A family with three widows, after severing ties with relatives, she became wealthy and married into

Chapter 231 Staying at someone's house

Now that its fame has reached the palace, it will surely reach the capital sooner or later.

If the people of the capital know... then the whole of Daqi knows.

Besides the delicious food at Baishi Teahouse and Baishi Hot Pot Shop, Empress Li was also very interested in Miss Tian Er.

She had seen it in Ling Yao's letters, and she had seen it in Li Yi's letters...

Now that I'm in Baishi County, I really want to see it for myself.

And the woman in front of them was none other than Tian Er's mother.

Empress Li couldn't help but sigh, "The connections between people are truly extraordinary."

"lady..."

Granny Zhu returned, looking troubled. "I've looked at three inns, but none of them have rooms available."

"What should I do?"

Empress Li frowned. If there were no rooms, where would she stay?

Are we really going to stay at the county government office?

No! Absolutely not.

Lu Tao overheard this and had some thoughts in mind.

I just chatted with Mrs. Li, and we found we clicked very well.

Moreover, people, including Tian Tian, ​​raved about their shop...

Lu Tao's heart softened. "Mrs. Li, if you don't mind, why don't you stay at our house for the night?"

Madam Li looked at her with surprise, "Is...is that alright?"

Lu Tao thought for a moment, then nodded. "It should be fine."

She was certain that this Mrs. Li was not a bad person, so she figured it would be fine to stay overnight.

I just don't know how many of them there are, or if there are any men among them?

"Is there only one person, Madam Li?"

Empress Li nodded and took Zhu Mama's hand, "Yes, it's just me and my aunt."

"That's no problem." Lu Tao was completely relieved.

"When my little sister Liu comes back, we'll go back together."

*

Liu San Niang walked ahead helplessly, taking Lu Tao's arm, "You, you're just too kind-hearted, how could you just invite people to stay at your house like that..."

Lu Tao chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Third Sister, I'm sure she's not a bad person."

"Besides, it's so late, Third Sister, how can you bear to leave a lady and her aunt with nowhere to go?"

Liu San Niang glanced back...

This Mrs. Li certainly seems to be someone without much guile.

But the Aunt Zhu next to her seems to be more than just a simple person.

It's so late...

Liu San Niang sighed helplessly, "Fine, since you've agreed, I'll cover for you if the children have any objections later."

Lu Tao patted her arm.

As they walked to their doorstep, the doorman opened the door and said, "The two ladies are back."

"Who is this?"

"This Mrs. Li is a friend I met today, and she will be staying in our courtyard tonight."

"Madam Li, please."

Empress Li was already frightened by the lintel of Lu Tao's house.

She really hadn't expected that Madam Lu's house was so big... Yes, you could tell how big it was just from the lintel.

And once inside...

Bigger!!

“Madam Li, I have some empty rooms in my courtyard. Why don’t you stay with me in the same courtyard?” Lu Tao said.

Tian Xiang and Tian Tian each have their own courtyard, and Tian Jinghe also lives in the outer courtyard.

She now has her own courtyard, so there are several empty rooms.

"Sister Lu, if you don't mind, please call me Sister Li." Empress Li felt that since she was already staying at someone else's house, there was no need to be so polite.

"Okay, Sister Li."

"We are so grateful to Sister Lu today. If it weren't for you, we really wouldn't know where to stay."

Empress Li sighed with emotion.

My impression of Miss Tian came from the letters between Ling Yao and Li Yi; I knew she was a smart and generous girl.

Through her own interactions with Mrs. Lu, she felt that she was a very kind woman.

The daughter raised by Madam Lu would naturally be exceptional.

“There are always some inconveniences when you’re traveling,” Lu Tao said jokingly. “Today I helped Sister Li in Baishi County, and Sister Li will be able to help us when we go to the capital in the future.”

Empress Li patted her chest lightly, "That's for sure."

“When Sister Lu goes to the capital in the future, she must come to the Li family in Qingyun Lane to find me.”

"Okay." At this time, Lu Tao had no idea that later, she and this Madam Li would talk about everything, and she never expected that she would actually go to the capital and meet Madam Li.

But by then, Madam Li's status had changed.

As Tian Xiang was talking to Tian Tian, ​​a servant from the front yard came to announce that the madam had brought back a friend who wanted to stay at the house for the night.

"Mother made a new friend?" Tian Xiang asked, puzzled.

Lu Tao now has several friends, such as Madam Qian and Madam Li, the county magistrate.

Previously, when Li Huaiyuan had some issues with Tian Tian, ​​Madam Li would often come to meet with Lu Tao to maintain the relationship between the two families.

Besides these two friends, Lu Tao found it difficult to make any other friends.

