Chapter 14

Returning from the East Hall to the back quarters, Madam Lin and Fang Qiaoniang walked in silence the entire way.

Once the doors and windows were shut, Fang Qiaoniang whispered fearfully, “Mother… wasn’t that old woman mad? How is she suddenly cured? Did the general discover something?”

Madam Lin snapped, “Quiet! Do you want the whole world to know?”

Fang Qiaoniang was visibly shaken, while Madam Lin herself, fierce on the outside, was inwardly shaken. After scolding Fang Qiaoniang, she muttered to herself, “How can someone mad for five years suddenly regain clarity?”

Fang Qiaoniang explained: “There are plenty of fine medicines in the estate. Maybe she was treated and recovered.”

She pleaded with Madam Lin: “Mother, let’s admit our mistake to the lady. Say we spoke rashly and meant no harm.”

Madam Lin replied grimly, “Then we’ll be forced to leave the Li estate!”

Li Shan would never allow loose tongues to remain under his roof. Once expelled, they’d lose not only security but every future opportunity.

Madam Lin made up her mind: “That old crone is already sixty. She’s lived long enough—it’s time she died.”

…

Because of her unclear mental state, the old woman was not confined in the dungeon, but placed in the local magistrate’s office.

Madam Lin sought out her cousin, Deputy General Lin: “I heard the mad old woman is lucid now—unheard of. Do you know what’s going on?”

Deputy General Lin was reluctant to reply, but after a few more probing questions, he revealed that the old woman had been moved to the front courtyard to allow the physician easier access.

With the courtyard bustling and full of loose lips, Madam Lin kept close watch. As a guest relative of the Li family, the guards didn’t suspect her. During their shift change, she sneaked into the courtyard carrying a basket of food. Peering through the thin paper windows, she searched room by room until she found the old woman and opened the door.

The woman was tied hand and foot, listless and weak, hardly showing any sign of mental clarity. Madam Lin was taken aback, and her basket fell to the floor, revealing a sharp knife tucked within.

At that moment, Deputy General Lin burst in. Pointing at Madam Lin, he struggled to speak, finally blurting, “You—you fool!”

Having doubted her loyalty, Li Shan had warned Deputy General Lin and set a trap with just one line.

Deputy General Lin, entrusted with many responsibilities, knew Madam Lin would come seeking answers, so he played along. He hadn’t believed his cousin capable of betrayal until she came asking about the old woman. That was the moment his heart chilled.

The Li family, once poor villagers, had generously offered him and his kin a good life after their rise. That was why he risked his life following Li Wang into battle. And now, it was his family who had betrayed the Li estate.

That evening, the main hall in the front courtyard of the Li estate was brightly lit.

Madam Qian, upon learning it was Madam Lin who had deliberately lured them to Tianyang Temple to stage that entire drama, gasped: “I’ve spent time with her every day recently—how did I not see she was this kind of person?”

Aunt Li helped steady Madam Qian, replying, “It’s not your fault, Madam. It’s normal that you didn’t notice.”

By the time the two arrived at the hall, they were the last to enter. Seated on the left were Li Wang and Deputy General Lin; on the right, Li Shan sat beside Yaoyao.

Yaoyao knelt properly on the couch, hands resting neatly on her lap. Li Shan sat beside her with one knee raised, a hand resting on it, his face grim and gaze fixed to the floor.

At the center, Madam Lin knelt on the ground. Upon seeing Madam Qian, she crawled forward on hands and knees, pleading, “Madam, I only failed to mind my tongue!”

Madam Qian flinched and turned aside, avoiding Madam Lin’s grasp.

One trait Li Shan inherited from Madam Qian was a clear sense of justice, knowing whom to protect and whom to punish. When Madam Qian heard the old woman had regained her senses, her first instinct was to send Yaoyao to confront her. Now that she knew it was Madam Lin who had leaked the information, sympathy vanished. After the initial shock, anger surged—she felt deceived, used.

She stepped back to stand beside Li Wang and said to Madam Lin, “Don’t beg me. That day, the one who shielded me from a blade was Xie Yaoyao’s nanny. If that knife had struck her heart, how would I face her?”

At that moment, Fang Qiaoniang hurried in from outside. Knowing her mother’s schemes had been exposed, she dropped to her knees with a thud and cried, “My mother did it for my brother. He was captured by the Jizhou army, his fate unknown. She was desperate…”

Madam Lin struck Fang Qiaoniang across the face: “Shut up!”

Deputy General Lin spoke sternly: “So this was all for Hu’er? Didn’t I tell you the time wasn’t right? Even if you begged the Jizhou army now, they wouldn’t release him. They’d just use him as leverage against me—and I wouldn’t be able to work at ease under our lord!”

But logic rarely penetrates the ears of those who don’t wish to hear.

Madam Lin insisted, “If we keep waiting and Hu’er dies—what then? What am I supposed to do?”

Fang Qiaoniang, tears streaming, said, “Mother… you still have me…”

Madam Lin slapped her again: “What use are you to me?”

Fang Qiaoniang clutched her swollen cheek, sobbing. Her face had already been struck so many times that it was badly bruised. In a life built on mutual dependence, Madam Lin made it heartbreakingly clear—she would rather lose her daughter than her son, Fang Hu.

Yaoyao slowly lowered her eyes, no longer looking at the mother and daughter.

Madam Qian whispered to Aunt Li, “What a sin,” then said aloud, “Take them away.”

Madam Lin and Fang Qiaoniang were escorted out. The hall fell into a momentary silence before Madam Qian asked Li Wang, “What will happen to them?”

Li Wang replied, “They can’t remain in the estate, that’s certain.”

