Xu Rong was even more flustered than Wei Shi in withdrawing her hand, but she saw out of the corner of her eye that Xiao Xin was sitting there stiffly and at least he didn't get up to cause trouble again, so she relaxed a little.
It wasn't that she had a particularly good temper, able to tolerate Aunt Ruan's direct questioning, but rather—
Xu Rong turned her gaze to Lord Xiao.
Lord Xiao had not yet reacted; he simply sat upright, his gaze appearing somewhat dim under the illumination of the surrounding palace lanterns.
That's enough.
This makes Aunt Ruan's rise to prominence seem suspicious.
If Concubine Ruan had already effectively influenced Madam Xiao, she wouldn't have needed to personally intervene despite Madam Xiao's ridicule. Regardless of whether the matchmaking was appropriate or not, it shouldn't have been brought up by a concubine in a semi-public setting.
Xu Rong's previous doubts were also answered at this moment: perhaps it was not that the power of the three-in-one combination was insufficient, but rather that fundamentally, they had internal disagreements.
To verify this idea, Xu Rong did not immediately shut down the word "yes" after saying it, but waited for a while.
Aunt Ruan then smiled and said, "My lord, look, aren't they a match made in heaven? I've thought about it over and over before, but I never even looked at the couple right in front of me."
“Aunt, what are you saying…” Xiao Shan’s head was lowered, but her face was still flushed.
Apart from that, the room was completely silent.
Xu Rong felt several gazes directed at her, but she didn't care. She only kept an eye on Lord Xiao.
She was now certain that it wasn't actually Consort Ruan who was trying to force the emperor to abdicate, but rather Lord Xiao. If he truly doted on Consort Ruan, he wouldn't have publicly humiliated her.
Then it was her turn to respond.
While she waited, Lord Xiao finally coughed and said, "This is not appropriate."
The message was brief.
Aunt Ruan persisted: "Why isn't it suitable? I know the Marquis has concerns, fearing gossip about it being like a marriage between lowly families, but we're neither like that, so what's there to be afraid of? Those are just ignorant words. In my opinion, a marriage between someone you know well, someone you're related to, is a perfect match, much safer than finding someone outside. The young Marquis of the Xu family even saved Shan'er once, so it's clear they're destined for each other. Now, all the Marquis needs to do is show some affection for Shan'er and give his approval—"
Bang.
With a muffled thud, Lord Xiao slammed the wine cup he was holding onto the table.
This sound finally stopped Aunt Ruan's words, which were so urgent that they even carried a sense of desperation.
Aunt Ruan's expression changed.
Lord Xiao did not look at her, but instead looked at Xiao Xin.
Xiao Xin noticed this and looked up at him.
The father and son looked at each other through the overflowing light, one with a wary and unruly expression, the other with a complex light flashing in his eyes.
This son is making more and more progress, and his importance is becoming increasingly indispensable to him...
"Ruan Shi," Lord Xiao withdrew his gaze and spoke again in a heavy tone, "I said it was inappropriate, so let's not mention this matter again."
The words were brief, but they completely extinguished Aunt Ruan's hopes, leaving her with no dignity whatsoever.
Aunt Ruan's face turned completely pale, and even Xiao Shan raised her head in disbelief, but when she met the various gazes on the table, she quickly lowered her head again, her shoulders beginning to tremble.
"Shan'er is not feeling well, why don't you go back and rest first?"
Lord Xiao's tone was relatively gentle towards his daughter, but to Xiao Shan, it was like a slap in the face. She sobbed violently, covered her face with her handkerchief, and ran away.
"Oh."
This sound came from Madam Xiao. With such a thorn in her side gone, Madam Xiao was overjoyed. The lingering awkwardness between Xiao Lun and Chang Shuyin no longer bothered her. She seized on Aunt Ruan and began to mock her, laughing at her for being rustic and ridiculing her for her unrealistic ideas. She didn't even spare Xiao Shan, who had just left the table. Finally, Lord Xiao grew impatient and said with a stern face, "It's getting late, everyone can leave."
The banquet ended abruptly.
Xu Rong and Xiao Xin were walking back.
She had been pondering this the whole way. To be honest, she hadn't expected that Marquis Xiao would treat his favorite concubine so coldly.
Without even trying to probe her intentions, they directly extinguished her hopes.
She didn't overlook the fact that Lord Xiao made this decision only after looking at Xiao Xin. So, on the surface, he didn't want to provoke a backlash from Xiao Xin, tearing apart the father-son relationship he had been trying to mend. But secretly… perhaps…
Lord Xiao was aware of the situation.
