Chapter 75
Xie Chengnan paused at the door, seemingly waiting for someone to follow.
Lin Yi saw it and immediately ran over. But whether intentionally or unintentionally, the door closed in front of her just as she was about to arrive.
Lin Yi stared at the door for a moment, then sighed and told herself it was okay. She was the one who had kept it from him, so it was understandable that he was angry.
Upon entering the room, Xie Chengnan was already sitting on the bed, his dark eyes fixed on her.
Lin Yi tried to act as if nothing had happened, walked over and spread out the blanket, "It's late, go to sleep."
Xie Chengnan grabbed her hand and forcefully pulled her down. He was very strong, and to avoid getting hurt, Lin Yi could only fall to the edge of the bed with his force.
“I gave you a chance, but you didn’t want to talk about it, so I’ll ask you.”
Lin Yi suddenly felt his throat was very dry, like cracked and parched earth. When he spoke, his voice was indeed a little hoarse. "Go ahead and ask."
Why did you provoke Zhan Xian?
Lin Yi's throat tightened, but the words he was about to say were swallowed back down.
"Don't tell me you're doing this to help her; there are clearly better ways to help."
"It was to help her, and also to... humiliate her." Lin Yi was somewhat ashamed to speak, feeling that her face must have been filled with embarrassment. Analyzing the despicable acts she had committed against another woman in front of Xie Chengnan was no different from being dissected in public.
"Why did you humiliate her? Did she offend you?"
"Because..." Because of what? She had already rejected any excuses she could use. She had repeatedly claimed that she wanted to sever all ties with the Crown Prince, and the reason she presented to others was even that she didn't want Xie Chengnan to suspect anything. But now, if she were to say it was because she was jealous of Zhan Xian and the Crown Prince's relationship, it wouldn't just be a slap in her own face. In Xie Chengnan's eyes, she would completely become a faithless, fickle liar.
Lin Yi hardened his heart and said, "Because I don't like the look of her."
"I don't like the look of her," Xie Chengnan repeated.
Lin Yi knew he didn't believe such a lame reason.
But Xie Chengnan simply repeated the question and moved on. "The second question, did you poison Gu Shuan?"
"Yes." Without any hesitation or attempt to find an excuse, she lowered her head like a repentant murderer, accepting her own judgment.
"Why?" Xie Chengnan asked softly.
“Because…” Lin Yi could hardly continue, but she stubbornly raised her head, stared into Xie Chengnan’s eyes, and forced herself to finish what she was saying: “Because I don’t like Zhan Xian, I want to poison the Crown Prince and then frame her.”
Xie Chengnan looked into her eyes and found them empty, so empty that only sorrow and fear remained.
He did not know where that grief and fear came from.
"Qiu Qingye, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but don't lie to me."
...
"One last question. When you were doing these things, did you think about the consequences? Did you think about what would happen to you, me, and the Yong'an Marquis's mansion if you were discovered? Did you think about it?"
"I... have thought about it." She had considered her fate: exposure meant failure, she would be sent back to her original world, and she would die. As for Xie Chengnan and the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, she would take responsibility for her own actions and not implicate them.
But won't it really implicate others?
Lin Yi belatedly realized that she had been avoiding thinking about this issue. Subconsciously, she was unwilling, or rather, dared not think about the possibility that she might implicate others.
She knew she would try her best to avoid it, but if it did happen, she wouldn't be able to handle it.
That's probably why Xie Chengnan was so angry. If he were caught, the Yong'an Marquis's mansion and the Qiu family would also be implicated in the crime of plotting to murder the Crown Prince.
"You thought about it, but you still did it, didn't you?"
She heard Xie Chengnan ask that question. The word "yes" was on the tip of her tongue, but Lin Yi couldn't say it.
From Xie Chengnan's perspective, his actions were too absurd and too cruel.
Lin Yi didn't know when Xie Chengnan left, only that the study light had been on at some point, and Xie Chengnan hadn't returned all night.
Yukiya only realized the seriousness of the situation on the second day, and it seemed that the seriousness was on the verge of escalating.
The young lady and her husband are in a cold war for some unspeakable reasons. They don't speak to each other, and they don't even look at each other.
Even the usually oblivious Princess Chun'an felt uneasy in this atmosphere. The moment the deed to the mansion bestowed by the Emperor arrived, she impatiently ordered her two maids to pack up and leave.
Before leaving, she kindly said goodbye to the two people who were having a falling out, only to be met with a cold shoulder. So she decided that during her time in Mingzhou City, she would never again come to the Yong'an Marquis's residence to avoid any more bad luck!
Chun'an is far from this battlefield where the smoke of gunpowder cannot be seen, but Xueya and Cangxie live here regularly. This conflict is unusual and cannot be ignored, so they briefly discussed a solution—to go and persuade their respective masters, at least to find out the cause of the conflict so that they can find the right remedy.
"Miss……"
Lin Yi was engrossed in his studies, burning the midnight oil, when he heard this and asked without looking up, "Hmm? What's wrong, Xueya?"
Why did you and your son-in-law argue?
Lin Yi paused in his book flipping, then turned the page as if nothing had happened. "You noticed we had a fight?"
