Madam Li looked at him in confusion. Seeing the coldness in Li Chengyu's eyes, which was different from usual, she instinctively felt a pang of panic in her heart. But she still continued to look at him assertively. After all, Li Chengyu was her own son!
"What's up?"
She spoke, but didn't give Li Chengyu a chance to answer. Instead, she poured out everything that had happened to her that day, complaining, "Do you know what I encountered today!?"
"It's all thanks to your good wife. She's been spreading rumors outside, even saying that the Li family has been harsh on her. Just listen to what she's saying!" Madam Li's dissatisfaction was palpable. She even took a step forward instinctively and stood in front of Li Chengyu, her eyes filled with resentment.
"If it weren't for your fondness for her back then, I would never have allowed you to marry such a shrew!"
Li Chengyu didn't say a word. He lowered his eyes slightly, his expression unfathomable, with a hint of indescribable restraint. His entire demeanor suddenly changed, making people instinctively feel a tightening in their chests.
But Madam Li remained the same. She never thought that Li Chengyu would dare to defy her, so she continued, "You should write the letter of divorce right away! The Li family won't tolerate such a woman!"
Saying that, she took a deep breath and continued, "Your younger brother has suffered a lot these days. In the next few days, think of a way and find some connections to get him an official position. Do you hear me?"
She said this so assertively, as if finding an official position was an extremely simple matter.
Li Chengyu looked at her. In his heart, there arose a sense of clarity that he had never felt before, along with a hint of mockery and other complex emotions that he had never experienced. Opposite to his previous obedience, he instinctively closed his eyes.
So this was how she had always thought of him. She even thought that he owed his younger brother.
The ledger in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. He took a small step back. Madam Li thought that he would continue to obey her as he had in the past, so she said proudly, "Don't make this mistake again. Your younger brother is your only blood relative. After we're gone, you two will have to support each other."
As she said this, Li Chengyu took a step forward. Looking at her, he opened the ledger in his hand and said with a soft laugh, "Have you finished talking, Mother?"
Saying that, he continued to flip through it. When he reached a certain page, he stopped and said, "Now it's my turn to talk."
His eyes were sharp, with a coldness that was completely different from his previous gentleness. He said to the person in front of him, "These are the things I've found in the past few days. This booklet is the dowry list that Yunyun brought with her."
When Madam Li heard the words "Yunyun" and "dowry", a sense of uneasiness suddenly rose in her heart. Finally, looking at him, she said, "What do you mean?"
Seeing the panic in her eyes, Li Chengyu knew that the person in front of him was just pretending to be stupid. So the last bit of emotion in his heart disappeared. Flipping through the booklet, he said word by word, "These were all subsidized by Yunyun. This was the wedding gift she gave to your younger brother and his wife. These are..."
After he had said everything, seeing that he hadn't mentioned the thing she was most afraid of, Madam Li immediately regained her energy and continued, "What do you mean by bringing this up now? Do you want to bring Chen Yun back? Let me tell you, don't even think about it! The Li family won't tolerate such a daughter - in - law!"
Saying that, seeing the look in her eyes, Li Chengyu let out a low laugh and said, "These were all voluntarily subsidized by Yunyun. Naturally, I won't let her suffer for nothing. So I plan to make it up to her in a few days."
"However, these were taken by someone."
Li Chengyu pointed at a few pages in the ledger and sneered, "Mother, I know you don't like Yunyun and you've always made things difficult for her from time to time. But I never thought that you would be so absurd as to take your daughter - in - law's dowry to subsidize your younger son."
Madam Li's face instantly flushed red. "This! How could I do such a thing!"
Li Chengyu looked at her disappointedly and continued, "What were you thinking? If this matter gets out, the reputation of the Li family will be completely ruined. From then on, no one will be willing to form a marriage alliance with us."
As he said this, seeing that Madam Li was still going to deny it, Li Chengyu directly said to the outside, "Bring the people in!"
Several maids and servants were brought in. When Madam Li saw their faces, her face instantly turned pale. Then she continued, "This is clearly a frame - up."
Li Chengyu instinctively glanced outside but didn't say a word.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Madam Li immediately became assertive again. "I'm your mother. How could I do such a thing!"
"Shut up!"
A loud roar came from outside.
The moment Madam Li heard it, her face turned deathly pale. Her whole body began to tremble slightly, and she looked towards the door.
"What are you talking about! There are both witnesses and physical evidence! What else do you have to say!"
Duke Li walked in directly. His face was full of coldness, and his eyes were filled with undisguised disappointment. Looking at the person in front of him, he said solemnly, "You've been married to me for so many years. I've turned a blind eye to many things because I remembered how we've come all the way together, thinking that you would eventually see things clearly."
"But what have you done?" Duke Li said in disbelief, "Bullying your daughter - in - law, subsidizing your younger son, and even daring to take Chen Yun's dowry. Just now, you even wanted to buy an official position!"
"Do you know what the crime for the last one is!" His voice was extremely cold and full of anger. "It's a capital crime. You're so foolish!"
Different from Li Chengyu, Madam Li had always been most afraid of her husband. So when she heard this, she only dared to stand there with a pale face, unable to say a word, her lips trembling.
"Go back and make up for all of Chen Yun's dowry. I'll send your precious younger son to the border to train. You're not allowed to interfere."
"No!"
"You don't have a say in this." Duke Li sneered and continued to say to her, "You've always been concerned about the position of the heir apparent. Don't worry. From a few days on, there will be no more heir apparent in our Duke's Mansion."
Madam Li's eyes widened in shock.
"This position will be passed on to Chen Yun's child."
"You're crazy!" Madam Li screamed.
The child of the daughter - in - law she hated the most getting this position was more painful than killing her.
"No, it's you who's crazy." Duke Li calmly glanced at her and said, "Take good care of Madam. She's not feeling well these days. Let her rest in the courtyard properly and don't let her out again."
After saying that, ignoring the screams behind him, he glanced at his son and then left.
Li Chengyu followed behind his father.
"This is my fault." Duke Li said tiredly, "I never thought that your mother would be so foolish as to even take Chen Yun's dowry. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have dared to think about such a thing."
Li Chengyu let out a soft laugh and looked at Duke Li. "I have another thing to tell you, Father."