Chapter 117
Chapter 117
Ren Fengjue stood behind his parents. At those words, the expression on his face shifted ever so slightly.
A faint gloom even settled over him.
Lady Rong was startled all over again. “Child, if you won’t stay in the capital, where will you go?”
Xia Ximo fell silent.
Originally, she had needed to ferry souls onward. Now ghost-catching had been added to the list.
She was very busy.
Seeing that she did not answer, Lady Rong assumed it was because of Ren Fengjue and hurriedly asked, “Has Feng’er wronged you in some way?”
Before Xia Ximo could reply, the hot-tempered Ren Xuan had already turned and glared fiercely at his son. “Speak!”
Ren Fengjue: “…”
He looked helplessly at his parents. “Your son truly does not know how he might have wronged Miss Xia…”
Xia Ximo followed up, “He has not wronged me. Breaking off the engagement is my own decision. I ask the Marquis and his wife to grant it.”
Her tone was so firm that both Ren Xuan and Lady Rong looked crestfallen.
In their eyes, if this matter had come from Ren Fengjue, there would still have been room to maneuver.
But now that Xia Ximo herself had said it, the situation was entirely different.
For a moment, the atmosphere grew awkward.
Ren Fengjue had no choice but to speak up and suggest, “Father and Mother have only just come through danger. Why not return and rest first? As for breaking off the engagement, we can decide after daybreak.”
At that, Ren Xuan and Lady Rong both looked at their son at the same time, as though they found this rather remarkable.
After all, for so many years, whenever the marriage was mentioned, he either made excuses or let it go in one ear and out the other.
If this were the old him, faced with such a situation, wouldn’t he have immediately ended the engagement and been done with it?
This move of his now looked more like a stalling tactic…
“Just as well. I am indeed tired…”
As Ren Xuan spoke, he gave his wife a look.
Lady Rong understood at once and summoned Rong Shu, instructing her to arrange a warm chamber in the East Courtyard for Xia Ximo to rest and recover.
Rong Shu accepted the order, then stole another glance at Xia Ximo.
Toward this Miss Xia, she felt three parts fear from the bottom of her heart.
That feeling was truly worlds apart from how she had felt toward the previous “one.”
But behind that fear lay seven parts admiration.
If it were any other noble young lady in the capital, facing Marquis Renxuan and his wife, she might not have possessed such composure.
Before leaving, Xia Ximo glanced at Ren Fengjue, her gaze carrying a deeper meaning.
It was as if she were saying that once day broke, this matter had to have a result.
Ren Fengjue called for a young servant to arrange a guest room each for Yan Zhengchu and Yu Lang.
By then, Vice Minister Yu had already had the Baleful Qi in his body dispersed under Daoist Yan’s “spellwork” and was slowly waking up.
“Where am I now?”
“Where is that Vengeful Ghost?”
“Daoist Yan, why are you here? Didn’t you say you weren’t coming in-mmph!”
Faced with this string of questions, Daoist Yan simply clapped a hand over Vice Minister Yu’s mouth and left under the puzzled gazes of the servants.
Once all the “guests” had been settled, Ren Xuan saw that his wife still had no intention of moving and knew she had something to say to their son. He instructed Ren Fengjue, “Escort your mother back to the East Courtyard.”
Ren Fengjue personally stepped forward to support the Marquise.
After such a sudden upheaval, he thought of how he had spent all these years throwing himself into official duties and felt deeply ashamed.
“Mother, what happened tonight was all due to your son’s negligence…”
Lady Rong smiled. “How has it become your negligence again?”
Ren Fengjue answered honestly, “In truth, your son confirmed the true identity of Mu Zheng’s daughter several days ago. It was only because so many strange cases kept happening in the capital one after another that I set the matter aside for the time being.”
“I had thought that as long as I had someone keep an eye on Mu Tingting in secret, she would not be able to stir up any trouble…”
“In the end… I underestimated them.”
