Chapter 157
Chapter 157
Ji Hanyi knew just how much the Xie Family valued its reputation. First Master Xie and Second Master were both scholars who had entered officialdom as Palace Graduates, and they cared deeply about preserving their dignity. Even Xie Yuheng was highly conscious of saving face.
Judging by what Shen Changling had said, the Xie Family must have planned to quietly starve Li Mingrou to death and then sweep the matter under the rug. Instead, it had been brought before the Censorate and become known throughout the capital.
Ji Hanyi thought back to the day she had run into Xie Jin, who had tried to persuade her to return. Just what had the Xie Family been planning then?
Gu Wanyun was also with Ji Hanyi. Upon hearing Shen Changling’s account, she covered her mouth in astonishment. “Cousin, wasn’t it because of that young cousin that you divorced the Eldest Master of the Xie Family? Why would the young cousin give Eldest Master Xie that kind of drug?”
Ji Hanyi was not at all surprised that Li Mingrou had done such a thing.
Madam Zhang remarked from beside them, “What else could it have been for? She wanted Hanyi to go three years without bearing a child so she would be driven out. What a despicable scheme.”
Ji Hanyi turned to Shen Changling. “What happened when they continued hearing the case?”
Shen Changling smiled. “The Xie Family refused to admit it. Even Xie Yuheng denied that the young cousin had drugged him. They claimed they had locked her in the woodshed because she had suddenly gone mad.
“Everyone in the Xie Family told the same story, so my Fifth Uncle could hardly force a conviction upon the young cousin.
“However, Fifth Uncle declared in court that the young cousin was the orphaned descendant of a meritorious official, and that her forebears had received imperial commendations. Since she had already entered the Xie Family, they were obligated to treat her well. If the young cousin were to suddenly die, the Censorate would send a coroner to conduct a thorough investigation and get to the bottom of her death. The Xie Family would then be charged with murdering the orphan of a meritorious official.
“Come to think of it, the young cousin should thank my Fifth Uncle. A woman plotting to murder her husband is guilty of a grave crime punishable by death. Fifth Uncle practically saved her life.
“By now, the story has spread throughout the capital, and everyone has their own version of what happened. The Xie Family has only shot itself in the foot. From now on, they will have to live under the same roof as the young cousin who drugged Xie Yuheng.
“Just imagining those women fighting among themselves for the rest of their lives is delightful. It makes me laugh whenever I think about it.
“The next time I run into Xie Yuheng, I must ask whether his newly taken concubine is considerate enough and whether he is satisfied with her.”
Ji Hanyi could not help sighing inwardly after hearing Shen Changling’s account.
With the Censorate watching them, it would not be easy for the Xie Family to make Li Mingrou disappear. Even so, it was not difficult to imagine what kind of life awaited Li Mingrou in the Xie Family.
While she was lost in thought, Shen Changling suddenly bent down and leaned close to her. His smiling face filled her vision. “There is more. I heard Xie Yuheng received a court caning and was demoted. He is now a Sub-Eighth Rank Registrar in the Provincial Administration Commission, serving under my father.
“Cousin Yi, do you feel vindicated now?”
Shen Changling radiated the vigorous warmth of a young man. As he bent toward her, his eyes curved with his smile, their dark depths bright and clear. Ji Hanyi stared at him in a momentary daze.
She had spent three years trapped in the stifling, rule-bound cage of the Xie Family. It had been a long time since she had seen anyone so carefree and openhearted.
Her father had once been that kind of man too.
Still distracted, she had yet to answer when Shen Changling suddenly yelped in pain. Only then did she notice the shadow that had fallen over her. The moment she looked up, she saw Shen Si standing before her. His unfathomable dark eyes were fixed on her, while his raised fingers firmly pinched Shen Changling’s ear.
Shen Changling remained bent at the waist, wincing repeatedly as Fifth Uncle tugged on his ear. He could not help pleading, “Fifth Uncle, go easy…”
A moment ago, he had been standing tall and strikingly handsome. Now he was twisted into an awkward posture, his entire face contorted in pain.
