Chapter 19
Chapter 19
In the past, Ji Hanyi had been able to endure it because she knew she would spend the rest of her life in the Xie Residence. She also knew Xie Yuheng hated nothing more than discord in the household and the family descending into chaos.
So she had swallowed every grievance, maintaining an appearance of domestic harmony in front of him.
Outside the residence, she had never once spoken ill of the Xie Family. Within it, she had never argued over who was right or wrong.
They had grown accustomed to ordering her around precisely because they knew she no longer had anyone behind her to stand up for her.
Ji Hanyi raised her head and met Xie Jin’s gaze. Drawing her sleeves together, she stood perfectly straight. Her voice had always been sweet and gentle, pleasant to the ear and unfailingly compliant. This time, however, there was a faint chill to it that had never been there before.
“There is no need for you to say that, Eldest Sister. In the three years since I married into the Xie Family, what trouble have I ever brought?”
“Since you have brought it up, please explain in detail.”
“Aside from this matter, when has anything involving my maternal family ever troubled the Xie Family?”
“Even when my mother was gravely ill, the Eldest Master never once accompanied me home, whether for the holidays or the New Year. So how, exactly, have I caused the Xie Family any trouble?”
Xie Jin froze, never expecting Ji Hanyi to talk back to her now.
As the Eldest Young Lady of the Xie Family, Xie Jin had always been accustomed to taking the lead and telling others what to do. Now Ji Hanyi had refuted her in front of all the matrons, maids, and everyone gathered in the hall, causing her expression to turn ugly at once.
She gritted her teeth. “There is no need to bring up the past today. Let’s speak only of what happened today. Your aunt came here because of you. Doesn’t that count as trouble you caused?”
Ji Hanyi regarded Xie Jin calmly. “What trouble?”
Xie Jin’s face darkened. “You had your aunt come here to trouble my mother and tried to get my husband to abuse his authority and break the law. Are you trying to ruin my husband?!”
Ji Hanyi’s expression remained impassive, and her voice was perfectly calm. “First, you did not help, so how could this possibly have harmed your husband?”
“Second, my cousin did not commit any serious crime. You know full well why matters have reached this point.”
“Third, my aunt merely came to make a request. She did not try to force anyone. She approached you with all due courtesy and committed no breach of etiquette. If you were unwilling to help, you could simply have said so openly.”
“In the three years since I married into the Xie Family, this is the only matter I have ever had my aunt come ask you for help with.”
“If you were willing to help, my aunt and I would naturally be endlessly grateful and repay your kindness. If you were unwilling, neither of us would resent you. There is no deep grudge or bitter hatred between our families, and my aunt did not cause a scene here.”
“Whether judged by reason or propriety, my aunt did nothing inappropriate.”
Her words silenced the entire hall.
Everyone knew Ji Hanyi was right.
In the three years since she married into the Xie Family, she had quietly gone about her duties. She had never once brought up her maternal family, not even in casual conversation.
Her mother had fallen gravely ill the previous winter, just as the household was busy making preparations for the New Year. Ji Hanyi had spent her days helping Madam Lin oversee the arrangements and only found time at night to return home and visit her mother.
No one had known about it. It was only because Madam Lin needed Ji Hanyi for something that evening that she discovered Ji Hanyi had gone to care for her ailing mother — and only then did she learn that her mother was seriously ill.
Even Xie Yuheng had known nothing about it.
No matter how one looked at it, Ji Hanyi had spoken the truth. Apart from this one matter, she had never caused anyone the slightest trouble.
Seated at the head of the hall, Madam Lin also knew that she had little ground to stand on after hearing Ji Hanyi’s words.
Madam Liu had been humble throughout her visit and impeccable in her courtesy. The truth was that Madam Lin simply looked down on the Gu Family’s status.
What did the Gu Family have left now? The Second Master of the Gu Family had died on the road, and no one even knew whether the First Master would return. There were few members of the younger generation, so Madam Lin had long since ceased to take them seriously.
