Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The wind and snow were not particularly fierce today, but the moment Ji Hanyi stepped outside, the cold still cut through her.
She pulled her fox-fur cloak tighter around herself. The snow cast a hazy blur over the glazed lantern, much like the uncertain road ahead of her.
Her mother-in-law, Madam Lin, had also fallen ill over the past two days. Members of the Second Branch and Third Branch had all come to visit, and by the time Ji Hanyi arrived, the heated room was already full.
Ji Hanyi removed her cloak and handed it to Rongchun. A nearby maidservant lifted the curtain for her, and the lively chatter inside immediately became clearer. Then, for a brief moment, the room quieted as everyone’s gaze fell upon her.
Their expressions were neither cold nor warm, much less welcoming.
Throughout the two or three years since she had married into the Xie Family, they had always looked at her this way — as though they had never truly regarded her as a daughter-in-law of the Xie Family and could not bring themselves to feel close to her.
As usual, Ji Hanyi walked over and paid her respects to Madam Lin.
Madam Lin did ask after her with some concern and inquired about her illness before telling her to take a seat to the side.
The small talk resumed. No one mentioned how she had been abandoned alone in the snow that night. They all chose to turn a blind eye to it. Instead, everyone was discussing Li Mingrou’s marriage.
Second Madam said, “We’ve considered family after family for Mingrou. It’s already been a full year since she came of age, yet Yuheng hasn’t approved of a single one. I truly wonder what sort of ideal husband he intends to find for her before he’ll be satisfied.”
Someone from the Third Branch laughed. “Yuheng watched Mingrou grow up beside him. How could he bear to let her suffer the slightest grievance? Of course he has to choose carefully.”
One of the sisters-in-law then asked Li Mingrou, “Has anyone in the capital caught your eye? As long as you like him, you could marry into almost any family.”
That was not an exaggeration. Li Mingrou’s father had once been the Prefect of Xuanzhou, a respected local official with an impressive record of achievements.
One year, however, an epidemic struck Xuanzhou. Her father personally oversaw the efforts to contain it, only to contract the illness himself. Her mother was infected as well, and both passed away, leaving behind the young Li Mingrou and her younger brother, Li Mingqing.
Li Mingrou had only been five that year, while Li Mingqing had been three. To prevent their clansmen from fighting over the family fortune, Madam Lin took in the two children left behind by her younger sister.
The Li Residence had been wealthy to begin with, and the imperial court, honoring their father’s sacrifice, bestowed many rewards upon the children. Naturally, no one in the Xie Residence would touch those gifts. Everything remained in the names of Li Mingrou and Li Mingqing.
According to the final wishes their father had left in writing, the family fortune was to be divided equally between the siblings. They were to support each other and never fight over the inheritance.
Thus, although Li Mingrou was an orphan, her dowry was immense — enough for her to live comfortably for several lifetimes.
Moreover, her father had died in service to the people. Whoever married her would not only receive a lavish dowry but also earn an excellent reputation.
Ji Hanyi had only learned after marrying into the family that, if she had not arrived with the marriage contract that year, everyone in the Xie Residence would have much preferred a marriage between Xie Yuheng and Li Mingrou.
At the sister-in-law’s question, Li Mingrou smiled. “Brother Heng will choose someone for me.”
Just then, Xie Yun, who was standing beside Second Madam, asked in a childish voice, “Doesn’t Eldest Brother like Cousin Mingrou best? Why can’t Cousin Mingrou marry Eldest Brother?”
Xie Yun was only four or five years old, Second Madam’s youngest child, born when she was nearly forty. No one took offense at the innocent words of a child. Instead, the question drew a burst of laughter.
Once the laughter subsided, Madam Lin finally spoke. “Yuheng cares more about Mingrou’s marriage than anyone else. No one else can make the decision.”
“He demands good family background, good character, good looks, and talent. If a man falls short in even the slightest way, Yuheng won’t approve.”
Madam Lin sighed. “That child has protected Mingrou since they were young. He can’t bear to let her suffer even the smallest grievance.”