Shen Si regarded Shen Changling coldly. Before he could say those words to Ji Hanyi, Shen Changling had beaten him to it.
He released his grip and asked coolly, “Did you take leave from the camp and come back again?”
Shen Changling felt a chill under Fifth Uncle’s stare and hurriedly explained, “Mother has caught a slight chill these past two days, so I came back especially to visit her. I also wanted to tell Miss Ji the good news while I was here.”
Shen Si gave a cold laugh. “I never realized you were so filial before.”
“You’ve already taken more than ten days of leave this month. Go back at once, or I’ll tell your father that you slipped out of camp again and have him discipline you.”
If there was anyone in the residence Shen Changling feared most, it was undoubtedly his father. He had often tasted the rod as a child, yet he had never amounted to anything in his studies. When a Master from another family failed at his studies, his family would simply let the matter drop. It wasn’t as though Shen Changling was expected to bring glory to the family – that was what his elder brother was for.
All he wanted was to live a wealthy, carefree life as an idle young gentleman. His father, however, had insisted on sending him to suffer in the military camp and had even forbidden him from coming home.
Even in camp, his commanding officer knew his background and treated him like a brother. The man also knew Shen Changling was only there to idle away his days and had never bothered keeping him in line.
Shen Changling usually avoided his father and had his mother cover for him. Hearing Fifth Uncle threaten to tell his father that he had snuck home made it feel as though the sky had come crashing down.
His father was absolutely capable of riding straight from the Office of Transmission to the military camp, dragging him out in front of everyone, and having him publicly flogged.
Shen Changling couldn’t understand why Fifth Uncle had been watching him so closely lately. In the past, Fifth Uncle had never paid him any attention. When had he ever had the time to meddle in Shen Changling’s affairs?
Still, at least he had gotten to see Cousin Yi today. He could only blame his poor luck for running into Fifth Uncle at the worst possible moment.
Shen Changling hurriedly put on his most obedient expression. “Fifth Uncle, please don’t tell Father. I’m leaving right now.”
Before he left, he hastily murmured to Ji Hanyi, “Miss Ji, I’ll write to you later.”
Ji Hanyi didn’t even have time to respond before Shen Changling vanished in a flash.
By the time she came back to her senses, Shen Si was looking down at her. His distinguished face was expressionless and even somewhat stern. The darkness in his eyes made Ji Hanyi’s heart tremble, as though she had done something wrong again.
Having just witnessed how Shen Si had reprimanded Shen Changling, she couldn’t help panicking as well. She averted her gaze, not wanting to look at him when he seemed so intimidating.
Yet the stern sight of him somehow sent her muddled thoughts back to the image of Shen Si bare-chested. She had been too nervous at the time to look closely.
Now that she was seeing Shen Si again, Ji Hanyi found herself even more nervous than before.
Madam Zhang, who stood nearby, lit up with delight when she saw Shen Si arrive. Every time she and her daughter came over, they somehow happened to run into Marquis Shen. How could there possibly be so many coincidences? And why else would Old Madam Shen have suddenly become so affectionate toward her daughter?
When all was said and done, Marquis Shen himself had to be interested in her daughter.
At that thought, Madam Zhang quickly pulled the shy, downcast Gu Wanyun to her side. “What are you standing there for? Hurry and pay your respects to Marquis Shen.”
Ever since Shen Si’s arrival, Gu Wanyun had only dared steal a single glance at him before lowering her eyes again. Dressed in dark robes with his hair secured beneath a golden crown, Shen Si looked lofty and unapproachable. A sense of inferiority welled up within her, and she could only stare at the hem of his robes. Her heart hammered wildly as she stood there at a loss, her mind blank, having completely forgotten what she was supposed to do.
Only when her mother pulled her forward did she bite her lip and summon the courage to look up at Shen Si. In a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s, she said, “Greetings, Marquis Shen.”