Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Ji Hanyi’s retort left Madam Lin speechless.
Madam Lin drew a deep breath, then looked at Ji Hanyi with a cold sneer. “I don’t believe you’d be so willing to spend your own silver. Once Yuheng returns, I’ll question him properly and find out whether you’ve been asking him for money.”
Ji Hanyi nodded agreeably. “If Mother is still concerned, there is nothing more I can say. You may ask the Eldest Master yourself.”
Ji Hanyi answered without the slightest haste or hint of guilt. Watching her, Madam Lin felt as though she had punched a ball of cotton. There seemed to be nothing she could do to this daughter-in-law of hers.
Even Madam Lin herself felt that she was now deliberately trying to find fault with Ji Hanyi.
She took another deep breath before finally telling Ji Hanyi, with some impatience, to return to her courtyard.
Once Ji Hanyi had left, Madam Lin watched her disappear behind the curtain. Only then did she prop a hand against her forehead and release a long breath.
The elderly servant who had taken the ledger to inventory the items stepped up beside Madam Lin and bent forward to whisper, “While checking the items listed in the ledger, I also asked the maids in the courtyard a few questions. They said the Eldest Young Madam is usually very frugal. She rarely keeps anything distributed by the household for herself, not even food. She always sets aside the best for the Eldest Master first. Even the incense and tea she chooses are all the Eldest Master’s favorites.”
The elderly servant had seen the jewelry in Ji Hanyi’s dressing case while she was there. To be honest, the sight of it had made her heart ache. How many pieces of jewelry did the household provide in a year? No more than two or three hairpins, earrings, or bracelets. What young madam from another household would live so shabbily? Most had at least several cases of jewelry, yet the Eldest Young Madam possessed only those few simple pieces. Many of the pieces issued by the household were still stored away. When the servant checked them, she found that dust had genuinely gathered on the cases. They had clearly remained untouched since the day they were put away.
When the maids in the courtyard saw several elderly servants arrive to inventory everything, they assumed that something terrible had happened to the Eldest Young Madam. Every one of them had red-rimmed eyes, and they could not stop speaking in her defense.
Truthfully, if the Eldest Young Madam had been someone greedy for wealth, she would surely have treated her servants harshly. Yet every servant in her courtyard defended her, and their tears were plainly genuine. The elderly servant had even needed to spend some time consoling them.
Besides, the Eldest Young Madam always dressed simply and treated everyone with a faint smile. She appeared exceptionally easy to get along with. No matter how one looked at her, she did not seem like someone capable of such a deed.
Ultimately, what the First Madam had done amounted to trampling all over the Eldest Young Madam’s dignity. Ji Hanyi was still her daughter-in-law, after all. If word of this spread, it would reflect badly on the family. More importantly, Ji Hanyi truly had not taken anything belonging to the Xie Family.
The elderly servant relayed all of this to Madam Lin before adding, “It seems the Eldest Young Madam was indeed falsely accused this time. Every servant who went with me saw it. Not a single item was missing. Even the furs and little things like the forehead band that had been issued to her were all there.”
Madam Lin rested her head against her hand and closed her eyes. For a moment, she could not identify the feelings churning inside her.
Over the years, whether consciously or not, she had always guarded against Ji Hanyi. She had feared that Ji Hanyi might take things from the Xie Residence to patch the Gu Family’s financial holes. Yet now that she thought about it carefully, she could not recall a single thing Ji Hanyi had taken, nor a single instance in which the Xie Family had bailed out the Gu Family.
The daughter-in-law she had guarded against all these years had silently endured it all, then just as silently compiled such a ledger. Ji Hanyi had understood everything all along.
Madam Lin slowly exhaled. Then, in a light and indifferent tone, she said, “This matter is not to be mentioned again.”
Ji Hanyi returned to her courtyard. As she approached, she discovered that all the maids were standing at the gate. The moment they saw her, they crowded around her.
She guessed that Madam Lin’s servants had frightened everyone when they came to inventory her possessions.
After all, if something truly happened to her, the servants in her courtyard might suffer as well.
A faint smile touched Ji Hanyi’s lips as she said to Nanny Lin, “Nothing is wrong. It was only a year-end inventory check. Don’t let your imaginations run wild.”