Lord Xiao was not a foolish man. His mishandling of matters in the inner quarters stemmed from his innate carelessness as a man. However, judging from the fact that he adjusted his attitude as soon as Xiao Xin began to show his talent, he had a very firm grasp on the overall situation of the family.
So there's no reason why Xiao Lun wouldn't know what he knows, after all, the problem lies with his bloodline.
From this perspective, we can draw a new conclusion: Why did Lord Xiao hesitate to be influenced by Consort Ruan in this matter?
Because he didn't want to tie Xiao Shan, a child who wasn't his blood relative, too deeply to the Xiao family.
"you--"
Xu Rong: "Ah—?!"
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she became oblivious to her surroundings and a little paranoid. Xiao Xin suddenly spoke beside her, which startled her. She tripped, stepped on her own skirt, and fell headfirst down.
Xiao Xin reached out and grabbed her by the back of her clothes, pulling her back.
"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Xin asked, somewhat speechless.
He had sensed something was wrong with her a long time ago, but he had been too busy with the college entrance exam to ask her.
Xu Rong clutched her chest, regaining her composure: "N-nothing."
This insincere answer obviously wouldn't fool Xiao Xin, so he turned his head and asked, "Then why have you been staring at me like that?"
Xu Rong: "Do I have—?"
Feeling guilty, she dragged out her words, and the last syllable rang out.
"You've been watching me for quite a while now," Xiao Xin said directly. "Did you think I wasn't feeling anything?"
Xu Rong: "..."
She wasn't that naive. He had already asked her if she had seen enough, and then stood right in front of her to let her look. He just hadn't made it clear. She was full of questions and worries, so she couldn't think about it.
Little did she know he had kept them all, and now he's demanding an explanation from her.
Xu Rong temporarily put those matters aside and racked her brains to try to find a reason to fool him.
"Are you—"
Before she could think of anything, Xiao Xin spoke first, sounding somewhat impatient, yet hesitant to speak.
Xu Rong didn't understand what he meant and subconsciously turned to look at him.
Xiao Xin exchanged a glance with her, then looked away: "Is it because of me—"
He couldn't continue speaking.
Because the banquet ended early, and it wasn't completely dark yet, Xu Rong could vaguely see in the dim light that his face was tense, showing hesitation, nervousness, and perhaps something else entirely—
Xu Rong's heart skipped a beat.
Could he already know?!
Although she didn't tell him, the news originally came from Xiao Lun. He grew up in the Xiao family, so it wasn't impossible for him to hear gossip from other sources.
Xu Rong gestured for Bai Fu, who was carrying a lantern, to move further away, and tentatively said, "Second Young Master, please don't overthink it—"
"So what if I overthink it?" Xiao Xin's voice suddenly turned cold, but not in a cold way. Rather, it was as if he himself had been bullied, yet he was stubbornly refusing to admit defeat. "You can look at me, but I'm not allowed to overthink it."
Xu Rong: "..."
She realized they had gone completely in the opposite direction, and was instantly relieved but also didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What was all this about?
She was so worried about him, but he was so carefree.
"Second Young Master, you should focus on your studies," she said, taking advantage of the situation. "You have a long road ahead of you."
Xiao Xin said sullenly, "I know."
Xu Rong was relieved to see that he did not suspect anything. As for his misunderstanding, she felt there was no rush. Since it had already been delayed for so long, it wouldn't hurt to delay it a little longer.
It's more important to ascertain his background.
Although Lord Xiao's reaction tonight was a bit off, Xu Rong also remembered that Doctor Yu, recommended by the Crown Princess, had said that he couldn't tell that Xiao Xin was premature...
Now, Aunt Ruan's suggestion came to an end after Lord Xiao decisively stopped it, but in the following days, it brought about some other problems.
It had nothing to do with Xu Rong; it was Madam Xiao who made the move.
Having cherished the concubine's affections for so many years, Madam Xiao finally saw signs of the concubine's waning favor and decline. How could she resist kicking her while she was down?
At this point, Madam Xiao abandoned Xiao Shan again and targeted Concubine Ruan herself, turning her bi-monthly greetings into daily visits, forcing her to come to her side, making her lift the curtain and set out meals, treating her like a maidservant.
