Tianliangyuan

Chapter 367 I Must Not Ruin the Reputation of the Xie Family

"Second sister-in-law, why don't you take a look at these first? If you can still stubbornly insist that you are sincerely asking to marry Seventh Miss after reading them, then I will admire the family tradition of your Liu family!"

Liu Yushuang didn't know what she meant, so she patiently looked at the things that had been thrown out.

Before she could finish reading, Liu Yushuang's expression changed.

"The Crown Prince's wife?"

They no longer call them "sister-in-law"; they've adopted a more respectful title.

Xu Zhaozhao's lips curled slightly: "What? Now you're not saying that your Liu family is sincerely proposing marriage?"

"It's all my good-for-nothing brother's fault. I beg the Crown Prince's wife to be lenient."

"Don't you think it's too late to say this now?"

Liu Yushuang's heart skipped a beat, and she could no longer stand. She grabbed the high table with one hand and tightly gripped her handkerchief with the other, her face pale. She said, "Does the young master's wife really not want to give the Liu family any face? No matter what, we are family."

Xu Zhaozhao didn't even glance at her.

"Whether someone is family or not cannot be determined solely by blood ties. You are not qualified to discuss this matter with me. Go back."

No wonder Xu Zhaozhao was so arrogant.

What the Liu family did was absolutely disgusting!

Before Liu Yushuang could even get back to her room, she couldn't stand up and had to be helped back by two old women.

Madam Song had also heard some rumors. She only knew that Xu Zhaozhao had refused the marriage between the two families and had even humiliated Liu Yushuang. Now she couldn't sit still anymore.

Xie Xiaolin had just returned from outside and changed his clothes when the servant told him that Aunt Song had come to see him, and that she seemed to have something very important to say.

Although Xie Xiaolin doesn't manage the household, he is still very gentle with those around him.

"Let her in."

Ms. Song looked haggard, and knelt down to wipe away tears as soon as she entered the door.

"Please, Your Excellency, do us justice for our Seventh Miss! I know I am just a concubine, but our Seventh Miss is also your own flesh and blood. Now that the marriage is in the hands of the Heir Apparent's wife, our Seventh Miss is doomed."

Xie Xiaolin frowned. Having been immersed in the military for many years, he was naturally not the kind of person who would listen to only one side.

"Tell me in detail, what exactly happened?"

"Master, a few days ago, Madam Liu personally came to discuss the marriage between Seventh Miss and Young Master Liu. Unexpectedly, the Heir Apparent's wife refused to comply, and today she even insulted the Second Young Mistress. Please, Master, do us a favor!"

Xie Xiaolin was even less convinced.

He dared not say he knew much about his daughter-in-law, but he was certain she would never do something so tasteless.

"Someone, go and invite the Crown Prince's wife here."

"Yes, sir."

Little Song was still kneeling on the ground, crying pitifully.

Xie Xiaolin thought of how she had served him in Jizhou before, and softened his heart, saying, "Get up, sit down and talk."

"Thank you, sir."

Xu Zhaozhao knew that Xiao Song was not honest, and she took this opportunity to suppress Xiao Song's arrogance.

Don't think that just because she's a concubine, she can act like a tyrant in the Duke's backyard.

A concubine should act like a concubine.

Even a concubine is still a concubine. If she tries to act like a proper wife, she has to see if she's worthy of it!

After hearing Xie Xiaolin's question, Xu Zhaozhao didn't say anything, but simply handed over a few sheets of paper.

There are also the handprints of the head maid on it.

"This is real?"

"Father, this concerns my sister's marriage, which is also related to the reputation of our Duke's Mansion. Your daughter-in-law dares not be careless and will naturally investigate everything thoroughly."

Xie Xiaolin nodded. When he was arranging a marriage for Xiao Liu, his daughter-in-law had arranged for someone to thoroughly investigate Zheng Tuo.

Therefore, Xie Xiaolin was aware of her abilities.

Moreover, as a sister-in-law, it is perfectly reasonable for her to carefully investigate her future in-laws.

"This Liu Bo is simply outrageous! Does he think he can get away with anything? I'm going to find that old scoundrel Liu Jinpeng and demand an explanation!"

Ms. Song was startled; something seemed off about what they were saying!

Xu Zhaozhao gently advised, "Father, there is no need to be angry. The two Lord Lius may not know about this matter. Since it was only revealed by the women in the inner courtyard, then this matter should be handled by the inner family. Father and husband are both military generals, important ministers who are to serve the country. How can we get into a quarrel with court officials over such a trivial matter? If Father is at ease, then leave this matter to your daughter-in-law."

After being persuaded by her, Xie Xiaolin calmed down a bit.

While the text does not mention Liu Bo or his father, it does mention Liu Bo.

It would indeed be inappropriate for him to hold Liu Jinpeng accountable for this.

However, if the issue is resolved by the family members, the relationship between the Xie and Liu families can still maintain a semblance of harmony.

Therefore, leaving it to Xu Zhaozhao to handle is the best option.

"Very well, you shall handle this matter. Remember, no matter who the Liu family is or what their backing is, they must not tarnish the reputation of the Xie family."

"My daughter-in-law obeys."

Liu Jinpeng had previously served as Minister of Personnel, but he later made a mistake and was implicated in the case of Prince Qing, so he was demoted.

He currently holds a sinecure, which sounds like a high rank, but the problem is that he has no real power.

When Liu Jinpeng was still the Minister of Personnel, Liu Yushuang was considered to have married into the family at a high level. Later, when her grandfather was demoted, Liu Yushuang became increasingly self-conscious, always feeling that she could not hold her head up in the Duke's mansion.

In reality, no one was concerned about her identity, and no one would bring up her family's job.

But Liu Yushuang is stubborn, so there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Xiao Song didn't know what Xie Xiaolin had seen, but from the conversation just now, she knew that the Liu family had offended the Xie family.

Therefore, if she were to rush to propose marriage at this point, she would be courting death!

After Xu Zhaozhao left, Madam Song ran after her, but was stopped by the servants signaled by Xu Zhaozhao.

She really couldn't get along with this young Song woman.

"Go and invite the Seventh Miss over."

"Yes, Your Highness's wife."

Before Xie Juan arrived, she had already heard that this sister-in-law did not approve of the marriage between the Liu and Xie families, and even heard that the second sister-in-law had fallen ill because of it.

Xie Juan couldn't understand why her third sister-in-law disagreed with the Liu family, whose family background was good, even better than Zheng Tuo's.

When she saw those testimonies, she was completely dumbfounded.

"Sister-in-law, is this...is this real?"

Just by looking at her reaction, Xu Zhaozhao knew that she still harbored a sliver of wishful thinking.

"What do you think? It's no secret that Liu Bo is in love with Jiang Ning. Now that Jiang Ning is already married, she still keeps in touch with Liu Bo in private. Based on this alone, do you think the Liu family has committed a serious crime?"

Xie Juan's heart skipped a beat; Jiang Ning was the Prince Zhong's concubine.

Liu Bo's private interactions with him were indeed tantamount to insulting the imperial family.

“Sister-in-law, I have met Young Master Liu several times. He is a gentleman, how could he do such a thing? Besides, he was not in the capital for a year. Perhaps he returned and caught up with this Madam Jiang!”