Yun Shuangxu’s head buzzed, and an overwhelming sense of humiliation struck her so hard that she nearly lost control on the spot.
No wonder Lü Bo had taken so long to return last night. She had gone to find Xie Jingbai after all.
Yun Shuangxu had already told her that going would only bring her humiliation. Why hadn’t she listened?
Yun Shuangxu clenched her fingers tightly, barely managing to steady herself and keep from showing anything unusual.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward. The women from the second and third branches all watched her with undisguised schadenfreude.
Xie Jingbai cast Lin Qingyun a reproachful look, then turned back to ask Yun Shuangxu, “Are you feeling better? I was just thinking that after paying my respects to Grandmother, I would go see you.”
“I’m already fine. Fourth Master needn’t worry.” Yun Shuangxu replied as though nothing were wrong, but her heart felt as if someone were repeatedly sawing at it with a blunt knife.
Old Madam Xie’s gaze moved back and forth between the three of them. Perhaps she wanted to put some pressure on Yun Shuangxu, because she did not have anyone bring her a stool. Instead, she looked at her and said earnestly,
“I’ve already heard about what happened on your side. When it comes to feng shui and metaphysics, it’s better to believe than not to believe. Jingbai has been married for three years without having any children, and this child Qingyun is carrying is the first child of your main branch. There’s no harm in being careful.
“You’ve always been sensible and understanding. It’s only natural that you might be unable to accept this for a moment, but you’re not someone who gets trapped in a dead end. I wonder, have you thought it through by now?”
As expected of Old Madam Xie—even her coercive words were more tactful and well-rounded than anyone else’s.
If this had been about something else, Yun Shuangxu might have swallowed her grievance and agreed.
But she had already suffered more than enough humiliation over the past two days. Caiwei Courtyard was her final stronghold, as well as the last vestige of her dignity. She absolutely could not yield.
“Grandmother, please forgive me, but I haven’t thought it through. I don’t think Caiwei Courtyard is particularly good, either. If we’re talking about favorable feng shui, Mother is the Duchess of Zhenguo, so the feng shui of her residence must be even better. Why not have Concubine Lin move in with her? That would also make it more convenient to look after her.”
The room fell silent for a moment. Everyone looked at one another, and no one had expected her to come up with such a reason.
Duchess Wei’s face turned livid with anger. She took several deep breaths before managing not to lose her temper in front of Old Madam Xie. “What do you know about feng shui? This was calculated by a Daoist priest. You refuse to listen to me—are you even refusing to listen to your grandmother now?”
Yun Shuangxu had been worried that she would not be able to find out the Daoist’s identity. Hearing this, she immediately seized the opportunity to ask, “May I ask which temple this highly skilled Daoist is from? Nothing has been going smoothly for me lately, and I was just thinking of finding someone to take a look.”
Lin Qingyun’s expression changed. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and began coughing. “Madam and Young Madam, please don’t argue. How could a concubine like me be worthy of living in the principal wife’s residence? Please don’t harm your harmony over me. Cough, cough, cough, cough…”
She coughed so violently that she could barely catch her breath, looking as though she might faint at any moment.
Xie Jingbai hurried forward to pat her back and soothe her. He looked at Yun Shuangxu with eyes full of disappointment. “What has gotten into you? You weren’t like this before.”
“The way I was before—did Fourth Master like me any better then?” Yun Shuangxu replied lightly.
“…” Xie Jingbai was left speechless, and a flash of irritation passed through his eyes.
The women from the second and third branches immediately perked up. Their faces remained impassive, but their eyes darted back and forth between the two of them like shuttles weaving through cloth.
Old Madam Xie’s expression darkened as she set her teacup heavily on the kang table.
Everyone held their breath, and the air in the room seemed to freeze into ice.
Suddenly, the charcoal fire gave a sharp crack and popped, making everyone’s hearts jolt.
At that moment, a female servant announced from outside, “Old Madam, Third Master has arrived.”
The tense standoff was broken, and everyone turned toward the door.
The door curtain was lifted, revealing Xie Jinglan at the entrance in a dark-gold brocade robe patterned with clouds, with a dark blue cloak draped over it.
