Lanyin had already heard the commotion outside.
Knowing that Xiao Ye hadn’t come, she showed no reaction. Instead, she simply said, “Come in.”
Once Ting Yun led Zhou An inside and he had finished his salutations, Lanyin asked, “Where is the heir?”
Zhou An winced at the way she addressed Xiao Ye. He had initially wanted to speak to her with kind words, hoping to persuade her. But hearing her distant and formal tone, he knew that no amount of pleading would change her mind. Worse still, he dared not repeat Xiao Ye’s furious words to her. After a long pause, he could only stiffly say, “…The heir is busy today and could not come.”
“Is he truly busy, or does he simply refuse to come?” Lanyin asked.
Seeing Zhou An lower his head with an uneasy expression, she sighed lightly. Her posture remained impeccable, hands gracefully folded over her lap as she faced him. “Zhou An, whether I see him today or not, my decision will not change.”
“If he refuses to come, it makes no difference—I will say it to you instead.”
Zhou An’s eyelid twitched. He did not dare to respond. Just as he was about to speak, Lanyin had already continued—
“I sought him out today for two matters. First, I am already aware of what happened at the estate. The servant acted recklessly in throwing stones at the heir—that was my failure in oversight. If the heir was injured or feels aggrieved, he may send someone to discuss terms with me. Whether compensation or restitution, I will agree.”
Zhou An frowned. “Madam, the heir is not that kind of person.”
Clearly, Xiao Ye hadn’t even mentioned this to him—he hadn’t taken the matter seriously at all. The fact that Lanyin would bring this up so formally made Zhou An feel inexplicably uneasy.
Lanyin shook her head. “Even if he does not mind, as the head of the estate, I cannot ignore the matter as if nothing happened.”
Seeing Zhou An remain silent, she did not press further and instead moved on to the second issue.
“The second matter, as you are likely already aware, is that I submitted the divorce petition to the Ministry of Revenue more than half a month ago. Though the officials have hesitated to process it out of consideration for the heir’s reputation, the outcome has already been decided. Dragging this out any longer is pointless. Rather than allowing things to deteriorate until no one comes out unscathed, it would be better to part ways peacefully.”
Her voice was calm, but her words cut straight to the heart of the matter.
She looked at Zhou An and continued, “You have followed him since childhood, and you know how difficult the path ahead is for him. There is no need for him to ruin his future over a woman—don’t you agree?”
Zhou An’s throat went dry.
He could hear the implicit warning beneath her gentle tone. She was giving Xiao Ye time to resolve this matter, but if he refused, she would take matters into her own hands.
Everything that needed to be said had been said.
Since Zhou An remained standing in silence, Lanyin made no further remarks. She gracefully rose from her seat, bracing herself against the table, and left him with a final statement—
“I know the heir is busy. I will give him seven days. After seven days, I hope to receive a satisfactory answer.”
With that, she turned to leave.
As she passed by Zhou An, she heard his hoarse voice behind her.
“Madam… the heir regrets it.”
She paused, but did not turn around.
Zhou An continued, his voice thick with emotion. “Ever since you left, he hasn’t been able to sleep well. He’s been lost in a daze every day. The only time he’s somewhat himself is when he’s at court handling official matters, but once he returns home, he’s like a walking corpse.”
“The servants in the estate are afraid of him now.”
“If this continues, we fear he will ruin himself.”
Then, as if remembering something, Zhou An’s voice grew more urgent.
“But these past two days—he’s been different.”
“Ever since he learned that you wanted to see him, he’s come back to life.”
“He said you like the color purple, so today he specially dressed in a purple round-collared robe to meet you.”
“He also said you love zongzi. Last night, he stayed up all night in the kitchen practicing how to make them. He wanted to surprise you when you returned home for the Dragon Boat Festival.”
By the end, Zhou An’s voice trembled slightly with emotion. Looking at Lanyin, he lowered his voice and pleaded—
“Madam, the heir truly knows he was wrong. Can’t you give him one more chance?”
Lanyin was silent.
She did not respond.
She merely waited until Zhou An had finished speaking before continuing to walk away.
Zhou An never expected her to be so utterly cold. He clenched his fists and, watching Lanyin’s retreating figure, couldn’t help but say, “Madam, you are truly heartless!”
Hearing this, Lanyin’s steps paused for a moment.
She recalled a time in the past when someone had said the same thing to her… Xiao Ye, her mother—the two people who should have been the closest to her in this world had both accused her for the sake of someone else.
Perhaps because she had already experienced it once before, or perhaps because the person speaking this time was not someone she cared about, Lanyin no longer had any reaction. She simply continued walking.
But Ting Yun couldn’t bear to see her mistress being wronged.
The usually calm and composed woman immediately darkened her expression.
She spun around, her gaze sharp as she glared at Zhou An, her voice stern and scathing—
“Heartless? Zhou An, you really have the audacity to say that! You follow the heir every day—do you not know about his dealings with the Second Miss? You stand here accusing my mistress, but when the heir was bringing another woman into the house, humiliating my mistress, where were you then?!”
“Now, you want to play the good man, acting like the heir is the one who has been wronged? And why?!”
“Why does the heir think that just because he regrets it now, my mistress should forgive him?”
“For three years, my mistress has given everything to the Xiao family—do you not know how much she has endured? She married into Bianjing alone, unfamiliar with the city, and was bullied by the elders in the Earl Manor. Where was the heir then? When the old madam scolded her for not having children and tried to force Lady Xu onto him, where was he?!”
“All he knew was that my mistress was ‘forcing’ women onto him, that she didn’t consider his feelings. But if he had even treated her with a shred of kindness—if he had not spent all his time thinking about the Second Miss—would she have done those things?!”
