Chapter 56 "Go find the lady and bring her back, don't hurt her..."
That hasty, impulsive remark was like a boulder falling into a deep well, stirring up a monstrous wave.
Shen Xi stared at her blankly, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
In an instant, there was a deathly silence.
Only Madam Xue clenched her fists in hatred, her eyes bloodshot as she stared intently at her. Things had come to this point; there was no turning back.
Xie Yi has always been biased. He only values Xie Chengyan and has only cultivated Xie Chengyan. Even though everyone knows that Xie Chengyan is not her child, he only has eyes for her own brother.
With the help of both families, Xie Chengyan is rising rapidly in her career, while her biological child is ignored and will spend his entire life living under someone else's name.
How could she possibly accept this!
She had no other choice.
Madam Xue took a deep breath, suppressing the anger that had just been provoked by Shen Xi's utterly foolish appearance, and calmed herself down.
"Shen Xi, you need to think carefully about who you should ally with."
Her sharp gaze fell upon Shen Xi, her words seductive: "You should be able to see that Xie Chengyan married you only to get revenge on Wen Lang. He only feels comfortable when Wen Lang is suffering. I've inquired, and after your marriage, he clearly didn't treat you well. He even directly ordered you to be placed under house arrest. Aren't you afraid to share a bed with someone like that day and night?"
Shen Xi pursed her lips tightly, but didn't say another word from beginning to end. She leaned back warily, distancing herself from Xue Shi.
Although she had some suspicions before, Xue Shi's attitude towards Xie Chengyan and Xie Wenlang was quite different, but Xue Shi's brother had a completely different attitude towards the two of them.
Shen Xi had considered many reasons, but she never expected it to be this one.
At this moment, Madam Xue was too emotional, and Shen Xi was afraid of saying the wrong thing and adding fuel to the fire, so she could only sit quietly and listen to her continue talking.
"The power that father and son have today is all thanks to our Xue family. Xie Chengyan is not sincere towards you, and I cannot allow him to inherit the title. You will not gain his heart or power if you follow him. But I can give you anything you want."
Madam Xue patiently persuaded, "After this is done, if you wish, you can continue to be a daughter-in-law of the Duke's mansion. As long as the Xue family exists, you will be guaranteed wealth and honor. If you wish to remarry, I will personally choose the best man for you and arrange your marriage."
"As long as you and I join forces."
In the end, Xue Shi wore a confident smile, exuding the arrogance that comes with years of upbringing in a prestigious family.
Shen Xi remained silent, her eyes lowered, slowly processing Xue's words, her mind a jumble of thoughts.
Madam Xue waited patiently for her, her smile gentle: "No rush, take your time to think it over. This matter is a sure thing for you."
Shen Xi's eyelids twitched slightly. Driven by curiosity, she had only wanted to know the secrets hidden behind it, so she plunged in headfirst.
The fact that Xue Shi said these things aloud sent chills down her spine.
Now that the truth is known, will she be able to leave this world alive?
Shen Xi's heart sank as her gaze inadvertently swept over the tightly closed door.
At times like these, one can only continue to pretend to be completely clueless.
After a long silence, she finally asked, her voice trembling noticeably: "But Mother, why are you looking for me? You know, my husband doesn't love me, and there's nothing I can do."
As she spoke, she looked innocently at Madam Xue with her tearful eyes, helplessly tugging at the handkerchief in her hand.
Seeing her reaction, Madam Xue felt relieved: "That's exactly why I want to save you. If you spend your whole life sleeping in the same bed with such a wolf in sheep's clothing, you don't know when you will become a victim of his knife. Shenxi, only I can save you."
That sounds nice, but neither the Xue family nor Xie Chengyan are people to be trifled with.
Shen Xi's eyelashes trembled, and she bit her lower lip, hesitating.
Seeing this, Madam Xue added fuel to the fire: "If you don't believe me, do you want to believe Xie Chengyan? I know him better than you after raising him for so many years. He has no heart at all! He dared to imprison you less than a year after you got married. The more time goes on, the more he will do it. Until one day, you will die there."
"Shen Xi, if you want to live, listen to me and get rid of him."
Shen Xi frowned deeply, as all the strange occurrences were gradually pieced together to form the truth.
However, seeing Xue's almost confident expression, Shen Xi paused for a moment.
Xue had a good motive to kill Xie Chengyan, but her methods were far too hasty.
Or does she still have a backup plan?
Shen Xi hesitated and dared not make any unfounded speculations.
They were frozen in place for a moment.
Suddenly, before Shen Xi could answer, the tightly closed door was kicked open from the outside, and a biting winter wind rushed in.
The person in the room was startled awake and looked out immediately, only to see a figure rushing in and heading straight for Xue Shi.
"mother!"
Shen Xi looked closely and saw that it was Xie Wenlang. He rushed to Xue Shi's side, grabbed her without saying a word, and left.
Madam Xue clearly hadn't expected this turn of events, and patted him twice, asking, "What happened?"
Xie Wenlang didn't say anything more, relying on his strength, he pulled Xue Shi out: "Mother, come with me quickly."
