Madam Guo fled from Li Man'er's room as if she had seen a ghost, leaving Qingping Xuan without looking back. No one knew what Li Man'er had said to her, only that Madam Guo had left in a disheveled state. Do not misunderstand, no one had physically harmed her.
Not a single strand of Madam Guo's hair was out of place, nor was she injured in any way. Yet, her expression was one of panic, as if she had been greatly frightened.
On her way back, Madam Guo, still trying to compose herself, visited Li Zhao'er. The doctor had already attended to her, and her dislocated arm had been set.
Li Zhao'er still felt some pain in her arm, but more than that, she felt wronged. She felt that things could not end like this; Li Man'er had to pay the price.
"Mother, Mother?"
Madam Guo snapped back to attention, her expression not looking good. "Don't worry about these things for now. It's more important to let your arm heal properly and not let it cause lasting problems. What's important right now is your matter with Xiao Yu, not anything else."
"Oh!" Li Zhao'er sounded rather dejected. "Regardless, I won't let her off easily."
"Absolutely not!" Madam Guo exclaimed, startling Li Zhao'er.
"Mother, what's wrong?" Li Zhao'er looked at her in surprise, wondering why Madam Guo was so flustered.
Madam Guo calmed herself down and said, "You must listen to what Mother says. Don't provoke Li Man'er for now. You've already caused trouble. If you provoke her again, your father might genuinely marry you off to Xiao Yu out of anger. What will you do then?"
Madam Guo's words indeed frightened Li Zhao'er. She shrank her neck and nodded, "I understand."
Madam Guo then said, "Rest now. I'm going back to wait for your father."
"Oh!" Li Zhao'er felt that Madam Guo was acting strangely, but couldn't quite pinpoint why.
"Cai Lian."
Cai Lian entered the room, her voice tinged with anxiety. "Young lady, does your arm hurt again?"
"No, I'm asking you, is my mother acting strange?"
Cai Lian shook her head. "This servant doesn't think so. Could it be that she was too angry and is exhausted?"
Li Zhao'er shook her head. "It's not that simple. Go and find out what's going on."
"Yes!"
Over at the Fourth Household, Madam Tian, the Fourth Madam, was inquiring about matters concerning the First Household.
A young maid was recounting something with great animation.
Madam Tian listened with much pleasure, her hand caressing her slightly bulging belly.
"After the Madam left the Eldest Young Lady's residence, she went to the Second Young Lady's place in a daze and didn't stay long before leaving. This servant has inquired around and heard that the Madam has been in her room the whole time. Later, An Xiang went to the main kitchen and had them boil a calming soup for the Madam."
"Boiled a calming soup?" Madam Tian smiled. "It seems our eldest sister-in-law isn't invincible after all. I just wonder what method Man'er used to gain the upper hand."
Madam Xue, Madam Tian's wet nurse and confidante, said, "My dear young lady, aren't you tired of worrying so much! If you ask me, let them fight amongst themselves. It has nothing to do with us. What's most important for you now is to take care of your pregnancy and give birth to the young master safely."
Madam Tian touched her belly again. "It's not certain if it's a boy or a girl yet!"
She had been married for many years and had only one daughter. She didn't know if it was due to physical damage during childbirth or some other reason, but her womb had been inactive since then.
She had been taking medicine for years, but it had no effect.
Fortunately, heaven had looked kindly upon her, and she was finally pregnant again. However, this pregnancy was not very stable, and she feared any accidents. She followed the doctor's orders and rested in bed every day, unwilling to take even an extra step.
She had been confined for over four months and felt like she was going to go mad. Now that there was some entertainment in the household, she treated it as watching a play.
"When will the Fourth Master return?"
Madam Xue replied, "Madam need not worry. We have already sent people to look for him."
Whenever Madam Tian thought of the Fourth Master of the Li family, she was plagued by headaches. Before her marriage, she had had countless beautiful fantasies, all of which had been shattered with the passage of time.
The Li family had four sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Li Shu, was the Iron Gallant Marquis, holding significant military power and enjoying the Emperor's favor, to say nothing of his status.
The second son, Li Yi, though only a sixth-rank official, was a Jinshi graduate. As long as he did not commit any major crimes, his official position was bound to rise sooner or later.
The third master, Li Nian, was the only concubine-born son in the family. He had practiced martial arts since childhood, joined the army in his youth, and was now a general stationed in a strategic location.
Consort Shu, who had long accompanied the Emperor, added luster to the household and was a great contributor to the family.
Only the Fourth Master Li, despite being a Juren, spent his days composing poetry and couplets or playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, never doing anything of substance.
In his official career, it was as if the Juren had exhausted all his luck. Every time he took the exam, he failed, making outsiders laugh at his expense.
What was worse, this Fourth Master Li was exceptionally handsome and popular with women. For years, Madam Tian's heart had felt as if it were steeped in bitterness; she had never lived a single peaceful day.
"You don't need to speak up for him. Do I not know my own husband?" she thought, imagining him lying on some pleasure boat right now!
"The Fourth Master is still a bit young. Once Madam gives birth to a son, he will naturally settle down." Madam Xue knew Li Si's temperament well, but she was merely speaking untruths to comfort her mistress.
"Let's go, let's take a walk too."
Madam Xue was greatly alarmed. "Madam, the doctor instructed you not to move around too much and to rest in bed. How about this, will this servant accompany you for a walk in the courtyard?"
Madam Tian stood up. Luo Ying, her head maid, quickly supported her, afraid of any misstep.
"I've been lying down for four months, and if I lie down any longer, I'll mold! I don't care, you have to accompany me out for a walk. We've passed the first three months, and I need to move around. If I lie down for ten months straight, won't I be crippled?"
Madam Xue's earnest persuasion fell on deaf ears.
"Then we won't go far, just walk around the edge of the courtyard, is that acceptable?"
Madam Tian was overjoyed. "Then let's go now."
"Madam, please don't rush. The sun is still quite strong right now. You'll get dizzy if you're exposed to it. It's better to wait a little later when it's cooler. This servant will have people clear away any debris around the ground so you don't step on it."
"Alright!" Madam Tian had no choice but to sit back down.
By evening, news came from Li Shu's side. Li Man'er's prediction was correct: he had gone to the palace to seek an imperial decree for a marriage, but to no avail.
When the Emperor heard about the matter between Li Zhao'er and Xiao Yu, he actually burst into laughter, saying that they could not force the two together just because of this incident. As for the rumors outside, since the Emperor had spoken, who would dare say anything further.
The Li family members were all relieved upon hearing this news. Li Zhao'er was the happiest, even feeling as if her arm didn't hurt anymore.
After dinner, Li Man'er took her maids for a few strolls in the garden, ostensibly to aid digestion.
Who would have thought that while merely aiding digestion, she would run into Madam Tian?