Chapter 23 "I will soon be going to war, Mother..."

After bathing Su Muying, wiping away the sticky residue from her body, dressing her, combing her hair, and feeding her food and water, Xie Linyuan left Jingsi Residence.

No matter how much the girl pleaded, he remained unmoved.

He silently bathed her, wiped her down, dressed her, combed her hair, fed her bite by bite, gave her water, and then closed the door and locked it.

The peach blossoms by the entrance were covered with petals.

Xie Linyuan stepped on the fallen petals and took the key with him.

He still held it tightly in his hand as if it were a precious treasure, and then he left.

Xie Linyuan went to find his mother.

——

Ever since what happened at the Princess's banquet, Xie's mother has been worried every day.

Although the Marquis of Changping did not pursue the matter further, it was, after all, a blood feud over the killing of his son, and the enmity had been formed.

With Xie Lin'an's death, the Xie family indeed lost a major support in the court. The other branches of the Xie family had not made any achievements, only managing to obtain minor official positions.

With the current political situation in turmoil, although Xie Linyuan is a Grand General in charge of the border troops, the Emperor's intentions are ultimately unpredictable. Once the border is pacified, no one can guarantee that the Emperor will not become wary of the Xie family...

Xie Linyuan publicly beheaded the son of the Marquis of Changping at a banquet. His arrogance is outrageous. If His Majesty were to use this incident to settle scores with the Xie family...

Whenever Xie's mother thought of this, she was filled with fear and could only go to the Buddhist temple to pray to the gods and Buddhas for the Xie family's well-being.

How could her two sons have... how could they have turned out like this?

Her eldest son died for that woman, and now her youngest son has gone mad because of her too.

Having spent a long time fighting on the frontier, he was filled with murderous intent and ruthlessness. Although he had acted recklessly before, he knew his limits and would never do something as outrageous as killing the son of the Marquis of Changping at a banquet.

Now the woman has been imprisoned again.

This is insane...

Mother Xie sighed deeply, wanting to have someone call her youngest son over, but she simply couldn't discipline him.

She showed little care for her youngest son from childhood to adulthood, resulting in a lack of the usual mother-son affection between them. After Lin'an's death, he was infatuated with that woman.

Murder, imprisonment—they've done everything imaginable; who knows what they'll do next…

"It seems that Su Muying cannot be allowed to live..."

The aroma of tea wafted through the air, but Xie's mother, lost in thought, had no appetite for tea. She rested her hand on her forehead, pondering the matter, and still felt that all of this was caused by that woman.

That woman was truly a scourge. If Lin'an hadn't died because of her, none of this would have happened.

Mother Xie sighed and couldn't help but say something.

Hearing this, Granny Zhou's eyelids twitched. Did Madam mean...?

She thought that this Miss Su was really pitiful, all alone and helpless, kind and gentle, and she was always gentle and polite to the servants. She never gave anyone a bad look and never looked down on them. She was truly kind-hearted.

But in this world, kind-hearted people are tormented like this.

Granny Zhou wanted to help this girl because she remembered that Su Muying would give her some money on a regular basis and had even asked her to put in a good word for her with the madam if necessary.

Isn't this the time that's needed?

This Miss Su is a very intelligent person, as if she could have foreseen what was going on.

Then, Granny Zhou had a sudden thought. Her eyes crinkled with wrinkles as she smiled and massaged Madam Xie's shoulders. "In my opinion, it's really pitiful that Miss Su is imprisoned by the Second Young Master. Now the Second Young Master is too obsessed with Miss Su. If we release Miss Su and let her go back to her hometown, she will be gone and out of sight. After a while, the Second Young Master will naturally forget about her and will not do anything outrageous for Miss Su again. Madam can also worry less."

Madam Xie closed her eyes to rest. Seeing that Madam Xie did not scold her, Granny Zhou, who had served Madam Xie for many years, knew that Madam Xie had taken her words to heart, so she continued, "If you ask me, this Miss Su was protected by the eldest young master with his life. Her life is also the eldest young master's life. If she lives peacefully, it will be a comfort, and the eldest young master will surely rest in peace in the afterlife."

Compared to the gloomy and aloof Xie Linyuan, Xie's mother clearly preferred her eldest son, who was considerate in everything and filial to his mother. Although he often protected that woman, he would never be as crazy and unreasonable as her younger son.

Xie's mother was also a Buddhist and did not want to commit a killing for no reason.

Lin'an was willing to risk his life for that woman's; if she died, Lin'an's death would have been in vain...

Thinking of this, Xie's mother had the idea of ​​releasing Su Muying from the Xie family mansion, but when she thought of Xie Linyuan's crazy behavior, she sighed and shook her head.

"We'll discuss this later. Lin Yuan is currently so obsessed with that woman that he will definitely not let her leave the manor. We'll talk about it after he goes to the border."

Upon hearing this, Granny Zhou knew that the matter was settled; it was just a matter of timing.

Once the second young master is no longer in the capital, this matter will be much easier to handle.

Just then, as Xie's mother was worrying, a maidservant reported that the second young master was requesting an audience.

Mother Xie originally intended to speak with her second son, Xie Linyuan, but now that he had come himself, she had someone call him in.

Xie Linyuan entered the inner room, dressed in black robes with his hair tied up high with a red ribbon. His eyebrows were lowered, and his skin was so white that it covered the snow. He looked cold and exuded a chill.

Xie Linyuan was born with a handsome appearance. The maids in the room couldn't help but steal glances at him, but as soon as they caught a glimpse of his expression, they quickly looked away and retreated.

At Xie's mother's signal, Zhou Mama also withdrew.

Xie Linyuan didn't waste any words. After greeting his mother, he asked directly before she could even ask, "I have something I'd like to ask you, Mother. Su Muying was allowed to leave the manor after she became pregnant and gave birth. Was this a promise you made to her?"

