She was leaning against the window and staring outside. She looked pale and fragile. Her melancholic look was enough to make anyone want to protect her.
Madam Li looked at her from the outside and could not help but sigh in her heart.
Why make the mistake when she knew this day would come?
She had given up her noble status to elope with a man and ended up being abandoned in the end. Who else could she blame for her predicament?
Those who eloped were considered concubines.
Since long ago, women who eloped had always been looked down on by others and never had a happy ending.
When it came to this daughter, Madam Li was filled with anger.
This daughter of hers had always been outstanding in whatever she did. Madam Li had invested a lot of energy into nurturing her, and she never expected her daughter to grow up into someone who would elope with a man.
Madam Li had fainted out of rage when she received the news all those years ago. Even though many years had passed, this incident remained festering within her and she was not able to let it go.
Every time Li Tong’er wrote back home to beg for her forgiveness, Madam Li would hard-heartedly ignore the letters and broke all contact with her.
It was only a month ago when Madam Li found out that Li Tong’er had been divorced by her husband and was left alone with nowhere to go that she sent someone to bring Li Tong’er home.
She was furious at her daughter’s mistake, but her heart ached for Li Tong’er as well.
This was the child whom she carried for ten months in her womb. She was still her daughter no matter how angry she was with her.
Now that Li Tong’er had nowhere to go, she could not just abandon her like this.
However, staying in the Li Family as a divorced woman could not be a long-term plan.
The Li Family would need to marry her off. It was lucky that her daughter was good-looking and still on the young side.
With this in mind, Madam Li began to make plans.
“Tong’er, dress yourself up later. You’ll be coming out with me,” Madam Li instructed immediately as she stepped into the room.
Li Tong’er felt guilty when it came to her mother. She was the one who had been stubborn in the past and was responsible for the scandal that had put the Li Family to shame.
Her husband’s family had abandoned her after the divorce and she had nowhere to go. She was fortunate that her mother had taken her back without a grudge.
That was why she would not reject any arrangements made by her mother now.
After all, she had ended up suffering because she did not heed the advice of her elders.
“Alright,” she answered softly.
Madam Li looked at her daughter’s pretty figure and beautiful face, and felt quite pleased with her.
So what if she was married before? Her daughter was a natural-born beauty and if she dressed up well, she would be beyond gorgeous.
Her daughter was much prettier than any of those young, naïve girls.
She had a mature and graceful charm to her that not just any young girl could compare to.
Madam Li was quite confident when it came to her knowledge of men.
They would always prefer a different dish after tasting the same one for a long period.
Moreover, this new dish might taste even better than the one they were used to having.
At the thought of this, she took it upon herself to help her daughter put on her makeup and picked a simple but elegant long dress for her daughter to wear.
After getting dressed up, Li Tong’er looked like an entirely different person.
Through Madam Li’s expert hands, Li Tong’er was able to showcase her dainty fragility completely.
Men had always favored gentle and delicate women.
Her daughter’s sweet yet fragile demeanor would draw out the protective instincts of any man.
The mother and daughter headed to the Grand Princess of Ning Mansion in the afternoon.
Long Qingzhi was watching Wanyan Zhi practicing his archery skills in the backyard and had almost forgotten that Madam Li was scheduled to visit her. She only remembered it when her housekeeper mentioned it to her.
“Zhi’er, we have guests. I’m going to the front hall to see them. You stay here and practice with Master Yan.”
Wanyan Zhi held onto the child’s practice bow as his bright black eyes turned to look at his mother. He contemplated for a moment and passed his bow and arrow to the servant next to him. “Mother, I’ll accompany you.”
Long Qingzhi looked into her son’s eyes and felt her heart melting. Every time he made a request, she would do anything in her power to make it come true. A little thing like this went without saying. She nodded. “Alright. We’ll come back here soon and I’ll join you when you continue with your practice.”
Zhi’er enjoyed archery, which was why Long Qingzhi had asked her brother to help source a good master for Zhi’er.
She had been accompanying Zhi’er with the practice for the last few days.
He had some talent in archery and his improvement was evident after a few days of practice.