Chapter 68
Chapter 68
By midmorning, Ji Hanyi had spent some time at her mother-in-law’s side before being called away to keep the relatives visiting the Xie Residence company and later escort them to the flower hall for the meal.
The banquet was about to begin. On her way there, Ji Hanyi spotted Nanny Lin hurrying toward her and stopped to wait.
As soon as Nanny Lin reached Ji Hanyi, she hurriedly recounted what she had seen while following Li Mingrou.
Afterward, Nanny Lin lowered her voice and looked anxiously at Ji Hanyi. “I waited outside for more than half an hour, but neither of them came out. Would Young Madam like to go take a look?”
“I’m afraid that vixen is feeding Eldest Master some bewitching nonsense again.”
Ji Hanyi considered the matter, then carefully asked Nanny Lin when Xie Yuheng had taken Li Mingrou into the rear courtyard study. By her calculations, they had indeed been in there for a long time.
Today was Old Madam’s birthday. As the Eldest Grandson of the Xie Family, Xie Yuheng was supposed to be entertaining guests in the front courtyard. How could he possibly have remained in the rear courtyard for so long?
Just then, another maidservant came over. The moment she saw Ji Hanyi, she hurried to her side and said, “Eldest Young Madam, First Master — your father-in-law — is in the front courtyard asking for Eldest Master — your husband. He wants your husband to hurry over at once.”
“First Master — your father-in-law — said that Eldest Master — your husband — had mentioned having business in the rear courtyard, but no one could find him after he came here. I’ve searched the rear courtyard for quite some time without seeing him. I happened to run into you, so I came to ask.”
Nanny Lin, who was standing beside them, immediately opened her mouth to speak, but Ji Hanyi caught her hand before she could.
Ji Hanyi said quietly, “I’ve been with my mother-in-law this whole time and haven’t seen Eldest Master. Eldest Master usually spends most of his time in the study. Why don’t you go ask there?”
The maidservant promptly nodded and left.
Ji Hanyi turned to Nanny Lin. “Keep watching them. There’s no need to disturb them.”
Nanny Lin murmured her assent and departed. Just as Ji Hanyi was nearing the flower hall, another maidservant rushed over and blurted anxiously, “Young Madam, something terrible has happened.”
The woman was a servant from Ji Hanyi’s courtyard. Seeing her panicked expression, Ji Hanyi stopped and asked, “What happened?”
The maidservant quickly led Ji Hanyi to a secluded spot by the path and lowered her voice. “This morning, Eldest Master took the young cousin to the study. The young cousin often visits Eldest Master’s study, and although she stayed longer than usual today, we servants didn’t think much of it.”
“But just now, First Madam brought Old Madam Wang and Madam Li to the study. They said they wanted to borrow a few of Eldest Master’s painted scrolls. We announced them from outside, but no one inside answered. First Madam had heard that Eldest Master was in the study, so she pushed the door open and went straight in. But who would have thought…”
“Who would have thought…”
By this point, Ji Hanyi had already guessed most of what had happened. Remaining fairly calm, she said, “Don’t panic. Take your time.”
The maidservant collected herself before continuing. “Eldest Master and the young cousin were half-undressed inside. The young cousin wasn’t wearing so much as an undergarment. She was completely naked, with Eldest Master pinning her against the writing desk.”
Ji Hanyi frowned at the maidservant. “Didn’t any of you hear anything from outside?”
The maidservant replied, “The one guarding the door was Eldest Master’s personal attendant. I was standing farther away, so I don’t know whether he heard anything. Perhaps even he never imagined something like this would happen. If First Madam hadn’t brought people over and opened the door today, I would never have imagined it either…”
Ji Hanyi could more or less guess Li Mingrou’s intentions. She had begun to suspect the truth as soon as Nanny Lin told her the two of them had been in the study for so long.
Li Mingrou most likely did not want to be married off to the countryside. She wanted to remain in the Xie Residence, so she had resorted to this scheme.
But now that outsiders had caught them in the act, was this truly the outcome Li Mingrou had wanted?
Then there was Xie Yuheng’s public reputation as a devoted husband and an aloof, upright gentleman. Once word of this incident spread, rumors would likely erupt everywhere.
Ji Hanyi had long since ceased to feel anything upon hearing about Xie Yuheng and Li Mingrou. She merely asked, “How did First Madam handle it at the time?”
The maidservant recounted everything in detail.
Of the two ladies, Old Madam Wang was Old Madam Xie’s own younger sister and particularly fond of collecting antique paintings.
Madam Lin had been eager to curry favor with Old Madam Wang, repeatedly extolling the precious scrolls in Xie Yuheng’s collection. She had never expected such a scandal to occur.
Since they had both seen Li Mingrou’s face clearly, the two ladies naturally recognized her. Madam Lin had no choice but to brazen it out and claim that Li Mingrou was a concubine Xie Yuheng had taken before the New Year, only the family had never made the matter public.
Framed that way, Xie Yuheng had merely gotten carried away in broad daylight. That was still better than admitting they had been caught in an illicit affair with no acknowledged relationship between them — especially when one was her own son and the other her own niece.
After hearing the full story, Ji Hanyi nodded and sent the maidservant back. She continued to the flower hall to receive the guests, acting as though nothing had happened.
