Hongtang
The accusations made Xie Lingxi's vision blur.
"Xiao Zixuan?"
She frowned: "What is my relationship with him?"
Liu Xu continued to lament, "If I had known this would happen, why didn't you ask Xiao Yin for help in dealing with it? You and he were childhood sweethearts, and you were in love. Even if rumors were rampant, he would still have been willing to marry you."
The two stood in the night breeze, filled with the melancholy of early lotus blossoms.
Xie Lingxi was trying her best to understand the deeper meaning of his words when Liu Xu suddenly asked her, "Is there really no way to salvage our relationship?"
Xie Lingxi exclaimed "Ah!"
But Liu Xu gave a sad smile and turned his face away. "Tonight, when I go back, I will write a letter of divorce. I only wish that we can part ways peacefully and each find our own happiness. I wish you and Xiao Yin a son soon and a long and happy marriage."
After saying that, he lowered his head and walked forward.
His figure stood forlornly, alone.
Another cool breeze swept by, and Xie Lingxi wrapped her coat tighter to catch up with him. In fact, the distance between them was not long, but these few steps felt like walking in the rain, as if they had embraced the spring light and the midsummer moon.
She gently tugged at the corner of Liu Xu's robe, her slender, white fingers resting on her husband's verdant green robe.
Xie Lingxi looked up and saw a bright moon reflected in her eyes. Liu Xu's face was bathed in a soft light, yet it also held traces of the storms of the past years.
She calmly replied, "Let alone divorce—"
"What does this have to do with Xiao Zixuan?"
This man was acting strangely, and Xie Lingxi was really suspicious. Could he have some kind of strange illness that prevented him from going out at night?
The two clearly get along well, and although there have been some disagreements, they haven't gotten to the point of needing a divorce!
Why did your expression change so much after just one trip out?
But Liu Xu sighed, his tone weary: "I know there are many beautiful stories about you and Xiao Yin in the capital. They say you are a perfect match, a golden couple. Seeing you today, it is clear that you are very familiar with him. It seems there is some affection between you."
Xie Lingxi sighed, "It's all just rumors. Aren't there people spreading rumors about me and Yan Ji too?"
"As for affection, there is absolutely none—he acts erratically, while I am meticulous in my actions. Even if we were to be forced together, we would not see eye to eye."
After listening, Liu Xu said quietly, "You really do understand him very well."
This just doesn't make sense!
Xie Lingxi asked helplessly, "What exactly are you dissatisfied with?"
At that time, she was drawn to the fact that this young man, Liu, was extremely respectable in his conduct and had the appearance of a fine orchid tree, so she wanted to invite this "immovable mountain" back to take charge.
Who would have thought that after the marriage, this person seemed to have changed completely, as if he had only put on a mask of virtuous conduct. He said, "But you smiled at him."
This is the most ridiculous thing in the world!
Xie Lingxi was so angry that she laughed. Her face was sharp and cold, making people tremble at the sight of her. "Do you think I am a fierce demon in your eyes, someone who has to wear a stern face to everyone I meet?"
Liu Xu looked down at her and said softly, "It's not impossible."
"Why are you smiling so sweetly at other men? I'm clearly your rightful husband, even if I'm not!"
The shout was urgent and forceful. Before Xie Lingxi could react, Liu Xu took the initiative and grabbed her wrist. Although there was a sleeve between them, his broad palm was so hot that she almost cried out.
"You and I are both self-disciplined and respectful, yet you chat and laugh with Xiao Yin. You don't need to pretend to praise me for being upright and noble. No matter what, I am a real man. How can I be magnanimous when my wife is laughing and joking with another man?"
Xie Lingxi tried to pull her hand away, but he held it firmly. So she frowned and said, "I thought you knew perfectly well that we were just allies who were in the same boat."
"You helped me avoid those disastrous marriages, and I helped you get on the Xie family's big ship. Isn't it a win-win situation?"
She met his gaze. "Don't you think it's a bit too much to talk to me about love and romance now?"
Looking into her expressionless eyes, Liu Xu's gaze darkened: "Do you really believe what you're saying?"
