Li Sinian started, looking at Li Yaoqin with some guilt. The laws of Changjiu were that favored concubines could not overthrow their wives. If anyone impeached him, the Empress would be delighted to find him guilty of such a crime.
"It was my father's oversight." For the first time, Li Sinian admitted his mistake in front of his daughter.
Li Yaoqin smiled and poured Li Sinian a cup of wine. "Father, it's all in the past. However, if Aunt Liu tries to cause trouble through you again in the future, I won't stand idly by."
"As you wish, Yao'er."
"Thank you, Father. Please have a drink." Li Yaoqin handed the wine cup to Li Sinian, who took it and drank it down.
Li Yaoqin's gaze deepened. She gave Suoxin a look, and Suoxin walked over, coming to Li Sinian's side. She picked up the wine pot. "My lord, Suoxin will pour you wine."
Li Sinian nodded. Suoxin's faint, lingering fragrance wafted into his nostrils.
Just then, Li Yaoqin said, "Father, someone just came from Mother's side, saying she's not feeling well. I'm going to check on her."
"I'll go with you," Li Sinian said, about to stand up.
Li Yaoqin quickly replied, "Father, I'll be right back."
"My lord, please drink." At this moment, Suoxin poured a cup of wine and handed it to Li Sinian. Li Sinian looked at Suoxin, and she bashfully turned her face away.
Li Yaoqin walked out of the room and saw Xu shi not far away. She trembled but had no time to react, rushing over. "Mother, weren't you unwell? Why aren't you resting in your room?"
Xu shi suddenly slapped her hard. Li Yaoqin was stunned. It took her a while to react. She looked at Xu shi, disbelief in her eyes, and asked, "Mother, you... you hit me?"
In her memory, Li Yaoqin had never been hit by Xu shi. Xu shi was gentle and kind; even the servants in the mansion were rarely punished by her, let alone Li Yaoqin, whom Xu shi doted on.
Xu shi's body trembled with anger. "I expected anyone to bring women to your father; I even considered arranging a concubine for your father myself. But I never imagined that person would be you."
Upon hearing this, Li Yaoqin looked away with a guilty conscience. "Mother, rather than letting outsiders send unknown people into the mansion, it's better to send someone familiar."
"So, as my daughter, you brought women to your father? Li Yaoqin, you are not my daughter, are you? You are one of those who wish my father would divorce me!"
"Mother, you didn't say this before." Li Yaoqin couldn't believe that the hysterical woman in front of her was her gentle and virtuous mother.
"Yes, I didn't say this before, but I never imagined that you, as our daughter, would do such a thing. Yao'er, I am very disappointed in you." Xu shi shook her head, her face full of disappointment.
"Mother, right now Aunt Liu is acting arrogantly in the mansion, relying solely on Father's favor. Is it wrong for me to plan for myself?"
"It's not wrong, of course, it's not wrong, but you sacrificed your mother's happiness." Xu shi shouted.
"Your happiness? Do you still have happiness? Did you fight for it? Did you fight for it? No, so why do you blame fate? Mother, you need to wake up. If you don't fight, I fear someone else will become the Minister's wife."
"Shut up, you shut up." Xu shi became furious and lunged forward, grabbing Li Yaoqin by the neck.
Li Yaoqin didn't dodge, watching Xu shi's fingers tighten. "Mother, you once said Yao'er was your most accomplished daughter, that whatever Yao'er did was right. This time, I firmly believe I am right too. We cannot let Aunt Liu continue to be so arrogant, otherwise, this Minister's mansion will have no place for us, mother and daughter.
Mother, you've met Suoxin. She's a very honest maid. Don't worry, even if she becomes a concubine, she won't threaten your and my positions. With her around, Father will still favor you and me. Isn't that good?
Have you forgotten what Aunt Liu was like when she gained power? Have you forgotten? I dare not forget."
Xu shi's hands slowly slid down, and finally, she covered her face and cried bitterly.
Li Yaoqin squatted down and hugged Xu shi. "Mother, in the future, there will be many women around Father, and many women like Aunt Liu will come into the mansion. Will you be like this with every one of them?
Didn't you teach me that it's normal for men to have three wives and four concubines? If you cared, why didn't you object when Father took Aunt Liu as a concubine back then?"
Xu shi did not speak, but raised her head and looked at Li Yaoqin. "From now on, I will not interfere with you. You must fend for yourself!"
With that, Xu shi pushed Li Yaoqin away, turned, and left.
Li Yaoqin gazed into the distance, tears flowing down her cheeks.
In the evening, a sound of something falling to the floor came from Willow Pavilion. Aunt Liu furiously smashed a teacup onto the ground. "Is it Suoxin?"
Ping'er, terrified, quickly knelt on the ground. "Reporting to my aunt, it's Suoxin from the eldest miss's room."
Aunt Liu sneered a few times. "I knew our eldest miss wouldn't let me be favored by my lord so smoothly. Indeed, it hasn't even been a month, and she's already thinking of sending women to my lord's room. Does she think I, Liu Xiang, am a vegetarian, easy to provoke?"
As she spoke, Aunt Liu looked at Ping'er with a somewhat sinister expression and said coldly, "What? Do you also want to go to my lord's room?"
Ping'er trembled in fear and quickly begged for mercy. "My aunt, please forgive me. Ping'er has never had such thoughts. Please do not be deceived by others."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu sneered and stroked Ping'er's head. "Is that so? I thought you were eagerly taking my lord's breakfast from Suoxin this morning, wanting to climb into my lord's bed and become my lord's woman."
Ping'er trembled. "My aunt, please see clearly. This servant absolutely has no desire to be favored by my lord."
"Is that so?"
"It's absolutely true." Ping'er felt that the current Aunt Liu was terrifying. Even if she had harbored such thoughts before, she no longer dared to.
"That's very good, otherwise I would have to find another maid. Ping'er, do you know that I was once a young lady from an official family?"
Ping'er nodded. "This servant has heard."
Aunt Liu smiled upon hearing this. "Then you certainly don't know that my surname is not Liu."
Ping'er was stunned and instinctively asked, "Then what is your surname?"
Aunt Liu leaned closer and said word by word, "My surname is Xue."
Ping'er trembled all over, raised her head to look at Aunt Liu, and recoiled.
Aunt Liu laughed lowly. "Now that you know my most important secret, what do you think I should do?"
"My aunt, spare my life. As long as you spare this servant, this servant will serve you like an ox or a horse from now on."
"Serve you like an ox or a horse? I don't need that." Aunt Liu smiled charmingly, but in Ping'er's eyes, she was as terrifying as a venomous snake.