Nanny Lin followed beside her, her eyes still red. “You didn’t see how menacing those servants looked when they arrived, Young Madam. They marched in with a ledger from goodness knows where and demanded to inspect the storeroom. They caused such an uproar.”
“I thought something had gone missing. As long as the Young Madam is all right, that’s all that matters.”
Seeing that the servants had been genuinely worried, Ji Hanyi offered them a few more words of reassurance. Only after the maids in the courtyard had completely calmed down did she order someone to heat water for her bath.
As Ji Hanyi bathed, Rongchun said, “The Young Madam was wise to prepare for this. If you hadn’t kept those ledgers as proof, wouldn’t you have been unable to clear your name even though you were innocent?”
Ji Hanyi lowered her eyes.
It was not that she could not have cleared her name without them. Madam Lin had records of the household’s expenses and transactions. If she truly wished to investigate, she could have uncovered the truth. It was merely a question of whether she was willing to go through the trouble of sorting through all those records again.
Besides, Ji Hanyi had come to understand something: if someone did not trust you, then no matter how much evidence you produced, they still would not believe you.
Just as Xie Yuheng did not believe her.
Just as her mother-in-law, despite finding every item present today, had immediately suspected that Ji Hanyi had asked Xie Yuheng for silver instead.
When someone did not trust you, they could always find another reason to doubt you.
Droplets of water rolled over Ji Hanyi’s smooth, pale skin. She rested her head against the rim of the bathing tub as warm mist curled over her face, tinting her cheeks pink. Yet her eyes were misted with disappointment.
She sank into a daze. What was the point of spending her days trying to prove her innocence over such matters?
The marriage she had once yearned for now seemed to consist of nothing but endless trivialities within the inner residence. A woman spent her entire life confined to this tiny world, forced to scheme and maneuver for the sake of her reputation and innocence.
Everyone kept their own private calculations. Their supposed harmony amounted to nothing more than superficial civility.
Before long, Lunar New Year’s Eve arrived. After the reunion dinner, the entire Xie Family gathered cheerfully in the heated room off the front hall.
The ladies clustered around the Old Madam, chatting and joking with her. The younger generation laughed and played together, while the married women sat discussing household affairs and occasionally tending to the children.
The men had gathered in the adjoining side hall, where they discussed the past year’s politics at court and the opportunities that might arise.
The First Master had actually returned from his post some time ago. This was an official evaluation year, and ever since returning, he had been busy with assessments conducted by the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate. He had only found some free time in the past two days.
Once he was free, he made a point of meeting Ji Hanyi. He gave her some fabrics and jewelry that were fashionable in the region, saying they were compensation for the poisoning incident.
Ji Hanyi was unable to decline the gifts, so she could only accept them.
Li Mingrou was nowhere to be seen. After the scene Li Mingqing had caused last time, everyone in the residence knew what Li Mingrou had done and that the Old Madam had punished her for it. No matter how close they had once been to her, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning her.
Li Mingqing was present, but he was much quieter than before. He sat in a corner without saying a word, and the younger members of the Xie Residence who used to play with him no longer went near him.
Ji Hanyi had always seemed out of place amid such lively gatherings. Among the ladies of the Third Branch, she alone had no children. That fact by itself left her with little to talk about with the other Young Madams, never mind anything else.
She had planned to sit for a while and then leave, but the Old Madam specifically called her over to sit beside her, so she did.
Old Madam Xie held her hand the entire time and praised her in front of everyone for being virtuous and sensible. Those seated below understood Old Madam Xie’s intentions and chimed in with praise of their own.
After the banquet ended, Old Madam Xie kept only Ji Hanyi and Xie Yuheng behind to escort her back. Light snow fell on the night of Lunar New Year’s Eve. Ji Hanyi supported the Old Madam as they walked, a thick cloak wrapped around her. Its fur-lined hood covered her hair and concealed the desolation in her expression.
Xie Yuheng followed silently behind them.
On the way, Old Madam Xie asked Ji Hanyi, “Has Heng’er been treating you well lately?”
Xie Yuheng could hear her question. He raised his head and looked at Ji Hanyi’s profile.
The snowy night stretched dark and deep as large flakes drifted through the air. Dim yellow lantern light illuminated the bluestone steps. Ji Hanyi’s features were as they had always been, soft and gently alluring, with a trace of tender serenity in her eyes.
