In the past, Ji Hanyi had been able to endure it all because she knew she would spend the rest of her life in the Xie household. She knew that Xie Yuheng loathed domestic unrest above all else, and so she had suppressed her feelings at every turn, maintaining a facade of harmony for his sake. She had never spoken a word against the Xie family to outsiders, nor had she ever engaged in petty squabbles within their walls.
They had grown accustomed to ordering her about, knowing full well she no longer had anyone to back her up.
Ji Hanyi looked up, meeting Xie Jin’s gaze. She stood straight, her hands tucked into her sleeves. Her voice had always been delicate and sweet, soft and compliant, but this time, it carried a faint, icy edge. “There is no need for such talk, Big Sister. In the three years since I married into the Xie family, what trouble have I ever brought upon you?”
“Since we are on the subject, please, enlighten me.”
“Aside from this current matter involving my maternal family, when has any of their business ever inconvenienced the Xie household?”
“Even when my mother was on her deathbed, the Eldest Young Master never accompanied me back a single time during the holidays. How, then, have I been a burden?”
Xie Jin froze, stunned that Ji Hanyi would dare talk back. As the eldest daughter of the Xie family, she was used to being the one in charge, fond of lecturing everyone. Now, having her authority challenged in front of the servants and the entire hall, her face twisted with resentment.
She gritted her teeth and said, “There is no need to dig up the past today. But tell me—your aunt coming here to make a scene, does that not count as trouble you’ve caused?”
Ji Hanyi looked at Xie Jin with an indifferent expression. “What trouble?”
Xie Jin’s face darkened. “You let your aunt pester my mother and try to force my husband to abuse his power for personal gain! Are you trying to ruin my husband’s career?”
Ji Hanyi’s expression remained calm, her voice quiet. “First, you did not help, so how could you have ruined him?”
“Second, my cousin did not commit some heinous crime; you know perfectly well why things have reached this point.”
“Third, my aunt came only to request help, not to coerce anyone. She arrived with all due etiquette and was never disrespectful. If you did not wish to help, you could have simply said so plainly.”
“In the three years I have been married to the Xie family, this is the only time my aunt has ever come to ask for a favor.”
“If you were willing to help, my aunt and I would surely have repaid your kindness with deep gratitude. If you are unwilling, we hold no resentment. There is no great enmity between our families, and my aunt did not cause a scene.”
“By any standard of reason or etiquette, she has done nothing improper.”
A hush fell over the hall. Everyone present knew that Ji Hanyi was right.
In the three years since her marriage, she had gone about her duties quietly, never once mentioning her maternal family’s affairs, even in casual conversation.
Last winter, when her mother was critically ill, it happened to be during the busy New Year preparations. Ji Hanyi had spent her days helping First Madam Lin with the arrangements, only finding time at night to slip away and visit her mother. No one had known until Lin-shi, needing Ji Hanyi for something one evening, discovered she had gone to care for her dying mother. Even Xie Yuheng had been kept in the dark.
By any measure of reason, Ji Hanyi was not wrong. Aside from this one instance, she had never been a burden to anyone.
Listening to this, First Madam Lin realized she was somewhat in the wrong. Earlier, Liu-shi had been humble and polite; Lin-shi had simply looked down on the Gu family’s status. What was left of them? The second master of the Gu family had died on the road, and it was uncertain if the eldest master would ever return. Their younger generation was sparse and weak; she had long since ceased to respect them.
However, being rebuked by Ji Hanyi in front of everyone still incensed her. Her voice turned cold. “Jin’er said those things to remind you to reflect on yourself. Do not think that just because you married into the Xie family, you can constantly look to us for personal gain.”
“That would throw everything into chaos, wouldn’t it?”
Below, Liu-shi’s gaze shifted to Ji Hanyi, who stood in the center of the hall. In that moment, she finally understood the reality of Ji Hanyi’s life within the Xie household. Her own impulsive visit had only brought trouble to her niece.
Whatever grievances the Gu family had internally were their own, but she could not bear to watch a married daughter of the Xie family come back and bully Ji Hanyi like this. Furthermore, First Madam Lin’s words were dripping with irony.
She realized that no matter how much she begged, the Xies would never help. She recalled Ji Hanyi’s earlier words—if the Xie family had been willing to help, they would have done so days ago.
She stood up abruptly and looked at First Madam Lin. “Personal gain?”
“What gain has my niece ever sought from the Xie family?”
“She has lived here dutifully, and yet you blame her out of thin air?”
“My niece tried to stop me from coming today, but I insisted.”
“I thought that since this was a minor matter and we were related by marriage, I could ask for a favor. I never expected to be so humiliated.”
“My Gu family may be fallen, and we may not compare to the Xies, but we still have our pride. I will not stand by and watch my niece be slandered like this.”
Clutching the thousand taels of silver she had brought, Liu-shi straightened her back and looked at Lin-shi. “I should not have made this trip today. Not only did I involve my niece, but I invited this humiliation upon myself. However, my conscience is clear. Rest assured, I shall never darken your doorstep again. I only ask that you do not make things difficult for my niece.”
Turning to Ji Hanyi, Liu-shi’s eyes were rimmed with red. She let out a long sigh and whispered, “This marriage was originally sought by the Eldest Master of the Xie family from your father. But as soon as your father met with misfortune, the tea grew cold. I was wrong to blame you before. Your life in the Xie family is not easy; I will not add to your burdens. I suppose this is simply fate, and sometimes, one has no choice but to accept it.”
Without looking back, Liu-shi stepped over the threshold and departed.
Ji Hanyi turned to watch her aunt’s retreating figure, letting out a silent, weary breath.
Lin-shi’s face was dark as she listened to Liu-shi’s parting words, yet she found herself unable to utter a single word in rebuttal. She had forgotten that this marriage had indeed been requested by her husband. Having it brought up after all these years of silence filled her with a sudden, sharp resentment.
Unable to contain it, she directed her anger at Ji Hanyi. “Are you using your aunt’s mouth to voice your dissatisfaction with the Xie family? Have we mistreated you during your years here?”
Ji Hanyi turned back to meet Lin-shi’s eyes. “I have never been mistreated.”
Lin-shi sneered. “Then what did Second Madam Gu mean by saying the tea grew cold? If the Xie family truly turned our backs on people once they lost their status, Yuheng would never have married you in the first place!”
Ji Hanyi’s voice remained flat. “The Xie family married me only because of the marriage contract. In this matter, what have I done wrong?”
Feeling a surge of exhaustion and bitterness, she continued, “Mother, you must understand—I did not force the Eldest Young Master to marry me. In truth, when I went to see him back then, if he had said a single word of refusal, I would have torn up the marriage certificate myself. My father may be gone, but I am still a daughter of the Ji family. A daughter of the Ji family does not beg for scraps, and this marriage was certainly not an act of charity from the Xie family.”