Chapter 32: Forcing Shanhe to go with him.
Shanhe stood with her head bowed, so low that Liang Ye could only see her thick, glossy black hair and the soft, wispy strands of hair fluttering in the wind. His Adam's apple bobbed, suppressing his anger and the urge to reprimand her further. Looking up, he saw Qingyue huddled to the side, clutching a bamboo basket, her shoulders trembling. The moment their eyes met, Qingyue immediately lowered her face again. Liang Ye felt a pang of regret; he shouldn't have lost his composure like that. At least for now, with the palace examination still undecided and Liang Shao not yet completely over Shanhe, he needed to conceal his feelings.
But the thought of that man surnamed Mi abducting Shanhe in the dead of night, and of him giving Shanhe his wife's wet nurse's dilapidated and filthy house to stay in, made Liang Ye feel his blood rush to his head. He would rather that man was A Shao!
He endured and endured, calmed himself and calmed himself again, finally managing to suppress his overwhelming anger. He put on his former gentle demeanor once more, gritted his teeth, and decided to take a step back: "It was my oversight. Yesterday, I heard from Uncle Zhuang that you were kidnapped by a stranger, and I was truly...concerned and confused. When Grandfather brought you back, it was with the intention of protecting you for life. Although you have now divorced Ah Shao, in my heart, you are still a member of the Liang family. Shanhe, if I hadn't found you today, your reputation might have been completely ruined. The freedom you have worked so hard to gain might also have been destroyed."
Liang Ye pursed his lips and tried his best to keep his voice calm: "Shanhe, come back with me. I've arranged everything properly, and there won't be any gossip."
Shanhe turned her head away and said softly, "Big brother, I'm fine here. I... I don't want to go back."
Liang Ye's face darkened, and his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched tightly. He tightened his voice, barely suppressing the rising anger within him: "Is it because of that Mi Xiaoxiao?"
Upon hearing the name "Mi Xiaoxiao," Shanhe abruptly looked up, her gaze trembling as she stared at Liang Ye's face. She blurted out, "What?" Then, as if she understood, the light in her eyes dimmed, and she murmured to herself with a sense of loss, "Yes, my brother has already found his way here..." Perhaps he already knows.
In an instant, Liang Ye felt a surge of anger rising to the top of his head. She didn't even try to hide it, just admitted it like that? Liang Ye glanced at Qingyue, his gaze like a knife: "Lock her in the kitchen!" With that, he grabbed Shanhe's wrist and dragged her into the main room without saying a word.
The wooden door of the main house slammed shut with a loud thud, sending up dust particles that floated into the air.
Cheng Min and Cheng An exchanged a glance, then helped Qing Yue into the kitchen. Fresh vegetables from the bamboo basket scattered all over the floor. Qing Yue was anxious to get out, but Cheng An's strong, muscular arms stopped her.
Inside the main room, as soon as the door closed, Liang Ye released her grip. Shanhe staggered and slumped into a chair. Before she could even steady herself, she heard Liang Ye say coldly, "You didn't want to go back, so you stayed here, doing this kind of brothel business for a lowly merchant? Xue Shanhe, you're a disgrace to your noble birth, yet you willingly stooped so low, giving up being a proper wife to run to this desolate place and degenerate into being a merchant's mistress! How will you face your grandfather who saved you back then! How will you face your father, Xue Yin!"
Shanhe froze. The words "private prostitute" pierced her heart, forcing her to re-examine everything Liang Ye had said that day. She trembled violently, her face turned deathly pale, her lips quivered, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Grandfather... Father...
Shanhe's chest heaved violently.
The bamboo basket had already rolled to the ground, spilling the lettuce and tofu inside, which spread all the way to Shanhe's feet.
She stared at the mess at her feet, tears welling in her eyes, her heart overflowing with grievance and embarrassment. She suddenly realized that Liang Ye suspected her of having an affair with Mi Xiaoxiao, suspected her of betraying Liang Shao and the Liang family! His fury today stemmed from this! She quickly raised her head, urgently saying, "No, no! There's nothing between Manager Mi and me! This house is rented, I paid for all the food and utensils. Manager Mi and I are as clear as day, completely innocent, there's absolutely nothing improper between us!"
Liang Ye sneered, glancing at her sideways: "So, during the two nights you were missing, on whose boat did you stay? In whose house did you stay?"
“It’s Master Wu! She’s Manager Mi’s first wife! I’m on good terms with her, that’s why she helped me,” Shanhe said earnestly.
He narrowed his eyes: "Master Wu?"
