Chapter 19: The Scoundrel Faces Punishment

The Marquis of Pingyang’s residence.

Xu Qingyi had gone out for a stroll and thoroughly enjoyed herself, returning with an assortment of food and trinkets. 

The sheer quantity of items she brought back was comparable to a traveler laden with souvenirs! 

She divided the spoils into several portions—some were delivered to the rooms of the two brothers, so they could enjoy the treats and toys as soon as they returned from their studies. 

Another portion was distributed among the servants, whether they were personal attendants or those tasked with rough, menial work like sweeping and cleaning. 

Xie Yunzhi lay on his bed, listening to the bustle outside, and immediately knew that Xu Qingyi had returned. 

It sounded as though two young servants had received something and were chattering away about it. 

Straining his ears, he caught snippets of their conversation—it seemed to be about food and toys. 

This new wife of his, Xie Yunzhi thought to himself, was quite good-natured. She clearly enjoyed indulging the people around her. 

“Apparently, according to the nursemaid who came back with her, the Young Madam and Young Master Heng went out shopping and were recognized. Afterward, the entire street was clamoring to give gifts to the Young Madam!” 

Xie Yunzhi: “…” Did that really happen? 

“The Young Madam was quite composed too. She even taught Young Master Heng to greet the common folk properly.” 

“Our Young Madam really has such a kind disposition.” 

“And it turns out the common people still remember our Eldest Young Master’s good deeds.” 

“Of course! The Young Master’s military achievements are unparalleled. Without him, how could we have this peaceful era?” 

“Do you think this meat pie we’re eating was gifted by the common people?” 

“Not at all. The nursemaid said everything was paid for. It was the Young Madam’s instruction—she said it’s not easy for the common folk to make a living.” 

Xie Yunzhi thought to himself, ‘Well, of course. Paying for it is the proper thing to do.’ 

At the same time, he felt a sense of relief that his wife turned out to be someone of intelligence, education, and grace—not a shallow, shortsighted woman. 

Children needed a mother who could lead by example like this. 

When the two young brothers returned from their studies, they too were greeted by the sight of the food and toys spread across the table. 

Zhen was thrilled and immediately dug in without hesitation, using both hands to grab food while mumbling through bites, “Mother is the best! How did she know I was hungry?” 

He was always starving by the time his lessons ended. 

Usually, he’d snack on pastries or treats when he got home. 

But ever since Xu Qingyi mentioned that eating too many snacks would make him gain weight, Zhen hadn’t dared to touch them again! 

Lin, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic. After all, he wasn’t a child anymore and wasn’t so easily coaxed. 

It wasn’t until he returned to the study and saw the piles of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones—along with a few books—that he paused in astonishment. This was… way too much! 

Was Xu Qingyi a nouveau riche? 

The quality of the xuan paper and ink far surpassed what he had bought with his own money. Comparing them, he could tell these weren’t cheap. 

Though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, seeing such an abundance of high-quality supplies did make him quite happy. 

Surely, this would last him all the way through his examinations for the xiucai exam. 

As usual, Xu Qingyi called everyone together to share dinner. 

The mother and her three sons had just stepped out of Danhuai Courtyard when they ran into Xie Huaian outside the wall. 

His gloomy eyes fixed on Xu Qingyi, and then on his nephews, who appeared to be on quite good terms with her. 

As the legitimate son of the Marquis’ household, Xie Huaian had never once considered his elder brother’s adopted sons as his actual nephews. 

To him, these bastards were unworthy. 

“Eldest Sister-in-law,” Xie Huaian called out, his tone devoid of respect. 

“Second Brother,” Xu Qingyi replied calmly. “What brings you here?” 

As for the children, knowing full well that Xie Huaian disliked them, they simply stood behind Xu Qingyi without greeting him. 

Lin, in particular, never greeted him—he remembered vividly how Xie Huaian had once called him a “little bastard” in private. 

Xu Qingyi, however, didn’t insist they greet him, much to Lin’s surprise. 

“Jinyun belongs to me now. Hand over her contract of servitude,” Xie Huaian demanded with an air of entitlement, his hands clasped behind his back. “And as for that Nursemaid Chang—since you’ve assigned her to Jinyun, bring me her contract as well.” 

His haughty tone and superior attitude made Xu Qingyi deeply uncomfortable. 

