Chapter 90

Chapter 90

The moment Ji Hanyi saw the Divorce Agreement, her mind went blank.

All she felt was the sting in her eyes and the certainty that the day she had long awaited had finally come.

She could hardly believe any of it was real. Her fingertips settled unconsciously upon the paper, and only its tangible texture assured her that she was not dreaming.

Ji Hanyi looked up at Shen Si beside her, her voice turning hoarse. “Lord Shen, thank you.”

Shen Si watched the moisture gather in Ji Hanyi’s eyes, glimmering in tiny points of light. The corners of her eyes were tinged red, and the gratitude in her clear gaze was unmistakable.

Her slight figure was wrapped in plain robes. This time, she had not kept her distance from him. Her delicate fragrance drifted over as his gaze slowly traveled from the silver hairpin nestled in her thick hair to her unadorned ears, finally coming to rest upon her slender, crescent-shaped brows.

His voice was low, but it no longer held the same coldness as before. “Will you regret it?”

Ji Hanyi froze for a moment, then quickly shook her head. “No.”

This was the ending she had waited so long for.

Shen Si lowered his eyes to the Divorce Agreement, then looked back at Ji Hanyi. His slender fingertips tapped against the long desk. “Have you truly thought this through?”

“Once you walk out of here, there will be no turning back.”

Ji Hanyi met his eyes with rare resolve and answered without hesitation, “I made up my mind the moment I walked out of the Xie Family.”

Seeing her expression, Shen Si felt some of the tension inside him ease.

Yet he added in a seemingly casual tone, “It seems to me that he still can’t let you go.”

Ji Hanyi paused and lowered her eyes. She did not believe that Xie Yuheng was unable to let her go.

What he could not let go of was the woman she had once been — the one who had catered to his every whim.

Shen Si’s gaze remained fixed on Ji Hanyi’s face. He watched her lower her eyes, taking in every minute change in her expression.

He realized he did not want to see even the slightest hint of regret on her face.

Fortunately, there was none.

Ji Hanyi spoke softly once more. “My only regret is that I didn’t divorce him sooner.”

Shen Si gave her another long, searching look. He then summoned the subordinate waiting behind the screen and instructed him to take the Divorce Agreement out for the Xie Family to examine. Afterward, the Censorate would send it to the government office to be officially registered.

The matter that had dragged on for so long had finally come to a complete end.

Ji Hanyi watched somewhat dazedly as the clerk carried the Divorce Agreement away. Only then did she belatedly remember that she ought to take her leave of Shen Si.

She stepped back and said with complete sincerity, “Thank you for going to so much trouble today, Lord Shen.”

Then she looked up, guilt and caution entering her voice. “I’ve caused you trouble again.”

Her voice was gentle and soft, filling the silent room like an endless fall of fine rain. In the flickering candlelight, her lovely face appeared even more enchanting.

As Shen Si looked at Ji Hanyi, a thought occurred to him.

From this moment on, she was no longer a member of the Xie Family.

She was free.

She could choose any man she liked.

She could marry someone else if she wished.

Ji Hanyi waited for quite a while without receiving a response. Puzzled, she looked up, only to meet Shen Si’s dark, intent gaze.

Shen Si had always been a man of few words. Even when they were young, he had seldom responded whenever Ji Hanyi tried to strike up a conversation with him. She had long since grown accustomed to his silence and aloofness. What she could not bear was the way he looked at her.

His gaze always seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. She truly could not withstand it.

It was likely past eleven at night by now. Afraid of disturbing Shen Si any longer, Ji Hanyi was about to take her leave when she suddenly remembered that she still had his handkerchief. She had not expected to see him today, however, so she had not brought it with her.

A faint trace of regret stirred in her heart. She and Shen Si had crossed paths by coincidence so often lately that she should have kept it with her at all times.

Now that she had divorced Xie Yuheng, she would not remain in the capital much longer.

She had no idea when they might meet again.

Perhaps this would be the last time she ever saw Shen Si.

A sudden emptiness opened in Ji Hanyi’s heart. Then she thought that Shen Si had probably forgotten all about the handkerchief. Since she could not return it to him now, there was little point in bringing it up.

