14 Smart People

◎A monster in gentleman's clothing.◎

Xie Huaijin was not surprised by Ciying's choice.

Ci Ying simply followed the trend and made the choice that a smart person would make.

So, in the evening light, the young man took his new wife's hand and quietly told the servant outside, "Come in."

Ci Ying turned around and watched a group of people file in. They walked to the bedside with their heads lowered, lifted the white cloth and carried the lady's body to the coffin in the outer room. Two other familiar maids wiped their tears and lifted Aunt Yu Sheng's body from the ground, wiping the coagulated blood from her face with a wet handkerchief.

The maid then knelt in front of them, took out a handkerchief, and presented it with her folded hands.

Ci Ying took it with trembling hands. Written on it were Aunt Yu Sheng's last words, stained with ink: "I have been by your side since childhood, and it has been over forty years now. Now that you have passed away, I will follow you. I only ask that you cremate me and place me in your coffin."

The two maids knelt down, their heads hitting the ground, and were unable to get up for a long time.

Ci Ying covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face again, but she suppressed her tears and ordered, "Tell the people outside to follow the instructions on Yu Sheng's handkerchief. After cremation, bury her ashes with her. Seven days later, bury her in the grave with my wife."

"yes."

The two maids bowed deeply again. While they were delivering the message, guards arrived and carried Yu Sheng's body. The two maids remained kneeling on the ground, and Ci Ying closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, the guards had already left with Yu Sheng's body. The light blurred Ci Ying's vision. She leaned over and helped the two of them up, saying softly, "Go and see them off."

Ci Ying watched the two maids leave. Through a screen embroidered with kingfishers, people were busy outside, and white mausoleum cloth was spread from the corridor to the corner of the courtyard.

The girl's eyes were red but she was no longer crying. She quietly watched everything outside. Beside her, Xie Huaijin looked at her calmly and then turned away.

Two people in wedding attire stood side by side under the eaves, looking out together.

At the same time, there was a commotion in the ancestral hall.

It all began with a letter from Lin Lan, or, more accurately, a suicide note. In it, Lin Lan stated that she did not wish to be buried in the Xie family's ancestral mausoleum and that she wanted to relocate the grave of her deceased daughter, Xie Suwei, and bury them together in a house in the eastern suburbs of Chang'an. If Yu Sheng was no longer alive when her body was buried, she would be buried alongside her.

When Xie Huaijin arrived slowly, the ancestral hall was already in chaos.

"Impossible! How can a woman from the Xie family not be buried in the Xie family's ancestral tomb? If this gets out, the world will laugh at the Xie family!" The fourth elder stood up from his chair, waving his sleeves vigorously and angrily said, "Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!"

Xie Huaijin smiled faintly. When his second sister died, a younger generation proposed to bury her in the ancestral tomb. This elder was also indignant: "Impossible! How can an unmarried woman be buried in the Xie family's ancestral tomb? It's ominous! This is an ominous sign. Because of a momentary impatience, it has disrupted the feng shui of our Xie family and destroyed our century-old foundation. Who can bear this responsibility!"

The guard at the gate saw Xie Huaijin and knelt down to salute.

Xie Huaijin walked past them indifferently and stopped behind the fourth elder.

The Fourth Elder was still debating with the Second Elder, and there were voices of agreement and opposition all around him. Suddenly, the Second Elder fell silent, and everyone else also fell silent.

The strange atmosphere made the Fourth Elder hesitate and turn around, and he happened to meet Xie Huaijin's faint phoenix eyes. The Fourth Elder swallowed his saliva and fell silent.

At this time, Xie Qingzheng, who had been silent, spoke up: "Fu He, have you dealt with everything?"

"Hmm." Xie Huaijin walked over to the memorial tablets and lit a stick of incense. His slender white fingers fanned the incense, causing some ash to fall, revealing the reddish core. The young man inserted the incense stick into the incense burner with proper care. After bowing, he turned and looked at the Fourth Elder behind him on the left: "...How will the world laugh at the Xie family?"

Xie Huaijin repeated the elder's words word for word, and everyone around him was silent. Some people glanced at the second elder covertly. The second elder took a step back to show his attitude, and some people changed their expressions.

Xie Qingzheng looked at it with a cold face, then closed his eyes lightly. If you look closely, you can see that his pupils are shrinking. No one would understand the meaning of this sentence better than Xie Qingzheng.

In a moment——

Mo Yu's sword pierced the Fourth Elder's neck. Xie Huaijin looked at the people around him and said politely, "My father will definitely be buried with my mother after a hundred years. As for my aunt... can we follow her wishes?"

Everyone present nodded hurriedly and agreed. A few people were dissatisfied but were suppressed by the people around them. After they dispersed, they whispered that the fourth elder's body was not cold yet. He wanted to be the next body. Didn't he know how many people in the Xie family had died during this period? Didn't he see that the head of the family didn't do anything?

Mo Yu silently returned to Xie Huaijin's back.

After everyone left, Xie Qingzheng stared at Xie Huaijin silently. The incense in the incense burner was about to burn out.

"Shuhe." Xie Qingzheng's voice lowered.

Xie Huaijin raised his eyes to look at Xie Qingzheng and asked calmly, "After a hundred years, do you want to be buried with my mother or my aunt?"

He no longer called him father behind people's backs.