"If there were no feelings between you, why would you be so unguarded with me on your wedding night? If you were determined to have nothing to do with me, why would you come back home to find me after the argument?"
After saying that, Xiao Yin started talking about himself. Was this person never going to stop? Did he want to take two sticks and bang on a gong and drum?
It was late at night, and Xie Lingxi lowered her eyes. "I really don't want to argue with you."
After a long day, she was quite tired. Seeing that Liu Xu was still holding her hand, she thought to herself, "If you want to hold my hand, then hold it as long as you want."
She slightly raised her eyes, her phoenix eyes wide and round as she glared at him: "You've said everything, good and bad, don't you think that's going too far?"
"Even if I go home later, you, who waited patiently by the back door with the lantern, won't necessarily be any more honorable. We'll all lose face, so let's not say anyone is better than anyone else."
She could have taken Tang Zexue somewhere else, but before she knew it, she had arrived at her doorstep and a surge of emotion welled up inside her: wasn't this also her place of refuge? Was it only Liu Xu who was allowed to set fires, but Xie Lingxi who wasn't allowed to light lamps?
After thinking it over, Xie Lingxi felt extremely tired, and her eyes were red. She forced herself to stay awake and urged, "Let's go home quickly, I'm so sleepy."
...
The two's dispute ended there for the night. Upon seeing Tang Zexue again, she softened her demeanor and began to put on airs in front of him.
Tang Zexue was still awake when she saw the two return and hurriedly asked, "How is Lord Mo?"
Xie Lingxi said listlessly, "He's perfectly fine."
"It's past midnight, and you're still not asleep. If you keep doing this, you'll definitely wear yourself out. You should call a doctor to take a look at you tomorrow."
Liu Xu was still holding Xie Lingxi's hand when he heard this. He immediately understood and remembered the old doctor who had treated Xie Lingxi's injuries.
"Tomorrow I will send Liu Zhi to Huichun Hall."
...
The next day.
The weather is warm and the air is crisp.
Liu Xu went to the Hanlin Academy early, leaving Xie Lingxi at home to chatter on and on with Tang Zexue.
After shedding her anxieties, Tang Zexue turned out to be a handsome young man.
He glanced at Xie Lingxi, who seemed to be doing nothing, and then, thinking of Liu Xu who had stumbled and fallen that morning in his haste to leave, asked curiously, "How did Madam Xie and Chengzhi meet?"
Xie Lingxi pondered slowly: "At the banquet in Qujiang, with the winding stream, he pretended to be sick, and I left the banquet. When I passed by his alley, I was caught red-handed."
Tang Zexue: "..."
"Throwing something out of thin air?"
Xie Lingxi shook her head: "No."
"A top scholar fell from the sky."
Tang Zexue: "...What a tragic love affair."
"Fortunately, you met early on. I've heard that the previous top scholars in the imperial examinations married princesses."
After thinking for a moment, Xie Lingxi could only think of Yan Ji, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, as the only one who was bothering Liu Xu. She tilted her head and asked, "Princess?"
"Yan Ying?"
The days spent as a companion in the palace were simply unbearable. The spoiled princess had a terrible temper and had been pampered since childhood, treating human life as worthless.
Because people were pressing her about her marriage, she had no choice but to act like a subservient child in the palace every day, hiding whenever possible to avoid being noticed.
From this perspective—
"He's really lucky to have such a beautiful wife like me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Zhi led in a timid and timid doctor with a white beard, accompanied by a young man who, like the old doctor, had a worried look on his face.
After passing behind the screen and seeing Xie Lingxi, the old doctor suddenly slapped his chest and let out a long sigh: "Oh dear!"
"My wife, you're still alive!"
Xie Lingxi: "?"
She had never been questioned like this before, and upon hearing it, she immediately realized what was happening and looked at Liu Zhi, "How did you find the doctor? How come you say I'm already dead?"
Since Liu Zhi learned that Xie Lingxi was the mistress of the house, she felt a little secretly pleased. As he said, Lady Xie was really beautiful, and her husband had gotten a great deal.
