Xie Shangyu and Huifu

Shen Qianyue didn't wait for his answer. She glanced coldly at Xie Shangyu's gentle face.

"Second brother must be tired after returning from such a long journey. Rest well. I, the mistress of the Xie Mansion, will take care of the household affairs. Don't worry about it."

After saying this, she didn't even turn her head back, her steps were as steady as a deep pool or a towering mountain, and Jinyu, who was guarding the door, followed her pace.

The teacup in Xie Shangyu's hand finally broke into pieces with a "snap".

The scalding tea mixed with bright red blood splashed onto his sky-blue brocade robe, leaving glaring and dirty marks.

Shen Qianyue's words "Don't bother" had not yet completely dissipated in the pavilion when she was about to step out of the door.

"Oh."

A short, cold, and mocking sneer sounded from behind him.

Xie Shangyu slowly raised the hand that was cut by the broken porcelain and dripping with blood, as if the pain was insignificant.

"Today, my second brother has finally experienced the majesty of my sister-in-law, the mistress of the family."

Shen Qianyue's steps did not pause at all, and she did not even look back. She just turned her head slightly, revealing half of her profile, which looked even colder and more frosty under the light and shadow, with taut lines.

Xie Shangyu continued to speak to himself, his tone carrying an unquestionable firmness.

"You have a mouth on your body, so you can say whatever you want. You can turn black into white and dead into alive. My second brother has heard of your ability even outside the capital."

He rested his injured palm on the small mahogany table, leaning forward with an imposing aura, his eyes fixed on Shen Qianyue's profile.

"The truth can't be determined by words. Shang Jia is my biological brother, born of the same mother. How can he just listen to your one-sided story now? I will investigate it myself. Sister-in-law, please don't feel guilty."

Chen Qianyue finally turned around completely. She was facing Xie Shangyu, her figure standing at the intersection of light and shadow at the door of the warm room, half bathed in sunlight and half hidden in the shadow of the warm room, just like her complicated and indistinct mood at the moment.

She looked at the unfaking pain and anger as a brother in Xie Shangyu's eyes, and the genuine worry for his brother, and a very brief fluctuation, almost a sigh, flashed across her icy eyes.

"Brother, everything I said is true. You are free to investigate if you want, but you need to keep your eyes open and your ears alert."

"The waters of this capital are treacherous. While it may appear calm on the surface, beneath the surface lie countless swirling whirlpools and poisonous arrows. There are more than one or two people eyeing the position of Shangshu Province. They are like jackals smelling rotten meat, usually keeping their claws retracted to pretend to be cunning, but once they get the chance..."

"They don't mind... lighting a few more fires, passing a few more knives between us, muddying the waters, stirring up people's hearts, so they can fish in troubled waters and reap the benefits."

Every word she spoke was like a heavy hammer hitting an alarm bell.

"I believe Second Brother's heart is filled with brotherly love and his sincere desire to protect his younger brother, but don't let this sincerity become a weapon in the hands of others. In the end, it will only harm yourself and... the person you truly want to protect."

The last sentence was like an ice spike, piercing Xie Shangyu's heart. He was not a stupid man. After being away from Beijing for many years, the court structure had already changed dramatically. Those political enemies who were eyeing him covetously might no longer be the same as before.

Xie Shangyu looked at Shen Qianyue and for the first time truly began to re-examine his sister-in-law. She was not only the mistress of the Xie Mansion who was rumored to be ruthless, but also a dangerous opponent who had a clear understanding of the situation in the capital and was well versed in the ways of power.

Shen Qianyue gave Xie Shangyu a final, deep look: "That's all I have to say, second brother, we are the same. Shang Jia is my husband, I won't harm him, you take care of yourself."

Shen Qianyue walked down the steps of the pavilion, and the sound of her footsteps gradually faded away, leaving only the dead silence in the pavilion and the slight sound of blood dripping from Xie Shangyu's fingers hitting the floor.

Xie Shangyu looked down at his injured palm and the blood stains on his robe, then raised his eyes to look in the direction where Shen Qianyue disappeared. On Wen Ya's face, there was only an unprecedented solemnity and coldness.

…

Just as Shen Qianyue's carriage stopped in front of Xie's house and the curtain was not yet opened, Jinyu noticed with her sharp eyes that another carriage with a green curtain turned out from the alley behind. It drove in low-key but swiftly and stopped at the side door.

The curtain of the carriage was opened, revealing Xie Shangyu with a face as solemn as water. He did not even bother to change the blood stains on his robes, but just casually wrapped his injured palm with a white scarf.

"Madam, the second young master has come back." Jinyu's voice contained a barely perceptible hint of nervousness.

Shen Qianyue got out of the car without any pause, as if she hadn't heard anything. She walked steadily towards the gate of the mansion, leaving only a cold instruction: "Don't pay attention to it, go back to Zhuyuan."

Xie Shangyu obviously did not intend to give her a chance to breathe. He almost followed Shen Qianyue's footsteps into the gate of Xie Mansion, glanced at her back, and then turned around. Instead of going to Zhuyuan, he went towards Ci'an Hall where the old lady lived.

He must first find out his mother's attitude. In this deep pool of the mansion, only his mother might still have a glimmer of clarity.

Inside Ci'an Hall, the aroma of warm air curls up and the charcoal fire glows.

