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"Well... it's not that difficult to explain!" Wei Tingyu paused, thinking to himself that the way he got Leshan to be so obedient was by mak
"Well... it's not that difficult to explain!" Wei Tingyu paused, thinking to himself that the way he got Leshan to be so obedient was by making love to her until she was completely subdued, daring not to utter another word of nonsense to him! But was that something he could say to his mother-in-law?
"Marquis, try this!" However, Fifth Lady Leshan quickly added a small dish to Wei Tingyu's plate, then smiled ingratiatingly, "This dish was personally seasoned by me! It's especially crispy and delicious!" Aha! This young girl was clearly afraid he'd reveal what happened yesterday, so she quickly used the dish to silence him!
Wei Tingyu naturally knew what Leshan was thinking. He simply looked at Lady Li and smiled, "Fifth Lady understands right from wrong. I explained the principles to her, and she understood!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Fifth Lady Leshan nodded repeatedly, "The Marquis explained the principles to me then, and I knew I was wrong! How could a concubine dare to set rules for her husband?! I definitely won't dare to again!"
"..." Lady Li looked at her fifth daughter with an expression that said, "Who are you? I don't recognize you," then turned to look at Wei Tingyu. Goodness! Indeed, there's always someone stronger! It seems this most troublesome little darling of mine has finally been completely subdued by Wei Tingyu!
After breakfast, Wei Tingyu immediately summoned the Marquis's carriage and grandly brought all five daughters of the Li family back to the Marquis's estate. From then on, all five Li daughters resided in Wei Tingyu's Marquisate's backyard! They got along very well with the other women in the Marquisate, quickly blending in and becoming as close as biological sisters!
Meanwhile, with Wei Tingyu, her son-in-law, supporting her, Lady Li's business in East Market Street prospered even more, with no one daring to cause trouble. As a result, she became a hands-off manager, occasionally taking Qiongnu to meet her good friend Wang Yingxue for outings and spending increasingly more time at the Marquis's estate! To facilitate her visits, a small courtyard was specially opened in the Marquis's estate for Lady Li to stay when visiting her daughters, and Wang Yingxue naturally became a frequent guest in this courtyard.
Wei Tingyu spent another ten-plus days in this delightful environment surrounded by beautiful women, when he suddenly received an invitation from the Yang Residence! As the maid delivering the invitation handed it to Wei Tingyu, the other women in his residence immediately gathered around curiously.
"An invitation from the Yang Residence?" Third Lady Kangning blinked, then looked at the invitation in Wei Tingyu's hand and asked doubtfully, "Young Master Yang?"
"That shouldn't be right!" He Weifang also looked bewildered and said, "Didn't they say this Young Master Yang left the capital? Has he run back again in just ten-plus days?"
"I just feel like it's no good! There must be a conspiracy behind this!" Zhao Zhangru raised her small fist and said with a serious expression. As soon as she spoke, the surrounding women nodded in agreement!
"Marquis! It's no use for us to guess!" Dou Zhao smiled faintly at this moment, walked to Wei Tingyu's side, and gently said, "Let's see what the invitation says!" Upon hearing her words, all the women's eyes showed curiosity. After all, the relationship between the Yang family and the Marquis's estate hadn't been good before. What kind of banquet would prompt them to specially send an invitation to Wei Tingyu?
Wei Tingyu was also baffled at this moment! Because this part wasn't in the original plot. In fact, he had thought his only connection to the Yang family was the imperial concubine in the palace! Thinking this, he immediately opened the invitation, but his gaze suddenly intensified, and he said no more.
"How insolent of the Yang family!" At this moment, Dou Zhao, standing beside Wei Tingyu, also saw the contents of the invitation, and her delicate face immediately flushed with anger. At this, all the women in the Marquis's estate exchanged glances, as they knew Dou Zhao's character to be consistently calm and considerate! What could possibly make the Eldest Lady so angry? No need to ask, the invitation must have made an outrageous demand!
"This Yang Residence actually invited the Marquis to bring Fifth Lady Leshan of the Li family to attend the Yang family banquet tomorrow!" Dou Zhao immediately stated the contents of the invitation without waiting for her sisters to ask further.
"What?!" At this, all the women instantly showed expressions of shock, and their eyes all looked as if they had been disgusted. Especially the sisters of the Li family, whose delicate faces turned pale with anger! This Young Master Yang truly haunts them like a ghost! Little Fifth has already entered the Marquis's estate, and he still dares to have designs on her? And most importantly, this guy actually invited the Marquis to bring Fifth Lady along. What exactly does this mean?! Are they really so reckless because of Consort Yang's status in the palace?
"Bah! What an shameless Yang family!" Fifth Lady Leshan was naturally the most enraged. She immediately raised her small fist and said, "Marquis, allow me to bring a few guards, and I'll go give the Yang family a good beating!" As soon as Leshan spoke, Zhao Zhangru immediately chimed in, "Sister Leshan is right! This is simply a provocation to our Marquis's estate! I want to go and help Sister vent this anger too!"
