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"Third Sister, you weren't here just now; Second Sister was telling us about disciplining Second Brother-in-law!" Eldest Daughter Shou Hua broke the awkward silence, stating directly, "It sounds very interesting!"
"That's right! Kang Ning didn't hear it, tell it again so she can listen too!" At this, Lady Li Niang also nodded, "You all should remember Fu Hui's skill; when you marry a husband in the future, you'll know what to do when faced with such a situation!"
"I'll tell it! I'll tell it!" Fourth Daughter Hao De immediately became excited and eagerly raised her hand, vying to speak. Then, without waiting for anyone else to respond, she retold the story Fu Hui had just described about making Fan Lianghan drink boy's urine. This left Kang Ning completely dumbfounded. She never expected Second Sister to come up with such a method! If it were herself, it might be possible, but Second Sister's personality had always been straightforward! If it was a fight or a scolding, it was direct; how could she use such a...
Oh, right! It must have been the Marquis who taught her! And precisely because the Marquis supported her, Second Sister dared to discipline Fan Lianghan so brazenly! Kang Ning's mind suddenly cleared, connecting all these events. Looking at it this way, Second Sister falling in love with the Marquis wasn't a sudden whim or a moment of impulse, but truly because she received help from the Marquis.
"Why go to all that trouble?" At this moment, Fifth Daughter Le Shan shook her adorable twin pigtails and said, "In my opinion, debauchery is the easiest to cure!"
Everyone present was startled, and at the same time, their eyes turned to the youngest girl present, wondering what brilliant trick this little imp had that could surpass her Second Sister's method of making Fan Lianghan drink boy's urine.
"Break his legs! Then tie him to Second Sister's bedside, and he'll naturally behave!" Fifth Daughter Le Shan, of course, was determined to shock them with her words, directly stating her method. And at this, everyone's faces immediately showed helpless expressions.
Good heavens! They all say your Second Sister Fu Hui is a jealous shrew, but now it seems your Fifth Sister has the potential to surpass her! If these words get out, how will the Li family's daughters ever get married in the future?
Lady Li Niang immediately looked at Wei Tingyu, seeing only a faint smile on his face. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief while also forcing out an awkward smile. She wanted to marry one of her unmarried daughters into the Marquis's Residence, but the Marquis's Residence would certainly prioritize stability in the inner courtyard! It would absolutely be impossible to marry a jealous tigress into the household, because wouldn't that cause chaos in the Marquis's inner courtyard? It seems my Fifth Daughter has no chance; I can only place my hopes on the third or fourth daughters! Thinking of this, Lady Li Niang's gaze towards Kang Ning and Hao De also became anxious, only hoping that they wouldn't say anything else life-threatening.
As for Second Daughter Fu Hui, she simply rolled her eyes in exasperation. Her Fifth Sister truly knew how to bring up what shouldn't be mentioned. Who wants to bother with Fan Lianghan's debauchery? Let him be debauched if he wants! In the past, if Mother-in-law and Father-in-law hadn't forced Fu Hui to manage him, she wouldn't have bothered with that useless fellow. Now that her heart belonged to Wei Tingyu, Fan Lianghan was even more utterly forgotten! Not to mention his debauchery, even if he contracted a serious illness, it would have nothing to do with her! As for the so-called "breaking his legs and tying him to her bedside"... Please! Fu Hui felt disgusted and terrified just thinking about it!
Fourth Daughter Hao De quickly picked half an orange and shoved it into Fifth Sister's mouth, effectively blocking her from saying anything further.
"It seems this Marquis will have to stay far away from the Li family's young ladies in the future!" Wei Tingyu saw this scene and felt like laughing. He teased, "Leaving aside everything else, who in the entire capital doesn't know of my debauched nature?"
"If I'm not careful, I might accidentally run into Fifth Daughter's hands in the future and have my legs broken!"
"That would be truly unjust!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Dou Ming and Fu Hui, the two women beside him, immediately covered their mouths and giggled. Both of them were women who wished to enter the Marquis's Residence; they naturally didn't care about the Marquis's debauchery. In fact, they even felt a little fortunate; if the Marquis truly weren't debauched, how would it ever be their turn?!
"Marquis, you jest!" Eldest Daughter Shou Hua quickly winked at Fifth Sister, then said, "Fifth Sister is still young and doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. She loves to talk nonsense! Marquis, please don't take it seriously!"
"Yes, yes! I spoke carelessly! Marquis, please don't blame me!" Fifth Daughter Le Shan, seeing the angry glances from her sisters, immediately shrank her neck in fear and quickly begged Wei Tingyu for forgiveness.
"It's nothing for a man to be a bit debauched, of course..." And Lady Li Niang, after all, was an experienced woman. She quickly smiled and said to everyone present, "It is simply the way of nature; even a living saint could not change it!"
"But as long as he can take good care of the wives and concubines in his household!"
