Chapter 14: A Rebuke – “So happy to see Wen Lang’s letter?”...
As Shen Xi reached the door, he remembered his previous mistake of accidentally trespassing into the stable, and stopped, hesitating about how to properly inform him.
She subconsciously twisted her handkerchief and looked at Qingqiu beside her, but before she could figure it out, that familiar voice came from the private room.
Why don't you come in?
Upon hearing this, Shen Xi realized he had been discovered, and without further hesitation, he pushed open the door and went inside.
After going around the screen, I realized that a person was sitting by the window brewing tea. The sound of water splashing and the rising steam obscured most of his face, making it difficult to make out his features, except for his eyes.
It was like... the scene in the bathtub in her dream.
Suddenly, through the swirling steam, the owner of the eyes glanced at her and spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice clear and gentle, not at all like someone who had fallen into despair.
"sit."
Shen Xi's heart skipped a beat before she came to her senses.
By the way, he is Xie Wenlang's elder brother, a man of refined character, not the absurd person in her dream.
Shen Xi forced herself to understand this point before she could finally breathe a sigh of relief and sit down opposite Xie Chengyan.
He remained focused on fiddling with the teacup in his hand, and Shen Xi took the opportunity to secretly observe him.
Regardless of the details, she is no longer as fearful and tense as before when facing him, and can even sit at a table and talk freely, which is a great improvement.
Just then, Xie Chengyan pushed a letter in front of her with his slender fingertips pressing down on it: "This was given to you by Wen Lang. Take a look."
As expected, it was Xie Wenlang again.
The only connection between the two of them is Xie Wenlang.
However, Xie Chengyan had not told her the inside story of Xie Wenlang's fight and subsequent house arrest. Shen Xi had not found out the news and assumed it was because Xie Wenlang and Gao Yinian had never gotten along. She was unaware that the incident was caused by her.
She accepted it without realizing it, but couldn't help feeling worried: "It seems that Erlang has really made a big fuss this time. Not only is he confined to his quarters, but even his correspondence is restricted."
Xie Chengyan remained completely calm and noncommittal: "He should restrain his actions a bit."
Upon hearing this, Liang Tuo, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but awkwardly shift his gaze.
Although the Duke of Wei did order the servants in his household not to help deliver letters to the second young master, Xie Chengyan was not among them. The Duke of Wei could no longer control Xie Chengyan.
Having spent years strategizing and maneuvering at home, Xie Wenlang had naturally figured out the tricks of the trade. For the past half month, he had entrusted all the letters he had written to Shen Xi to his elder brother for delivery.
The number was far more than just this one letter, but his good brother either found it troublesome or had long forgotten about these trivial matters, leaving them all piled up in a corner, completely unconcerned.
It wasn't until after he had made an appointment with Madam Shen that Xie Chengyan suddenly remembered this morning and randomly picked up a letter.
Knowing the truth, Liang Tuo did not have the composure of his general remaining calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him. He could only cover the thick stack of letters from the second young master in his arms with a guilty conscience, pretending to be deaf and dumb.
Shen Xi knew nothing about these things.
She opened the letter in front of Xie Chengyan without any hesitation. After a quick glance, she could still hear Xie Wenlang's familiar tone in the words, carefree and cheerful, making her happy in an unconventional way.
As Shen Xi read through the text word by word, she suddenly came across something amusing, and the corners of her lips involuntarily curled up, her eyes sparkling with a smile.
I had never seen her laugh so heartily before.
Upon seeing this, Xie Chengyan paused slightly, but quickly regained his composure, lowering his gaze to push the teacup towards her: "You're so happy to see his letter?"
Shen Xi hadn't finished reading the letter in his hand. He only had time to look up and meet his gaze before quickly looking down again, and said with a light laugh, "Erlang mentioned something very interesting in his letter."
Xie Chengyan remained silent, took a sip of tea, and said nothing more.
Shen Xi, who was reading the letter, was completely absorbed and did not speak. For a moment, the entire private room fell silent, with only the tea boiling and the bubbles in the white jade pot rolling and bursting.