"Yes, I often buy paintings at Danxia Painting Gallery, which is how I got to know Manager Wu. I rented this house from her to stay temporarily. There is absolutely no such thing as a brothel or prostitution. Besides, Manager Mi and Manager Wu have always been deeply in love. How could they possibly have an affair with me?"
Liang Ye's phoenix eyes were deep and fixed on her face, silently scrutinizing her without uttering a word. After a long while, he seemed to believe Shanhe's words, walked to the chair and sat down, impatiently rubbing his temples, exhaling a breath of stale air, and half-compromisingly, half-pressuringly asking, "Shanhe, I only ask you, you insisted on leaving and refused my help, what are your plans for the future?"
Shanhe paused, then slowly rose, supporting herself on the chair, and hastily wiped away a few tears with the back of her hand. She naturally wouldn't tell Liang Ye anything about "He Shanxue"; a gentleman like him would surely despise it, and might even stop her from continuing to paint those paintings.
“I have saved up some money before, enough for Qingyue and me to live together. Moreover, Qingyue is good at needlework, and I am good at painting. We can sell some embroidery and calligraphy together to make a living. I will always be able to survive.”
"Ha," he laughed dismissively, "What if they can't be sold?"
Shanhe lowered his head: "With Master Wu's help, I suppose... I suppose it's possible."
At this point, he finally understood Xue Shanhe's relationship with the Mi family. Liang Ye's tense nerves relaxed slightly; at least the reason sounded plausible. Her words were earnest, and she kept referring to Master Wu; it seemed she truly wasn't having an affair with Mi Xiaoxiao. Or rather, he preferred to believe that Shanhe's connection with the Mi family was to make a living by selling paintings, rather than to commit adultery.
Liang Ye gripped the armrest of the chair with his fingers, his cold gaze lingering on her face.
Shanhe's plain face couldn't hide her fear and grievance, and her eyes were brimming with tears. She stood there timidly and obediently, like a frightened rabbit.
Liang Ye's heart softened for no apparent reason, and he sighed, "Come back with me."
He patiently asked, "How can a woman like you survive in this dangerous world? You said that Wu Fangzhu helped you. Merchants are driven by profit. Is her help truly sincere? Shanhe, have you ever thought about it? She is not related to you. You have only met her a few times, yet she has helped you so much. What is she after?"
Shanhe looked down at her slender, pale fingertips, her lips pressed tightly together. She dared not tell Liang Ye that Wu Tianqi was helping her so that she would continue to paint those paintings for him, even using Liang Shao as a model. If Liang Ye found out, given his eagerness for his own future, his concern for the Liang family's reputation, and his protection of Liang Shao, he would certainly stop at nothing to obstruct her.
She used to think Liang Ye was gentle and upright, but now, after the divorce, she has seen through his ruthlessness, cold-heartedness, and deep thoughts. He only cares about things that threaten his core interests. She can't imagine what Liang Ye will do after he finds out about "He Shanxue".
Shanhe's voice was barely audible: "I know my elder brother is thinking of me. But Master Wu is a very kind person, and she is also a woman..."
Before she could finish speaking, Liang Ye abruptly stood up, his tall, elegant figure quickly enveloping Shan He, trapping her in his shadow, not a single hair of hers escaping. The person before him remained exactly as he had seen her at first sight, her eyes lowered, a single simple silver hairpin adorning her temple. His heart trembled slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing laboredly, and he thought: Never mind.
She didn't trust him; she was determined to be independent and break free from the Liang family. No matter what he said, she wouldn't listen.
But before him, her shoulders were hunched, her pink lips were tightly pressed together, and tears were hanging from the corners of her eyes. For a moment, he couldn't help but reach out to wipe away the tears from her eyes, but his mind faltered for a second, and his hand froze in mid-air, unable to move forward, yet unwilling to retreat.
Now is not the time.
They lack all the advantages of favorable timing, location, and popular support.
He cannot gamble everything.
However, he didn't want to pull his hand back anymore.
So, Liang Ye gently placed his fingertips on Shan He's dark, lustrous sideburns.
Upon feeling a strange touch on her head, Shanhe immediately looked up in alarm, her pupils trembling as she hastily looked away. She took a half-step back, escaping Liang Ye's shadow, and lowered her head even further, unable to look at him any longer. Her voice held lingering fear: "Big brother, I..."
Big brother, big brother. In Shanhe's heart, he has always just been the eldest brother.
Even though she had divorced Ah Shao and left the Liang family, he was still the eldest brother, someone she had to avoid and avoid suspicion from, and someone whose help she could not accept.
