Chapter 258: Master Xiao is Convicted
After Mengxi left the house, the only person in the Xiao family who was happy was the eldest wife. The huge rock that was weighing on her heart was finally removed. She did not ask her son why he divorced his wife. As long as he divorced her, who cared why?
It was already dark. She had been bedridden for more than a month, and now she looked like she had taken stimulants. Although she looked pale, she was full of energy. She was leaning on the bed, smiling as she listened to Baozhu's story of how the Second Mistress had left the house in disgrace...
After Baozhu finished speaking, the eldest wife sighed and said:
"If I had known that Jun'er would figure things out so easily, why would I have gone through so much trouble in the first place?"
"That's right, Madam, you don't know that the Second Madam only brought a carriage, without any daily necessities. Four people squeezed into the carriage, and none of the concubines in the backyard came out to see her off. Even the eldest concubine who usually wears the same trousers didn't show up. It was quite shabby."
After hearing Baozhu's words, the eldest wife gritted her teeth and said:
"This vixen, she has finally met her end. Jun'er doesn't love her anymore, so I wonder what else she has left? Oh, by the way, have you asked why Jun'er divorced her?"
"I don't know either. I only heard that the Crown Prince came today and had a long secret conversation with the Second Master. After the Crown Prince left, the Second Master divorced the Second Wife. At that time, all the servants were kicked out, and no one knows what happened in the study."
Hearing that the prince had been here, the eldest wife felt a shadow in her heart, but it was immediately overwhelmed by boundless excitement. She thought of Xiu'er and sighed and said:
"It's a pity that Xiu'er became the prince of Yan's concubine in such a hurry. I heard that the scene of Xiu'er's wedding was extremely grand. Except that the wedding dress was not bright red and the sedan chair did not enter through the main gate, everything else was very different from marrying a principal wife. It was countless times better than marrying a legitimate wife for an ordinary family. It's a pity that Jun'er was not lucky enough to reject such a good person. Xiu'er is also married, and he has divorced that vixen. It's just a matter of a few days."
"Perhaps Miss Biao and the Second Master are not destined to be together. Madam, please don't feel sorry. There are many girls from good families in Pingyang City. It will be the same if you pick a girl that suits the Second Master after the old lady's birthday."
When the first wife heard Baozhu mention remarrying the second master, her eyes lit up immediately and she told Baozhu:
"Hurry, help me up, pack up and go to Shouxi Hall."
Baozhu was startled when she heard this and quickly advised:
"Madam, what are you doing? The lights are on, I think the old lady has gone to bed."
"I plan to discuss with the old lady and arrange another marriage for Jun'er before her birthday. We should get it done before the end of the year, to avoid any more trouble. Jun'er might change his mind again and bring that vixen back!"
"What the First Madam said is true. In my opinion, the Second Madam has already left the house. One night is not too late. The First Madam can go there early tomorrow morning and then discuss this matter."
The eldest wife nodded and said:
"That's true. By the way, why didn't you send someone to follow and see where Second Grandma went?"
"When I got the letter, Second Madam had already disappeared. She must have gone back to her parents' home. I will arrange for someone to go to her parents' home tomorrow to find out."
"Okay, you have to pay attention to this matter. You have messed up the Xiao family like this, and you can't let her live in peace like this."
Although her body was still shaking, she was in high spirits and her illness had improved a lot. Early the next morning, the eldest wife, supported by Baozhu and Ziyue, struggled to come to Shouxi Hall. After entering the hall and turning around the screen, she saw the old lady, the eldest master, the eldest grandfather, the grandmother, and the third master were all in the hall.
When the first wife came in, everyone was surprised. The first uncle, the eldest grandmother, and the third uncle stood up and greeted her. The eldest grandmother came forward and supported the first wife, saying:
"Why is the eldest wife up? Are you in good spirits today?"
"I feel much better now. I feel like I can walk again. I came here thinking about the old lady."
As the eldest wife spoke, she bowed to the old lady and the eldest master, and sat down opposite the eldest master. The old lady looked at her face carefully and said:
"It's the same with my wife. If you're not feeling well, don't force yourself. Grandma will take care of the household affairs. Just take good care of her."
"I am sorry for being unfilial and causing you to worry. I feel much stronger today. Your birthday is coming soon. I have so many things to do that I can't lie down for a long time."
Hearing this, the old lady's expression tensed. The Prince of Yan and the Crown Prince were already at loggerheads, and it seemed that this time they had to determine who was the ruler and who was the subject. The Prince of Yan was coming on with more and more force, and his attacks were becoming more and more severe. Even the prime minister of the time was nearly forced to death. She was afraid that the Xiao family would be next. She didn't even have time to pray, so how could she have the mind to celebrate her birthday.
She sighed and was about to speak when the maid came to report that breakfast had been served. Should we serve it now? The old lady looked around and said:
"Where's Jun'er? Tell someone to go and pass it on!"
After hearing this, Shihua stepped forward and said:
"Replying to the old lady, someone from Xiaoxiangyuan just came to report that the Second Master stayed in the study room all night yesterday. Concubine Cui and Hongyu went to the study door and begged on their knees, but the Second Master refused to open the door. Hongzhu was afraid that something might happen to the Second Master, so she asked the maid to come and report. She wanted to ask the old lady to go and persuade the master. I saw that the dinner was about to be served, and I was afraid that you would worry and affect your meal, so I thought I would come back after you had dinner."