As the male and female leads carried their protagonist halo, Xu Qingyi had no intention of opposing them outright. But that didn’t mean she was going to bow down to them either. 

“Second Brother,” Xu Qingyi said evenly, “Jinyun used to be my maid. Yet she went behind my back and committed such a disgraceful act. I am her mistress, and she is my servant. Don’t you think it’s only proper for her to apologize to me?” 

Xie Huaian frowned and replied, “She’s pregnant.” 

The implication was clear—how could Xu Qingyi bully a helpless, pregnant woman? 

“…What?” Xu Qingyi almost thought she’d misheard him. Then she laughed, disbelieving. 

“Oh,” she said with a calmness that masked her rising irritation. “So Jinyun is pregnant. And what of it? Do you expect me to pamper her?” 

After all, the child Jinyun was carrying wasn’t hers! 

Xie Huaian said, “Don’t make things difficult for her. If you have any grievances, direct them at me.” 

‘Excellent,’ Xu Qingyi thought. 

If Xie Huaian was going to be this shameless, then she saw no reason to hold back either. 

“Exactly,” Xu Qingyi said with a faint smile. “How truly shameless of her—to carry her mistress’s fiancé’s child behind her mistress’s back. And now, she won’t even pour tea and offer an apology to her mistress?” 

Still asking for the contract of servitude? 

Not a chance. 

“I’ve already said it—it’s my fault, not Jinyun’s,” Xie Huaian said coldly. 

Why did Xu Qingyi have to target Du Jinyun like this? 

“And so?” Xu Qingyi blinked innocently, as if genuinely curious. 

“If all you want is someone to pour tea and apologize, then fine. I’ll do it on her behalf.” Xie Huaian’s voice grew darker, his gaze sharp and menacing as he stared at Xu Qingyi, who pretended not to understand. 

“You’re right—you are at fault too.” But Xu Qingyi was unbothered by his threatening demeanor. She added with a smile, “In that case, both of you can pour tea and apologize together.”  

After all, as the victim in this situation, she wasn’t above accepting an apology. 

Opening her eyes to such a disgusting situation had been traumatic enough, hadn’t it? 

So what if he was the male lead? Did that make him untouchable? 

“You—Xu Qingyi!” Xie Huaian ground his teeth, his eyes dark and full of resentment. “Things have already come to this point. You’re married to my elder brother now, so why cling to Jinyun? She’s done nothing to wrong you. ‘You’re the one who doesn’t belong.’” 

Xu Qingyi did not appreciate those words one bit. 

A pair of shameless cheaters sneaking around behind his fiancée’s back—and they still dared to come up with excuses? 

She let out a cold laugh. “You want the contracts of servitude? Fine.” 

Xie Huaian’s eyes lit up with momentary hope, only to hear her add, “In your next life.” 

With that, she turned to leave. 

“Xu Qingyi!” Xie Huaian reached out and grabbed her arm with so much force that she winced in pain, letting out a sharp hiss as her expression twisted. 

“Mother…!” 

The children were all frightened, with Zhen reacting the fastest. He rushed forward and shoved Xie Huaian with all his might. “Don’t you dare hurt my mother!” 

Realizing he had acted out of impulse, Xie Huaian quickly let go of her arm. 

But his eyes remained cold and malicious as they bore into Xu Qingyi, full of hostility. “What’s the point of making things difficult for Jinyun? You were the one who gave up your position as my wife—why keep clinging to this?” 

Xu Qingyi rubbed her sore arm, frowning as she tried to make sense of Xie Huaian’s words. Did he actually think she still… had feelings for him? 

‘Ugh!’ 

Disgust washed over her, so strong it ruined her appetite for dinner. 

“Xie Huaian, I am your sister-in-law. You’d best show me some respect,” she said coldly. “What you just did—grabbing me and trying to force me to hand over Du Jinyun’s contract—I will report it all to the Old Madam and the Marquis.” 

At the mention of the Old Madam and the Marquis, Xie Huaian’s face darkened. “When did I ever lay a hand on you? I was only trying to stop you…” 

“You did lay a hand on her! You absolutely did!” Zhen shouted angrily, puffing up like a little tiger as he glared at him. 

Even Heng clenched his small fists, glaring at Xie Huaian with wide, furious eyes. 

