Chapter 252 Why does an outsider have so many things to say?

The warm pavilion was as silent as death.

Although they were all from prominent families in Yaocheng and deeply resented the Di people.

But it is precisely because of this that they have a deeper understanding of the cruelty and ruthlessness of the Di people.

She followed the Di people from Xuzhou to Yaocheng and became pregnant again.

Whose child is in that belly? The answer is self-evident.

"Miss Ji, what should we do?" Lin Qiyun saw that Jiang Zhi had not responded for a long time and knew that she had finally hit her weak spot.

Since we can't kill her, let's make her and Xie Qi develop a grudge against each other.

No man in the world could remain calm after learning that his woman was pregnant with another man's child, especially a Di man's.

As long as Xie Qi's suspicions are sown, she will have the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

"This bastard child... can't be kept." She sighed, her words filled with concern for Jiang Zhi.

"Your mother gave birth to a bastard!" The door to the warm pavilion was suddenly kicked open with great force, and along with the cold wind, Xie Qi's towering figure, as imposing as a mountain, with broad shoulders and long legs, exuded an innate sense of oppression.

"General Xie?!"

The people inside the warm pavilion gasped in surprise.

Many of them were seeing him up close for the first time.

Unlike watching from afar, the atmosphere inside the warm pavilion seemed to grow even heavier simply by him standing there. His aura, honed over the years amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, seemed to tangibly permeate the air.

Lin Qiyun showed no surprise when she saw him.

She specially invited them to come and watch this good show.

"General Xie? What brings you here all of a sudden?"

"What, can't I come?" Xie Qi's face was as dark as ink, clearly having overheard their conversation outside.

Lin Qiyun, however, acted as if he knew nothing, saying, "General Xie, you may not know this, but Miss Ji has just been diagnosed with a child of the Di people, and we are currently discussing how to handle it."

In a single sentence, the matter was defined.

Xie Qi's nameless anger burned even more fiercely. He took a step forward and was about to speak when Jiang Zhi pulled him back.

She was still reeling from the news that she was pregnant.

Regardless of whether she is pregnant or not, she cannot tolerate Lin Qiyun spreading rumors and ruining her reputation here.

“I think Miss Lin is mistaken,” she said, her face regaining its composure. “I have never been abducted by the Di people. I wonder where you heard this rumor from?”

The fact that she was kidnapped by the Di people was known only to Xie Qi and a few others in the entire city of Yao, and was not spread outside the city at all.

As long as she doesn't admit it, Lin Qiyun has no evidence.

Lin Qiyun: "Of course it was my father who said it. As the provincial governor, he couldn't possibly lie and frame you, could he? Being pregnant with a Di person's child is indeed an unacceptable thing, so it's understandable that Miss Ji doesn't want to admit it."

Jiang Zhi did not deny it further, but nodded, "So Lord Lin is acquainted with the Di people, no wonder he is so well-informed."

Lin Qiyun's expression changed. "Nonsense! It's what my father deduced from the series of events after you arrived in Yaocheng. What does it have to do with the Di people?"

Jiang Zhi chuckled, "Then I can only say that Lord Lin's imagination is truly remarkable—let me ask you, if I was kidnapped from Xuzhou to Yaocheng by the Di people, what would be the purpose of the Di people going to such lengths?"

"Xuzhou is thousands of miles away from Yaocheng, and there are countless checkpoints. Did the Di people think it was fun to sneak into Xuzhou from the north, then abduct a woman from Xuzhou, overcome numerous difficulties and avoid layers of checks, just to bring her to Yaocheng? Can I, a helpless orphan, influence the course of the war, or will I allow them to break through the city in one fell swoop?"

After Jiang Zhi finished speaking, the expressions of the others present softened somewhat.

Yes, do the Di people have nothing better to do than eat their fill?

Given the brutality of the Di people's burning, killing, and looting in the northern border, if Miss Ji had really traveled this far with the Di people, she would have been tortured to death by them long ago. How could she still be standing here in good health?

At this moment, Xie Qi stepped forward and put his arm around Jiang Zhi's shoulder. "Miss Ji was brought to Yaocheng by my people from Xuzhou. I don't know whose slander Lord Lin listened to, that he would get involved with the Di people. It's really unbelievable."

His tone clearly conveyed his protective intent: "And Miss Lin, without any evidence, is making such speculations and trying to ruin a woman's reputation. Her intentions are far too malicious."

Jiang Zhi nestled into Xie Qi's broad arms at the opportune moment, her eyes red and swollen. "I don't know where I offended Miss Lin, that she would slander me like this?"

Lin Qiyun's face was extremely ugly.

She knew why Ji Zhiya was being targeted by the Di people, but these were military secrets that could never be spoken in public.

Otherwise, even the father would be blamed.

Shouldn't Xie Qi have been angry and resentful after learning that Ji Zhiya was pregnant, and vented his anger on Ji Zhiya?

Why should we cover for her?

“In any case, it is a fact that Miss Ji is pregnant, and the doctor cannot be wrong,” Lin Qiyun said, her face pale. “She is carrying another man’s child, and General Xie is still protecting her like this?”

"What's it to you?" Xie Qi's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth. "This is between Zhizhi and me. Why are you, an outsider, making so many comments? What business is it of yours?"

His face was cold and arrogant, but the corners of his eyes were clearly red, indicating that he was also stimulated by this sudden news.

Lin Qiyun felt a sharp pain in her heart from his use of the word "outsider," and involuntarily clenched the handkerchief in her hand.

She tried to calm herself down.

Xie Qi appeared indifferent on the surface, but in reality, he was furious and wanted nothing more than to strangle Ji Zhiya.

Whether she is pregnant or not is irrelevant.

It doesn't matter whether my reputation is ruined or not.

Even though others might not know, Xie Qi knew it best.

Ji Zhiya was abducted by the Di people.

She wanted to stir up that thorn in Xie Qi's heart, to make him feel pain, to make him mind, and to make him unable to let go easily.

That's how you achieve your goal.

Thinking of this, Lin Qiyun took a deep breath, regained her dignified demeanor, and gracefully bowed to Jiang Zhi, "I'm sorry, I must have misheard about the Di people. I apologize to Miss Ji."

Xie Qi scoffed, "Spreading rumors and ruining someone's reputation, and you think you can just apologize and be done with it? There's no such easy thing in this world."

"If in the future we can simply say we misheard something and then arbitrarily frame others without being punished, what's the point of having the government to handle cases?"

The others in the warm pavilion no longer looked at Lin Qiyun with the same warmth as before.

I never expected someone who usually appears so dignified and elegant could be so insidious and vicious.

Being pregnant with a Di person's child is more disgusting than being killed, yet she used it to spread rumors about people without even thinking about it.

It's best to stay away from her in the future.

Facing the disdainful looks from everyone, Lin Qiyun felt as if she were being pricked by needles.

She was already giving Ji Zhiya face by admitting her mistake, what more does Xie Qi want?

"So what do you plan to do?"

Xie Qi pursed his lips, his eyes as cold as the moon. "To ask for forgiveness, you have to kneel down first."

"What?!" Lin Qiyun almost thought she had misheard. "How is this possible!"

How could she, the daughter of a provincial governor, kneel before an orphan with no status?

“It’s fine if you don’t kneel,” Xie Qi said, his expression growing colder. “Then tomorrow the streets will be filled with news of Miss Lin’s affair with the Di people and how I caught her in bed with them.”