Chapter 17 I am my brother's sister-in-law, I deserve to sleep in his Tingzhuxuan...
Xia Rushi, Xie Pan, Xie Dang
Thank you twice in one summer
The grass grows tall and the orioles fly; the river ripples.
As they approached a ferry crossing, the boat moved slowly.
Xia Rushi rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the burly men carrying sandbags on the dock. The scorching sun hung in the sky, its flames licking their skin a dark bronze color. Each of them looked quite robust.
She glanced at them casually. Although her sons were all getting married, she had married early and was still a few years away from forty.
Then they saw a fair-skinned woman carrying a bamboo basket to deliver food to the man.
The two of them ducked into the shadows. The man stuffed a rough bread into his mouth and chewed it heartily, while the woman wiped his sweat beside him. They seemed to have a good relationship.
Xia Ru looked away, her eyes filled with a mixture of scorn and envy.
She and Xie Dang were childhood sweethearts and had a very deep relationship.
She even felt that the two of them were of one mind, and she wanted to be with Xie Dang not only for the rest of her life, but also for the next.
But life, after all that pampering, slapped her hard across the face.
She remembered that day when she was leisurely strolling around the mansion.
But someone delivered a letter.
The steward personally delivered it to her, saying it was to be given to the Marquis.
When has the steward of the Marquis's mansion ever bothered with such trivial matters?
She was suspicious and tossed the envelope aside.
The handwriting on the letter wasn't very good; it was just neat.
But the words from above startled her—her mother was seriously ill and didn't have much time left, and wanted to see her one last time.
The signature reads: "I beg you, Father."
Summer seemed to freeze abruptly; this letter was addressed to Xie Dang.
If Xie Dang is the father, but she isn't the mother? Whose child is this?
Xia Rushi did not react on the spot. Instead, she casually put the letter back and placed it on the long table in the main room.
After thinking for a moment, he raised his hand to summon his trusted confidant and whispered something in his ear.
Xia Rushi had no idle people around her; the maids given to her by her father and brothers were all skilled in both literature and martial arts, and none of them were ordinary people.
She sent someone to investigate what had happened.
Xie Dang returned late at night, his journey arduous and dusty under the moonlight.
As soon as he entered, he looked for her with his eyes, and when he saw her, a gentle smile appeared in his solemn eyes.
Xia Rushi sat in front of the dressing table, drying her wet hair with a white towel. Xie Dang saw this, washed his hands, walked over to her, and extended his hand, "I'll do it."
No matter how powerful Xie Dang was outside, or how influential he was in the court, when he returned to his residence, to their main house, he always prioritized Xia Rushi.
For so many years, whenever she washed her long hair, he would always dry it for her if he was in the mansion.
Several times she did it before he returned, and Xie Dang got angry.
How could someone who only has eyes for her have a child with someone else?
Xia Rushi was suspicious.
My heart was hanging in limbo, neither rising nor falling.
"No",
Xia Rushi dodged his hand, seemingly unaware of his frozen expression, and raised her chin toward the long table, saying, "You have an urgent letter today, asking you to come back and read it quickly, so as not to delay important matters."
Xie Dang pursed his lips, and Xia Rushi urged him twice more before he reluctantly walked to the long table.
He never shied away from Xia Rushi. After opening the letter and reading the words, his pupils contracted sharply, and his fingers, gripping the letter tightly, turned white at the knuckles.
He suddenly looked at her.
As he looked up, Xia Rushi had already lowered her head to avoid his gaze.
After all these years, to put it bluntly, she knows what he's going to do the moment he bends over!
Xia Rushi's hand, which was holding her hair, trembled. Could it be true that she was so distraught?
Xia Rushi hated that the candlelight was so bright, allowing her to easily see Xie Dang's unusual behavior.
His handsome face was twisted in a strange way.
That night, Xia Rushi made an excuse that she wasn't feeling well and went to bed early.
She closed her eyes and waited, but Xie Dang tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Her heart sank.
Her people were personally trained by her father and brothers, so they should not be underestimated.
On the third day, news came that Xie Dang left the yamen at noon and went to a small courtyard in the suburbs of the capital, where he stayed for half a day before coming out.
