Acting
Liu Xu ignored her and continued to grab her clothes, splashing the warm smell of alcohol onto the poor woman's face, which made Xie Lingxi tremble all over.
This man clung to her like a large, fierce dog. Everyone said that Liu Chengzhi was modest and gentle, but in her eyes, how much handsome and unruly talent was hidden beneath this ubiquitous modesty?
As the rustling of clothes continued, Xie Lingxi turned over, pressing Liu Xu face-to-face onto the pillow, before saying softly, "Ah Xu, I want to rest."
Only then did she see Liu Xu's gaze clearly. It was like the soft moonlight and gentle breeze, without a trace of drunkenness. At most, there was a blush on his cheeks, which veiled the bright moon with a veil.
"You're not drunk?"
Liu Xu covered her mouth. "Yes."
"and you--!"
Xie Lingxi was truly enraged this time. She straightened up, grabbed a carved and butterfly-adorned pillow from beside her, and was about to throw it at him when Liu Xu raised his hand to stop her.
"Is Lingxi planning to murder her husband?"
Xie Lingxi: "What kind of husband are you?"
She stood up and walked to the window, closed the drafty wooden window, and found some lamp oil to refill a few candles. The long orchid leaves swayed and reflected on her face, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.
Just as Liu Xu was about to retort, he heard the woman suddenly chuckle, her cool voice ringing out in the room: "He was just a petty thief pretending to be drunk, harboring ill intentions, trying to break into my room to commit violence, and was caught red-handed by me, wasn't he?"
He chuckled, "Lingxi is right."
Xie Lingxi persisted, closing her fan and propping up the young man's chin. "Then tell me, what do you want to find in our young man's room? Could it be that you really come here for a night of passion?"
"Oh? Why not?"
Liu Xu sat up, letting Xie Lingxi tease him like this.
"My lady is beautiful, and I admire her greatly. Is that not allowed?"
"Okay."
At this point, Xie Lingxi closed her fan, gracefully sat back down at her desk, picked up her brush and pretended to write something. As she wrote, "Then I'll let you off this time. However—if my husband finds out and you come again next time, I'll report you to the authorities."
Upon hearing this, Liu Xu hugged Xie Lingxi's waist and rested his head on her shoulder, saying, "My wife is right."
He changed the subject abruptly, "Did you see that Cui Erlang when you went out today?"
Cui Erlang, Cui Zhi, is Cui Yi's older brother.
“That’s right.” Xie Lingxi nodded, then asked suspiciously, “You were following me?”
Today, she and Ayi were chatting idly at the jewelry shop when suddenly a frail-looking woman rushed out from the alley behind them and bumped right into Cui Yi.
Xie Lingxi quickly pulled the young woman over, accidentally touching her protruding belly!
Previously, the clothes were loose and the details were not clear, but now, upon contact, the woman suddenly screamed, as if Xie Lingxi was about to kill the child in her womb, her voice filled with extreme sorrow and resentment.
--"ah!"
The cry overlapped with that of the pregnant woman, and Xie Lingxi shuddered. Turning her head, she saw Liu Xu had somehow rolled onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably—
"I knew it! There was something going on between you and Cui Erlang! It wasn't a proper affair! It's true that you've been married for a long time and you've grown tired of me. You used to treat me so well, and now you're so heartless, discarding me like trash!"
Xie Lingxi: "..."
The room fell silent for a moment.
He didn't even notice that the ink in his hand had stained the rice paper black. He had drawn a small portrait on the paper with just a few strokes, yet it was incredibly lifelike. Now, the original appearance is no longer visible.
Xie Lingxi remained silent for a long time before asking, "Are you sick in the head?"
"I met Brother Cui on the way and we only chatted briefly, about my brother and Ayi. What are you doing here?"
Liu Xu must be completely drunk today.
Xie Lingxi was determined not to argue with the drunkard, but Liu Xu lightly lifted her onto the bed, embraced her from behind in an ambiguous manner, and whispered something in her ear.
Are you sure?
