quarrel
"He Wei, we've been husband and wife for over twenty years, I never imagined you would see me like this?"
Amidst the tense standoff, Hongxiu, the personal maid of the First Madam, immediately lifted her skirt and knelt down.
"General, you are wise. Although the lady dislikes the young mistress, she would never have such thoughts. Her food and clothing are delivered on time, and she has never caused any trouble. So how could she have sent someone to set fire? You should know the lady's temperament. You must not believe the young mistress's one-sided story, General!"
He Wei seemed to be having a headache from the affairs of the inner quarters. His eyebrows were tightly furrowed, forming a "川" shape. He irritably raised his hand and pinched the space between his eyebrows.
Qi Shuangyun's gaze was sharp as she coldly glanced at Jiang Yi, who sat on the ground wiping away tears. "Since the general doesn't believe me, fine. Arrest the maid who has been bringing meals to the young mistress these past few days and interrogate her severely. The truth will come out. As for you—"
Before Qi Shuangyun could finish speaking, He Lin's voice came from behind them: "Father."
The group was so engrossed in the farce that they didn't notice He Lin until later, unaware that he had arrived.
He walked straight over and pulled Jiang Yi up, then took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders. He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
"Father, Mother, she was terrified by the fire and is somewhat delirious. She babbled incoherently and offended the First Madam. Please forgive her."
As soon as He Lin finished speaking, Jiang Yi's legs went weak, and she involuntarily staggered into his arms, as if she was truly frightened.
Jiang Yi opened her eyes wide and slowly turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were bright and sparkling, with tears welling up in them. It was not for any other reason than that He Lin had pressed on her acupoint on her waist.
With just that one touch, Jiang Yi's waist felt numb and her whole body went limp and powerless. If it weren't for this embrace, she would have collapsed to her knees on the spot!
"you……"
He Lin pressed that spot again without making a sound, and Jiang Yi was immediately speechless, clenching her teeth.
"Ziyu, go and fetch a doctor to examine the young mistress's pulse."
"yes."
"Father, Mother, Madam, I'll take her to see a doctor first."
He Wei stood with his hands behind his back and nodded: "Okay, go ahead."
He Lin put his arm around Jiang Yi and was about to leave when Gu Ziyu picked up Xia Zhi, who was lying on the ground.
Qi Shuangyun suddenly launched an attack, shouting, "Stop! He Lin, do you have no respect for rules? How dare you take her away without my permission? This vixen has slandered your stepmother; are you just going to let this go so easily?"
He Lin turned and glanced at her, his gaze as deep as the cold water at the bottom of a lake, but it was fleeting and he quickly returned to normal.
"Then may I ask what the First Madam desires?"
"Hand her over, and I'll investigate this matter thoroughly." Seeing He Lin remain motionless for a long time, Qi Shuangyun angrily said, "What? Are you going to disobey your stepmother for this vixen?!"
Su Tong immediately stood up and couldn't help but defend her son: "Madam, Lin'er is someone you've watched grow up, he would never dare to disobey you."
At this moment, He Wei finally spoke up: "Alright, Lin'er, take her downstairs to see the doctor first. We can talk about everything else tomorrow."
He Lin responded and quickly walked out of the abandoned courtyard.
"He Lin, let me go!"
Once they were alone, Jiang Yi began to struggle. Unexpectedly, this person, who looked sickly, was quite strong. No matter what she did, she couldn't break free from that large, plier-like hand.
"Shut up!"
The sudden reprimand startled Jiang Yi, and even Gu Ziyu, who was following behind carrying Xia Zhi, was startled.
Jiang Yi was filled with resentment and struggled even more fiercely: "Why should I shut up? Who do you think you are?!"
He Lin looked extremely angry; his thin lips, which were tinged with purple, turned even paler, as if he were about to die from the poison at any moment. He gripped Jiang Yi's wrist tightly with one large hand and strode toward his room.
After closing the door, Jiang Yi flung him away, frowning as she rubbed her wrist, which had been gripped so tightly.
"Are you crazy? Why won't you let me finish?"
He Lin took a deep breath, trying to suppress the inexplicable anger in his heart.
"Do you know how badly you've offended the First Madam tonight?"
Jiang Yi scoffed indifferently, "So what? What business is it of yours if I offended her? Why are you so angry?"
He Lin gritted his teeth and said, "Do you really want to die? How dare you accuse her of arson!"
"How do you know I'm slandering her? What makes you suspect me?"
You know perfectly well what you've done!
Jiang Yi felt wronged and angry. Although she didn't know where this emotion came from, she yelled at the person opposite her, "Yes, I want to die. Go ahead and kill me if you dare! Who wants to stay in this lousy place?"
After shouting that, Jiang Yi raised her hand and wiped her face.
Her face was already quite pale, and this smear of charcoal ash spread it out, making her look dirty and like a stray kitten that had been wandering alone for a long time. She looked extremely pitiful, but her puffed-up face and stubborn refusal to admit her mistake made her pitiful state even more comical.
He Lin was so angry he laughed.
This person was incredibly stubborn. In fact, the first time he saw Jiang Yi, he sensed that she wasn't as quiet and obedient as she appeared. Or perhaps it was just a mask she wore. After spending a few days with her, he confirmed that she harbored a deep rebellious streak, but simply didn't show it easily.
"Well, young master, young mistress, the doctor has arrived and is taking Xia Zhi's pulse."