"No, no, no!" Lady Li, who had been silent by the side, quickly stepped forward to calm her daughter and the angry Zhao Zhangru, then said, "The Yang family, after all, has Consort Yang backing them! They are related to the current Emperor through various indirect connections!"
"In my opinion, we should just ignore it! Even if this invitation was sent, it doesn't mean the Marquis absolutely has to take Little Fifth to the banquet!"
"Mother is right!" Eldest Lady Shouhua also nodded at this moment, then looked at Wei Tingyu with some worry, as if fearing he would act impulsively. She said, "This Yang family suddenly reappeared after ten-plus days of silence. I'm afraid this is a Feast at Hong Gate!"
"Yes! It's better not to go! If we know it's a trap, we should just avoid it!" Miao Ansu also nodded at this moment.
"Although the Yang family wouldn't dare to do anything to the Marquis, it's always right to be careful! I agree with Mother and Eldest Sister's opinion!" Second Lady Fuhui of the Li family even spoke out in support of not attending the banquet.
And Fourth Lady Haode of the Li family and Dou Zhao, these two timid young girls, were now teary-eyed and huddled close to Wei Tingyu, each holding one of his arms. Although the two women didn't speak, their expressions and actions showed that they definitely didn't want Wei Tingyu to put himself in danger!
Seeing this scene, Wei Tingyu was quite touched! Compared to his life before the transmigration, where he was unloved and uncared for, he had now forged such a splendid life in this other world! Of course, this also meant that his responsibilities were even greater! He also knew that the women's worries were not unfounded; the Yang family suddenly sending an invitation was indeed quite peculiar! But as for it being a Feast at Hong Gate, the Yang family probably didn't have the guts to lay a hand on a Duke of the current dynasty. After all, even if these old aristocratic families usually quarreled, fought, or even looked down on each other, they would still band together when facing provocations from newly risen powerful families. Because in court, the interests of these founding noble families were always highly intertwined! If Wei Tingyu were to encounter any misfortune at the Yang family residence, the impeachment memorials from these noble families would be enough to inundate the Emperor's study! Moreover, he was certainly not a timid person now! Meet force with force, and adapt to the situation! If the Yang family truly had some scheme, avoiding them wouldn't make them give up; instead, they would devise other insidious plans. It's not thieves you're afraid of, but being remembered by thieves! Rather than having sleepless nights, it was better to go openly and bravely defeat their cunning schemes with a straightforward plan!
Thinking this, Wei Tingyu gently raised his hand, signaling the women to quiet down. The chattering wives and concubines of the Marquis's estate immediately fell silent, all eyes fixed on Wei Tingyu, waiting for the Marquis to speak.
"I've decided!" Wei Tingyu smiled faintly, a meaningful smile curving his lips, "Tomorrow, I will take Leshan to the Yang family banquet!"
"This Marquis wants to see what kind of insidious plots the Yang family can conjure!"
"Yes!" The women saw that Wei Tingyu had made up his mind, especially after seeing the determined look in his eyes, and said no more! After all, at such a time, they could only obey the Marquis. Of course, despite their unanimous agreement, the women's eyes still held some worry. The only exception was Fifth Lady Leshan of the Li family. This young girl was full of excitement, her eyes sparkling! This was what it meant to knowingly go towards a tiger's mountain, even though there's a tiger! And he was a brave hero venturing into a dragon's lair! Isn't this far more impressive than those heroes in storybooks? Indeed, our Marquis is the most remarkable!
As for safety concerns after going to the Yang family with Wei Tingyu? Fifth Lady Leshan was not considering them at all at this moment! Because her admiration for Wei Tingyu had reached its peak!
The next day, at the time specified for the banquet in the invitation, the Marquis's carriage, escorted by twenty Golden Shadow Guards, grandly arrived at the main entrance of the Yang Residence. After Wei Tingyu helped Leshan out of the carriage, he took her hand and turned to look at the bustling main entrance of the Yang Residence. At this sight, both he and Leshan were simultaneously stunned.
Because the main entrance of the Yang Residence was completely revamped. The gate and walls, which had been somewhat peeling due to age, were freshly repainted. And festive large lanterns hung high on the red pillars in front of the gate!
"Huh?" Fifth Lady Leshan paused, and her small hand, clutching Wei Tingyu's, trembled slightly as she asked, "Does the Yang family have a happy event?" As soon as she spoke, she immediately widened her eyes and said incredulously, "Could it be they still want to snatch the bride?"
This theory was a bit too wild, and Wei Tingyu also felt it was unlikely! After all, even if Yang Xian was stupid, he wouldn't dare to openly snatch a noble concubine from a Marquis's estate! And before anything had even happened, he was already decorating his courtyard?
"He wouldn't dare even with a hundred times his courage!" Wei Tingyu sneered, then gently patted Leshan's soft hand as a gesture of comfort! Leshan was indeed a little nervous at first, but after Wei Tingyu's comforting touch, she immediately felt at ease. She sweetly smiled and hooked her arm through Wei Tingyu's! One had to admit, this young girl was brave, daring to make such an intimate gesture in broad daylight in front of the Yang Residence, with so many people watching! Her other four sisters of the Li family would absolutely not dare to do so; merely holding hands and entering the gate would already be considered brave.
