Chapter 11

On the way there, Yi Ling and Xie Hengzhi took separate carriages. Naturally, they wouldn’t share a ride on the way back either.

The winding, bumpy road made for an uncomfortable journey.

Yi Ling leaned against the wall of the carriage, eyes closed, frowning repeatedly. 

She hadn’t felt it earlier, but now that she was seated, she realized her inner garments were soaked with sweat, sticking unpleasantly to her skin.  

Unfortunately, she had rushed out this morning, and the cramped carriage left no room for spare clothes.  

Mallow, clearly still shaken, was absentminded the entire way and failed to notice that she should have helped wipe Yi Ling’s sweat with a handkerchief.

A dignified princess publicly striking a civil official—such a spectacle!  

And Xie Hengzhi showed no regard for the princess’s dignity, going so far as to pull her off her horse.  

In the past, Yi Ling couldn’t have imagined such a scene.

What’s more, she hadn’t expected Xie Hengzhi to be so utterly devoid of conscience, showing no hint of guilt for what he’d done.  

He must be rotten to the core, devoid of even the most basic humanity.  

Fortunately, today wasn’t a total loss for her.

Yi Ling slowly opened her eyes, replaying the day’s events in her mind.

Regardless of how things turned out, Xie Hengzhi had indeed been injured and didn’t gain any advantage.  

The Princess Yu’an had lashed out with the force of someone intent on killing him. Though the whip didn’t strike his face, the tip had cut through his skin.

At the time, Yi Ling had been too frightened to look closely.

Thinking back now, Xie Hengzhi must have been in so much pain that his toes curled, yet he managed to endure it all.

If it were anyone else, who would dare lay a finger on Xie Hengzhi?

Now he’d thoroughly offended the formidable Princess Yu’an. While it’s true that Xie Hengzhi already had no shortage of old enemies, adding one more grudge didn’t bother Yi Ling in the slightest.  

The more she thought about it, the more she felt today marked the first step in her journey for revenge.

Indeed, though the process was bumpy, heaven had eyes after all.

Justice may be delayed, but it will never be denied.

---

Yi Ling, in much better spirits, didn’t notice that Xie Hengzhi’s carriage had changed direction upon leaving Lanjiang river, heading elsewhere.

Of course, she didn’t care where he was going. Lightheartedly, she returned to the estate with Mallow in tow.

Mama Cao had stayed in the Lin Fengyuan all day. Knowing Yi Ling’s mood had been poor recently, she had prepared an almond and pork lung soup, excellent for nourishing the liver and replenishing energy.  

However, upon seeing Yi Ling, Mama Cao suddenly felt her efforts were in vain.

“Madam, didn’t you leave to pay your respects at the Yi family residence?” Mama Cao asked.

“Why… do you look like this?”

Ah.

Only now did Yi Ling remember why she had gone out in the first place.

She glanced up at the sky; it was already noon. It would be inappropriate to visit for mourning this late.

Forget it.

She waved dismissively and headed straight to her chambers, eager to bathe and change out of her sweat-soaked clothes.

She had barely taken a few steps when she ran into someone.

The Xie estate was spacious, and Yi Ling didn’t enjoy wandering about.  

At first glance, she didn’t recognize the young woman rushing toward her. It took her a moment to recall who she was when the woman approached, gesturing anxiously but unable to speak.

Ah, this was Xie Hengzhi’s mute younger sister, Xie Xuan.

“What’s the matter?” Yi Ling asked, scrutinizing Xie Xuan. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

The maid trailing behind Xie Xuan was about to explain, but seeing her mistress gesturing frantically, she held her tongue, planning to supplement the explanation only if asked.

To her surprise, the new Madam earnestly watched Xie Xuan’s hand gestures, showing no confusion. She seemed to understand what was being conveyed.

Yi Ling indeed understood some sign language.

She stood quietly, watching Xie Xuan’s gestures and piecing together their meaning in her mind.

The gist was this: after returning to the palace, the Princess Yu’an had cried and made a scene before the emperor, threatening to kill herself if severe punishment wasn’t dealt to Xie Hengzhi.

A message from the palace had been sent, and upon hearing the news, the elderly Mrs. Xie instructed Xie Xuan to notify Xie Hengzhi immediately so he could find a way to address the situation.

“I understand.”

Yi Ling patted Xie Xuan on the shoulder. “I’ll arrange for someone to go immediately. You go back and wait; don’t worry.”

Seeing that Yi Ling understood her intentions, Xie Xuan’s eyes were filled with surprise and delight, and she suddenly felt much more at ease.  

Her sister-in-law truly deserved her reputation as a renowned genius. Such wisdom!  

Xie Xuan curtsied to Yi Ling and, with a composed demeanor, returned to her own room.  

Turning around, Mallow looked at Yi Ling in bewilderment.  

“Madam, you can understand Miss Xie’s sign language?”  

Yi Ling puffed out her chest proudly and nodded.  

“I know a bit.”  

When she was young, her health was frail, and her family hired a female physician to look after her closely.  

That physician was highly skilled in medicine but unfortunately mute. Having spent seven years together, Yi Ling naturally picked up some sign language.  

