Chapter 64 Xie Zhuo's thoughts are even more... than the young lady's...

During the time Xue Mingyao stayed at the Xue family's residence, she summoned Qi Zhao back from the Xie residence.

Qi Zhao was not only a guard, but also the most reliable and useful retainer of the Xue family. Several years ago, when General Xue passed away, he assisted the Xue family members in handling the funeral. After that, he stayed at the ancestral home to do his job until this year when Xue Xingtai sent him to Xue Mingyao's side.

Since Xue Xingtai's case could not be resolved in a short time, Xue Mingyao and other female relatives could not frequently visit the Dali Temple prison, so they asked Qi Zhao to visit the prison every few days to deliver gifts and inquire about news.

The news isn't bad; there's still a lot of room for maneuver in the case.

Xue Mingyao thought that perhaps this was Xie Zhuo's doing.

Xie Zhuo seemed very busy. She returned to the Xie residence several times to look for him, and saw him the first few times, but then she couldn't find him anymore. The two servants and the steward, unaware of the situation, all said that the general's whereabouts were unpredictable and he was rarely at the residence.

Xue Mingyao had considered going to the Jade Unicorn Guard to find him again, but before they parted last time, Xie Zhuo had told her not to come to the guard rashly, as it would have a bad influence, so she had to give up the idea. Now that Xie Zhuo was helping her with something, she couldn't very well go against him again.

Because Xue Xingtai went to prison, the Xue family in Zhongjing was left with only a widow and her children, and they couldn't support themselves. Two uncles came from the ancestral home, saying they were there to help. Xue Mingyao couldn't help but feel that they had ulterior motives. After her father and brother died, she and her siblings, along with their mansion and property in the capital, seemed to have become a piece of fat meat, which was constantly coveted and coveted by some villains in the Xue family.

Xue Mingyao thought to herself that they hadn't fallen that low, so she put on the airs of a princess and fought them a few times, sending them back home.

Before long, the days had passed.

The sister-in-law and Yuniang gradually calmed down and prepared for the worst. Xue Mingyao realized that staying at her parents' home for too long was not a good idea, so she planned to return to the Xie residence.

Just then, things suddenly took a turn for the better.

Feng Sheng's mistress was actually found.

And she did know exactly how Feng Sheng died—a very dishonorable death.

According to her confession, Feng Sheng got drunk at noon that day and went to the house to make love with her. He gradually felt that he was not strong enough, so he took the drug. The drug was strong, and Feng Sheng was so excited that he was overwhelmed and his body could not handle it. In an instant, his heart stopped beating, his eyes went blank, and he stopped breathing.

A life was lost on her bed, and the truth was hard to explain. The mistress, fearing she would be implicated, conspired with her personal maid and decided to flee.

The two men wiped the dirt off Feng Sheng, laid him flat on the bed, covered him with a blanket to make it look like he was taking a nap, then gathered up the valuables and valuables in the house, closed the door, and hurriedly left the capital.

When Xue Xingtai arrived, Feng Sheng had been dead for more than half an hour, and his mistress had also run away. He was drunk and not thinking clearly. Although he sensed something was wrong, he didn't take it seriously. After beating the man, he left without a care in the world and was unwittingly accused of murdering Feng Sheng.

The testimony of the mistress matches the characteristics of Feng Sheng at the time of his death, and some inexplicable doubts previously found by the coroner also make sense. The truth of the case can be said to have come to light: Feng Sheng suffered a stroke due to an overdose of alcohol and drugs, and Xue Xingtai is indeed innocent.

Xue Xingtai had been imprisoned for several days, but once his innocence was proven, he was immediately released from prison without delay.

Upon receiving the news, Qi Zhao drove a carriage to bring him back. The Xue family members were all waiting for him at the gate. When they met, Xue Xingtai couldn't help but choke up, saying, "Finally, I can go home."

He had lost weight; the flesh on his cheeks had deflated, and his once vibrant spirit was gone.

Xue Mingyao's sister-in-law also had tears in her eyes, "Take this as a lesson, and don't ever get into a fight with anyone again!"

“It’s not moving anymore, it’s not moving at all.” Xue Xingtai nodded repeatedly.

