Tai Furen said Xiao Xun hated her…
Mama Liu opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing more, though unease stirred in her heart.
Tai Furen gazed out the window, doing her utmost to calm her emotions.
After a long while, she said, “I am only sixty-three this year. The old Hou lived into his seventies… As long as I draw breath for a single day, I remain the true master of this Pingyang Marquisate!”
“Tai Furen, please do not worry,” Mama Liu, keenly sensing her mistress’s mood, hurriedly soothed in a gentle tone, “The newly wedded Hou Furen has no ability whatsoever to manage the household affairs. Everything in the Pingyang Marquisate will belong to the Third Young Master sooner or later!”
Tai Furen: “…”
How could she not worry?!
“Di Ge’er is only seven years old this year! What if Madam Su bears a child…”
She dared not even think further…
“We must find a way to ensure Madam Su can never bear children, then have Di Ge’er adopted into Madam Su’s name. Only then can everything in the Pingyang Marquisate remain ours forever!”
“…?!” Mama Liu’s face instantly turned pale. “There are many ways to render a woman infertile, even if Madam Su bears the title of Divine Physician. But Third Madam Lü is still alive, how…”
“Womanly soft-heartedness!” Tai Furen glared at her, a look of exasperation on her face. “The noble assets of the Pingyang Marquisate—excluding other holdings—include tens of thousands of mu of farmland alone. Though it may not compare to other nobles, it is by no means a small sum!”
“If one has a noble title to rely on, those are all tangible benefits! We absolutely must not let them fall into others’ hands!”
“Madam Lü… will understand my good intentions!” Tai Furen murmured softly, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes.
She had already made one mistake…
No one would stop her from making plans for Di Ge’er!
Mama Liu was stunned, but still nodded slightly.
Her very life belonged to her mistress; whatever her mistress said, she would do.
But why had the Second Master returned at this time? He was Tai Furen’s weakness. Why did her heart feel so uneasy!
…
Although Su Mingyue had married from the imperial palace, she was, after all, not a princess. After marriage, unless summoned by the imperial family, there was no need for her to specially enter the palace to express gratitude.
She hailed from Yao Wang Gu, and Yao Wang Gu was far in the Southern Frontier, so naturally, there was nowhere for her to return to for the customary visit…
Now, she could only regard the Pingyang Marquisate as her sole world, confined within it day after day.
Having not seen Xiao Lin for several consecutive days, as evening approached, she deliberately took a food box, intending to go to Dulan Courtyard to test his attitude.
Even if it were merely superficial harmony, it would be better than the current state of being like strangers, subject to gossip.
Who would have thought that just after leaving her courtyard, not even a hundred zhang away, she spotted Xiao Yunhe in the distance.
“Madam, could he be waiting for you on purpose?” Xiao He whispered a reminder.
What rotten luck!
Su Mingyue’s eyes darkened. With Xiao He and Xiao Tao, she turned and took a different path.
But Xiao Yunhe, like a mad dog gone berserk, recklessly rushed to block Su Mingyue’s way, disregarding everything.
Servants passing by hurriedly dodged. Xiao Yunhe frowned, his slightly swollen eyes fixed unwaveringly on Su Mingyue.
Once a woman married, she had to bind up her hair, yet these dark tresses of hers were not tied up for him…
“Yue’er…”
“Silence!” Xiao He and Xiao Tao stepped forward together, swiftly shielding Su Mingyue behind them.
“Young Master, you have no manners! Even if you refuse to address our Madam as ‘Grandaunt,’ you should at least respectfully call her ‘Hou Furen’!”
Xiao Yunhe ignored the two maidservants, coughing heavily with his fist pressed against his lips, looking half-dead. “What a fine ‘Marquess’s wife’…”
“Su Mingyue! Are you so pleased with yourself for marrying Xiao Lin?”
“Do you truly… have no regrets?”
“If you have any grievances, you can tell me…”
Su Mingyue felt irritated and let out a heavy sigh, turning her face away, unwilling to look at him.