He did not dare imagine what the consequences would have been if tonight’s events had implicated the entire Marquis Mansion…
Lady Rong patted his hand, then shook her head. “You put affairs of state first and are able to share His Majesty’s burdens. That is, of course, a good thing.”
“You mustn’t blame yourself. Otherwise, I’m afraid I would have to go before the Bodhisattva over this and spend days and nights repenting as well.”
“Since the matter has already passed, after tonight, let us not mention it again.”
By now, it was nearly midnight. The night had deepened, and the dew was heavy.
Ren Fengjue took off his outer robe and was about to drape it over Lady Rong’s shoulders when he heard her change the subject and ask, “As for breaking off the engagement, do you have any thoughts on the matter?”
Her words made Ren Fengjue’s hands pause again. A little unnaturally, he said, “Mother already knows what I think…”
Who would have thought Lady Rong’s words carried another meaning? “I knew before. Now, perhaps not necessarily.”
“…”
“The way you look at Ximo is very different from the way you look at Mu Zheng’s daughter.”
“…”
“One’s attitude can still deceive others, but one’s eyes cannot.”
Ren Fengjue frowned, faint displeasure in his expression. “Why must Mother bring Mu Tingting up for comparison?”
Lady Rong looked as though she had seen straight through his thoughts. “Indeed, she should not be compared with the one in your heart.”
“…”
Ren Fengjue’s face tightened, and he simply fell silent.
Seeing this, Lady Rong smiled faintly again. “It doesn’t matter if you won’t admit it now. Perhaps even you yourself have yet to recognize your own feelings.”
“But matters of the heart have always been this subtle. Otherwise, there would not be so many lovesick men and resentful women in this world, tangled in love and hate.”
“I have also thought it over. If Ximo still insists on annulling the engagement tomorrow, I will agree to it and take her as my foster daughter.”
Hearing this, Ren Fengjue raised his brows slightly.
His mother continued, “That way, even if she no longer has a marriage agreement with Renxuan Marquis Manor, she will still be considered a member of the Marquis Mansion.”
“With the Marquis Mansion supporting her, no one would dare bully her for being all alone…”
“Mother.”
Ren Fengjue felt as if ants were faintly crawling through his heart. He said, “As for taking her as a foster daughter, I think it would be inappropriate…”
Lady Rong did not understand. “Why would it be inappropriate?”
“…From what I know of Miss Xia, she may not necessarily appreciate such kindness. Besides, she still has her status as the daughter of the Great General Protecting the State. Who would dare bully her?”
Lady Rong cast him a sidelong glance. “You know her quite well, do you?”
Ren Fengjue immediately choked. He still wanted to say something more, but she cut him off.
“We can discuss this tomorrow. Do you think I don’t know that little mind of yours?”
“…”
By then, they had reached the entrance to the East Courtyard. Lady Rong handed the robe on her shoulders back to him and waved a hand. “You should rest early as well. Come to the East Courtyard tomorrow and have breakfast with us.”
Ren Fengjue felt as though there were many things he wanted to say, but when the words reached his lips, only one remained. “Yes.”
Only after Lady Rong’s figure entered the main house did he move, slowly making his way toward the South Garden.
The night wind was cold and clear, yet it stirred his thoughts like a rising tide.
This night was destined to be sleepless.
Early the next morning, without waiting for a servant to summon him, Ren Fengjue went directly to the East Courtyard.
Breakfast was still laid out in the East Warm Pavilion. When he arrived, Xia Ximo was eating a bowl of bird’s nest porridge.
She was neither restrained nor overly polite. Yet it was precisely this temperament that Lady Rong liked best.
Before long, Ren Xuan also arrived. Lady Rong merely instructed Rong Shu to serve porridge and dishes to the father and son, while she personally looked after Xia Ximo herself, so attentive it could not have been more thoughtful.
After breakfast, Xia Ximo set down her spoon and looked at Ren Fengjue. She asked directly, “When do you plan to write the letter annulling the engagement?”