Chapter 17 Several moments of suspended motion were not out of resignation, but because my fate was bound to my body. ...

As night deepened, Su Jinxiu finally couldn't resist and carefully placed the prepared cabbage soup and roasted chicken on the stove, simmering them slowly with the embers of firewood, afraid that if Shi Qin's anger subsided, she wouldn't even be able to eat anything hot.

Lan Shexiang sat by the stove with her, smiling as he said, "You, you have a tougher tongue than anyone else, but a softer heart than anyone else."

Su Jinxiu blushed slightly, about to defend herself, when suddenly there was an unusual knocking sound at the door outside the courtyard.

Lan Shexiang immediately put down her embroidery and stood up, saying, "It must be your younger brother who's back. His temper comes and goes quickly."

"Don't open it yet." Su Jinxiu hurriedly reached out and grabbed her sleeve, her voice slightly anxious, but her mind was clear: "When would Aqin knock on the door when he comes home? Doesn't he usually just push the door open and call me?"

Lan Shexiang nodded in agreement, finding it reasonable, but the knocking outside the door grew more urgent, as if the door itself was about to rattle.

Su Jinxiu's heart tightened, and she gripped Lan Shexiang's hand even tighter: "Let's go back inside first and bolt the door. Aqin hasn't returned yet, so it's better to avoid trouble."

Before the words were finished, a loud crash came from outside the courtyard. The wooden door was kicked open, and a group of servants rushed in. They were all tall and straight, and their muscular builds could be vaguely seen under their clothes. They were not ordinary cleaning and choresmen, but rather guards who had practiced martial arts.

The lead servant stepped forward, and Su Jinxiu quickly shielded Lan Shexiang behind her, her palms already damp with sweat.

Unexpectedly, the servant took three steps away and suddenly bowed, his tone respectful to the point of humility: "Second Miss, please come back with me!"

"Second Miss?" Su Jinxiu was taken aback, but quickly realized that the words were not true. She slowly turned around and looked at Lan Shexiang behind her.

When Lan Shexiang's gaze fell on the servant, it carried a knowing calmness. Just as she was about to take a step, her wrist was suddenly grabbed, and when she turned around, she saw Su Jinxiu's anxious eyes.

"Shanxi!"

Lan Shexiang raised her hand and brushed her hand away from her wrist, her voice gentle yet firm: "Don't worry, Qiaoniang, I know what I'm doing."

Having said that, she stood firmly forward, looked directly at the servant, and clearly called out his name: "Mingshan, go back. Tell my father that I am an unfilial daughter. If he insists on marrying me to someone I have never met, then he shall consider me as if I never existed in this household. From now on, I will support myself and will not take a single needle, thread, grain, or rice from this household."

Upon hearing this, Mingshan's thick eyebrows furrowed, and he knelt upright on the blue bricks. Seeing this, the servants behind him also bent their knees and bowed their heads, and the whole courtyard was filled with people prostrating themselves.

"Please come back to the manor with us, Miss!" Mingshan pressed his forehead to the ground, his tone full of pleading.

Looking at him like this, Lan Shexiang's eyes flashed with a complex emotion, but she still said coldly, "Mingshan, tell me, was your life given to you by your father, or was it saved by me?"

Upon hearing this, Mingshan frowned even more deeply, his knuckles clenching until they turned white.

He suddenly raised his head and kowtowed three times, leaving faint red bloodstains on the blue bricks: "Miss has given me a second life, and I will never forget it in my life! But... but I dare not disobey Master's orders!"

"I have absolutely no reason to return home." Lan Shexiang's tone was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

Mingshan's face turned pale. He stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with struggle. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "In that case, Miss, please don't blame me for being rude!" With that, he strode forward and reached out to grab Lan Shexiang's wrist.

Su Jinxiu, watching from the side, was horrified. She rushed forward and spread her arms to shield Lan Shexiang, her voice trembling, "Don't touch her!"

Mingshan didn't want to cause any more trouble, so he simply stretched out his large, iron-like hand and pulled Su Jinxiu, who was blocking his way, causing her to stumble quite a distance before regaining her balance. He didn't say much, but gripped Lan Shexiang's forearm through her clothes and said in a deep voice, "I was impolite! After returning to the manor, Miss may have beaten or scolded me, or even demanded that I pay with my life, but I would have done nothing about it."

Lan Shexiang struggled desperately: "I won't go back! Mingshan, let me go!"

Su Jinxiu struggled to stand firm and saw that Lan Shexiang had been dragged to the courtyard gate. She was extremely anxious and hurriedly staggered forward to catch up.

When Mingshan saw her blocking him again, he frowned and shoved Su Jinxiu outwards with all his might. He was naturally strong, and the push was quite forceful. Su Jinxiu felt dizzy and unsteady on her feet, and she fell straight out the door.

"ah!"

The expected bump did not happen; instead, she fell into a warm, broad arm.

The next instant, her body was gently turned around, and her face, which had been facing the sky, was now pressed against a familiar, warm chest covered with a thin layer of sweat. A pair of large hands firmly held her back, steadily supporting her swaying body.

Are you alright?

A familiar voice rang out above, but it was filled with an intense, unyielding anger, and a hint of rapid breathing.

