Chapter 44
Chapter 44
A gust of icy wind swept Ji Hanyi’s warm fragrance toward Shen Si. His hand rose halfway, only to stop dead when she lifted her gaze to him.
Her eyes were clear and innocent, filled with gratitude and awe toward him. His fingers curled into a fist as he halted the motion and slowly exhaled.
He asked, “What else do you need me to do?”
Ji Hanyi froze and stared blankly at Shen Si. Only after a long moment did she ask hesitantly, “Really?”
Shen Si raised an eyebrow.
When Shen Si left, he gave only one curt answer: “All right.”
The courtyard stood empty. Wen’an remained behind and came over to stand beside Ji Hanyi. In a low voice, he said, “Young Madam Xie, it’s cold outside. Please go in first.”
“The Marquis said you may wait until you’re feeling better before leaving.”
After a pause, Wen’an added, “Rest assured, Young Madam Xie. This is the Marquis’s private courtyard. All the servants have been sent away, and no one else usually comes here.”
Ji Hanyi looked at Wen’an, knowing he was Shen Si’s personal attendant. After composing herself, she stepped back and said courteously, “I wouldn’t dare impose on you any longer.”
“I’m already feeling much better. I truly shouldn’t stay.”
With that, Ji Hanyi turned to leave.
Seeing that she genuinely meant to go when the medicine simmering over the stove beneath the veranda had yet to be drunk, Wen’an recalled his master’s instructions and hurriedly blocked her path.
“There’s no need to stand on ceremony, Young Madam Xie. The medicine will be ready shortly. Please drink it before you leave, or the Marquis’s arrangements will have gone to waste.”
“The Marquis has also prepared an explanation for you. Old Madam Shen called you aside for a private conversation, and a senior maid has already gone to inform the Xie Family. Even if you return a little later, it won’t matter.”
Ji Hanyi paused, then stared absently at the snow drifting down outside.
Shen Si had always been this meticulous.
She could not help remembering the year she fell into the water. At the instant she fell, she had actually seen Shen Si hurrying toward her. But she was terrified of water, and the spring water had still been bitterly cold. Fear had closed her throat, leaving her unable to cry out, and she remembered nothing of what happened afterward.
It had been spring. Shen Si had been reading in the upper story of the pavilion. He liked peace and quiet and disliked having anyone around while he read. Meanwhile, she had been feeding the fish beside the pond below as she waited for her father to finish speaking with the Former Chief Grand Secretary and take her home.
She had found it rather dull, sitting alone in the waterside pavilion. Nor had she understood why her father brought her along every time he visited.
When she finally asked, her father told her that the Former Chief Grand Secretary wanted to see her.
Yet whenever she accompanied her father there, the Former Chief Grand Secretary would merely smile at her for a while before telling her to go find Shen Si and play.
But Shen Si was an iceberg — an iceberg who made her feel cold the moment she drew near.
He had never laughed, not even at the funniest joke.
She never understood why she was always sent to find Shen Si, but she could not refuse the kindly, ever-smiling Former Chief Grand Secretary.
Her mother had told her that Shen Si had rescued her that time and arranged everything perfectly. Not a single servant had breathed a word of it. She had even spent half the night unconscious in Shen Si’s room, yet no one else in Shen Residence had known.
The matter of her falling into the water had been sealed up so tightly that no one ever mentioned it afterward.
Even Ji Hanyi sometimes wondered whether it had all been a dream.
Now Shen Si had once again arranged everything so thoroughly. It truly put her at ease. As long as he was the one handling things, nothing would go wrong.
Her original plan had been to borrow a veiled hat, cover her face without attracting attention, and slip out through the back gate.
But she no longer had any reason to refuse. She also understood that returning alone to the Xie Residence with wet hair would be difficult to explain, so she agreed to stay.
The moment she entered the room, warmth washed over her.
The small sitting room was just like its owner: austere yet elegant. Every ornament was exquisitely crafted and worth a fortune.
A painting by the renowned Tang Xun hung on the main wall, while the calligraphy couplets flanking it were likewise the work of celebrated masters.
