strictlysupreme Chapter 296: Settling the Two Elders
Chapter 296: Settling the Two Elders
Let the two families meet and vent their frustrations; it's good for both of them, and we don't have to worry about them causing any trouble.
After dinner, Li Jingyang took Lin Rusi for a walk in the backyard.
He thought about how Lin Rusi had gone to great lengths to bring Yao Shi's parents over these past few days, and how she had spoken well of Li Xiao Kui both openly and subtly. Although he felt a pang of jealousy, he knew that his wife treated her own people this way, and he was happy as long as she was happy.
Li Xiao Kui didn't return until sunset.
When he arrived, his carefully styled hair was a mess, his clothes were wrinkled, there were several large bruises on his forehead, and his face had several scratches. It was clear that he had been beaten but hadn't fought back.
"How did you get into such a mess?"
Seeing his disheveled state, Li Jingyang, though quite displeased with his wife's concern for this subordinate, still asked.
He was also a victim of Yao Shi's death, and it is truly unfair that he is being treated this way now.
Li Xiao Kui lowered his head and suddenly knelt down before Li Jingyang: "Your parents are heartbroken at the loss of their beloved daughter. Please forgive them, Your Highness."
It seems that the Yao family elders have no intention of forgiving Li Xiao Kui; the situation is even worse than they anticipated.
"No one will blame them."
Lin Rusi frowned and said in a low voice, "Look at the state you're in now. Go back and tidy yourself up. In a few days, when the new prefect takes office, you will leave Suzhou with us."
Li Xiao Kui remained in the same position without moving an inch.
Lin Rusi pulled Li Jingyang aside and left.
"Where is Madam going?"
Li Jingyang offered no resistance whatsoever, seemingly willing to go wherever she wanted to take him.
"Go and meet Yao Shi's parents."
……
Yao Shi's parents lived in a small courtyard three streets away from the main road in Suzhou. Nearly half of the city's residents lived there, and the place was bustling with people coming and going to and from work every day.
The thought that the two elderly people of the Yao family had lost their beloved daughter and were now living alone in an empty house was something they feared most, especially the loneliness.
Living in this place full of everyday life doesn't feel so oppressive.
The courtyard she remembered was clean and tidy, but today it was a complete mess.
The two elders of the Yao family sat on the steps at the door in a daze, and did not react at all when they saw Lin Rusi.
Did Li Xiao Kui show you two Yao Shi's letter?
Seeing this, Lin Rusi gently closed the door.
Upon hearing Yao Shi's name, the two elders' numb expressions softened somewhat.
"In that case, you two should have seen the four words on the outside of the letter."
"This letter was written to me by Yao Shi before he died. I gave it to Li Xiao Kui. Whether he shows it to you or not is his freedom."
"But he chose to give."
Lin Rusi took two steps closer and looked down at the two elders' hair, which had turned much whiter in just two days: "Please forgive my bluntness, but how can Yao Shi's death be blamed on Li Xiao Kui?"
"You resent that the Suzhou prefect forcibly abducted Yao Shi in order to threaten Li Xiao Kui into doing things, but what is the true nature of that Suzhou prefect?"
"You two are native Suzhou people, so you should know better than me that the root cause of this matter is that Prefect Su took a fancy to Yao Shi first."
"If Li Xiao Kui didn't have feelings for her, how could he have been dragged into this?"
"If Li Xiao Kui hadn't abandoned his vast family business for Yao Shi and meticulously planned to avenge her, what would have become of your daughter without her?"
"Those targeted by Prefect Su will probably be found dead once the novelty wears off."
"You two should ask yourselves honestly, but isn't he suffering the same pain?"
“He never cared about Yao Shi’s past from beginning to end. Even when he was threatened by Prefect Su, he never lost his pride. He knelt down more than once or twice just because the Prince and I wanted to find a good day to personally officiate their wedding.”
"If you have grievances in your hearts, you can take them out on him, but what about him?"
"He has bitterness in his heart, but who can he tell? At best, he can drink a few jars of wine and be thrown out like a beggar."
Upon hearing this, the two elders burst into tears.
Lin Rusi sighed, slowly squatted down, and patted the two of them on the shoulder: "I was a bit too harsh with my words, but I just felt that you two should not impose this sin on Li Xiao Kui."
“If you two are still unwilling to forgive him, I would like to ask you, in my personal capacity, to send one or two of Yao Shi’s personal belongings.”
"Li Xiao Kui only has that letter. Now that we've given it to you, we should at least leave him something to keep going."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yao's mother's eyes were filled with anger. She slowly got up and walked straight to Lin Rusi.
"We have both met you and know that you are Princess Jinglie. You have no idea about the truth! You also have no idea why Shi'er married into the Suzhou Prefect's household!"
"Li Xiao Kui is indeed formidable, able to leave whenever he wants. However, the Suzhou prefect knew about their relationship and not only used Li Xiao Kui's whereabouts as leverage, but also..."
When she spoke of her painful experience, Yao's mother choked up.
"Everything Shi'er did was for Li Xiao Kui. She has long been deeply in love with Li Xiao Kui, and everything she did was to protect Li Xiao Kui's life!"
“This…” Lin Rusi frowned, she hadn’t expected this either.
She never expected it to be like this, and she certainly never imagined that there was such a part in the story of how Prefect Su humiliated Yao Shi.
Therefore, all of Yao Shi's subservience was for Li Xiao Kui.
Before Lin Rusi could even come to her senses...
A series of hurried footsteps came from the doorway, and the slightly closed courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open, with Li Xiao Kui running in breathlessly.
He clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with disbelief. He didn't believe it! He would never believe such nonsense!
"It's a lie! It's all a lie! I don't believe it!" Li Xiao Kui roared, but all of this seemed extremely powerless.
When the two elders of the Yao family saw him arrive, their expressions changed drastically.
"It's you! Get out! Get out! It's all because of you! My daughter is all because of you! If it weren't for you... if you had honored the marriage agreement back then, none of this would have happened!"
Yao's mother angrily kicked Li Xiao Kui out and burst into tears.
Lin Rusi was not clear about the specifics. She only knew that back then, Prefect Su used Li Xiao Kui to threaten Yao Shi, and Yao Shi used Li Xiao Kui to threaten Li Xiao Kui.
Actually, the one who was truly at fault was Prefect Su, but he was already dead.
Lin Rusi opened her mouth, wanting to comfort the two elders, but didn't know how to start.
Just then, someone grasped her small hand, and the warmth made Lin Rusi feel a slight relief.
“Uncle and Aunt, no matter how much you blame Li Xiao Kui for this matter, I will not get involved. However, we will do our best to make amends for the mistakes made by Prefect Su. If you have any requests, please feel free to make them. In addition, we will also make proper arrangements for you.”
The two elders of the Yao family did not respond, but just as the two were about to leave, they intervened again and stopped them.
"We want to take Shi'er with us!"
Yao's mother was certain. Lin Rusi subconsciously looked at Li Jingyang, and the man shook his head.
"Alright, I'll have someone arrange it. Besides that, if you need anything else, my guards can bring it to you."