Manager Cui's kneeling figure froze.
"No! Master Jin! You know Yanzi's heart. Yanzi is my daughter. She won't agree. She's still injured. You can't push her to the brink!" Cui Tianshi disregarded the identity of the person in front of her, rushed over and hugged Thirteen's legs, wailing loudly.
Thirteen frowned, his face showing impatience. Steward Cui hurriedly scolded, "Shut up!"
Cui Tianshi quickly stopped crying, covered her mouth, and sobbed.
Manager Cui stopped looking at Cui Tianshi and kowtowed to Thirteen: "Thank you for your kindness, Master Jin. However, I have a request. Please wait until Yanzi is better before asking. Yanzi is still sick, and I'm afraid she won't be able to accept it."
Thirteen gave a soft "hmm" and did not refuse.
Cui Tianshi wailed and rushed over to beat Steward Cui, crying, "You are Yanzi's father, how could you do this? My poor daughter..."
With a "slap!", Cui Tianshi covered her face, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the man before her, his face icy and furious. Her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a word.
Manager Cui looked reluctant, but had to endure the pain and pull Cui Tianshi up. He then said to Thirteen, "Master Jin, my wife is ill. I'll take her back first."
Thirteen waved his hand, and Steward Cui grabbed Cui Tianshi's arm and pulled her out. As soon as the door opened, Steward Cui froze on the spot.
Cui Tianshi also looked bewildered, then lowered her head guiltily, her hands twisting helplessly in front of her: "Husband, wife."
He Yue remained expressionless, brushed aside Hai Lan's hand, walked past them, and went inside. Seeing Thirteen standing up in astonishment and panic, looking at her, she smiled slightly: "What? Are you dumbfounded?"
Thirteen frowned, strode over, pulled her into his arms, and gently scolded, "Why did you come out?"
He glared at Hailan again.
"How could I be that weak?" Heyue grasped his hand, a coquettish expression appearing on her pale face, then she coughed, covering her mouth.
"Look at you! I told you to rest, why are you running around like that?" Thirteen said disapprovingly, and was about to pick up Heyue and take her back.
He Yue pressed her hand against his chest to stop him: "No, I have something to say."
Looking up at his gloomy face, Heyue hugged his waist and said coquettishly, "Alright, just say a few words. You can stay with me. After all, Manager Cui comes from our family, and I don't want to hurt our relationship."
Thirteen stared at her with deep, unwavering eyes, finally letting out a helpless sigh and nodding.
He smiled brightly, then turned to Steward Cui and Cui Tianshi, who hadn't taken a step in the doorway for a while. His smile faded slightly: "Steward Cui, Sister-in-law Cui, come in and talk."
After a moment's hesitation, seeing that the harmonious couple had already taken their seats at the head of the table, the two of them walked in one after the other and stood there.
Heyue gestured to Hailan, who reluctantly placed two stools in front of Steward Cui and his wife.
"Manager Cui, Sister-in-law Cui, please have a seat." He Yue raised her hand, her tone still gentle, showing no sign of anger.
Steward Cui forced himself to sit down, looking terrified. Seeing his wife standing there, he reached out and tugged at her hard. Only then did Cui Tianshi come to her senses and shrank down to sit next to Steward Cui.
“I heard what you all said just now,” He Yue said first, breaking the deadlock.
Thirteen reached out and held her hand tightly. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Yue smiled, squeezed the back of his hand to reassure him, and continued to look at the fearful expressions on Steward Cui's and the others' faces.
"Logically speaking, Cui Yan saved me, so I should be grateful and then fulfill her wishes by bringing her in. It's not a big deal; it's just one more pair of chopsticks."
Cui Tianshi suddenly raised her head, her eyes lighting up.
Thirteen immediately glared at her with displeasure. What did that mean?
He Yue ignored Thirteen's anger, pursed her lips, and her expression gradually became serious: "But, Cui Tianshi, there is one thing you need to understand. This is not a matter of whether you want to or not. As long as I don't agree, I can compensate her in other ways. There is no need to fulfill all of your wishes."
A life-saving grace? In the hearts of people like us, it's worthless. We'll make amends if we want, and it's perfectly reasonable if we don't.
Cui Tianshi was shocked by her stern tone and the content of her words, her face turned pale, and she showed an indignant expression, her hands clenched into fists.
"Are you angry?" He Yue smiled faintly, not surprised at all: "Whether you are angry or accept it, it is the truth. This is how it is for people of our status. There is no reason to talk about it. Apart from the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, no one can force us to do things we don't want to do."
Meeting Cui Tianshi's gradually dimming eyes, her gentle tone softened: "I understand your feelings. Your daughter got into trouble because she was saving me, so it's understandable that she lost her mind. But think about it, was she really doing it to save me? Did she have no other intentions when she took that knife? Don't say I'm shirking responsibility. You can wait until she wakes up and ask her yourself if she had any other intentions."
Heyue glanced at the inner room behind the screen, where there was no movement, but a meaningful smile appeared on Heyue's lips.
Apart from Thirteen, no one noticed. He glanced over there in surprise, then looked at Heyue.
He Yue withdrew her gaze and turned to Cui Tianshi again, taking a sip of tea: "But no matter what her intentions were, she was injured while saving me. I don't deny it, nor do I want to think of people as so bad. I am willing to take on this responsibility, but that does not include giving her my husband."
I can find her a good family and treat her well for the rest of my life. If she doesn't want to, I can support her for the rest of my life and ensure she has no worries about food and clothing.
If she intends to force us to take her as a concubine, that's fine, but you must be prepared for her to live a life without favor, children, or daughters. I will not make things difficult for her and will ensure she has enough to eat and wear for the rest of her life, but that's all I can do.
You say I'm jealous, and I admit it, I am jealous. No woman wants to give her husband to someone else. If my husband were willing, I could agree to her being with him, but my husband doesn't. He's willing to pamper me, not take her as a concubine, and doesn't want to touch her. Why should I pretend to be virtuous? You're a wife too; you should understand.
Cui Tianshi's lips trembled as she met He Yue's sharp gaze, then she nervously lowered her eyes again.
Her gentle tone suddenly turned cold: "But there's something you need to know. If she really did risk her life to force me and Master Jin to take her as a concubine, now that she's willing to risk her life for this, she'll do anything to win favor in the future. At that time, my husband and I won't let her have her way, and we won't care about the life-saving grace anymore."
You know, even without her, those people couldn't hurt me. The people around me aren't pushovers. We don't need to worry about any life-saving grace. If it weren't for Steward Cui's lifelong loyalty to my mother and me, I wouldn't have bothered with her at all, given her ulterior motives. Giving her some money would have been enough.
Cui Tianshi collapsed to the ground, looking completely bewildered.
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