A celadon fruit dish and a gilded incense burner rested atop the long rosewood table. Wisps of refined fragrance curled from the burner, reminiscent of the cool, restrained scent of tea that clung to Shen Si.
Ji Hanyi sat only in the outer sitting room, cradling the hand warmer Wen’an had brought her, while Rongchun stood behind her and used a warming brazier to dry her hair.
Her posture was upright and proper. This was Shen Si’s residence, after all, so she kept her head lowered and did not glance around. She simply sat quietly in the rosewood round-backed armchair. Amid the cold austerity of the room, the touch of hibiscus pink she wore seemed to bring the scenery of spring indoors.
Wen’an could not resist stealing another look at her. He found himself wondering what this place would look like if it truly gained a mistress one day.
His gaze drifted back to Ji Hanyi. If he had not already known Young Madam Xie was married, he never would have guessed it.
Her face was still youthful, and her autumn-bright eyes shimmered like rippling water. Even with her gaze lowered, she possessed the soft, delicate air of someone who had been tenderly pampered all her life.
She was not one of those frail women as slender as a willow. Her figure was soft and full, yet slim and gracefully proportioned — quite unlike the fragile ideal of beauty pursued by women of the day.
His thoughts began to wander again. The Marquis had lingered on this lady’s account time and again. Could it be that he truly…
Wen’an quickly slapped himself. If such speculation ever spread, the sky itself would come crashing down.
By the time Ji Hanyi’s hair was almost dry, she turned toward the fine snow still falling endlessly beyond the window. Yet the warmth surrounding her suddenly made sorrow well up inside her.
Slowly, she unfolded the handkerchief in her palm. The insect she had found lay inside.
She wondered how this matter would ultimately end.
When she left through the side gate of Shen Residence, she found Xie Yuheng waiting outside, with Li Mingrou beside him.
The moment Xie Yuheng saw Ji Hanyi emerge and noticed the snow scattered across her cloak, he hurried over in two strides and drew her into his arms. He lifted a hand to brush the snow from her shoulders, then replaced the hand warmer she held with his own, freshly filled with silver charcoal.
He lowered his gaze to her. Her fingers felt slightly cold, her cheeks were pale, and a trace of loneliness lingered in her eyes.
Such a look was rarely seen on Ji Hanyi. Studying her, he asked softly, “I heard Old Madam Shen kept you for a while to talk. Are you tired?”
Ji Hanyi shook her head and raised a hand to push Xie Yuheng away, but his arms were wrapped so tightly around her that she could not break free.
Xie Yuheng cupped her face in his hands. Her skin was cool to the touch. He lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss between her brows, his voice low and tender. “Hanyi, I’ve been waiting for you this whole time. Mingrou was worried about you, so she waited with me. It’s still early enough. I’ll take you to the temple fair, then to Yucui Hall to buy a few pieces of jewelry you like.”
Xie Yuheng’s tenderness no longer reached Ji Hanyi.
She even felt that such tenderness should no longer belong to her.
Even if his voice truly was gentle at that moment.
She glanced at Li Mingrou, who was approaching from nearby. Unwilling to say anything more to Xie Yuheng here, she leaned back and said, “Eldest Master, I’m a little tired. Let’s go another day.”
Xie Yuheng could clearly feel her resistance. He stiffened slightly as he looked at Ji Hanyi. He could no longer understand her. They were husband and wife, yet they had become as distant and polite as strangers.
He tightened his grip on her hand and led her into the carriage.
From his vantage point above, Shen Si had witnessed Xie Yuheng kissing Ji Hanyi on the forehead. His usually inscrutable eyes darkened as they narrowed slightly.
They could be openly intimate in public because they were husband and wife.
Because she had married into the Xie Family. Because she was Xie Yuheng’s wife.
A faint sneer touched Shen Si’s lips. Even Wen’an, standing beside him, felt the chill rolling off him.
Then came a quiet scoff. Before Wen’an could react, the Marquis had already turned and walked away again.
