Liu Yiyi tugged at Wan Mo's hand beside her and pleaded, "Second sister, you must come back for my wedding in June!"
"Of course!" Wan Mo reached out and tapped the tip of her nose. "Uncle Liu finally gave his consent and allowed your fiancé not to marry into our family. How could I not come back?"
"What are you talking about!" Liu Yiyi exclaimed discontentedly. "I've made an agreement with Pei Yanqi. After ten years, he'll resign from his official post and still marry into our Liu family!"
"He's actually willing..."
"Why wouldn't he be willing?" Liu Yiyi shouted. "Being a wealthy merchant is much better than being a useless official! Every day, they worry themselves sick. Just looking at them makes one tired! Pei Yanqi said that since the emperor has just assumed power, the political situation is unstable, and he has to help keep an eye on things. After it stabilizes, he'll return to family life and enjoy a comfortable life supported by his wife!"
"Yes, living off one's wife is good. It's easy to digest..." He Muhao replied with a chuckle.
"Shut up!" Wan Mo glared at him, then turned to Liu Yiyi with a smile. "Well, it's better for him to accompany you in doing business all over the country than to be confined in this capital city. When I come back, I'll hunt a snow - fox in the north for your wedding dowry!"
The long wind swept across the official road, fluttering the red silk that tied up Wan Mo's hair.
She nimbly mounted her horse and whipped it lightly. With the sound of hooves, the two figures finally melted into the floating clouds on the horizon.
Li Wanming's nose felt a bit sour.
She suddenly remembered when they were young, the three sisters huddled on a bamboo couch to enjoy the cool. The eldest sister bit the palm - leaf fan and dreamed of being a good wife and mother in the future. The second sister crossed her legs and said she was a mountain eagle. And what about her? She dreamed of becoming the most powerful person in Fujian...
Now, the eldest sister wore a phoenix - robe, and all the people in the court were her subjects. The second sister not only became a mountain eagle herself but also abducted a canary from the Earl's Mansion... The childish words had all become prophecies of fate. They had finally achieved their goals in different ways.
Only she seemed to be trapped in this capital city by an invisible cage and couldn't move anymore.
...
On the way back in the carriage, Li Wanming was in a gloomy mood.
"Don't be sad," Liu Yiyi thought she was reluctant to part with Wan Mo and tried to console her. "Second sister will come back in June... How about we go into the palace to play with the eldest sister?"
Li Wanming shook her head. "The harem is so busy. She must be very occupied now."
She rubbed her temples. "I'm not just sad because of second sister. It's... I didn't expect so many people to leave in such a short time."
She didn't want Liu Yiyi to worry, so she changed the topic.
"Who else is leaving?"
Li Wanming said gloomily, "Xiao Yingchu."
Yesterday, Xiao Yuanjie came to bid farewell to her with his son and daughter.
He said that Xiao Yingchu had found a teaching position in a newly - established academy in her hometown of Qingzhou, and he wanted to take his children back to Qingzhou to spend his remaining years.
"Although this academy is not as famous as Zangshan Academy, it's newly opened. With the guarantee of the Duchess of Qingguo, it has a new look. If I go there, on the one hand, I can teach students, and on the other hand, I can devote myself to research. All the books I've read will finally be useful."
Xiao Yingchu's face was calm, and her voice was soft.
Li Wanming wanted to persuade her but couldn't find the words.
The Xiao family had left Qingzhou for nearly a hundred years, and there were hardly any relatives left in their hometown. Going back to teach in Qingzhou was just a decent excuse.
The matter of Kang's witchcraft had caused a huge stir in the capital. Everyone knew that there was a venomous woman in the second branch of the Xiao family who had used despicable means to harm her nephew. They couldn't stay in the capital anymore.
Xiao Yuanjie, however, seemed quite relaxed and smiled cheerfully. "Qingzhou has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and the climate is pleasant. It's the best place for growing flowers! If the Princess of the Heir Apparent goes there to play in the future, I can show you my garden full of flowers!"
Li Wanming found his words interesting and couldn't help teasing him. "Are you willing to show them to others this time?"
"Hey, they're just flowers." Xiao Yuanjie looked at his son and daughter beside him and said tenderly. "How can they be more important than people?"
Li Wanming smiled and asked, "What about Jingbai's studies..."
"Don't worry about me, sister - in - law!" Xiao Jingbai rushed to speak. "The academy where my sister teaches has separate seats for men and women. I can go there to study. After passing the provincial examination, I'll come to the capital to take the imperial examination. I'll be like Mr. Pei and become a top - scorer in the imperial examination!"
The young man was almost as tall as Li Wanming. Standing there with his back straight, he was like a heroic young poplar, without the arrogance and frivolity he used to have.
Li Wanming was quite pleased. "You have such an ambition. It's not in vain that Mr. Pei has taught you."
After they talked for a while, Xiao Yuanjie said he had to go and pack up his things, then got up with his two children to say goodbye.
"Cousin Yingchu, wait a moment."
Just before going out, Li Wanming called Xiao Yingchu alone. "I have some jewelry there. I'll ask Chuntao to pack them up and send them to you later. Although Qingzhou is your hometown, it's not as prosperous as the capital after all. It's better to have some money on hand."
She had just instructed Qinglan to withdraw a large sum of silver from the palace for Xiao Yuanjie. Now she specifically stopped Xiao Yingchu to say these things. Her intention was obvious.
Xiao Yingchu was extremely intelligent. She guessed it in a flash. "Is sister - in - law worried about my marriage?"
Li Wanming hesitated for a moment and finally nodded slowly.
Xiao Yingchu was already twenty - three years old. Even in the capital, she was no longer young. Moreover, she was going to Qingzhou, a remote place. Where could she find a suitable and handsome young man?
It was precisely because of this concern that Li Wanming gave her an extra subsidy. If she met a suitable man in the future, it could be used as her dowry. If not... it would be good to have some money to live comfortably.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yingchu smiled. Her smile was like a white lotus in full bloom after the rain, shining brightly in the evening glow. "Sister - in - law, don't worry... I've decided not to marry for the rest of my life."
Li Wanming was shocked and couldn't say a word. On the contrary, Xiao Yingchu seemed extremely carefree and didn't care at all. "I've loved someone, and I've been truly loved by the person I love. No matter how the story ends, God has not treated me badly."
"Moreover, who says that a woman must get married?" She smiled brightly. "Sister - in - law can do business, and Lady Yuan can be a female general. Even Caiwei and Qinglan can manage the shops and the academy very well. Well, can't I become a famous female Confucian in history?"
Li Wanming was really shocked.
At that moment, she seemed to see a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon.
Since that was the case... what else did she need to worry about?
"Since you have such a great ambition, I won't say more." Li Wanming's face was filled with a sincere smile. "It's a long journey ahead. I wish you to have a great number of works and be famous for thousands of years."
Xiao Yingchu bowed respectfully. Her plain clothes fluttered in the wind. "Yingchu bids farewell. I only wish sister - in - law a splendid life and everlasting well - being."