Xie Lang had rarely seen Shen Mingzhu ask him for help. So when he heard it this time, he subconsciously thought he had misheard. It was only when he came to his senses that he was suddenly startled. He barely managed to suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth. After clearing his throat, he continued, "Speak!" 【Shen Mingzhu is actually asking me for help! Aaaaaah!】
【Even if it's something I can't do, I'll make it happen for her!】
Shen Mingzhu even heard Xie Lang's inner voice turn into a roar. It was a loud scream. She couldn't help but blink slightly when looking at Xie Lang, and then continued, "It shouldn't be too difficult."
"Aren't you the owner of many shops?"
Xie Lang nodded with a bit of self - restraint and said to Shen Mingzhu, "I do own a few."
Shen Mingzhu couldn't help but purse her lips. There was a faint smile in her eyes. For some reason, seeing Xie Lang like this, she thought he was so cute. So when she spoke, her speed slowed down a bit, with a hint of teasing him.
"It's just," she said, while admiring the look on Xie Lang's face, and continued, "You have quite a few shops. There must be shops selling rouge, jewelry, and cloth, right?"
Seeing Xie Lang nod, she then continued, "Then help me. Spread the word about what the Li family did to Chen Yun."
"A piece of cake!"
Xie Lang said, with a hint of regret in his tone. His eyes were fixed on Shen Mingzhu.
Just this little thing?
Shen Mingzhu saw this thought in his eyes, so she couldn't help but let out a low laugh and said, "It really isn't a big deal. I'll come to you if I have something in the future."
As she spoke, Shen Mingzhu heard Xie Lang's inner voice again.
【Hahaha, that's great. I must be more useful than that so - called Lv Shu. Shen Mingzhu probably doesn't even remember what Lv Shu looks like now. Tsk tsk tsk】
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
Indeed, if she hadn't heard the name Lv Shu from Xie Lang's inner voice, she really would have forgotten about Qing Zhu.
That Qing Zhu seemed to be working in a shop now. She had spent quite a bit of money to buy him, and it seemed that all that money had ended up in Xie Lang's pocket?
Xie Lang was still feeling proud. When he subconsciously looked up at Shen Mingzhu, he saw her looking at him thoughtfully, with an indescribable look in her eyes.
Hiss—
He couldn't help but shiver under Shen Mingzhu's gaze and subconsciously took a breath.
What was Shen Mingzhu about to do?
...
These days, the Li family's affairs had been going less and less smoothly.
The old lady of the Li family couldn't understand why her usually obedient eldest son had started to resist her repeatedly and even no longer listened to her.
Why? Didn't he care about his mother and younger brother at all? Did he, just because he held the title of the heir apparent, completely ignore his relatives?
It must be that woman, Chen Yun's fault!
Looking back, her younger son was also angry because he couldn't do anything these days. He only said that she was partial. His elder brother had inherited the title of the heir apparent, but he had nothing. He couldn't even get an official position in the court.
Although she had taken out what she had to subsidize him, those things were really limited and couldn't satisfy his appetite at all.
The old lady of the Li family thought for a long time. Finally, she suddenly remembered that she had a daughter - in - law. She had brought a lot of dowry when she got married.
Thinking like this, she secretly subsidized her younger son with Chen Yun's dowry. At first, she felt a bit uneasy, but in the end, she took it with a clear conscience.
Her husband had already obtained the title of the heir apparent. As the eldest daughter - in - law of the Li family, it was only natural for her to take out some things to subsidize the family.
"Madam Li."
Someone beside her saw her deep in thought and interrupted with a smile, "What are you thinking about?"
The old lady of the Li family came back to her senses.
She had been attending various banquets these days, just thinking of finding an opportunity to buy an official position for her younger son.
Hearing someone call her, and it was the wife of a small official, the eager smile on her face instantly faded a bit. She said, "Just thinking about something."
Unexpectedly, those who had been smiling at first all gave her meaningful looks. Among them, the wife of the Wang family, whose family status was on par with the Li family, suddenly burst out laughing.
"What, is Madam Li thinking about her daughter - in - law?"
The old lady of the Li family didn't expect that someone would dare to mention Chen Yun in front of her. A look of displeasure instantly appeared on her face. She said, "That woman... My eldest daughter - in - law is really arrogant. A few words of advice would make her unhappy. She looked down on our Li family and just packed up and went back to her natal family."
"Really!" The old lady of the Li family got angrier as she spoke. She told these people her unhappiness, completely unaware of the meaningful look in their eyes when they looked at her.
The ladies exchanged glances and saw the hidden contempt in each other's eyes.
"Tell me, am I right?" The old lady of the Li family got excited and continued to them, "It's really outrageous. Our Chengyu is so outstanding at a young age, but we had to marry her into our family. It was a blessing she had cultivated. Now she doesn't cherish it and even treats me like this! Really!"
Madam Wang let out a low laugh and looked at the old lady of the Li family, "What Madam Li said doesn't match what we've heard."
"What do you mean by what you've heard?"
The old lady of the Li family subconsciously felt a tightness in her chest, and an indescribable sense of guilt welled up in her heart.
"This..." Madam Wang exchanged glances with the others and smiled, "I've met your eldest daughter - in - law. She used to be a reading companion of Princess Mingzhu. She's an extremely outstanding and polite girl. How could she be the kind of person you described?"
"At first, when I heard that you treated your daughter - in - law harshly and even said some dirty words to that girl Chen Yun, I thought I had misheard." Madam Wang said, sighed, and then continued, "After hearing what you said today, maybe I was overthinking."
The old lady of the Li family's face instantly froze. She wanted to continue speaking when she saw the ladies start to discuss. For a moment, she blushed with embarrassment and hurriedly left.
"Madam Wang," a lady saw her and was a bit puzzled, "Why did you suddenly stand up for someone today?"
They had been close friends before they got married, and there was nothing they couldn't talk about. Hearing this, Madam Wang laughed and said, "Chen Yun is the person in the capital that no one can afford to offend now. She has Princess Mingzhu and her elder brother behind her. Tell me, how many people would be willing to give those two a favor?"
The ladies exchanged glances and instantly saw the deep meaning in each other's eyes.
After the banquet, the old lady of the Li family didn't find any way out today. She didn't even know why, but she was full of anger. Everyone was talking about her family affairs.
It must be that little slut Chen Yun spreading rumors everywhere!
She was so angry that steam seemed to come out of her ears. She said to the little maid beside her, "This is just outrageous! Where's Chengyu! Quickly call him here and let him see what his good wife has done!"
Before the little maid could leave, the old lady of the Li family suddenly heard a voice behind her.
"Mother is looking for me?"
Li Chengyu had a faint smile on his face, his expression unfathomable. "Coincidentally, I also have something to talk to mother about."
As he spoke, he waved the ledger in his hand.