Chapter 55
The snow finally came again at the end of November.
As darkness fell, something resembling both rain and ice pellets began to descend from the horizon, making the ground increasingly wet.
Before long, a layer of ice formed on the ground.
In the courtyard, Shen Yao finished brewing the medicine, climbed the ladder to the second floor, opened the door, and stood aside silently watching Xu Xuan.
It was only at this moment that she dared to look him in the eye.
Although Xu Xuan lay motionless on the bed with his eyes closed, his brows were furrowed, and at this moment, his body was enduring excruciating pain.
This man was her husband in name only, but their relationship was one of mutual respect but cold indifference.
Even the dignity of a married couple is lost.
As she was pondering, the window frame rattled a few times, and a north wind blew in. Shen Yao put down her bowl and went over.
Xu Xuan couldn't stand the cold, so she quickly closed the window tightly.
Just then, Xu Xuan's groan suddenly reached his ears from the bed, sounding like a mosquito's buzz.
"Awake?" Shen Yao asked as she walked in.
I deliberately avoided his eyes.
"The doctor said you are likely to have a fever tonight. The herbal medicine is ready. If it's convenient for you, please drink some as a precaution."
Shen Yao lowered her eyes, reached out and took the bowl to the bedside, waiting for him to get up and drink the medicine himself.
Xu Xuan turned his head slightly to look at Shen Yao. The woman kept her head down and did not meet his gaze. Her tone of voice was calm and even, without any fluctuation.
She's so despicable!
He thought.
Because of her, he had already been subjected to caning and humiliation for the second time, and she still dared to appear in front of him?
Not only did they detain him here, but they also personally brewed medicine and brought it to him, serving him and trying to please him.
How can there be such a shameless woman in the world?
Unprecedented.
Xu Xuan suddenly felt his stomach churning, and waves of nausea washed over him.
He darkened his eyes, reached out and slapped the medicine to the ground, then hurled insults at her: "Get out."
The brown herbal medicine was spilled all over the ground, emitting a bitter smell.
Shen Yao looked up at Xu Xuan. His lips were pale and his complexion was extremely poor. Only his eyes were still full of life, filled with resentment, piercing her.
Shen Yao took a deep breath and silently comforted herself. It was her fault, and Xu Xuan's temper was understandable.
She has to endure it.
Squatting down and picking up the soup bowl, Shen Yao looked up at him and said, "I know you resent me, but your body is your own. If you die without taking your medicine, it will only cause pain to your loved ones and joy to your enemies."
After finishing her sentence, Shen Yao turned to leave.
Xu Xuan snorted coldly, and Shen Yao slowed her pace slightly as she heard Xu Xuan say, "So, are you a friend or an enemy?"
Shen Yao was taken aback. In just a moment, a little voice in her mind said, "Of course, it's an enemy."
So Shen Yao told him, "Anyway, we're not family."
Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan seemed to mock herself, slightly tugging at the corners of her mouth, and said, "I thought you would talk about family, cough cough..."
Shen Yao remained silent.
"You can get out now."
Xu Xuan turned over, facing away from her, and said nothing more.
Shen Yao wisely left.
Because of the snow and the poor weather, Shen Yao sent the hired workers home early, and now only Shen Yao and the servant were left in the study.
Shen Yao said, "Go back now and invite Liu Ru to come and take care of Xu Xuan."
Although Xu Xuan was her enemy, she couldn't just stand by and watch her die; perhaps the only option was to ask her to intervene.
The servant's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he said, "Madam Chen, Madam Liu hasn't been home lately, and I don't know where to look for her."
"What?"
Shen Yao lowered her gaze slightly. "She's not home, then... what about the Duke of Xin's residence?"
The servant sighed and said, "My lady, you don't know this, but ever since you left the manor, the young master and Lady Liu had a big fight. Lady Liu has also moved out. The young master won't let me go to see her. They are still in a cold war."
"..."
Shen Yao's lips twitched, but she ultimately fell silent, unable to speak.