Shu He hated him calmly, just as she hated the Xie family.

Xie Qing swallowed back what he was about to say and looked at his child with a sad look. He would rather his child lived a numb life like him, rather than being alone now, hating his family and him.

The Xie family has spent more than ten years raising a gentleman who is beyond reproach in the world.

But Shuhe is not a gentleman, he is a monster.

A monster in gentleman's clothing.

Xie Qingzheng seemed to have seen the downfall of the Xie family's ship. He coughed and couldn't speak. Xie Huaijin withdrew his gaze and turned to leave. Mo Yu still followed him like a shadow, and only took a cold look inside when he turned the corner and passed through the door.

*

After Xie Huaijin left, Ci Ying changed out of her wedding dress and knelt in front of her wife's mourning hall in a plain white dress to keep vigil.

In the middle of the night, Ci Ying suddenly remembered that today was her and Xie Huaijin's wedding night.

At dusk, Xiaowan sent a message saying that the young lady's grave would be moved when the lady was buried. Ciying only thought about it for a moment before she understood.

Yu Sheng only left her a handkerchief, and the lady's letter did not mention her, probably because she did not want her to be involved in this storm. And since it was settled so quickly, it was not difficult for Ci Ying to guess who the lady had asked for help.

Xie Huaijin.

Ciying stayed up all night, but she still didn't feel sleepy the next morning. When Xiaowan helped her up and she was about to go back to rest and come back, she suddenly heard voices talking outside the mourning hall.

Ci Ying stopped and saw a young girl in a light yellow skirt leading two elderly men in elegant clothes into the yard. Ci Ying knew who they were at a glance.

The young girl in the light yellow skirt saw her and seemed to recognize her. She glared at her fiercely, then turned around and took the old woman's hand: "Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt's mourning hall is just ahead."

Ci Ying was standing in front of the mourning hall. When several people passed by her, the girl suddenly bumped into her body. Ci Ying was knocked against the pillar and had to hold on to it. Xiao Wan hurriedly supported Ci Ying, but seeing the girl's arrogance, she didn't dare to open her mouth rashly.

The girl became even more proud, but also looked at Ci Ying with disgust.

Ci Ying slowly stood up from the pillar. She pinched her aching arm and looked at the two old men who had been silent the whole time: "Since you two elders are here, please go and burn some incense for Madam."

The two old men looked into the mourning hall, refusing the servants and support behind them, and even the concern of the pretty girl beside them, and walked in, supporting each other. The girl glanced at Ci Ying and went in as well.

The two old men held the coffin and carefully pushed it open. Their voices were hoarse and old, as if their throats were blocked by cotton: "Where is that girl Yu Sheng?"

Ci Ying told the story of Yu Sheng hitting the pillar. The two elders burst into tears after hearing it. Half an hour later, they were helped away by servants.

Xiaowan stared blankly and whispered, "Is it Duke Lin and his wife?"

Ci Ying nodded.

"Why did the lady bump into me on purpose?" Xiaowan was filled with indignation.

Ci Ying had some guesses in her mind, but there was no need to tell Xiao Wan, especially in front of the lady's mourning hall. She ordered someone to guard the mourning hall and prepared to go back to repair it. Halfway through, she remembered that all her things had been moved to Zezhi Courtyard by the servants.

Ci Ying took the small bowl back. This time, the guards at the gate of Zezhi Courtyard were replaced by Zhu Yi and Zhu Er, who were guarding the Madam's courtyard at that time. When they saw Ci Ying, they bowed their heads and said, "Young Madam."

Ci Ying asked, "Is the young master here?"

Zhu Yi and Zhu Er shook their heads: "Someone is coming from Duke Lin's mansion, the young master is going to receive him."

Xiaowan followed Ciying in, her eyes flickering between Zhu Yi and Zhu Er's faces. After entering, she whispered, "They look alike."

"Fellow countryman." Ci Ying was a little tired. She was just planning to come back to change her clothes. After taking off her clothes, she felt dizzy and was helped to the bed by Xiaowan, where she was forced to rest for half an hour.

Thinking of what Zhu Yi and Zhu Er said, Ci Ying planned to go to the front hall to take a look.

While changing clothes, Xiaowan touched a spot on Ciying's arm and said, "That young lady hit you so hard that it was bruised, and she didn't even say an apology."

It was intentional, so where did the apology come from? Ci Ying lowered her eyes and said, "Nothing."

The young lady had told her about the Lin family, and that the only one with domineering behavior written all over their face was the Second Miss Lin. Ciying and Xiaowan walked to the front hall. They didn't see many people along the way. When they reached the door, the elderly voice of Duke Lin suddenly rang out from inside: "Shuhe, I'm sorry to bother you this month. Ah Shu always misses you at home. Now that Lan'er has passed away, she can stay at the mansion to keep you company. Have you considered what your grandfather said in the letter yesterday?"

Xie Huaijin smiled gently. Before he could say anything, Old Lady Lin spoke up, "We heard from your father the story of your marriage to the maidservant. It was Lan'er who was fooling around. How could a slave be worthy of you? Lan'er just resents what happened back then. She hasn't let it go for so many years... Alas, now that Lan'er is gone, and yesterday's wedding ceremony wasn't even completed, let me and your grandfather decide for you and cancel it."

【Author’s words】

Monster, big monster, woo woo woo