After hearing this, the old lady's heart sank. Just as she was about to speak, she heard the eldest master say:
"Jun'er is also confused. No matter what, he shouldn't cause a family quarrel at this critical moment and make his mother worry. I will teach him a lesson later. Mother, don't wait any longer. Let's eat first."
After hearing this, Xiao Yun opened her mouth several times and finally closed it again.
The old lady was full of complaints and wanted to complain a little, but she saw that the eldest master also looked tired and must not have had a good rest last night. Thinking about the internal and external troubles of the Xiao family these days, she felt distressed when she saw her son's white hair getting more and more. She changed her words and said:
"Let's set the table first!"
Seeing that the old lady was about to set the table, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The eldest lady was about to stand up with Baozhu, but the old lady stopped her and said:
"The eldest wife is not in good health, so just sit down and let the eldest grandmother take care of it."
After hearing this, the eldest wife hurriedly thanked him and sat down again . After breakfast, the table was cleared, the maids served tea, and everyone sat down again. The eldest master drank a sip of tea and chatted with his mother for a while. He was thinking about his son and was about to get up and say goodbye to Xiaoxiang Courtyard when he heard the eldest wife say:
"Replying to the old lady, Mengxi has been divorced. According to my wife's opinion, it would be better to find a young lady from a good family for Juner in the next few days. We can decide on her during your birthday celebration to add to the happiness and wash away the bad luck these days. What do you think, old lady?"
Upon hearing this, the eldest master frowned and thought to himself: It's already this time, and you are still thinking about the things in the backyard. Besides, there is no time to hide at this time, who dares to marry into the Xiao family!
The eldest master was dissatisfied, but seeing that the eldest wife looked pale and his mother was sitting there, he couldn't open his mouth to scold her. He just sat there with a gloomy face and said nothing.
After hearing what the eldest wife said, like the eldest master, the old lady was extremely disgusted. Just as she was about to refute it, an idea suddenly occurred to her. This was not a bad idea. Anyway, Xi'er was not coming back, so why not use Jun'er's marriage as an excuse to have a political marriage? On the one hand, it could get rid of bad luck, and on the other hand, she might be able to cling to the thigh of a prince in the court and drag the Xiao family out of this political quagmire. Thinking of this, she said:
"My wife is right. It would be nice to choose another wife for Jun'er before his birthday. It's a pity for Xiu'er. She was so eager to marry the ready-made candidate to the King of Yan..."
"Mother……"
"Grandma, you can't..."
After hearing this, the eldest master and the third master shouted out in unison.
This is too fast!
After hearing this, the eldest grandmother's face changed with shock. Yesterday morning, the second grandmother said that she was going to discuss the old lady's birthday with her. Who would have thought that when it was lighted, she received the news that she was divorced and expelled from the house. Until now, she didn't believe it was true. She never thought that it was so early in the morning, and she didn't understand why the second master divorced his wife. Maybe the couple had a quarrel and he went back to her parents' home. After a few days, he would take her back when they calmed down. Now the eldest grandmother wanted to arrange a marriage for the second master. Isn't it too much? Will the second master agree?
As the grandmother thought about this, she glanced at the grandfather with concern, only to see that the grandfather also had a frown on his face.
The old lady also came up with the idea on impulse. She glanced around at everyone and found that only she and the first wife agreed with this matter, especially the third master. Looking at his anxious look, it seemed as if he had proposed a marriage that was not suitable for him.
Seeing this, the old lady was about to speak, but Shiqin hurried in and replied:
"Replying to the old lady and the eldest master, there is a message coming from the second gate. The prince's guard Li Bo is at the second gate asking to see the eldest and second masters. He said that the prince has something urgent to tell him and asked him to pass on the message."
"Please go to the living room."
As the master spoke, he stood up and heard the old lady say:
"Let the women leave and bring him over here!"
Xiao Jun's divorce was definitely related to the prince, but he locked himself in the study and the old lady could do nothing about it. Now seeing the prince hurriedly sending someone to deliver a message, she knew the seriousness of the situation. She could not wait for the eldest master to hear it before discussing it. In an emergency, she did not have so many concerns at this time and directly ordered Li Bo to be summoned to Shouxi Hall.
After hearing his mother's words, the eldest master thought it made sense, so he sat down again and sent the eldest wife and the eldest grandmother back, leaving only a few servants and the old lady's maid.
After a while, a servant led Li Bo in. After they greeted each other and exchanged a few pleasantries, Li Bo said:
"Old Lady Xiao, Old Master Xiao, the morning court just ended today, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still discussing matters with His Majesty the Emperor, and he cannot get away, so he specially asked me to come back and tell you that this morning, nearly 30 ministers including Censor Zhang and Imperial Envoy Sun jointly submitted a memorial saying that floods and plagues were rampant in the south, refugees were rioting, and the people were living in misery. It was due to the dereliction of duty by Jiangsu Governor Luo Song and Yangzhou Prefect Xiao Zhanzhi, and they impeached Prefect Xiao for 20 crimes during his tenure, including embezzlement, corruption, and wrongful acceptance of money. In particular, the disaster in the south is getting more and more serious, and the scope of impact is getting wider and wider, but it has not been controlled, and there is a trend of generating civil unrest. In order to appease the people, we jointly respectfully request His Majesty to kill Governor Luo, Prefect Xiao, and others to appease the public anger... His Majesty has issued an order to imprison the entire family of Jiangsu Governor Luo Song and Yangzhou Prefect Xiao Zhanzhi and confiscate their property."
Before Li Bo finished speaking, the old lady's face turned pale.
What? The second master's whole family is in jail! It seems that the King of Yan is going to take action against the Xiao family!