He was so tall that although the older servant had done her best to lift the curtain high, he still had to bend at the waist and lower his head to enter.
Because of his fearsome reputation, everyone in the residence was afraid of him. When he entered, the women became extremely restrained. Only Xie Jingbai rose and called out, “Third Brother.”
Old Madam Xie, however, beamed with delight. She waved him over and asked with a smile, “What brings you here?”
“I was busy with official duties these past few days. Now that I have some free time, I came especially to pay my respects to Grandmother.” Xie Jinglan walked over and stopped beside Yun Shuangxu, then faced Old Madam Xie without looking to either side and bowed in greeting.
Yun Shuangxu faintly caught the delicate fragrance of wintersweet and could not help recalling the fox-fur cloak that had covered her the previous night.
Her heart began beating faster without her realizing it. She lowered her eyes and stepped aside, curtsying to Xie Jinglan. “Greetings, Third Master!”
Xie Jinglan seemed only to notice her presence at that moment. He cast her a cold, heavy glance without even making a sound of acknowledgment.
Remembering his disgust toward her, Yun Shuangxu took another step back, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.
Xie Jinglan’s brows drew together slightly. He untied his cloak and tossed it to a servant nearby.
Old Madam Xie asked with concern, “The weather is freezing. Why aren’t you wearing more? Where’s your silver fox-fur cloak? It’s perfect for snowy weather.”
Yun Shuangxu’s heart leaped, and she lightly pressed her lips together.
She heard Xie Jinglan reply casually, “I accidentally soiled it last night. It hasn’t been cleaned yet.”
“How did you soil it?” Old Madam Xie pressed.
The corner of Xie Jinglan’s eye slanted toward her. “I saw an injured kitten in the snow last night, so I used it to wrap the cat up.”
“…” Yun Shuangxu nearly failed to stop herself from looking at him. Her cheeks felt hot enough to burn.
His lie was far too perfunctory.
He was a Yama who killed without blinking. How could he possibly have taken pity on a cat? Who would believe such a thing if he said it aloud?
Old Madam Xie, however, believed him completely. She pointed at Xie Jinglan and scolded him fondly, “You child, what am I to do with you? That fox-fur cloak was tribute from a foreign country. There were only two in total—one for the Emperor and one for your aunt. Your aunt couldn’t bear to wear hers and gave it to you. How could you use it to wrap a cat?”
Old Madam Xie had three sons and one daughter. Her daughter had entered the palace and become an imperial consort, bearing the Emperor a pair of twins. For more than a decade, she had remained in the Emperor’s favor.
As his aunt, she had always cherished this nephew who had lost his mother at a young age, giving him every good thing she had. Her other nephews could only look on enviously.
Xie Jinglan, however, seemed not to regard this tremendous honor as anything at all. He said carelessly, “Grandmother’s reprimand is justified. Your grandson won’t dare do it again.”
Old Madam Xie glared at him with both indulgence and helplessness. “Where’s the cat? You paid such a high price to save it, so you must take good care of it.”
“It ran away.” Xie Jinglan spread his hands. “Its leg was broken. I set the bone, and then it ran off.”
Yun Shuangxu lowered her head and stared fixedly at the tips of her shoes, trying her best to ignore the faint pain in her ankle. She was afraid that if she let her guard down even slightly, she would reveal the truth.
Lin Qingyun had just said that she had twisted her ankle the previous night, and now Xie Jinglan was saying that the cat’s leg had been broken.
Xie Jingbai was attentive and perceptive. She was terrified that he would connect the two matters.
At that moment, Second Madam Zhou added with a smile, “When did Third Brother learn how to set bones?”
Xie Jinglan raised a brow. “When has there ever been a day in the Northern Command Office’s imperial prison without several people being skinned and having their bones torn apart? After seeing it often enough, you naturally learn.”
“…”
His one sentence successfully plunged the atmosphere into an icy abyss.
Old Madam Xie angrily waved at him again and again. “Go on and attend to your own affairs. We women are going to sit together and talk. Stop frightening people with your bloody stories.”
“Yes.” Xie Jinglan bent at the waist and took his leave.
Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly asked, “A moment ago, I heard something outside about the feng shui of a residence. What is that all about?”