After Tong Wei finished kneeling, the bruising on her knees had not yet faded.
In the following days, she behaved far more quietly than before. She lowered her gaze more often when meeting people, spoke more softly, and even moved more lightly within the Main Courtyard. The young maidservants outside thought she had truly been subdued by the Princess Consort’s punishment. Only Tong Wei herself knew how unwilling she truly was.
The more unwilling she felt, the more her resentment was slowly refined—becoming finer, deeper, and sharper.
She had served Xu Jinzhi for many years and knew better than anyone what kind of people could make him impatient, and what kind of matters could provoke his displeasure.
The old method of gentle persuasion and subtle provocation was no longer effective.
If she continued to only stir things slowly, she would eventually be ground down in this courtyard until she had nothing left.
That afternoon, while everyone in the Main Courtyard was occupied, Tong Wei used the excuse of retrieving a book chest from the back room and quietly locked herself inside a small chamber.
The room was dim. She looked at herself in the bronze mirror for a long while, then suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face.
The crisp sound rang out sharply, leaving even her ears buzzing.
Her cheek quickly turned hot, a red mark blooming across it. She stared at the mark in the mirror without a change in expression. Then she rolled up her sleeve on her right arm and dug her fingernails into her own flesh, dragging them back and forth until bluish-purple bruises slowly surfaced on her fair skin.
Only then did she stop.
It was painful, of course.
But compared to kneeling in the Main Courtyard corridor a few days ago, being watched by all the maidservants and older female servants, this kind of pain was nothing.
She lowered her sleeve again, took a deep breath, and after a moment, the sharpness in her eyes was suppressed once more. She returned to her usual gentle, considerate appearance.
That evening, Xu Jinzhi returned to the Main Courtyard.
He had been coming back more often lately. Sometimes he went to the study first, but at night, he mostly stayed in the Main Courtyard. When Tong Wei took his outer robe that day, her movements were steady as usual. But while serving tea and adjusting his sleeves, she deliberately revealed her right forearm.
The bruises on her fair, slender wrist were glaringly obvious.
Xu Jinzhi saw them immediately.
He had been washing his hands when his gaze paused on the towel she offered. After a brief silence, he looked up at her. “What happened to your hand?”
Tong Wei seemed startled, quickly pulling her sleeve back. “It is nothing. This servant was careless and bumped into something.”
Her reply came too quickly.
Too quick to be believable.
Xu Jinzhi’s brows furrowed. “Bumped into something and it looks like this?”
Tong Wei lowered her head, fingers tightening around the towel. After a long pause, she said softly, “Please do not ask further, my lord.”
Xu Jinzhi looked at her, his expression darkening. He was not a careless man. Tong Wei had been serving him since childhood—he could easily notice even the slightest change in her. This was clearly not a simple accident.
His voice lowered further. “Who did this to you?”
Tong Wei panicked slightly, her eyes turning red, but she still shook her head. “No one harmed this servant. It was my fault for speaking out of turn. A few scoldings were deserved. My lord must not be angered over this.”
The words were careful, but they revealed everything without needing to say it outright.
The room fell silent for a moment. Xu Jinzhi’s expression turned completely cold.
Old memories surfaced in his mind.
He had not forgotten what Wen Yunyi had once done. She had subtly and openly made things difficult for the people of Listening Rain Pavilion. Once, out of jealousy, she had even forced Jiang Yunzhi in the rain to retrieve a trivial earring. Jiang Yunzhi had returned drenched and pale, yet still defended her, insisting she had been careless so that no one could speak ill of the Princess Consort.
Those past events had always weighed in his heart.
Now, seeing Tong Wei’s bruised arm and swollen marks, and hearing her hesitant words, his first instinct was—
Wen Yunyi had not changed.
He said nothing more. He placed the towel down and turned toward the inner chamber.
Tong Wei stood where she was. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and the pressure that had built up over the past few days finally eased a little.
Inside the inner chamber, Wen Yunyi was sitting by the window reviewing newly copied allowance records.
A sheet of paper lay beside her—Bai Lan had reorganized the seasonal supply list according to her instructions. The room was already lit, the warm light falling over the edges of the documents.
When she heard the curtain move, she looked up and saw Xu Jinzhi enter with a cold expression.
She paused slightly.
Since that night, although their relationship had not been intimate, they had not had any direct conflict either. His sudden expression suggested he had not come for ordinary conversation.
She closed the booklet. “What is it?”
Xu Jinzhi looked at her. His gaze was heavy, carrying no hesitation. “Did you punish Tong Wei?”
Wen Yunyi blinked once. “If you mean a few days ago, yes. I made her kneel.”