As she spoke, her eyes were filled with regret. She held Li Mingrou’s hand tightly, and everyone in the room could plainly see exactly what she regretted.
Madam Lin sighed again and patted Li Mingrou’s hand. “You’ve been wronged.”
“You have always been such a good girl.”
No one could fail to understand the implication behind her rueful tone and those words.
The pointed glances, whether intentional or not, all fell on Ji Hanyi. Yet Ji Hanyi merely smiled faintly. So much for the Xie Residence’s reputation for uprightness.
Li Mingrou’s sweet voice rang out again, tinged with disappointment. “Mingrou hasn’t been wronged at all.”
When everyone else left, Madam Lin asked Ji Hanyi to stay behind.
Madam Lin was a noblewoman accustomed to a life of privilege. Every movement she made was gentle and proper, and she always spoke in a soft, measured voice.
Even while ill, she reclined gracefully upon the heated couch. Having managed the household for many years, she still possessed an air of authority.
She had never looked upon Ji Hanyi with much fondness.
Now, that look was gradually turning into exasperated disappointment.
She used to say that if not for the marriage contract, Xie Yuheng could easily have married a noble daughter from a powerful family who could further his career at court. Yet she had forgotten how this match had been arranged in the first place.
Madam Lin frowned at Ji Hanyi. “You have been married into this family for almost three years, yet you still haven’t conceived. Yuheng doesn’t like you, but don’t you know how to make him stay with you more often at night?”
“Can’t you think of some way to win his affection?”
“If this continues, how long must I wait before I can hold a grandson?”
Her voice was weary and stern. She stopped just short of openly calling Ji Hanyi useless.
They all knew how much Xie Yuheng disliked her. They all knew the person he loved was Li Mingrou, yet they still made things difficult for her because she had failed to win his affection.
But Ji Hanyi said none of that aloud. This had been her own choice. She had been the one to take the marriage contract and seek out Xie Yuheng.
She could offer no defense.
When Ji Hanyi remained silent, Madam Lin rubbed her brow with another pained sigh. “If you truly don’t know how to please Yuheng, then go ask Mingrou.”
“Learn how she gets along with Yuheng.”
When Ji Hanyi left Madam Lin’s quarters, Li Mingrou was waiting outside.
Upon seeing her, Li Mingrou approached with a smile and slipped her arm through Ji Hanyi’s, though the smile never reached her eyes. “Do you know why Brother Heng has refused all this time to let me marry anyone else?”
Ji Hanyi met Li Mingrou’s gaze.
Li Mingrou smiled and leaned closer, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. “Because Brother Heng can’t bear to part with me.”
“You know, that night when Brother Heng brought me back, he was so worried about me that he had nourishing, warming tonics sent to my quarters every day. He was afraid my health might suffer in the slightest.”
“I heard you cough just now. Has Brother Heng ever shown you the slightest concern? Has he ever sent you medicine? You even had to summon the physician yourself, didn’t you? I truly pity you.”
“You can cling desperately to your position, but Brother Heng will never like you. If I were you, and I had even a shred of dignity, I wouldn’t keep forcing myself on a man who doesn’t want me.”
Ji Hanyi came to a stop.
She had understood long ago that Xie Yuheng was not cold toward everyone, nor was he incapable of caring for someone.
He knew that spending a cold night outdoors could leave someone chilled and ill. It was simply that the only person he cared about was Li Mingrou.
A cold wind swept over them. Ji Hanyi looked at Li Mingrou, her bearing as composed as ever and her gaze cool. “Before you speak to me of dignity, you ought to have some yourself. Anyone with even a shred of dignity wouldn’t covet another woman’s husband.”
“I married into this family with every right to do so. When you married into the Xie Family back then, was your marriage legitimate?”
“If the two of you truly adored each other, why didn’t you approach the Ji Family long ago to discuss ending our engagement? Why did you ruin my life instead?”
“Although the Ji Family has now lost its former standing, if the Xie Family had come to end the engagement back then, my father would have agreed without a second word.”
“He never came to break it off sooner. Was it because he didn’t like you enough?”