Liu Xu said, "Of course."
Just now, all was quiet outside the window, perhaps with the sound of a cat's footsteps. Xie Lingxi closed her eyes and said calmly, "Uncle Cui's birthday is in a few days. After you leave your post, come with me to offer your congratulations."
...
Cui Mansion.
The buildings are layered and the flowers are in full bloom.
Taking advantage of this auspicious day, Old Madam Cui held a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet. Apart from the endless stream of officials and friends who came to congratulate Lord Cui on his birthday, his wives and concubines gathered outside the east fence to enjoy the autumn scenery together.
Xie Lingxi took Liu Xu's hand and gave him a few instructions before following the maid to the backyard where Cui Yi lived.
The Cui residence had not been renovated for more than ten years. Xie Lingxi knew exactly where the mountains, the water, and the pavilions were.
She walked quickly to a pond and feigned surprise, saying, "Young lady, this place is truly serene. This is the first time I've ever seen such a breathtakingly beautiful scene!"
The maid was unfamiliar with the woman. Upon hearing this, she replied softly, "Thank you, Madam. This was altered by a newly recruited craftsman."
Xie Lingxi nodded: "Truly ingenious."
She then asked, "By the way, when I came here, I saw many ladies and wives. Where are they now? I'd like to take Ayi along to join in the fun."
The latter replied respectfully, "In the Hundred Flowers Garden."
As they talked, they arrived at the entrance of Cui Yi's courtyard. After the maid who had led the way had gone far away, Cui Yi carefully opened half of the door and silently welcomed Xie Lingxi inside.
"Lingxi, would you like to wear this outfit?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingxi looked at it meticulously, but her mind wandered elsewhere. A trace of worry flashed in her eyes, "If this is done, I'm afraid there will be no peace in the manor today."
Cui Yi was wearing the same clothes she wore when the two of them met the pregnant woman on the street that day.
The woman said her surname was Qin, her given name was Xiaofang, and she was a local from Chang'an. Her parents had passed away early, and she only had an older brother who was still studying.
She usually spun and wove cloth to earn money to support her family. But one day, while washing clothes by the river, she met a noble young man. After a brief affair, she became pregnant, but the young man disappeared without a trace.
She said it was her brother's child, but I didn't believe her.
Cui Erlang is self-disciplined and respectful of propriety; there's no reason for him to do such a thing.
"I must find out who is right and who is wrong!"
Cui Yi said fiercely, "Besides, if it really is my brother's child, then why not take advantage of Father's birthday today and find him a grandson so that the Cui family's child can be recognized by his ancestors? Wouldn't that be a good thing?"
"Is this... a good thing?"
Xie Lingxi tightened her sleeves and indeed heard Cui Yi say, "Doesn't he value blood relatives the most? That He Shi is talentless and immoral. I would think it's too good for her to be a concubine. But just because she gave birth to a son, she was brought back and recognized as the mistress?"
"Incompetent and immoral" was a more tactful way of putting it. Xie Lingxi understood that the poisonous woman had probably harmed Cui Yi and Cui Zhi's mother, but as time had passed, the evidence had been worn away.
“Yes,” Xie Lingxi replied, “She will get her comeuppance sooner or later.”
She picked up a comb and began to tidy Cui Yi's disheveled hair. Remembering what the maid had said earlier, she asked, "Has your household recently acquired a remarkable craftsman?"
Cui Yi: "What craftsman? Just a charlatan that Cui Jue found."
Although she had never met that person, she figured that anyone Cui Jue would notice must be someone of low quality.
She grasped Xie Lingxi's hand and said, "Lingxi, if you want to renovate the courtyard, I can do it for you. Why bother looking for someone else?"
Xie Lingxi had no such intention.
She used to love tinkering with these things, but lately she's been feeling a bit unwell and has become somewhat lax. Liu Xu, however, seems to be obsessed, moving the potted plant around every day without finding it troublesome.
As the appointed time approached, the two tidied themselves up and quietly left the house.
...