That simple confirmation only strengthened Xu Jinzhi’s suspicion.
His voice turned colder. “Only kneeling?”
Wen Yunyi finally realized something was wrong. Her brows furrowed slightly. “What do you mean by that?”
Xu Jinzhi’s expression darkened. “Since you admit you punished her, do you still need me to spell out the rest?”
Wen Yunyi understood immediately.
She set the booklet down slowly and looked at him. “What did she tell you?”
“She did not say anything,” Xu Jinzhi replied quickly. “And precisely because she said nothing, I have to ask you. Wen Yunyi, when will you stop this habit of secretly tormenting others?”
The room turned cold at once.
Wen Yunyi placed the booklet back on the table and looked at him steadily. “Have you even heard my explanation?”
Xu Jinzhi’s face was tense. “The bruises on her arms and face are already there—”
“I hit her face?” Wen Yunyi interrupted.
That sentence was too direct. Xu Jinzhi paused slightly.
But he still said coldly, “You punished her kneeling a few days ago. Now secretly making things difficult for her is not beyond you.”
At that moment, whatever remaining warmth Wen Yunyi had felt vanished completely.
She understood clearly now.
It was not Tong Wei’s poor acting that mattered.
It was that once something was triggered, all past accusations would be dragged back up, making even her explanations sound like excuses.
She was silent for a moment, then said evenly, “Yes, I punished her kneeling. Because she, as a maidservant, crossed her boundaries—repeatedly stirring trouble about the wives and concubines in front of me, constantly speaking of Listening Rain Pavilion and Concubine Jiang. She deserved it.”
Her gaze turned colder.
“But I did not hit her.”
“If you came to ask why I punished her, I have already told you. If you already decided what I did, then anything I say is useless.”
Xu Jinzhi’s expression grew even more severe.
Old memories, Jiang Yunzhi’s past grievances, Tong Wei’s tearful silence—all of it tangled together in his mind. Even Wen Yunyi’s calm face now seemed unreadable to him.
Silence filled the room.
Finally, he turned away first, his sleeve sweeping sharply. “Think carefully about your actions.”
With that, he left without hesitation.
The curtain fell back into place, and the room was left empty and cold.
Wen Yunyi remained seated under the lamp. Her expression was calm, but her fingers slowly tightened at the edge of the table. She did not feel like crying—only suffocated.
Bai Lan and Qing Tao entered quickly after hearing the movement and saw her sitting alone, her expression cold and still.
Qing Tao could not help but say, “The Seize—”
“Enough,” Wen Yunyi interrupted calmly. “Let him go wherever he wishes.”
But inwardly, she already knew.
He was most likely going to Listening Rain Pavilion.
And indeed, in Listening Rain Pavilion, Jiang Yunzhi had just finished washing up and was sitting by the window doing needlework.
She had been distracted lately.
In the past, Xu Jinzhi had spent most of his nights here. But after Wen Yunyi recovered and stopped causing disturbances, his visits had gradually decreased.
She felt aggrieved and disappointed, but she could not say it.
She could only swallow it silently.
Then she suddenly heard footsteps outside.
Yin Zhu peeked out and immediately turned back. “Concubine, the Seize has arrived.”
Jiang Yunzhi’s hand paused mid-stitch. Her eyes lit up for a moment, then quickly turned uneasy.
Why would he come at this hour?
Before she could stand, Xu Jinzhi had already entered.
His expression was not good, clearly unsettled. But even so, Jiang Yunzhi’s heart softened the moment she saw him. She quickly stood up. “My lord.”
Xu Jinzhi looked at her and his gaze softened slightly. “You are still awake?”
“I… could not sleep,” Jiang Yunzhi said softly. Then, as if afraid of showing too much emotion, she lowered her head. “The Seize has not come often lately. I wondered if I had done something wrong to displease you.”
Her voice was light, but filled with restrained grievance and unease.
She was not trying to manipulate him—only that her accumulated disappointment finally slipped out.
Hearing this, Xu Jinzhi’s anger slowly dissipated.
His gaze fell on her slightly thinner face, and his tone softened. “There is nothing like that. Do not overthink.”
Jiang Yunzhi looked up at him, her eyes still faintly wet, but she forced a small smile. “I am not overthinking. I am just relieved that you came.”
Those words were softer than any attempt to cling or plead.
Xu Jinzhi looked at her, and the faint tenderness in his heart returned.
Yin Zhu quietly withdrew.
In the warm lamplight of Listening Rain Pavilion, Jiang Yunzhi’s expression appeared gentle and fragile. Sitting down, Xu Jinzhi finally felt the restless irritation from the Main Courtyard slowly settle.