Xue Mingyu still felt guilty towards her brother, and mumbled that it was all her fault. Xue Xingtai patted her and laughed, "How can you blame Yuniang? This matter is your brother's fault for being blind and impulsive."

Xue Mingyao stood at a distance to the side, and finally walked over, saying, "Brother."

Xue Xingtai suppressed his smile, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply to Xue Mingyao.

Xue Mingyao was startled and took two steps back. "Brother, what are you doing!"

Xue Xingtai raised his head. "Yaoniang, I want to thank you. I heard from them that General Xie has been working hard for my case, and he was the one who brought back the crucial witness. Without his help, I wouldn't be out of here. And without you, how could he possibly help me?"

It turns out that the mistress was indeed found by Xie Zhuo.

This person seems to be omnipotent...

Xue Mingyao's heart pounded, and she smiled and said, "Brother, why are you being so polite with me? It's good that you're here."

These days, she had thought that if she hadn't broken off Xie Qinglang's engagement and helped Feng Wan enter the palace in order to snatch him away, the Feng family wouldn't have gained power and come to the capital, Yuniang wouldn't have met Feng Sheng, and Xue Xingtai wouldn't have gotten into trouble because of it.

The calamity ordained by God, upon closer examination, was partly her doing.

If she had revealed her past with the Feng family earlier, perhaps she could have prevented her younger sister from marrying into the Feng family.

Thankfully, thankfully, my brother has returned safely.

"Alright, I won't stand on ceremony with you, but I must be polite to my brother-in-law. I'll go to the Xie residence later and kneel three times and kowtow nine times to properly thank my benefactor." Xue Xingtai said firmly as he walked into the residence.

Xue Mingyao thought for a moment, "Why don't we invite him to our residence and host a banquet tonight, both to celebrate your return and to thank him?"

She happened to be going back with Xie Zhuo.

Xue Xingtai nodded in agreement, "That's fine then, I'll send someone to invite him right away."

Hoping he would arrive soon, Xue Mingyao looked up at the setting sun. Her brother had already been released and returned to his residence; Xie Zhuo should be less busy now. She hadn't seen him for several days.

The siblings entered the hall and chatted for a while before Xue Mingyao returned to her courtyard. Her heart still pounding, she stared blankly for a moment, then opened her wardrobe to choose a dress. Having only stayed at the Xue residence for a short time, she hadn't brought many dresses, and none of them satisfied her. So, she decided to try something different and wore a moon-white silk dress she had left at the residence, which would suit Xie Zhuo's taste. She then had Lüzhi style her hair beautifully, carefully made herself up, and went to the front courtyard to see her brother and sister-in-law.

It was already evening, and the hall was filled with fine food and wine, but Xie Zhuo had not arrived.

The servant sent to the Xie residence reported that he had waited for more than an hour but had not seen General Xie, and no one in the Xie residence knew where the general had gone.

Xue Xingtai had no choice but to abandon this arrangement and start eating with everyone else.

Xue Mingyao ate in silence for a long time, then suddenly left her seat and said to Lüzhi, "Send someone to the Xie residence to leave a message for Xie Zhuo, telling him to come and pick me up after he finishes his work tonight. He can come anytime, no matter how late it is, I will wait."

Green Branch went to do it with a smile.

Xue Mingyao returned to her seat and only then did she find the food she was eating taste good.

Xue Xingtai was extremely excited after being released from prison, and he talked about the interesting things that happened in prison with great relish. As Xue Mingyao listened, her mind kept wandering. After finally finishing her meal, she returned to her room and became restless, asking people to pack her trunks and bundles so that she could be loaded onto the carriage at any time.

But Xie Zhuo never appeared.

Seeing that she kept looking outside, Green Branch smiled and said, "Princess, don't worry. I've had someone guard the door. As soon as the general arrives, we'll come back and report."

"I'm not in a hurry," Xue Mingyao said in a muffled voice, no longer looking outside.

Before long, the moon rose above the roof beams, but Xie Zhuo's shadow was nowhere to be seen.

Green Branch hesitated and said, "Should I help you wash and groom yourself first?"

Xue Mingyao refused.

Finally, a figure flashed outside the window. It was the maid that Green Branch had arranged to stand at the door. Xue Mingyao's eyes lit up.