Therefore, he was not afraid of her. When his wife spoke to him, he grinned and replied, "Wife, I only meant, 'Doctor! My wife saw you before and took several doses of medicine, but she hasn't gotten better!'"
The old doctor woke up early in the morning to this terrible news. He thought someone had died from his illness. When he saw that the child was dressed like someone from an official family, he immediately turned his eyes back to the ground. It was only after his son, who was off duty that day, performed emergency treatment that the child was brought back to life.
He sighed as he saw Xie Lingxi: "My lady, children speak without thinking, but what illness have you had today?"
Xie Lingxi glanced at the young man following behind him, "And this is—"
"This is my son Chongshan. He came with me because he was afraid you would make things difficult for me."
Xie Lingxi smiled: "Is it Wang Chongshan, the one who wrote 'Yuanqing Lun'?"
Seeing the doctor and his son's surprise, he thought to himself that his prediction was correct.
He led the person into the inner room and, upon seeing Tang Zexue covered in wounds, continued, "Today, it is not I who seek medical treatment, but this young man."
The old doctor choked, "This..."
This is the young man I met the other day.
He was deeply impressed by Liu Xu. Later, it was entirely thanks to Liu Xu that Huichuntang was able to be repaired. Otherwise, when would it have been able to reopen?
Could it be that this woman has found a new lover in such a short time?
Xie Lingxi pleaded, "Ling Shuang was rescued by chance when my husband and I went out. She has many injuries, and my husband and I know nothing about medicine, let alone how to treat her. Please ask the doctor to take a look."
Hearing this, the old doctor felt relieved. He held his breath and focused on taking the pulse and diagnosing the wound, then prescribed several medicines.
As he was packing his belongings to leave, he suddenly heard Xie Lingxi ask, "Young Master Wang, on the banks of the Qujiang River, did you see clearly what the villains looked like that day?"
—On the day she and Liu Xu went to Huichun Hall, they saw that this young man was extremely frightened, and must have been very close to the culprit.
Wang Chongshan was a filial son, and today he was supposed to be acting as a guard, but the conversation unexpectedly turned to him.
He passed the imperial examination this year and became a minor official in the capital, which can be considered as bringing honor to his ancestors. After hearing Xie Lingxi's account, the thrilling scene from that day reappeared.
"It was too dangerous at the time. I didn't get a clear look at the villain's face. Besides, his face was covered with a black cloth, and only his eyes were showing."
Xie Lingxi smiled and said, "That's right. My friend said the same thing."
Upon hearing this, Wang Chongshan glanced instinctively at Tang Zexue, who was lying on the bed with her wounds bandaged, and asked in surprise, "Is my lord also one of the students who were attacked?"
Tang Zexue nodded, recalling Xie Lingxi's earlier instructions, and hissed, "Last night I intended to go out for drinks, but someone stabbed me several times in the back. Although I fought with him, I was ultimately... cough cough..."
“I collapsed from exhaustion, but luckily my wife and her husband happened to pass by. I have been in the capital for several days and have not made any enemies. The one who attacked me last night must be the same person who committed evil deeds in Qujiang a few days ago.”
Seeing his alarming cough, Wang Chongshan patted his back and asked, "How did you know it was that person, sir?"
“I saw it, those eyes, he has a scar at the corner of his eye. Brother Wang, isn’t that right?”
Wang Chongshan didn't remember much and couldn't quite recall it. He nodded haphazardly and then hurriedly left with his father.
After everyone left, Tang Zexue stopped coughing and looked at Xie Lingxi: "Wife, did this trick really work?"
Xie Lingxi watched the father and son leave, raised an eyebrow and smiled: "In this world, a lie, if told too often, becomes the truth."
"See, he believed it, didn't he?"
...
Wang Chongshan believed it!
He hurriedly returned home, paced back and forth in the courtyard, still holding a grudge. He simply put on his outer robe and went out to talk to his colleagues!
The thugs who had been hiding for months are back! They injured quite a few young men last night!
—I heard he has a scar on his forehead!
What? You're asking if it's true or false?
I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, how could it be false!
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