"And be able to keep order in the inner courtyard, allowing wives and concubines to live in harmony!"
"Even if feelings fade, they can still treat each other with respect, and not casually beat or sell them off!"
"Such a man is worthy of trust!"
Lady Li Niang's words seemed to be her heartfelt thoughts spoken to all the girls present, but at the same time, they were also helping Fifth Daughter Le Shan explain to Wei Tingyu. She had never taught the Li family's daughters to be jealous or shrewish. The current situation was basically her five daughters teaching themselves!
"Yes!" After these words were spoken, the Li family daughters present all nodded. Even Dou Ming silently thought that Lady Li Niang's words made a lot of sense. As for Wei Tingyu, he wasn't surprised by Lady Li Niang's words. After all, living in this era, a clever woman like Lady Li Niang was merely seeking the most advantageous path for herself and her daughters under the existing social rules. In a sense, she was not a romantic reformer but a very practical pragmatist. After all, Lady Li Niang couldn't control other people's affairs; her only wish was for her five daughters to live happily, contentedly, and peacefully in the latter half of their lives! From this, it can be seen that her logical thinking was very similar to Wang Yingxue's, which is why they had been best friends for over a decade, and even after such a long time apart, their affection hadn't dwindled.
Of course, the only one present who felt somewhat aggrieved by her mother's words was Kang Ning! She had thought this way before too! But saying it out loud was not easy to accept! After all, at least she herself was unwilling to be a concubine! Of course, if other sisters felt that being a concubine was also a way out, she couldn't refute them. The key was to determine based on the specific circumstances of the husband's family! After all, looking at the lives of Second Sister Fu Hui as the madam in the Fan Residence, and her mother who still carried the title of the Li family's madam in the past... And then comparing it to the smile and longing on the face of Dou Ming, the girl who was about to enter the Marquis's Residence as a concubine. It seemed to confirm that Lady Li Niang's words indeed had some truth to them!
Wei Tingyu was also stunned after hearing Lady Li Niang's words, but after seeing Kang Ning's expression, he knew that the primary female protagonist in this "Five Blessings at the Door" drama would certainly not easily accept the conclusion that being a concubine could also lead to happiness! Just like He Weifang in the past, something always had to happen to change her mind.
And at this moment, hearing her mother say this, the happiest was Second Daughter Fu Hui! She was destined to divorce the Fan family and then enter the Marquis's Residence to become Wei Tingyu's concubine; she had long since made up her mind. However, Fu Hui also knew that the biggest obstacle was not actually the Fan family. After all, Wei Tingyu had personally guaranteed that he would arrange for her to divorce the Fan family after a while, and she had no doubts about this. Instead, what made Fu Hui most uneasy was precisely her mother, Lady Li Niang. After all, she was currently the madam in the Fan Residence; if she suddenly proposed to enter the Marquis's Residence as a concubine, would Lady Li Niang agree?
Only after hearing her mother's words just now did Fu Hui finally feel relieved. Since her mother thought this way, she presumably wouldn't force her to stay in the Fan Residence as a nominal madam in the future!
"I was originally isolated and helpless in the capital!" Thinking of this, Fu Hui gently fanned herself with her round fan and said with a smile, "Now that Mother and my sisters have all come here, I feel reassured!"
"With you all here, I have my backbone! It's wonderful!"
When she spoke the last sentence, Fu Hui secretly glanced at Wei Tingyu again, seeing him smiling back at her, and immediately felt even more at ease. No one present noticed her subtle movements, except for Kang Ning. Seeing Second Sister constantly glancing at Wei Tingyu when she spoke, Kang Ning felt even more helpless. A woman in love is truly beyond words!
But so be it. Since Second Sister is certain she has found the best husband in her heart, then as her younger sister, I should help her! So, even though she couldn't stand Fu Hui's lovesick appearance, Kang Ning still secretly made up her mind to definitely help Second Sister escape the fiery pit of the Fan family and assist her in entering the Marquis's Residence!
"Gentlemen, our young master is currently waiting in the study! This way, please!"
The Fan Residence's steward led two young gentlemen, one in red and one in green, towards the inner courtyard. He was all smiles as he led the way for them.
"Is the Fan family's eldest son truly waiting for us in the study? Why isn't he at the banquet meeting people?" The red-robed gentleman asked, pretending to be dashing as he fanned himself.
"Our young master inviting the two of you, his classmates, to the study for a chat naturally means there's a very important matter!" The steward was stunned, then smiled awkwardly, offering a pre-arranged excuse. "As for the exact reason... how would we, as servants, dare to ask?"
"Alright, alright! No more nonsense, take us there!" The green-robed gentleman also fanned himself, then winked at his companion before speaking. They had just wanted to flatter Wei Tingyu at the banquet but had no opportunity! Later, Wei Tingyu left, but they had been waiting anxiously for the Marquis's return. Now, they were suddenly called out, and naturally, they were displeased. They only wanted to quickly resolve this matter and then return to the banquet, hoping they might still encounter Marquis Jining.
