Li Mingwei spent the entire night restless, unable to sleep much. Just after the hour of the tiger (3-5 AM), she got up and took out the clothes she had prepared earlier, laying them on her dressing table. She stared blankly at her reflection in the copper mirror.
How could she explain when she returned home?
Liu Yizhu lay on the bed, propping his head up as he watched her sit there for a while, her hair still unbrushed. "What's the use of getting up so early? You'll still be late after you finish getting ready," he urged.
"Mingwei, hurry up. Didn't you say last night that you wanted to go home early?"
Li Mingwei snapped out of her daze, seeing that the sky was almost bright. She hurriedly sped up, needing to return before her grandfather went out. Otherwise, who would plead her case?
And Father! She had to make sure he stayed!
She turned to Liu Yizhu, "You don't have a court session today, right?"
"If I did, would I still be here talking to you?"
He had left early, and the court session must have started by now.
Then Father would definitely still be home. Heh heh, Li Mingwei felt delighted. She quickly changed her clothes, did her makeup, and had Liu Yizhu get their daughter ready, then went to her mother-in-law's to bring their son over too.
Today, she would rely on these two siblings to shield her from disaster.
"Ow!"
"What's wrong?"
Li Mingwei shook her head. It had been so long since she wore earrings that her piercings had closed up without her realizing. She glanced in the mirror and wiped away the blood bead, looking at her made-up face with a sigh. She still needed Ah Xiu's help – her hands were clumsy.
Oh well!
Not wanting to waste any more time, Li Mingwei washed her face clean, took the child from Liu Yizhu, and hurriedly boarded the carriage.
Watching her leave, Liu Yizhu couldn't help but worry. A servant urged him, "Lord Liu, you'll be late too."
Li Mingwei urged the driver on, rushing until they were able to block her father's path in the small alley behind the gate – the back gate of the Li residence was closer to the Imperial City, which was the route her father took every morning.
The carriage obstructed the way, forcing the Li family's driver to pull the reins hard and bring the horses to an abrupt halt, jolting the carriage. Thinking the old master was inside, the driver's temper flared. "How dare you drive like that!"
Zhang Dezhi furrowed his brow slightly and said softly through the carriage curtain, "Let them move aside."
The driver swallowed his anger and responded, glaring impatiently at the other driver until he moved his carriage.
Li Mingwei pulled aside the curtain and poked her head out. "Father!"
The Li family's driver was startled, rubbing his eyes. "Young Miss!"
Zhang Dezhi was also taken aback, quickly pulling the curtain open. Li Mingwei jumped down from the carriage and hurried to his side. "Father, don't go."
"Mingwei!" Zhang Dezhi grabbed her arm, his hand trembling slightly as the corners of his eyes grew moist. "You... you've come back."
Li Mingwei clung to his arm, choking back tears. "Father, don't go, or I might not have the strength to face Mother tonight."
Zhang Dezhi tenderly wiped away her tears, speaking gently, "Don't make up stories about your mother. She misses you. Just go back and sincerely apologize."
"Really?"
"Yes, just be more humble when you go back. Your mother won't blame you."
Li Mingwei released his hand, went back to the carriage, and carried down two children, facing her father. "What about this, then? Would Mother still not blame me?"
Zhang Dezhi had just stepped down from the carriage and was a bit unsteady on his feet. He hurriedly steadied himself with the help of a servant, his voice trembling, "This... this is?"
"Your grandchildren. I've married again."
"You..." Zhang Dezhi was stunned, taking two steps forward to hold the children while glancing down at the one on the ground, hesitating for a moment. "Your own?"
"Ah!" Li Mingwei cupped her face, showing her father how plump her cheeks were. "Look how much fatter I've become after giving birth."
Zhang Dezhi's frown deepened, his head pounding fiercely. He instructed the driver to go to the Ministry of Personnel and request leave for him, then had no choice but to lead Li Mingwei back home.
The gatekeepers were shocked, stepping back a few paces. "Y-Young Miss!"
"Go inform the Lady."
"Yes!"
The gatekeeper hurried inside, but Zhang Dezhi called him back. "Inform the Old Master first, then the Lady."
Li Mingwei led her son by the hand, following behind her father with a slight smile.
Li Yi already knew she had arrived in the capital yesterday, but didn't expect her to return so soon. Unaware of her son-in-law's presence, he could only hurry ahead, hoping to reach her first.
"Grandfather!"
"Mingwei!"
Li Mingwei rushed over and knelt before him. Li Yi quickly helped her up, laughing, "Why have you come back so early?"
Shouldn't she have rested for a couple of days after the journey?
Li Mingwei smiled, saying nothing, and handed him the child from her father's arms. "Your great-granddaughter."
"Good, good!" Li Yi stroked the sleeping child's face, not wanting to disturb her too much. He then looked towards the great-grandson standing nearby and beckoned him over with a wave. "You come here too, let me see."
Li Mingwei promptly sent her son over. "Call him Great-Grandfather."
Little Bingbing didn't say anything, only burying his head in her neck.
"What are you doing? Being shy?" Li Mingwei inwardly sighed – he was just like his father, always nuzzling her neck. Did he think there was food there?
Well, there was, but he couldn't eat it.
Zhang Dezhi stepped forward and took Little Bingbing, gently coaxing him with a smile. "He's never met me before, so he's a little scared. How old is he?"
"Almost two years old."
Then she had remarried not even a year after leaving the capital, huh?
"And the younger one?"
"Almost nine months old."
Zhang Dezhi's brow furrowed – that was quite soon after the first child. He looked his daughter up and down. She did seem plumper than before, so her body seemed fine at least.
The main question was, why had his daughter gotten pregnant so quickly after leaving the capital?
Li Yi returned the children to Li Mingwei, smiling, "Let's go back in..."
"Go back where!" A furious shout rang out. Li Mingwei instinctively flinched, turning to see her mother striding over, hair and clothes disheveled, clearly having rushed over halfway through her makeup routine.
"Li Mingwei! You dare return!" Li Langyue stormed up and raised her hand to strike.
Li Mingwei quickly knelt, holding her daughter up high to block her mother's slap. "What is this?!" Li Langyue paused her hand when she saw it was a child, growing even angrier. "You even brought a child back with you!"
She turned and noticed the other child in her husband's arms, raging, "You brought two!"
"You really do outdo your father!"
Her father adopted one child, so she adopted two!
Li Mingwei lowered her daughter slightly, peering up at her mother cautiously. "I gave birth to them."
"You..." Li Langyue faltered, her voice low. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
Li Mingwei raised her eyes timidly to meet her mother's gaze. "It's true, they're my own children."
"Both of them?"
"Mm!"
Li Langyue clenched her fists tightly. One child might be chance, but two was harder to explain – those imperial physicians must be mocking her.
Enraged, she started, "Father, that physician Liu..."
"Enough, let's discuss this inside!" Zhang Dezhi glanced at the growing crowd of servants and cut her off, glaring at Li Mingwei. "Why are you still kneeling? Get up and go inside."
"Oh."
Ah Xiu, who had been waiting nearby, quickly went over to help Li Mingwei up, whispering in her ear, "Miss, you didn't tell me you were coming back. Let me assess the situation first."
"It doesn't matter, it'll be the same either way."
