The original host had not interacted much with the second master, but drawing on those memories and watching the imposing figure stride toward her, Yu Fanfan knew he was no pushover.
Both the current Duke of Cheng and her nominal husband were away from the capital on an imperial mission, leaving the second master in charge of the entire household. She had wondered earlier why a formidable fourth-rank official like him was absent from the hall. Seeing him now, he had likely rushed back from the yamen the moment he caught wind of the commotion she was making.
Drawing a deep breath, she held her son close and gently patted his back, knowing full well she had a tough battle ahead.
“I wondered who had arrived—it turns out to be the esteemed second master!” she called out. “You certainly come at an opportune time. Are you here to seek justice for a poor, helpless orphan like me? Or do you intend to smother your conscience and protect the Xie family’s reputation at any cost?”
Her only leverage lay in this Court of Judicial Review official’s innate sense of integrity, along with his filial devotion to the old duke.
Between Yu Fanfan’s preemptive strike, the hurried reports whispered by servants as he rushed from the main gate to the front hall, and the dowry chests piled outside, Xie Guangheng had already pieced together the truth.
He knew his mother better than anyone. After decades together as mother and son, along with his late father’s dying words, he understood that she would never concede an inch—much less return the dowry—unless her conscience was truly guilty.
Normally, she would have ruthlessly eliminated someone who dared to publicly drag the duke’s manor through the mud. Yet here she was, yielding. Xie Guangheng didn’t need anyone to explain what had happened.
A wave of bitterness washed over him, though his expression remained stern and composed.
Regardless of the conflict, Madam Yu was his eldest nephew’s properly wedded wife, personally approved by his father, and the mother of the Xie family’s eldest direct grandson. Beyond that, the Xie family owed a debt of gratitude to the Yus, whose grandfather had once saved his own father’s life.
Both duty and personal loyalty demanded that he protect her.
When his mother and sister-in-law had moved against her before, he had not been in the manor. By the time he tried to intervene, she had already been packed off into the night.
Because propriety forbade him from interfering directly, and he belonged to a different branch of the family, Xie Guangheng had done all he reasonably could. He had sent an overnight letter urging his eldest brother and Xie Shiyan to rush back, while quietly dispatching men to search for Madam Yu and protect her from the shadows.
As an uncle, crossing any further would have been improper.
After all, this was his own mother’s idea, and the letter of divorce had been penned by his eldest sister-in-law. Though the ducal manor remained undivided because of their mother, his eldest brother was the Lord Duke and the true head of the household. It was not Xie Guangheng’s place to overstep.
He had assumed that once his brother and nephew returned, Xie Shiyan would simply bring Madam Yu back, putting the matter to rest. Whatever grievances she had suffered, his brother and nephew would right them and reach a proper resolution.
Never had he imagined that before their return, things would spiral down the worst possible path, escalating beyond all control. With Madam Yu acting so decisively, the poor girl had truly left herself no way back.
Xie Guangheng looked at his nephew’s wife with a complicated gaze, sighing inwardly.
How had he never realized that this timid, subservient girl possessed such fierce, unyielding pride in her bones?
Who did she inherit this uncompromising, unyielding temper from?
While he turned the thought over, Yu Fanfan had no intention of giving the second master time to ponder.
She was on the clock. The time it took to burn a stick of incense was almost up, and more than anyone, she wanted to leave with her son right on schedule.
“What is it, Second Master? Are you considering how to silence a helpless orphan like me?”
Xie Guangheng stiffened. He swept his sleeves back, clasping his hands behind him, and looked at her with a heavy sigh.
“You worry too much, niece-in-law.”
“Please, I hardly dare answer to that title anymore. I’m no niece of yours.”
After all, she had deliberately addressed him as ‘Second Master’ rather than ‘Second Uncle’ from the very start, making her stance unmistakably clear.
Cutting to the chase, she added, “If you aren’t planning to silence me, then what exactly do you mean by all this?”
What did he mean?
Xie Guangheng looked at her with mixed emotions. “Shiyan’s wife, the Yu family has been kind to the Xie family. Everything that happened today is our fault. If you wish to leave, I will not stand in your way. You have my word: the Xie family will never trouble you afterward. If you ever need help, you can even come back to me. So long as it is within our power, I will not turn you away.”
“Haha, that won’t be necessary. Second Master Xie, today I’ve dragged the Xie family’s name through the mud and ruined the Cheng Manor’s reputation. Can you truly be so generous?”
He might dare to make such promises, but she didn’t dare believe them—even if he was a rare upright man. If he had truly been able to guarantee anything, the original host wouldn’t have ended up in this state.