“You think that just because he changed into her favorite color and learned to make zongzi, it’s some grand act of grace? But when my mistress spent days and nights in the kitchen, racking her brains to make dishes just because of a single compliment from him—what was he doing?!”
Her words struck like a sharp blade, leaving Zhou An pale-faced.
Just moments ago, he had been seething with anger, but now, as he looked at Lanyin’s slender yet unyielding figure, he found himself utterly speechless.
Seeing his reaction, Ting Yun scoffed coldly.
She wanted to continue scolding him, but Lanyin suddenly spoke—
“Guard Zhou, you have seven days.”
She did not argue with him.
She did not demand justice for herself.
She simply left him with a simple statement, before turning to Ting Yun and saying, “Enough, let’s go.”
Ting Yun hurried to support her mistress, leading her toward the exit.
This time, Zhou An did not dare utter another word as he watched her leave.
—
Outside Qingfeng Tower.
Ting Yun was still fuming as they stepped out. Lowering her voice, she grumbled, “I used to think Zhou An was someone of substance, but now I see he’s just another blind fool. And the heir… what’s the point of dragging this out?”
“If he regrets it now, then why didn’t he do something sooner?”
Her voice gradually softened as she spoke, because she suddenly noticed Lanyin looking at her—even through the veil, she could tell her mistress was smiling.
“…What? Is there something on my face?” Ting Yun instinctively touched her cheek.
Lanyin chuckled. “I was wondering if I brought the wrong person today. Or maybe that mischievous Shi Yu slipped into your skin instead?”
“Mistress!”
Ting Yun immediately understood what she meant. Just moments ago, she had been fierce and domineering, but now, she blushed like a young girl caught red-handed.
Yet, with that simple teasing remark, her anger had mostly faded. She didn’t say anything more, simply holding onto Lanyin’s arm as they walked toward their carriage.
Just as they were about to find Song Yue, they noticed that he was not alone.
Standing beside him was Tianqing, the personal attendant of Qi Yubai.
The two men were in the middle of a conversation when Tianqing caught sight of Lanyin and Ting Yun approaching.
Immediately, his smile faded, and he stepped forward, bowing in greeting.
“Miss Gu.”
“Guard Qi.”
Lanyin nodded politely in greeting.
Tianqing, like Zhusheng, had been sold into the Qi family as a child and had no knowledge of his original surname. The Qi family’s old master had granted them the surname Qi.
“I happened to pass by and saw Brother Song Yue, so I stopped to greet him.” Tianqing spoke, but his gaze quickly caught onto Ting Yun’s expression—her face still carried traces of lingering anger. He hesitated for a moment, lowering his voice as he asked, “Did something troublesome happen?”
Lanyin was just about to answer.
But Ting Yun spoke first.
“It’s that damn Earl Manor again!”
Right now, she wished for nothing more than for her mistress to cut all ties with them. But she was also worried that the Earl Manor would continue to stall and refuse to finalize the divorce. The Gu family’s foundation was not in Bianjing, and even though her mistress bore the title of the Marquis’s eldest daughter, she still did not hold as much influence as the Xiao family.
She feared that in the end, they would use their connections to protect one another, leaving the matter unresolved. What worried her even more was that if Lanyin fought too hard, it could damage her own reputation.
Ting Yun was considering seeking help from Lord Qi—if Lord Qi stepped in, this matter would be resolved much more smoothly.
But just as she was about to continue, Lanyin pressed a hand on her arm.
“It’s just a small matter, nothing serious,” Lanyin said.
Seeing Tianqing frown, she hesitated for a moment before adding, “Madam Qi is elderly, and Lord Qi is burdened with state affairs. I do not wish for them to worry about me.”
Hearing this, Tianqing immediately understood—Lanyin did not want his master to intervene.
He remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
Seeing that he would not insist, Lanyin did not say anything further. She offered him a slight nod before leaving first.
Tianqing stood in place, watching as her carriage disappeared into the distance.
Just as he was about to leave, he caught sight of a familiar figure emerging from the teahouse—Zhou An.
Tianqing naturally recognized him—one of Xiao Ye’s trusted attendants.
But at this moment, Zhou An’s face was filled with frustration and anxiety. He didn’t even look around, merely mounting his horse in a rush before riding away.
Tianqing thought for a moment, then decided to follow him.
—
That Night.
When Qi Yubai returned from court, Tianqing immediately reported what had happened.
“Miss Gu has given the Heir seven days. If, after seven days, the Heir still refuses to divorce, she will no longer wait.”
After saying this, Tianqing noticed that his master remained silent. After a brief pause, he continued, “But she is a woman alone, with nowhere to turn. We don’t know what she might do. Should we… step in and assist her?”
May was already approaching.
The once long nights and short days had gradually shifted to longer daylight hours.
Even now, after Qi Yubai had changed out of his court attire and stood beneath the corridor, the evening sky was still streaked with brilliant clouds.
He held a string of prayer beads in his hand, slowly rotating them as he spoke, “What did she say to you?”
Tianqing remained silent for a while before replying, “…Miss Gu does not wish to trouble you.”
As expected.
Qi Yubai did not react at all.
Through the layers of green leaves and dappled shadows, his gaze followed Lanyin from afar, watching as she walked beneath the sunset, her figure bathed in its golden hues.
She looked slightly more radiant than usual, glowing in the fading light.
For a brief moment, Qi Yubai’s hand paused.
Then, after a while, he resumed rotating the prayer beads.
His gaze never left Lanyin’s retreating figure as he spoke in a calm voice—
“The Censorate ought to do its job properly.”