Yesterday, Lady Xu carried the child and went to the Xiao family’s manor in the northern suburbs.
Ever since a year ago, when Earl Cheng, Xiao Zhishang, returned from prison, he had not only become taciturn and withdrawn but also fearful of seeing people. Unwilling to stay in the residence, he followed his wife, Countess Cheng, to the manor in the northern suburbs.
This past year, the couple had rarely returned.
Lady Xu, however, often carried the child to visit the two elders. Lanyin and Xiao Ye would also go whenever they had time.
Lady Xu was still unaware of what had happened in the residence. Before getting off the carriage, she carefully put a tiger-head hat on her infant son, who was only a few months old, and covered most of his face with a wind collar. Only then did she wrap him in her cloak and step down from the carriage.
A maid reached out to take the child, but she shook her head and lowered her voice. “He just fell asleep not long ago, don’t wake him.” After saying this, she was about to head inside when she noticed the group of people standing by the screen wall, bowing and greeting her. Each one looked dejected, entirely lacking their usual energy.
Lady Xu frowned slightly and asked them, “What’s wrong?”
One of the stewards, who was familiar with her, stepped forward and told her about what had happened yesterday. As soon as she finished listening, Lady Xu’s expression changed. She murmured, “How could this be?”
It had rained suddenly in the middle of the night. Although it had stopped by morning, the sky remained overcast. Beside her, the longevity-engraved white marble relief on the screen wall still gleamed as brightly as ever. Lady Xu stood there, her face appearing even paler under the reflection of the white marble.
Perhaps she was too shocked.
She had unconsciously tightened her grip, causing the infant in her arms to cry out.
Only then did Lady Xu come back to her senses. She quickly lowered her head and gently soothed the child. Once he fell back asleep, she softly asked, “Where is the heir?”
A servant quickly replied, “The heir has a day off today. We have not seen him come out.”
Lady Xu nodded.
With such a major incident happening in the residence, she no longer had the luxury of focusing on the child in her arms. Calling over her personal maid, she carefully handed the baby over, gave a few instructions, and then hurried toward the inner courtyard. On the way, she encountered Steward Xu and took the opportunity to inquire further. Upon hearing that the heir had thrown a huge tantrum last night and even had a few jars of wine brought into his room, her delicate eyebrows furrowed even tighter.
“Madam, now that the heir’s wife is not in the residence and the Earl and Countess are at the manor, you are the only one left who can talk to him. Please go and persuade him. When a couple fights, neither side wants to back down, but what’s to be done? Moreover, although it was quite late when Madam left yesterday, with such a grand display, others must have seen it. If she doesn’t return soon, this matter will escalate!”
Steward Xu had been so anxious that he had not slept all night, and his voice was now hoarse.
Lady Xu let out a bitter laugh. “Would the heir even listen to me?” However, seeing the deep lines on Steward Xu’s face, she still said, “I will try my best.”
After bidding farewell to Steward Xu, she made her way toward the courtyard where Xiao Ye resided.
This was a place she used to visit often.
She was originally the niece of Countess Cheng, Sun Shi. Having lost her father at a young age, she had come to the capital with an old family servant to seek refuge with her aunt. As Xiao Ye’s maternal cousin, she had practically grown up in the Xiao family. From a young age, Xiao Ye had been tall and handsome. Watching him day after day, how could she not like him?
So even though she knew he had a fiancée and was well aware that, given her own status, it would be difficult to become his wife, she still harbored feelings for him. She even refused to marry elsewhere and insisted on staying in the Xiao family.
Thinking back to the past…
Lady Xu sighed in her heart.
But she only sighed for a brief moment before collecting herself and moving forward.
The servants in the courtyard saw her coming and bowed one after another. “Madam.” Among them, Xiao Ye’s head maid, Yunfu, quickly approached her, lowering her voice as she said, “The heir drank several jars of wine last night and has yet to wake up. He also forbade us from entering to attend to him. Please go in and take a look.”
Lady Xu nodded, then instructed them to prepare sobering soup and breakfast before lifting the curtain and stepping inside.