When Xie Dang returned that evening, there was a faint medicinal smell on his official robes.
What else is there to say?
Then came another shocking piece of news: the boy who called her father was not much younger than her Lang'er.
She wasn't even a few years younger than her Lang'er!
She thought their relationship was inseparable, so what had it all been all these years?
Suppressing her anger and disgust, Xia Rushi feigned politeness towards Xie Dang.
Regardless, her two children are still young, and she can't afford to suffer losses!
She secretly arranged many things.
One day, the young man came to the mansion looking for Xie Dang, but unexpectedly, she bumped into him.
I heard that the boy's name is Xie Conglin, and his mother's surname is Xie. Xie Conglin?
Did Xie Dang comply with Lin's wishes?
How disgusting!
Xie Dang vehemently denied ever having an affair with that woman, but the boy's repeated calls of "Father" were filled with deep affection! When the boy begged him to go see his mother, Xie Dang's eyes were clearly filled with reluctance!
Xia Rushi and Xie Dang had a fierce argument.
She's become the bad guy who's preventing the family of three from getting together!
With tears in her eyes, she pressed him, "If you didn't do that dirty thing, why are you willing to acknowledge the child?"
Xie Dang remained silent for a long while before saying that he was drunk that night and couldn't remember anything.
It is said that Lin was the wife of an old friend. When he was hiding among the people in the Northern Rong, his old friend died and sent his wife to his side.
Fearing suspicion, they pretended to live the life of an ordinary married couple.
Pretending to live a normal married life?
Xia Rushi smiled, tears welling in her eyes.
At that time, the situation in the capital was treacherous, and many people regarded the Xie family as easy prey, eager to take a bite out of them.
She struggled to raise their two children in the capital, while he was living with another woman, posing as her husband. And not only that, he actually fathered a child!
She turned around, drew the long sword from the wall, and stabbed him without hesitation.
Xie Dang didn't even blink, but Xie Conglin was extremely filial, standing in front of Xie Dang. When Xie Conglin appeared, Xia Rushi clearly saw the shock in Xie Dang's eyes, and he quickly raised his hand to push Xie Conglin away.
What a touching father-son relationship!
Xia Rushi loosened her grip, and the longsword fell to the ground with a crisp metallic sound, bringing Xie Dang back to his senses. He hurriedly looked at Xia Rushi, who had already turned and walked out of the main room.
Xie Dang hurriedly tried to chase after him, but stopped after two steps as Xie Conglin grabbed his long sleeve.
Xie Dang paused.
Xie Dang was unaware that this slight hesitation would mean losing Xia Rushi forever.
If he knew this now, he definitely wouldn't have softened his heart.
Xia Ru went to find her daughter and gave her some instructions. She patted her daughter's head as she left, just in time to meet Wei Mingzhao returning home. She nodded to Wei Mingzhao and then left.
She had already placed her valuables in her own house and left a letter on the table so that Xie Dang could see it immediately when he came looking for her.
Without hesitation, he boarded a carriage and went straight to the dock, where the chartered boat was already waiting.
Before Xie Conglin had left the Marquis's residence, Xia Rushi had already left the capital.
Later, Xie Dang went to Jiangnan several times to look for her, but she never saw him.
She only left one sentence: she would return to the capital after Lang'er got married.
She had no desire to get involved in this sordid affair. For now, Lang'er and Qingqing weren't married yet, so she had to swallow her pride and endure it. Once her children's affairs were settled, she would definitely divorce Xie Dang.
She would never want a man who's been with someone else, a man who's been tainted!
Suddenly, a water bird plunged into the water and snatched up a live fish.
The sound brought Xia Rushi back to her senses, and she sighed softly.
It has been more than a year since I left Beijing.
It's impossible not to be heartbroken back then; she fell ill as soon as she returned to Jiangnan.
But these days, once the knife has been used to carve, it's just so-so.
She felt she was still young.
Back when I was with my father on the frontier, there were many soldiers who didn't get married until they were over thirty.
Aren't there enough men?
She doesn't want to tie her brilliant life to a quagmire and get entangled with unworthy people.
