Tianliangyuan

Chapter 113: Extermination of the Clan or Death from Illness?

Li Biyao was extremely dismissive of this.

"Mother, that was just a deliberate attempt to deceive you. I don't think Aunt is truly looking out for us. She just doesn't want our family to prosper. Even though she and Father are siblings, you can see how much she treats our family compared to how she treats Uncle's family!"

The second wife's eyes flickered. At this moment, she also remembered that the gifts that Li had sent during the New Year were indeed different from those of previous years.

A few years ago, when they were still in the General's Mansion, the gifts that Madam Li sent to their homes were very generous.

As for now, it can only be described as an extra gift from the previous festivals.

Neither the Second Madam nor Li Biyao had considered that at that time, the General's Mansion and the Marquis's Mansion were related by marriage. It was the Marquis's wife, Wang Ruolan, who was in charge of these matters. As the head mistress, she naturally could not be negligent in these etiquette exchanges.

Moreover, the General's Mansion returned the favor with quite a few gifts!

Now that the General's Mansion has been divided into separate mansions, and because of the passing of the elders, the Marquis's Mansion only recognizes the General's Mansion as a relative by marriage. As for the festival gifts here for Second Master Li, they are all handled by the Second Branch of the family and have nothing to do with the Marquis's Mansion, so naturally they have nothing to do with Wang Ruolan.

Moreover, the exchange of gifts between prominent families depends on their social status.

What kind of grandeur does the General's Mansion possess? How could a mere scholar's family compare to it?

Moreover, the General's Mansion sends a considerable amount of festival gifts to the Marquis's Mansion every year, so it is only natural that the Marquis's Mansion should give them commensurate treatment.

In contrast, the gift list for Master Li was naturally much less generous, as Li Shi had to use her private property and couldn't be too lavish.

Nobody's a fool. No matter how close Li is to her second brother, she can't go too far, lest she be taken advantage of again.

For example, if Master Li sends a gift of 100 strings of cash to Madam Li, Madam Li would usually send a gift of about 120 strings of cash in return. So, in the end, Madam Li is still at a disadvantage.

But the second wife and Li Biyao didn't think that way.

They felt that since they were all brothers, they should give each other the same holiday gifts.

In their minds, it should be the Li family who send a gift of 1,000 strings of cash, while their family could send only 100 strings according to their means. Moreover, their reason was that their family was separate from the main household and had a weak financial foundation, so they could not afford to send too many generous gifts.

They didn't think there was anything wrong with their ideas; on the contrary, they felt that Li was petty and that Li was deliberately targeting them.

If Mrs. Li heard what the mother and daughter said, she would probably be so angry that she would cut off all contact with them.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhaozhao took advantage of her time at the Hundred Fruit Garden to cultivate many precious medicinal herbs, such as ginseng and lingzhi.

After she processed the medicinal herbs, she packed them into a brocade box so that her mother could take them as gifts later.

Xu Zhaozhao thought that since she had this ability, how could she let the Marquis's mansion keep spending money?

Tsk, money should be spent wisely.

Xu Zhaozhao praised her own wisdom, saying that this was exactly how it should be done!

In addition to these precious medicinal herbs, Xu Zhaozhao also decided to pick as many kinds of fruits as possible, so that she could bring them back for her family to try.

"Miss, the carriage is ready and can depart at any time."

"Hmm, how's that Hundred Families Quilt I asked someone to get for me?"

"Don't worry, Miss, it's all done. And Granny Yu is very thoughtful; she chose women from blessed families. This little quilt is perfect for the young master."

A "family of complete blessings" means that the woman's parents are alive and well, and her husband is also healthy. Only when the woman's creations are in good health will they be considered auspicious.

"Miss, the auspicious lock you ordered to be made for the young master has been retrieved. Would you like to take a look?"

"Let me take a look at it."

After taking a quick look, Xu Zhaozhao found that the thing was indeed well-made and exquisitely crafted.

Wang Ruolan looked at the dozen or so brocade boxes on display, opened them, and couldn't stop smiling.

Where did all of these come from?

"Some of them were dug up from the mountain, and others were gifts from the people below. In short, I don't need these things, so I'll leave them to my mother to decide how to use."

“These are all good things! I think this he shou wu is quite good. Your grandmother is getting old, so why don’t we send it to her in your name?”

"can."

Xu Zhaozhao didn't care about this. He Shou Wu is generally used by the elderly. As long as the old lady isn't stupid, she would know that this thing shouldn't be given to Xu Lin to cause trouble again.

"You're back just in time. Your little nephew's full moon celebration is being prepared. Can you help your mother see if anything is missing, and if there are any distinguished guests I haven't thought of? Let's discuss it carefully, mother and son."

"Yes, mother."

Xu Zhaozhao knew that this was her mother's way of teaching her how to manage a household.

After watching the whole thing, Xu Zhaozhao suddenly asked, "Mother, why were only a few of General Li's sisters invited? Isn't Li Biyao coming?"

Wang Ruolan's expression darkened at the mention of her.

"She is currently at home preparing for her wedding and will not be coming."

"Hmm? You're married?"

"Hmph! She's so clueless. Everyone else would run away from her, but she's happily jumping in."

Xu Zhaozhao's eyes darted around, and she understood.

"She's going to marry into the Duke of Su's mansion?"

"That's right! Your second aunt went to persuade her twice, but it was no use. I heard that this matter even alarmed General Li. Later, Madam Li also went there in person. After understanding the matter, she refused to agree, but Li Biyao insisted. Moreover, Madam Li's words implied that she disliked Madam Li for interfering in her family affairs, which made Madam Li very angry."

Xu Zhaozhao shook her head. Good advice is useless against this damned ghost!

"And what about Master Li?"

"He's unwilling, but the problem is, how could he know that the mother and daughter are determined to marry into the family? They certainly have plenty of ways to get him. Now that he's ruined his reputation, where else can he go if not to the Duke of Su's mansion?"

Xu Zhaozhao stared wide-eyed. Was this Li Biyao really that bold?

Just to marry into a noble family, she's really willing to give up so much?

Unbeknownst to them, at this moment, in the General's Mansion, Second Master Li sat in the main hall, looking dejected. Besides him, there were also several elders of the Li family.

General Li and his wife were both present. Given the arbitrary and reckless behavior of Li Biyao and her mother, the clan naturally had to make a judgment.

Li Biyao has passed away!

Li Erye's heart was pounding. He didn't want to admit the truth, but it had happened right before his eyes.

"Brother, why did you have to go to this!"

General Li's face was stern, his expression one of anger at their lack of self-control: "How dare you ask such a question! If you had kept them under stricter control, things wouldn't have come to this! Your Biyao has done such a shameless thing, openly flirting with another man in broad daylight, throwing herself into his arms. How are the daughters of my Li family supposed to face this?"

Master Li lost his strength again in an instant. Yes, Biyao was not only his daughter, but also a daughter of the Li clan.

“From this day forward, there will be no more Li Biyao in my Li clan, and your second branch will have no legitimate daughter. This matter will be discussed at the ancestral hall later to inform our ancestors.”