Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Inside Ningxiang Residence, Li Mingrou leaned against the bed, dressed in plain clothes. Her face was pale, her eyes red and glistening with tears, clearly having cried. She looked delicate and frail, evoking pity at first sight.
When she saw Xie Yuheng enter, a flash of joy darted through her eyes. She knew that Brother Xie had always cared for her the most since childhood. Brother Xie still willing to come see her.
In her heart, she believed that in this world, only Brother Xie treated her best.
Then, remembering how she had finally waited for Brother Xie to divorce Ji Hanyi, only for him to refuse, another wave of sadness surged up.
She had originally wanted to ruin Ji Hanyi’s reputation and make Brother Xie despise her, but unexpectedly, Ji Hanyi turned the tables on her instead.
Fortunately, the merchant from the Western Regions didn’t mention the sterility drug, otherwise she truly couldn’t stay in the Xie Residence, and even her aunt wouldn’t protect her.
Actually, Li Mingrou hadn’t wanted to drug Xie Yuheng at first. But her opportunities to get close to Ji Hanyi were too few — Ji Hanyi was very careful with her food, and the maids in her courtyard were very loyal. After a few failed attempts, she had no choice but to drug Xie Yuheng.
She had thought that after three years, if Ji Hanyi had no children, she could be divorced by the Xie Family. Who would have thought that Old Madam and the First Master would protect Ji Hanyi so much, refusing to divorce her even after three childless years.
As she thought about this, tears quickly welled up in her eyes. As soon as Xie Yuheng entered, she threw herself into his arms, crying.
Her Brother Xie, who was as graceful as a clear breeze and bright moon, could only ever be hers.
No matter what she had to do, she was willing.
Seeing Li Mingrou crying in his arms, Xie Yuheng looked down and saw her pale, sickly face. He quickly held her up with pity and sighed, “I heard from the maid that you fainted?”
Li Mingrou looked up at Xie Yuheng with glistening eyes, tears streaming down her face, sobbing, “That matter wasn’t my doing — it was Shuangxi who acted on my behalf, unable to bear the injustice.”
“I truly never thought she would do such a thing. Brother Xie, you must believe Mingrou.”
After speaking, Li Mingrou lowered her head and buried it against Xie Yuheng’s chest, her fingers tightly clutching his lapel, crying uncontrollably.
Seeing Li Mingrou cry so bitterly, Xie Yuheng sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, patting her back.
He didn’t find this gesture inappropriate himself. When they were young, Li Mingrou had been very timid; whenever there was thunder and rain, she would run to him crying, insisting on sleeping with him.
At that time, Li Mingrou had just lost her parents and came to the Xie Residence. She was only close to him, so he would comfort her all night long. He never imagined it would become a habit after ten years.
Li Mingrou wept against Xie Yuheng’s chest, sobbing as she asked, “Will Brother Xie leave Mingrou?”
“Will Brother Xie come to dislike Mingrou?”
She shook her head pitifully, “Brother Xie, that matter really wasn’t Mingrou’s doing. I truly didn’t harm Cousin-in-law.”
Xie Yuheng silently looked at Li Mingrou for a moment.
To say this incident had nothing to do with Li Mingrou was clearly impossible.
A maid like Shuangxi wouldn’t have had the audacity.
And that kind of poisonous insect was something ordinary people wouldn’t know about. Shuangxi was a maid assigned to Li Mingrou by his mother, so she was even less likely to know.
But Xie Yuheng could guess the reason why Li Mingrou did it.
It was because her obsession was too deep. Deep in his heart, he couldn’t bring himself to blame her, nor did he want to.
Xie Yuheng still softly comforted her, “Mingrou, don’t think nonsense.”
Seeing Xie Yuheng’s expression, Li Mingrou knew he wouldn’t blame her anymore.
She raised her tear-streaked face again, looking at Xie Yuheng with sorrow and hoarsely asked, “Cousin-in-law wants to divorce Brother Xie. Why won’t Brother Xie agree?”
From the moment Xie Yuheng entered, all the servants had withdrawn. Li Mingrou couldn’t suppress her heartbreak and had to ask.
She truly didn’t understand. If not for this marriage, Brother Xie would clearly have liked her the most.
Even after that woman married in, Brother Xie still treated her best.
Xie Yuheng frowned at Li Mingrou’s tearful eyes. Although he didn’t like her talking about this, seeing her tearful appearance, he couldn’t bear to scold her.
In truth, Ji Hanyi was more delicate and pitiful in appearance. With her snow-white skin, graceful figure, thick black hair, red lips, white teeth, and tender, charming allure, just a hint of tears would make her exquisitely alluring and stirring. But Ji Hanyi rarely cried.
Or rather, he had never seen her cry.
Although Ji Hanyi used to obey him, she never actively showed her vulnerable side to him like Li Mingrou did. This often made him feel that Ji Hanyi wasn’t capable of sadness, causing him to subconsciously ignore her reactions.
Li Mingrou was different.
She was delicate and pretty, slightly taller than Ji Hanyi, but always seemed frail like a willow swaying in the wind, carrying a sense of melancholy. Her heart and eyes were filled only with him, and she always cried in front of him.
This stirred in him a protective pity.
Probably, he subconsciously felt that Li Mingrou was more fragile and needed his protection more.
Xie Yuheng looked down at Li Mingrou’s weak eyes. With rare seriousness, he said softly, “Mingrou, Hanyi is my wife. No matter what, I won’t divorce her.”