Su Jinxiu looked up abruptly, meeting Wen Shiqin's anxious eyes. Overwhelmed with panic and grievance, she nodded vigorously.

"Something's wrong!"

The bit of bravado that he had just managed to maintain to stop Mingshan crumbled the moment he saw Wen Shiqin. He pointed at the servant Mingshan and complained, "Aqin, this servant tried to forcibly take Shexiang away. I really couldn't stop him."

Like a child who has been bullied outside, suddenly seeking someone to stand up for them.

And that is indeed the case.

He listened to her weak and aggrieved accusations, his fingertips clearly touching her back, which trembled slightly from fear. His brows furrowed more and more, his face darkened like ink, and the anger surging in his chest almost burst forth.

"Are the servants in the Secretariat so lawless that they dare to forcibly drag their master away?"

When Mingshan heard that the young man could tell that his master was an official and a secretary, and was definitely not a Yan Lu, he suddenly loosened his grip on Lan Shexiang's wrist, causing the servants around him to stop.

Wen Shiqin loosened his grip slightly, using his fingertips to gently wipe away the moisture from Su Jinxiu's eyes. His movements were so gentle, a stark contrast to his earlier anger, and his voice softened as well: "Elder sister and Miss Lan, please wait outside the courtyard."

Having said that, he turned and walked towards Mingshan. Mingshan, seeing that the newcomer was a young man in white, assumed he was just an ordinary, weak scholar and didn't take him seriously. He immediately raised his hand to shove him. Unexpectedly, Wen Shiqin reacted quickly, grabbing Mingshan's arm and twisting it forcefully. With a soft crack, Mingshan's arm dislocated instantly, and he groaned in pain. Before he could recover, Wen Shiqin slapped him on the chest with a force so strong that Mingshan staggered back several steps, unable to hold onto Lan Shexiang's hand any longer, and bent over, clutching his chest.

The other servants tried to step forward, but Wen Shiqin swiftly subdued them. He grabbed one with his left hand and pulled another with his right, throwing them all into the courtyard before closing the gate behind him.

Su Jinxiu and Lan Shexiang listened to the cries of pain and muffled thuds coming from inside the courtyard, their hearts pounding with anxiety.

About fifteen minutes later, the courtyard gate was opened.

Wen Shiqin stepped out, his white robes stained with dust, and the anger in his eyes had mostly dissipated, leaving only a slight restlessness.

Lan Shexiang was still worried, fearing that he might really beat the servants in the mansion to death and that she would have a hard time explaining to her father in the future. So she hurriedly went forward to push open the door and go inside to check the situation. She saw that the servants were lying all over the ground in the courtyard, wailing in pain.

Fortunately, Wen Shiqin knew his limits and did not cause serious injury, only physical pain, but it was enough to keep them going for a while.

Wen Shiqin walked towards Su Jinxiu step by step.

He gently pressed his hands on her shoulders, his gaze sweeping over her from top to bottom, then carefully turned her around to examine her closely, making sure she was alright.

Suddenly, Mingshan's heart-wrenching cries echoed from the inner courtyard, mingled with desperate pleas. His voice trembled as he cried, "Miss, I had no intention of causing trouble! I'm... I'm utterly exhausted!" His throat tightened, his voice choked with sobs. "My entire family is controlled by the master. He said if I can't bring you back, he... he'll take my whole family..."

Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu frowned and looked at the courtyard gate, lightly scolding, "Isn't this moral blackmail!" She then tried to push the door open and enter, but Wen Shiqin grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"Mind your own business. Everyone has their own destiny." Wen Shiqin's voice deepened.

Fearing that Lan Shexiang would compromise, Su Jinxiu hurriedly turned around and retorted, "Didn't you just meddle in my business too?"

Wen Shiqin pulled her to his side, gently encircling her with his arm to prevent her from moving, but his tone softened: "Is your matter trivial? Your matter is of utmost importance."

As the two were locked in a stalemate, a long sigh suddenly came from inside the courtyard, his voice full of resigned weariness: "...Never mind, you go back to the manor first and inform Father. I will return to the manor next month."

Hearing this, Su Jinxiu became even more anxious and struggled to rush in. However, Wen Shiqin was still wary and did not want her to get involved in this mess, fearing that she would develop a meddlesome nature, so he tightened his grip on her even more.

Before he could finish speaking, Wen Shiqin let go of his hand. "Go, go, go if you want to go. Don't mention these discouraging things anymore."

As soon as Su Jinxiu and Wen Shiqin pushed open the door, they saw Mingshan's cries growing increasingly sorrowful. Ignoring the pain from the beating he had just suffered, he struggled to lie on the ground, repeatedly banging his forehead against the blue bricks.

Filled with worry, Su Jinxiu quickly stepped forward and grabbed Lan Shexiang's hand, saying urgently, "Shexiang, are you really going back to the manor? Although I don't know anything about your family, judging from this scene, I know that manor is clearly a den of wolves and tigers. And you're to marry someone you've never even met, how can that be?"

Lan Shexiang patted the back of her hand and comforted her, "I can't avoid this situation. Rather than running away, I should face it myself and let my father see my determination."

A note from the author: