Chapter 237
Chapter 237
Silence settled over the room.
Madam Bai smoothed her hair, accepted the tea Yinxiang offered, and smiled faintly. “Do not mention this. Pretend we know nothing of the Marquis’s return. Understand?”
Yinxiang nodded quickly. “Rest assured, Madam. It will not spread.”
Madam Bai leaned back against the pillow, then remembered that Shen Changling was away suppressing bandits. Worry stirred. She had failed to dissuade him. For once, he had been as stubborn as an ox, insisting on earning merit.
She wanted him to succeed, but not at the cost of his life. Her heart suddenly thudded with unease. She sat up, had Yinxiang place a robe around her shoulders, and went to light incense before the altar, praying that Shen Changling would return safely. Merit did not matter. His safe return was enough.
Ever since he left, Madam Bai had lived in anxiety and slept poorly.
After Concubine Luo left, Nanny Zhang met her at the door and led her toward the storeroom, explaining that the tea had already been divided and asking whether the portions seemed appropriate.
Concubine Luo had managed such affairs before and handled them capably. She soon finished assigning shares to every courtyard.
She had her own calculations. Rather than use Madam Bai’s servants for delivery, she summoned maids from her own courtyard.
Matron Zhang watched without comment.
Concubine Luo had done the same before. She claimed it was awkward to command servants of the First Branch, but truly used her own people to win loyalty. The tactic had gained her supporters in the household and angered Madam Bai several times, though it was difficult to criticize openly.
Naturally, Concubine Luo intended to deliver Old Madam’s share herself. After some thought, she decided to personally visit the Marquis of the Second Branch as well.
Her son would inevitably need Marquis Shen’s support at court. Building a good relationship was important.
And now that Marquis Shen had married, how much longer could Madam Bai retain control of the household?
Concubine Luo first visited Old Madam and offered abundant flattery. Though Old Madam remained lukewarm, she praised Concubine Luo for raising a good son, which pleased her greatly.
Then Concubine Luo headed to Songhe Courtyard. Even if no one was there, she wanted its servants to know she had personally delivered the gift.
On the way, she sent someone to the front gate to ask whether Ji Hanyi had returned.
Ji Hanyi had entered the palace to remain beside Her Majesty the Empress, a sign that the Empress had accepted her. Her standing would be different upon her return.
If she was home, Concubine Luo could use this visit to draw closer. It was obvious who would one day govern the residence.
She had long wanted such an opportunity, and this was perfect.
The gatekeeper said he had not seen Ji Hanyi. Though disappointed, Concubine Luo did not stop.
It was her first visit to Songhe Courtyard. Ordinarily, she would never dare approach the Marquis’s quarters. Today, the tea gave her a proper excuse, yet her steps still softened as she neared the gate.
The moment she explained her purpose, Wen’an stopped her. It was not convenient to receive visitors.
Seeing Wen’an personally guarding the entrance, she assumed the Marquis was inside.
She showed no anger. “Has Second Madam returned?”
Wen’an frowned. Why had this concubine come to inquire about Madam?
He would normally have ignored her, but his master had already instructed him what to say. “The Marquis just brought Madam back from the temple. She caught a chill and is resting.”
The implication was clear: she should leave.
Concubine Luo privately wondered why everyone was ill today, but immediately displayed concern. “I know an excellent prescription for chills. Perhaps I should go in and tell Second Madam.”
Wen’an interrupted impatiently. “A doctor has already come. There is no need to trouble yourself.”
Recognizing the dismissal, she did not dare persist. Wen’an was the Marquis’s personal attendant and could not be offended.
Disappointed that she had come personally without seeing anyone, she handed over the jar of new tea and asked Wen’an to deliver it.
He accepted it, glanced at her, and gestured toward the exit.
As Concubine Luo turned away, a maid emerged from the house carrying clothes. Concubine Luo caught a glimpse and froze, but Wen’an immediately blocked her view. “Safe journey, Concubine.”
She answered quickly and hurried away with her maid.
Only after walking some distance did she press a hand to her chest, badly shaken.
The more she considered what she had seen, the more uneasy she became. She feared she had glimpsed something forbidden and left at once.
Wen’an watched her retreat with a deep frown.
Inside the main room, the doctor spoke respectfully to Shen Si. “Madam is not seriously ill. The drug has been cleared from her body, but she suffered a severe fright and remains distracted. She must rest quietly and take medicine to calm her spirit.”
“Her injuries from the fall are not grave, and her internal organs are unharmed.”
Relief touched Shen Si’s face, and he went inside.
Ji Hanyi’s bloodstained clothes had been removed. Wearing only a thin underrobe, she curled into a ball and buried her face beneath the quilt.
Shen Si sat at the bedside and looked at the small shape. He imagined her despair among those men, the blood covering her, all she had seen and endured. He scarcely dared continue.
He had failed to protect her.
If he had personally collected her, perhaps none of this would have happened.
The attack was planned, but had he been beside her, she would not have faced such terror alone.
Pain entered his eyes. He gently lifted one corner of the quilt.
Her once springlike face was pale, her liquid eyes dim and half closed with exhaustion. She showed no emotion.
She neither wept nor complained. Her quiet obedience only made the vulnerability in her pallor more apparent.
Shen Si bent closer. Blood had also stained the collar of her moon-white underrobe. Though her face had been cleaned, he still seemed to see the blood that had dried upon her cheeks when he first found her.
His thumb stroked her soft skin. Unable to speak, he held the deepest emotion in his still gaze.
“Are you sleepy?” he asked softly.
Ji Hanyi saw the warm curtains of her own bed and smelled familiar scents instead of blood and earth. Shen Si was before her. Everything around her was known and safe.
She nodded.
Her body was exhausted and she desperately wanted sleep, yet her heart kept pounding. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw night fires, blood, and cruel, leering faces.
Shen Si saw her drooping eyelids and made no mention of the past two days. He only tightened his grip on her hand. “Would you like to bathe first? The hot water is ready.”
Ji Hanyi looked at their joined hands and the faint blood at her cuff, then nodded quickly. Shen Si carried her to the bathing room.
No maids were present. Everything they might need had been arranged nearby. Ji Hanyi clung tightly to him. Though she said nothing with her face buried against his chest, her white knuckles revealed her dependence.
She had been cherished in the women’s quarters all her life. Even as a child, a large carp could frighten her into her father’s arms, and one impatient glance from Shen Si could bring tears to her eyes.
At first, Shen Si had not liked her much.
She had been curious about everything, touching his belongings and tugging his sleeve to ask endless questions. Then he had grown accustomed to her, and finally begun to anticipate her visits.
In the steam-filled room, he sat patiently and began removing her clothes.
When his fingers touched her collar, she trembled. A cool, slender hand covered his, hesitated for a long while, then fell weakly away.
Ji Hanyi had struggled with herself. She was still unaccustomed to being undressed and exposed before Shen Si.
But he had already seen her body and touched its most intimate places.
He had carried her home, concealed what had happened, and personally cared for her since their return.
She had also seen the concern in his eyes. That expression in his habitually cool features made her heart miss a beat.
Weak and limp, she leaned against him, closed her eyes, bit her lip, and clenched the fabric at his waist, telling herself not to be embarrassed.
Yet how could she not be shy the first time he remained while she bathed?
She sank deep into the water. Shen Si picked up a cloth to wash her. His quiet phoenix eyes were noble, silent, and fathomless. Ji Hanyi stared for a moment, unable to understand what lay within them.