Chapter 14 Wan Yan Ming Zhao He was facing away from her, his fingers twirling her fire...
Xie Wanyan and Wei Mingzhao
Extra four
Xie Wanyan dismissed the servants and did not take a carriage, but walked back to her residence.
Surrounded by bustling streets, she listened to the noise and carefully considered the events of the past few days.
The father did something wrong, and the mother found out.
The rift between the two is irreparable.
My father received a secret letter a few days ago and then hurriedly left the mansion.
My parents have a very close relationship and are both very open-minded.
Even though her father was taciturn and not good at sweet talk and joking, she was able to tolerate him because his heart was always with her.
What could possibly cause middle-aged parents to separate?
He had another unspeakable look on his face.
The few clues pieced together did not lead to a good conclusion.
She pondered carefully what her mother was so unforgiving, and suddenly stopped in her tracks.
—On women.
The mother only argued with the father over this one thing.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Upon returning, he inquired whether Xie Lang had sent any letters.
It really exists!
Xie Wanyan's eyes lit up as she took it, only to see that Xie Lang had written just three words—"Understood."
Xie Wanyan was so angry she wanted to bite her teeth!
That clumsy, dull-witted fellow! He couldn't even utter a fart after three kicks!
After calming down, she wrote another letter to Xie Lang, announcing that her mother had left the capital and returned to Jiangnan.
This time Xie Lang replied quickly, and his letter contained more words. He simply said that it was good for his mother to return to Jiangnan to recuperate.
He then asked her, "Why haven't you considered marriage yet?"
She felt that Xie Lang seemed to know something, but that bastard wouldn't say!
The second sentence made her think even more deeply.
Xie Lang had always been indifferent to these matters of love and romance, so why would he suddenly ask her this question?
What was he implying to her?
When Xie Wanyan returned to the mansion, her mother was not there; everything else was the same as yesterday.
She looked up and felt that the huge mansion seemed to have lost its soul, becoming much more somber.
She returned to her room and stayed there quietly for a while.
He began to seriously consider the matter of getting married.
If the parents really can't get along and have to separate, the mother will naturally suffer because the father holds a high position and has great power.
It seems she really needs to find a suitable marriage partner; this matter can't be delayed any longer.
She can no longer be willful; at the very least, she must be able to be her mother's support in the future and not cause her mother any worry.
Xie Wanyan acted immediately, writing down on paper all the powerful families in the capital that could rival the Marquis's mansion.
Her father is now the Minister of War, a second-rank official, and there are very few people who can rival him.
Xie Lang will be fine once he grows up in a few years.
With the father holding military power, it's best to avoid his sharp edge while also keeping him in check.
Xie Wanyan prepared for the worst possible outcome. They say that having a stepmother means having a stepfather. She couldn't risk putting her mother in danger.
She was useless, born a girl, and could only earn some money by tending the farm and shops, but this money was nothing but fleeting smoke in the face of real power.
Unable to achieve anything significant, she was unable to protect her mother.
She has plenty of money, but without power, she is nothing.
This was the only method she could use; it was her backup plan.
The current Right Chancellor and Grand Tutor's families are more powerful than the Marquis of Zhongwu's family.
There were indeed dukes, but they had long since passed away, and the younger generation had not taken their place. They would likely pass away in a few years.
The Right Chancellor, named Xiao Yan, was originally a close associate of the Regent. After the Regent came to power, Xiao Yan's position rose in rank, and he assumed the responsibilities of the Right Chancellor.
However, Xiao Yan's health was not good due to injuries sustained in his early years. It is unknown why he is still unmarried at this age. Some say it is because he originally had a beloved, but they were separated by the war. Others say that he was seriously injured in the past, and marriage would delay others, so he has not married.
She had never met Xiao Yan before and assumed he would be a pale and thin man.
First, draw a circle.
The next family was that of the Grand Tutor.
The Grand Tutor held an extremely high position because he taught three emperors in succession.