Whatever became of Xie Yuheng and Li Mingrou now, she wanted nothing more to do with either of them.
It was enough to give her a headache. She had already planned to leave the Xie Residence tomorrow, so why did all this have to happen now?
Despite Madam Lin’s best efforts to keep the incident under wraps, word still reached Old Madam Xie.
Old Madam Wang had been born into a family of military commanders and was not one to shy away from trouble. Having witnessed such a scandal with her own eyes — and at her elder sister’s birthday banquet, no less — how could she possibly keep it from Old Madam Xie?
Old Madam Xie’s banquets usually continued well into the afternoon, but today, the celebration ended in a rush after only two rounds of feasting. It was clear that Old Madam Xie was furious.
By the time Ji Hanyi arrived, Xie Yuheng was already kneeling before Old Madam Xie. The First Master brought a whip down across his back again and again, leaving bloody welts and torn flesh in its wake. He then dropped to his knees before Old Madam Xie in tears, begging forgiveness and lamenting that he had raised such a wretched son.
Madam Lin stood huddled in a corner, hardly daring to breathe.
On the way there, Ji Hanyi had heard a little about what had happened to Li Mingrou.
Li Mingrou had not even been permitted to kneel before the Old Madam. Madam Lin dared not let her appear in front of the Old Madam at all and had locked her in her courtyard once more.
The affair had not been entirely deliberate on both their parts. Li Mingrou had drugged Xie Yuheng’s tea.
It was the Old Madam who had uncovered the truth.
The Old Madam knew Xie Yuheng’s character fairly well. No matter how much he might truly like Li Mingrou, he would never have done something so outrageous on a day like this. She had therefore sent one of her senior maids to search the study.
The search revealed that the tea left on the table contained a considerable dose of aphrodisiac, and Li Mingrou had also applied an arousing fragrance to her body. The truth could not have been clearer, and the discovery only sent Old Madam Xie into an even greater rage.
The room was now deathly silent. Xie Yuheng remained on his knees, his back a mangled mess of blood and flesh. Slumped forward on his hands and knees, he looked barely alive.
Madam Lin watched with silent tears, not daring to make a sound.
Only members of the First Branch were present. The Old Madam had sealed off all news of the incident, allowing not so much as a whisper to reach the Second Branch or Third Branch, all for the sake of Xie Yuheng’s reputation.
To commit such an act at his own grandmother’s birthday banquet — if someone with an ulterior motive were to impeach him over it, he could even lose his official post.
Old Madam Xie clutched her chest. Her fingers trembled as she pointed at the eldest grandson she cherished most, the most promising young man in the Xie Family, and let out a long sigh. “Heng’er, how could you be so foolish…”
Xie Yuheng had achieved considerable success in his post at the Court of Judicial Review. The Presiding Official thought highly of him, and even His Majesty had praised him before. If he continued on this path, a transfer into one of the Six Ministries would only have been a matter of time.
Yet who could have imagined that a mere young cousin would nearly destroy his entire future?
Xie Yuheng kept his head lowered in silence. Only when the corner of his eye caught sight of a swaying skirt hem edged in white beside him did the hand braced against the floor tighten involuntarily.
Kneeling beside Xie Yuheng, the First Master turned to Old Madam Xie with a face full of shame. “I will beat this rebellious son to death today. I failed to teach him properly, and I will submit to whatever punishment Mother sees fit.”
With that, the First Master reached for the whip on the floor again, preparing to bring it down on Xie Yuheng. Only then did Madam Lin rush forward in tears and throw herself over her son.
“Master, if you keep beating him, you’ll truly kill him…”
The First Master’s face was livid, and even the hand he pointed at Madam Lin was trembling. “How have you managed this household all these years while I was away? How did you raise our son? You brought that scourge into this family! I would have every right to divorce you this very day!”
Madam Lin trembled violently, her face deathly pale. She no longer dared to say a word.
In the end, Old Madam Xie ordered the First Master to stop, and the whip did not fall on Xie Yuheng again.
Old Madam Xie drew several deep breaths before saying in a low voice, “That scourge cannot be allowed to remain. After committing such a shameless and immoral act, she will be sent back to her hometown and left to fend for herself!”
“Send her away tomorrow!”
Once the Old Madam had spoken, even Madam Lin dared not object.
A bitter sense of disappointment toward Li Mingrou had also taken root in her heart. If Li Mingrou wanted to become Xie Yuheng’s concubine, she only needed to tell her. Yet she had chosen the Old Madam’s birthday of all days, allowed herself to be caught, failed to cover her tracks, and even dragged Madam Lin’s son down with her.
No one present dared plead on Li Mingrou’s behalf. Her future was easy enough to imagine.
Cast out by the Xie Family, she might have some money and belongings, but she would have no one to rely on. She was beautiful, yet no longer a virgin, and this scandal would follow her wherever she went.
In the silence that fell as the matter seemed about to be settled, Xie Yuheng, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice.
He raised his head to look at Old Madam Xie, his voice weak and raspy. “Mingrou made a terrible mistake in a moment of foolishness, and what she did was wrong. But she only wanted to remain with the Xie Family. Please, Grandmother, let her stay.”
“She has already given herself to me. I cannot bear to cast her aside. I wish to take her as my concubine.”