The two entered the house together. The moment they stepped inside, Su Yushan saw Gao Xiuwen leaning against Hongli, tears streaming down her face, heartbroken.
This was the first time she had ever seen Hongli so intimate with another woman, and a strange pang of bitterness rose in her heart. This unfamiliar feeling made her very uneasy, and she secretly reminded herself that saying she loved Hongli was just a temporary measure, and that she didn't actually love him, so she shouldn't be jealous of others.
The moment their eyes met, Hongli felt inexplicably guilty, because he could sense a hint of pain flashing in Su Yushan's eyes.
For the past few months, he had been doting on her alone. Today, he suddenly embraced another woman in front of her. Yu Shan must have felt uncomfortable, but she didn't show it too obviously and quickly looked away.
Pulling themselves back from their chaotic thoughts, Su Yushan and Xilan curtsied in greeting. Hongli did not respond. Xilan was too frightened to look up, but then she heard Gao Xiuwen burst into tears.
"Why is my child's life so miserable? He was already five months old! He was already formed and would soon be able to see this world, but he died such a tragic death. Why is God so cruel as to deprive me of the opportunity to be a mother?"
Gao Xiuwen wept uncontrollably, heartbroken. As the head of the family, Hongli naturally had to uphold justice for her, and immediately raised his voice to give orders.
Kneel down!
Without hesitation, Xi Lan immediately lifted her skirt and knelt on the ground. Su Yushan couldn't bear to see Xi Lan being punished, so she resolutely knelt down with her.
Seeing this, Hongli looked at Su Yushan and reminded her, "I didn't tell you to kneel, so get up."
However, Su Yushan said:
"Actually, I also bear some responsibility. At that time, Xilan and I were strolling in the garden when Jin Minjing passed by and made sarcastic remarks, warning me not to be smug and saying that I would soon get tired of me and would ignore me. I was naturally unhappy to hear this, so I argued with her for a while. She couldn't stand it, so she pinched the cat. The cat was startled, which is why it ran around and tried to grab Xilan."
He didn't believe Xi Lan's words, but he did believe Su Yushan's. After hearing the whole story, Hongli frowned. "Jin Minjing's matter again? Where is she? Bring her here!"
Li Yu quickly brought Jin Minjing over, but Jin Minjing was not afraid at all. She innocently pouted and defended herself.
"Fourth Master, I'm innocent! My cat just jumped off my lap. It's very docile and won't scratch anyone. It was Xilan who made a big fuss and didn't watch where she was going, bumping into Sister Gao. And she blames me and the cat. What kind of logic is that?"
Unable to bear her shirking responsibility, Su Yushan bluntly stated, "I saw it with my own eyes; you pinched the cat, and the cat reacted by running away and hurting people!"
Jin Minjing glared at Su Yushan with a hateful look, then looked at Hongli with a delicate and aggrieved expression. "Fourth Master, Su Yushan is a good friend of Xilan and has a grudge against me. She must be siding with Xilan and deliberately framing me. You can't believe her one-sided story."
Hongli pondered for a moment and asked, "Is there any other corroborating testimony about this matter?"
Kao Hsiu-wen was hit by someone just as she reached the corner, so she didn't see what was happening ahead at all.
“I don’t know if cats scratch people, or why they scratch people. All I know is that the person who knocked me down was Xilan. She knocked me down, so she has to take responsibility!”
At this moment, Xilan was speechless and almost cried. "Sister Gao, I didn't mean it! I'm also very sad that you lost your child, but I really didn't mean to hurt you."
How could a simple "it was unintentional" possibly alleviate her grief? "Everyone who does something wrong will say it was unintentional. If it were anything else, I could let it go, but you killed my own flesh and blood. The pain of losing my child is excruciating. How can I forgive you?"
Xi Lan was filled with grievances but had no words to express them. She knew very well how much the women in the inner courtyard valued their children, especially the Fourth Prince's first child, who was the eldest son. Gao Xiuwen could greatly improve her status by having a child. With a child as her support, she was very likely to rise from a maid to a concubine, becoming a superior person. But today, her child was gone, her flesh and blood had left her, and her hopes had been shattered. How could she not hate it?
Su Yushan understood Gao Xiuwen's grief over losing her son, but she didn't understand why the responsibility was entirely on Xilan. "Even if Xilan made mistakes, the root of the problem is not her. Sister Gao, you should hold the culprit accountable."
They were only talking about reason, only thinking about their own interests; no one truly cared about her feelings. Gao Xiuwen felt indignant and her headache worsened. The usually gentle woman turned pale and forced a furious rebuke.
"Stop talking! I don't want to hear any more of this pointless argument. No matter how much you try to shirk responsibility, my child will never come back."
After she finished speaking, she wept bitterly again. Hongli could not bear to see Gao Xiuwen so sad, so he ordered Xilan to be punished by going back to face the wall and kneeling to copy the "Rebirth Sutra" one hundred times.
It's right to perform a ritual for the child's soul, but who can bear to kneel and write it a hundred times?
"Fourth Master..." Su Yushan wanted to plead for Xilan, but Hongli interrupted her, "Go back to Huatang Pavilion and mind your own business!"
Hongli's attitude was somewhat cold, unlike his usual gentle demeanor. Su Yushan thought to herself that she hadn't done anything wrong, so why was Hongli taking his anger out on her and giving her the cold shoulder?
Feeling uneasy, she didn't say anything more, helped Xilan up, and prepared to take her back.
When they reached the corner, Su Yushan should have gone back, but she didn't turn and planned to follow Xilan to her courtyard.
Xi Lan quickly said that this was inappropriate, "Fourth Master wants you to go back because he doesn't want you to get involved. You should go back to your room! I don't want to implicate you either."
Su Yushan didn't take Hongli's words to heart. Right now, she only wanted to help Xilan. "Don't say such formal things. We sisters are bound to share happiness and hardship. He asked you to copy the scriptures, so I'll accompany you."
Most people would avoid such a situation at all costs, but Su Yushan stood firmly by her side, which deeply moved Xilan. Holding her hand tightly, she choked back tears and said:
“Yushan, I appreciate your kindness, but I’ve caused trouble this time, making Princess Gao suffer like this. You should avoid suspicion and stay away from me for now. I don’t want her to hold a grudge against you as well.”
“I’m not afraid,” Su Yushan refused to leave no matter how she tried to persuade her, insisting on going back with her to do what she could.
The two sisters shared a deep bond. Meanwhile, inside the Lan Yue Pavilion, Gao Xiuwen cried so hard that she almost fainted again. Hongli comforted her for a long time and only left after coaxing her to sleep.
After leaving Lan Yue Pavilion, Hongli headed straight for Hua Tang Pavilion. Seeing this, Li Yu guessed that his master was going to see Su Gege and quickly reminded him:
"Master, Consort Su hasn't returned to her own courtyard; she's with Consort Lan."
Upon hearing this, Hongli paused slightly. "Didn't I tell her to go back? Why is she sticking to Xilan again?"
Li Yu dared not speak carelessly, feigning ignorance, "This...this servant doesn't understand either!"
Helpless, Hongli had no choice but to change direction. When he arrived at the courtyard where Xilan lived, he was surprised to find that Su Yushan was also kneeling in front of the small table with Xilan, copying scriptures!
Hongli was immediately enraged and sternly rebuked, "Su Yushan! What are you doing?"
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