Chapter 69
Chapter 69
The moment Xie Yuheng spoke, the room fell silent. One after another, furtive glances drifted toward Ji Hanyi.
Even Old Madam Xie could not help looking at her.
Ji Hanyi remained perfectly calm — so calm that it seemed none of this had anything to do with her, as though she had expected this all along.
To her, there was nothing surprising about Xie Yuheng pleading for Li Mingrou even now.
It had always been this way. It had never once changed.
She also knew perfectly well that if she and Li Mingrou had exchanged places today, Xie Yuheng would undoubtedly have looked at her with disgust.
Every bit of tolerance and favoritism he showed Li Mingrou came at the cost of greater harshness toward her.
Ji Hanyi said nothing. No one had asked her to speak, so she remained silent.
Old Madam Xie was the first to speak. She was also the only person present with the authority to do so.
She slammed the table in fury. “You truly have lost your mind! That woman schemed against you like this, yet you still want to plead for her!”
Xie Yuheng clenched his fists. His back remained ramrod straight, every line of it radiating stubborn resolve. In a low voice, he said, “If Grandmother refuses, then have your grandson beaten to death today.”
Beside him, the First Master trembled with fury. He raised the whip and lashed Xie Yuheng again, roaring, “You wretched son! Do you think I won’t dare beat you to death?”
The crack of the whip soon filled the room once more. Every blow landed with a dull thud, but Xie Yuheng gritted his teeth and did not make a sound.
Seeing how obstinate Xie Yuheng was, the First Master struck even harder.
By the end, Xie Yuheng’s green robes were soaked through with blood. He swayed on the verge of collapse. If the beating continued, he truly might die.
Madam Lin had nearly fainted from crying, and even Old Madam Xie could no longer bear to watch. She hurriedly ordered the First Master to stop.
Xie Yuheng had no strength left. He lay sprawled on the floor, blood staining the ground beneath him.
Ji Hanyi lowered her gaze and met his eyes. He was looking at her, his expression filled with guilt.
She wondered what, exactly, he felt guilty about.
Old Madam Xie turned to Ji Hanyi, placing the most difficult decision in her hands. “Hanyi, if you refuse to forgive Heng’er, then I will make the decision to have him beaten to death today.”
She sighed again. “But if you cannot bear to see that happen either, then grant Heng’er’s wish.”
Ji Hanyi silently raised her eyes.
As expected of the Old Madam.
She had handed Ji Hanyi a choice that was no choice at all.
Ji Hanyi was Xie Yuheng’s wife. If she truly allowed him to be beaten to death, she would become a widow.
If the Xie Family refused to let her leave, she would have to remain here and spend the rest of her life in widowhood.
And since it would have been her decision that caused Xie Yuheng’s death, would anyone in the Xie Family ever allow her to live in peace?
Ji Hanyi understood that the Old Madam could never truly let Xie Yuheng die. She was merely using Ji Hanyi to give herself a way out and grant Xie Yuheng his wish.
Ji Hanyi looked at Old Madam Xie and said softly, “I would not dare make such a decision. Please decide, Old Madam.”
Old Madam Xie gave Ji Hanyi a long, searching look before sighing again. She then turned to Xie Yuheng.
“After what you’ve done, you deserve to be beaten to death.
“But you are the First Branch’s only heir, and I cannot bear to do so.
“I can agree to let you take a concubine. But since she resorted to such disgraceful means, she will remain nothing more than a concubine for the rest of her life!
“She must obey the Xie Family’s rules and serve the principal wife faithfully. If the principal wife has no children, then she will not be permitted to have any either. Even if she does conceive, the child must be handed over to the principal wife and raised under her name. If you ever dare favor your concubine at your wife’s expense, I will be the first to punish you — and I will have that woman beaten to death.”
Xie Yuheng forced himself upright and bowed his head to the floor before Old Madam Xie. His voice came in broken gasps. “Thank you, Grandmother… for granting my wish…”
Although the First Master despised what his son had done, he had never truly wanted to beat him to death. Seeing the Old Madam relent and agree not to pursue the matter further, he also breathed a sigh of relief.
He had deliberately struck so hard precisely because he was trying to save his son.
First Master Xie looked at Ji Hanyi and sighed. “Hanyi, I once promised your father that I would never allow Yuheng to take a concubine. But given what has happened, I hope you won’t blame the Xie Family. If Yuheng ever acts like a fool again, I will stand behind you.”
Ji Hanyi lowered her eyes and, unusually, offered no response.
First Master Xie did not blame her for her silence. He knew he had wronged her as well. If not for Ji Hanyi’s father all those years ago, he would not be where he was today. It was not that he had forgotten the debt he owed. But when his own son threatened him with his life, what else could a father do?
He heaved another long sigh and quickly ordered the attendants to help Xie Yuheng up, take him back, and summon a physician.
Xie Yuheng was covered in blood, and the bloody welts across his back were especially horrifying. When the attendants helped him to his feet, he swayed unsteadily, barely able to stand.
But when he passed Ji Hanyi, Xie Yuheng stopped dead.
This man, always so upright and principled, now hung his head. His ink-dark eyes turned toward Ji Hanyi, brimming with sorrow. When his voice emerged from his throat, it was little more than a low, slurred murmur.