Snowflakes settled along the furry edge of her hood and melted into glistening droplets. Every now and then, they revealed a glimpse of her pink-and-white earring. Xie Yuheng stared at her in a daze. The more he saw her now, the more she filled his thoughts, and only then did he realize how easy she was to love.
She was gentle and delicate, always speaking softly with a smile. He had never even seen her angry.
In truth, Xie Yuheng now found himself wishing Ji Hanyi would break down and sob at him the way Li Mingrou had.
His heart pounded as he nervously waited for Ji Hanyi’s answer.
Ji Hanyi would not speak of anything heavy or painful on a festive occasion like this. She nodded gently. “The Eldest Master has always treated me well.”
Xie Yuheng’s fingers trembled.
That was right. In front of others, Ji Hanyi always said he treated her well.
Only now did he understand that he had probably never treated her well at all.
Nanny Lin had sought him out in secret and told him that Ji Hanyi had never bought herself any jewelry. The pieces provided by the household were plain and somewhat old-fashioned, so she rarely wore them. Nanny Lin suggested that he buy her a few pieces himself. Perhaps that would make her happy.
Only after hearing this did he realize that he had bought Mingrou more pieces of jewelry than he could count, yet had never bought a single one for Ji Hanyi.
She had never brought it up or said a word. She had simply remained quietly by his side all this time.
No wonder she was now so determined to divorce him.
He tightly clutched a green floral hairpin set in gold and inlaid with tourmaline gemstones. It was the most expensive hairpin in Cuiyu Pavilion. Surely she would like it.
The cold wind swept around them, yet Ji Hanyi’s voice remained soft and gentle. Old Madam Xie could only sigh at her answer. How could she not realize that Ji Hanyi had said it merely to make her happy?
Her grandson had indeed acted foolishly when Li Mingrou tried to harm Hanyi. Old Madam Xie could not help him even if she wanted to.
Once they were back inside, Old Madam Xie took Ji Hanyi’s hand and placed it in Xie Yuheng’s. She looked at Xie Yuheng and asked, “Do you know where you went wrong before?”
Xie Yuheng looked at Ji Hanyi, his palm involuntarily tightening around her hand. His voice was laden with remorse. “I neglected Hanyi in the past.”
Old Madam Xie shook her head. “Your mistake was failing to understand who was closest to you and who was not.”
“In this world, only your wife will devote herself to you wholeheartedly. You may let anyone else down, but you must never let down your wife.”
“Do not forget the debt of gratitude you owe the Ji Family.”
“Hanyi married you because the Xie Family sought this match in the first place. You ought to treat her well.”
Xie Yuheng gazed intently at Ji Hanyi and nodded. “I failed her in the past, but from now on, I will treat Hanyi well.”
As he spoke, Xie Yuheng took out the hairpin he had been holding for so long and presented it to Ji Hanyi. His voice was sincere. “Hanyi, I wronged you in the past. Please give me one more chance.”
“I promise I will treat you well from now on.”
Yet inside this warm room, amid a scene that should have been filled with familial warmth and affection, Ji Hanyi suddenly felt cold all over.
Cold to the bone.
So cold that her entire body trembled.
She stared blankly at the hairpin in Xie Yuheng’s hand. She did not understand why, but the Old Madam she had always respected and the husband she had once trusted and relied upon now looked like cold executioners with bloodstained hands.
Ji Hanyi abruptly tore her hand from Xie Yuheng’s grasp. Her eyes widened as she stared at the people in the room in terror. She blinked and whispered, “I’m sorry…”
Fearful firelight flickered in her exquisite almond-shaped eyes. Ji Hanyi staggered backward, then turned and walked outside.
Xie Yuheng stared after her, stunned by the terror he had just seen in her eyes. He then looked down in disbelief at his empty palm. Not even a trace of her warmth remained.
Old Madam Xie was also stunned for a moment. Then sorrow filled her eyes. “That child…”
“I’m afraid she may never come back…”
Xie Yuheng felt his knees give way. A man who had never shed tears now had them brimming in his eyes. He dropped to his knees before Old Madam Xie.
“Grandmother, please help me.”
“I regret everything. I cannot live without her…”