Tianliangyuan

Chapter 108 Send it back quickly

Wang Ruolan shook her head: "She is your niece, and now that she is being raised by you, it is naturally your responsibility to discipline her. Sister-in-law, if you can't discipline her, you should send her back as soon as possible, so that she doesn't cause trouble in the future and your brother and sister-in-law can put all the blame on you."

Li was suddenly startled, feeling as if the hairs on her body were standing on end.

Her brother is naturally a good person, but her sister-in-law always has some ulterior motives.

Besides, Li Biyao is their own daughter. If something really happens to her, the parents shouldn't blame their child, but rather blame others.

After realizing everything, Li immediately expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I had misunderstood before."

Seeing that she had taken her words to heart, Wang Ruolan then gestured for everyone else to leave.

Seeing this, Li's bad premonition grew even stronger.

"Does your sister-in-law know Liu Huai'en, the heir apparent of the Duke of Su?"

"I know. I've heard that this man is a womanizer. Even after marrying the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, he still frequents brothels and has quite a few beautiful maids at home."

"Li Biyao had secretly left the manor several times before, and on one of those occasions she ran into this Young Master Liu. At that one glance, Young Master Liu took a fancy to her and had already been asking around to find out which family's daughter she was."

Li was extremely flustered; Liu Huaien was definitely not a good man!

Moreover, given Li Biyao's status, if she were to marry into the Duke's mansion, she would inevitably become a lowly concubine. What should be done about that?

"Sister-in-law, I'm in a really mess right now. Please give me some advice! Is it too late for me to send Biyao away?"

“You can send her away in time, but your brother lives in Chang’an County. If Liu Huai’en is determined to find her, it won’t be difficult.”

"So, what does your sister-in-law mean?"

"Send Li Biyao back to the Li family first, then have your brother and sister-in-law find her a husband as soon as possible."

Li Biyao is not actually that old. She is still young enough to be a potential matchmaker, but it would be a bit too early for her to get married.

But if she were to marry a lecherous woman like Liu Huaien, who also came from a powerful and influential family, he wouldn't give up on her unless she married her off early.

Liu Huaien was a womanizer, but he had one redeeming quality: he would never lay a hand on a married woman.

Wang Ruolan now feels this is inappropriate, mainly because Li Biyao might also be considering marrying into a high-ranking family as a concubine, which is highly inappropriate.

Moreover, even if she is to be married off, at the very least, nothing should happen to her in the Marquis's mansion; it would be best to send her back as soon as possible.

The next morning, Madam Li instructed her servants to pack Li Biyao's things, preparing to return to Chang'an County together.

Li Biyao was somewhat flustered: "Aunt, why do we suddenly have to go back?"

Fearing that she might have other ideas, Li pretended to be calm and said, "Of course, I have important matters to discuss with your parents."

Li Biyao felt uneasy, thinking that after leaving the wealthy Marquis's mansion, it would be difficult for her to get in touch with those noble people again.

"Aunt, we're just discussing some matters, is it necessary to bring everything?"

"I also need to go back and stay for a few days. Okay, hurry up and pack, we'll be leaving in a bit."

Thinking of the young nobleman who had been paying close attention to her that day, Li Biyao gritted her teeth and decided to go out and try her luck.

As a result, they were stopped by someone.

"What are you doing? I just wanted to go out to buy some things, why are you stopping me?"

"Miss, the Second Madam has instructed that you are about to go to the Li family. You should hurry up and pack your things."

At that moment, Li Biyao realized that she might really not be able to come back.

Despite her reluctance, Li Biyao was still pulled onto the carriage by Madam Li.

When Li learned that her niece had previously planned to go out, she became even more disappointed in her.

To prevent her from causing any more trouble along the way, he decided to let her ride in the same carriage as him.

Chang'an County is not far away; both are under the jurisdiction of the capital region.

After bringing the person back to the Li family, Li had a private conversation with her brother and sister-in-law for half an hour before leaving feeling relieved.

After Li Shi left, Li Biyao was scolded by her parents and then made to kneel as punishment.

What Li didn't know was that after this incident, Li Biyao not only didn't give up her desire to marry into a wealthy family, but she also came to hate her aunt who had brought her back.

In any case, now that Li Biyao is gone, the Li family can finally relax a bit.

Xu Zhaozhao didn't seem to care when she learned about this.

If the person were under her nose, she would have plenty of ways to deal with Li Biyao. Now that she's back in Chang'an County, as long as she doesn't cause trouble in front of her again, she can pretend that the person never existed.

Next, Madam Li will begin arranging marriages for her two illegitimate daughters.

When Fu Pei came to the Marquis's residence again, Xu Wanwan saw him. He was a handsome gentleman, and moreover, he was the top scholar in the imperial examination. Just standing there was enough to make a woman's heart flutter.

Fu Pei came to see Xu Junting. The two of them were now working at the Hanlin Academy, but they were assigned to different lecturers. Their jobs were not tiring, just a bit boring. When they had free time, they would drink and chat together, talk about calligraphy and painting, and share their experiences.

Xu Zhaozhao went to Baiguoyuan again, this time, she was well-prepared.

Previously, Xu Degui had received her instructions and specially brought over dozens of piglets. Xu Zhaozhao then gave him a guide to raising pigs and asked him to find some experienced farmers to consult. In the end, a special pigsty was built at the foot of the back mountain.

Pork is not popular among the wealthy and powerful these days, partly because they consider pigs to be dirty animals. Many pigsties are now connected to toilets, and free-range pigs may eat human feces, leading people to believe that pork is unclean.

Furthermore, people today do not have the technology to castrate pigs, so the pork has a fishy and unpleasant smell and a poor texture.

Thirdly, people believed that pork was harmful to health. They believed that eating pork would lead to blocked blood vessels, weak muscles and bones, and excessive wind-related illnesses, making one susceptible to a type of wind-related disease. Therefore, high-ranking officials and nobles generally did not eat pork.

However, some ordinary people really like to eat pork. The main reason is that mutton is too expensive, and beef is a rare cut of meat. So they still like pork very much, since it is relatively cheaper.

Xu Zhaozhao had piglets brought in so that she could castrate them and raise them properly, feeding them only regular pig feed instead of letting them eat dirty things.

Moreover, castrated piglets should grow fatter and more meat faster.

Even so, Xu Zhaozhao did not expect this pork to become a dish on the plates of wealthy and powerful families.

As long as it tastes better to ordinary people and has a higher yield, that's fine.

If this succeeds, I will have made a great contribution.

However, Xu Zhaozhao was unwilling to take credit for such a thing, so she found an opportunity to call her eldest cousin Wang Wenyuan and third brother Xu Junting together.

"Cousin, is what's said in this book really true?"

"Why don't you try it yourself, cousin? You've been in the Ministry of Revenue for quite some time. If this matter succeeds, your position will likely be promoted."