Chapter 47

Wu Furong was now completely confused by Li Qi. He walked up to Li Qi with small, quick steps and whispered, "Young Master Li, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"Huh? What?"

Li Qi suddenly shouted, "Uncle Wu, did Madam really say yesterday that she hoped I could stay?"

Wu Furong was startled by Li Qi's sudden shout and, hearing him make up a story, hurriedly explained to the madam, "I didn't—!"

Before he could finish, Li Qi interrupted him, "Uncle Wu, I know you want me to stay, but you don't have to use Madam's name to do so. Even if Madam really said that to you, it was just talk, not to be taken seriously, not to be taken seriously at all!"

Wu Furong was now at a loss for words, saying, "I—!"

"Enough!"

Madam Qin didn't wait for Wu Furong to speak. She suddenly slapped the table, making a loud noise that frightened Wu Furong into silence. This was the first time he had seen Madam Qin so angry.

Even if Madam Qin had a good temper, seeing the two of them play along in front of her, completely ignoring her, she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. She glared at Li Qi and said coldly, "Young Master Li, we are all reasonable people. If you have something to say, just say it directly. Why beat around the bush?"

"Since Madam puts it that way, I'll speak frankly."

Li Qi gave a cold laugh and suddenly shouted, "What I want to say is very simple: I don't want to cooperate with someone who is disloyal, unfilial, unrighteous, and unkind."

Madam Qin was instantly furious but also felt a sense of disbelief. She opened her eyes wide and glared at Li Qi, only managing to say one word, "You," before she couldn't continue.

Wu Furong was even more stunned by Li Qi's words, standing there in a daze, at a loss for what to do.

"Bold! How dare you insult Madam!"

At this moment, Xiaotao suddenly jumped out, pointing at Li Qi and scolding him.

Li Qi snorted and said, "You, a mere servant, are too disrespectful. How dare you speak to me impolitely? Don't forget, from the beginning, I emphasized that I am cooperating with Madam, not serving her. Besides, what I said is the truth. How can it be considered an insult?"

Xiaotao's face turned red from Li Qi's retort, but she couldn't refute him.

"Li Qi, what do you really want?" Wu Furong, having recovered, was so angry that he glared at Li Qi and called him by name.

From the day Li Qi entered Zui Xian Ju, Wu Furong had already considered himself a member of the Qin family. No matter what Li Qi's intentions were, he would never allow Li Qi to insult Madam Qin.

Li Qi spread his hands and smiled at Wu Furong, "Uncle Wu, it was Madam who asked me to speak directly, so I did."

"You—!"

Wu Furong was so angry he couldn't speak. He bowed to Madam Qin and said, "Madam, this is all because of me. I introduced this wolf-hearted, dog-livered boy to the Qin family. I will immediately drive him out of the Qin family."

"Hold it!"

Madam Qin extended her arm, suppressing her anger, and said to Li Qi, "Young Master Li, if you want to stay, I welcome you with open arms. If you want to leave, I won't hold you back with a mere contract. Why do you have to bully me like this?"

As she spoke, Madam Qin suddenly raised her eyebrows and said sternly, "Although the Qin family is not as prosperous as it once was, we will not be bullied. If you don't explain yourself clearly today, I will not let you off."

Disloyal, unfilial, unrighteous, and unkind.

These eight words were, in ancient times, the most vicious insults!

For someone like Madam Qin, who valued chastity above all else, these eight words were like eight sharp knives piercing her heart. She was truly angry this time.

Li Qi clearly knew that with Madam Qin's backing, it would be easy for her to deal with him, an unknown young man.

However, since he had started, Li Qi had no intention of backing down. Moreover, he was doing all this for Madam Qin. He took a step forward, looking righteous and said, "Hmph! I'm afraid that once I explain myself, Madam will be even less likely to forgive me."

Madam Qin, of course, knew his little trick and snorted, "If what you say is true, I won't blame you. But if you are deliberately deceiving me, I won't let you off."

"Very well! I will speak the truth, please don't blame me, Madam!"

Li Qi bowed deeply and then straightened up, speaking passionately, "Your late husband entrusted Zui Xian Ju to you. Instead of thinking about how to revitalize it, you hide at home, wallowing in self-pity, leading to Zui Xian Ju's current state. This is disloyalty.

Zui Xian Ju was founded by the Qin family's ancestors, yet you wanted to sell it to others. This is unfilial.

Uncle Wu and Master Zhou have worked hard for the Qin family, and even at their age, they still run around for the Qin family. Instead of understanding and easing their burden, you have made it worse, throwing the entire mess at them. This is unkind.

Furthermore, you promised me that you wouldn't tell anyone about the contract we signed, but you told Bai Niang behind my back. This is unrighteous.

May I ask, Madam, have I said anything wrong about 'disloyal, unfilial, unrighteous, and unkind'?"

With a thud!

As Li Qi finished speaking, Madam Qin seemed to lose her soul, collapsing into her chair. Her face was pale, and she clutched the white silk scarf tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. Her lips trembled as if she were muttering to herself.

Seeing this, Li Qi felt a pang of sympathy, but he had no choice. He knew how much feudal ideology could harm women. If he didn't wake Madam Qin up today, this nearly perfect woman would be destroyed by it.

"Enough, stop talking!" Wu Furong, seeing Madam Qin's state, was shaken and shouted.

But Li Qi ignored him and turned his attention to Wu Furong, "Uncle Wu, I respect you, so I didn't say anything about you. If it weren't for your blind loyalty, always shouldering everything, Madam wouldn't have become like this. Do you remember Cao Dama at the entrance of Zui Xian Ju? She is also a widow. She doesn't hide; she interacts with men every day. Have you ever heard any gossip about her? The pure will remain pure. If Madam behaves properly, why be afraid to step out of that door? In the end, being a widow and maintaining chastity are just excuses Madam makes for herself."

Li Qi grew angrier as he spoke, snorted, and continued, "Madam is lucky, never having to worry about daily necessities from birth. If Cao Dama were like Madam, hah, she would have starved to death a thousand times over."

"You—! How can you compare Cao Dama to Madam?" Wu Furong countered.

Li Qi laughed coldly, "Why can't I? We are all women, and all widows. Why can others live happily every day, while Madam has to hide in this mansion, not daring to go out, crying every day?"

"You—!"

In terms of verbal skills, Wu Furong was no match for Li Qi. A few words left him speechless.

Li Qi ignored him. He hadn't come here to argue with him. His main goal was the beautiful Madam Qin sitting in the chair.