Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Madam Lin was indeed in a panic. The officers from the Military Patrol Office had surrounded them earlier and brought every servant here as well. She could not even send anyone out with a message to seek help. Now, she was as good as trapped, utterly at a loss for what to do.
Worse still, Xie Yuheng had been summoned to the rear hall alone. She had no idea why he had been called in or what had been said.
Fear of the unknown was the most terrifying kind of all.
And now, Lord Censor had yet to convene court and had summoned Xie Yuheng alone. Could something truly have gone wrong?
She recalled what Master had told her the night before he left: the Shen Family had been closely following the incident in which Li Mingrou harmed Ji Hanyi. They even knew about Xie Yuheng taking a concubine. The memory made Madam Lin increasingly uneasy.
She could not help wondering whether the Shen Family was paying such close attention because they still had some lingering affection for Ji Hanyi. Lord Left Censor-in-Chief was also a member of the Shen Family. Would he show partiality toward Ji Hanyi…?
Though she believed the possibility was extremely remote, fear still crept into her heart. The more she thought about it, the less everything added up. How could such a trivial matter possibly warrant troubling Lord Censor?
The Censorate supervised all court officials. Instead of hearing this case, Lord Censor had summoned her son first. Could her son have committed some wrongdoing…?
After Xie Yuheng had been inside for over an hour, Madam Lin finally lost her nerve. She strode over to Ji Hanyi, clutched her hand tightly, and said, “I agree to a divorce by mutual consent. Go see Lord Shen at once and tell him you’ve decided not to pursue the case.”
Ji Hanyi had also been on edge. The moment she heard those words, she breathed an inward sigh of relief.
She did not know why Shen Si had summoned Xie Yuheng first, nor did she know why he had yet to convene court. But in the end, Madam Lin had been the first to crack.
Ji Hanyi had never wanted to drag this dispute into court. Before coming here, she had already prepared a Divorce Agreement, intending to present it in court if she still could not reach an agreement with the Xie Family.
Outwardly, however, she remained composed. Looking at Madam Lin, she said, “I can request another audience with Lord Shen, but I want him to witness the divorce. From this day forward, I will have no ties to the Xie Family.”
Madam Lin sneered. “Do you think the Xie Family can’t do without you? Old Madam only refused because she pitied how alone and helpless you would be after the divorce, while Yuheng felt he had wronged you. Since you’re so determined to leave, the Xie Family will no longer be the one wronging you. We’ll grant you your wish.”
Ji Hanyi looked at her. “The Divorce Agreement requires Eldest Master to affix his signature and fingerprint personally. What if he still refuses?”
Madam Lin replied coldly, “You worry too much. I am Yuheng’s mother and have every right to decide for him. Even if he is unwilling, Lord Censor will serve as our witness. How could he go back on it then? I have my ways of persuading him to agree. Rest assured.”
Ji Hanyi relaxed. Those were the very words she had been waiting to hear.
She placed the Divorce Agreement in Madam Lin’s hand and said quietly, “I will request an audience with Lord Shen now. I will tell him that both families have agreed to settle the divorce privately and ask him to serve as witness.”
Holding the Divorce Agreement, Madam Lin now wished for nothing more than to have her son divorced as quickly as possible. She said coldly, “Ask Lord Shen to let me see my son. Once I do, I will naturally have him sign the Divorce Agreement.”
She cast another glance at Ji Hanyi, mockery spreading across her face. “Three years without bearing a child — who do you think you are? I’ve wanted my son to cast you out for a long time. If not for that promise back then, do you think you could have remained in the Xie Family until now?”
Ji Hanyi had no desire to trade barbs with Madam Lin. All she feared now was that some new complication might arise. Without saying another word, she approached a bailiff standing nearby and requested an audience with Shen Si.
Ji Hanyi was somewhat apprehensive. Perhaps Shen Si was still speaking with Xie Yuheng, and this was not a suitable time to see him.
However, the bailiff who carried her message soon returned and courteously invited Ji Hanyi to follow him to the rear hall.
Madam Lin stared blankly as Ji Hanyi was ushered inside so easily. Her suspicions deepened, and she became even more convinced that she could no longer allow her son to act willfully.
