Chapter 547
Chapter 547
"He's just a child, acting out. You shouldn't indulge him in everything." The Old Princess glanced at her daughter-in-law and sighed inwardly.
She thought to herself, could it be that because Li Zhiwei came from a humble background, this Xu Qingshi thought she would be easy to handle?
"You're right, Mother." Li Zhiwei didn't dare say much in front of the Old Princess.
"Grandmother, I wasn't acting out!" Xu Qingshi pouted in displeasure. He didn't understand—why was Grandma angry for no reason?
Could it be that Grandma also felt Father had bullied Mother, and she wasn't happy about it?
"Grandmother, it was Father who was acting out. Father shouldn't have bullied Mother." Xu Qingshi assumed the Old Princess was on his mother's side, just as he was.
The Old Princess was bewildered. What did she mean by Xu Heming bullying Li Zhiwei?
The Old Princess looked at Li Zhiwei and asked, "Has Heming bullied you?"
She eyed Li Zhiwei with a suspicious look, thinking to herself, logically speaking, this daughter-in-law was the one her son fancied, wasn't she?
How could her son bear to bully her?
"Mother, no. Qingshi misunderstood." Li Zhiwei waved her hands repeatedly, then blushed deeply.
How was she supposed to talk about such a thing with her mother-in-law?
It was mortifying.
"Grandmother, Father really did bully Mother! I saw it with my own eyes—he was lying on top of her, and he bit her too! Mother said no, but Father wouldn't let go!" Xu Qingshi planted his hands on his hips and huffed indignantly.
The Old Princess was stunned for a moment, then her own face turned red.
"You child, what nonsense are you spouting?" The Old Princess snapped at Xu Qingshi.
She thought to herself, her son had finally gotten lucky again after all this time—of course he'd want to take good care of his wife.
Still, it was good that they were affectionate, but couldn't they be more careful around the child?
And now they'd made such a spectacle of themselves?
"Moyu, take the Young Prince away. Weiwei, come with me to my quarters." After saying this, the Old Princess turned and walked back into the manor.
Li Zhiwei's face was red as she inwardly cursed Xu Heming for being shameless, letting both her mother-in-law and Xu Qingshi know about his impropriety.
But clearly, her mother-in-law had something she wanted to discuss with her.
Thinking about it made her feel deeply embarrassed.
Still, she obediently went to Ci'an Hall.
When she arrived at Ci'an Hall, Nanny Luo quickly had someone serve tea to Li Zhiwei.
"Thank you, Nanny." Li Zhiwei smiled and nodded at Nanny Luo.
"Weiwei, today let's the two of us have a heart-to-heart talk." The Old Princess looked at Li Zhiwei and sighed.
"Mother, if I've done anything wrong, please point it out." Li Zhiwei sat up straight, feeling a bit uneasy.
After all, the Old Princess appeared quite imposing.
Li Zhiwei feared she might have done something wrong and incurred the Old Princess's displeasure.
"No need to be nervous. I'm an old woman now; I only ask that you and Ming'er get along well. If you could give me a soft, lovely little granddaughter, that would be best of all." Seeing Li Zhiwei's nervous demeanor, the Old Princess couldn't help but tease her.
"Yes, Mother." Li Zhiwei didn't mind having children, but that wasn't entirely up to her, was it?
"You two don't need to rush. I already have Qingshi as my grandson. Whether you have children sooner or later doesn't matter much. Besides, children come when the time is right—don't put pressure on yourselves." The Old Princess said gently.
"Thank you, Mother." Li Zhiwei felt relieved hearing this. She'd been afraid the Old Princess would start pressuring her about having children.
Though she didn't mind having a child soon, she was still worried that if she didn't conceive, the Old Princess might have something to say.
"Our household doesn't have too many strict rules, but there are some things I, as an old woman, might say that aren't pleasant to hear. Still, I'll offer you this advice." The Old Princess looked at Li Zhiwei, who sat respectfully below, and spoke.
"Qingshi lost his mother at a young age, and that other woman poses no threat to you. You only need to fulfill your duties. However, the child is older now, and you need to be mindful. You and Ming'er should be more discreet." The Old Princess felt her own face flush as she recalled Xu Qingshi's words.
"Yes, Mother. I understand." Li Zhiwei was terribly embarrassed.
She never imagined her mother-in-law's first lesson to her would be to be more discreet around her stepson.
The question was, when had that child even run into her courtyard? She truly had no idea.
"This isn't your fault. You're new to the Prince's mansion, and it's not unusual for the servants to be insincere in their obedience. But Nanny Feng is a longtime servant of the household. If there's something you need help with, let her assist you—she'll do her utmost. If you're not comfortable with that, you can also have Heming find you someone trustworthy to manage the household affairs for you."
The Old Princess thought for a moment, then worried that Li Zhiwei might be reluctant to use the people she'd assigned.
But the fact that a child could eavesdrop on them was a sign that some servants were being negligent.
Still, the Prince's mansion was not like the Li family, and the Old Princess thought Li Zhiwei might not understand all the intricacies involved. That's why she had assigned Nanny Feng to Li Zhiwei in the first place.
But these past days, Li Zhiwei hadn't seemed to make use of Nanny Feng at all.
The Old Princess, afraid Li Zhiwei might be too timid to use her people, suggested she ask Xu Heming for someone instead.
"You're right, Mother. I've been negligent." Li Zhiwei suddenly realized that since marrying into the Prince's mansion, she hadn't properly organized things. The mansion must have its own rules and procedures.
She'd been wondering what she'd overlooked—it was this.
"Very well, you may go. If there's anything you're unsure about, feel free to ask Nanny Luo or Steward Liu." The Old Princess felt she'd said enough. What happened next would depend on Li Zhiwei's own capability.
But if Li Zhiwei couldn't manage it, the Old Princess wouldn't mind taking back control of the household. She could still manage for a few more years and slowly teach her along the way.
"Mother, I have a request." Li Zhiwei recalled that she would soon be leaving for Lucheng. Could the household management wait until she returned?
"What is it?" The Old Princess looked at Li Zhiwei, puzzled. Hadn't she already told her?
"I need to accompany my parents to Lucheng shortly to visit my brother's adoptive mother. Could the household management wait until I return? In the meantime, could I trouble you to handle it for a while longer?" Li Zhiwei stood up, bowed respectfully, and asked.
"Very well, I'll keep an eye on things for you for now. But mind you, I'm only watching over it temporarily. And as for your Songmo Courtyard, I won't concern myself with that." The Old Princess thought it over and agreed readily.
After all, it was a joyous occasion that the Li family had found their long-lost son, and it was understandable that they'd want to visit the place where he'd grown up.
"Thank you, Mother!" Li Zhiwei breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, you may go now." The Old Princess waved her hand tiredly, dismissing Li Zhiwei.
"Your Highness, what if the Princess doesn't use Nanny Feng?" Watching Li Zhiwei's retreating figure, Nanny Luo asked with concern.