Seeing Fang Zhiran silent, Shen Liyue called softly, “Marquis?”
Fang Zhiran woke up as if from a dream, withdrew his gaze from Shen Liyue's face, and looked away awkwardly.
"I came here today to tell you that although the Chen Mansion..." Fang Zhiran glanced at Chen Liyue unconsciously, and Chen Liyue's eyes turned red when she heard the word Chen Mansion.
"Although a lot has happened, I won't take my anger out on you. You can rest assured."
Shen Liyue didn't say anything, but big tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.
"I took Xue'er as my co-wife without asking your opinion beforehand, and I'm being unfair to you. But Xue'er has been fighting with me alone for seven years, and it would be unmanly of me to not give her a legitimate place. So I hope you can understand. But don't worry, Xue'er is kind-hearted. She's mentioned you to me before, and she's always been protective of you. You'll understand her after spending time with her."
Chen Liyue sneered inwardly. "She's naturally kindhearted?" Perhaps you didn't know all the things He Yinxue had done at home in the past, all the times she'd been subservient and feigned weakness and grievance. If she were truly kindhearted, she wouldn't have left her entire family behind and gone alone to the border to find her brother-in-law. Back then, He Yinxue was just a relative from another family staying at the Shen family, but now she'd become a concubine in the Marquis's mansion, instantly rising to prominence. Even though they hadn't seen each other for years, Chen Liyue couldn't believe she truly lived up to Fang Zhiran's description of her as "naturally kindhearted."
But before Shen Liyue could say anything, she heard a commotion outside. It turned out that Meng'er, the little maidservant beside He Yinxue, came and said that Madam Xue had not been feeling well after dinner and had some abdominal pain. She asked when the Marquis would be back.
Upon hearing this, Fang Zhiran strode towards Tingying Pavilion where He Yinxue lived. Before leaving, Meng'er turned back and gave her a provocative smile.
Lian stamped her feet in anger.
"The Marquis finally returned from the battle, and he hasn't even been in the young lady's room for half an hour, and now she's calling her away again. Isn't this a sincere attempt to make things difficult for our young lady?"
Yuzhou quickly covered Liandong's mouth, "Have you forgotten what the young lady said today? Be careful of gossip when there are many people around. Don't say these things again in the future."
"I know, I just feel sorry for our young lady." Lian Dong curled his lips and said no more.
Chen Liyue knew Lian Dong was defending her. Because of her own poor health and the events at the Chen Mansion, she wasn't welcome at the Yong'an Marquis's residence. Lian Dong and Yu Zhou had endured their share of abuse, but a woman's obedience to her husband was a given, and even though she was unwilling to accept this, she had no choice.
The next day was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky. The fishing boat had its windows open, and the fragrance of flowers outside was carried into the warm room by the wind. Lian Dong was a restless person, so he urged Shen Liyue: "Miss, the weather is good today, let's go fly a kite?"
Chen Liyue smiled and nodded. Life in the boudoir was boring and hard to bear. Fortunately, there was someone as lively and active as Lian Dong by her side. Otherwise, it would be like a stagnant pool of water, calm and without any waves.
Shen Liyue ordered her servants to fetch the kite from the warehouse. It was a kite made for her by her brother Shen Weian, which depicted a beautiful woman. However, all the men in the Shen family were executed, and the women were forced to become court prostitutes. The Shen family's former glory vanished in an instant.
Lian Dong saw his young lady staring at the beautiful kite in a daze, and was afraid that it would bring back her sad memories. "How about we change the kite?"
"No need." Chen Liyue patted Lian Dong's hand, "I also want to see this kite flying in the sky."
The beauty kite was made by Shen Weian based on the appearance of Shen Liyue. He made it just to make his sister laugh. Who could have imagined that Shen Liyue would be trapped in this square walled courtyard in the future, and only this kite could help her fly out to see the outside world.
After a while, the kite string got tangled in a tree branch. Lian Dong tried to pull it down, but she severed the string. The kite broke and flew away again in the wind. Lian Dong's mouth immediately turned down, "Miss, I'm sorry..."
"It's okay. Maybe the string got stale after being in the warehouse for too long. I don't blame you." Chen Liyue nodded slightly. However, the kite was made by her brother. If it was lost, she would lose something that would remind her of him. "Go find the kite. As long as you find it, it won't fly too far."
"But Miss, you are here alone..." Yuzhou seemed a little worried.
Shen Liyue smiled slightly, "It's okay, I'll wait for you here."
Lian Dong and Yu Zhou followed the order and went to find the kite. Chen Liyue saw that the sun was getting big and wanted to find a shady place to sit, but someone came towards her. It was He Yinxue with a bulging belly.
"Cousin." He Yinxue called out without bowing.
Shen Liyue didn't want to see her, but she didn't want to provoke her either, so she nodded slightly as a response.
"The weather is nice today. Why don't you take a walk in the garden with me, cousin?" He Yinxue invited with a smile.
Shen Liyue wanted to refuse, but He Yinxue had already taken her hand, and to anyone who saw it, they looked like a pair of sisters with deep affection.
Chen Liyue pulled her hand back unnoticeably by fiddling with the hair by her ear, but He Yinxue looked really harmless. Thinking that although her maid was not around, there were still four maids accompanying He Yinxue, she thought nothing would happen, so she agreed.
The scenery in the garden is indeed beautiful in spring, with butterflies lingering and warblers singing. Before, because Fang Zhiran was not at home, Chen Liyue felt like a widow and seldom came to the garden often. Now, seeing this dazzling array of colors, Chen Liyue's mood is much more relaxed.
"Will my cousin be angry if I marry the Marquis?" He Yinxue seemed a little nervous and looked at Shen Liyue.
The good mood she had just had was mostly wiped out by He Yinxue's words. "A woman is to be obedient to her husband after marriage. Whatever the Marquis says is true. If the Marquis wants to marry you and give you a legitimate status, then he has his own reasons."
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