Following behind him, Wen’an felt an inexplicable sense of dread. He finally understood — the Marquis truly cared about that woman. Upon learning she was leaving, he had even made a special trip over just to see her once more.
The sudden realization filled Wen’an with fear. He had the distinct feeling that if even the slightest whisper of this got out, his life would be forfeit.
Meanwhile, Ji Hanyi had already entered the spacious carriage. Li Mingrou boarded right behind her.
From the moment Li Mingrou first laid eyes on Ji Hanyi, she had been scrutinizing her without pause.
She examined Ji Hanyi from head to toe, not overlooking even a single strand of hair.
Ji Hanyi remained as poised and composed as before. Her hair was still immaculately arranged, and even the position of her hairpin had not changed.
But surely she should not look exactly the same.
Li Mingrou’s gaze dropped to the exposed hem of Ji Hanyi’s skirt. She glanced at Xie Yuheng, who was the last to board, then asked Ji Hanyi, “Cousin-in-law, did you change your clothes?”
At Li Mingrou’s words, Xie Yuheng sat down beside Ji Hanyi and looked her over. “You changed your clothes at the Shen Residence?”
Ji Hanyi’s expression remained unchanged. “While I was speaking with Old Madam Shen, a maid accidentally spilled tea and soaked my clothes. Old Madam Shen had someone bring me another outfit.”
After hearing this, Xie Yuheng remarked, “I didn’t expect Old Madam Shen to ask you to stay and talk.”
His father had once mentioned that Ji Hanyi’s father had been Former Chief Grand Secretary Shen’s most highly valued student. Old Madam Shen had likely met Ji Hanyi a few times in the past, so it made sense that she would ask her over to reminisce. He did not ask anything further.
Li Mingrou watched Xie Yuheng clasp Ji Hanyi’s hand in his. Her own fingers, hidden inside her sleeve, clenched so tightly they ached.
She looked up at Ji Hanyi again and forced a concerned expression onto her face. “You left without saying a word today, Cousin-in-law. We were searching everywhere for you.”
“I saw you heading somewhere secluded. Later, I found out it was Marquis Shen’s courtyard. I was worried you might intrude upon someone important, but now that you’ve come out safe and sound, I can finally stop worrying.”
Ji Hanyi gave Li Mingrou a cool glance. Her words were deliberately ambiguous, designed to set one’s imagination running.
She smiled faintly. “How kind of you to take such a special interest in where I went.”
Li Mingrou froze, then gave a dry laugh. “I’ve always wanted to be closer to you and talk with you more, Cousin-in-law. But you prefer your own company, so all I can do is quietly look out for you.”
Ji Hanyi said nothing more. She had no desire to trade hollow pleasantries with Li Mingrou. They had long since fallen out in private. Ji Hanyi would have had to put effort into keeping up appearances, but she no longer had any interest.
In the past, Xie Yuheng would always have put in a few good words for Li Mingrou at a time like this. He would tell Ji Hanyi to be tolerant and generous and urge her to spend more time with Li Mingrou. Yet now, he said nothing of the sort.
Instead, he asked Ji Hanyi in a low voice, “Let’s eat out tonight. What would you like?”
Ji Hanyi pulled her hand from Xie Yuheng’s grasp and shook her head. “Eldest Master should go with Mingrou. I’m tired.”
The moment her hand slipped free from his, Xie Yuheng felt as though she had pulled a piece out of his heart along with it.
He silently studied Ji Hanyi’s expression. Her face was calm, her tone even. She had told him to go with Mingrou.
Words that she could never have spoken in the past now came as naturally to her as anything else.
He saw in her eyes that she truly no longer cared about him.
It was a truth Xie Yuheng had spent these past days trying to avoid, yet every time he looked at Ji Hanyi, he was forced to confront it, leaving him no room for self-deception.
It seemed that in the span of a single night, the two of them had become like this.
He could not even understand exactly when Ji Hanyi’s heart had changed.
Xie Yuheng drew a deep breath. His expression grew solemn, and a trace of warmth surfaced in his usually cool eyes. “Hanyi, you are my wife. Naturally, I should go with you.”