Gu Yan watched Ji Hanyi follow the bailiff inside, still worried about her. Beside him, Madam Zhang snorted coldly. “What are you worried about? Does she think life after divorce will be so easy?”
“It’s still too early to be worried. Life after the divorce will be much harder.”
Gu Yan ignored his mother’s words, but his unease only deepened. No one cared more about the outcome of the divorce than he did.
Ji Hanyi followed the bailiff into the rear hall. Halfway there, however, she ran into Xie Yuheng as he emerged from within, his eyes bloodshot and his entire bearing defeated.
He stopped when he saw Ji Hanyi approaching, then quickened his pace and strode up to her. His face twisted with mockery and resentment as he ground out through clenched teeth, “One day, you’ll regret this.”
With that, he brushed straight past Ji Hanyi and marched away.
Ji Hanyi merely glanced at Xie Yuheng’s retreating figure before turning back. Her expression remained calm as she continued following the bailiff.
The rear hall resembled a study, with a freestanding screen dividing the room. Shen Si’s tall, slender silhouette was cast upon it.
The room was so quiet that Ji Hanyi instinctively lightened her steps.
When she passed the screen, she saw Shen Si standing before the window with his hands clasped behind his back.
There had always been a solitary, aloof elegance to the way Shen Si held himself, as though he stood apart from the rest of the world. He had been like this even in his youth. Ji Hanyi rarely saw him standing with anyone else. Most of the time, he was alone, coming and going by himself.
It made people instinctively feel that he had no need for anyone by his side.
Whenever Ji Hanyi saw him, she never dared to stand too close. Even now, she stopped more than ten feet away, so nervous that she barely dared to breathe for fear of disturbing his peace.
But she still had to speak. Just as she was about to take a quiet breath and begin, Shen Si turned around first.
He wore a blue, wide-sleeved robe with a round collar, its hem embroidered with cliffs rising above ocean waves. A silver belt set with clustered pearls and precious stones circled his waist, and a piece of fine white jade hung from it.
It was already deep into the night, and all was silent. The Censorate felt even more solemn and desolate at this hour. Shen Si stood amid that stillness as bright candlelight flickered across his unreadable face. Beneath the plaque proclaiming Justice Shines Bright, he resembled an impartial judge whose eyes held no sentiment, only justice — a judge who now held her future in his hands.
Ji Hanyi was almost instinctively overcome by fear and reverence. She took a small step back.
Shen Si’s dark gaze fell on her retreating step, then shifted to her expression. He said nothing, silently waiting for her to speak first.
Only when Ji Hanyi felt his gaze upon her did she belatedly remember why she had come to see him.
She hurriedly said, “The Xie Family has agreed to settle the divorce privately. Lord Shen, please serve as our witness.”
Ji Hanyi curtsied to Shen Si, then looked at him cautiously. “Can we refrain from reporting this to the authorities now?”
She truly was apprehensive. She knew that reporting a case was no trivial matter. She could not simply decide not to report it after everyone had already come to the Censorate.
It was also the middle of the night. She had troubled Shen Si to make this trip, only to decide against formally reporting the matter in the end.
In truth, Ji Hanyi understood that she was relying on her trust in Shen Si — on the single word he had spoken to her earlier.
If anyone else had been handling today’s matter, then even if the Xie Family had compromised and agreed to the divorce, she probably would have been detained for two days for disrupting court proceedings.
After all, that was the law.
Shen Si still had his hands clasped behind his back. He glanced at Ji Hanyi and took in the cautious look in her eyes, then walked over to the writing desk beside him. Keeping his gaze on her, he tapped his fingers against the desktop.
Ji Hanyi stared blankly at the gesture. When she saw that he was still looking at her, his deep black eyes like silent, unfathomable pools, her mind went completely blank.
When Shen Si saw that she remained rooted far away from him, he raised an eyebrow. At last, he spoke with a trace of helplessness. “Come here.”
Only then did Ji Hanyi understand what he meant. She hurried over to his side.
Shen Si stepped aside, allowing her to move closer.
Ji Hanyi’s gaze fell entirely upon the rosewood desk. Resting quietly atop it was a Divorce Agreement, already bearing Xie Yuheng’s name and thumbprint.