Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Ji Hanyi had no time to ask what became of Li Mingqing. However, after Li Mingqing knelt outside the gates of the Old Madam’s courtyard, shouting and making a scene, the matter that had originally been known only to the First Branch soon reached the Second Branch and Third Branch as well.
Once the Second Branch and Third Branch learned of it, more and more people began talking, and the servants spread the story even further. Before long, the entire estate knew.
As Ji Hanyi supported Old Madam Xie on a stroll through the Plum Blossom Garden, Old Madam Xie sighed. “I originally intended to cover up this disgrace. Though I planned to send Li Mingrou away, we would simply have told outsiders that the Xie Family had raised her until she came of age, after which she left of her own accord to marry. Whatever happened to her afterward would no longer be the Xie Family’s concern. I wasn’t so heartless that I had to ruin her reputation as well.”
“But her brother insisted on coming to my courtyard to shout and make a scene. Now everyone knows. He thought that if he made enough trouble, outsiders would call me cruel and heartless. What he failed to understand is that I am Old Madam Xie. What storms and schemes have I not witnessed over the years? Does a wet-behind-the-ears brat like him truly think he can manipulate me?”
“Even if I lost my temper one day and ordered his aunt to kneel in the ancestral hall, no one would dare say a word.”
“Now that they’ve made this public, the Xie Family has even more reason to throw her out. They have no one but themselves to blame.”
Ji Hanyi silently bent down and set out a warm cushion for Old Madam Xie, then helped the Old Madam sit beside the covered pavilion.
Once seated, Old Madam Xie smiled at Ji Hanyi. “Hanyi, do you feel vindicated now?”
Ji Hanyi raised her eyes to the Old Madam and shook her head solemnly.
She had never hidden anything from the Old Madam, and every word she spoke came from the heart. “I don’t feel vindicated. I only think that no one wanted matters to come to this.”
Old Madam Xie paused, then sighed again. “Indeed.”
“Who wouldn’t want peace and quiet in their own household? Yet some people insist on constantly stirring up trouble.”
Old Madam Xie then asked Ji Hanyi, “Has Heng’er come to see you again?”
Ji Hanyi shook her head once more. “I ran into the Eldest Master outside the gates of the Old Madam’s courtyard last time, but I haven’t seen him since.”
“I heard the Eldest Master sent Mingqing back to the academy. There hasn’t been any word from the front courtyard that the Eldest Master returned, so perhaps he’s busy with year-end matters.”
“The New Year is only seven or eight days away. The Eldest Master must still have a great deal to attend to.”
Old Madam Xie tightened her grip on Ji Hanyi’s hand. “It is kind of you to be so understanding of him.”
“I know something of how Heng’er has treated you over the years, yet you’ve never spoken a single ill word about him to anyone, nor have you ever complained about him to me. It truly hasn’t been easy for you to protect his dignity as you have.”
“He actually returned last night and came to see me. He admitted that Li Mingrou had brought this upon herself, but he begged me to arrange a marriage for her and send her far away, after which all ties would be severed.”
As she spoke, Old Madam Xie studied Ji Hanyi’s expression. “Hanyi, I want to know what you think.”
Ji Hanyi was rather surprised by Xie Yuheng’s decision.
After showing Li Mingrou such blatant favoritism, was Xie Yuheng truly willing to marry her off somewhere far away?
Old Madam Xie’s voice sounded beside her again. “If I am to arrange a marriage for her, I might as well follow Heng’er’s suggestion and marry her into a family in the countryside near my hometown. It is more than two thousand li from the capital. She would have no hope of returning to the capital for the rest of her life.”
“If she refuses, she can leave on her own. The Xie Family will wash its hands of her.”
Ji Hanyi looked at Old Madam Xie. “Is the Eldest Master truly willing to let Li Mingrou marry so far away?”
Old Madam Xie smiled. “Why wouldn’t he be? He was the one who suggested it.”
