ook, they were all worried.But if they disobeyed the military orders, there was nothing they could do about it.Moreover, with those books copied out, our family could at least pretend to be a scholarl...Since they had all witnessed what just happened, those young boys definitely couldn't be left behind.

Then they rushed after him.

In the small parlor, women gathered together, drinking tea and eating snacks. The conversation gradually turned to marriage.

Who married a daughter-in-law from afar, whose daughter got engaged, and whose daughter-in-law gave birth to another baby boy.

Gossip about family and friends is a favorite and eternal topic for women, regardless of their social status.

Mrs. Liu asked Old Mrs. Li, "Has Huan'er paid the betrothal"

"It's almost time, we've been preparing things these past few days. In another seven or eight days, it should be time for the betrothal." Li Lao Tai spoke with a smile when she mentioned her granddaughter-in-law, "If everything goes smoothly, our family will have a new member before the new year."

"It will surely go smoothly. Your mother-in-law's family is so harmonious, it's a rare and wonderful family. A daughter from the Peng family marrying in is like falling into a well of fortune." Madam Liu replied with a smile.

The other women were curious and asked about it. When they heard that Li's grandson had married the daughter of the master of Luo'an Academy, they were all surprised.

Although the tutor's status wasn't high and Mr. Peng wasn't particularly famous, as a daughter from a scholarly family, how could she have taken a fancy to Li Jia's grandson who was just a cook

Even if, for the sake of argument, they truly favored the Li family, then wouldn't it be more appropriate to choose a grandson who is dedicated to his studies

Of course, everyone keeps this in mind, but no one says it out loud.

At that very moment, LanLan ran back crying.

The little girl was crying with her eyes red, like a frightened rabbit, which caught everyone's attention.

"What's wrong Lanlan, who bullied you" A woman in a red dress sitting near the door immediately went forward to hug Lanlan and started yelling.

Mrs. Liu frowned, a flash of displeasure in her eyes, but she still smiled and said, "Children playing together is lively. What's the point of talking about bullying Hurry up and ask, perhaps they were startled by insects. It’s almost winter now, and this time of year, insects are all trying to jump around as much as possible before they die."

Everyone quickly laughed and agreed, "That's right, I got bitten by a mosquito the other day, and it swelled up into a red bump, even worse than in the summer."

As the topic began to veer off course, Lanlan cried even louder.

"Woooo, it's not a bug, it's the county princess! The county princess said I'm from a concubine and doesn't like me. She won't let my cousins play with me, and she even said I want to harm her! I haven't done anything!"

The little girl was amazing, crying with sobs, tears streaming down her face. She spoke clearly through it all, and everyone could hear what she said.

The woman in red was immediately furious, "What do you mean by concubine's child Lanlan is clearly our legitimate daughter! Even if you look down on our family status, come to us anyway, bullying a child like this!"

Mrs. Liu gritted her teeth in anger, still wanting to patiently soothe a few words, but Old Madam Li slammed down her teacup and spoke first.

"This young lady just said that our County Princess bullied her, right She also said that she was bullied because of her low status"

Lady Li sneered, "That's strange. Our county lord plays well with the children in the village. Everyone says she is generous and well-behaved, never arguing with anyone."

"Besides, if it's about humble origins, all the children in our village are just common farmers’ kids. None of us have parents who take us to grand gatherings. Why didn't the county princess pick on them Why choose today, and pick on a stranger"

Tao Hongying's eyes were equally cold as she scanned the mother and daughter huddled together, agreeing, "That's right, unless someone did something wrong and angered the county princess."

"No! You're all wrong!" Lanlan cried, "It's my cousin who treats me well, she just doesn't like me! She stole my cousin away, she only wants my cousin to hold her hand…"

Lanlan is only eight or nine years old. Even if she is smart, her abilities are limited. After just a few words from the Li family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, she blurted out her true feelings.

Tao Hongying burst into laughter, "What cousin are you talking about Has he been betrothed to you already You're just a child! All you know is to bicker and fight!"

"If people just see that our Fu Niao'er is young and take care of her a little, you resent them this much In the future, I'm afraid you won't even be able to look at others. I don't know whose kid this is, to be so unlucky!"

Upon hearing this, all the women's faces turned sour. They instinctively thought, could the cousin mentioned by this young girl be their own son

But immediately, they felt relieved because they didn't know the woman and the little girl. It was obvious they couldn't be relatives.

Only Mrs. Liu's face was the darkest, because the cousin in Lanlan's mouth was her son!

She didn't know, when her son became someone else's forbidden fruit. He wasn't allowed to be close to anyone or even glance at them!

Today, with so many people here, if it were to spread, what if there were some unkind words said How could her son ever get married in the future!

She hesitated for a moment, then stepped out and said to Li's wife and daughter-in-law, "Auntie, sister-in-law, don't lower yourselves to this ignorant person's level.

“This is the elder sister of my second wife’s family. I didn't invite them today, but since they came to visit, I let them in. After all, it would be nice to have some company. But who knew, these two women were full of nonsense! So I had them escorted out.”

After saying that, she turned to Lanlan and her mother, who were speechless, and said, “You guys should go back first. We’ll talk later.”

Lanlan and her mother's faces flushed instantly, they no longer bothered to feign helplessness.

Lan Lan's mother immediately raised her voice, complaining, "Sister-in-law, you can't..."

“What can’t I do” Mrs. Liu snapped impatiently, “From now on, don’t call me sister-in-law. This isn’t the first or second time I’ve had to endure this. A concubine’s family should be seeking connections with your own sisters, not with our Liu family! What business does it have with us!”

Don't think we don't know what you've been doing out there, using the Liu family's name to cover your tracks! If it weren't for our master's reluctance to trouble our second brother, we would have sent a letter long ago.

"When the time comes, I'll expose all your family's dirty secrets. Not even you lot, nor that little concubine sister of yours, will be spared! Send her home early and reunite with your family!"

With that said, she gave a glance, and immediately a maidservant came over, half-supporting and half-dragging the mother and daughter out.

Lanlan and her mother were extremely angry. Lanlan's mother immediately yelled, "Is this how the Liu family treats guests We are your relatives! My sister gave birth to a child for the two elders!"

Grandma Tang immediately motioned to the maidservant, covering their mouths.

She was also a shrewd woman, not planning to drive the two of them out the back door, but rather finding an empty room to lock them up in.

Today at home is lively. If we let people out, they'll probably go back and make a fuss again later, which would dampen the joy of this auspicious day.

It was quite a coincidence that when Lanlan and her mother were being dragged out, Zhimin and Xiujie happened to return with a group of children.

Lan Lan struggled hard against the maid's grip, crying out for help, "Cousin! Oh cousin, save me!"

Zhi Min subconsciously took a step back, shielding the young guests with her arm.

After Lanlan and her mother had been escorted out of the courtyard, they entered the house.rim.As one gets older, they tend to fear drastic emotional fluctuations, like intense joy or deep sorrow.Old Master Hou suffered a stroke that came on suddenly and intensely. It was very severe, leavi...