Under Lord Xiao's protection, Consort Ruan had lived a life of luxury for many years and could not bear this hardship. However, Lord Xiao was busy with official duties and did not enter the backyard for almost half a month, only resting in the front study. Consort Ruan wanted to complain but could not find anyone. After she had lost a lot of weight, she finally caught sight of Lord Xiao and escaped her misery.
As was customary, it was morning again. Lord Xiao rested at Luomei Residence and came to talk to Madam Xiao, or rather, to stand up for Aunt Ruan.
Xu Rong and the others waited outside, initially not hearing what they were saying, until Madam Xiao grew anxious and her voice became shrill, carrying out from outside: "—A woman who rapes first and then takes as a concubine, at her age, you still treat her like a treasure!"
Xiao Shan arrived just then and heard everything clearly. Her face, which was already pale, turned ashen. Without even saying goodbye, she covered her face and turned away.
Xu Rong wasn't entirely sure before that the insult was directed at Aunt Ruan, but now it was self-evident.
But—rape first, then take the woman?
This word can contain so many meanings, including those that Xu Rong needed.
It wasn't appropriate to talk in the main courtyard, but fortunately, Madam Xiao was arguing with Lord Xiao and didn't have time to deal with her children. Soon, word spread that they should all go back.
As soon as they returned to the courtyard, Xu Rong hurriedly asked Xiao Xin, "I just heard Madam say that Consort Ruan was with the Marquis outside?"
Xiao Xin paused for a moment and said, "Yes. After the Ruan family had their accident, Madam always disagreed with Concubine Ruan entering the family, and my maternal grandmother also disagreed. Father couldn't force the issue, so he arranged for Concubine Ruan to stay outside for a while."
"That young lady—?"
“When I was little, I heard people say that it happened outside. But my father was afraid it would affect Shan’er’s reputation, so he never allowed anyone to mention it. Later, as Shan’er grew up, no one talked about those things anymore,” Xiao Xin said.
Except for Madam Xiao, who was so angry that she wanted to speak, Marquis Xiao couldn't shut her up.
Xu Rong nodded slowly.
Very well, Xiao Shan's suspicion has increased further.
Xiao Xin was born prematurely; she conceived outside of marriage, and how she conceived is a story in itself.
Xu Rong pondered for a moment. She felt that digging this far was enough for now. Firstly, this would greatly increase the possibility that Lord Xiao knew about it, so if she went to uncover Xiao Shan's background, she would directly confront Lord Xiao. Secondly, if Lord Xiao didn't know, then her investigation would be pushing Xiao Shan to her death. Although she was displeased that Xiao Shan had designs on Xu Huazhang, they didn't have that much of a grudge.
Whether Aunt Ruan cuckolds Lord Xiao or not has nothing to do with her; she only needs to confirm Xiao Xin's safety.
"Are you done asking your questions? Now it's my turn to ask you."
Xu Rong snapped out of her daze: "Hmm?"
"You understand, don't you?"
Xu Rong: "..." She was completely bewildered. "What do I understand?"
“What I said that night,” Xiao Xin stared at her, “Otherwise, why did you tell me not to overthink it?”
Xu Rong: "—!"
Is it possible to draw this conclusion?
The important thing is that that happened about two weeks ago!
"You understand." Xiao Xin had reached a conclusion.
Xu Rong had no choice but to give in. This thin veil had probably been stuck on for so long that she was too lazy to struggle anymore. She said weakly, "Second Young Master, don't take advantage of your good memory to bring up old grievances like this."
She was caught off guard and suffered a great loss.
Xiao Xin shook his head: "I didn't bring up old grievances."
His expression was persistent and serious. After he finished speaking, he smiled slightly and said, "I just thought about what you said a few more times."
I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, longing for him day and night.
He didn't say those eight words out loud, nor did he need to. Every glimmer of light in his eyes and brows told her that was it.
"..."
Xu Rong was speechless and had no way to respond, but Xiao Xin did not press her for an answer. Instead, he picked up his pen and began writing on the wall beside him.
Xu Rong then noticed a painting over there. It depicted a lush, green tree that looked familiar, just like the one next to their courtyard gate.
Xiao Xin added a cluster of tiny flowers to it.
"My husband and I have discussed it and will try our best to pass the provincial examination next year." After finishing the painting, Xiao Xin turned around and said, "There are still fifteen months until next August. Once I finish adding these fifteen clusters of flowers, it will be time."
He looked young and upright, full of vigor and high spirits, standing next to the painting.
Xu Rong subconsciously admired it for a moment, and then: "..."
It feels like I've received some kind of ultimatum. How do I deal with it?
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