With Wei Jing watching from beginning to end, all the necessary evidence was collected. Li Chuanhu was punished for plotting to seize his sister's family property and attempting murder, receiving a sentence of exile three thousand li.
Lu Song was sentenced to immediate execution for his disloyalty as a servant and his attempt to harm his master.
Lu Song stated in court that Lu Chaosheng had already returned his deed of servitude, and he was no longer a servant of the Lu family.
The crowd in the court was disgusted. Lu Song had followed Lu Chaosheng for many years, and having his servitude ended was a great favor. Yet, he repaid kindness with enmity, truly embodying the saying "a peck of kindness, a bushel of revenge."
Without being a family servant, his crime was lessened, and he was ultimately sentenced to exile, just like Li Chuanhu.
The Li family was stunned when Li Shi first brought the case to court. When Li Chuanhu was about to be exiled, they could no longer sit still and ran to her daily, pleading with familial affection. Unfortunately, their familial ties had been severed when Li Chuanhu poisoned her.
Li Shi might have been a bit foolish, but it was clear that Li Chuanhu not only wanted to harm her but also her son. No, she had already harmed her son. If she forgave her now, she would deserve it.
Fortunately, she hadn't lost her mind completely and unceremoniously ordered her family of ungrateful wretches to be driven out.
To prevent herself from softening, she decisively closed her doors to visitors.
It wasn't until the incense stick reminded her that she needed to check on the dye workshop that she remembered Lu Nianfu. The dye workshop had been severely damaged by Li Chuanhu's meddling. Faced with a confused workforce and messy ledgers, she finally realized what foolish things she had been doing during this time.
Unfortunately, she had the ability to cause trouble but not to fix it. Thus, she had no choice but to seek out Lu Nianfu.
By the time Lu Nianfu arrived at the reception hall, Li Shi had already finished a cup of tea. In the past, if Lu Nianfu had kept her waiting this long, Li Shi would have surely made sarcastic remarks. Today, however, her temper was unusually good: "Qingya mentioned you haven't been sleeping well lately. Have I disturbed your dreams by coming now?"
The address "Fu'er" sent shivers down Lu Nianfu's spine. She stared intently at Li Shi, wondering if she had been possessed.
Li Shi grew more embarrassed under her gaze: "Fu'er, it was my fault. I shouldn't have believed others and doubted you. Now I'm facing the consequences. Please, for Xiao Fei's sake, help me. The dye workshop is in chaos, and I... I don't know how I'll explain myself to your father when I'm in the netherworld."
"My father is gone. You don't need to worry about him. You should consider how to explain yourself to Xiao Fei, as the dye workshop was left to him by our father."
"Yes, just help Xiao Fei. He's so young. Everything from studying to taking exams requires money. Without the dye workshop, what will he do in the future?" Li Shi wept profusely. "As long as you are willing to come back and manage the dye workshop, I will never doubt you again."
Lu Nianfu chuckled, finding Li Shi's flexibility and adaptability even more incomprehensible. However, she didn't want to listen to her rambling. She waved her hand and said, "I'm very busy now and don't have time for this. If you're truly overwhelmed, you can find Manager Luo and Accountant Qiu, who were squeezed out by your elder brother. They are both old retainers left by father. If you sincerely apologize, they won't be willing to abandon the dye workshop."
Li Shi said, "How can outsiders compare to our own people?"
Lu Nianfu glanced at her: "Haven't you been harmed enough by your own people yet? Then you can go look for your eldest sister. I heard her marriage isn't very good, so she'd likely be very willing to come to the dye workshop to make a profit."
Li Shi: ...
"Then let's invite them back. I'm afraid they might hold a grudge and won't perform their duties well."
"My father promised me a twenty percent profit as a management fee before he died. Distribute this money to them, and their interests will be aligned, so they will naturally dedicate themselves to the work."
Li Shi was reluctant to part with the money, but then she thought that giving it to Lu Nianfu or giving it to them was all the same...
"Where are they? I'll go invite them now."
Lu Nianfu said, "Take Xiao Fei with you. His promise will likely be more convincing than yours. Qingya, ask the kitchen to add a couple of dishes the ladies like for lunch."
Li Shi felt quite choked by these words. What did she mean? Her promise wasn't as good as that of an eight-year-old child?
Even though the child was her own son, she was still displeased. Was there such a way to mock someone?
After arranging for Mian'er to take Li Shi to Lu Fei's courtyard to rest, Lu Nianfu washed her hands of the matter. She picked up Lu Fei at noon, and after they had eaten, she left the mother and son to resolve the issue themselves.
Lu Fei thought for a moment and, with sincere effort, prepared two contracts before accompanying Li Shi back to Xiangshui County, where Manager Lu and Accountant Qiu were already waiting.
That night, Gu Yanchen, relying on his thick skin, finally managed to avoid sleeping separately. However, a dividing line still existed between their large bed. A quilt rolled into a long strip lay horizontally in the middle of the bed, filling Gu Yanchen with resentment.
Being a rogue for a moment felt good, but sleeping separately was like being in purgatory.