As a son, Xie Linyuan paid his respects, but his tone was undeniably firm, like a sharp sword.

Madam Xie was taken aback. Seeing that her youngest son was so devoted to a woman, she became even more determined to expel Su Muying from the Xie family.

"Lin Yuan, how dare you speak to your mother like that?" Xie's mother stood up shakily. "Are you questioning your mother?"

"I wouldn't dare," Xie Linyuan said calmly, his voice completely flat. "I just want to know, who told her that she could leave the Xie residence while pregnant?"

Mother Xie was stunned and remained silent for a while.

Who else could it be?

Besides him, who else in the Xie family could make this promise that she could leave the Xie family after giving birth to a child of the Xie family?

To leave behind his brother's bloodline?

Ha, how ridiculous...

...

Xie Linyuan lowered his long eyelashes, his peach blossom eyes, hidden within them, held an unyielding coldness.

A reddish tinge appeared at the corners of her eyes.

Fake.

It was all a lie, my sister-in-law.

Sending ginseng soup was a lie, actively seducing her was a lie, and even the aphrodisiac was bought for her own use, right?

It's like trying to hypnotize myself into believing that I slept with my brother and got pregnant with his child...

Xie Linyuan's lips twitched coldly, and the blood vessels in his eyes gradually spread, making the redness at the corners of his eyes even more pronounced.

Then, even more insane and violent thoughts gradually surfaced in his mind.

No matter what, she can only belong to him.

She had better love him.

If not, he would make her one.

"She is my woman, Xie Linyuan's woman. When did my mother become my boss?"

Xie Linyuan continued to ask, his dark eyes and eyebrows raised, giving people an inexplicable sense of oppression when he looked at them.

Even if the person in front of him was his mother.

Upon hearing Xie Linyuan's words, Xie's mother nearly collapsed from anger.

"Lin Yuan, do you know what you're saying? I am your mother! Are you questioning your own mother?"

"Besides, you've gone mad for a woman. Look at yourself now, what kind of person have you become?" Xie's mother sighed. "Why are you imprisoning her? There are all kinds of women in the world, why are you so stubborn about her?"

"Why not release her and expel her from the manor? Then the Xie family will finally have some peace and quiet."

The matter has been resolved.

"Mother, please don't mention this matter again." Xie Linyuan turned to leave, his voice extremely calm and cold, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Su Muying was entrusted to me by my brother on his deathbed..."

"She'll be a member of the Xie family for life, and even in death, she'll be a ghost of the Xie family."

"Mother, please do not do anything unnecessary."

Upon hearing this, Xie's mother had no choice but to temporarily put aside the matter of the woman. She lowered her voice and said, "You killed the son of the Marquis of Changping. What do you plan to do now, Lin Yuan? Have you really considered the consequences of your actions? If the Marquis of Changping informs the Emperor about this and asks for his intervention, and the Emperor uses this as an opportunity to make trouble for you, what will you do?"

"Have you considered the Xie family, the entire Xie clan?!" Mother Xie slammed her hand on the table, her heart aching.

Xie Linyuan smiled and said, "Mother, why do you think my brother died at the hands of bandits?"

"When did so many well-trained bandits, comparable to death squads, appear under the emperor's nose?"

Mother Xie was taken aback. She continued thinking, her face turning even paler: "Yuan'er, you mean..."

“My brother’s career has been soaring. The Xie family has been fighting for many years. From my father to me, we have all achieved great military merits. The 150,000 troops stationed on the border have fought alongside my father and me through thick and thin and have long been the Xie family’s army. They only know the Xie family and not the Xiao family.”

"Now that things have come to this, Mother should know how the Emperor will treat the Xie family."

"Whether I kill the son of the Marquis of Changping or not, as long as the Xiao family remains firmly on the throne, it's only a matter of time before they settle scores with the Xie family, Mother. Don't you understand, Mother? This day has been coming since Father died..."

After Xie Linyuan finished speaking, he bowed respectfully to his mother, saying in a seemingly casual tone, "But Mother, rest assured, I will protect the Xie family, and Ying'er is also a member of the Xie family..."

He paused meaningfully, his tone becoming increasingly emphatic, making it difficult to discern whether it was a plea or a threat: "I will soon be going to war, and Mother, you must take good care of Ying'er, lest I lose sight of her..."

"I will come to pick up my mother and Ying'er after the situation stabilizes."

Upon hearing this, Xie's mother was suddenly stunned. After realizing what Xie Linyuan had said and what he was about to do, she suddenly covered her mouth tightly.

This is... this is...

He actually wanted to bring that woman along! He's insane! Insane!

——

In the windy and sandy borderlands, a bright moon hangs high in the night.

Under the moonlight, on a city wall built of rammed stone, soldiers in full armor patrolled, ready for battle.

In the stillness of the night, the sound of approaching hooves grew louder. The soldiers immediately became alert, only to see a man on horseback arrive at the foot of the city wall in the blink of an eye, shouting:

"The general has ordered: Open the city gates immediately! Open the city gates immediately!"

The soldiers on night watch looked towards the city wall and saw that it was their general's deputy, Qingshan, so they immediately opened the city gate.

"Open the city gates immediately!"

The city gate opened with a bang, and the black horse galloped past, raising a cloud of dust that settled as the gate closed.

The letter had been delivered to the border, and that very night, the city gates opened again, and a man rode out at breakneck speed, carrying a military report marked with 100,000 urgent orders to the capital.

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Author's Note: It's almost time, Ying'er will be leaving soon [please]

Thank you to everyone who's been following along! [Please!] Please leave a comment, I'm so frustrated! [Please!][Poor me]