Observing her expression, Xiao Yunhe’s eyes flickered, and a faint smile actually curled at the corner of his mouth… That useless Xiao Lin had neglected her for so many days—she must be regretting it now!
Just as he was about to say something, Su Mingyue called over the guards and sternly reprimanded them with a cold expression, “The eldest young master has repeatedly offended me. If he dares to come within half a step of me again, you need not remain in the marquess’s estate any longer!”
The guards trembled with fear and responded in unison, “Yes.”
Xiao Yunhe was stunned, staring in disbelief at the woman who had once been utterly devoted to him, his heart aching with a dull, throbbing pain.
When had she become so unforgiving?
He had already publicly sworn to no longer associate with his cousin Ying’er—why was she still so cold and heartless?
Was it really necessary?!
Seeing Su Mingyue’s expression grow increasingly unpleasant, the guards hurriedly stepped forward, seized Xiao Yunhe, and began dragging him aside.
“Young master, please don’t make things difficult for us…”
“Cough, cough, cough… Let go! Let go of me!!”
Xiao Yunhe was so furious he coughed violently, tears welling in the corners of his eyes as he struggled incessantly toward the direction of the mistress and her two servants. “Su Mingyue! Can’t you see I’m sick?”
She had always been the one who cared for him the most. After those buckets of cold water were poured over him that day, he had deliberately refused to take medicine—he truly was ill…
Hearing this, Su Mingyue’s brows suddenly furrowed tightly. She quickly took two steps back, covering her nose and mouth with a handkerchief in disgust.
Although she was stronger than most women, her constitution had always been weak due to secretly testing medicines in the past, which had damaged her foundation…
Moreover, whenever she fell ill, medicinal decoctions had little effect on her, making recovery difficult.
How annoying! If he was truly sick, he better not pass his illness to her!
Su Mingyue shot Xiao Yunhe a cold, disdainful look and said icily, “If you’re sick, go hire a physician. You can’t afford my consultation fee! If you dare block my path again, I’ll have the guards break your legs!”
With that, she didn’t spare Xiao Yunhe another glance, turning around and walking away briskly.
Her skirt trailed along the ground, her retreating figure resolute.
She just left like that??
Xiao Yunhe, still held by the guards, stumbled a few steps, filled with unwillingness.
When had she ever been so cold and sharp-tongued toward him?
Watching her graceful figure grow farther and farther away, a bitter taste rose in his throat, and he actually vomited a mouthful of blood before his eyes closed and he fainted.
“Madam!” Xiao Tao glanced back and saw Xiao Yunhe collapsed on the ground, her face paling as she whispered in alarm, “He, he, he… he won’t try to blame us, will he?”
Before she could finish speaking, she lost her footing and stumbled, accidentally knocking over the food box!
“Madam… I didn’t mean to…”
“You, you…” Seeing the young maid on the verge of tears, Su Mingyue gently pinched her cheek and, leading the two of them, turned back toward Xuanmao Hall.
In the shadows, Xiao Lin frowned slightly.
He didn’t care about Xiao Yunhe’s fate, but he was curious about what food Su Mingyue had intended to send him.
“Tell the kitchen not to prepare dinner for Dulan Courtyard tonight,” Xiao Lin said, his heart filled with anticipation.
The servant nearby quickly acknowledged the order.
…
That night.
The entire Lingyun Zhai was shrouded in a lifeless silence.
Xiao Yunhe had been ill for many days. In the evening, he coughed up blood and fainted, and by night, his sleep was extremely restless.
He woke several times from nightmares, and in his dazed state, he actually dreamed of Su Mingyue’s wedding day, where the groom became himself!
Snow fell thick and fast all day long…
After seeing off the guests, he hurried through the thick snow toward the bridal chamber, imagining Mingyue wearing a phoenix crown, her face full of shyness and charm… As he walked, he could almost hear his own heart pounding like a drum.
But when he pushed open the door, what met his eyes was Su Mingyue and Xiao Lin locked in passionate intimacy!?