The red-robed gentleman nodded helplessly upon seeing his companion's look. The two of them studied in the same private school as Fan Lianghan and could be considered classmates, but in these past few years, they truly had no interactions with each other. After all, both were from official families, and they were simply not in the same social class as Fan Lianghan, the so-called young master from a merchant family! If they socialized too much with Fan Lianghan, they might even be ridiculed by young masters from other official families. If they hadn't received news that Marquis Jining was coming to the Fan Residence for the banquet today, they wouldn't have come at all!
Just like that, the steward led the two young gentlemen, whose minds had already flown back to the banquet hall, straight ahead, and soon arrived at the outer perimeter of the garden where the female guest section's veranda was located. Originally, they were just passing by here, but these two young gentlemen, who always flocked to places with beautiful women, suddenly seemed to have a sixth sense and abruptly stopped.
"Hey, hey, hey!" The green-robed gentleman craned his neck and peered into the courtyard through the gaps in the wall, then immediately called out to the steward, "Slow down, slow down!"
The steward was startled, then turned his head and saw the two young gentlemen. He realized they couldn't move their feet and were now hiding behind the wall, peering into the inner courtyard with lecherous expressions, like two perverts.
"Who are those people in that pavilion?" The red-robed gentleman also widened his eyes. After all, there were some shrubs outside the wall, and the distance was also quite far, so he couldn't see clearly. The only thing they could be sure of was that there was a group of beautiful women drinking and making merry inside!
"Those are our young mistress's family!" The steward felt speechless upon hearing this. Why were the young master's classmates all like this? They were clearly young masters from official families, but why were they acting like lecherous thieves now? Even he, a steward, couldn't stand their current behavior!
"Oh! It's them!" The red-robed gentleman's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this, and he quickly asked, "Are those the ladies who welcomed Marquis Jining with us at the main gate this morning?" The steward saw the young gentleman's expression and immediately knew what absurd thoughts he was harboring. Especially since they had completely disregarded Fan Lianghan earlier, but now they were actually addressing him as "Brother Fan" this and "Brother Fan" that, which was truly speechless.
And the green-robed gentleman now looked much like the red-robed one; his gaze was like that of a wolf that had been hungry for three days seeing a lamb, and saliva was almost uncontrollably dripping from his mouth. They had both naturally been among the crowd at the gate that morning, and of course, they had also seen these daughters of the Li family. At that time, they had felt that they were astonishingly beautiful, but they were constrained by the presence of so many people and the fact that they were guests. They naturally had to pretend to be gentlemen who did not look sideways. So, at that time, the two of them only dared to secretly glance at the Li family's ladies from the corner of their eyes. And now, thinking that these ladies were drinking and having fun in the veranda just a wall away, their hearts immediately began to itch.
After all, in the eyes of these two young gentlemen, the Fan family was merely a merchant family, and the Li family was merely an in-law of the Fan family. Families of such status were completely insignificant compared to their own prominent families! So, even if they were a bit rude, nothing serious would happen. Thinking of this, a mischievous idea immediately popped into their minds!
"This morning at the main gate, I already thought these ladies of the Li family were truly stunning! I never expected to have the fortune to meet them again!"
"Indeed, indeed! Since such heavenly and earthly unparalleled ladies are so destined to us, we must surely go and pay our respects!"
These two young gentlemen, in a duet, decided to enter the courtyard. However, this truly frightened the steward. After all, this was the inner courtyard of the Fan Residence! You two weren't very familiar with the Fan family, and this was your first time visiting as guests, yet you want to enter their courtyard? This request was too excessive! Moreover, the head of the family had long instructed that the entire Li family was under the Marquis's protection, so they must be well taken care of! How could these two unlearned good-for-nothings be allowed to cause trouble now? Thinking of this, the steward quickly waved his hand, advising them not to be rash.
"You mustn't! You mustn't!" The steward was so scared that cold sweat broke out on his back. "This is the female guest section! Male guests are not allowed!"
"Nonsense!" However, the green-robed gentleman directly folded his fan and heavily struck the steward on the forehead, saying, "Look, isn't that the Marquis on the main seat inside?"
"Oh! It really is!" And at this moment, the red-robed gentleman also noticed that the one seated on the main seat in the center of the female guest section was indeed Wei Tingyu! Well, if they were already mixing genders, what more was there to say?
The steward was also stunned. He paused for a moment, then still wanted to continue advising the two. After all, what is the Marquis's status, and what is your status? The Marquis is the protector of the Li family's mother and daughters, which is why the Li family's mother and daughters are willing to show their faces in front of him. What is your relationship with the Li family's mother and daughters? And why should they accept you at their table? Can't anyone with a bit of self-awareness consider this? However, it was clear that the steward had thought too highly of these two good-for-nothings! Self-awareness never existed in the minds of people like them!