Shen Li easily pushed her away and turned to leave. Unexpectedly, the next second, she heard a shrill scream. The first lady fell to the ground and cried out loudly, "Attempted murder! I must ask the old lady to judge!"
Shen Li looked coldly at the first lady lying on the ground. She clearly hadn't used much strength. It was obvious that the woman in front of her was just pretending. So she didn't say a word more and continued to walk forward.
But the first lady kept on making a scene. She called out to the maids beside her, "Go and fetch the doctor. Go and invite the old lady. I want her to judge for me!"
Hearing the word "judge", Shen Li suddenly sat down on a chair and stopped leaving. She let out a cold laugh. "Fine! Since you want a judgment, I'd like to see who is really in the right."
The first lady was stunned. She didn't expect Shen Li to react like this. But since she had started, she had to go all the way. She simply lay still on the ground, waiting for someone to come.
When the old lady saw the woman lying on the ground, her face instantly turned ashen. After all, the first lady had fled back to her natal family regardless of the old lady's punishment.
The first lady acted as if she didn't see the old lady's expression. She rushed forward and hugged the old lady's leg. "Old lady, you must judge for me! As soon as I came back, the young miss from the branch family bullied me..."
The old lady frowned. She didn't move, and her expression remained unchanged. "How did she bully you?" In the old lady's opinion, this was just a farce, and she didn't intend to believe it at all.
But the first lady performed very hard. "I came back wanting to help her manage the household. Who would have thought that she! She was so unreasonable and pushed me down. She wants to monopolize the power to manage the household alone. This is her insidious ambition. Now her true nature is revealed."
The old lady naturally didn't believe it. If it weren't for her persuasion, Shen Li wouldn't have been willing to manage the household. Moreover, it was obvious that the wealth of the Hua family had increased, which meant that no one had embezzled the family's money.
She motioned for the old woman to pull the first lady away and said coldly, "Where are you injured?"
Of course, if you're going to act, you have to act the whole way. The first lady had made preparations long ago, and the doctor she had hired arrived just then.
He felt the first lady's pulse seriously. Finally, his face became solemn. "Madam has suffered serious internal injuries and needs a long period of recuperation."
The first lady smiled triumphantly at Shen Li. Shen Li could naturally tell that this doctor had been bribed by the first lady, but she wasn't worried at all. She just calmly drank her tea, her face showing no emotion.
The old lady's patience with the first lady was almost exhausted. She said to the doctor, "Prescribe some tonics for her. You can go back to your natal family and rest well."
After saying that, the old lady let out a sigh and was about to leave with the old woman, leaving the first lady standing there in a daze.
Shen Li just sneered at her. "Since you made the decision to leave the Hua family back then, you're no longer a member of the Hua family. Since you like your natal family so much, I'll grant your wish and let you go back."
The first lady was completely stunned. No matter how much she thought, she couldn't have imagined such an outcome.
For the next few months, without the trouble of the first lady, Shen Li spent her days in peace. Besides managing the household, she trained the private army of the Hua family with Xinyue.
Hua Rong came to find Shen Li happily. "Cousin, you've worked hard these days. The emperor has officially decided to transfer me to the border. Then I can train the Hua family's army better."
Shen Li was also happy for Hua Rong. She returned his smile. "It's just right that the Hua family's commercial firm in Yangzhou has now established a foothold. It can not only deceive the emperor into thinking that the Hua family is now focusing on business to make money but also use the money earned to train the Hua family's army. It's a win - win situation."
Hua Rong patted Shen Li's head and took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to her. "Take a look! It's from your parents. I managed to hide it and snatch it with great difficulty."
The meaning of his words was self - evident. There must be someone who had intercepted the letters from her parents. She felt the envelope and found that the seal was intact. So she tore it open and read it carefully.
She read for a long time. Even Hua Rong became anxious. "Cousin, what's in the letter? You've been reading for so long. Is something wrong with Auntie? Don't scare me."
The Hua family was also very worried about the safety of her parents. Shen Li gave him a reassuring smile. "It's nothing. I just know the location of my parents from the letter. Maybe I'll set off to find them now."
Hua Rong took a step back, looking surprised. "Now? But... Who will manage the Hua family... And you're not prepared. I'll send more people to protect you."
Shen Li carefully burned the letter in front of Hua Rong. If something happened to her, she mustn't involve her parents. She shook her head. "It's okay. Now that the first lady has reformed, the Hua family can be handed over to her."
"As for preparing things, I don't have many things, and I can get them ready right away. I don't need you to send more people. Bringing those people will only be a hindrance, increase the target, and put my parents and me in more danger."
Hua Rong was still worried. In his heart, no matter how strong Shen Li was, she was still just a little girl. But Shen Li stopped him from speaking. "Cousin, don't say anything. I've made up my mind to go, and I've decided to leave now."
Hua Rong was stunned for a moment, but he quickly understood. Wasn't his cousin always such a brave and decisive person? So he shook his head and smiled. "Alright, there's nothing I can say to persuade you. Then go. But what about Grandmother..."
This was also what Shen Li was worried about. She didn't dare to tell her grandmother her real destination. After all, she was going to the enemy country, Xiyue. Her grandmother would surely worry more.
She said helplessly, "I can't go and see Grandmother. I'm afraid she won't let me go if she knows. You can just tell her that I'm going to stay with a relative of the Shen family for a while."
Hua Rong thought that this seemed to be the only way, so he nodded. "Okay, we'll still keep in touch by letter. Use my pigeon. I'll tell you the situation here so that you can come back."
Shen Li nodded and didn't say more. She quickly told Xinyue and Jiaoyue to pack their luggage. There weren't many extra things in her room. Thinking that the customs in Xiyue were different, she stopped Jiaoyue, who was packing frantically. "Just bring a little of these. After all, it's not convenient to take the things here to Xiyue."
Jiaoyue immediately understood. She just packed a little simple clothing and things. Within half an hour, they got on the carriage and left the Hua family mansion.
Under Shen Li's urging, the carriage quickly rushed forward. She had to get to the vicinity of Xiyue earlier. She also had to disguise her identity and find her parents. She really couldn't afford to waste a single moment.