After a while, she said, "Take another bowl of medicine upstairs and watch him drink it. I'm going to find Liu Ru."
*
The Duke of Xin's Mansion.
When Shen Yao stepped into the warm pavilion, Madam Guo was having dinner. Upon seeing her, she quickly got up and greeted her with a smile.
"It's snowing heavily outside, little sister. Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet." Shen Yao's eyes flashed, and she looked at the maids gathered around her, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.
Madam Guo, being quick-witted, immediately said, "You all go out. I want to catch up with Sister Shen."
The maids filed out, leaving only the two people inside.
Without bothering with pleasantries, Shen Yao hurriedly asked, "Is Liu Ru here?"
She asked anxiously, her mind racing, and then Madam Guo shook her head and said, "No, ever since the affair was exposed last time, Zhao Lian has taken her out to live, and I've been too lazy to care."
Shen Yao's eyes widened suddenly, and she asked again, "Then do you know where Zhao Lian lives?"
"According to his servant, he seems to be in the southern part of the city, but I don't know the exact location. However, if you're looking for Zhao Lian, you can try your luck at Hua Man Lou; he's been hanging out there a lot lately."
"Okay, I understand, thank you."
Shen Yao bowed in thanks.
Madam Guo quickly returned the greeting, smiling and saying, "Why are you being so polite with me? Actually, we get along very well. I'll visit you sometime when you have time."
Shen Yao smiled and replied, "I don't live in the Xu family. If you're looking for me, go to Zhuangyuan Study in Dashilan. I'm there."
"Oh, you're a woman doing business outside?"
Guo Niangzi was very curious, as if she had discovered a new continent, and kept looking her over while holding her hand.
"The rumors were indeed true. How could such a clever and intelligent girl be the vulgar person those people described?"
Shen Yao lowered her eyes and smiled shyly.
Can she say that she was kicked out by her husband?
In fact, they were in the same boat, both being disliked by their husbands and both connected to Liu Ru, which gave them a lot in common.
However, Shen Yao was in a hurry and didn't have time to chat with her for long, so she said, "Sister Guo, I have other important matters to attend to, so I won't stay any longer. But you are welcome to contact me anytime."
"Okay." Madam Guo smiled and watched her leave.
As the maid entered the room, Madam Guo rested her chin on her hand and asked, "What do you think of her?"
"Rumors say she's domineering..."
Madam Guo frowned and interrupted her, "It's fake. Everyone says the Shen family is arrogant, but look at her and her brother, it's clear the rumors are false."
Upon hearing this, the maid lowered her head slightly, biting her lip in thought. If she remembered correctly, this was the fifth time this month that Madam Guo had mentioned the Shen family, and Shen Fan as well…
*
Stepping out of the Duke's mansion, the wind and snow howled, snowflakes dampened my eyelashes, and obstructed my vision.
Pedestrians hurried along the road, all rushing home.
Shen Yao did not go to Hua Man Lou to look for the person, but went straight back to her study.
Upon entering, the fragrance of plum blossoms fills the air; the study is now filled with winter plum blossoms.
It's Wei Luo!
Shen Yao's heart pounded.
But Xu Xuan is still inside; he probably hasn't noticed!
Inside the bedroom on the second floor, the servant had already added charcoal to the basin, and an iron rack was placed on the charcoal fire, with hot water bubbling and steaming in the kettle.
The room was quiet.
When Shen Yao entered, knowing he was awake, she cautiously asked, "I saw the carriage was gone from the courtyard. Did you tell the servant to leave?"
silence.
After a long while, still no answer came, and a nameless anger rose in Shen Yao's heart.
Damn it, we're serving him, and he's putting on airs!
Shen Yao felt she was kind enough.
Xu Xuan was a member of the fallen Shen family and a traitor to the Shen family. If it weren't for the fact that she was on good terms with Wei Luo and that she really owed Xu Xuan something, she wouldn't be so eager to fawn over him.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, so Shen Yao said sarcastically, "If you're not mute, then say something so I know you're still alive."