I never expected to make a breakthrough today.

"That's rare," Tian Tian muttered, wondering why they needed to stay at her house.

Tian Xiang stood up. "Since she's Mother's friend, let's go meet her."

Tian Tian stood up and said, "Okay."

Since they are my mother's friends, they, as her juniors, should go and meet them.

She decided to go and see who her friend was.

"Madam, the two young ladies have arrived."

Lu Tao: "Let them in."

“These are my two daughters. My eldest daughter is named Tian Xiang, and she also had a hard life. She lost her husband last summer. My second daughter is named Tian Tian.”

Lu Tao didn't mention anything about the Cheng family.

The first one to enter was Tian Xiang, who gave off a gentle vibe at first glance.

From her face shape to her eye shape, everything about her is soft and delicate.

Madam Li looked up in amazement, but when she saw Tian Tian following behind Tian Xiang, her expression relaxed even more.

When Tian Tian entered, she only had a very simple wooden hairpin in her hair, which made her look elegant and graceful.

Upon closer inspection, her waist, though slender, was ramrod straight, and her lips held a faint smile that revealed a hint of stubbornness.

His steps were light and firm, and his eyes were clear and resolute.

Is this Miss Tian Er?

It has a gentle, watery appearance, yet possesses the resilience of bamboo, blooming alone, neither humble nor arrogant.

Empress Li's heart stirred slightly; this girl... would surely be a perfect match for her.

"Xiang'er, Tiantian, this is Madam Li, a new friend I met today," Lu Tao introduced.

Tian Xiang and Tian Tian performed a junior's greeting.

Empress Li quickly helped the two women up, saying, "Sister Lu's two daughters are truly beautiful..."

Lu Tao smiled sheepishly.

Empress Li suddenly thought of something, rolled up her sleeves slightly, then took Tian Xiang's hand and took off a bracelet from her wrist and gave it to Tian Xiang.

Then, with lightning speed, he took off another bracelet and gave it to Tian Tian.

Tian Xiang and Tian Tian didn't have time to react, let alone refuse.

By the time they came to their senses, the bracelets were already on their wrists.

“No, this is not allowed,” Lu Tao stood up. “This bracelet is too valuable, Madam Li, we cannot accept it.”

Tian Xiang and Tian Tian also started taking off their bracelets...

While picking the bracelet, Tian Tian suddenly noticed a mark on it.

Her expression froze, and her eyes flickered slightly...

She had seen this mark on the jade hairpin that Ling Yao had given her.

The mark is followed by the four characters "大祈御制".

Tian Tian then took off the bracelet and examined it carefully again. Although there was a mark on the bracelet, the words "Da Qi Yu Zhi" were not on the back.

Even so, this bracelet should still have originated from within the palace.

In the palace... Lady Li...

Li Huaiyuan?

Li Huaiyuan and Ling Yao are cousins.

Then Ling Yao's mother's surname is Li.

Tian Tian slightly raised her eyes and looked at Madam Li...

This Mrs. Li does indeed bear a resemblance to Ling Yao.

But... is it possible?

The lady her mother so casually met... is she the current Empress?

If that's true...

Then Tian Tian began to suspect that Madam Li's motives for getting acquainted with Lu Tao.

"Oh dear, I've already called you Sister Lu, so you should just call me Sister Li too." Empress Li pulled Lu Tao's arm, habitually acting coquettishly. "Sister Lu, why don't I give my two nieces a little something to keep me company at home?"

"Don't worry, Sister Lu, these two bracelets of mine aren't worth much money."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be wearing two of them out. Wouldn't that be blatantly flaunting wealth and inviting trouble?"

She gave a comical shake of her sleeve. "The fact that I arrived safely in Baishi County proves that these two bracelets are not good things."

“If my two nieces don’t mind, they can wear it for a while.”

"We can change it in a few days."

Lu Tao looked at Tian Xiang and Tian Tian with a troubled expression...

Tian Tian glanced at the bracelet in her hand again.

The quality of these two bracelets does seem average, but they are imperial artifacts, so they must have something special about them.

If she wasn't mistaken, the unusual thing about these two bracelets was the purple aura emanating from them.

These two bracelets appear to be from the same piece of jade, both bearing the same purple hue...

Purple aura should be very meaningful in this era.

For example, phrases like "purple aura coming from the east," "Qingdu Ziwei," "purple ribbon and golden seal," and "purple eyebrows."

Of course, in her time, purple was also considered very auspicious, for example... a deep, almost purple red.

Tian Tian didn't know why Empress Li had come to Baishi County.

But she insisted on giving him the bracelet herself. Tian Tian smiled slightly and said, "Since Madam Li says so, then my elder sister and I will accept it."

