Chapter 224

Li Qingluo knew she couldn't escape this time.

Before, she had sworn to her grandmother not to have any contact with Prince Su Your Highness, but now she had broken that oath, so she could only steel herself and reply: "Grandmother, Prince Su Your Highness has rescued Luo'er several times. This time, grandmother's poisoning was also survived thanks to the physicians in Prince Su Your Highness's manor."

Luo'er knows Your Highness is a dangerous person; being by his side brings danger upon danger. But Luo'er and he truly have only a gentleman's friendship!

Pei Lao Furen: "Really?"

She actually does believe Luo'er's words.

But Pei Lao Furen, after all, has also weathered the court, so she very well knows how difficult a person with Prince Su Your Highness's vicious and ferocious reputation can be to get along with.

He is still a prince.

How could he have taken a liking to Luo'er and treat her so differently?

It is said that beside Prince Su Your Highness, aside from Princess Qin Yu, there is no other woman.

Prince Su Your Highness's feelings toward Luo'er are also as simple and pure as Luo'er's toward him—could it be that they are merely a gentleman's friendship?

Pei Lao Furen did not expose these words; she only let out a faint sigh when meeting Luo'er's innocent gaze.

You, when will you finally open your apertures?

Never mind; since I, the old lady, have already bothered you this much, I cannot be rude. Please arrange for us to have a meal together with Prince Su Your Highness these two days.

Just consider it as repaying him for saving my life this time.

Li Qingluo laughed and agreed: "Yes, grandmother."

But she muttered to herself: Prince Su Your Highness likes clean people so much—would he be willing to share a meal with her and her grandmother?

Never mind; let's invite him first—if he refuses, that's his business.

Pei Lao Furen then continued: "Just now grandmother already instructed Zheng Mama; we will move to grandmother's residence in three days."

As for the Jiangjun Fu, we will never go back! Are you willing?

Li Qingluo hurriedly nodded happily: "Grandmother, Luo'er is willing!"

However, Luo'er still has some things she hasn't taken. But there's no rush—next time Luo'er will personally go back to get them.

Pei Lao Furen gently stroked Li Qingluo's face.

It's just that you've been wronged, child. Clearly you are the eldest legitimate daughter of the Jiangjun Fu, yet you have no home to return to.

Li Qingluo gently leaned against Pei Lao Furen's knee: "With grandmother here, where is Luo'er's home?"

Moreover, moving out of the Jiangjun Fu has made her subsequent actions even more convenient.

Li Qingluo lowered her eyes, a flash of ruthlessness flickering in her depths.

Li Kechuan, Li Chao Jing, Qu Shi, the Qu family, Liu Qiongzhu.

Li Qingluo will settle the score for killing Sui'er and poisoning her grandmother right now, making a clean reckoning with them.

Jiangjun Fu.

When Li Chao Jing heard his subordinate report that there was still no trace of Madame Pei and Li Qingluo, he flew into a rage and, in his fury, slashed all the furniture in the room with his sword.

He knew that his rebellious daughter had still not brought her mother's corpse back for burial, which must mean she had saved the old lady's life.

Li Chao Jing should obviously be feeling happy.

But deep down, what he felt more was fear.

His mother, he feared, would now hate him even more.

Originally, if she had died this time, obtaining the Tianfeng Trading House would have been his most legitimate moment.

But she just wouldn't die!

If she didn't die, she would wake up, and what he was doing now would surely chill her heart completely—just as Chuan'er said, if she really left the entire Tianfeng Trading House to Luoluo, what should he do?

He also couldn't really go and kill his own flesh and blood, could he?

Li Chao Jing was just suffering from a headache when the steward came rushing in, flustered.

"Master, it's terrible! It's the Cui family—their chief steward and matchmaker have come to call off the engagement!"

Li Chao Jing's expression changed drastically: "What did you say?!"

When Li Chao Jing hurried to the gate, the Cui family's chief steward had already piled the original betrothal gifts high at the entrance.

He then handed over the marriage contract and the freshly copied notice of breaking off the engagement.

Cui family steward: "General Li, our patriarch said that the Cui family and your General's manor have no marital affinity. Please, General Li, be decisive and sign this notice of breaking off the engagement; from now on, your eldest son and our Ninth Miss will have no marital ties, and our two families may each live in peace."

Li Chao Jing flatly refused: "No! On what grounds does the Cui family just call off the engagement? Doesn't our General's manor care about face?"

"And besides, if the Cui family looks down on our Chuan'er's current predicament, why didn't they call off the engagement when he broke his leg? I, Li, won't say another word!"

"Now you've saved face for the Cui family, yet you want to abandon this marriage? I, Li, will never agree!"

Even though the sky had already darkened.

Hearing the commotion at the General's manor, nearby townspeople still rushed over as soon as they got wind of it.

"Quick, quick, there's another spectacle to watch at the General's manor!"

"Heavens, this is livelier than any opera staged in the theater—it's been causing a stir every few days, hehe, hurry up!"

The Cui family steward gave a cold laugh: "How come, General Li, you still don't know what happened today? It's not that the Cui family has betrayed righteousness; we've already done enough benevolence and righteousness! It's your Li household that's bullying people."

