Chapter 446: Asking Lu Lingyun to Intervene

Chapter 446: Seeking Lu Lingyun's Intervention

Upon hearing Li Shouye inquire about Xu Yinyin, Lu Hanyi, with a clear and determined mind, advised him, "My son, you have now achieved the rank of Grand Herald, and your future is boundless. That girl from a minor seventh-rank official's family, with a merchant mother, is not worthy of you!"

"Now that you have finished your exams, I will carefully select a wife for you. We need to consider her family background; we won't even look at anyone below the fifth rank. We must consider her appearance; only the most stunning beauty is worthy of you! We must consider her character; we must choose a daughter from a scholarly family, a well-bred lady!" Lu Hanyi spoke with great enthusiasm.

Li Shouye's achievement of Grand Herald had given her a great sense of relief.

Lu Lingyun could no longer outshine her!

None of the children she raised could match her son's success!

"My son, I will definitely find you a virtuous and wise wife, just like me, who will help your career thrive and bring you endless blessings!"

Li Shouye: "..."

His fists clenched tighter, "Where has Miss Xu gone?"

"Why are you still hung up on that Xu girl? She's just like your aunt, doomed to bring bad luck, live a short life, and not bear sons! I got rid of her for you. If she has any shame, she'll never bother you again!"

Upon hearing Lu Hanyi's words, Li Shouye's eyes widened in shock, "You drove her away? Didn't you promise that after the palace exams, you'd arrange for Miss Xu to be my wife?"

Lu Hanyi sneered, her eyes filled with wisdom, "Shou Ye, you're too nice, that's why those lowlifes clung to you before your exams, trying to snatch you as their son-in-law! You couldn't see it, but I could! I just wanted you to concentrate on your exams. Now that you're a Grand Herald, that Xu girl isn't good enough for you! I got rid of her for you, so you won't be tied down by such a lowly woman again!"

Seeing his mother's sly and calculating demeanor, Li Shouye felt a deep sense of shame and anger. Clenching his fists, he ran off as his mother kept talking.

"Shou Ye! Shou Ye!"

Li Shouye first went to Xu Yinyin's home.

When he arrived at the Xu residence today, the gates were tightly shut, barring him entry.

The Xu family steward came out, looking at him with disdain, "Master Li, if you didn't want to marry our young lady, you should have made it clear from the beginning. Why play with us? Your polite-then-arrogant behavior makes us wonder if our Xu family has wronged you, or if our young lady owes you from a past life!"

Listening to the scolding, Li Shouye didn't let it affect him. He only asked, "Steward Xu, how is Miss Xu now?"

"Master Li, you don't need to worry about whether our young lady lives or dies. Just go ahead and rise high, marrying a good wife and beautiful concubines!"

With a bang, Steward Xu closed the door.

Seeing this, Li Shouye realized his mother must have harshly scolded Xu Yinyin.

Just as he was lost, the Xu family gate opened again, and Cheng Suying stepped out.

"Cousin!"

"Cousin Li." Cheng Suying, seeing Li Shouye, looked up at him with a troubled expression.

"How is Yin Yin?"

Cheng Suying sighed, "Yin Yin wants to take the veil."

"This, this..." Li Shouye immediately furrowed his brows.

Cheng Suying looked at him, "Yin Yin asked me to tell you that she doesn't blame you. She knows you are kind and upright, and she is grateful for the times you stepped forward to help her. From now on, she doesn't want to hold you back. She wishes you to find a good match and hopes everything goes well for you, rising high."

As she spoke, she handed over the token Li Shouye had left behind.

Li Shouye clenched his fists. After Cheng Suying finished speaking, she stepped onto the carriage to return to the Marquis's Mansion. Li Shouye called out to her.

"Sù Yīng, I will go back to the Marquis's Mansion with you. I beg my aunt to arrange a marriage with Yin Yin for me!"

Now, only by seeking Lu Lingyun's help could he salvage the situation.

Ningyang Marquis's Mansion.

Cheng Binghao would return to the capital in two days.

Lu Lingyun was busy inspecting every nook and cranny of the mansion, occasionally stopping by Cheng Binghao's courtyard to check if anything was missing.

As she wandered around, Shuang Hong came to report.

"Madam, Miss has brought Young Master Li with her."

Li Shouye is here?

Lu Lingyun's eyes flickered, "Let's head back to the courtyard."

As soon as she got back to her main courtyard, she found Li Shouye sitting there, lost in thought.

"Shou Ye?"

"Aunt!" Li Shouye immediately snapped back to reality.

"What's wrong? I remember you had your palace examination today. Did you not do well?" Lu Lingyun asked gently.

Li Shouye shook his head, "Aunt, I've been appointed as the Grand Herald."

Hearing this, Lu Lingyun's eyes lit up, "Second rank, first place—congratulations!"

Although it's not the top three, those spots are hard to get!

The Li residence couldn't help Li Shouye at all, and for him to secure fourth place, it was already a stroke of luck!

Lu Lingyun wasn't like Lu Hanyi, who always blindly demanded her son become the top scholar. She knew the value of being the Grand Herald.

Li Shouye had indeed made a name for himself.

"You've been appointed as the Grand Herald—did your mother give you a hard time?"

When asked about Lu Hanyi, Li Shouye clenched his fists and said, "No."

Lu Lingyun nodded; it seemed Lu Hanyi had grown a bit.

Now, even the Grand Herald was acceptable.

How could it not be? In the last imperial exam, Li Shouye, thanks to her meddling, ended up last. That had sobered Lu Hanyi up somewhat.

This time, with him securing fourth place as the Grand Herald, Lu Hanyi was greatly relieved.

She was terrified her son would end up like her husband, only achieving the status of a fellow scholar, which would truly crush her hopes.

First in the second rank is still first—no different from the top scholar!

This time, Lu Hanyi let herself off the hook, and let Li Shouye off too.

"If that's the case, why the long face?" Lu Lingyun asked, looking at Li Shouye.

At that moment, Li Shouye suddenly knelt before Lu Lingyun.

"Aunt, I want to ask you for a favor!"

Cheng Suying, who was standing nearby, also spoke up, "Mother! Please help our cousin!"

After a brief moment, Lu Lingyun understood the whole story.

It turned out that Lu Hanyi had scolded Xu Yinyin away that day.

After listening, she frowned, "Why did you tell your mother in advance?"

She knew that Li Shouye had previously gone to the Xu family and agreed to marry Xu Yinyin.

However, she had no idea that Li Shouye had informed Lu Hanyi about it beforehand.

She was well aware of Lu Hanyi's bad temper; she would surely throw a fit. Lu Hanyi had lofty standards and thought girls from humble backgrounds weren't good enough for her son. Lu Lingyun had planned to wait until after Li Shouye's imperial examination to tell her about the marriage, letting her first look for a suitable girl for him.

After making some inquiries, she would naturally have someone set her straight.

It's common to marry someone from a lower social standing, unless you're marrying up!

Their family's status was neither high nor low, making it extremely difficult for Li Shouye to be noticed by prestigious families. Her foul temper also turned off families of similar standing. Who would want to marry their daughter to her? She would be picky and unlikely to find a suitable daughter-in-law.

When she felt disheartened, bringing up Xu Yinyin, who came from a decent family, would make her think twice.