There was not a trace of blame in his words for Ye Jiaoniang.
Qin Sheng sneered inwardly, thinking, "Truly, she loves him deeply."
On a sunny autumn afternoon, a gentle breeze was blowing, and every now and then a koi carp would leap out of the small lake in front of the lake, splashing up large sprays of water.
The scene was quite a sight to behold.
As Qin Sheng looked at the photos, he thought of the Qin family mansion and a rather embarrassing incident.
At that time, Empress Dowager Duanxian was still alive. Qin Sheng entered the palace five times, and at least three of those times he would run into his fifth brother, Yue Rongheng.
Every time Yue Rongheng made her write, he would scold her with a stern face if she didn't write well. For a while, Qin Sheng was very afraid of him and started to pretend to be sick to avoid entering the palace.
But one time Yue Rongheng came.
Qin Sheng was reluctant to go to the palace, fearing that he would catch her practicing calligraphy again, so she simply pretended to be sick and stayed at home.
That day, Rong Heng came to the mansion to visit Qin Sheng on the orders of Empress Dowager Duanxian. Qin Sheng happened to be feeding the fish by the lake in the mansion at that time.
Upon seeing Yue Rongheng, she hurriedly tried to run back to her room to hide, but accidentally fell into the lake.
In the end, it was Yue Rongheng who pulled her out.
Qin Sheng was thinking about the embarrassing things she had done when she was young. When she thought of the funny ones, the corners of her lips unconsciously curved up.
Yin Wenxiao was taken aback.
He seemed to have rarely seen Qin Sheng smile, but he never expected that her smile would be so beautiful and captivating, like the bright moon.
They soon arrived at Zhefang Courtyard.
Yin Wenxiao subconsciously wanted to follow him inside, but Qin Sheng stopped and turned to look at him.
"Please wait, sir."
Qin Sheng said calmly, "Mother was also upset today. Lord, you should go and see her."
She did not want Yin Wenxiao to set foot in Zhefang Courtyard again unless absolutely necessary.
dirty.
Yin Wenxiao nodded. He was also afraid that today's events would make his mother even more disliked, or even disgusted, towards Jiao Niang.
He said, "You've worked hard preparing for the small banquet today. Go back and get some rest. I'm going to see Mother."
However, when Yin Wenxiao turned around, he felt a strange unease. It seemed that Qin Sheng... did not want him to enter Zhefang Courtyard.
He turned his head instinctively.
But Qin Sheng had already walked inside, and as she walked, she reached out and patted off non-existent dust from her sleeves.
"..."
Yin Wenxiao's gaze darkened, and he turned and strode away.
...
Inside the Pine Willow Courtyard, Old Madam Yin was truly furious. Yin Wenxiao was stopped outside the courtyard, and Granny Shi said in a low voice with difficulty, "My lord, the old lady said that she has a terrible headache and does not want to see you for the time being."
Finally, unable to do anything else, Yin Wenxiao stood in the courtyard for a while before going to Mingyue Pavilion.
Before even entering the room, they heard the maids' exclamations, as if they were trying to persuade each other, interspersed with Ye Jiaoniang's sobs.
"...Stop trying to persuade me, what's the point of me staying...Only if I leave will everyone have peace and quiet...This Yin family can't accommodate me, I shouldn't have come in the first place..."
"Why should I go to the capital to look for someone? Why not just die on the way..."
"He was the one who said he would come back and marry me, but later... yes, I am of lowly status, an orphan, so I deserve to be humiliated like this..."
"..."
Yin Wenxiao stood at the door listening to Ye Jiaoniang's sobbing, his face growing increasingly grim.
The maids were still whispering words of persuasion.
But Ye Jiaoniang wouldn't listen. She insisted on packing her things, tears streaming down her face, soaking her light-colored clothes.
"I shouldn't have come. He already has a wife, what am I doing here... I might as well go back to Hushan and live out my remaining years alone..."
Yin Wenxiao finally couldn't listen anymore.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
The maids in the courtyard were startled when they heard the Earl's voice and bowed their heads in greeting.
Yin Wenxiao told them all to leave.
The maids were more than happy to oblige, and quickly and discreetly withdrew, closing the door tightly behind them.
"Lord..."
Ye Jiaoniang sniffed, stopped calling him "husband" and looked at him with red, tear-filled eyes.
Yin Wenxiao was initially somewhat angry with her, but seeing her like this now, his heart had already softened.
"Why are you packing your things? I promised you that from now on, the Yin family mansion will be your shelter from the wind and rain, and I, Yin Wenxiao, will protect you for the rest of my life."
"But……"
Ye Jiaoniang cried pitifully, tears streaming down her face, biting her lip and shaking her head.
The wound on her forehead had been treated, but it still looked red and swollen.
“I know you didn’t mean it.” Yin Wenxiao pulled her hand and sat her down. “It’s just that you did something really inappropriate. But thankfully, Madam didn’t blame you.”
"Really?"
Ye Jiaoniang blinked, and her tears finally stopped flowing. "Madam, you really won't punish me or kick me out of the manor?"
"She's not that kind of person."
Yin Wenxiao blurted out these words, then suddenly froze after saying them.
Qin Sheng isn't that kind of person... So what kind of person is she? That's right, dignified, elegant, well-educated, and graceful.
"What about the old lady?" Ye Jiaoniang was most worried about the old lady.
She had always wanted to please Madam Yin, but for some reason, it seemed that her efforts had backfired, and the old lady disliked her more and more.
"I will speak to the old lady."
Yin Wenxiao hugged her. "You must stay put and not mention leaving again, understand?"
"Mmm." Ye Jiaoniang nodded and snuggled into his arms. "I promise you, no matter what happens in the future, I will never leave you."
After cuddling for a while, Yin Wenxiao coaxed the other person to sleep.
As darkness fell outside, Yin Wenxiao went to Songliu Courtyard once again.
This time, Granny Shi didn't stop him. She just glanced at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, and led him into the inner room.
Old Madam Yin had already removed her hairpins and jewelry, and was sitting listlessly on the bed, while a young maid was kneeling on the ground massaging her legs.
Upon catching a glimpse of his son, Yin Wenxiao ignored him, but still waved his hand to dismiss the girl massaging his legs.
Before Yin Wenxiao could speak, the old lady interrupted him coldly: "Don't try to defend that country bumpkin in front of me anymore. I really don't know what you see in her!"
"The son did not try to excuse his beloved wife."
Yin Wenxiao walked to the bedside, and after a moment, he knelt down on the footstool by the bed, begging, "Mother, please forgive Jiao Niang this time."
Gritting his teeth, he continued, "Back then, I went to Hushan to study alone and was bullied by the local students many times. Only my beloved wife stayed by my side. Before I returned to the capital, I promised that I would go to Hushan to marry her after I passed the imperial examination. But for the sake of my mother and the Yin family, I broke my promise, which caused my beloved wife to have a miscarriage due to emotional distress. She almost lost half her life."
"She didn't believe her son was such a heartless and ungrateful person. Later, she went to the capital alone, enduring hardships and suffering along the way, just to ask her son face to face about the marriage. It was her son who had wronged her... Her son knew that his wife was of lowly status and that she looked down on him, and that she could only be a concubine in this life. But even so, she agreed for her son's sake... Her heart had already suffered enough, Mother."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