Still, Ji Hanyi’s open rebuttal in front of everyone displeased her. Her voice grew stern as she said, “Jin’er only said those things to remind you to reflect on your conduct. Do not think that marrying into the Xie Family means you can constantly take advantage of it.”
“Wouldn’t that throw everything into chaos?”
Seated below, Madam Liu heard those words and instinctively looked toward Ji Hanyi, who stood in the middle of the main hall.
Only then did she truly understand what kind of position Ji Hanyi held within the Xie Family.
She had come here on impulse, only to cause trouble for Hanyi.
Whatever had happened within the Gu Family was still the Gu Family’s private affair. Yet now, even a daughter who had married out of the Xie Family could come back and arrogantly order Ji Hanyi around and bully her. Madam Liu could not stomach it.
Moreover, every word First Madam Xie had just said was dripping with mockery.
Madam Liu understood now. No matter how much she pleaded, the members of the Xie Family would never help.
Only then did she recall what Ji Hanyi had said earlier. If the Xie Family had been willing to help, they would have done so long ago. Why would they have delayed for so many days?
She shot to her feet and looked at First Madam Xie. “Taking advantage of the Xie Family?”
“What benefit has my niece ever taken from the Xie Family?”
“She has stayed here quietly and conducted herself properly, yet now you’re accusing her without cause?”
“My niece tried to stop me from coming today. I was the one who insisted.”
“I thought it was only a small favor, and since our families were related, I came to ask for help. Who would have thought I would be subjected to such ridicule?”
“the Gu Family may have fallen on hard times and may not compare to the Xie Family now, but we still have our pride. I will not stand by and watch my niece be slandered like this.”
With that, Madam Liu picked up the thousand taels of silver she had brought and straightened her back. Looking at Madam Lin, she said, “I should never have made this trip today. Not only have I caused trouble for my niece, but I have also suffered humiliation.”
“But my conscience is clear. Rest assured, after today, I will never set foot through this door again. I only ask that you not make things difficult for my niece.”
When Madam Liu turned to leave, she looked at Ji Hanyi with reddened eyes. She let out a long sigh and said softly, “It was First Master Xie who asked your father to arrange this marriage in the first place. But the moment something happened to your father, old ties meant nothing.”
“I was wrong to blame you before. Life has not been easy for you in the Xie Family. I won’t cause you any more trouble.”
“Perhaps this is simply fate. Sometimes, we have no choice but to accept it.”
With that, Madam Liu stepped over the threshold and left without looking back.
Ji Hanyi turned slightly to watch her aunt’s retreating figure, then silently exhaled.
Madam Lin’s expression darkened as she recalled Madam Liu’s parting words, but she could not refute a single one of them.
She had all but forgotten that Master had been the one to seek out this marriage. No one had mentioned it for years, and now that it had been brought up again, resentment surged within her.
Unable to suppress it, she vented that resentment on Ji Hanyi. “Are you using your aunt to voice your dissatisfaction with the Xie Family?”
“Have you been mistreated by the Xie Family in all the years you’ve lived here?”
Ji Hanyi turned and met Madam Lin’s gaze. “No, I have not.”
Madam Lin sneered. “Then what did Second Madam Gu mean by all that? What was that about old ties meaning nothing once someone was gone? If that were truly the case, Yuheng would never have married you in the first place!”
Ji Hanyi replied calmly, “the Xie Family only accepted me as a bride because of the betrothal agreement. What did I do wrong in any of this?”
After saying that, Ji Hanyi felt nothing but exhaustion and bitter irony. She continued, “You should understand this as well, Mother. I did not force Eldest Master to marry me.”
“In truth, when I went to see him back then, if he had said even once that he was unwilling, I would have torn up the betrothal contract.”
“Though my father has passed away, I am still a daughter of the Ji Family. A daughter of the Ji Family would never stoop to accepting charity offered with contempt, and this marriage was certainly not something the Xie Family bestowed upon me out of pity.”