"Marquis, please!" The Yang Residence's gatekeeper, after seeing the invitation presented by Wei Tingyu's maid, quickly ushered him through the main entrance with a smiling face.
"Hey!" Of course, Fifth Lady Leshan looked around the Yang Residence after entering the gate, then asked the butler, "What happy event does your Yang family have today? Why are there no other guests?" Generally, invitations would clearly state the reason for the banquet, what happy event was it for? But yesterday's invitation said nothing about the reason, which was also something that greatly puzzled Wei Tingyu.
"Replying to the Lady!" The gatekeeper paused, then quickly smiled and said, "Today is the day our Consort Yang returns home to visit her family! It was Consort Yang who requested the master to send invitations to invite the Marquis and you, Lady!"
"As for other matters... this humble one truly does not know!"
"Consort Yang invited me?" Fifth Lady Leshan was surprised to hear the butler's words, feeling a bit strange in her heart. She didn't know this Consort Yang before, did she? Could it be because of her brother Yang Xian's affairs that this favored imperial concubine was coming to cause trouble for her and the Marquis? Leshan's eyes darted around, secretly pondering what to do if she met this Consort Yang later!
As for Wei Tingyu, he immediately understood seven or eight tenths of the situation upon receiving this information. Consort Yang was also his woman! However, he had been busy being intimate with the other women in his residence lately, and it seemed he had temporarily neglected this beauty in the palace! Was she unable to bear the longing, so she specially used the opportunity of visiting home to see him? That was a possibility! But the problem was that she specifically requested Fifth Lady Leshan to come along. Was it just to use her as a shield to conceal her true purpose? All of this seemed to make sense, but Wei Tingyu still felt that something was amiss! However, further speculation was useless now; it was better to wait until he met Consort Yang later!
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Yang Residence, Consort Yang sat in the main seat, dressed in splendid attire! The other members of the Yang family sat on the chairs in the two rows below her!
"This Fifth Lady Li is fierce and unruly! She even plotted to seduce my son!" The Yang family's matriarch, who was Yang Xian's biological mother, was currently complaining to Consort Yang. "Yet, who knows how this Li family connected with Marquis Jining? Relying on the Marquis's backing, they have become even more lawless!"
"Now, who knows which ancestor's grave grass grew in the right place, that all five daughters have actually entered the Marquis's estate and become precious concubines!" The Yang family's matriarch grew angrier as she spoke. Just looking at her expression, it was as if she wanted to see Fifth Lady Li become a living widow.
"Mother is right!" Because Consort Yang had returned home to visit her family, the married daughters of the Yang family had also come back with her. At this moment, after hearing her mother's words, she naturally echoed them!
"These Li family women conspired with Marquis Jining, Wei Tingyu, to make my brother lose face so badly!"
"In my opinion, they should be reported to the authorities! Let her be flogged! To uphold public morals!"
"But we were hesitant to act for fear of harming the reputation of Consort Yang and our Yang family, so we endured it!"
"Now your brother has been... never mind, let's not talk about it!"
"But I don't understand! Why would Consort Yang, after finally coming home for a family visit, specifically invite that Marquis Jining and Fifth Lady Li to our home as guests?"
"Are you even disregarding the family's grievances?"
Consort Yang sat on the phoenix chair at the head of the table, calmly sipping her tea, occasionally raising her eyes to glance at the chattering, complaining crowd below, without uttering a word of nonsense. After all, as his elder sister, she knew her brother's personality all too well! Now, her family members were pushing all the blame onto Fifth Lady Li and Wei Tingyu, completely ignoring the fact that Yang Xian had first tried to flirt with the Eldest Lady of the Li family! Consort Yang, a person with proper values, found it truly difficult to live in the Yang family, a household filled with shameless individuals!
"Enough!" At this moment, the head of the Yang family, who was also Consort Yang and Yang Xian's father, noticed the impatient expression on his daughter's face. He naturally understood that his daughter was upright and disliked such backstabbing and gossiping behavior. He immediately waved his hand, interrupting the other female relatives' complaints.
"Consort Yang has finally come home for a family visit! Are you going to keep badgering her with complaints like this? It's just about some trivial matters in the inner quarters! Aren't you afraid of annoying Consort Yang?" Old Master Yang put on his patriarch's demeanor, immediately silencing the chattering female relatives! After seeing that his words were effective, the old man turned to look at Consort Yang, who was sitting above him, his body slightly tilted as if he had something to say to her! However, he then looked at the two female officials standing behind Consort Yang, and awkwardly closed his mouth, as if there were some things he couldn't say in front of outsiders!
"These are all my trusted confidantes!" However, Consort Yang naturally understood her father's concerns. She smiled and said, "Father, please speak freely, it's no bother!"