Her thoughts had gone around in circles countless times before she finally came back to her senses and realized she had been staring at Shen Si for quite some time.

Her face immediately began to burn. Ji Hanyi hastily stepped back again, no longer daring to look at his expression.

Shen Si did not seem to like being stared at this way. After how she had looked at him just now, he was surely displeased.

Clutching the edge of her sleeve, she whispered, “I didn’t mean to stare just now…”

Shen Si looked down at Ji Hanyi’s apologetic expression. Her pale neck was exposed before him, delicate, soft, and fragrant. Warmth suddenly stirred in his heart, and he stepped closer to her.

The woman standing before him no longer had to be called Madam Xie.

Ji Hanyi stared in surprise at the black boots that had taken a step toward her. They were now very close to the hem of her skirt, separated from her by barely a single step. The scent of agarwood drifted from Shen Si, making her heart suddenly race.

But when she raised her head, she found Shen Si looking calmly past her. At that moment, a respectful voice came from behind her. “My lord, the people outside have been shown out.”

Ji Hanyi belatedly hurried two steps to the side. Only after Shen Si dismissed the man did she once again say that she would take her leave.

Shen Si glanced at Ji Hanyi. The woman before him was petite and exquisitely lovely, still possessing that same gentle softness.

He gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment. Ji Hanyi immediately felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She lowered her head, turned, and hurried out.

She was halfway to the door when Shen Si’s deep voice sounded behind her. “When the time is right, I’ll have someone deliver the Divorce Agreement to the Gu Family.”

Hearing how thoughtfully Shen Si had arranged everything, Ji Hanyi quickly turned around and acknowledged him.

She had wanted to offer him a few more words of gratitude, but Shen Si had already taken his seat behind the desk and lowered his head to examine the documents in his hands, as though he had no intention of concerning himself with her affairs any further.
His lowered eyes were utterly devoid of emotion, and his distinguished face had once again settled into its usual cold aloofness, as though what he had just said was merely a passing reminder prompted by a sudden thought.

Ji Hanyi parted her lips, but the words lodged in her throat. In the stillness of the room, she remained silent, then quietly turned and withdrew.

Shen Si did not look up until her figure had passed behind the screen and disappeared.

The main hall outside had long since emptied, but Wen’an was waiting there. He approached with a smile to see Ji Hanyi out and had even thoughtfully prepared a veiled hat for her.

It was for the sake of Ji Hanyi’s reputation. Whenever a woman entered a place like the Censorate, rumors were bound to follow.

Wen’an seemed far more approachable than the forbidding Shen Si. In the inner hall, Shen Si’s innate air of authority had thrown Ji Hanyi’s thoughts into complete disarray. Only now, after stepping into the cool night air and clearing her head, did she suddenly remember that she had forgotten to ask how Shen Si had persuaded Xie Yuheng to agree to the divorce.

She also wondered why Shen Si had yet to formally convene court despite bringing them to the Censorate.

Curious, Ji Hanyi asked Wen’an softly, “When the Censorate handled cases in the past, did it also question people in the inner hall before formally convening court?”

Her question startled Wen’an. What kind of place did she think the Censorate was? If it truly convened court to hear a case, there would be deputy officials seated on either side and clerks keeping records. The full ceremonial retinue would be present, with constables and bailiffs arrayed along both sides of the hall. It could never be conducted as casually as it had been tonight.

The court had not been convened because the Marquis had never intended to convene it in the first place. If formal proceedings had begun, Ji Hanyi would first have received thirty strokes for daring to bring charges against her husband. How could she possibly have endured that?

Besides, everything that had happened tonight had been a show staged by the Marquis’s men to intimidate the Xie Family and keep them on tenterhooks. Forget outsiders — even many people within the Censorate were unaware of what had occurred tonight. The Marquis had arranged matters this way to protect Ji Hanyi’s reputation.

Once court was formally convened, the case would have to be entered into the official register. The records would then be sent to the Court of Judicial Review for final examination before being compiled into a formal dossier. It would only be a matter of time before word got out.

Wen’an looked at the figure beneath the veiled hat and sighed inwardly. The Marquis had gone to such lengths without betraying the slightest hint of it, yet the person he was helping had not understood his intentions at all. How thankless that was.

