Chapter 117
Chapter 117
Shen Si’s hand hung suspended in midair. He was still one step too late.
He had not even managed to brush the fluttering corner of Ji Hanyi’s robe.
Her voice seemed to drift near and far. Her petite, graceful figure moved as lightly as mist and rain, her slender waist swaying as she stirred ripples without ever realizing it. Then, little by little, she receded from his sight.
His broad sleeve swept across the edge of the carriage before slowly falling. His long fingers curled into a fist. He watched her climb into her carriage and watched as it began to pull away. He opened his mouth to call after her, but the words remained lodged in his throat, never spoken.
The raised curtain fell, shutting out the thin sliver of light and plunging the carriage back into shadow.
Shen Si sat alone inside. He leaned back with his head raised and his eyes closed, while the fingers worrying at his Pine-Green Ring faintly betrayed the turmoil in his heart.
The carriage ahead slowly departed, the sound of its wheels disturbing the silence like ripples through a deep, still pool.
Wen’an came down from Baoshan Tower and stopped outside the carriage. He reported in a low voice, “Master, I found out why Miss Ji came. She was arranging the transfer of her shop with Mr. Zhang.”
Shen Si slowly opened his eyes in the darkness. Long-suppressed emotion filled their silent depths.
She really was leaving.
Standing outside, Wen’an could naturally sense his master’s mood. When silence continued to reign within the carriage, he finally risked being reprimanded and ventured carefully, “If Master asked her to stay, Miss Ji would surely remain.”
A self-mocking smile touched Shen Si’s lips, edged with bitter restraint. Perhaps it was precisely because he had laid bare his heart and confessed all his feelings to her that she was now so eager to leave.
After a long sigh, Shen Si lowered his head and silently gazed at the earring in his palm. He treasured it as the only keepsake she had left him. Every day, it rested on his bed, beside his pillow, or in the palm of his hand.
It was the only thing he had of hers.
The only thing that could ease his longing for her.
After rejecting him, she was now going away for good, without the slightest concern for his feelings.
Her answer could not have been clearer. Pestering her was not his way.
Closing his hand around the earring, Shen Si remained silent for a long while before rasping, “Go back.”
Wen’an froze upon hearing his master’s cold voice. He could not discern the slightest hint of what Shen Si was thinking.
Summoning his courage once more, he asked softly, “Miss Ji sent over another painting today. Would you like to take a look?”
Another long silence followed inside the carriage. Then Shen Si replied in his usual cool, emotionless voice, “You go.”
Wen’an quickly acknowledged the order, but he could not help looking back at the carriage. His master had come here early because he knew Miss Ji would appear. He clearly wanted her to stay, so why had he not said anything?
Meanwhile, Ji Hanyi went to the pharmacy where she had often bought medicine in the past, only to encounter someone she had thought she would never see again.
It was Xie Yuheng.
Xie Yuheng stood at the entrance in his official robes, carrying a packet of medicine. It appeared that he had taken advantage of his midday break to visit the pharmacy.
Only then did Ji Hanyi remember that this place was not far from the Court of Judicial Review Office. She simply had not expected such a coincidence.
The pharmacy was renowned throughout the capital. An elderly physician there possessed exceptional medical skills, and Ji Hanyi’s mother often obtained her medicine from him. Although his consultation fee was high and his medicine cost more than elsewhere, the pharmacy still enjoyed a thriving business.
Xie Yuheng had clearly seen her as well. After a brief moment of surprise, he strode toward her.
Seeing him approach, Ji Hanyi frowned and turned away, intending to come back later. But after a few quick strides, Xie Yuheng blocked her path.
Before Ji Hanyi could speak, Xie Yuheng demanded urgently, “Hanyi, after all the trouble you’ve caused, now you’re trying to frame Mingrou. What exactly do you want?”
“I already agreed to the divorce, just as you wished. Are you trying to make me regret it with another stunt like this?”
“If you keep this up, don’t blame me for going after the Gu Family.”
Xie Yuheng’s voice was cold and stern. He had always been one of heaven’s favored sons, and even his warnings carried an air of superiority.
Ji Hanyi paused at his words and looked up at him. Even through the thin white veil, she could clearly make out Xie Yuheng’s refined, aloof features. He remained as handsome as ever, yet now she found his face utterly repulsive.
She had not intended to pay him any attention, but he had suddenly confronted her with these baffling accusations.
Of course, Ji Hanyi knew that if Xie Yuheng truly decided to target the Gu Family and her cousin, his family had the means to do so. What she found laughable, however, was what he had just said.
Li Mingrou had not only drugged Ji Hanyi but had also drugged Xie Yuheng at Old Madam Xie’s birthday banquet. Yet Xie Yuheng was still defending Li Mingrou and accusing Ji Hanyi of framing Li Mingrou.
Ji Hanyi stopped before him and asked, “May I ask exactly how I framed her?”
Xie Yuheng stared intently down at Ji Hanyi beneath the thin veil. It was already afternoon. Though early spring remained cold, the sunlight had begun to grow bright. It fell upon the gilded chrysanthemum patterns on her pink dress, making them gleam. Though he had not seen her in so long, he could still picture the face half-hidden beneath the gauze.
What Xie Yuheng found hardest to bear was how increasingly unfamiliar Ji Hanyi had become.
She was no longer anything like the woman she had once been.
Gritting his teeth, he demanded, “Was it you who bribed that Western Regions merchant to cause trouble at the Xie Residence?”