A thick stench of alcohol rushed toward her, nearly making her stagger backward. She raised a handkerchief to her nose and swept her gaze around the room. Wine jars stood or lay overturned by the bed, and the floor was littered with all sorts of items—fruit peels, bowls, and scattered mess. On the bed, the man was still in the same attire he had worn when he went out, his cloud-patterned boots not even removed, holding a piece of paper in his hand as he remained asleep.
From childhood to now, this was the first time Lady Xu had seen Xiao Ye in such a state.
Even during the most difficult times for the Xiao family, the man had never looked so dejected. Or perhaps he had, but back then, the heir’s wife had been by his side, personally tending to him, so no one else had the chance to witness such moments.
He was, after all, the man she had admired since youth. Even though she no longer harbored deep feelings for him, there was still some lingering sympathy in her heart. She stepped over the mess on the ground, walked to the bedside, and sat down. Looking at the man’s disheveled appearance, she took a warm handkerchief and gently wiped his face while softly calling, “Heir.”
In his dazed state, Xiao Ye heard someone calling him.
At first, he thought he was dreaming. He frowned, unwilling to wake up, but the voice was too clear, as if it was right by his ear… He abruptly woke up. Before his mind had fully cleared, his hand had already reached out to grasp the hand of the woman beside the bed.
“You’re back!”
Perhaps he himself did not even realize how urgent, how delighted, yet how aggrieved his voice sounded when he spoke these words. But all these emotions vanished the moment he saw the woman before him, causing his brows to furrow. He released his grip, and his voice turned cold. “It’s you.”
Lady Xu observed the shift in his emotions, her gaze flickering slightly.
But in the end, she said nothing, only rising and bowing respectfully. Seeing Xiao Ye sit up in bed and ask why she had come, she softly replied, “I heard that Elder Sister has left home.”
The atmosphere in the room instantly tensed.
Even without looking up, she could guess how dark the man’s expression must be at this moment. She had never seen Xiao Ye in such a state before. Fear welled up inside her, but she still clenched the handkerchief tightly and lowered her head, saying, “I believe Elder Sister must have only acted on impulse. Why don’t I go to the manor and invite her back…?” After a brief pause, she added, “Our household cannot do without a mistress.”
“She leaves whenever she wants—when has she ever considered this household?” Though he said this, the gloom on Xiao Ye’s face visibly lessened. Yet his pride would not allow him to simply yield.
Even as he tacitly agreed with Lady Xu’s suggestion, he still said coldly, “If you wish to go, that is your business. It has nothing to do with the Xiao family.”
Lady Xu understood his meaning and frowned slightly. But looking at the man’s back, she still responded softly, “Yes.”
“Go then.”
With Xiao Ye’s words, Lady Xu bowed and took her leave.
As he listened to the sound of her footsteps fading away, the furrow in Xiao Ye’s brow eased slightly. But when he looked around at the mess in the room, his brows knitted together once again. He washed his face with cold water to clear his mind a little, then called for the servants to come in and clean up. Afterward, he entered the inner chamber to change into clean clothes. When he saw the wardrobe neatly arranged by Lanyin, his gaze lingered for a moment. Finally, he chose a purple robe—the color Lanyin liked.
Upon stepping out, his eyes fell on the divorce document on the bed, and his expression tensed again. However, after a night had passed, his rage was not as explosive as when he had first learned of it.
He put the divorce document away, intending to retrieve the copy in Lanyin’s hands when she returned, so he could watch her tear them up together.
—
Lady Xu left Xiao Ye’s courtyard and had only walked a few steps when she saw a mistress and her maid approaching from a distance. When her gaze landed on the familiar, delicate woman, her eyes narrowed slightly, but a gentle smile still graced her lips. As the woman drew near, she greeted her softly, “Madam Fang.”
Hearing this form of address, Gu Qing’s expression changed slightly. She bit her red lips lightly but still returned the greeting in a soft voice. “Aunt Xu.”
Lady Xu smiled and glanced at the sobering soup in the maid’s hands. Although she already knew the answer, she still asked knowingly, “Madam Fang, this is…?”