A weak voice from outside the door broke the tense silence.
Taking her pulse? Wasn't Xia Zhi just playing along with her act? Could she really have fainted? Jiang Yi was stunned for a moment, glared at He Lin, and then quickly opened the door and ran to the next room.
Gu Ziyu watched Jiang Yi's retreating figure as she stepped onto the stairs, then looked at He Lin and asked, "Young Master, did you and Miss Jiang have a fight?"
They were definitely arguing; he could hear their voices from the next room, each one louder than the last.
He Lin didn't want to talk about this, and asked, "What happened to her maid?"
Jiang Yi and Xia Zhi took turns putting on a show, one line after another. Now that they were in his courtyard, there was no reason for them to continue pretending.
"He's unconscious and hasn't woken up yet."
"..."
"Doctor, is she alright?"
The doctor at the bedside withdrew his hand from taking her pulse and turned to Jiang Yi, saying, "Don't worry, young lady. This young lady fainted due to chest tightness and shortness of breath. She will be fine after a rest."
"Thank you for your help."
"Of course."
After seeing the doctor off, Xia Zhi lay on the bed with no sign of waking up. Unable to find anyone to vent to, Jiang Yi sat at the table, sulking. She drank several glasses of water, getting angrier and angrier the more she thought about it.
No way, what gives He Lin the right to say that about her? Not only did he refuse to help her, but he also called her mentally unstable in front of so many people?!
I'm so angry!
Jiang Yi used her palm as a fan to fan herself back and forth to cool down.
No way! She still had to confront him. When it came to arguing, Jiang Yi had never lost! And no one could make her this angry! That brat He Lin…
...
The room was filled with burning charcoal, and a charcoal brazier was placed at He Lin's feet.
Veins bulged on his forehead, one hand clutched his chest, the other clenched into a fist, cold sweat dripped from his body, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Go and close the door!"
"Young master! I'll go find a doctor!"
"stop!"
Gu Ziyu was anxious but helpless. Knowing she couldn't persuade him, she could only quickly run to close the door.
"etc!"
Jiang Yi's voice suddenly came from not far away. Gu Ziyu paused in closing the door and blocked the doorway with his body.
"What do you mean? You shut the door as soon as you see me! Where's He Lin? Tell him to come out, I have something to say to him."
Gu Ziyu's face was somewhat pale, and he looked worried and anxious. He hurriedly said to Jiang Yi, "Young Madam, the young master has already retired for the night. Please come again tomorrow. I will tell him that you have been here."
Jiang Yi narrowed her eyes, staring at him suspiciously: "Heh, do you think I believe that? He was just jumping around and arguing with me a moment ago, and now he's asleep? Besides, if he's asleep, what are you going in for? Don't tell me you're sleeping here too. This general's mansion is so poor they can't even afford to eat, two people sharing a bed..."
He Lin, who was inside the house, naturally heard Jiang Yi's incessant chatter. His chest ached unbearably, and he was extremely irritated by the disturbance. Just as he was about to ask Gu Ziyu to send her away, Jiang Yi pushed him aside and barged in without permission.
"Get out of my way! He Lin, you..."
Jiang Yi suddenly shut her mouth, her expression as if she had seen a ghost, her eyes wide open, unable to utter a single word.
Sitting in front of her was He Lin, whose face was deathly pale, his cheeks and forehead were covered in sweat, and his lips were an unnatural dark purple, as if he had just been beaten up...
He Lin stared intently at Jiang Yi, his eyes appearing even darker and brighter under the lamplight.
Seeing that He Lin didn't say anything more, Gu Ziyu stopped paying attention to Jiang Yi, closed the door, strode to the table, took a lamp, removed the lampshade, revealing a burning candle.
"Young Master..."
He Lin understood his concerns, glanced at Jiang Yi who was standing there stunned a few steps away, and said weakly, "It's alright, let's begin."
After saying that, He Lin loosened his belt and clothes, exposing his entire left arm, including his chest. He grabbed a piece of cotton cloth placed in front of him and stuffed it into his mouth, signaling Gu Ziyu to do it.
Gu Ziyu moved swiftly, almost skillfully, slowly bringing the candle flame close to the skin where He Lin's heart was located.
Before long, after being scorched by the heat of the fire, a thumb-sized thing began to wriggle under his skin.
Jiang Yi stared intently, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. She was both shocked and frightened, and unconsciously swallowed.
What is that? An insect? How did it get inside He Lin's body?
Knowing full well that she was afraid and shouldn't look, she remained motionless, as if frozen in place, watching the horrifying thing crawl back and forth.
He Lin looked up at Jiang Yi, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead before finally falling to the ground. He used his other hand to remove the cloth stuffed in his mouth and softly reminded him, "Still looking? Turn around."
Jiang Yi choked, but stubbornly said, "I... I'll watch, what's it to you?"
He Lin endured the pain and gave a sneer: "Whatever."
Jiang Yi was sharp-tongued, but her actions spoke louder than words. She gave He Lin a deep look with a complicated expression, then silently turned away without saying another word.
He Lin had intended to argue with her a bit more to distract himself, but to his surprise, she was so obedient this time that she actually turned away and stopped looking.
It wasn't until He Lin caught a glimpse of Jiang Yi's hands hanging by her sides that he noticed they were trembling slightly, and he couldn't help but find it amusing.
So even fearless people can be afraid? That's really interesting.
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