As the room emptied out, Xia Ershu finally rose: “Elder Brother, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take Yu Ruo back now!”
Xia Maoshan remained silent, merely lifting his eyes to cast a cold gaze at Xia Ershu.
Xia Ershu instantly felt a chill run down his spine, cold sweat beading incessantly on his forehead: “Elder Brother…”
“Take Jianxi back to rest first!” Xia Maoshan turned to Xia Madam, speaking softly.
Xia Madam glanced at Xia Yuruo kneeling on the floor, snorted coldly, then supported Xia Jianxi as they turned to leave. Unable to restrain herself, she muttered under her breath: “A whole family of ungrateful wretches!”
Xia Ershu naturally heard Xia Madam’s words, his face shifting like a palette—darkening, reddening, then paling—until he was left standing there in awkward silence.
Only when the room was completely empty did Xia Maoshan speak: “If you find life in Bianjing disagreeable, pack your belongings in a few days and take up a post in the provinces.”
Xia Ershu’s expression abruptly soured: “Elder Brother, it’s not what you think, I…”
Xia Maoshan said nothing, merely lifting his eyes to look at him.
The excuses on Xia Ershu’s tongue suddenly felt hollow: “Elder Brother, I understand!”
Xia Maoshan gazed at his less-than-robust younger brother, stood up, and walked over to him, patting his shoulder heavily: “You’ve read many books—you should know that sometimes, a family’s blade cuts deeper than an enemy’s. You’re my only brother. I don’t want us to become strangers one day.”
Xia Ershu hung his head, and after a long while, finally exhaled a turbid breath: “I understand.”
“Go back now.” Xia Maoshan glanced at Second Madam Xia and Xia Yuruo standing nearby, then turned and left.
Xia Ershu watched as Xia Maoshan exited the main hall, his already unpleasant expression growing increasingly grim.
Second Madam Xia bent down to help Xia Yuruo up, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, and scolded in a tone of exasperation: “Fool! How could you not know there was such a troublemaker in the house?”
“Not know?” Xia Ershu sneered coldly. “I think she knew perfectly well!”
“What nonsense are you spouting!” Second Madam Xia lowered her voice to curse. “Don’t you know what Yu Ruo is like? She can’t even bear to hear a chicken being killed—how could she possibly order her maid to collude with rebels? Don’t let your elder brother’s words turn your head!”
“Do you really think I don’t know?” Xia Ershu suddenly lifted his eyes to Second Madam Xia, his gaze icy and profound, chillingly intense in that moment.
Second Madam Xia’s heart skipped a beat under his stare, but she forced herself to stand firm: “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Do you truly believe I’m unaware of what you and your daughter are scheming? The moment Jianxi had her accident, Yong’an Wangfu came to break off the engagement. Breaking it off was one thing, but they insisted on replacing her with your daughter as Shizi Fei. What kind of person are you? What kind of person am I? Are we fit to be in-laws with a prince’s mansion? Yuan Xiaoyi, you’ve gone mad—daring to dream such impossible dreams!” Xia Ershu jabbed his finger repeatedly at Second Madam Xia’s shoulder.
Second Madam Xia staggered under the jabs, and with the last push, she was shoved onto a chair.
Already seething with shame and anger, Second Madam Xia could no longer contain her fury. She sprang to her feet and shoved Xia Ershu hard. “It’s all because you’re useless! Both of you bear the Xia name—Xia Maoshan is a First-Rank General, while you’re merely a fifth-rank official. His daughter gets everything she wants, while mine has to settle for their leftovers! Isn’t all of this because you’re incompetent?”
“Yes, I schemed to whisper in Princess Yong’an’s ear, to make her see that my Yu Ruo is ten thousand times better than that Xia Jianxi! You’re spineless, content to scavenge scraps from your elder brother’s table. Why should my daughter and I not fight for what’s rightfully ours? Why!” Step by step, she advanced, her crimson nails nearly scratching Xia Ershu’s face.
The perpetually timid Xia Ershu suddenly seized her collar, snarling through gritted teeth, “Fool! Is one marriage alliance worth such strife? Xia Maoshan has no son—no son! A general often meets his end on the battlefield. If we outlive him, everything he owns will be ours! Don’t you understand?”
“Do you think Lin Shutang is an idiot?” Yuan Xiaoyi sneered. “Do you believe she hasn’t anticipated your schemes? You talk of outliving him, but do you have what it takes to wrest anything from Lin Shutang’s grasp?”
Xia Ershu stared fixedly into Yuan Xiaoyi’s eyes before his strength seemed to desert him. He released her abruptly, letting her crash to the floor. “So this is the outcome you wanted? Now Elder Brother guards against us. What opportunities do you think remain?”
“Opportunities aren’t given—they’re seized!” Yuan Xiaoyi rose slowly, pulling Xia Yuruo up by the hand. “You may choose to wallow in mediocrity, but I refuse. I will fight for what’s mine. Whatever Lin Shutang possesses, I shall have it—and a thousand times more! This time, that Xia Jianxi merely stumbled upon blind luck. Otherwise, she’d be utterly disgraced, and my plans wouldn’t have failed!”
“Incurably greedy!” Xia Ershu cursed under his breath before storming off.
Xia Yuruo watched him leave, then turned tear-filled eyes to Yuan Xiaoyi. “Mother, what do we do now? Without the marriage contract, we lose the half of the military tally. Brother Mu Ze won’t marry me anymore! What should I do?”
“Silence!” Yuan Xiaoyi snapped. “Shout louder! Why not just confess to that mother-daughter pair that you orchestrated this? See if Lin Shutang doesn’t come for you with a cleaver!”
Terrified into submission, Xia Yuruo pressed her lips together, eyes red-rimmed and pitiful.
Seeing her daughter’s distress, Yuan Xiaoyi’s heart softened. She whispered comfortingly, “Your father is worthless—no match for them. But every Xia clansman covets the General’s Residence’s power. Just wait. We’ll find a way to force them to surrender the Yong’an Wangfu marriage alliance.”
Xia Yuruo stared at Yuan Xiaoyi with reddened eyes, unable to comprehend: “How is Xia Jianxi so fortunate? Even in such circumstances, she managed to return unscathed by saving the Grand Imperial Concubine! And she caused me to lose Yuting. This time, if Yuting hadn’t insisted till death that I had nothing to do with it, I might have been dragged down too!”
“If she hadn’t left loose ends, this matter would never have implicated you!” Yuan Xiaoyi frowned. “It’s fine that Yuting is gone. Another day, I’ll find you a better one. For now, let’s go back first. Some matters still require careful planning!”
“Understood, Mother!”