Xu Xuan remained silent.
Shen Yao was furious.
I'm not afraid of arguing, I'm afraid of punching cotton and humiliating myself.
She didn't want to get involved anymore and was about to leave when Xu Xuan finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "What exactly do you like about me?"
Shen Yao was taken aback, stopped in her tracks, turned around, and asked, "What?"
Xu Xuan also turned his head to meet her gaze, but his eyes were empty, unlike anything Shen Yao had seen before, like a body detached from its soul.
Let me tell you a story.
Shen Yao: "..."
“A hundred years ago, there was a wealthy family in Jiangnan. One of them became a scholar who passed the imperial examination. He worked his way up through the ranks and spent decades in the officialdom before he defied fate and helped his family rise to the ranks of the powerful and wealthy.”
"Later, his son was even smarter. He passed the imperial examination at a young age and entered the Hanlin Academy directly. Many years later, he became the prime minister. At that time, the family also settled in the capital."
“But the son of the Jinshi was stupid and couldn’t understand the books. He only got a sinecure, so the family quickly fell into decline. But that wasn’t the worst of it.”
"The grandson of the Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) was even more stupid, and his official position was bought. He was unambitious and spent his days drinking, beating his wife, and abusing his children. He complained that the heavens were against him and that he was unlucky, so he forced his son to study."
“If his son misread a single word or misrecited a sentence, he would immediately be scolded and beaten by his father. From childhood to adulthood, he has knelt on countless thorns and shed countless tears.”
"But he still lived on strongly, simply because he had a cousin by his side who was always there to comfort and guide him. They promised to grow old together, but unexpectedly, a woman suddenly appeared... and everything changed."
Xu Xuan didn't continue, and Shen Yao understood; she was referring to her.
Ultimately, she was the one who interfered in their marriage, causing unhappiness for all three of them; she is guilty.
"I will divorce you so that you two can be together forever."
Shen Yao's gaze was firm, and her tone was equally resolute, "The emperor has decreed our marriage, and we cannot break off our engagements without his consent. However, if the emperor becomes the late emperor, anything is possible."
"Just bear with it for another year, and I promise you we'll get a divorce."
Shen Yao looked at him.
Xu Xuan suddenly laughed, but perhaps due to the emotional agitation, his injuries aggravated, and he coughed incessantly.
Shen Yao's eyes flickered slightly, but she still poured him a cup of hot water.
Xu Xuan's face turned red. He glanced at it once and then looked away, refusing to accept or drink it.
Shen Yao then blew on it and drank it herself.
Xu Xuan's eyes darkened, and he said sarcastically, "Chen Yao, do you know that you have a talent that is difficult for others to match? That is, you have an extremely thick skin. You could say it's as thick as a city wall."
"..."
What did she do to deserve this?
Xu Xuan continued, "Before we got married, I repeatedly asked you not to marry me because I already had someone I loved, but you still did as you pleased. After we got married, you tried every trick in the book to win me over, using all sorts of underhanded tactics."
"I was good-natured back then and didn't hold it against you, but why did you send someone to push Liu Ru into the water? You're a woman too, you should know... cough cough~"
Shen Yao lowered her eyelids and looked at him.
"Liu Ru has become like this because of you, and I was forced into it by you too. Liu Ru said that if I don't consummate our marriage, she won't come back."
Shen Yao's breath hitched, and she forgot to think, only muttering, "...What?"
Seeing this, Xu Xuan gave a sarcastic smile, "Isn't this what you've always wanted to do? You've even drugged me multiple times for it, so what are you pretending for!"
He spoke without any mercy, tearing off people's faces and displaying the bloody reality.
Shen Yao's breathing returned, and she said resolutely, "No, I will not consummate our marriage. We will divorce..."
"Go and get a divorce so you can be with him?" Xu Xuan interrupted her sharply, throwing a crumpled piece of paper on the ground, his tone venomous: "You really are a bitch!"
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