“Hanyi, I’ve wronged you…”
Ji Hanyi closed her eyes, unwilling to spare Xie Yuheng another glance.
Xie Yuheng’s eyes were bloodshot, and flecks of bloody foam stained the corner of his mouth as he tried to explain, “She has already given herself to me. I cannot simply abandon her…”
Madam Lin was already sobbing so hard she could barely speak. “Hurry and take him to a physician! At this rate, this could be fatal…”
The two men supporting Xie Yuheng hastily tried to help him out, but he planted his feet and refused to move, his eyes still fixed on Ji Hanyi.
Madam Lin reached out and shoved Ji Hanyi. “Why are you still standing there? Hurry and help Yuheng! He’s covered in blood. Can’t you see?”
Old Madam Xie frowned at Madam Lin. “Why are you panicking? Heng’er only ended up like this because you failed to teach him properly!”
“I still have something to discuss with Hanyi. You go with him.”
After being rebuked by Old Madam, Madam Lin dared not say another word. She turned back to urge Xie Yuheng to leave quickly.
In that room full of people, not a single one cared how Ji Hanyi felt.
Ji Hanyi opened her eyes and took a step back. Lowering her gaze, she addressed Xie Yuheng with the same flawless composure and dignity as ever. “Eldest Master has done me no wrong. His health is what matters.”
At that moment, Ji Hanyi’s voice was like the feathery snow beginning to fall outside, like the bitter winter wind, like the white snow trampled underfoot — cold and disordered.
The red veins in Xie Yuheng’s eyes multiplied. The servants forcibly dragged him toward the door, but just as he was about to pass through the curtain, he looked back.
Even then, Ji Hanyi did not look at him again.
Madam Lin hurried out after them in tears. First Master Xie looked deeply anxious, but he still offered Ji Hanyi a few words of consolation and promised to transfer two shops into her name as compensation.
He had matters to attend to that evening and needed to make preparations at once, so he hurriedly took his leave of Old Madam Xie.
Old Madam Xie told him to go ahead, then dismissed all the maids in the room. Afterward, she beckoned for Ji Hanyi to sit beside her.
The commotion had lasted for half the afternoon. Though it was still light outside, the sky was already beginning to darken.
The brazier burned hot, its warmth lending the room a faint trace of humanity.
Ji Hanyi stepped closer to Old Madam Xie but did not sit beside her.
She looked at Old Madam Xie and spoke first. “Old Madam, the month is up. Now that Eldest Master has gotten what he wanted, please allow me to leave.”
As she spoke, Ji Hanyi took out the Divorce Agreement she had prepared long ago. With lowered eyes, she presented it to Old Madam Xie with both hands. “The Divorce Agreement is ready. I will leave tomorrow.”
Old Madam Xie paused when she saw the Divorce Agreement in Ji Hanyi’s hands. Then she sighed and took it from her, but instead of opening it, she set it on the low table beside her.
She gazed deeply at Ji Hanyi. “Hanyi, it isn’t that I intend to break my word, but if you return to the Gu Family, will they be willing to take you in?”
“Even if they are willing now, will they still feel the same after many years?”
“And have you considered how difficult life is for a divorced woman? You had little dowry to begin with. Do you intend to depend on the Gu Family for the rest of your life?”
“No matter what, a woman must ultimately rely on a man. And then there is your mother–”
Ji Hanyi abruptly raised her head and, in a rare breach of etiquette, cut Old Madam Xie off. “Whatever happens to me in the future will have nothing to do with the Xie Family. I beg you, Old Madam, please grant me this.”
Her voice trembled faintly. Old Madam Xie’s words had clearly left her utterly disappointed.
Old Madam Xie froze. She looked at the resolve on Ji Hanyi’s beautiful face and the sorrow filling her eyes.
Then she picked up the Divorce Agreement and placed it directly onto the burning coals at her feet. Flames leaped up from below and swiftly engulfed the entire sheet.
The Divorce Agreement Ji Hanyi had painstakingly written stroke by stroke turned to ash in Old Madam’s hand in mere moments.
Ji Hanyi’s face went white, and she stumbled back a step.
Old Madam Xie looked at her with pity. “Hanyi, I know you must hate me now, but one day, you will understand that I did this for your sake.”
“Heng’er has feelings for you. As long as you are willing to accept him again, the two of you will surely live well together in the future.”
“Hanyi, I am doing this for your own good…”
Ji Hanyi’s entire body went cold and began to tremble. She took another step back, shaking her head as her eyes reddened. “Old Madam… what have I done wrong?”
Old Madam Xie faltered. The look on Ji Hanyi’s face pained her as well.
She would not claim to have lived her whole life with a clear conscience in every matter, but she had always acted openly and honorably. Yet now, she had deceived her favorite granddaughter-in-law.
But the sight of Heng’er kneeling before her and weeping his heart out that night had also made it impossible for her to harden her heart against him.
This grandson whom she cherished above all others had been sensible and obedient since childhood. Once, as a boy, he had fallen down the steps and dislocated a bone without shedding a single tear. Yet that night, he had wept with such anguish.
How could she fail to see it? Her grandson had not understood his own heart before, but now he did. He had finally realized who truly mattered to him and wanted to live a good life with her.
How could she bear to let the woman her grandson loved slip away just like that?