Old Madam Ling clutched Ling Jingshu’s hand in a vice-like grip and refused to let go.
Ling Jingshu could not move, yet she was in no hurry. Under Old Madam Ling’s tearful and pitiful offensive, her heart did not soften in the slightest. She said quietly, “Grandmother, for the sake of saving Aunt, you would have Wei Yan take on this level of risk — is that not going too far? Have you considered what Wei Yan would do if the Emperor were to, by some misfortune, direct his displeasure toward him as a result?”
Old Madam Ling’s weeping hiccupped to a momentary stop. Under Ling Jingshu’s cold and composed gaze, she steeled herself and pressed on. “He is imperial kin, and he once saved the Crown Prince’s life. The Emperor would not so readily assign him blame. Furthermore, even if he were to incur the Emperor’s displeasure, there is still Her Majesty the Empress to shield him…”
“So then, he ought to exert himself on the Ling Family’s behalf?” Ling Jingshu’s eyes were filled with undisguised mockery. “Even if it means staking his own prospects and the Emperor’s trust in him?”
What a selfish and calculating Old Madam Ling this was.
Even Ling Daye could bear to listen no further. He cleared his throat and said, “Mother, stop making things difficult for A’Shu. This matter — let us just drop it.”
Old Madam Ling bit down hard, and suddenly made a move that no one had anticipated.
She trembled as she rose to her feet — and then sank to her knees.
Ling Jingshu, without a moment’s thought, stepped sideways to avoid it, her voice growing colder still. “What is Grandmother doing? Kneeling before your own granddaughter — is this an attempt to force me to death under the name of unfilial conduct?”
Ling Daye’s expression also shifted abruptly. Bracing his ailing body, he climbed out of bed and moved to help Old Madam Ling to her feet. “Mother, you absolutely must not do this. To press A’Shu like this — if word of it were to get out, what face would our Ling Family have left to show anyone? And what face would we have left to show Wei Yan?”
Old Madam Ling stubbornly refused to rise, tears streaming down her aged face as she pleaded. “A’Shu, I beg you. Let Wei Yan lend his help just this once. You cannot stand by and watch your aunt go to her death.”
She wished fervently that the Ling woman were dead.
If not for the Ling woman’s cruelty and ruthlessness, she would never have met such a wretched end in her previous life.
It was the Ling woman who had personally strangled the life from her.
In that final moment before death, the last thing her eyes had seen was the Ling woman’s face — twisted, vicious, and malevolent. The person she hated most in this world, second only to Lu An, was the Ling woman.
And yet Old Madam Ling still harbored the delusional hope that she would be willing to save the Ling woman — it was nothing short of laughable.
……
Ling Jingshu was on the verge of opening her mouth to refuse, when a thought flashed through her mind in an instant — and she changed course entirely.
“Very well, Grandmother. I promise you.”
Old Madam Ling’s eyes lit up at once. She was just about to say something when she heard Ling Jingshu say with cool composure, “However, I have three conditions.”
“Whatever conditions, just name them — I will agree to all of them.” Never mind three conditions right now — even thirty, or three hundred, Old Madam Ling would not have wavered for an instant.
Ling Jingshu first bent down to help Old Madam Ling to her feet, and only after Old Madam Ling was seated steadily on the edge of the bed did she speak slowly. “I will do as you ask and write a letter to Wei Yan, requesting that he plead before the Emperor on your behalf. However, the will of the Emperor is impossible to predict — whether it will succeed cannot be guaranteed. I ask only that we be able to say we did what we could with a clear conscience.”
Old Madam Ling nodded repeatedly. “Of course. As long as Wei Yan is willing to make the effort, regardless of the outcome, our Ling Family will feel deep gratitude toward him for this kindness.”
A faint glimmer of mocking amusement passed through Ling Jingshu’s eyes, and she continued unhurriedly. “Second — in two months, I am to be married. This union was an imperial matchmaking arrangement made by Her Majesty the Empress, and it must not lose face for the Ling Family. Her Majesty has prepared a considerable dowry for me. The dowry the Ling Family provides me must not be less than what Her Majesty the Empress has given.”
Ling Daye’s jaw gave the faintest involuntary twitch.