Ji Hanyi turned to gaze across the lake. She truly could not fathom what Xie Yuheng was thinking.
She could not understand Xie Yuheng’s intentions, but she understood Old Madam Xie’s. The Old Madam still believed there was hope for her and Xie Yuheng.
Ji Hanyi slowly exhaled a cloud of white mist. So many words had been weighing on her heart, but she knew they had to be said eventually.
She turned back to Old Madam Xie. “I have been married to the Eldest Master for three years, and I do not blame him for anything. I was the one who came here with the marriage contract in hand. I should have realized even then that the Eldest Master did not wish to marry me.”
“Throughout these past three years, I could feel that the Eldest Master had no affection for me.”
Ji Hanyi lightly pressed her lips together and lowered her eyes. “I am not saying this to complain to the Old Madam. It is simply that I now wish for a divorce. If the Eldest Master and I are forced to remain together while the woman he loves is thousands of miles away, our resentment will only build with time. I fear we will eventually grow to despise the very sight of each other.”
With that, Ji Hanyi rose and gave Old Madam Xie a deep curtsy. “Please, Old Madam, grant Hanyi this wish.”
“After our divorce, even if the Eldest Master wishes to marry Li Mingrou someday, I will have no objections.”
Old Madam Xie gazed sorrowfully at Ji Hanyi. This child was truly far too considerate.
Not a single word of blame. Not one word spoken against the Xie Family. Not even one complaint.
Where could she ever find another granddaughter-in-law as good as this one?
Yet that narrow-minded Madam Lin remained unsatisfied. She made Ji Hanyi’s life difficult every day and had even clamored for her son to take a concubine.
From across the lake, Xie Yuheng spotted Ji Hanyi standing before Old Madam Xie with her head lowered in a curtsy. His heart clenched at the sight, and he immediately strode toward them. The moment he arrived, he demanded coldly, “What are you doing now?”
“I’ve already agreed to send Mingrou far away in marriage. Are you determined to leave her all alone with no one to rely on?”
Old Madam Xie frowned deeply at his words and hurriedly pulled Ji Hanyi to her side. In that moment, she was utterly disappointed by Xie Yuheng’s behavior.
No wonder Hanyi was always thinking of divorce. His heart had strayed so far to one side it could hardly be called fair.
Old Madam Xie snapped, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Xie Yuheng froze, then turned to Old Madam Xie. “Isn’t it true? She used to target Mingrou at every turn, and now that she has the upper hand, she’s even less willing to let Mingrou off.”
Old Madam Xie was so furious that she raised a trembling finger at Xie Yuheng, nearly unable to catch her breath. “And when have you ever witnessed that with your own eyes?!”
“When have you ever not believed every word Li Mingrou said?”
“Do you think I haven’t heard about what happened? Hanyi has suffered countless grievances over the years, yet she has never once spoken ill of you!”
“Just now, when Hanyi heard that your beloved cousin was to be married off far away, she pleaded with me to let the two of you be together!”
Xie Yuheng went still.
He turned to look at Ji Hanyi, who had not said a word all this time. Her eyes remained lowered, and from beginning to end, she had not looked at him once.
Seeing Xie Yuheng merely stare at Ji Hanyi in silence, Old Madam Xie grew even angrier. “Heng’er, you may not love Hanyi, but what has she ever done wrong?”
“You came in and accused her like this without a word of explanation. Do you think it doesn’t hurt her? Just last night, you repeatedly told me you didn’t want to divorce Hanyi, but listen to what you just said! Is that the attitude of a man who doesn’t want a divorce?!”
Xie Yuheng took a step back.
Ji Hanyi turned slightly and gently rubbed Old Madam Xie’s back to calm her. “Old Madam only wants what is best for us. Eldest Master understands that as well.”
Then Ji Hanyi glanced at Xie Yuheng. “I know Eldest Master is worried about Mingrou and doesn’t want her to suffer. Since we are all here, we might as well speak frankly.”
