bookrebus Chapter 403
Chapter 403
"Are you sure about that?" Hearing this, Li Tianyou's heartache vanished.The children born to his daughter, raised by them—wouldn't they naturally be close to them in the future?
Li Tianyou felt that this was a very viable idea.
"Father!" Li Zhiwei's face flushed red with embarrassment. She wasn't even married yet, and they were already discussing children.
"Zhiwei, in the future, we will have a few more children and send them all back for my father-in-law to raise," Xu Heming leaned close to Li Zhiwei and said earnestly.
Li Tianyou and Lady Yao's eyes immediately lit up.
As for a son-in-law, they didn't really care much whether they had one or not, but grandchildren—they absolutely loved the idea of grandchildren.
"Yes, Weiwei, just have a few more in the future, and your father and I will raise them for you!" Lady Yao said with a smile.
"Don't worry, daughter, your father can afford it," Li Tianyou patted his coin purse proudly.
"Father, you should save your money for yourself and Mother. Don't let outsiders take advantage of it," Li Zhiwei said, displeased.
Saying this, she shot Xu Heming a glare, cursing him inwardly for being a scheming scoundrel.
"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, the children can even take the surname Li in the future!" Xu Heming added, acting as if he hadn't seen Li Zhiwei's glare at all.
"Really? Surname Li? Even the boys?" Li Tianyou asked excitedly.
Over the years, although he never felt there was anything wrong with having only a daughter, there were always people who angered him by mocking that the Li family line would die out.
If the children his daughter bore could be entered into the Li family genealogy, then he would finally have heirs to carry on the family name.
"Naturally," Xu Heming replied without hesitation.
In truth, he felt he owed Li Zhiwei. After all, the position of the heir to the Prince of An's estate had already been given to Qingshi. As long as Qingshi didn't make any grave mistakes, the heir position would never be changed.
These were things he could not have foreseen.
He felt he was already indebted to Li Zhiwei. If the Li family felt they needed an heir, he genuinely didn't mind his children taking the Li surname.
They could carry on the Li family's lineage in the future.
"Your Highness the Prince of An, you cannot speak so carelessly. You should know that a gentleman does not joke about such things, right?" Li Zhiwei naturally understood her parents' underlying worries.
However, she was more afraid that Xu Heming was just saying pretty words now, and that her parents would be heartbroken if he went back on his word later.
"I am not speaking carelessly. If you do not believe me, I will go to the palace right now and beg the Emperor for an imperial decree for our marriage. I definitely will not go back on my word. After all, if I do, I would be defying an imperial decree, which is a crime punishable by beheading," Xu Heming said with a serious face.
Hearing this, Li Tianyou nodded repeatedly. He thought this was a brilliant idea.
With an imperial decree, he would be at ease.
He would no longer have to worry about this brat Xu Heming going back on his word, and his precious grandchildren would be secured.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the Prince of An; it was just that the gap in status between their two families was too vast.
He also didn't believe that the Prince of An's words would have a long shelf life.
Right now, he was fond of his daughter, so the promises he made were naturally genuine. But in the future, what if his affection for her faded?
All these promises would just become empty words without proof.
Li Tianyou was a businessman, so he naturally understood the twists and turns of such matters better than anyone.
"I think this method works. Let us go to the palace together and speak to the Emperor. But let us get one thing straight: if you ever wrong my daughter in the future, you cannot snatch the children back!" Li Tianyou said seriously.
He thought to himself that if his daughter ever suffered any grievances in the Prince of An's estate, she could just come home. He could afford to support his daughter.
"Father." Li Zhiwei only felt rather awkward.
She hadn't expected her father to be so persistent about this matter.
It was as if he was absolutely certain that Xu Heming would eventually let her down.
"Alright!" Xu Heming agreed without a second thought.
If this was the guarantee the Li family needed, he didn't mind giving them this reassurance.
Besides, time reveals a person's true heart.
Xu Heming didn't think an imperial decree could guarantee he wouldn't change his mind in the future, but if this decree could bring peace of mind to the Li family, he was at least willing to provide it now.
In the future, if he ever did develop other intentions, this could be considered a small guarantee he had given them.
"Ha, you said it yourself. We are going right now." Li Tianyou got energized upon hearing this. He grabbed Xu Heming's hand and was about to head to the imperial palace.
It was as if he feared Xu Heming would back out if they delayed even a moment.
"Alright!" Xu Heming checked the time and nodded.
The two of them set off for the palace just like that.
Li Zhiwei watched the retreating backs of Xu Heming and Li Tianyou.
"Mother, why didn't you try to persuade them?" Li Zhiwei said anxiously, holding Lady Yao's hand.
Taking this matter in front of the Emperor—who knew what the Emperor would think of their family.
"What is there to be afraid of? It is not like our family cannot afford to raise children. Daughter, you just focus on having them with peace of mind. Your father and I can afford to raise them!" Lady Yao felt at this moment that hiding their private assets back then had been the right decision.
Not to mention one or two children; even if it were eight or ten, they could afford it.
However, she also didn't want her daughter to suffer too much hardship.
"Mother, making a scene in front of the Emperor—what will the Emperor think of Father?" What Li Zhiwei was actually more worried about was her father's impression before the Emperor taking a massive hit.
"What is there to fear? It is not like your father absolutely must be an official. At worst, we can just pack up and return to Li'an County," Lady Yao said dismissively.
In her eyes, the meager salary Li Tianyou earned as an official was barely worth a glance.
But thinking that this was all to give her daughter a powerful backing in the future, she decided to just put up with it.
"Mother, you have changed. You didn't think like this before." Li Zhiwei looked at Lady Yao in disbelief.
"Daughter, you will understand once you become a mother yourself in the future," Lady Yao said, patting Li Zhiwei's hand.
She might be ignorant about many things, but when it came to her daughter's lifelong happiness, how could she not understand?
Her and her husband's only goal was to see their daughter happy.
"Mother, isn't this wedding date a bit too rushed?" Thinking of how resistant Li Tianyou had been, Li Zhiwei asked cautiously.
"It is fine, your father and I have been preparing for a long time," Lady Yao quickly reassured her, afraid her daughter would worry.
"However, if it is the sixth of next month, we need to hurry and send a letter to your uncle and his family." Lady Yao suddenly remembered that for her daughter's marriage, she had to invite her brother and sister-in-law to the capital.
"We should. But I will ask the Prince later if he can just send someone to bring them directly." Li Zhiwei recalled that Xu Heming had previously mentioned going to Qujing to pick up her uncle's family.
The Imperial Palace
Zhu Jingchen looked at Xu Heming and Li Tianyou standing below him, somewhat bewildered.
"Beloved Subject Xu, Beloved Subject Li, what brings you here?" As Zhu Jingchen asked this, he felt a bit uncertain inwardly.
After all, he was in the wrong first for not informing them of the wedding date.
However, the crusading expressions on both their faces left him at a bit of a loss.