Chapter 63

Chapter 63

A month and a half later, Yuan Heng returned to the Capital City.

I had been waiting for him since early on, and he finally arrived during the Shen hour in the afternoon.

Supported by his attendants, he stepped down from the carriage. He had grown a bit thinner and was dressed in a luxurious silver fox fur cloak. In his hand, he held a string of prayer beads, clicking through them one by one as he surveyed his surroundings with a smile.

“Home at last.”

Yuan Heng gave a long, dramatic stretch. When he saw me, he even waved happily. “Wife!”

“Marquis,” I greeted him with a careful bow.

Yuan Heng strode over and grabbed my arms with both hands, looking me up and down. “Having not seen you for many days, my wife has become even more radiant and dazzling.”

He praised me so sincerely, his eyes sparkling, yet I couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down my spine.

How should I put it?

It was too calm-the kind of stillness that precedes a violent storm.

I forced a smile. “You must be exhausted from the long journey. This concubine has already prepared a meal…”

“No rush.”

Yuan Heng gave my cheek an affectionate pinch. “I need to sleep for a while. That carriage ride was enough to make one’s bones fall apart.”

With that, he headed into the manor without looking back.

I hurried to prepare the scented bathwater and sleeping robes, but a servant came to report that the Marquis had already gone to bed and ordered that no one disturb him.

This was not normal.

Yuan Heng was extremely fastidious about cleanliness. Usually, the first thing he did upon returning from outside was to wash and change his clothes, but now…

Before long, Steward Li came to find me in a hurry.

He said the Marquis had dispatched Steward Sun to Yun Sheng’s grave, while he himself had been ordered by the Marquis to tidy up the Little Buddha Hall on the east side of the estate.

Steward Li also mentioned that on the way back to the Capital City, Yuan Heng had purchased several monks. He intended to lead a life of vegetarianism and prayer from now on, devoting himself to goodness.

Hearing this made my right eyelid twitch.

Sure enough, Steward Li added that those monks were all quite young and handsome. One of them even had bloodstains on his scalp, looking as though he had just been tonsured.

Steward Li warned me with great concern to be careful with my words and actions from now on, and to follow the Marquis’s lead in everything.

After thinking it over, I told him to dismiss a portion of the more talkative servants; nothing that happened within the manor was to be leaked outside.

…

My mind was a mess, so I went to the Waterside Pavilion Corridor to clear my head.

It was the dead of winter, and the corridor felt even more cold and secluded than usual.

Suddenly, Cuinong tapped my arm and whispered a reminder, “Madam, Mr. Meng is here.”

I turned my head to see Meng Huaiqing carrying a lantern, striding toward me.

He didn’t look much different, except he was no longer pretending to be gentle and refined. His gaze was cold and detached.

“It’s getting dark. Why hasn’t Madam returned yet?”

Meng Huaiqing stood not far from my side, staring at the calm surface of the water with a cold sneer. “I once heard Lord Cheng say that murderers always like to return to the scene of the crime.”

Cuinong instinctively stepped in front of me. “My Madam is now a Lady of the Court of the second rank. Watch your words, sir.”

Meng Huaiqing gave a disdainful laugh. “So what? If I hadn’t watched my words before, I’m afraid you and your mistress would have been reincarnated long ago.”

Cuinong was furious and moved to argue further.

I patted her arm and shook my head slightly.

Cuinong spat in disgust and moved off to a distance to keep watch.

I looked the man up and down and smiled. “Oh? Has your arm healed, sir?”

Meng Huaiqing’s face remained grim. “Ye Qingqiu, you’re quite capable now, being able to scheme against me from a thousand miles away.”

I shook my head with a smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Meng Huaiqing gritted his teeth. “I waited for so many years, finally getting a chance to get close to the Imperial Family. A few words from Eunuch Gao ruined my future. Do you dare say you didn’t put him up to it?”

I asked with a smile, “What evidence do you have?”

Meng Huaiqing let out a low, angry shout, pointing toward Cuinong. “Steward Li visited Wutai Mountain once and stayed for a few days. Besides reporting the manor’s affairs to the Marquis, he also had a private drink with Eunuch Gao. Immediately after, Eunuch Gao started whispering in the Empress Dowager’s ear, saying I only cared about social climbing. He told her I saw you were unwell that night but refused to treat you, causing you to miss the window to save the pregnancy and resulting in a miscarriage. The Empress Dowager originally admired me, but after that, she refused to see me. If the Marquis hadn’t protected me, I might not have even been able to return to the Capital City this time!”

I smiled thinly. “Well, the Empress Dowager is wise and discerning. Who would dare keep a Divine Physician like you by their side-someone who saves with one hand and kills with the other?”

Meng Huaiqing was provoked. “I drove him to his death because Cheng Wei forced me! In the end, wasn’t it all for you?”

I said calmly, “Is that so? You’ve been by Yuan Heng’s side for years; you know what kind of man he is. If Yun Sheng had died of poison or illness, he would have certainly taken his anger out on you. But if Yun Sheng died by suicide, it would have nothing to do with you.”

Meng Huaiqing’s brow twisted into a knot. “You’re talking nonsense!”

I laughed. “At least Cheng Wei admits he’s a piece of trash, but you will never admit you’re a hypocrite. Looking at it that way, you’re even worse than him.”

Meng Huaiqing glared at me with hatred, then suddenly burst into a short laugh. “I heard that Cheng Wei has been running to your family home constantly lately, getting very cozy with your Third Younger Sister. He’s a heartless beast; there must be a reason for him doing that.”

He looked me over wantonly from head to toe, leaning in close with a flippant tone. “What, does he plan to become your brother-in-law so it’s easier to keep seeing you long-term? During these past two months while the Marquis was away, did you two sleep together?”

I tilted my head to look at him and smiled. “Even if we did, it wouldn’t be your turn.”

With that, I turned and walked away.

After a few steps, Meng Huaiqing’s contemptuous voice drifted from behind me: “Qing Qiu, let’s make a bet. I suspect your life in the Marquis Manor from now on will be very… exciting.”