Unlike what he had witnessed that day, in this dream, it was that useless Xiao Lin who had his Mingyue pinned firmly beneath him…
“Let go…”
“Let her go!”
Xiao Yunhe jolted awake, sitting up abruptly, his eyes meeting only darkness.
He was drenched in cold sweat, sticky and uncomfortable, and a sharp, dense pain spread through his chest…
Before he could gather his thoughts, Liu Lingyi barged in with servants, her face full of anxiety.
“Yunhe, are you feeling any better?”
Xiao Yunhe absentmindedly hummed in response, and a servant quickly lit the candles in the room.
Seeing that Xiao Yunhe still looked unwell, Liu Lingyi hesitantly sat on the edge of his bed and spoke softly:
“Mother knows you still think of Su Mingyue… But now she has married Xiao Lin and is the rightful Lady of the Pingyang Marquisate.”
She leaned forward, lowering her voice: “Once the old lady passes away, she will be the one in charge of the marquisate! By then, we will all have to live under her watchful eye…”
“Since she chose power over you, why must you torment yourself like this?”
Xiao Yunhe was momentarily stunned, his gaze trembling: “So it’s not that she didn’t care about me, but that she valued power more?”
As an orphan, she must have suffered greatly growing up… No wonder she was so opportunistic!
But why… did she change so suddenly, turning her back on him without warning?
Though Xiao Yunhe was utterly confused, the heavy weight in his heart finally eased slightly.
“What’s the point of saying all this now?” Liu Lingyi cut him off, gently taking his hand,
“You are the eldest young master of the Pingyang Marquisate. You are still young and in good health… As long as someone is willing to support you, why worry about not having a chance to rise?”
“Once you achieve success and fame, what kind of woman won’t be available to you?”
She sighed: “Since that day at the palace banquet, rumors have been swirling throughout the capital… Although there are many noble daughters from prominent families in the capital, given the current situation, we may not have the luxury of choosing freely…”
“Your maternal grandfather holds the position of Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and your uncle serves as Vice Chancellor—both are thriving in their careers… If you marry Ying’er, the Liu and Xiao families will be bound even closer by marriage. How could they not support you with all their might?”
At the mention of Liu Ying’s name, a flicker of disgust passed through Xiao Yunhe’s brow.
Liu Lingyi noticed it all, feeling displeased.
“Uncle has always doted on me. Even if I don’t marry my cousin, would Grandfather’s family abandon me?”
“But…”
“Mother, there’s no need to persuade me further!” Xiao Yunhe abruptly withdrew his hand. “I promise you I will marry soon, but I will never marry Liu Ying!”
He had said this that day in Qingshen Tang, and he would not go back on his word.
Liu Lingyi was left speechless. Seeing him turn his face away, unwilling to engage further, she grew instantly agitated and angry:
“Not to mention you’ve already ruined Ying’er’s reputation! You have no achievements or fame to speak of, and you caused that scandal at the palace banquet. Even if you refuse to consider your cousin, which noble daughter from a prominent family would still be willing to marry you?”
Xiao Yunhe thudded back onto the couch, turning his back to Liu Lingyi. “At the palace banquet, no one forced Liu Ying to step forward. She could have denied it! It was her own delusional wishful thinking, hoping the Emperor would grant her an Imperial Marriage!”
“As for the marriage, I will discuss it with Father and find a match beneficial to my future. Mother need not worry!”
For Yue’er to avoid gossip and for his own prospects, taking a wife was a necessary compromise… Once he reached the pinnacle of power, Yue’er would surely look at him with new eyes!
By then, she would surely beg tearfully to return to him! He could even dismiss his concubines for her!
“You…” Seeing him show not the slightest consideration for Liu Ying, Liu Lingyi trembled with rage, her breathing growing heavy.
Further words were useless… Let him face setbacks out in the world, and he would come to understand Ying’er’s virtues in time!
Liu Lingyi rose and slammed the door behind her, cursing Su Mingyue a thousand times over in her heart.
No! She must meet with Ying’er immediately and quickly devise a plan!