The old lady was reclining on a thick brocade cushioned Arhat couch, her eyes closed as she twisted a string of smooth sandalwood Buddhist beads, her expression peaceful.

Xie Shangyu strode in, bringing with him a gust of cold air from outside: "Mother."

The old lady slowly opened her eyes, and her cloudy but still shrewd gaze fell on him, sweeping over his injured and casually wrapped hands, and the glaring dark red on his robe.

"Yu'er, you're back? What happened to your hand? You look so ugly."

"Mother, I went to see my sister-in-law Shen Qianyue today." Xie Shangyu had no intention of explaining these details. He walked to the front of the couch, half-knelt on one knee and looked up at the old lady.

The old lady paused as she twirled her Buddhist beads and sighed, "Did she tell you about Shang Jia?"

Xie Shangyu took a deep breath, his eyes filled with uncontrollable worry and heartache.

"Mother, Shang Jia couldn't even recognize me, his biological brother. This is definitely not an ordinary accident. There must be something hidden behind this. I suspect Shen Qianyue and Prince Dingwu..."

The old lady listened silently, her cloudy eyes fixed on the curling cigarette smoke. After a while, she slowly spoke, her voice filled with the desolation and helplessness of someone who had experienced the vicissitudes of life.

"Yu'er, Qianyue's temper is a bit strong, and her methods... are also a bit harsh, but she has been doing a very good job in managing the family during the years she has been here. Before Shangjia's accident, their love was as deep as the sea."

She raised her eyelids and looked at Xie Shangyu sharply. "Do you have any real evidence to support your suspicions about her? Prince Dingwu is very involved. Without solid evidence, making unwarranted assumptions will not only be useless, but will only backfire and drag the entire Xie Mansion into ruin."

Xie Shangyu was choked by his mother's seemingly fair but actually implicit warning words: "Mother, a son doesn't need irrefutable evidence to care about his brother. Just because she, Shen Qianyue, is in charge of this family, we can't even ask a question!"

The old lady twisted the Buddhist beads a little faster and finally let out a long sigh.

"Yu'er, concern can lead to confusion. If you rashly separate them, aren't you afraid your brother will hate you in the future? Your brother has been playful and unlearned since he was young. He studied hard day and night for Qianyue, even going so far as to make an enemy of his own uncle. He offended countless princes and nobles to overturn the Shen family's case."

She paused, lowering her voice with a hint of indescribable complexity: "Qianyue was already engaged to Prince Dingwu, and we have already let him down..."

Xie Shangyu stood up silently and bowed deeply to the old lady: "Son, I understand. I will go see Shang Jia."

Xie Shangyu, filled with melancholy and anxiety, almost hurried towards Xie Shangjia's warm room, only to find out that he had gone to Shen Qianyue's Bamboo Garden.

Xie Shangyu sneered. He said their love was as deep as the sea, but they still lived separately. If he said that a woman with such deep scheming as Chen Qianyue should not enter the Xie Mansion.

The door of Zhuyuan was ajar. Xie Shangyu stretched out his hand to push it, but his movements suddenly froze when he saw the scene that came through the crack.

Li'er, dressed like a little dumpling, rode on Xie Shangjia's neck, with a group of maids and attendants chasing after them. The scene seemed to have returned to their youth, when Shangjia loved to stick to his elder brother the most, and he would chase after them.

Snowflakes fell softly, and Xie Shangyu was lost in thought. Most of his hair had turned white. The light blue umbrella blocked most of the snowflakes for him. Shen Qianyue's calm voice came from behind him.

"Brother, come in with me and sit down."

Xie Shangyu pushed her umbrella away with force, causing Shen Qianyue to lose her balance and almost fall. There was a stone sculpture next to him, so he didn't care about anything else and reached out to grab Shen Qianyue's waist.

“You…ah!”

Before Xie Shangyu finished speaking, a shadow wrapped in a strong wind rushed in front of him and pulled Shen Qianyue aside.

Bang!

A dull sound of flesh hitting flesh was heard, and Xie Shangyu was caught off guard. He was thrown back by a huge force and his back hit the stone sculpture behind him.

Xie Shangjia had experienced the situation in the morning when Shen Qianyue found him. He was ashamed and didn't want to face it, but Li'er missed him, so he came after much hesitation.

At this moment, he was extremely glad that he had come, otherwise the frail Miss Shen would have been bullied by this beastly playboy.

He stood in front of Shen Qianyue, and with one hand, he pressed Xie Shangyu hard against the stone sculpture. The knuckles of his newly retracted fist were broken, red, swollen, and trembling slightly.

"Jiang Qingyi, what are you doing?"

The laughter in the yard had died down without anyone noticing.

Xie Shangyu supported the stone carving and managed to stand steady. His voice was hoarse, and every word seemed to be ground out from between his teeth: "Shang Jia, I am the second brother."

Xie Shangjia sneered, his fists undiminished in strength: "Ha, Jiang Qingyi, you're such a good fellow! You even called out "Second Brother" in order to beg for mercy."

Xie Shangyu's mouth twitched, but he didn't dare to fight back, for fear that he would make his already stupid brother even more stupid. He signaled to Shen Qianyue with his eyes, asking her to come over and stop the fight.

Xie Shangjia sneered: "Good for you, you won't cry until you see the coffin, and you still dare to flirt with me!"