The morning after Hai Sheng was arrested, Fukang'an had Zhao Xing spread the news of Hai Sheng's arrest throughout the mansion, and then went to Xiangshan to check on the progress of the palace reconstruction.
When Xi Ying learned that Xiang'er had gone mad, she was shocked. She had never instructed Xia'er to do such a thing. Moreover, the swaddling clothes that had been used to wrap Xiang'er's baby that day had all been burned, so how could there be a swaddling clothes stained with blood?
A sense of impending doom, being attacked from both sides, made Xi Ying start to panic. Although she didn't say it, everyone would assume that Xia'er's actions were at Xi Ying's behest. Having always served her master, Xia'er had now cornered her with no way to fight back.
She didn't punish Xia'er; someone must have been behind this. After all, Xia'er had been with her for many years, and she knew that tenderness was Xia'er's weakness. If you were wholeheartedly good to her, she would lose her heart in front of you and devote herself entirely to you.
With no room for maneuver, Xi Ying had no choice but to take some of the blame to save her younger brother's life. She ordered Qiu'er to keep a close eye on Xia'er to prevent her from causing trouble again.
The night Fukang'an returned from Xiangshan, Xiying knelt outside the gate of Jiangongzhai and removed her hairpin to beg for forgiveness.
At dawn, the servants of Jian Gong Zhai opened the courtyard gate. Xi Ying's tears had ruined her makeup, and her long black hair cascaded down, clinging to her light blue and white satin cheongsam, without any hair ornaments.
Xi Ying knelt on the cold stone slab, soaked in the icy dew. At first, it was bone-chillingly cold, then unbearably hot, and gradually she became numb and insensitive.
When Yan Ning learned from Zhu Xiang that Xi Ying was kneeling outside the door, she felt no pity whatsoever. Thinking of Xiang'er's current state, she felt that kneeling like this for ten days or half a month would be futile. No matter how much she knelt, she couldn't save Xiang'er's child's life.
After Fukang'an had breakfast, he had Xi Ying invited in. Perhaps they were both preoccupied with their own thoughts, as neither Fukang'an nor Yan Ning ate much, leaving most of their food untouched. The table was laden with a colorful array of dishes, both meat and vegetables.
Xi Ying entered the Jianguozhai courtyard on her knees, her knees bleeding as she stepped over the threshold. Jianguozhai had previously been a place where Fukang'an cultivated his character in his leisure time, and the man's rugged nature meant he hadn't maintained it carefully. Some of the stone slabs were already slightly warped, the sharp stones digging into her flesh—a piercing pain.
Before the servants had finished cleaning in the morning, Xi Ying's blood mixed with dirt on her white nightgown was a heartbreaking sight.
She bit her lip tightly, refusing to let the tears welling up in her eyes fall. She knew that her tears would have no effect on Fukang'an at this moment, and would only make him hate her more.
By the time Xi Ying arrived at the hall, almost half an incense stick's time had passed. Yan Ning, being a woman of compassion, felt a pang of pity and was about to help Xi Ying up when Fu Kang'an stopped her.
Why did you make yourself look so disheveled?
Sitting upright in the main seat, Fukang'an suppressed his anger and asked Xi Ying, who was kneeling, with a blank expression.
Xi Ying kowtowed, her long black hair spreading out like glossy black silk. "I know in my heart that what I have done is unforgivable to the General! I am willing to accept the General's punishment, I only beg the General to release my younger brother Haisheng!" There was not a trace of sorrow for herself in her tone, only worry for her younger brother Haisheng.
In the long pavilion garden, Qiu'er followed closely behind Xia'er.
Seeing that Xi Ying knew she had framed her but didn't punish her, Xia'er felt a surge of affection for her former mistress. She hurriedly ran to Xi Ying's cupboard and took out the Yu Chunxin that had been stored away for a long time, intending to throw it away, fearing that Fukang'an would send people to search the place later.
Yuchunxin is a kind of "medicine" from the border regions. When boiled with an excessive amount of Pinellia ternata into a soup, drinking it can cause a person to become mute.
However, the fragrance of Yuchun is unique. It is fine if you don't touch it for a long time, but once you touch it for a long time, the fragrance will be permanently lost.
Qiu'er had been keeping an eye on Xiang'er, and when she saw Xiang'er take a jade bottle from Xi Ying's cupboard, she immediately stopped her. "Your aunt has treated you well, why are you doing this to her?"
Xia'er, who had meant well, felt her past bitterness and anger resurface upon hearing Qiu'er's words. Her eyes were filled with rage as she looked at Qiu'er. "Not bad? Ever since the incident with Liu the Midwife, my aunt has treated you like a confidante, never consulting me on anything! I risked my life for my aunt, and this is how she treats me? Where is the 'not bad'?"
The maids in the Fucha household wore light purple and bright red outfits for autumn and winter to reduce the bleakness of the season.
Amidst the fragrance of crabapple blossoms, two figures in crimson entangled, vying for the Jade Spring Fragrance in their hands. Xia'er vehemently explained that she intended to discard the jade vase, but Qiu'er no longer believed her.
During the struggle, Yu Chunxin's jade bottle fell to Zhao Xing's feet.
Zhao Xing was ordered to search Changting Garden, but he never expected to be brought here like this. When asked what this was, Qiu'er and Xia'er knelt together, pulling at each other's hands, stammering and unable to explain clearly.
Zhao Xing waved his hand and ordered his men to take them to Jian Gong Zhai as well.
When Fukang'an sent someone to Changting Garden, Xi Ying had already prepared herself for being divorced. Xia'er had obviously been taken in by someone else, and now, Xi Ying only hoped that Xia'er would remember the kindness they had shown each other as master and servant.
As Xia'er and Qiu'er knelt in the hall, Xi Ying's bloodshot lips weakly uttered, "A pair of mandarin ducks, embroidered with patterns, cut into a quilt of reunion. Worn with longing, bound together with an unbreakable knot." Tears fell intermittently.
She and Fukang'an were once deeply in love, sharing a nuptial cup and sleeping together under the same quilt. Now, however, she found herself being interrogated and questioned by her husband. Although she couldn't escape responsibility for everything, the bitterness in her heart was indescribable.
Zhao Xing handed the Yu Chunxin bottle to Fukang'an, who opened it and poured out a small, shiny pill that resembled a black pearl. It was so hard it couldn't be crushed by hand. He sealed the bottle and tossed it onto the hem of Xi Ying's pale blue satin cheongsam, his sharp eyes fixed on her. "What is this?"
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