Liang Ye pursed his lips, pinched a small honeysuckle flower between two fingers, and said in a calm, still voice, "There's a flower in your hair."
The honeysuckle, withering and gradually shrinking from its decay, lay weakly in his palm and was offered to Shanhe.
Shanhe hesitated to accept the gift: "Thank you, brother."
His outstretched hand froze, then froze again. He had never realized before how jarring the word "elder brother" sounded, nor had he noticed how much distance and alienation it concealed. Back when he was studying at Lantai Pavilion, his greatest anticipation each day was for Shanhe to stand under the study's porch, sometimes holding soup, sometimes offering food bestowed by his grandfather, smiling as she called him "elder brother." Now, those two simple words felt like a thousand pounds, weighing him down, crushing his feelings, pressing them into the mud, grinding them into dust.
"Shanhe, you shouldn't call me 'elder brother' anymore." His voice was hoarse.
The palm turned upside down, and the slender honeysuckle flower swayed and fell, finally landing lightly on the ground, as if floating on water, rootless and boundless.
His heart was filled with irritation and anger. He suddenly turned around, strode to the door, and flung it open. The blinding sunlight streamed in like a waterfall.
Shanhe subconsciously closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
With his back to her, Liang Ye said in an unquestionable tone, "Cheng Min will come to pick you up at this time tomorrow. Today, you should settle things with that Wu Fangzhu. You owe her a huge favor, so let her give you a figure, and I'll make up for it for you."
“No.” Shanhe looked up in a panic. “Big brother… Uncle Liang, I like it here. I’m willing to stay here. You don’t need to worry about me. I can survive.”
“What if I insist on interfering?” Liang Ye turned his head slightly, his high, straight nose casting a shadow on the upper half of his face. He paused, then added, “I’ve said it before, ever since Grandfather brought you back, you’ve been a member of the Liang family. I should take care of you, just like I took care of Ah Shao. Shanhe, there’s no need to say more, go and talk to Master Wu.”
Having said that, without waiting for Shanhe's reply, he walked straight outside, untied the reins, and mounted his horse. Liang Ye gripped the reins tightly, turned his horse around, and with a sharp pull, the white horse immediately reared up. He looked down at Shanhe, who had staggered to the porch, and then glanced again at the shabby house hidden in the mountain valley.
Why go to such lengths just to escape to this place and become a lowly peasant woman?
Liang Ye tilted his head slightly, finally looking at the silent green mountains behind the house, unable to bear looking at her. He finally said, "Shanhe, you should know that after divorcing Ashao, your status is not even as good as Qingyue's."
He pulled a neatly folded document from his pocket and tossed it in front of Shanhe: "This is something I inherited from my grandfather."
Shanhe bent down, her hands trembling as she picked up the document, and unfolded it—it was her slave registration!
Tears streamed down her face, landing on the thin paper and spreading the ink. Shanhe's vision blurred; she could barely stand, collapsing against the doorframe before sliding softly to the floor. She understood the vast difference between a private slave and an official slave, especially since she had been demoted for a crime!
Liang Ye frowned, a hint of reluctance in his heart, but he still said coldly, "Government slaves are registered in the government's slave register. Even if someone buys you, they are only buying the right to do labor. If the government does not destroy your slave register and stamp your release certificate, no one else can remove you from the slave register. The only reason you were able to marry Ah Shao was because he was a commoner at the time, and his grandfather had already retired from officialdom. Since no one in my Liang family has entered officialdom, naturally no one cared about your status."
He continued, "Besides, your status as a slave is far away in the Jinling government, and the Xue family's crimes were determined by His Majesty. No matter how powerful my Liang family is, we are powerless to reach them."
"Shanhe." His voice was gentle, but it still couldn't hide the pressure. "If you insist on going alone, then it won't be me who comes looking for you."
"The Jinling government also wants to arrest runaway slaves." His voice grew colder and colder, like a knife cutting a gash into Shanhe's heart.
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Author's Note: A message:
From July 20th to August 5th, I'll be attending a conference and training out of town, so daily updates will definitely be unavailable. I'll try my best to update every other day, at the usual times (if I really can't submit the manuscript, it might be two days later. I'll try my best to ensure this doesn't happen!!!). Summer vacation will officially begin when I return in August, at which point I should be able to update more frequently. Grand Ambitions: Aiming to finish before National Day (October 1st)~
I'll hold a small giveaway when I get back to compensate those who have been following my updates! [Rabbit head with upright ears][Pink heart][Pink heart][Pink heart]
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