Chapter 169 Red Tassel
As night fell, Xie Yanzhi arrived at Yuheng Residence under the moonlight.
Looking at the beautiful figure reflected in the gauze window, Xie Yanzhi paused in his steps.
Now that Yuan Qing and Ling'er's marriage is settled, she will truly stay by his side this time.
Thinking this, Xie Yanzhi lifted the curtain.
Inside the room, the dim candlelight flickered, and Shen Qingnian was embroidering something under the lamplight.
He looked so focused.
She didn't even notice when someone lifted the curtain; her long eyelashes cast a soft shadow under her eyes, and the contours of her profile were softened by the warm light.
Xie Yanzhi noticed that she was embroidering a men's purse.
The fabric was the one he wanted that day, and it goes without saying who the purse was for.
Xie Yanzhi couldn't bear to break the warm atmosphere before him, so he stood by the curtain and watched quietly.
The way Shen Qingnian embroidered the purse was just like an ordinary wife, keeping watch by a lamp and waiting for her husband to return home late.
Thinking of this, Xie Yanzhi paused for a moment.
Shen Qingnian was a concubine, not a wife. Yet, he would unconsciously treat her as his wife. Sometimes, he didn't even know what he was thinking.
But he really liked her, liked the tenderness she showed in the candlelight, liked the soft tone in her voice when she tried to please him.
He thought that, aside from being her legal wife, he could give her everything she wanted.
But he will choose a good mistress for her, someone gentle and generous, who can treat her like a sister.
Let her live a peaceful life in this secluded mansion.
But, with all the consideration he has for her, does she even realize in her heart that he is actually her soulmate?
"What are you doing?" Xie Yanzhi still pretended not to know.
Xie Yanzhi suddenly spoke, startling Shen Qingnian.
The embroidery needle in her hand suddenly veered off course, the tip piercing her fingertip, and a bright red bead of blood instantly welled up.
"How could you be so careless? Am I that scary?" Xie Yanzhi quickly stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and carefully wiped away the blood with his fingertips.
Shen Qingnian frowned, tried to pull her hand away but couldn't, and said with a hint of coquettishness, "Who told you to suddenly speak up behind someone's back!"
Xie Yanzhi then saw the purse clearly; the edges were already embroidered with lotus scroll patterns, the stitches were fine and dense, and it was obvious that a lot of effort had been put into it.
"Is it for me?" Xie Yanzhi's tone was somewhat lighthearted.
You know perfectly well why you're asking this!
Shen Qingnian thought to herself.
Since he had helped Ling'er and Yuan Qing get married, she embroidered a purse for him, so they would be even.
Upon hearing this, Xie Yanzhi reached out and hugged her tightly, then whispered in her ear, "I will definitely find you a gentle and non-jealous mistress in the future, so you can stay by my side in peace."
Although Xie Yanzhi's words came out of the blue, Shen Qingnian could sense a touch of warmth in them.
For a moment, it was unclear whether he was pleading or giving a command.
However, she still found Xie Yanzhi somewhat amusing.
What woman in this world truly wants to share a husband with another? The so-called deep affection between wives and concubines is nothing but a facade to deceive men; isn't Lady Lin a prime example?
"Hmm?" Xie Yanzhi asked again as she was lost in thought.
Because of Xie Yanzhi's kindness, she still looked up at Xie Yanzhi's face with a grateful smile and said softly, "My husband treats me so well."
Seeing her gentle and docile appearance, Xie Yanzhi gently kissed Shen Qingnian's forehead.
The room fell silent, with only the candlelight flickering gently in the wind, casting the intertwined shadows of the two figures onto the gauze curtains.
Inside the General's Mansion.
Li Huiyan looked at the letter in her hand, and her face immediately darkened.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly and found someone to deal with the beggar. Otherwise, Xie Yanzhi would already be coming to her door.
She sat down in front of the dressing table, and Jinluo came over to remove the hairpin from her hair.
"Miss, it seems that the Third Miss is also incompetent."
"You almost got caught because of this."
Looking at her beautiful face in the mirror, Li Huiyan gently touched the hair behind her ear and calmly said, "It's alright, there's still a chance."
Next time, she will personally take action to avenge the humiliation Xie Yanzhi suffered.
In the following days, Xie Yanzhi mobilized a lot of people, and finally on this day, Yuan Qing carried a sack and followed behind Xie Yanzhi.
Xie Yanzhi entered Lin's house, and Yuan Qing threw the sack on the ground.
Lin was initially surprised, wondering what Xie Yanzhi was going to do.
She heard faint struggling sounds coming from inside the sack, and then she realized that there was a person inside.
She glanced at the sack, then looked at Xie Yanzhi with a look of confirmation.
Xie Yanzhi nodded slightly and said to Yuan Qing, "Open it!"
"yes."
Yuan Qing stepped forward and opened the sack, revealing the person inside.
Lin looked on in disbelief.
The person in front of me was blindfolded and had a strip of cloth stuffed in his mouth.
She recognized her at a glance as Hongsui, the maid who had been by her side every day and was like a sister to her.
Lin's feelings were complicated. Back when she loved but couldn't have him, it was Honghui who stayed by her side and helped her through those difficult days.
She also had too many questions in her mind.
She wanted to ask her why she had tricked her into using a curse on Yi Lang back then.
I want to ask why she disappeared later?
I'd like to ask her where she's been all these years?
After Yuan Qing untied the ropes from Hong Sui's hands, Hong Sui immediately ripped off the blindfold and the gag from her mouth.
"Hong Sui!" Lin couldn't help but speak, her hand trembling slightly inside her sleeve, it was hard to tell whether it was anger or something else.
The red tassel on the ground paused, her eyes still adjusting to the light, but she still looked up at the figure in front of her.
There were two people looking at her.
As the figure became clearer, she finally saw the woman sitting in the chair.
That face gradually overlapped with the charming second young lady in her memory.
She quickly lowered her head, finally understanding why she had been brought here today.
The reason the second young lady captured her was simply because the matter of Master Xie's poison had been exposed.
For the past ten years, she had kept a safe distance. If she hadn't suddenly returned to the capital this time, she would never have been caught by the Second Miss.
"Madam, you have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Tinglan."
Hearing Hong Sui's distant words, Lin's complicated emotions vanished instantly.
Perhaps she never truly understood who the person who was by her side every day really was.
She suppressed the complex emotions she felt upon seeing an old friend again, leaving only indifference in her eyes.
"Whether you are Hong Sui or Ting Lan, tell me how to remove Yi Lang's curse."
Hong Sui continued to argue, "Madam, I am not Hong Sui, and I do not know how to break the curse."
"What if I could get your sister to leave the Guangde Marquis's mansion?" Xie Yanzhi's voice suddenly rang out.
Hong Sui then noticed Xie Yanzhi sitting next to her.
At first, she thought it was Xie Zhao, but after taking another look, she realized that this person was probably Xie Yanzhi, the heir of the Marquis of Jingnan.
Upon hearing that her sister could leave the Guangde Marquis's mansion, Honghui hesitated for a moment.
But then she thought, these powerful people see them as ants, so how can their words be trusted?
Hong Sui remained silent.
"Yuan Qing, go and kill that woman named Hong Yun," Xie Yanzhi ordered.
"yes."
Yuan Qing accepted the order, and with his hand on the sword at his waist, he was about to step out the door.
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