vrcanaries Chapter 358 Li Yuanheng is annoyed by Xie Wanning
Chapter 358 Li Yuanheng is annoyed by Xie Wanning
The Marquis's Residence, Qinglan Courtyard.
Qin Jiuwei sat by the window and opened the letter Xie Wanning had sent.
Seeing this, Xie Jue curiously came closer.
Blinking her big eyes, she asked, "Mother, what is this?"
Qin Jiuwei glanced at Xie Jue, who was craning his neck to look, and chuckled, "It's a letter from your third aunt."
"Why send a letter back to your parents' home so soon after the wedding?" Xie Jingchun asked casually from the side.
Qin Jiuwei glanced at the letter briefly, then handed it to them.
The children are all grown up now, and there's no need to hide these family matters from them.
The sooner we get involved, the sooner we can learn how to handle it.
Xie Jingchun took the letter, glanced at it, and then pursed his lips.
"Now you're starting to care about family ties?" Xie Jingchun scoffed. "Back when she bullied us and our mother, she never cared about blood relations."
"Exactly!" Xie Jue waved her little fist, looking very much in agreement.
Xie Jing also finished reading the letter, but did not speak. He picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip.
Qin Jiuwei looked at him calmly: "Jing-ge'er, what's your opinion? How do you think we should respond?"
“No need to reply.”
His eyes were calm, yet cold.
Sometimes, not replying is also a form of reply.
Upon hearing this, Qin Jiuwei nodded slightly, her eyes showing satisfaction.
"You have a point."
In terms of how they conduct themselves, Xie Jing and she are remarkably similar.
That evening, Xie Yanli pushed open the door and entered.
Qin Jiuwei was sitting at the table with a cup of tea in her hand.
He took off his cloak and handed it to the maid, then walked over and looked down at her: "What's wrong? You seem a little unhappy today?"
Qin Jiuwei looked up at him and recounted the letter she had received during the day.
After hearing this, Xie Yanli curled his lips into a cold smile.
"Li Yuanheng really doesn't know what's good for him. Since he wants to be an official so much, then I'll grant his wish."
The next day, Li Mansion.
Li Yuanheng got up very early in the morning.
The cabinet issued a decree informing him that he had been appointed to an official position.
Li Yuanheng and Zhang were very happy and waited in the courtyard early for the imperial decree to be announced.
Li Yuanheng raised his chin.
He had a bad year in his studies and hadn't even passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations (xiucai) after all these years.
But so what?
He's much smarter than those bookworms.
He knew he needed to marry a wife who could help him.
Sure enough, he's about to become an official!
The eunuch, holding the imperial edict, cleared his throat and said, "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Li Yuanheng, currently serving as the Chief of the Clean Streets Bureau in the capital, in charge of all matters concerning filth within the city, shall immediately assume his post. So be it."
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanheng's smile instantly froze on his face.
Zhang's expression froze, staring at the eunuch in disbelief: "Eunuch, are you sure you didn't misread it?"
The eunuch nodded: "Madam Li, this servant dares not make a mistake. This is the decree issued by the Grand Secretariat."
Zhang's face turned ashen.
Her son is a noble young master of the Duke's mansion! How could he meddle in such filthy and disgusting matters!
Li Yuanheng finally came to his senses, his eyes filled with humiliation and anger.
But the eunuch delivering the imperial decree paid no heed to their sentiments.
After delivering the decree, he left immediately.
Li Yuanheng and Zhang were left standing there, furious.
Li Yuanheng's eyes were filled with disbelief. "I clearly had Xie Wanning write a letter to Xie Yanli. How could I have been assigned such an official position!"
Zhang said irritably, "What else could it be? Back then, Xie Wanning, the younger sister, had no say in Xie Yanli's affairs!"
"I thought that although Xie Wanning and Xie Yanli were not biological sisters, they were still related by blood and shared the same father. I thought that even if we didn't care about Xie Wanning, we would at least treat her well. Who would have thought that it would turn out like this!"
Zhang was furious, and Li Yuanheng followed suit with a string of angry curses.
"I thought Xie Wanning could get help with the Xie family's influence, but I didn't expect her to be unable to handle even something as simple as this! She's really useless!"
"If I had known she was completely incompetent, I would never have considered this marriage! Now I've been dragged down for nothing! I've ended up with this dirty and tiring job! I would have been better off not being an official!"
The two men angrily berated and complained about Xie Wanning, their dissatisfaction with her growing deeper and deeper.
As a result, Li Yuanheng's attitude towards Xie Wanning also began to cool down.
That evening, at the Li residence.
Xie Wanning sat in the room, looking out the window, but no footsteps came.
She stood up, put on an outer robe, and glared at the maid beside her. "Where is Li Yuanheng?"
They've only been married a few days? And Li Yuanheng is already not sleeping in her room anymore?
The maid hesitated for a moment before replying, "Young mistress, the young master said... he wants to rest in the study tonight."
Upon hearing this, Xie Wanning was immediately enraged and was about to rush to the study to confront Li Yuanheng.
But as soon as she took a step, she couldn't help but recall what the Lady Hou had told her before she got married.
"You must remember that when things happen between husband and wife, don't argue easily, lest others laugh at you."
Xie Wanning paused in her impulsive steps, hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted her teeth, turned around and went back to her room.
My heart ached more and more.
She chose this marriage, so how did it turn out like this?
Xie Wanning felt a deep sadness and bitterness in her heart.
The following day, Wenyuan Pavilion.
"Did Li Yuanheng go to work today?" Xie Yanli asked.
"Your Highness, Li Yuanheng has already gone. The Clean Street Division is in charge of the filth in the capital. Li Yuanheng has never been in contact with such things before. I heard that he had to cover his nose and make several trips along the way."
The guard paused, seemingly unable to suppress a laugh, "When he went down to inspect, most of the people in the capital looked at him with different expressions. Li Yuanheng's face was as black as charcoal."
Xie Yanli's lips curved slightly after hearing this.
The Li family dared to use marriage to scheme against the Xie family.
This score hasn't been settled yet.
Duke Li has also been restless lately, stirring things up behind the scenes and secretly trying to expand his sphere of influence.
It's time for a good talking-to...
"Inform the Ministry of Personnel that all officials recommended by the Li family should have their appointments postponed. Whether they are important positions in the capital or new local officials, all appointments should be put on hold and the positions should be allocated elsewhere."
The attendant obeyed and quickly left.
Xie Yanli's gaze fell on the documents in front of him.
After flipping through a few pages, he gave a cold laugh.
Duke Li's reach is really far-reaching; now he even wants to get involved in the military camps on the outskirts of the capital.
He picked up a pen and with a few strokes altered the transfer order, directly removing several important confidants from key positions in Li Guogong's faction.
Soon, Duke Li received the imperial decree and news of personnel changes.
He immediately sent someone to the palace to request an audience, but was blocked outside by the eunuchs, who said that the emperor was too busy with state affairs to see guests.
They wanted to see Xie Yanli, but couldn't get a chance to see him at all.
Duke Li finally realized that he seemed to have offended someone.
Li House.
Duke Li sat in the main hall, his face so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.
His gaze was coldly fixed on Li Yuanheng, who was kneeling below him.