The late emperor, the regent who now holds real power in the dynasty, and the young emperor who is currently in power.
All three had excellent relationships with the Grand Tutor and were highly respected.
The Grand Tutor's family was small, consisting only of his elderly wife, who bore him three sons. These three sons later remarried and had more children.
The only son of the Grand Tutor of the same age as her is the youngest son of her third wife, who is in his early twenties and named Xie Xun. He is currently serving as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
The family that had been engaged were in mourning when the fiancée suddenly fell ill and died, which delayed the wedding.
She is from the same clan as him.
You're joking. They look like the same Xie family. Actually, the other family is the Chenjun Xie clan, a powerful and influential clan that originated in the Wei and Jin dynasties, and has a much longer history than ours. Our family is just an ordinary Xie clan in Jiangdong.
She preferred Xie Xun, who was about the same age as her. They even shared the same surname, Xie, so somehow she figured the Xie family name would be passed down to them.
The next day, she secretly went to the tea shop and asked the shopkeeper to inquire about it for her.
The tea shop manager was a trusted confidante given to her by her mother, and she was extremely tight-lipped.
This was not an easy task, and while she was anxious, she kept telling herself to be patient.
A year has passed in the blink of an eye. Her mother is still staying at her uncle's house in Jiangnan and has not returned home. She has finally gotten her wish and made contact with Xie Xun.
Xie Xun was not the person she had imagined. He was gentle and refined, but every time she looked into his dark eyes, she felt as if she were looking at a snake.
Xie Xunken had his own reasons for cooperating with her.
Xie Xun had a woman he loved, but her family background was unsuitable for a principal wife, and he didn't want her to suffer. So he wanted to find a tolerant noblewoman, but she refused to be with him again after learning of his engagement.
How easy is it to find a noblewoman from a wealthy and influential family who can tolerate such a person?
This caused Xie Xun's marriage to be delayed.
Unexpectedly, I ended up meeting Xie Wanyan by sheer coincidence!
Xie Wanyan no longer yearns for love; in fact, she finds it disgusting, like a slug, and prefers to avoid it altogether.
She secretly made a deal with Xie Xun, giving him a public facade while she used his influence.
After they separate rooms, she won't interfere in his affairs. They'll live in separate courtyards, and she can dote on his wife however she wants, but she won't embarrass him in public.
Xie Xun agreed.
Then they began the process of betrothal and name-asking.
Because my mother was in Jiangnan, the correspondence was slower.
But she didn't expect her mother to still not have returned home, and her heart sank even further.
The issues between her parents were more serious than she had imagined.
I have no idea what my father did.
That year, my father remained taciturn, but unlike when my mother was alive, the flame in his eyes seemed to have been extinguished.
Xie Wanyan was also waiting to be married at home, doing some needlework.
Although she is not marrying the person she loved in her youth, and they may divorce in a few years, it is still her first time getting married, and she cannot lack what others have.
Xie Wanyan also has her pride.
She would always get lost in thought when embroidering her wedding dress.
Holding the silver needle, he stared blankly out the window at the paulownia tree that had long been cut down.
Her mother had already prepared her dowry, so it wasn't a problem.
It has everything from head to toe.
The wedding was set for the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring).
Happy Spring Equinox!
Time flies. My mother sent many letters, saying that she would definitely come back before her wedding.
She noticed the weak handwriting on the letter and figured her mother was still not well.
Her mother must be happy to know that she got married, and to a good man, right? At least she won't have to worry about her so much anymore.
This winter also brought something new: the young master of the Wei family, who was wiped out more than three years ago, made military achievements, was exonerated, and returned to the capital in a dignified manner.
Because he penetrated deep into enemy territory and risked his life to kill the enemy commander, the regent allowed him to work in the Ministry of War.
But he volunteered to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) has no good reputation.
For a moment, everyone in the capital felt sorry for this young master. What a bright and spirited young man he once was! They thought he would grow up to be a noble person like Xiao Yan, just like Xie Lang, but now he was going to enter that filthy place.