“You paid him to falsely accuse Mingrou of buying a drug from him that causes infertility. In the end, you still couldn’t stand Mingrou becoming my concubine. You’re still holding a grudge against her. You want to ruin Mingrou, don’t you?”
Ji Hanyi could not understand a word of Xie Yuheng’s nonsense. She thought he had gone mad.
She took a step back, her voice turning cold. “Eldest Master Xie and I are already divorced. What does your taking a concubine have to do with me?”
“You could take ten concubines, and it would still have nothing to do with me.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Instead of questioning me here, you should investigate this properly yourself and have a doctor examine you to see whether you’ve been drugged.”
Xie Yuheng suddenly sneered. “Hanyi, you truly have changed.”
“You never used to offer so many excuses.”
Ji Hanyi closed her eyes. If not for the disparity in their strength, she truly would have slapped Xie Yuheng across the face right there in the street.
Xie Yuheng continued, “Do you think I haven’t consulted a doctor? A doctor has already examined me. There is nothing wrong with my health.”
“Now that I think about it, wasn’t the person who accused Mingrou of poisoning you that same Western Regions merchant?”
“You had an unusually close relationship with the Shen Family before. Looking back on it now, I’m afraid you planned every step and persuaded the Shen Family to fabricate evidence with you, all because you wanted to get rid of Mingrou. Isn’t that right?”
“How laughable. I actually let you deceive me before. How could someone as delicate as Mingrou ever do such a thing?”
“Because of this, my grandmother punished and confined her. Everyone in the residence is gossiping about her, and she has now fallen so ill that she cannot even leave her bed. She is utterly exhausted and has fainted several times. Are you satisfied now?”
As he spoke, Xie Yuheng advanced on Ji Hanyi one step at a time. She instinctively retreated, but there was no fear in her as she raised her head and stared at him through her thin veil.
“You think the Shen Family helped me fabricate evidence? Do you take them for someone as blind as you? Since you trust Li Mingrou so much, why come here to question me?”
“Don’t you work at the Court of Judicial Review? Aren’t you capable of investigating cases? Then send someone to investigate instead of listening to a few words from Li Mingrou and making vicious accusations based on nothing but your own guesses.”
Xie Yuheng froze for a moment before staring coldly at Ji Hanyi. “You only dared to frame Mingrou because you have the Shen Family backing you.”
Ji Hanyi returned his cold stare. “Why would I frame Li Mingrou? Why would I hate her? Even you no longer matter to me. Why would I care about Li Mingrou, let alone go to all the trouble of bribing someone to frame her?”
Ji Hanyi’s voice was cool and utterly devoid of emotion. Her words sent a sudden stab of pain through Xie Yuheng’s heart.
In truth, when he had first spotted Ji Hanyi just now, he had felt a fleeting spark of joy.
He wanted to question her and suspected her, but deep down, he harbored a more secret and selfish thought.
If Ji Hanyi had targeted Li Mingrou, then that proved she still cared about him. She must have framed Mingrou because she cared, because she wanted to drive Mingrou away from his side.
He only wanted her to admit what she had done. He could let bygones be bygones, and as long as she promised to treat Mingrou well from now on, he could accept her again and devote himself only to her.
He would even make up for all the times he had neglected her in the past.
But he had never expected Ji Hanyi not only to deny what she had done, but also to say that she no longer cared about him.
Nothing else she said could compare to that one sentence. It filled him with panic and pain.
How could that be? If she did not care about him, why would she have framed Mingrou?
She was merely lying and pretending to be calm.
A chill settled over Xie Yuheng’s features as he stared at Ji Hanyi. “You can deny it if you wish. Once I find the evidence and turn you over to the authorities, don’t blame me for disregarding the affection we once shared as husband and wife.”
Ji Hanyi glanced at Xie Yuheng, finding his words especially absurd.
During the three years she had been married to him, when had he ever shown her any consideration as his wife?
But Ji Hanyi had no desire to bring up the past with him. She merely looked at him indifferently and asked, “So because you suspected me, you sent someone to throw manure all over my shop?”
Xie Yuheng paused, then frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Ji Hanyi studied his expression. His confusion did not appear to be feigned, so she said nothing more about the matter.
“I don’t need your affection. It is utterly worthless to me.”
“But let me warn you: I don’t know which doctor examined you, but I suggest you find an imperial physician instead.”
After considering Xie Yuheng’s words, Ji Hanyi naturally knew of the Western Regions merchant. Shen Si had mentioned him in his previous letter to her. The poisonous insect Li Mingrou had planted on herself had also been purchased from that merchant.
Ji Hanyi had failed to conceive throughout the three years of her marriage to Xie Yuheng. Now that the Western Regions merchant claimed Li Mingrou had bought an infertility drug from him, it was entirely possible that the accusation was true. Li Mingrou had probably fooled Xie Yuheng with a few words and then shifted the blame onto Ji Hanyi.
Li Mingrou was entirely capable of feeding Xie Yuheng an infertility drug so that Ji Hanyi would remain childless for three years and be scorned by both Madam Lin and Xie Yuheng.
However, a doctor had taken Xie Yuheng’s pulse without finding anything wrong. Ji Hanyi could not help but suspect that the doctor had been bribed by Li Mingrou.
She was not afraid to confront Xie Yuheng in court. She had never done any of this, so it would be impossible for him to find evidence against her.
Although Xie Yuheng had always favored Li Mingrou, if he discovered that Li Mingrou truly had given him the infertility drug, surely he would not be foolish enough to continue protecting her or fabricate evidence on her behalf.