"Thank you ma'am."

Tian Xiang was surprised, but said nothing, and thanked Madam Li along with Tian Tian.

"Will Madam Li be sleeping in this room tonight?" she asked.

Lu Tao nodded.

Tian Tian stood up and went to the door to turn on the light.

Lu Tao was used to using candlelight and felt that turning on the lights at night was too bright and made her eyes uncomfortable.

So they didn't turn on the lights for Madam Li.

As soon as Tian Tian turned on the light, the room, which had been quite bright thanks to the candlelight, was suddenly...blazing with light.

Madam Li and her attendant, Granny Zhu, were completely stunned.

"How come..." Madam Li swallowed, "Why is it suddenly so bright?"

She looked up at the roof...

There was an egg-sized object on the roof, glowing.

Is this a luminous pearl?

No, that doesn't seem right. Her palace has many luminous pearls of all sizes, but even if they were all gathered together, none of them would be as big as this one.

Tian Tian then turned on the window air conditioner and set the temperature to a comfortable 26 degrees Celsius.

"This is a lamp, something my daughter Tian Tian made, something that can glow at night..." Lu Tao explained.

"I thought it was too bright, so I didn't turn it on just now."

Lu Tao led Empress Li to the bedside, saying, "There's a switch on the bed board that can be turned off directly."

"As for Aunt Zhu, she can sleep in the room next door; there's a light there too."

When renovating the courtyard, Tian Tian installed lights and air conditioners in all the rooms.

Aunt Zhu waved her hand, "No need, I can sleep on the couch."

Lu Tao was unaware of the connection; she thought Granny Zhu was just being shy. "It's alright, there are several empty houses in the courtyard."

Tian Tian stopped her, "Mother, Madam Li and Aunt Zhu are used to sharing a room when they're traveling, so just let them be."

"I'll have someone bring two more light blankets later."

Actually, there's no need to worry about catching a cold since there's air conditioning, but sending two blankets would put Lu Tao at ease.

"Alright then." Sure enough, Lu Tao didn't insist anymore.

*

When Tian Tian returned to her room, she took out the box that Ling Yao had given her and found the jade hairpin inside.

Align the marks on the jade bracelet and the jade hairpin together...

Exactly the same; she was right.

Therefore, this Lady Li could very well be the current Empress.

Why did she come to Baishi County?

Tian Tian carefully calculated the time...

Taking into account the schedule, the timing was exactly around the time Princess Yujin appeared.

Could it be that the Empress, as a mother, was worried about Ling Yao after learning of his injury, and thus came to Baishi County to see him?

But since she came to Baishi County, she should have gone to find Li Huaiyuan. Why is she staying here instead?

Don't you want to find Li Huaiyuan?

Judging from Ling Yao's situation, we must find Li Huaiyuan.

Why not look for Li Huaiyuan?

Tian Tian was completely baffled...

And so, amidst all sorts of thoughts, I fell asleep.

Over there, Empress Li stood under the lamp, curiously looking up for a long time...

"Madam, the bed is made." Granny Zhu said.

Empress Li looked away, but because she had been staring at the light bulb for so long, her vision blurred and she stumbled.

“Madam…” Granny Zhu quickly turned around to help her sit down on the edge of the bed.

"Are you okay?"

Madam Li shook her head.

"This Miss Tian Er can actually concoct so many strange things..." Empress Li muttered.

"How can a person be so intelligent?"

Granny Zhu: "No matter how clever she is, she can't compare to you, Madam. You are the epitome of womanhood..."

Empress Li glanced at her and sighed, "Zhu Mama, we've already left the palace, you've been fooled."

"If I were smart, how come I couldn't figure out this...light bulb?"

"And that air conditioner..."

"And... what other delicious food is there like Shiraishi Hot Pot?"

Empress Li touched the bedding beneath her and said, "I was just lucky to be born into the Li family."

"She and the Emperor were childhood sweethearts, and their bond was very strong..."

"If I had been born into an ordinary family, I don't know what kind of life I would have had."

Granny Zhu helped her take off her outer clothes. "Madam has a good temperament. No matter where she was born, she will have a good life."

Empress Li simply smiled.

Good temperament? Is that considered a virtue?

She was born into the Li family and relied on the Li family, so no one dared to offend her, which is why she developed a good temperament.

Later, when she married the emperor, and the officials pressured him to take concubines, she relied on the emperor's affection.

If he were born into an ordinary family and still had this kind of personality, it's hard to say whether he could even make a living.

Empress Li recalled Tian Tian's wary expression as she looked down at the bracelet...

If you're born into an ordinary family, you have to be like this Miss Tian Er, always keeping your eyes open and mindful of everything.