The maidservant entered and curtsied to her. "Princess, the general didn't come, but A-Lian did. The general asked him to tell you that it's getting late and he won't be coming to fetch you."

Xue Mingyao exclaimed in surprise.

"The general also said that since your brother has just returned, you should stay at the Xue residence for a while longer."

After the maidservant left, Xue Mingyao sat down on the couch. What did Xie Zhuo mean by this?

Including the time he spent living with Zhao Ying, they've been separated for almost as long as they've lived together since they got married. Doesn't he long for her to come back?

Or is he just being stubborn again, unhappy that she's been staying at the Xue residence for too long?

But he was the one who allowed her to stay at the Xue residence for this period of time. Besides, she wasn't angry with him. She immediately asked someone to come and pick her up. It didn't matter if he was late. Why wouldn't he accept that? Why did he insist that she take the initiative to go back?

She's going back to her parents' home. Generally, when a married woman goes back to her parents' home for a short stay, her husband is supposed to come and pick her up. Even if the husband doesn't come in person, he should at least send a car, otherwise it's considered impolite. He knows this custom.

Xue Mingyao thought it over and over, and felt that Xie Zhuo's thoughts were even harder to guess than her own; she really couldn't understand him.

There was another knock at the door; this time it was her sister-in-law sending someone to ask if she was leaving that night.

"I'm not leaving," Xue Mingyao replied listlessly. She took off the pearl pendant from her ear and asked Lüzhi to help her with her hair and makeup.

"Do we really want to stay a few more days?" Green Branch asked softly.

“Yes, General Xie gave the order, how could we dare disobey?” Xue Mingyao made the final decision.

After washing up and getting into bed, the moonlight shone softly on the bed. Xue Mingyao wrapped herself in the quilt and pondered Xie Zhuo's meaning again, but still couldn't figure it out.

If this is still him being hypocritical and playing hard to get, then this person... is really out of his mind!

She just had to get entangled with this mentally ill person, leaving Xue Mingyao helpless.

At midnight, a woman's angry scream burst from the deeply hidden tent, and then the tent was lifted from the inside, revealing a pair of bare white feet on the ground.

"Princess?" Green Branch was woken from her sleep and almost shouted when she saw her mistress, dressed in a cloak, standing in front of her like a ghost.

"I'm going back to the Xie residence," Xue Mingyao said with a gloomy face.

Regardless, Xie Zhuo helped her get the person out of prison, and she owed him that.

Green Branch immediately threw off the covers, beaming, "I'll change my clothes right away, please wait for me!"

"I'll go back by myself. You stay here for now, and tell your brother and sister-in-law tomorrow before you leave with the maids," Xue Mingyao instructed.

Green Branch was taken aback. "How can you manage alone? If you don't want to take me, you can take Qi Zhao instead."

Xue Mingyao shook her head. If she went back with Qi Zhao, Xie Zhuo would glare at her and make sarcastic remarks again.

"I'm leaving." She went straight to climb over the wall.

Green Branch dared not stop her, but was also very worried about the princess's safety, so she went to find Qi Zhao and asked him to secretly follow behind the princess to protect her and deliver her safely to the Xie residence before returning.

After an incense stick had burned, Xue Mingyao arrived at the Xie residence, woke up the servant who was guarding the gate at night, and swaggered into the residence.

Even at this late hour, there were still lights on in Xie Zhuo's courtyard.

Xue Mingyao walked to Xie Zhuo's bedroom door and pushed it open without hesitation. A faint smell of medicine wafted to her nose, causing her to frown.

Her good husband, who was leaning against the headboard reading a book, was utterly surprised. "Why are you here?"

"Why can't I come?" Xue Mingyao didn't even bother to look at him, and went to the table to pour herself a glass of water.

She was very thirsty after walking quite a distance.

"You came alone in the middle of the night?"

"Um."

A man's angry voice came from behind, "Are you crazy? Do you know how dangerous it is? What if we encounter bad guys on the road!"

Xue Mingyao turned around, her voice tinged with anger, and said in a coquettish tone, "Who told you not to come pick me up! Xie Zhuo, why didn't you come?"