At the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet.
There were quite a few dignitaries and imperial relatives present today, and they all gathered around to admire the golden chrysanthemums that the Cui family had painstakingly cultivated over the years.
Even more, for reasons unknown, some suggested that the talented men and women present should use this opportunity to compose poems and paint pictures, and have a competition.
"Your Highness, today is my father's birthday, not a competition for the top two ranks in the academy. Let the ladies and gentlemen enjoy composing poems and painting as they please. There's no need for a competition, is there?"
Before she arrived, her voice preceded her arrival. When everyone saw that it was Cui's daughter, they hurried forward to chat with her.
When Yan Shengfu heard someone reject his words, he was about to get angry, but when he turned around and saw that it was Cui Yi, he knew that he would not get anything out of her, so he suppressed his anger and said: "Madam Cui".
“How could you think of me like that, Madam Cui? My original intention was to encourage all of you gentlemen and ladies to have a heart-to-heart talk. But Madam Cui’s words have made me the one who is in the wrong.”
Before Cui Yi could reply, a male voice cut her off—
"Third brother, you are mistaken. Sister Ayi's heart is full of love, so please don't hold it against her."
The visitor was none other than Yan Ji.
These words were clearly intended to make enemies of Cui Yi. Xie Lingxi looked around and indeed saw some noble ladies showing signs of impatience.
Yan Sheng was humiliated twice in a short period of time, and he was furious. Just as he was about to lose his temper, someone suddenly bumped into him from the side. He was already hot-tempered, and with a flick of his sleeve, he used all his strength: "Are you looking for death?!"
The woman he had thrown to the ground clutched her stomach, crying out in pain, "Ah...! Ah! My...my child!"
"..."
After a deathly silence, Old Mrs. Cui sensed something was amiss and approached. The others instinctively made way for her. A joyful smile still lingered on her face, but when she suddenly saw the blood on the ground, her eyelids rolled back, and she nearly fainted—
"Help! Someone's in danger!"
...
Upon seeing the blood, the ladies present all looked rather grim, and even the hard-hearted gentlemen couldn't bear it and turned away one after another. Some even made excuses to leave.
Xie Lingxi quickly brought over a doctor, and had people carry Madam Cui and Qin Xiaofang away one after the other.
The perfectly good chrysanthemum appreciation banquet can't be held now.
Everyone was still in shock. After a long while, the old lady still hadn't woken up. Cui Yi, who was usually cold and aloof and fearless, gradually reddened her eyes and began to sob softly.
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have angered the Third Prince, causing my grandmother and this poor wife to suffer such a calamity and still not wake up."
Upon hearing this, a lady who was on good terms with the Cui family comforted her, saying, "Ayi, this is not your fault."
The lady who spoke was surnamed Lu and could be considered Yan Sheng's elder. She was not afraid of the brat's arrogance. She took out a handkerchief to wipe Cui Yi's tears, feeling extremely sorry for her. Then she turned to Yan Sheng and said, "Your Highness, you are also so reckless."
Several people murmured among themselves, "This is clearly a joyous occasion for the Grand Secretary, but now it might turn into a funeral. What should we do?"
"...The old lady is too old, I'm afraid she won't make it."
"..."
Xie Lingxi walked over from outside and happened to hear these words. She gave those people a cold look that made them feel uneasy, and she promptly shut her mouth.
After a while, the doctor came out to report that the old lady had woken up and was in good health, but she had been too frightened and needed to recuperate.
Qin Xiaofang's child could not be saved; the two-month-old fetus, still undeveloped, turned into a pool of blood and flowed away.
Amidst the sighs of the crowd, Qin Xiaofang, her face deathly pale, suddenly collapsed from the bed and knelt on the ground, unable to rise.
Perhaps because of her recent miscarriage, her frail body looked as fragile as if it were made of paper, teetering on the verge of collapse.
She kept kowtowing, until her forehead was covered in blood.
"Madam! Please, Madam, seek justice for me... He killed my child! He killed your Cui family's child!"
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