, it was impossible to tell the size of his eyes. But judging from those thin slits, one could tell that the child's eyes were probably not small.
"Congratulations, Sister Liu. Now that you have a son, are you finally at ease?" Mu Xinnuan said with a smile.
"Thank you very much, Your Highness. To be honest, without Your Highness's help, I don't know if my child would have been born safely."
There were no outsiders in the room at this time, only the two of them and Mu Xin Nuan's cousin-in-law, Fang Shi.
"That's all in the past, let's not talk about it. I see that Madam Lu's attitude towards you is quite good now. Perhaps she has resolved her inner conflict. That's good, so that you can get along well in the future."
Madam Fang nodded in agreement, "That's exactly right. After all, they are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. We can't force Lord Lu to choose between his mother and wife, can we?"
Liu smiled faintly. She had only been in confinement for a month, but she had already gained a lot of weight, and even her face had become fuller.
“My husband said that if I am willing, I can go to Huayang County with him.”
Mu Xin Nuan lifted her eyelids, pulling her gaze from the little child and landing it on Liu Shi. "So, what does Sister Liu think?"
"Let's talk about it later. The child is still too young. Even if we want to go, we should wait until next year at the earliest. When spring comes next year and the flowers bloom, we can take the child to see him, and then my father-in-law and mother-in-law won't think it's inappropriate."
Aunt Fang nodded in agreement. “The young mistress is right. The child is too young to travel far. Moreover, as the young mistress of the Lu family, you must shoulder some responsibilities. Although Madam Lu’s health has improved, there are still some things that you will need to take care of.”
Mu Xin Nuan also felt that Aunt Fang's words made sense. "The child is indeed too young. However, there hasn't been any good news from over there, has there? And this time when he came back, he didn't bring those two girls back with him. The meaning is quite clear. In his heart, you are still the most important."
Liu smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in her eyes. Her father had only one wife, her mother, and had never taken a concubine.
The young princess before him had not yet reached marriageable age and was therefore unable to consummate the marriage with the prince. Even so, the prince lived like a monk for several months, refusing to even glance at a beauty like Xie Yilin.
I heard that the four beauties bestowed by the Empress were all placed in the place furthest from Yijing Courtyard in the mansion, just so as not to affect the Princess's mood.
The prince is so devoted to his princess; he is the kind of man every woman in the world envies!
Even a prince in a high position can treat his wife so well, but what about me?
Liu suddenly realized that she was overthinking things.
Was he really too greedy? How could he possibly compare to the Princess? He had heard that before proposing to the Princess, the Prince had sworn that he would only have one wife in his life. Even the Emperor couldn't do anything about it and ultimately gave up the idea of arranging another concubine for him.
Suddenly, Liu felt a sense of relief. Perhaps it was because she had spent so much time with the princess that she had begun to envy her.
But thinking about the other noble families in the capital, her husband only had two concubines, and both of them were only brought into the bedroom after she became pregnant. This already made many people envious of her.
Shouldn't we be content?
Mu Xin Nuan, standing to the side, had no idea what she was thinking; she was simply looking at the various small objects hanging in her room.
Some were strung together with copper coins, some were stacked together in a fan shape with silver notes, and some were piled up with several gold and silver ingots, like a small mountain.
Seeing the curiosity in her eyes, Aunt Fang smiled and said, "This is a custom in Yanzhou, different from that in the capital. It's a way of hoping that their children will have a life of plenty and be rich and powerful."
Mu Xin Nuan nodded, but her eyes fell on a finely crafted jade pendant.