Chapter 170
Chapter 170
After Ji Hanyi finished speaking, the room remained silent for a long time.
Xie Jin had not expected that answer. Neither had Madam Lin.
In Xie Jin’s view, given Ji Hanyi’s current circumstances, the chance to return to the Xie Family was already an incredible stroke of fortune.
How many divorced women ever had the chance to remarry?
Madam Lin believed that Ji Hanyi had served her so meekly, respectfully, and diligently in the past because she wanted to remain in the Xie Family. Since that was what she wanted, Madam Lin was now giving her the opportunity. All she had to do was follow the path laid out for her.
Madam Lin’s position in the Xie Family was precarious now. The Old Madam had stripped her of her authority over the household, while the Master had sent a letter reprimanding her and had even threatened to divorce her. She had spent every day since in a state of constant anxiety.
Only Ji Hanyi’s return could silence the rumors outside and set everything back on the right track.
She had no idea who had started spreading the stories, claiming that she had treated her daughter-in-law harshly, allowed her son to take a concubine despite the agreement made years ago, and that when she made her daughter-in-law leave the Xie Residence, the latter had not taken a single thing belonging to the household.
After spending three years in the Xie Family, Ji Hanyi had left with clean hands. People said the Xie Residence had disgraced its distinguished name, repaying kindness with ingratitude and bullying a daughter-in-law who no longer had the support of her natal family.
The old marriage agreement between the Xie Family and the Ji Family had also become the subject of gossip again. Everyone said it was the Xie Family who had relentlessly pestered and begged the Ji Family for the match.
Then there was talk of Madam Lin’s niece, Li Mingrou. People said Madam Lin had colluded with her niece to drive her daughter-in-law away, and that her own niece ruining her son’s health was nothing less than retribution.
Madam Lin did not want to hear any of it, yet the rumors found their way into her ears from every direction: the servants’ hushed whispers, her sisters-in-law’s barbed insinuations, the Old Madam’s icy gaze, and the other ladies pointing fingers behind her back.
They never said anything to her face, yet it felt as though they were talking about her every moment of the day.
To make matters worse, Xie Yuheng had become such a wretched wreck these past few days that he barely looked human. Every day, Madam Lin wished she could torture Li Mingrou to death. Yet Li Mingrou clung to her like a vengeful ghost, declaring that if she were murdered, everyone in the Xie Family would be a killer and someone would appeal to the Censorate on her behalf.
Li Mingrou’s status was indeed highly unusual. She had personally been honored by His Majesty the Emperor as the daughter of a meritorious official. Her younger brother, Li Mingqing, was also eyeing the Xie Family like a ravenous wolf stalking its prey. The siblings had a vast sum of silver at their disposal and had purchased numerous servants to protect them. Madam Lin could neither kill them nor let go of the hatred in her heart.
All she wanted now was for Ji Hanyi to return as soon as possible. Once she did, the rumors would stop.
But after hearing Ji Hanyi’s answer, Madam Lin’s expression changed slightly. Before she could speak, Xie Jin had already fixed Ji Hanyi with a cold glare.
“We’re extending you a courtesy. Don’t throw it back in our faces.”
Ji Hanyi returned Xie Jin’s cold stare. “Any courtesy from Eldest Young Lady Xie is the last thing I want.”
From the way Ji Hanyi spoke, she seemed entirely sincere about not wanting to return.
Madam Lin had never expected this.
She glanced at Xie Jin and rebuked her with a frown. “Ah Jin, mind your words.”
Xie Jin was rarely scolded by her mother. She turned to Madam Lin and said, “Mother, do you really believe she doesn’t want to return to the Xie Family?
“She only dares to make outrageous demands because we came here to invite her back.”
Madam Lin paused before looking at Ji Hanyi. “What do you want? Name your terms.”
Ji Hanyi had long known how shameless the Xie Family could be, yet even she found Xie Jin’s words astonishing.
A faint, mocking smile appeared on her face. “In that case, I want ten thousand taels of gold, five carts of pearls and precious stones, ten multistory buildings, and ten thousand mu of fertile farmland.”
With that, Ji Hanyi looked steadily at Madam Lin. “Can the Xie Family afford it? If not, then forget it.”
Xie Jin was stunned by Ji Hanyi’s words. She stared at her. “Have you lost your mind?”
Ji Hanyi shifted her gaze back to Xie Jin’s face. “If you think I’ve lost my mind, then surely you can tell whether what you said just now was the ravings of a madwoman.”
Madam Lin glared at Ji Hanyi, her expression dark. “Is this how you’ve been taught to behave?”
Ji Hanyi met Madam Lin’s gaze. “And how does First Madam Xie think I should behave?”
“I suppose I should obediently return to the Xie Family, then work myself to the bone cleaning up that entire mess. I mustn’t use so much as a single coin belonging to the Xie Family, either, because everything belongs to them and I’ll have to pay it all back one day.
“I should also be ready to have the accounts inspected at any moment. Even if I want to send a few things to my mother, I must report it first, lest anyone accuse me of stealing from the Xie Family.
“And of course, I must always consider the greater good. Even when someone tries to harm me, I should still plead for mercy on their behalf.”
“I’m afraid my abilities are too limited for me to serve as the Eldest Young Madam of the Xie Family. First Madam Xie should find someone more capable. I’m sure there are plenty of women eager to marry into the family. The match is simply too far above me.”
Her speech stopped every accusation Madam Lin had been about to make, leaving her utterly at a loss for words. In the end, she could only ask quietly, “By saying all this now, are you blaming the Xie Family for mistreating you back then?”
Ji Hanyi shook her head, her face expressionless. “There’s nothing to blame. The Xie Family has long been part of my past. I’m only telling you this so you’ll understand that while you may think others are desperate to marry above their station, they may not think much of what you’re offering at all.”
“No matter who they are, everyone ought to know their own worth.”
“And you, more than anyone, should know yours. The Xie Family isn’t a household everyone longs to marry into, nor is marrying into it anyone’s only choice.”
Ji Hanyi’s words crashed through the room like a thunderclap. For a moment, both Xie Jin and Madam Lin fell silent.
Xie Jin had always been proud and haughty. After hearing Ji Hanyi’s words, she stared at her with wide, incredulous eyes. She even wondered if she had misheard.
The meek, taciturn Ji Hanyi of the past had actually dared to speak to them this way.
Madam Lin studied Ji Hanyi intently. The lofty, pampered air she had worn earlier faded from her face. Still maintaining her composure, she said, “Whatever you may think now, you know what sort of situation you’re in.”
“I hear your mother’s condition has worsened, and her medicine is yet another considerable expense. If you return to the Xie Family, you won’t need to worry about her illness. We won’t abandon her.”
Ji Hanyi merely smiled faintly. “I wouldn’t dare accept First Madam Xie’s kindness. I’m afraid every expense would be entered into a ledger, item by item, so I could be made to repay it later.”
Madam Lin pursed her lips at Ji Hanyi’s barbed words and rose to her feet. Looking at Ji Hanyi, she said, “Everything you’re saying now is merely spoken in anger. You can take your time considering what I’ve told you today. Old Madam also said that as long as you’re willing to return, the farms and shops can be transferred directly into your name. They will truly belong to you then, and no one will be able to take them away.”
As she spoke, Madam Lin glanced at Xie Jin, who was about to say something else, and signaled for her to remain silent. Then she put on a benevolent expression and turned back to Ji Hanyi. “Hanyi, it pains me to see you dressed so plainly now. Don’t make your mother suffer along with you.”
“You don’t have to give me an answer now. Once you’ve made up your mind, simply send word to the Xie Family.”