From beginning to end, he only glanced at Chen Xi out of the corner of his eye.
Everyone was confused by his sudden appearance, but Xie Wenlang never explained his purpose, only urging Xue Shi to leave with a look of urgency.
In the end, he became so anxious that his eyes turned red.
Madam Xue still doted on her son. She had only discussed her matter with Shen Xi halfway through, but she couldn't worry about anything else. She could only follow Xie Wenlang's wishes and hurriedly get into the carriage to return home.
After seeing Xue off, Xie Wenlang turned back to fetch his steed, Zhuifeng, looking utterly dejected.
Shen Xi stood quietly to the side until Xie Wenlang couldn't help but look up at her and call out, "Sister-in-law."
His voice was muffled, tinged with sobs, and his eyes were red at the corners.
Shen Xi sighed: "How did you end up here?"
Madam Xue was preoccupied with her son and was distracted by Xie Wenlang's unexplained anxiety, so she didn't investigate carefully and was thus tricked into going out.
But Shen Xi, an outsider, could see it clearly.
His arrival was clearly to get him out of a predicament.
Under Shen Xi's gentle yet inquisitive gaze, Xie Wenlang reluctantly began, "I heard my mother say she was coming to see you, and I came along because I was worried. After all, she..."
Before she finished speaking, Shen Xi knew the unspoken meaning behind her words.
Madam Xue had never thought much of her.
Shen Xi curled her lips slightly, looking at his expression, and recalling Xue's words just now, she carefully asked, "Just now, did you hear what Mother said?"
A cold winter wind swept by, causing Xie Wenlang to freeze instinctively.
But after a moment, he thought he had covered it up perfectly and put on a bright smile: "You didn't really believe those words, did you? My mother had such a hard time giving birth to my eldest brother after so many years, and she was separated from him for many years to recover from his illness before they were reunited. Now that my eldest brother is too distant and doesn't come home often, it's inevitable that my mother would say some hurtful things."
But after saying this, Xie Wenlang himself almost imperceptibly suppressed his smile.
He was clearly hesitant as well.
Xue's words did not seem like the kind of reckless words spoken in anger.
Shen Xi's heart sank, but she still smiled and comforted him: "I understand. It's only natural for a family to have conflicts and unresolved issues."
These words were like a reassuring pill. Xie Wenlang nodded fiercely, lowered his eyes, and muttered to himself to numb himself.
"Yes, you're right, these are all human nature."
He repeated the words over and over in a daze before finally regaining his composure and asking, "Shall I have someone send you back? Your elder brother must be worried about you being alone out there."
Shen Xi shook her head: "No need to trouble yourself, I have other things to attend to."
Seeing that she refused, Xie Wenlang did not insist. Moreover, he was more concerned about Xue Shi at the moment, so he immediately nodded and took his leave, chasing after Xue Shi's carriage without looking back.
*
That night.
The bright moon hangs high, casting a cool, silvery glow across the ground.
Xie Chengyan was listening to the guard's report in his study, his eyelids drooping and his fingertips tapping absentmindedly on the pages of the book.
"So, she knows everything?"
His tone was cold and devoid of any emotion.
The guard hesitated for a moment before saying, "Madam must have been frightened."
Xie Chengyan's gaze swept over him calmly, without saying a word.
The guard mustered his courage and continued, "Madam Xue threatened the lady's life and pressured her several times. In the end, the second young master accidentally broke in and took Madam Xue away. As for the lady, she was clearly flustered when she was talking to Madam Xue."
"So, she still hasn't come back."
Upon hearing this, Xie Chengyan slammed the book in his hand onto the table with a dull thud, his expression cold.
Although he didn't get angry, Liang Tuo, who had been by his side for many years, understood that he was clearly annoyed.
At times like these, the more you remain calm and collected, the more anger you harbor.
Xie Chengyan rubbed his fingertips together, his eyes narrowing slightly.
I shouldn't have let her be.
Letting her know the truth will only fill her with fear and anxiety, leading to another separation.
She must be terrified now, desperately trying to escape, just as she had tried before.
Xie Chengyan pinched the bridge of his nose and ordered wearily, "Go and find Madam, but don't hurt her."
It hadn't even been half a day; she probably hadn't had time to run too far.
This time, the only option is to keep her firmly by my side, and no matter how much trouble she causes, I cannot let her go.
Even if their lives are threatened, they can only die by his side.
Before the guards could even move, there was a knock on the door of the study, and the butler's voice came from outside.
"General, the lady has returned. She sent this old servant to tell you to finish your official business as soon as possible. She is waiting for you."
Suddenly, Xie Chengyan's eyes widened, his fists clenched, and he stood up instantly.
As I opened the door, the biting winter wind rushed through, its mournful howling echoing in my ears.
But he couldn't hear the noise, and asked the butler again, "Where is Madam?"
"The lady is waiting for the general to return in her bedroom."
The butler bowed his head and respectfully finished speaking. He then glanced at Xie Chengyan out of the corner of his eye, but Xie Chengyan was nowhere to be seen.
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