Tianliangyuan

What mistake was made in Chapter 400?

Before Li's mother could react, people were already helping Madam Qian and Qian Pan'er onto the oxcart.

This oxcart was rented.

The Li family has carriages, but Li Shun usually doesn't use them, so why would he give them to this mother and daughter?

"Butler, set off immediately. Don't forget what I said before: once we get to the Qian residence, we must severely punish those two wicked servants. Slap each of them thirty times, not a single slap less!"

"Yes, eldest son."

When Li's mother stumbled out of the house, she only had time to see Madam Qian and Qian Pan'er being put onto an oxcart and started to walk away.

Li's mother was about to stop him again when Li Shun said quietly, "If Mother feels that her son no longer needs to wear this official robe, then please go ahead!"

In short, he kept Li's mother under strict control for quite some time.

"You, what did you say?"

Li Shun took off his official hat, his expression blank: "As you can see, I have been suspended from my post to reflect on my actions, and there is no need for me to go to the Imperial Academy to serve anymore."

Li's mother hadn't expected this outcome and was unable to accept it. She swayed and almost fainted.

Li Shun ignored her and went to the study alone.

The entire Li residence was filled with howling and wailing, but it didn't last long before it became completely quiet.

Li's mother was surprised by this. She was helped back into the house by the old woman, still looking incredulous.

"How could this be? How could this be!"

After Li's mother finished speaking, she burst into tears, slapping her thigh as if she were deeply wronged.

The old woman, who had been holding back her words, finally spoke up: "Madam, please don't be anxious. Let's think about how to calm down the Duke's anger."

Madam Li was taken aback: "The Duke's Mansion?"

The old woman's eyes practically screamed 'contempt'.

"Madam, isn't it obvious?"

Li's mother did indeed begin to seriously consider how this matter had actually happened.

But the problem is, how much could a woman like her know about what's going on outside?

As for matters of state in the imperial court, he knew absolutely nothing.

She wasn't born into an official family; she only became an official's wife after marrying the master. However, she was only the wife of a minor official, so she couldn't understand at all how much power a county princess from a different family could wield.

Moreover, she always believed that there was a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. No matter how high Xie Juan's family background was, she was still just an illegitimate daughter. How could she be as noble as her own son, who was born of the legitimate line?

But she clearly didn't understand that the premise of the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is that you have to be on the same level!

You can't exactly say that even a prince born out of wedlock is inferior to your son, who is born of the principal wife, can you?

In fact, even the old woman beside Li's mother didn't understand. When a young lady from the Duke's mansion married into the family, it was considered a marriage downgrade. How could an ordinary family like Li's dare to look down on them?

Where does this confidence come from?!

To be honest, Li's mother never had these thoughts before. In the end, she was brainwashed by Madam Qian in the last two days.

She really thinks she's an elder, and that whoever marries into the family will be her daughter-in-law and have to respect and pamper her.

Li Shun was in the study, looking utterly dejected.

He didn't originally come up through the imperial examination system, and his father's official position wasn't high either. Although the Li family sounded prestigious, they had very few connections in the civil service.

Now that things have come to this, is he supposed to go and beg his uncle?

Li Shun sighed. Although he had a great general as his uncle, he was still just an uncle. He didn't know why his mother always thought that Miss Xie was marrying above her station.

Now that things have turned out like this, what should we do?

Li Shun didn't give up for long. He ate a hearty lunch, slept soundly in bed, and then went to the storeroom to pick out a few things.

Li's mother tried to come and persuade him, but Li Shun refused to let her in.

He didn't resent his mother; he just felt he needed some time to calm down and think of a way to salvage the situation.

He was just suspended today, and the visit this afternoon was inappropriate, so he plans to visit again tomorrow to apologize.

That evening, Li Shun's younger brother also returned home.

Although Li Erlang was young, he was old enough to understand things. After roughly comprehending the whole story, he naturally knew that the fault lay with his mother, not the Xie family.

However, the elder brother also made mistakes.

If he had personally watched the mother and daughter leave, perhaps nothing would have happened.

The next morning, Li Shun looked at his mother's obviously haggard face and naturally couldn't bring himself to say anything angry.

"I'm going to the Duke's mansion in a bit. This matter must have been instructed by the County Princess. I need to apologize to her first. If she's willing to be lenient, then this matter should be over. But if I can't satisfy her, and the Duke and the young master find out, there might be more trouble."

Li's mother was so frightened that she dropped her chopsticks.

"The county princess? Such a serious matter as suspending you from your post was actually done by the county princess? How could she, a mere woman, interfere in court affairs?"

Before Li Shun could speak, Li Erlang, who was standing to the side, expressed his dissatisfaction.

“Mother, your idea is ridiculous! Not to mention Princess Anle, the women of other noble families also have connections and means.”

Li Shun nodded, somewhat relieved. Fortunately, his younger brother was not mentally impaired.

"Mother, please don't ask me any more questions about my job or my brother's studies in the future."

Li Shun knew that his mother, being of commoner background, would never understand the intricacies of this matter.

In truly powerful and wealthy families, even the gatekeepers in the prime minister's household are quite capable, let alone these noble ladies!

Li's mother realized she had spoken out of turn, and perhaps also felt that she had been somewhat embarrassed by her behavior, so she didn't say anything more.

After Li Shun left, Li Erlang sighed and said, "Mother, although I am good at studying, there is no hope for me to take the imperial examination. I don't want to waste any more money. I have already studied most of the basic classics, so there is no need to throw money into it. I am thinking that after studying until the end of the year, I will stop going to the academy and find a job next year."

Li's mother glared at her: "How can this be? Your brother has high hopes for you!"

“Mother, I’m just not cut out for studying. If the imperial examinations were so easy, why did my brother give up? Besides, out of all the scholars in the capital, how many actually pass and become Jinshi? And my personality and mind aren’t cut out for being an official. If I ever entered officialdom, I’d just be someone who gets played!”

Li's mother was speechless for a moment, and finally said that they would discuss it after Li Shun's matter was resolved.

Li Erlang wasn't stupid; his elder brother was already having a headache, so he wouldn't bring this up now.

Li Shun stood in the same spot as before, while Xu Zhaozhao remained seated in the hexagonal pavilion, exuding an otherworldly aura that seemed completely unrelated to the word "deeply thoughtful."

After bowing and apologizing, Li Shun presented a gift as compensation.

Xu Zhaozhao's gaze did not linger on those things, but she asked calmly, "You say you know you were wrong, but do you know what wrong you committed?"