It was only a few days later that Li Wanming learned Sun Miaoqing had been punished by the Guo family to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days and three nights, and was also placed under house arrest for a month.
"Why?"
Her first reaction was, "Is it because Guo Xinyue failed to frame me at General Feng's banquet and they're taking it out on her?"
Even if that was the case, it was too harsh...
It was almost November now, mid-winter, with cold winds blowing everywhere.
The ancestral hall was tall and spacious, drafty and not warm at all.
Kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days and three nights in this season, with Sun Miaoqing's frail body, she might lose half her life.
Chuntao said anxiously, "No, miss. This has nothing to do with you!"
She went back to the Li Mansion to get something yesterday and happened to see Mrs. He crying in front of Li's mother, begging her to plead with the Guo family to spare Sun Miaoqing.
"From what the old lady said, it seems that the young miss is jealous, doesn't follow the rules, defies her mother-in-law, and bullies her younger sister-in-law, causing chaos in the family... That's why Mrs. Guo punished her to kneel in the ancestral hall to teach her a lesson."
Chuntao was also very confused. "Miss, you said the young miss has only been married for a short time. How could she be jealous? Could it be that Young Master Guo is thinking of taking a concubine just after getting married?"
Alas, silly Chuntao.
Does Guo Ziyan still need to take a concubine?
It would be good if he didn't go to the Princess's Mansion every day!
But Li Wanming couldn't figure it out either.
Sun Miaoqing jealous?
Jealous of whom?
How dare she?
Not to mention that the Guo family would never let her know about Guo Ziyan and the eldest princess. Even if she did know, with Sun Miaoqing's timid nature, she would probably just tremble and watch her husband and the eldest princess have fun, afraid that the eldest princess wouldn't enjoy herself enough...
How could she be jealous?
Defying her mother-in-law and bullying her younger sister-in-law...
Hehe, her? Bullying Guo Xinyue?
Even if you gave Sun Miaoqing eighteen times the courage, she wouldn't dare to touch a single hair on Guo Xinyue's head!
It's really nonsense.
Li Wanming guessed that perhaps Guo Xinyue had suffered a setback and couldn't find anyone to vent her anger on, so she took it all out on Sun Miaoqing.
As for being jealous, it was just an excuse they casually came up with.
But none of this mattered. Sun Miaoqing insisted on jumping into the fire pit herself. There was nothing Li Wanming could do about her.
Currently, her winery was on the right track, and there were a steady stream of people coming to order wine every day. The most important thing now was to prepare for the academy.
Selecting a location, renting a house, setting up courses, hiring teachers... Every single thing needed to be taken care of.
When Mrs. Yuan heard that her daughter was going to open an academy, she didn't say much. She just sent someone with a silver note worth five hundred taels and said, "If you need anything, just come to me. I'll do my part."
With her mother's support, Li Wanming was completely at ease.
She knew that what she was doing was very unconventional, so she was always worried that her mother would not allow it and that it would affect her father's reputation as an official.
But now that she had started, her parents were very supportive, which showed that what she was doing was a proper thing!
As long as it was proper, that was good.
Li Wanming was greatly reassured and more determined to roll up her sleeves and make a big difference!
However, in the past few days, her mother-in-law, the Princess of Ning, had been looking more and more haggard. She often looked worried and uneasy, as if a great disaster was about to befall them.
Li Wanming thought she didn't want her to open the academy, so she comforted her, "Mother-in-law, the court is now encouraging women to pursue education. By opening an academy, on the one hand, I can teach women skills, and on the other hand, I can train some experienced workers for our family's winery... Don't worry about the money. I've calculated that after earning for another two months, it will be enough!"
After hearing this, the Princess of Ning still looked worried, frowning. She said absent-mindedly, "The academy? Oh, the academy. It's a good thing... If you need more money, just come and tell me..."
Li Wanming was very confused.
The whole family was now relying on her to support them. Why did her mother-in-law's words sound as if their family had mountains of gold and silver?
However, as long as she didn't stop her from opening the academy, Li Wanming didn't care about other things!
Li Wanming left Qinghui Hall contentedly.
The Princess of Ning watched her back, looking worried and afraid. "My lord, it's almost Jingnan's twentieth birthday..."
Back then, the wandering Taoist priest had predicted that if he didn't get married, Xiao Jingnan wouldn't live past twenty.
Now, as his twentieth birthday was approaching, they were finally going to find out if getting married could break the curse in his life. How could the Princess of Ning not be worried?
If Li Wanming was really Xiao Jingnan's true love, and if the words of the wandering Taoist priest were really trustworthy, then Xiao Jingnan would surely survive safely. But if not...
Wouldn't her son only have a few days left to live?
The Prince of Ning tried his best to comfort his wife. "My lady, calm down. In the past six months, Jingnan's health has improved a lot. We've seen it with our own eyes... If his destined person isn't Wanming, then who else could it be?"
The Princess of Ning wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. "I also hope it's Wanming. That girl may be a bit straightforward, but she's sincere, kind-hearted, and gets along well with Jingnan. I'm just afraid..."
This time, the Prince of Ning also fell silent.
After a long time, he let out a long sigh and said, "My lady, what's meant to be will be. If we're really destined to be childless, then there's nothing we can do about it."
Hearing this, the Princess of Ning lay on his shoulder and cried softly.
...
November 1st was Xiao Jingnan's birthday.
There were no lanterns or red silk hanging in the Cheng family mansion.
This was the Prince of Ning's idea. He wanted to treat this day like an ordinary day and not make a big deal out of it.
They would only celebrate it grandly after this day had passed safely.
Xiao Jingnan knew this was a little bit of his parents' selfishness.
They were afraid that if Li Wanming wasn't his destined person and couldn't help him overcome this disaster, then they could only hope that God would forget this day and forget about him, and not take him away...
Early in the morning, Li Wanming was on her way to the wine shop as usual when she was suddenly stopped by Lu Ping and Wu Yao.
"Where are you going, sister-in-law?!"
The two of them looked solemn and menacing, which scared Li Wanming. "I'm going to the wine shop..."
"Sister-in-law has been working hard these days. Rest at home today."
Without any explanation, Lu Ping and Wu Yao grabbed Li Wanming and walked towards the courtyard.
"Coincidentally, Caiwei and Qinglan have been slacking off in their training recently. We'd like sister-in-law to correct them."
Today was a crucial day for the young master's life. They had to make sure Li Wanming stayed by the young master's side all day.
If she went to the wine shop, she would be busy with purchasing goods, brewing wine, and looking for a location for the academy... They wouldn't be able to find her!
Li Wanming was surprised. "Ah? Have they been slacking off? I think they've been very diligent recently. Their arms have even gotten a whole circle thicker from training!"
"Not enough!"
Wu Yao said, "Qinglan's arm muscles aren't even as thick as mine. This won't do. She has to step up her training!"
"Yes, sister-in-law." Lu Ping also said, "I think the first stage of their training is over. Now they must enter the next stage and upgrade their training comprehensively."
"And Zifu too. It's been half a year, and she's still as thin as a willow branch. She doesn't even look like she belongs to our Cheng family. This won't do. Zifu's training intensity must be tripled!"
In the courtyard, Caiwei, Qinglan, and Zifu were glaring angrily at them, their eyes almost spitting fire!