Chapter 17
Chapter 17
The next morning, Ji Hanyi did not go to the main house; since her mother-in-law had told her to rest the previous time, she did not intend to pay her respects either.
She had already mentioned it to Xie Yuheng, and these days she might as well pack her things.
When Xie Yuheng got up in the morning, the maids came in to attend him, but with just one person missing, the room felt empty, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of gloom.
When had Ji Hanyi become so inconsiderate?
For the sake of a male cousin, she had quarreled with him to this extent.
She was his wife; did she really want him to bend the law for personal gain before she would be satisfied?
If his official position grew higher in the future, wouldn’t she frequently accept benefits from outside and help her maternal family?
This was something Xie Yuheng could not tolerate; his wife should not be like this, as it could easily lead to disaster.
If Ji Hanyi got her way this time, would she next help someone who had committed murder?
The damp, cold air outside hit him as Xie Yuheng stepped out; despite his thoughts, he still couldn’t help but head to the rear corridor.
But standing at a distance and seeing that glimmer of lamplight, he ultimately turned back, unwilling to be the first to yield.
Ji Hanyi had her breakfast in the study; the old maidservant had sent over stewed bird’s nest porridge and pigeon soup that morning.
What to eat for breakfast was always arranged by the kitchen according to each courtyard; if one wanted such dishes, one would have to send the ingredients to the kitchen to be prepared.
Ji Hanyi had never sent any.
The old maidservant beside her whispered, “These were all ordered by the Eldest Master, who said that the Young Madam is ill and needs nourishment for her health.”
Ji Hanyi looked at them quietly; this belated care ultimately stirred no emotion in her.
In truth, there was no irreconcilable conflict between her and Xie Yuheng; her daily necessities at the Xie Residence were, as Xie Yuheng had said, never lacking.
But Xie Yuheng would never understand: his instinctive partiality, her mother-in-law’s guarded and reproachful eyes when looking at her, and the other members of the Xie Family with their ambiguous, cold, and distant attitudes — all were based on how he treated her.
He did not like her, and everyone in the entire residence knew it.
He himself knew it even better.
Although Ji Hanyi had been docile since marrying in, she also had her pride.
She only ate a little of her breakfast, then looked at the maidservant and said gently, “In the future, tell the kitchen not to make these anymore; just the usual fare will do.”
The maidservant was taken aback.
She truly did not understand; in the past, the Eldest Master had been cold to the Young Madam, never showing such care, but now that the Eldest Master was starting to care about the Young Madam, wasn’t that a good thing?
No matter what the rest of the Xie Residence said behind the Young Madam’s back about her not being favored by the Eldest Master, the servants of Lanxue Residence all liked the Young Madam.
They knew that the Young Madam did not manage the household finances and had a small dowry, yet on every holiday, she would personally use her own silver to give them rewards.
And if any of the servants had difficulties at home, the Young Madam would help out from her own pocket; she was also gentle and kind to the servants in her courtyard, fair in rewards and punishments, showing no favoritism or excessive strictness.
If one were to ask which courtyard’s servants had the most harmonious and comfortable life, it would be Lanxue Residence alone; the servants there all hoped that the Eldest Master and Young Madam would be on good terms, wishing that the Eldest Master could see the Young Madam’s goodness.
That young cousin appeared gentle and weak, but she was always stirring up trouble, and they secretly felt indignant for the Young Madam.
Nanny Zhang couldn’t help but say, “This is the Eldest Master’s token of regard; what if the Eldest Master finds out and becomes disheartened?”
Ji Hanyi smiled, looked up, and met Nanny Zhang’s eyes gently as she said, “It’s fine; you don’t need to worry.”
Nanny Zhang froze for a moment, utterly unable to understand what the Young Madam was thinking.
Still, she was only a servant and had no place asking too many questions, so she agreed.
That morning, Ji Hanyi returned to the main quarters and instructed Rongchun to pack up her belongings and move them to the study for the time being.
She did not have much. After all, she had brought very little with her in the first place.
Most of the things in this room had actually been purchased when she married into the Xie Residence.
The rouge and powder on the dressing table, the casket full of jewelry, and the clothes in the trunks — only a few of them were truly hers.
Ji Hanyi told Rongchun to pack only the things that belonged to her and leave everything else behind, lest matters turn ugly when the time came for her to leave.
To tell the truth, she did not blame Xie Yuheng. He simply did not love her, and that was no crime.
If she had not sought him out back then, perhaps he and Li Mingrou would have lived in perfect marital harmony. All she wanted now was for both sides to part with their dignity intact. She held no resentment.
There was indeed very little to pack — pitifully little.
It did not even fill one small trunk.
The maid waiting beyond the curtain saw the small trunk Rongchun carried out. Alarm and uncertainty flickered across her face, and an inexplicable panic rose in her heart. She could not shake the feeling that something serious was about to happen in the courtyard.
The morning light slowly filtered through the carved window, casting mottled shadows over Ji Hanyi. She looked around. When she had first stepped into this room, she had put careful thought into every single furnishing.
Back then, she had believed she would spend the rest of her life with Xie Yuheng and had wanted to build a good life with him, so she had arranged everything with painstaking care. Yet as time passed, she gradually discovered that the two little clay figurines on the display shelf had been made by Xie Yuheng and Li Mingrou when they were children.
The tea served in the courtyard was often Jinling Spring because Li Mingrou liked it.
The pear tree outside the courtyard had been planted by Xie Yuheng and Li Mingrou together.
Even the screen inside the room was decorated with the flowers and birds Li Mingrou favored.
Those things were not hers to touch. This room had never truly been meant to belong to her.
Ji Hanyi walked to the window. As soon as she pushed it open, she could see the lush, leafy pear tree. She had looked upon it for three years. All the pain and forbearance of those years were finally about to fade away like smoke.
Ji Hanyi gazed at it for a moment, then lowered her eyes to the jade pendant clenched in her palm. The maid guarding the courtyard gate came in again and stood behind her, reporting softly, “Young Madam, word has come from the front gate that the Second Madam of the Gu Family is here.”
Ji Hanyi paused. She knew what this was about and was only thankful that her Second Aunt had not gone straight to her mother-in-law.
She put away the jade pendant, ordered a servant to show her Second Aunt inside, and had someone prepare tea.
Hurried footsteps soon sounded outside. Madam Liu rushed in, her face haggard.
Ji Hanyi went over to support her and helped her sit on the daybed, then dismissed all the maids in the room.
Before she could say anything, Madam Liu seized both her hands.
Her bloodshot eyes fixed tightly on Ji Hanyi as she pushed the box in her hands toward her. “Hanyi, why hasn’t your cousin been released yet?”
“Do you realize that if your cousin is tortured into confessing, he’ll be convicted?”
“What did Yuheng say? Are they asking for money?”
“This is all I could scrape together. Hanyi, please, say something!”
“You know he’s all I have. Your Second Uncle is dead, and Cousin Xun is my only hope…”