Chapter 33 I am who I am. Even if he were to live a life of solitude, he would not want her to suffer...

Thank you twice in one summer

It made someone so angry they fainted!

Xie Pan choked up, his face burning from her gaze, and quickly stepped forward to help his brother up. Xie Pan was strong enough to lift a cauldron, and without anyone's help, he carried his brother to the small house in the courtyard.

Otherwise, he'd catch a cold lying here. One thing at a time, my brother has treated him well all these years.

He glanced at it briefly and concluded that it was caused by a sudden surge of anger and was nothing serious. But he couldn't say that, so he quickly sent someone to the clinic to find the person.

The doctor from the clinic hurried over carrying a wooden box, took Wei Mingzhao's pulse, prepared the medicine, and fed it to him.

This was quite a busy time. After the doctor took her pulse and said there was nothing wrong, Wei Mingzhao quietly led his men away.

The ups and downs were intense, and I was exhausted.

Xie Pan stood guard on either side of Xia Rushi, his silent gaze fixed on her.

He thought he had been discreet, but his gaze was like fire, making her scalp tingle.

Xie Dang was fast asleep inside the house and had not yet woken up.

Xia Rushi and Xie Pan stood on the veranda outside the house, feeling the cold wind.

Hearing such filthy things made me feel hot all over and incredibly stifled, but now, letting the cold wind blow through me makes me feel a little better.

Xie Pan remained extremely quiet, not uttering another word after making that astonishing statement.

"But I don't want to get married."

Xia Rushi suddenly said.

She gazed at the drifting clouds on the horizon and felt that even those clouds were more joyful and carefree than she was. What had she gained in return for all these years of devoted service as a wife and mother in the Marquis's mansion?

She had already experienced this once, and didn't want to go through it a second time.

Even though she believed in Xie Pan's character.

"Hmm." Xie Pan seemed unsurprised.

Upon hearing this, Xia Ru looked at him in surprise.

Xie Pan didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected it to work out in one go. He knew the road ahead would be arduous, and he didn't want to pressure her. So many years had passed; he wasn't in a hurry.

My mind was brimming with a string of words, but in the end, I could only manage to utter one: "I can wait."

"wait?"

Xia Ru smiled, looking him over with a mixture of teasing and suspicion, "How long can you wait?"

Xie Pan frowned: "Just wait until you die."

Xia Ru was stunned, thinking it was just a momentary outburst of loyalty, and chuckled to herself.

But then he said with that uncertain look, "I'm afraid I can't make decisions about what happens after I die."

"?"

Xia Ru chuckled, "Then who can decide what happens after death?"

Xie Pan: "King Yama?"

Xia Rushi was completely unaware that Xie Pan had such an interesting side.

He immediately smiled, a smile like a warm spring breeze that dispelled the chill of winter. It also completely erased the gloom and sorrow he had felt in the dark prison.

Let's go.

Xia Rushi took a step and walked away.

Xie Pan hurriedly followed, and Xia Rushi turned to look at him, "You didn't even ask me where I was going?"

Xie Pan shook his head: "I'll follow."

A complex light flashed in Xia Rushi's eyes, but she ultimately said nothing more. The two then boarded the carriage together and headed towards the Marquis's residence.

The courtyard returned to silence.

Xie Dang lay there, his face, which had been so heroic yesterday, now as pale as paper, his eyes lowered but unable to hide his haggard and desolate state.

He raised his hand, looking at the dried blood between his fingers. The feeling of something slipping away from his hand grew stronger, and his eyes instantly turned as dark as night.

He rolled over and got out of bed, coughing up two more mouthfuls of blood.

He didn't take it seriously, got out of bed, and pushed open the door.

The moment the door opened, Wei Mingzhao suddenly appeared.

Xie Dang gave him a deep, dark look.

The gaze of the Marquis of Zhongwu was so intense it made Wei Mingzhao's hair stand on end, but he

Without Jia'er in front of him, Xie Dang reverted to his cold, hard, and ruthless military general, devoid of any weaknesses.

"Thank you, Cong..."

He paused, unable to recall Xie Conglin's name after hearing what Jia'er had said.

Lin said that the middle character "Cong" was because she missed her tragically deceased husband, whose name was Pei Cong. Now that the marriage is fake, the "Cong" character must also be fake.

Xie Dang smiled bitterly; he had been deceived to such an extent.

I was fooled to such an extent!

I am filled with hatred!

"Where is Lin's son?"

He asked in a deep voice.

Wei Mingzhao: "He's locked up in a separate room."

He tentatively asked, "Would the Marquis like to take a look?"

Xie Dang shook his head: "I won't look."

He was so deceived that he was utterly disgusted with the mother and son.

Wei Mingzhao wondered if the Marquis knew that Xie Lang had secretly poisoned the mother and son. Given Xie Lang's style, he would not have been able to cover it up.

This should be interpreted as tacit approval of this action.

Xia Rushi and Xie Pan were on their way back to the mansion, but their attention was diverted by the shouts of the market vendors.

There were stalls selling roasted meat and dessert shops.

Regardless of what happens to the Lin family in the future, for Xia Rushi, this matter ends here.

She had long been utterly disappointed in Xie Dang and had given up on him completely.

The various aromas and flavors wafted into the nose, making one's mouth water.

Xia Ru looked at this and wanted to eat it, but her eyes were bigger than her stomach, and she couldn't eat that much.

She looked down at the sweet tofu pudding in her hand, which she had only eaten two bites of, and then glanced at the sesame seed cake shop not far away.

Just as she was hesitating, Xie Pan noticed, took the food from her hand, and finished it in a couple of bites. He then paid the stall owner and pulled her to buy some flatbread.

The old man selling sesame cakes recognized Xie Pan, asked what he wanted, and quickly brought out two freshly baked, hot sesame cakes. Seeing that the beautiful woman beside him didn't dare look at him for long, he knew what had happened.

Everyone has been young.

"My lady, your husband is very fond of you. Every time he buys sesame cakes, he stuffs them into his bosom, afraid that you won't get to eat them while they're still warm."

The old man handed over a sesame seed cake and joked, "I already told the important person that I burned your body, and my small business can't afford to lose that money."

Xia Rushi thanked the old man, accepted the flatbread, and said goodbye.

Xie Pan remained silent, as if he hadn't heard what the old man had just said. If it weren't for the fact that the back of his ears were completely red, she would have actually believed him.

Xia Rushi took a bite of the flatbread; the outer crust was crispy and the meat filling was chewy.

Xie Pan would take a bite and then glance at Xie Pan, then take another bite and then glance at him again, until Xie Pan's scalp tingled and he couldn't take it anymore. A dignified military general, walking with his arms and legs in sync!

Xia Ru chuckled softly, and in that instant, all those sordid things vanished from her memory.

As we strolled to the end of the street, it grew dark, and it was time to return to the Marquis's residence.

But today, the thought of returning to the Marquis's mansion made him feel as if a huge stone was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Suddenly, she felt a desire to leave.

She will leave after this matter is resolved.

She quickly made up her mind, glanced at the man beside her, her lips moved but she didn't speak.

He is, after all, the second master of the Marquis's mansion; don't let her put you in a dilemma.

Thinking about it this way makes me feel a little better.

But when I looked at him again, I felt reluctant to part with him.

She only knew Xie Pan as taciturn, but she didn't know that Xie Pan was a stubborn and simple-minded person who treated people so well.

If he marries, he will definitely treat his wife well.

Once this matter is resolved and the threat to Wanyan and Lang'er is completely eliminated, she will leave!

Xia Rushi made her decision.

The old lady treated her very well, but she couldn't make things difficult for the old lady.

What kind of talk would it make if word got out that brothers were fighting amongst themselves?

As she lowered her eyes in thought, Xie Pan kept watching her.

He'd already made it clear he wanted to marry her; he hadn't lied at all. How could he get her to agree?

He knew he had nothing to offer and nothing to impress her.

Not knowing if the Xia family would allow him to marry into their family, Xie Pan felt that it wouldn't be out of the question for him to become a son-in-law.

The two returned to the Marquis's residence, each with their own thoughts.

But they all fell silent when they pushed open the door to Tingzhuxuan.

The courtyard wall that had been smashed when they left had now been completely demolished, and a black military tent stood imposingly next to it.

Hearing the commotion, Xie Dang came out. His silent gaze swept over them, carefully noticing the sudden freeze on Jia'er's lips when she saw him.

Xia Rushi never expected that Xie Dang, with his arrogant personality, could do such a thing, which strengthened her resolve to leave.

However, to Xia Rushi's surprise, not only did Xie Dang act recklessly, but Xie Pan also refused to give in at all, moving a military tent out of his bedroom and setting it up next to Xie Dang's tent, blocking the only way to the bedroom.

The cold wind outside was like a knife, and Xia Rushi stared in astonishment at the two black military tents in the courtyard.

Xie Dang stood with his hands behind his back at the entrance of his tent, watching Xie Pan set up the tent with a sullen face.

Xia Rushi: ...

Have these two gone mad?

She was very tired today and had no time to argue.

I ate a big meal before returning home and was sleepy early on.

Xie Pan brought her hot water as usual. Xie Dang stood not far away with a stern face. His gloomy and pale face looked like a ghost as he stared intently at Xie Pan.

After washing up, Xia Ru returned to her bed and glanced at Xie Pan as he walked out.

Xie Pan seemed to notice her gaze and stopped, then turned back after a few hesitations.

"I'll be sleeping outside tonight."

He handed her a dagger. "This dagger is just in case. Don't worry, I'll definitely protect you."

Xia Ru was stunned. Before she could take it, Xie Pan turned around and looked at the figure approaching in the distance. He quickly stuffed the dagger into her hand.

Coming to her senses, Xia Ru covered her face in exasperation. What on earth was going on...?

No matter what happens, you still need to sleep.

These past few days have been busy, so Xia Rushi placed the dagger under her pillow. She fell asleep as soon as she lay down.

The two men were each in their own military tents in the courtyard.

At midnight, when Xie Dang stepped out of his military tent, Xie Pan slipped out from the tent next to his.

Although he didn't speak or carry any weapons, his presence made it clear—with him there, there was no way to get past.

Xie Dang said expressionlessly, "That's my wife in the room."

These words could not sway Xie Pan in the slightest. Xie Pan was unmoved by reason and simply retorted, "The Lady of the Marquis has passed away, and the funeral has already been completed."

Xie Dang looked intently at Xie Pan, his hand resting on the soft sword at his waist.

Xie Pan remained unyielding. As Xie Dang hesitated, he suddenly spoke up, "Brother, you can't have it both ways. Do you think that by not crossing that final line with that Lin woman, you've remained chaste? That even if she finds out, it'll be fine, and you'll always find a way to explain? Is that what you're thinking, brother?"

Xie Dang was stunned when his thoughts were exposed to his face.

“We are both men, and we know each other perfectly well. From the moment you felt pity for that Lin woman, no matter what the reason for your pity or indulgence of her, you betrayed her from that moment on.”

Xie Pan lowered his voice. He had wanted to say these words for a long time, and it was making his heart ache for her.

Even if he were to live a life of solitude, he would not want her to suffer such humiliation.

"Jia'er is so good, how could you hurt her like this, brother?"

The deep sorrow in Xie Pan's eyes could no longer be concealed.

"Does not actually going to the last step mean we can pretend nothing happened?"

"She even managed to get pregnant using those despicable methods. Brother, how perceptive you are! Letting her succeed so easily is even more disgusting, isn't it? It would be better to actually get her pregnant, this indecisive way. Brother, isn't this just burying your head in the sand?"

Xie Pan was filled with resentment; he was usually like a mute, so it was rare for him to utter such a long string of words.

Each word was like a slap in the face to Xie Dang.

Xie Dang's pupils contracted sharply, but Xie Pan remained calm and said, "That won't work."

"Brother, how could you be so foolish?"

"Brother, don't you understand? Regardless of whether there is a possibility between us, from the day you brought that mother and child back to the capital, there is no possibility between you and her. It's just that you are blessed by heaven and have been able to steal these ten years."

Xie Dang stood frozen in place.

Xie Pan remained standing before Xie Dang, saying, "If you wish to seek her today, then step over my dead body. I will keep my promise to her."

Inside the room.

Xia Rushi stared blankly at the top of the curtain, then suddenly turned her head and buried her face in the soft pillow.

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Author's Note: Next Chapter Preview:

Xie Pan took the baggage she gave him, and after a long pause, he managed to say, "If I come back, will you come and get me?"

Aunt Jia's side story is coming to an end~ I'm a little sad to see it end.