The thought of going back to face Xie Dang and this mess made her feel heavy-hearted, and she let out a long sigh.
Although she was reluctant to return to the capital, she couldn't act impulsively; she had to arrange a marriage for Lang'er.
Besides, she had to go back and support Qingqing. What could she expect from that good-for-nothing Liu Xu, who was kicked in the head by a donkey?
If Qingqing didn't still have to use her father's name in the social circles of noble ladies, why would she have to endure this until today?
Heading north along the waterway, the river begins to freeze over.
It got cold early this year.
Xia Rushi had no choice but to switch to land travel and board a carriage.
As we got closer to the capital, a heavy snow fell.
The fine snowflakes landed on her palm, and soon turned into water from her body heat.
The snow was so heavy that the road was obscured, and the carriage braved the wind and snow to reach the vicinity of the capital.
Suddenly, an unexpected incident occurred. Robbers appeared out of nowhere and shot the coachman to the ground with an arrow, throwing the caravan into chaos. The guards surrounding the caravan drew their swords and braced themselves.
But the vast expanse of snow obscured their vision, making them less agile than the mountain bandits who were familiar with the terrain.
As defeat became apparent, the guard leader covered Xia Rushi's retreat.
Behind him came the clanging of swords, the sound of blades slicing into flesh.
Suddenly, with a whoosh, an arrow struck her shoulder. These bandits were no ordinary people; they were able to exchange blows with the guards for several rounds.
The guards provided cover for the leader.
She hurriedly hid in the ravine, listening to the fierce fighting outside.
The snow was heavy and the wind was cold; the blood from her shoulder had already soaked through her clothes.
She lay there, her body shivering with cold, the biting wind outside chilling her to the bone. Perhaps from losing too much blood, she gradually lost consciousness, as if half-asleep.
On a mountain road on the outskirts of Beijing, a sudden sound of speeding vehicles could be heard.
Xie Pan frowned after seeing the scene ahead, pulled on the reins, and the horse stopped.
He dismounted and drew a long sword from behind his back.
You can vaguely see a carriage that has overturned ahead.
He cautiously approached, but gripped the hilt of his knife tightly when he saw the carriage clearly.
Why does it look like my sister-in-law's carriage?
But didn't my sister-in-law go to Jiangnan?
He was on edge and walked over.
Then he saw the barely breathing coachman. When the coachman saw that it was the Second Master of the Marquis's mansion, his almost extinguished eyes suddenly lit up. "My lord... hurry, go find the madam..."
Xie Pan's pupils suddenly contracted.
quicken your pace.
All around were people being slaughtered.
He grabbed the dead man's chin and ripped off his mask.
They're not bandits at all, they're clearly dressed as assassins!
Has something happened to your sister-in-law?
He only knew that his sister-in-law and brother seemed to have had a falling out, which was why she went back to her parents' home.
The elder brother went to fetch his sister-in-law several times, but failed to bring her back.
The snow was so heavy that it had already reached above his ankles.
If it goes any lower, it will cover people.
He was extremely anxious, and finally caught a glimpse of his sister-in-law's blurry figure.
Although it was covered by a thin layer of snow, how could he not recognize it?
He rushed over, brushed aside the snow, and saw her pale face. He quickly took off his cloak and hurriedly wrapped it around her.
I had been focused on her the whole time, but after helping her up, I realized that she was covered in blood.
Ignoring the need for him to avoid any appearance of impropriety between his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, he quickly pulled her into his arms.
They hurried to the Marquis's residence, but it was very quiet as night fell.
For some unknown reason, as they approached the Marquis's residence, he suddenly trembled and wrapped his sister-in-law in his arms, carrying her back to his Tingzhu Pavilion.
When he gently placed it on his bed, he felt his blood rush back to his head, and his mind went blank.
He knew he should send his sister-in-law back to the main courtyard.
But when his sister-in-law opened her eyes and looked at him, his heart skipped a beat.
He didn't want to deliver it anymore.
His sister-in-law deserves to sleep in his Tingzhuxuan.
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Author's Note: Next Chapter Preview:
Lady Hou has passed away; she has no husband.
He was her new husband.
Xie Pan understood it perfectly.
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