Li Yuzhu was feeling anxious about the future when she heard the Heir’s wife, Xue Family, loudly scolding, "You burden! You killed me!"
"Why are you arguing with a child?" Li Xingmao reprimanded coldly.
"Even if I argue with you, will you listen to me?" Xue Family cried as she spoke.
Li Yuzhu looked over and saw Xue Family complaining about the infant in her arms.
The baby looked about six months old, with a white face that was dirty, who knows how many days it hadn’t been washed.
The inch-long hair was tangled into knots and had formed clumps.
Even though the mother was scolding her, she didn’t cry in fear, but instead, opened her bewildered eyes, staring blankly at Xue Family.
"The family assets are confiscated, not even a servant is allowed to come out, how am I supposed to take care of this child? I can’t do it!" Xue Family cried. fre.eweb novel\.c om
She handed the child to Li Xingmao.
"How can you, as a mother, say such things?" Li Yuzhu looked at Xue Family, "Those village women, do they throw their children away just because they’re poor? How many can afford to hire wet nurses and servants? Don’t most have to carry their children themselves?"
Li Yuzhu walked over and took the baby from Xue Family’s hands.
The baby gave her a faint smile.
Everyone’s gaze turned in surprise towards Li Yuzhu.
This Third Princess, Li Yuzhu, who was usually extraordinarily lazy, would lie down instead of sitting, sit instead of standing, only began to speak at three years old, never studied a day with her teacher, never learned a day of feminine skills, and avoided all arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, regarded by the entire mansion as a fool, how did she suddenly start meddling in affairs?
And spoke so articulately?
Xue Family was stunned by this little sister-in-law’s retort.
Unconvinced, she shouted, "Those people are born to a miserable fate, they endure hardship to give birth and carry children of their own choosing, but I am a dignified daughter of the Duke! The Heir’s wife! Why should I carry my child myself?"
"You are now a commoner, sister-in-law." Li Yuzhu reminded again.
"I don’t want to be a commoner, why should I be a commoner?" Xue Family screamed, "Your family offended the Emperor, I’m suffering the punishment, why should I suffer along?"
"Shut up!" The usually quiet Princess Consort Wei Luling, was completely furious, "You, a mere daughter of the Duke Mansion, married into the Prince Mansion, enjoyed years of glory and wealth, yet never mentioned the wealth wasn’t originally yours, that you weren’t meant to enjoy it? If it weren’t for the Prince pleading with the late Emperor on behalf of your father back then, your father, Duke An, would’ve long lost his head to the late Emperor! And you still dare to mention your status as the Duke’s daughter? If you despised this family so much, why didn’t you protest when the Emperor granted the marriage? Why did you happily marry into it?"
Xue Family fell silent, her expression utterly dejected.
Li Xingmao coldly said, "Zhen Niang, say no more."
Xue Family sneered, "Isn’t having nothing to eat enough reason for me to speak?"
"What’s this? You’re still not convinced?" Wei Family snapped angrily, "Kneel down and reflect!"
On this journey, Wei Family seldom lost her temper.
A single angry shout startled Xue Family greatly.
She promptly knelt down.
"Mother, I’m hungry, mother, I want porridge with minced meat, I want cow’s milk, mother!" The two-and-a-half-year-old son, Li Jing, sobbed as he cried, tugging at the sleeve of Xue Family.
"Stop bothering me, I don’t know what to do." Xue Family opened her son’s hand and covered her face, crying.
Li Xingmao pulled his son to his side, admonishing his wife Xue Family, "Can’t you control your temper a little, and speak gently to the child?"