Lin, though outwardly calm, subtly moved closer to Xu Qingyi. 

If Xie Huaian dared to try anything again, he would be ready to shield her. 

After all, he couldn’t just take Xu Qingyi’s generosity without standing up for her in return.

“Good boy,” Xu Qingyi said gently, patting Zhen on the head before picking up Heng in her arms. “Let’s go.” 

The mother and her three sons turned and walked away, leaving Xie Huaian standing alone, seething with frustration. 

How had Xu Qingyi turned into this person? 

In his mind, Xu Qingyi was still that shy, dull young woman who’d been confined to her bedchamber. She used to blush every time she saw him—there was no mistaking her feelings for him. 

That had always been why Xie Huaian thought Xu Qingyi was easy to manipulate. After all, what was more binding than love? 

But now, did she not like him anymore? 

The thought stirred a complicated mix of emotions within him. 

Losing control over Xu Qingyi was proving far more troublesome than he’d anticipated… 

When they arrived at the flower hall for dinner, Xu Qingyi wasted no time reporting the incident to the Old Madam and the Marquis, staying true to her word. With the children as witnesses, her account was airtight. 

The Old Madam and the Marquis were furious. 

Xie Huaian was immediately summoned to the study, where the Marquis lectured him sternly before sentencing him to kneel in the ancestral hall for an entire day as punishment. 

The Marchioness, upon hearing of this, was heartbroken. She personally brought a dinner tray to the ancestral hall and scolded him furiously, saying, “Have you lost your mind? She’s already your sister-in-law now—what are you doing provoking her?” 

“I just wanted to get back Jinyun’s contract,” Xie Huaian said gloomily. 

Who would’ve thought Xu Qingyi would change so much? Not only was she no longer easy to manipulate, but she had also become arrogant and domineering—completely unlike the Xu Qingyi he used to know. 

“The contract isn’t urgent right now. She’s still angry, and you’re trying to get it now? What were you thinking?” the Marchioness snapped. She knew exactly what had happened—Xie Huaian’s punishment was, once again, because of that wretched woman. “Didn’t I tell you I’d handle it later?” 

But Xie Huaian wasn’t a fool. He knew his mother loathed Du Jinyun. If she got her hands on Du Jinyun’s contract, there was no way she’d ever return it to them. 

The Marchioness, her voice dripping with venom, said, “If you get punished one more time for that shameless woman, I swear I’ll slap her across the face. And don’t think I won’t do it.” 

“Mother!” Xie Huaian couldn’t hold back anymore, speaking up for Du Jinyun. “What has Jinyun done wrong for you to insult her like this? She’s only suffered because of her tragic circumstances, her family’s fall from grace! How can you be so cruel?” 

“What? You’re calling me cruel?” The Marchioness was so furious that she nearly slapped Xie Huaian herself, wanting to wake him up from his foolishness. “You dare say that to me? What do you mean by ‘just a fall from grace’? If that was her only fault, do you think I’d bother cursing her?” 

Her voice rose as she continued, “Open your eyes, Huaian, and see her for what she is. A shameless woman who seduced her mistress’s fiancé and climbed into his bed behind her mistress’s back—what kind of decent person would do that?” 

“It was my fault!” Xie Huaian argued, his voice filled with frustration. “It has nothing to do with Jinyun!” 

“Shut your mouth!” The Marchioness was furious, her disappointment clear. “If she were upright and proper, I might have respected her a little. But now? She’s nothing but a disgrace! I will never, in this lifetime, respect her—what a wretched woman!” 

As the legitimate wife, what woman wouldn’t despise a shameless servant who climbed into her husband’s bed? 

If it weren’t for Du Jinyun’s pregnancy, the Marchioness would’ve torn her apart already. 

Xie Huaian knew it would be difficult to get his elders to accept Du Jinyun, but he hadn’t realized just how hard it would be. 

They were in love, that’s all—was that really so wrong? 

The irony wasn’t lost on him. Truly in love people were driven apart, scorned by everyone, while Xu Qingyi, out of spite, married the paralyzed Xie Yunzhi, and she was hailed as virtuous by all. 

Why? Why was that fair? 

^[1]The Xiucai exam was a significant part of the traditional Chinese civil service examination system, particularly during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Those who passed the Xiucai exam were granted the … Continue reading