“I heard that Ah Ye drank quite a lot last night. I was afraid he’d feel unwell when he woke up, so I made sobering soup and brought it over,” Gu Qing said. Worried that any further delay would render the sobering soup ineffective as it cooled, she was about to take her leave. However, before she could speak, she heard Lady Xu say, “I wasn’t aware that our household has no servants, or perhaps for some reason, we have to trouble a guest to personally handle such matters. When the madam returns, I must speak with her properly and ask her to punish them severely.”
Gu Qing did not catch the underlying meaning in her words. She was only worried that the servants would be punished, so she quickly said, “It has nothing to do with them. I had nothing to do, so I just thought—”
“So that’s how it is,” Lady Xu murmured in contemplation.
Just as Gu Qing was about to nod, she heard her speak in a solemn tone, “If that’s the case, I must say a few words. Leaving aside the fact that the madam and the heir are of different genders, your late husband has only been gone for a few months, and your elder sister is not at home. What reason do you have for bringing sobering soup to your brother-in-law?”
The woman before her instantly turned pale, as if all the blood had drained from her face in a single moment. She looked as if she might collapse at any time, yet Lady Xu pretended not to notice and continued, “Madam Fang, you come from a respectable family. While it’s true that you were once kind to our heir, in the end, he is now a man with a wife, and you, too, are a woman who once had a husband. The heir, out of consideration for past kindness, does not want to wrong you. Sometimes, even when something is improper, he does not say anything. But you should also consider his reputation.”
“If word of this spreads, the damage won’t be to your reputation alone.”
“Lady Xu, you’ve gone too far!” Xueya, seeing her mistress’s eyes well up with tears, immediately stepped forward to defend her. However, before she could speak, Gu Qing grasped her arm.
“Madam!”
“It was my mistake. I will leave now,” Gu Qing, her face ashen, shook her head at Xueya and turned to leave.
Lady Xu did not stop her, merely watching as the delicate woman fled in haste. In a soft yet pointed tone, she added, “Speaking of which, Madam Fang, your sister left home because of you. As her younger sister, shouldn’t you go see her?”
She noticed the frail woman pause in her steps, but only for a moment. Soon after, as if escaping from something, Gu Qing hurried away at a run.
Lady Xu watched her retreating figure, a mocking smile curling at her lips, her face full of disdain. Only when she could no longer see her did she turn and walk toward the screen wall.
—
Gu Lanyin had slept well the previous night and did not wake up until nearly noon.
The unprecedented good rest left her in high spirits, and even the overcast sky outside did nothing to dampen her mood. After washing up, she told the two maids by her side, “Later, have the old women go to the wild fields and pick some shepherd’s purse1 Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is an edible wild herb from the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is commonly used in Asian cuisine, especially in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean dishes. In China, it is known as 荠菜 (jìcài) and is often used in dumplings, soups, and stir-fries., and fetch the good tea from my trunk. I’ll make tea-soaked rice for you both today.”
Seeing her so happy, the two maids naturally refrained from saying anything that might ruin her mood. Besides, after last night, they had already come to terms with things—since this was what their mistress wanted, they would simply accompany her. As for other matters, they would wait until she was in the mood to discuss them. After all, Bianjing was far from Jinling and Hangzhou, and news wouldn’t travel that quickly.
“Yes,” they answered respectfully and each went about their tasks.
Thus—
When Lady Xu arrived by carriage, this was the scene she saw.
In the immaculately kept courtyard, Gu Lanyin stood in a long cyan dress. Her jet-black hair, as smooth as crow feathers, was loosely gathered into a bun with a white jade hairpin, the rest cascading over her left shoulder. She wore no extra adornments, yet her simple, elegant attire could not conceal her breathtaking beauty. Just by standing there, she became a scenery unto herself.
She seemed to be responding to something Shi Yu had said.
That ethereal beauty of a woman lifted her head, and their gazes met. She placed the quaint yet exquisite yellow clay teaware in her hand onto the table, looked at her, and softly smiled. “Chengbi has arrived.”
Lady Xu took in the scene—the picture of tranquility and grace, and that composed, serene smile she had never seen before. The words she had intended to say upon arrival suddenly became difficult to voice.