After reading the letter, Shen Xi said with a hint of sarcasm, "I thought you, General, were naturally indifferent to honor and disgrace, and unable to distinguish between joy and anger. It turns out that you were just a child like us ordinary people when you were young."
This remark drew Xie Chengyan's attention back, but he was somewhat puzzled and looked up to signal her to continue.
Shen Xi understood immediately and carefully folded the letter back along the original creases.
"Erlang said that you have not always been as indulgent towards him as you are now. When he was a child, the general once got a sword, and Erlang liked it and wanted it, but the general refused. In the end, the two of them quarreled like brothers in an ordinary family. If Erlang hadn't brought this up, I would have thought that the general had always been like this since childhood."
After speaking, Shen Xi's smile deepened. In the few times she had spent with Xie Chengyan, he always seemed strong and cold. Even when they chatted casually, there was always a layer of distance and restraint between them. It was truly rare to know another side of him.
Xie Chengyan casually tapped the rim of his teacup, rummaging through those long-forgotten memories before slowly realizing that she was referring to that incident.
Not to mention Shen Xi, even he himself had almost forgotten these childhood memories if he hadn't intentionally brought them up again. As time went by, his naive and ignorant childhood days really felt like a past life.
But he wasn't one to dwell on the past; in fact, he had a certain unspoken resistance to it, simply brushing it off lightly: "It was just a sword; I was young and didn't understand."
“But I heard Erlang say that the sword was a gift from the general’s mentor.”
"He even told you this." Xie Chengyan did not deny it, twirling his teacup listlessly in his hand, and instead seriously judged his former self, "In the end, it's just a sword. To argue endlessly over this thing is really childish and ugly."
Unexpectedly, she received such an answer. Shen Xi tilted her head, but disagreed: "Why is the general so harsh? In a child's eyes, even losing a piece of candy today is a huge deal, let alone this sword, which was given to him by his mentor as a parting memento. How could he not be angry and heartbroken that such an important item was taken away by someone else?"
Xie Chengyan swallowed softly. The light and shadow flickered on the lustrous surface of the white jade cup and fell into his deep, dark eyes. He seemed to be dazzled by the light and gently lowered his eyelids.
But when he spoke again, there was an undeniable hint of disapproval in his tone: "You certainly have the time to sympathize with others."
Shen Xi didn't mind: "The general is a magnanimous man. Just listen to my womanly opinion."
In just a few words, she stopped probing into his private affairs. After finishing her sentence, she instructed Qingqiu to ask the shop assistant at Wangxianlou for pen and ink, and was about to write a reply to Xie Wenlang.
Xie Chengyan waited quietly to the side, not urging her. His lips were taut, and his gaze deliberately avoided Shen Xi, instead focusing on the vast sky outside the window.
It wasn't a sunny day; it was more like the gloomy day when they first met. The winter wind was blowing hard, and a few birds occasionally flapped their wings and flew by, disappearing from sight in an instant.
But Xie Chengyan felt that today was a good day.
To be honest, he hadn't thought about the past for a long time.
Back then, he was just a teenager, carefree and always playing around. He was spoiled by his family and had no worries. He did a lot of things like climbing on the roof, stealing tiles, catching fish, and hunting birds.
Looking back now, I honestly can't remember some of it.
Looking back, all that remains of my childhood memories is a glaring crimson. The blood has congealed and sealed away the past, shaping Xie Chengyan into who he is today.
He was lost in thought until Liang Tuo suddenly came in and whispered in his ear, "General, the Duke of Wei requests your return to his residence."
"What is it?"
Liang Tuo shook his head.
Xie Chengyan didn't press the matter. He glanced at his clothes and instructed, "Tell Father that I need to change my clothes."
As he spoke, he stood up.
Shen Xi heard Xie Chengyan's words and looked up as he moved, but she hadn't finished writing her reply to Xie Wenlang. If he left, then this letter...