She travels a lot these days, and inevitably all sorts of news reaches her ears.
They've been separated for almost three years now.
Time really flies.
Recalling how she had acted back then, Xie Wanyan shook her head helplessly, as if it were something from a past life.
As her wedding approached, Xie Xun actually started contacting her more frequently.
It wasn't about marrying her, but rather asking her how to please a woman.
They agreed to offer incense together today.
After offering incense, they went to the back of the mountain to talk.
He looked like he had a terrible headache. "She's been sullen lately and doesn't want to talk to me."
Xie Wanyan was somewhat envious of the girl. After all, having genuine affection was better than having insincere affection.
But then she thought, is this sincerity any better than hypocrisy?
Xie Wanyan looked at Xie Xun with a complicated expression and asked him, "That woman is clearly the type who can't tolerate any injustice, are you really going to marry her?"
Xie Xun remained silent for a long time, then said, "But this is the best solution I can think of."
Xie Wanyan looked at him.
Xie Xun continued, "We will divorce after our elders pass away, and then I will bring her into the family as my second wife."
He sighed, "The second wife's family background wasn't that harsh."
Xie Wanyan sighed.
Xie Xun asked her why she sighed.
She shook her head and looked into the distance. "I always felt you would regret it."
Xie Xun did not answer, his lowered eyelashes obscuring the shadows in his eyes.
After they finished speaking, they prepared to return to the city.
Xie Wanyan sat in the car, with Xie Xun beside her.
On the way back to the city, several fine horses galloped past, kicking up dust.
Hearing the noise, Xie Wanyan curiously lifted the carriage curtain, only to be met with a pair of dark eyes.
She paused for a moment, then turned to look at Xie Xun.
Xie Xun nodded to her.
It is Wei Mingzhao.
Xie Wanyan lowered the carriage curtain.
Wei Mingzhao had changed so much that she couldn't recognize him at first, otherwise she wouldn't have asked Xie Xun for confirmation.
Before collaborating with her, Xie Xun had thoroughly investigated her past and knew about her relationship with Wei Mingzhao.
Xie Wanyan didn't know what Xie Xun was thinking, but Xie Xun secretly felt sorry for the two of them.
Childhood sweethearts, from suitable social classes.
Wei Mingzhao so heartlessly pushed away the girl he loved; how cruel!
Xie Wanyan's eyelashes trembled only when she could no longer hear the sound of horses' hooves.
She suddenly remembered that her parents named her Wanyan because they thought she was like a beautiful jade, but unfortunately she had no one to appreciate her beauty.
Back at the Marquis's residence, he was somewhat absent-minded when he bid farewell to Xie Xun.
Wei Mingzhao has changed so much. Three years ago, he was still a stubborn young man, but now, just one glance tells you that he is no pushover and must have killed a lot of people.
The murderous aura emanating from him was almost enough to devour a person.
Concealing her various thoughts, Xie Wanyan glanced at the tree stumps in the courtyard.
That tree stump, like a scar on this yard, will remain here forever.
I did some needlework again, and I'm so sleepy.
She put the needle and thread aside and closed her eyes on the soft couch in the courtyard.
Now that it's getting warmer, the wind has a gentler feel, and it's strangely comforting to have it brush against my cheek while I'm still half asleep.
In a state between sleep and wakefulness, I felt a gaze upon me.
Just now, it seemed that the old woman had covered her with a cloak.
It was so comfortable that even though she knew someone was watching her, she couldn't wake up for a moment.
After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly opened her eyes.
It was already dark, and the sky was dotted with stars.
She was about to call for the old woman when she turned her head and saw the man standing beside the soft couch.
He should be able to be called a man now.
He was facing away from her, head bowed, his fingers twirling her fiery red wedding dress.
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Author's Note: Next Chapter Preview:
He had only taken two steps when his deep, hoarse voice came from behind him, "Are you really going to marry Xie Xun?"
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