“I am willing to divorce. I have no intention of making things difficult for Li Mingrou, either. I only ask that Eldest Master agree to the divorce here, in front of Old Madam.”
“From this day forward, Eldest Master and I can act as strangers. If anyone asks, I will speak only of the Xie Family’s kindness. I will not stand in Eldest Master’s way.”
With that, Ji Hanyi rose and curtsied to Xie Yuheng. “Hanyi knows that failing to bear a child after three years is a grave fault. I am not worthy to remain in the Xie Family. This is not the Xie Family’s fault, nor is it Eldest Master’s.”
“A divorce will be a happy ending for us both.”
Tears welled in Old Madam Xie’s eyes when she heard this. “Hanyi, you foolish child…”
Xie Yuheng stared blankly at the woman standing before him with her head lowered in a curtsy. As always, she was quiet and meek in his presence. Even now, her words held not the slightest trace of blame or resentment.
It seemed she had always been this way. Even when he had wrongly accused her just moments ago, there had been no sign of hurt on her face.
As if she had long since grown accustomed to it.
As if she had long since stopped caring.
Now she was calmly and graciously stepping aside so he could be with another woman.
In the past, she had been narrow-minded and targeted Mingrou at every turn. Now she was handing him over with such generosity that every ounce of strength seemed to leave his body.
Once again, the pain of losing everything swept through him.
He did not understand why it hurt so much.
Just last night, at Old Madam’s residence, he had made up his mind to arrange for Li Mingrou to marry far away. He had even been prepared never to see Mingrou again. So why did Ji Hanyi still insist on divorce?
Why?
He had come today intending to tell her of his decision himself.
He had even imagined how she might react when she heard the news.
He had thought that, for once, he was finally standing up for her. Between Li Mingrou and her, he was no longer taking Mingrou’s side.
He knew she had been poisoned and had suffered. He wanted to seek some measure of justice for her.
He had thought Ji Hanyi might be happy.
He had thought they could still mend their relationship.
From then on, she would be the only one in his heart, and they could spend the rest of their lives together in mutual love and respect.
He had simply never imagined that she would react this way.
Xie Yuheng’s eyes reddened. He stared intently at Ji Hanyi’s lowered face, so fair and serene. In recent days, that face had appeared over and over in his dreams and lingered constantly before his eyes.
Only when he was on the verge of losing her did he finally understand: the one whose loss caused him pain was the one he truly loved.
Even when he learned that his grandmother intended to send Li Mingrou away, he had felt neither panic nor fear. He had merely worried about what would become of Li Mingrou afterward.
The thought of losing Li Mingrou did not hurt him nearly as much as the thought of losing Ji Hanyi.
Xie Yuheng shook his head and took another step back, his voice strained. “I won’t agree.”
“Once Old Madam’s birthday celebration is over, I’ll arrange for Mingrou to marry far away. She will never come back. After that, you and I can live a good life together.”
“I have no romantic feelings for her. I only care for her because I looked after her when we were young. You…”
“You…”
Xie Yuheng closed his eyes. This was the first time he had ever said so much to Ji Hanyi. At last, he forced himself to continue. “I wronged you in the past. I will never do so again.”
Without giving Ji Hanyi a chance to respond, Xie Yuheng turned and fled in disarray.
It was not for any other reason. He simply did not dare remain there for even another moment, as though if he stayed, he would lose her completely.
Ji Hanyi raised her head and watched Xie Yuheng’s retreating figure.
She thought that if he had said these things to her sooner, she might still have been able to clear a place for him in her heart and slowly learn to accept him.
But it was far too late.
A gentle breeze stirred the loose strands of hair around her face. With a hollow sense of melancholy, she remembered how she had once dreamed of hearing Xie Yuheng say those very words.
Now that she had finally heard them, they brought her no joy at all.