Shen Xi was in a dilemma.
Xie Chengyan guessed what she was thinking, took the cloak from Liang Tuo and put it on, saying slowly and deliberately, "No rush, my men are waiting outside. After you finish writing, have them send it back to the General's Mansion."
After giving his instructions, he didn't linger and walked straight out the door.
Shen Xi stared at the doorway, thoughtfully holding her pen. She tapped her chin slightly with the end of her pen, but didn't think much of it. Instead, she lowered her head and continued to ponder her reply to Xie Wenlang.
Not long after, a waiter from Wangxianlou brought up a bowl of soup, and Shen Xi was momentarily stunned.
The waiter, however, was quick-witted. He placed the food on the table and enthusiastically introduced it: "Our new chef at Wangxianlou is from Qingzhou. This Jade Pearl Cloud Silk Soup is his specialty, a Qingzhou delicacy. It was specially made according to General Xie's instructions. Please enjoy your meal, esteemed guest."
Jade Pearl Cloud Silk Soup.
How could he know?
Shen Xi was startled and stood up. She took a few steps to the window, pushed it open without thinking, and looked down. A cold wind rushed in and hit her head and face.
Downstairs was a path leading to the back door of Wangxian Tower, where people were few and far between. She quickly and accurately spotted that familiar figure.
He happened to be passing by this window when Shen Xi stared at him. Suddenly, he felt a dryness in his throat and wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, for Xie Chengyan seemed to sense it and looked back up at her.
Shen Xi finally spoke, but her voice was hoarse and so low that it was almost inaudible, as if it were being swept away by the north wind.
"Thanks."
Xie Chengyan must have heard it, but he only paused for a moment, nodded slightly, then turned around and strode away without further hesitation.
His departing figure gradually shrank in Shen Xi's vision, his tall and straight body wrapped in a black cloak. This was the first time she had observed Xie Chengyan so carefully.
He was handsome and tall, yet exuded a sense of loneliness.
It is unpredictable.
*
The Duke's Mansion.
When Xie Chengyan stepped through the door, more than an hour had passed since the Duke of Wei sent someone to find him. He had just returned to the General's Mansion and changed into a white robe.
The uncontrollable crimson spread again, staining the white clothes like dripping blood.
Xie Chengyan habitually closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the hallucinations before him, before being reminded by his servant to go to the study.
In his study, Duke Xie Yi of Wei was copying a calligraphy model, a unique work by the powerful prime minister of the previous dynasty. Xie Yi had always liked it and would take it out to look at it whenever he had free time.
Seeing Xie Chengyan enter, Xie Yi didn't stop writing and gestured for him to sit down: "Why did it take you so long to come?"
Xie Chengyan didn't answer, but instead asked, "Why did Father call me back?"
Unexpectedly, he went straight to the point. Xie Yi paused for a moment, then, without beating around the bush, handed him a booklet: "Chengyan, you're already at the age to get married. Since you're not in a hurry to leave this time, let's settle the marriage. This is a woman that your mother and I have carefully selected to be a good match for you. Take a look."
Xie Chengyan, however, showed little interest and tossed the booklet aside.
Seeing his reaction, Xie Yi said with displeasure, "What do you mean by this?"
“I’ll take care of my own affairs. When has Father ever had the time to meddle in my marriage?”
Xie Yi put down his pen: "You are a smart child. As the eldest son in the family, you should know that you are different from your second brother. He can make a huge fuss and cause a city-wide uproar over that daughter of the Shen family, but you are different."
At this point, how could Xie Chengyan not understand?
No wonder he was suddenly called back to discuss the marriage. These words were ostensibly directed at Xie Wenlang, but in reality, they were a warning to him. Xie Yi must have realized that he had been getting too close to Shen Xi lately.
His good father really took good care of him.
But Xie Chengyan remained unmoved: "What do you think is different, Father?"
"Your wife must be of equal social standing, and you must treat each other with respect, only then can your household be peaceful. Someone like the one from the Shen family will not do."
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