“I appreciate the sentiment, Second Master Xie, but I don’t need your help. I have no other requests except to take my son, collect my dowry, and walk out of your gates to live our lives in peace. From now on, you take your broad road, and I’ll cross my single-plank bridge.”
“Impossible!”
Those same three words cut her off completely.
Yu Fanfan couldn’t understand why this man was being so stubborn. She took a deep breath.
“Second Master, as long as you let me leave with my son, I can leave the dowry behind.”
Xie Guangheng shook his head without hesitation. “Though the Xie family isn’t immensely wealthy, we won’t covet the dowry of an orphaned girl. You may take everything that belongs to you. On top of that, the family will give you five thousand taels—consider it a gift from an elder to help you get on your feet.”
“No need for that,”
Yu Fanfan cut in before Old Madam Lin and her meddling mother-in-law could shriek that they had already paid.
“I’ll take what’s mine, but I won’t touch a copper that isn’t.”
Determined to secure custody of her son, she swallowed her pride and adopted a conciliatory tone with Xie Guangheng.
“Look at the reality, Second Master. Ye’er may be the eldest grandson of the direct line, but he’s been neglected for three years. The matriarchs running this house treat him like a jinx. Total indifference is the best he ever gets from them. Since no one here cares for the boy, why force him to stay?
“The eldest young master is dashing, accomplished, and exceptionally talented. Never mind the two cousins in this manor eagerly waiting for a chance—even without them, young women outside would fight tooth and nail for the honor of marrying him the moment he nods.
“Now that I’m no longer in the way, a man of his charm and standing will soon bring home a proper young madam who pleases the entire family. She will bear him plenty of sons. Why cling so stubbornly to my Ye’er?”
She laid out every point as if looking out for their best interests. For her son’s sake, she was willing to humble herself and play nice.
“As the saying goes, a new stepmother makes a cold father. A child is better off begging with his mother than living in luxury with an official father. Eldest Young Master is honorable and would never mistreat him, of course, but what happens when a noble lady marries in? Who would want an existing son standing in the way of her own future children?
“A boy needs his birth mother. As his great-uncle, don’t you want what is best for him? If only for the child’s sake, let me take Ye’er with me! Rest assured, if you agree, I’ll change his name. He will never claim anything that doesn’t belong to him…”
“Enough, niece-in-law! You are crossing the line!”
Yu Fanfan had been on a roll. Her impassioned plea had clearly swayed the old hag and the meddling hen, who were already hesitating, eyes bright with temptation to agree. Yet here was the thickheaded Second Master, digging in his heels and interrupting her perfectly good pitch.
“Shiyan’s Wife, I know you speak from a mother’s devotion and can’t bear to part with your son,” he said firmly. “But you must remember that Ye’er’s surname is Xie. His name is written in our family genealogy. He is the legitimate eldest grandson of the Cheng Manor, recognized by my father himself!
“The blood running through his veins belongs to the Xie family—that is an unalterable fact. The illustrious Xie family is hardly incapable of raising a child. He is ours, and no matter the time or place, he bears our name for life. Even in death, he remains a Xie!”
Damn it. How had she forgotten how obsessed these ancients were with lineage and bloodlines?
Her child was a male heir—and currently, the only grandson in this wretched Cheng Manor. No matter how much the women here resented him in private, the family would never permit a child bearing the Xie name to wander outside. That was just how clans operated.
If seeking justice for herself was difficult, taking her son back was practically impossible.
A bitter taste filled Yu Fanfan’s mouth. She parted her lips, intending to play the sympathy card by pleading the child’s pitiful state, hoping to soften the upright second master’s heart and convince him to let them go. But he seemed to have anticipated her move.
Xie Guangheng waved his personal attendant forward to pry the child from Yu Fanfan’s arms, his tone turning cold and stern.
“Shiyan’s Wife, be reasonable. The world is harsh. It is hard enough for an orphaned woman to survive on her own, so why burden yourself with a child? No matter how difficult life is for Ye’er in the manor, his father still cares for him. That is far better than drifting aimlessly with you, with nowhere to turn.
“They say true parents plan far ahead for their children. Would you really reduce Ye’er to a commoner, forcing him to suffer hardships, live in obscurity without family backing, and eventually resent you for ruining his future? Be sensible. For the sake of the kinship we share, think of what is best for him.”
“Second Master, I may lack power and influence, but I can give my son all my love. No matter how powerful your family is, you cannot guarantee him peace and health,” Yu Fanfan retorted. “Look at him! If he cannot even have basic safety and joy here, he is better off roaming the world with his mother.”