Xueya nodded, then noticed that her young mistress hadn't looked up at her at all, so she said with certainty, "Of course I can see it, it's already... that obvious."
"But actually we didn't argue." No one raised their voices or became hysterical, so it shouldn't be considered an argument.
Xueya asked, puzzled, "You didn't argue? Then why are you and your son-in-law like this?"
Lin Yi skimmed through the text, the traditional Chinese characters seeming like fly legs, densely packed and unable to penetrate his mind. "Hmm, we're probably in a cold war."
"cold war?"
"I can't give him the answer he wants, and I haven't figured out how to face him, so we're just ignoring each other for now. It'll be fine in a while." But Lin Yi himself wasn't sure how long "a while" would be. Maybe three to five days, maybe three to five months, or maybe, if this matter were buried in his heart, it would be like sharp thorns piercing his flesh, and once it scabbed over, it would never heal.
Xueya listened quietly, nodding as if she understood but not quite.
On the other side, in the study.
"My lord..."
"Hmm! This title is good. From now on, you don't need to worry about etiquette anymore; you can call me that without any guilt." Xie Chengnan raised one eyebrow at him smugly. "Haven't I told you yet that your young master has been officially granted the title of Marquis of Yong'an? Surprised? Unexpected?"
"...Surprise, surprise, congratulations, Lord Marquis."
"No need." Xie Chengnan shifted the position of his crossed legs and continued to lie on the couch without any regard for his image.
He gently wiggled his toes. "His Majesty said that my monthly salary will be in accordance with the regulations for a prince. From now on, the household will not have to be so frugal. So, tomorrow, go to the West Market and pick a few capable servants to properly reorganize the Marquis's residence."
"Yes." Cang Xie stammered, still wanting to say more, "My lord..."
"Hmm? Is there something else?" Xie Chengnan asked in surprise, seemingly oblivious to his predicament.
Cang Xie mentally rallied himself, "My lord, what's wrong with you and your wife?"
Xie Chengnan's face showed a hint of admiration, "When did you become so straightforward?"
Cang Xie found that asking directly wasn't as difficult as he had imagined: "It's all thanks to the Marquis's excellent teaching."
Xie Chengnan nodded: "You've all learned how to flatter, not bad."
Cang Xie's carefully constructed thick skin was exposed again. His face gradually heated up, only to be doused with cold water by Xie Chengnan.
"Cang Xie, while your courage is commendable, your ability to read people's expressions still needs improvement. You should be able to tell that I don't want to say anything. At this moment, the best choice is to pretend you didn't see anything, understand?"
And so, when Guard Cang finally mustered the courage to take the initiative, he brushed it off without even making an excuse.
The two men came out of their respective houses, and after discussing it, they realized that they had both been met with resistance.
This cold war lasted for three days. Around the fourth day, things changed, but not in the sense of reconciliation; rather, it took a different form.
Xie Chengnan began going out frequently, and even Cang Xie didn't know what he was doing. Lin Yi, on the other hand, continued to work tirelessly to find a way out for the girls temporarily staying at the mansion.
Lin Yi planned to have the girls work at the clinic, ideally teaching them to recognize various medicinal herbs so they could later find work dispensing medicine outside of her protection. Those with high aptitude and a willingness to learn could also accompany her on her rounds. However, she encountered a significant obstacle: few of these women were literate, and the fees and entry requirements for the school were too high for her to afford. The school also refused to accept anyone over twenty.
So before the palace banquet, she had the idea of teaching at home, but after only a few days, she was exhausted both physically and mentally.
Not only was she too busy tending the clinic and teaching at home, but Lin Yi herself also needed to correct the strokes of the traditional Chinese characters, so personally teaching them would inevitably mislead the students. And once the novelty wore off, the women began to resist reading and writing.
“Miss Qiu, I’m fine with physical labor, but when it comes to studying, I’m really not cut out for it.”
“I am already forty-four years old this year. I have never been literate for forty years. Now that I am old and my mind is not sharp, I certainly will not be able to learn.”
“I don’t want to study. My mother said that I can get married when I’m sixteen and marry into a wealthy family. Then we can take her with us and she won’t have to take away Miss Qiu’s food rations.”
“Miss Qiu, studying can’t put food on the table. It’s always been men who have taken the imperial examinations. What’s the point of us women? Don’t waste your time.”
...
Lin Yi was at a loss for what to do.
Initially, she simply hoped these women wouldn't have to suffer mistreatment in their husbands' and masters' homes anymore, and that they could survive on their own. To this end, she brought them back to the Xie family mansion, giving them a place to stay and temporary work. But she knew this was only a stopgap measure; she could help them temporarily, not forever. So she thought of teaching them skills to make a living, and literacy would give them more options. But now, she only wanted them to realize that the idea that education was useless was wrong. How could education be useless? Perhaps it won't give you immediate results, but it will broaden your horizons, make you realize that human effort is ultimately limited, yet there will always be those who believe in the power of human will, and gradually you will recognize the changes within yourself.
However, looking out the window at the women laughing and joking with each other while they worked, Lin Yi felt that perhaps he was wrong.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com