Li Shan stood up, smoothing his sleeve, and declared, “The one chiefly responsible, Madam Lin, shall face punishment according to the law.”

Yaoyao was slightly surprised. She had thought expulsion would be the end of it.

Li Wang didn’t speak further. He had helped his relatives for a reason, but Xie Yaoyao had nearly lost her life as a result. If that had happened, the Li family’s stance would’ve become untenable. Sometimes, the harm done by a cunning person pales in comparison to the chaos caused by a foolish one.

Deputy General Lin dropped to one knee and cupped his fists to Li Wang: “I failed in my duties. I never noticed my cousin harbored such thoughts. I’m ashamed to remain by your side any longer.”

He requested to leave his post. Li Wang struggled to bear it. On the battlefield, Deputy General Lin had always been the first to charge into danger. To lose such a loyal commander over a domestic scandal was deeply regrettable. He glanced at Li Shan—after all, this situation had been exposed through Li Shan’s words, and the one who suffered was Li Shan’s wife. It was only right that Li Shan try to retain Deputy General Lin.

Li Shan’s eyes held a chill as he said, “I wasn’t the one who fell from a cliff and nearly died.”

Yaoyao’s heart skipped a beat. When she looked up, both Li Wang and Madam Qian were gazing at her.

A bit sudden, a bit unexpected.

She rose to her feet, bowed to her father and mother-in-law, her expression composed. “This concerns the Bingzhou military and isn’t for a daughter-in-law to comment on. But while Madam Lin must pay the price for what she did, Deputy General Lin is innocent. Let judgment be fair. Rather than let him retreat from the battlefield, it would be better if he made amends through service.”

Deputy General Lin hesitated: “This…”

Li Shan turned to Yaoyao. “I don’t like empty gestures. If you’re resentful, just say it. Whoever’s at fault—no matter who—I won’t protect them.”

Yaoyao lifted her gaze to him, her eyes quietly flowing with emotion. She leaned in closer and whispered, “Husband, not misplacing one’s anger isn’t so difficult.”

Li Shan narrowed his eyes slowly, teeth clenched, and asked quietly, “Are you saying I’m petty—prone to lashing out at others?”

Yaoyao gently shook her head. “My husband is magnanimous. Surely he will forgive Deputy General Lin.”

Li Shan: “…”

Her temperament was mild and soft, not vast and boundless, perhaps, but still steady. Fortunately, this matter hadn’t escalated beyond repair. The Li family’s actions remained just, and her decision didn’t betray her own heart.

Seeing that Li Shan’s expression remained unreadable, Yaoyao turned to Li Wang and asked, “What do you think, Father?”

Li Wang seized the moment to make a decision. He said to Deputy General Lin, “Let’s go with what Xie Yaoyao suggested. Rather than leave in disgrace, better to redeem yourself through service!”

Li Shan nodded slightly, his expression subdued.

Deputy General Lin wiped at his eyes, walked over to Yaoyao, and knelt before her with a resonant voice: “Thank you, Young Madam!”

…

Thus, Madam Lin and Fang Qiaoniang packed their things and left the Li estate that very night. The other guest relatives didn’t know the full details, but they had heard whispers linking the scandal to the assassination attempt on the young madam.

And with the general having set fire to a temple, who would dare look down on this newly arrived young mistress now?

Madam Lin was escorted to the women’s holding quarters. Deputy General Lin handed all the silver he had saved over the years to Fang Qiaoniang and said, “The master and general kept me in service—all thanks to the young madam’s generosity.”

“After what your mother did, if I continued to associate with you, it would only chill the hearts of the Li family. Take this money, and from now on, let’s consider our ties severed.”

…

In the main hall of the Li estate.

After Deputy General Lin took his leave, Madam Qian felt a wave of awkwardness. She had been too close to Madam Lin earlier. Only now did she realize that Madam Lin had deliberately used her as a channel to place her daughter near Li Shan. She and Li Wang had always been just the two of them. If she suddenly arranged for her son to take a concubine, it would seem utterly frivolous—yet she had almost gone through with it.

Now, facing Yaoyao, Madam Qian felt uneasy, as though she were complicit with Madam Lin, though she had done nothing at all.

But Yaoyao stepped forward and bowed politely to her. “Thank you, Mother.”

Madam Qian stiffened: “Why are you thanking me?”

Yaoyao replied, “You kept my nanny’s safety in mind. I’m thanking you on her behalf.”

It turned out Yaoyao was referring to those few words Madam Qian had exchanged with Madam Lin earlier.

It gave Madam Qian a convenient excuse. She let out a couple of theatrical sighs: “I’m not some air-headed fool. I know right from wrong! One look at that Lin woman and you can tell she’s no good!”

Li Wang pressed his fingers to his forehead—after all these years, his wife was still as naive as ever.

With the matter resolved, Yaoyao and Li Shan didn’t stay behind. They left the main hall together and headed to the west hall.

The sky dimmed at the horizon. After several days of bright mornings, the night hung beneath a luminous full moon with scarcely a star in sight. The darkness was deep. Yaoyao gently exhaled.

Ahead of her, Li Shan slowed his steps. When Yaoyao reached his side, he looked down at her, his handsome eyes half-lidded, and suddenly asked, “Am I petty?”

Yaoyao blinked—he still remembered that? She said softly, “Husband…”

He gave a low huff through his nose and murmured, “I am petty.”

Yaoyao: “…”

Then Li Shan added, “Which means I can remember something for a long time. If I said I’d give you an explanation, I haven’t forgotten.”

Yaoyao paused, briefly startled. She recalled that he had indeed promised to give her an explanation for the assassination attempt. It seemed he was a man of his word.

Just as she was about to speak again, Li Shan lifted his brows and asked, “As your husband, does this explanation satisfy you?”