“Besides, if we divorced, she’d have nowhere to go. Whatever the reason, I can’t feel at ease about her, just as I can’t feel at ease about you.”
Li Mingrou stared at Xie Yuheng with tear-filled eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she asked hoarsely, “Then what about me?”
Xie Yuheng said helplessly, “Mingrou, you can no longer remain at the Xie Residence. You did something wrong, and Grandmother has always doted on Hanyi. There’s no way her anger will subside so easily. Besides, now that the Shen Family has intervened, it would be difficult to shield you too openly.”
“I’ve already found a match for you — a scholar from Luzhou, Grandmother’s hometown. He’s upright and honorable, and he’s the eldest grandson of one of Grandmother’s old acquaintances. Once you marry him, you’ll be able to live a peaceful, quiet life. You won’t be mistreated.”
“To tell the truth, I’m not even sure Grandmother will agree to this. I’ll go and plead with her on your behalf again.”
Li Mingrou shook her head in disbelief and stared blankly at Xie Yuheng. “Brother Xie wants me to leave the capital?”
Xie Yuheng sighed. “Mingrou, the young men of the capital aren’t suited to your temperament. Among the noble families on par with the Xie Family, there are hardly any young men of upright character to choose from. There are some from families of lower status, but those clans tend to have many relatives. You’re frail and wouldn’t be able to cope with all the household disputes and trivialities. I’m considering what’s best for you.”
Li Mingrou did not care about any of that.
All she wanted was to stay by Brother Xie’s side.
A wave of overwhelming grief suddenly crashed over her, and she covered her face and burst into sobs.
Xie Yuheng felt somewhat helpless. Li Mingrou had always been prone to tears, even as a child. But after what she had done, this was already the best future he could arrange for her.
He comforted Li Mingrou for a while longer before calling in the servants from the courtyard and instructing them to take good care of her. Only then did Xie Yuheng rise and leave.
Li Mingrou hurried after him and stopped at the window. Through her tears, she watched Xie Yuheng’s retreating figure disappear in haste, and her tears fell even harder.
When Xie Yuheng returned to his courtyard, he was surprised to find the main house brightly lit for once.
Although no one came out to welcome him, the tension that had weighed on his heart for days finally eased. It was good that Ji Hanyi had thought things through and returned to the main house. He had known that her fit of temper would only be temporary.
In a rare show of concern, he asked the old maid at the door, “Is the Young Madam feeling any better?”
The old maid nodded repeatedly. “The Young Madam took her medicine and slept rather heavily for a while this afternoon. She hasn’t complained of feeling unwell anywhere, so she should be doing better.”
Xie Yuheng relaxed. Without even noticing his own eagerness, he quickened his pace and strode toward the inner chamber.
The moment he entered, he saw Ji Hanyi half-reclining on the bed, her head lowered as she studied a painting manual.
When Ji Hanyi saw Xie Yuheng enter, she set down the book in her hands.
She had chosen to sleep in the main house today partly because she did not want Old Madam Xie to see the situation and feel upset, and partly because she did not want the physician who came to examine her to notice anything embarrassing. This was, after all, a private matter within the residence. It would not do for word to spread that husband and wife were sleeping in separate rooms.
More importantly, she knew Xie Yuheng would come to see her. She had been waiting for him, and she already knew what he would say.
The instant Xie Yuheng saw Ji Hanyi, his footsteps faltered.
He stood at a distance beside the folding screen. The room was filled with her warm fragrance and the bitter scent of medicine, its interior bathed in dim yellow candlelight. After so many days of helplessness, Xie Yuheng felt as though he were clinging to a piece of driftwood, with no idea when he would finally reach shore.
When would it all end?
He took a step forward, and the soft, alluring face from his memories came into clearer view.
Drawing a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. He watched as she quietly raised her head and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
She no longer tried to start conversations as she once had. Now, if he did not speak, the two of them might as well have been strangers.
Everything he had once taken for granted, everything he had believed would never change, seemed to have been turned completely upside down in a single moment.
Xie Yuheng walked to the bedside and spoke first. “Does it still hurt?”
Ji Hanyi paused, then shook her head.
Leaning against the soft pillows, she lowered her gaze to the white cuff of her sleeve. The room was utterly silent.
Xie Yuheng could not bear to see Ji Hanyi so quiet, yet it seemed he could not blame her for anything either.
She simply was not speaking to him. What could he possibly blame her for?
He thought that she would only have to endure this one last grievance. Once he married Li Mingrou off somewhere outside the capital, the two of them could settle down and live well together again.
He would slowly make up for everything he owed her and all the times he had neglected her.
In any case, he would never take a concubine. She was bound to understand eventually.
Xie Yuheng’s usually aloof expression softened slightly. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at Ji Hanyi’s lowered eyes before continuing, “Mother already told me what happened in the residence today. Grandmother intends to drive Mingrou out of the Xie Residence, but she has no one to rely on and nowhere else to go.”
“Grandmother is doing this for your sake, and the matter arose because of you. You’re all right now, so why don’t you go and plead with Grandmother? She should be willing to listen to you.”
“Hanyi, Mingrou is frail. She can’t endure the cold of the ancestral hall, much less a whipping.”
As he spoke, Xie Yuheng reached out and took the hand Ji Hanyi had resting on the quilt. His gaze softened as he enclosed her small, supple hand in his palm and gently rubbed it, as though they were still the closest of lovers. His voice was hoarse as he said, “Hanyi, I know you’ve always been the most sensible and mindful of the bigger picture.”