If Wen’an had not been afraid to speak carelessly about the Marquis’s thoughts, he would have told Ji Hanyi everything about the painstaking care the Marquis had taken. He would have encouraged her to trouble the Marquis more often. Perhaps the Marquis would be in a better mood then, and those serving under him would have an easier time of it too.

But when Wen’an spoke, he imitated his master’s strictly businesslike tone. “The Marquis has his own considerations. How could servants like us presume to know our master’s thoughts?”

After a pause, he added, “If Miss Ji truly wishes to know, why not ask the Marquis yourself?”

Ji Hanyi froze for a moment. Ask Shen Si…

She would probably never have another opportunity to ask him. Even if she did, such questions were likely utterly meaningless to Shen Si.

She had no intention of asking him again.

Ji Hanyi said nothing more and continued all the way to the main gate.

Gu Yan was waiting at the entrance. The moment he saw her emerge, he hurried over and asked softly, “Is it all settled?”

Ji Hanyi nodded. She accepted the cloak Rongchun brought over and draped it around her shoulders, then asked, “How long have you been waiting, Cousin?”

Gu Yan breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at her. “Not long. Lord Shen showed us the Divorce Agreement just now, and once we had read it, he sent us outside.”

He added, “The Xie Family has already left. I doubt they will ever trouble you again.”

There was something else Gu Yan did not tell her. When Xie Yuheng had come out earlier, he had looked utterly devastated. The instant he stepped beyond the gates of the Censorate, he clutched his chest and crumpled to the ground. The Xie Family had frantically helped him into their carriage.

But Ji Hanyi no longer needed to know any of that. It was time for her to make a clean break with the Xie Family.

Ji Hanyi also breathed a sigh of relief. She raised her head and gazed into the pitch-black night. The weight that had burdened her for days finally eased a little.

She had finally escaped the Xie Family, and there were no longer any ties between her and Xie Yuheng.

From now on, she would live her life well.

When Gu Yan saw that she remained silent, he held out his hand. “It is dark and cold. Let us get into the carriage first and talk when we return. Grandmother is still waiting for us.”

Wen’an watched the scene, then glanced at Gu Yan and gave him a closer look.

Ji Hanyi looked at Gu Yan’s outstretched hand. He meant to help her into the carriage. She asked him to wait a moment, then turned back to bid Wen’an farewell and said softly, “Lord Shen went to a great deal of trouble for me today. Please thank Lord Shen on my behalf once again.”

Wen’an thought that if she truly wished to thank him, surely saying it in person would be better than having him pass along the message.

Then again, the Marquis had always been so forbidding and unapproachable. Who would dare draw near him? The Empress Dowager had invited the Marquis to dine at her palace several times recently, all so that Sun Baoqiong could become closer to him. Yet even with the Empress Dowager supporting her, Sun Baoqiong did not dare approach the Marquis or strike up a conversation. How could the Ji Family’s Young Lady, who appeared even more delicate and reserved, possibly dare to do so?

Wen’an continued smiling as he nodded. “Rest assured, Miss Ji. I will be sure to deliver your message.”

At that moment, First Madam Gu’s slightly impatient voice came from inside the carriage. “It is already so late. Who knows what time we will get home?”

Only then did Ji Hanyi turn back. Seeing that her cousin’s hand had remained extended all this time, she hesitated briefly before placing her hand in his and climbing into the carriage.

The carriage pulled away. Having completed his task, Wen’an turned around, only to find that the Marquis had appeared behind him at some point.

The light in that cool, detached gaze shifted unpredictably as it remained fixed on the departing carriage. One glance was enough for Wen’an to know that the Marquis was displeased.

He also knew that the Marquis had seen what had just happened.

Wen’an’s heart skipped a beat. He hurried to the Marquis’s side to report and added, “Miss Ji asked me to deliver a message to the Marquis just now. She wished to thank the Marquis through me.”

Shen Si kept his eyes on the Ji Family’s carriage until it had disappeared into the distance. Only then did he withdraw his gaze.

He stood alone at the gate for a while before lowering his head and boarding his carriage.