What Her Majesty the Empress had bestowed was no small amount — the gift list alone was a thick and weighty stack. If the Ling Family were to prepare a comparable dowry, that would be cutting out a very substantial chunk of flesh. At the very least, it would cost a third of the family’s entire assets.
Ling Jingshu, in opening her mouth with this demand, was truly ruthless.
Old Madam Ling’s heart was also bleeding inwardly, but she gritted her teeth and agreed. “Very well. Within these two months, I will certainly have your dowry ready.”
Ling Jingshu smiled lightly. “Then I thank Grandmother. As for the final condition — after I am married, I wish to have A’Xiao come and live with me at the Wei residence.”
What?
Ling Daye startled, the words bursting from him before he could stop them. “That is hardly appropriate, is it? Ling Xiao is a descendant of our Ling Family — of course he should live in the Ling residence. What sense is there in him living at the Wei residence?”
What was more, from the way Ling Jingshu phrased it, it was plainly not as simple as merely having Ling Xiao move away. This was clearly an attempt to use such a gesture to sever all ties with the Ling Family entirely.
Without Ling Xiao, how would the Ling Family maintain any connection with the Wei Family going forward?
What Ling Daye had thought of, Old Madam Ling saw just as clearly. Her expression fell in an instant. “A’Shu, what is the meaning of this? Once you have married out of the family, you will belong to the Wei household. Do you also intend to have Ling Xiao change his surname and leave the Ling Family?”
“Not at all.” Ling Jingshu said it lightly, as though it were of no consequence. “A’Xiao still has the imperial examinations ahead of him and an official’s career to pursue. He is a descendant of the Ling Family — that will never change.”
At this time, clan bonds were of paramount importance. To break from one’s clan, or to be expelled from one’s family, meant one’s path through officialdom would be cut off entirely. Ling Jingshu would absolutely never allow Ling Xiao to fall into such a situation of hardship and obstruction.
The reason she had put forward this condition was, of course, an entirely different matter.
“I do not trust Li Shi.”
Ling Jingshu spoke plainly and without reservation. “Back then, A’Xiao took a fall and lost his sight for many years afterward. I have long suspected that Li Shi had a hand in it. Though I have no concrete proof, I simply do not trust her. And Father listens to her every word. If she were to deliberately trip A’Xiao up in future, or interfere in his marriage prospects through her schemes, I — as a daughter already married out of the family — would have no way at all to protect my full younger brother.”
“Therefore, I wish to have A’Xiao come and live with me. If I am personally attending to his daily needs, my mind will be at rest. As for the matter of his future marriage, I will also do my utmost to find him a good match.”
“You need not worry. I will not act unilaterally — when the time comes, I will not settle anything for A’Xiao until Grandmother, First Uncle, and Father have all given their approval.”
In short — everything pertaining to Ling Xiao henceforth was not something Li Shi would be permitted to have any part in.
Old Madam Ling fell silent, and she and Ling Daye exchanged a glance.
Ling Daye frowned slightly and ventured, “A’Shu, whatever the case, Li Shi is still your and A’Xiao’s stepmother. Is doing this not taking things a step too far?”
A move like this would be slapping Li Shi squarely across the face.
How would Li Shi ever be able to hold her head up in the Ling household after this?
Ling Jingshu’s gaze flickered faintly, and she tugged the corner of her lips. “I have said all I have to say. Whether to agree or not — it is entirely as Grandmother sees fit.”
If Old Madam Ling wanted to save someone, then she needed to demonstrate sincerity.
Old Madam Ling stared at Ling Jingshu as though seeing her for the very first time — looking at her as one looks at a stranger.
Ling Jingshu’s expression remained placid and unhurried, as she waited at ease for Old Madam Ling to lower her head.
The three conditions she had put forward: the first was to lay a foundation of self-defense and an opening to withdraw gracefully in future. The second was to make the Ling Family hemorrhage a great deal. The third — was her true objective.
From this day onward, the fate of both herself and her brother would rest in her own hands.
Old Madam Ling’s expression shifted through many changes, and at last she hardened her resolve and gave a firm nod. “Very well. I agree to all of them.”