"If General Li still doesn't understand, why not simply ask your eldest son what he has done?"

Li Chao Jing was convinced that the Cui family was merely making an excuse to break off the engagement, and coupled with the recent disappearance of Madame Pei and Li Qingluo over the past two days, he constantly felt a surge of anger inside.

So he immediately waved his hand without thinking: "No need! As the General, don't I know my own son?"

"He has now become steady and reliable; he will certainly not do the outrageous things you claim."

"The Cui family wants to use his private morals as an excuse to break off the engagement—I, the General, simply don't believe it!"

The Cui family's chief steward took a deep breath.

"General, this is you forcing the servant. Later, you'd better not regret—"

Li Chao Jing's eyes and mouth corners held an undisguised cold smile: "Regret? The Cui family, so impatient, came in the middle of the night to call off the engagement—this general wants to hear, what matter makes you unable to wait until tomorrow?"

Since your Cui family was the first to lack benevolence, why should I bother speaking of righteousness?

The matchmaker anxiously said, "General, let's go inside to talk… after all, there are still so many people listening."

Li Chao Jing only then noticed that the mansion gate was again packed with a street-full of people.

His face instantly darkened; just as he was wavering about entering the mansion to speak of this, the Cui mansion steward suddenly broke into a grin.

So that servant just said?

The Cui mansion steward no longer gave Li Chao Jing a chance to regret, hurriedly saying: "Today our matriarch brought the Ninth and Eleventh Young Ladies to Qingsong Temple to burn incense, and by chance ran into your mansion's eldest son and that earlier false eldest daughter, who were whispering intimately."

This originally wasn't a big deal; after all, they were once siblings, even if they were overly affectionate, our matriarch and the Ninth Young Lady wouldn't take it to heart.

But just then, a slave who had previously fled from your mansion appeared. General, guess who it is?

They say she was once a highly favored personal maid named Coral beside your eldest son.

It's not unusual for the young master to have a personal maid, but what's strange about it, General, do you know?

It's that the maid's face is exactly the same as the false eldest daughter's!

Moreover, from their mouths we Cui family learned that these two are actually blood-related sisters!

According to the maid, when your eldest son shared a bed with her night after night, he kept calling out the false eldest daughter's name… Your eldest son and that false eldest daughter must have already had an affair, right?

Even if not, your eldest son surely already harbored sordid, shameful thoughts toward his former younger sister.

Such a coincidence—does your mansion truly not know about it?

Your Li family has produced such a morally corrupt, disgraceful act; our Cui family cannot tolerate it!

Such a man lacking private virtue, shameless and licentious—our Cui family's daughters would rather shave their heads and become nuns at a Daoist temple than marry him!

The Cui mansion's chief steward flicked his sleeve, let out a "humph", turned away, appearing full of confidence.

Li Chao Jing clutched his chest and stumbled heavily backward!

They certainly knew Chuan'er's feelings for Liu Qiongzhu!

Back when they caught Zhu'er and the Prince Yun's affair in the Minglou, Chuaner had also clearly expressed his thoughts, and Li Chao Jing knew then that this must never be known to the world!

Otherwise, the entire Jiangjun Fu's reputation could never be cleared!

Li Chao Jing was both ashamed and angry, his face dark with flushed red: "This is you, your Cui family's baseless slander, a smear against my Jiangjun Fu!"

Our Jiangjun Fu has long severed ties with that woman; the two of them will never meet in private again!

Your Cui family, in order to break the engagement, will stop at nothing, even smearing filth like this to harm my Li family!

Your shameless conduct—do you know that the Liu family's daughter is now Prince Yun's favored concubine? Even this you can smear; beware I report to the emperor to prove my Li family's innocence!

The Cui mansion's chief steward chuckled: "Great General, don't get angry yet. That fleeing maid is now pregnant; her belly looks about four or five months along."

Having a bastard son before marriage—if this gets out, aren't you Jiangjun Fu trampling on our Cui family, bullying and humiliating our eldest daughter?

Moreover, we Cui family came today to discuss breaking the engagement; even Prince Yun cannot interfere in our two families' marriage matters, right?

Even if the Great General goes to the emperor with justification, the rightful side is still our Cui family!

Someone, throw the divorce and betrothal documents in front of their Jiangjun Fu! If we come tomorrow to take the divorce document and the General hasn't signed it, don't blame our Cui family for turning hostile and making this known throughout the city!

Is this not enough to spread throughout the city?!

"Let's go!" The Cui mansion's chief steward led his people away in a mighty procession.

Li Chao Jing's face turned ashen; unable to stop them, he turned and stumbled hurriedly into the mansion.

Li Chao Jing's chest felt as if a huge stone weighed upon it, making it hard to breathe.

He arrived at Lan Cang courtyard and saw his eldest son Li Kechuan actually still having leisure to sit quietly in the courtyard, gazing at the moon and enjoying the scenery, even showing a look of melancholy autumn sorrow; instantly his blood surged and anger rose from his heart.

Unfilial son!! What good have you done today!!