Mallow, however, was shocked and sincerely gave her mistress a big thumbs-up once again.  

“Madam, you’re amazing! You know everything!”  

“But what did Miss Xie say that made her so anxious?”  

Yi Ling turned her head to look outside the mansion.  

The bright autumn sunlight fell on her face, casting a natural hint of melancholy.  

“She said she wanted to eat the golden crisps from Zhou Xiangji in the eastern part of the city.”  

Mallow: “Huh?”  

“Huh, what? Hurry and go buy some. Don’t keep the young lady waiting.”  

Yi Ling took two steps toward her chamber and added, “Buy more of the Shudi flavors ones with extra pepper.”  

---

Blood truly runs thicker than water.  

A princess is still a princess. No matter how much the emperor favors Xie Hengzhi, would he tolerate him bullying his own daughter so blatantly?  

Yi Ling felt her earlier worries were entirely unnecessary.  

Even if today’s misfortune had her meddling, it was for the greater good, speaking up for the princess. How could blame fall on her, a mere woman?  

Now, hearing the news from the palace, it seemed likely an imperial decree would soon arrive at the Xie household.  

Even if there was no punishment, a demotion or reduction in rank was inevitable.  

At the very least, there would be a formal reprimand, wouldn’t there?  

For Lord Xie, who had risen so high over the past decade, this would be a humiliating disgrace.  

---

That night.

After bathing, Yi Ling had just finished drying her hair with a cloth when she heard news of Xie Hengzhi’s return to the mansion.  

She hurriedly had Mallow help her pin up her hair simply, draped on an outer robe, and gracefully made her way to the study.  

The sky was already dark, and the bright lanterns hanging under the eaves reflected off the freshly cleaned, polished ground, making it shine.  

Yi Ling pushed open the door to the study and saw Xie Hengzhi seated at the long desk, entirely engrossed in reading documents. He didn’t even lift his head, as if unaware of her presence.  

Even at a time like this, he had the mood to retreat to the study—clearly, he had no idea that disaster was looming.  

Yi Ling stood about a zhang (roughly 10 feet) away from him. Without bothering to examine his study, she fixed her gaze on him directly and asked with a light smile, “My lord, what kept you busy this afternoon?”  

Xie Hengzhi moved but still didn’t look at her. His left hand dipped a brush into cinnabar ink and annotated the documents before him.  

At that moment, Yi Ling wasn’t concerned with his attitude. Still smiling, she took two steps closer, deliberately blocking the light, casting a shadow over the desk.  

The faint scent of flowers mixed with the unique dampness of someone freshly bathed suddenly reached his nose.  

Xie Hengzhi raised his head. The woman before him wore no makeup, with no ornaments in her hair except for a finely crafted wooden hairpin holding her black locks in a loose bun at the nape of her neck.  

Her face was the same, but her eyes carried a mischievous gleam, not exactly a kind expression.  
His hand holding the ink-dipped brush paused for a moment before he lowered his gaze again. “I visited Yi Shangshu’s residence.”  

The Yifu (Yi residence)?  

Yi Ling’s expression changed instantly, her teasing mood vanishing as alarm bells went off in her mind. “What business did you have at the Yi residence?”  

“You’ve wanted to pay respects to Yi Shangshu’s (Minister Yi) daughter, haven’t you?”  
Xie Hengzhi’s writing was smooth and fluid, his tone slow and deliberate. “Since you couldn’t find the time to go, I went in your stead and offered incense.”  

His words sounded considerate, but seeing his calm demeanor, Yi Ling felt none of it was believable.  

How could he be so kind?  

As expected, the next moment, he finished annotating the document, set down his brush, and looked up with a sly smile. “I also took the opportunity to visit the young master of the Yi family.”  
Yi Ling’s heart leaped into her throat, and she felt a chill sweep through her as if a cold wind was blowing all around her.  

“What did you go to him for?”  

Xie Hengzhi replied, “The eldest son of the Wang family and the young master of the Yi family are close friends. Now that Wang is missing, I naturally went to inquire about it.”  

Yi Ling didn’t believe for a moment that Xie Hengzhi was merely seeking information.  

“The young master of the Yi family holds no official rank and spends his days in idle indulgence.

What could he possibly know?”  

“You’re underestimating him.”  

Xie Hengzhi clasped his hands behind his back and strolled leisurely. “The other day, Wang Churen and I had a small disagreement in the Wenhua Palace. No third party was present. Yet the young master of the Yi family managed to get that news to Princess Yuyan. That’s quite a skill.”  

“…”  

Yi Ling hadn’t anticipated this development.  

Wang Churen and Yi Yun were indeed close, so it wasn’t surprising that Wang had told him about the Wenhua Palace incident.  

But now that Xie Hengzhi knew Yi Yun had passed the information to Princess Yuyan, whether or not Wang’s disappearance was related, there was no way Xie would let Yi Yun off.  

Yi Ling broke into a cold sweat, her palms clammy.  

“What have you done to Yi Yun?”  

Xie Hengzhi glanced at her face, his eyes sweeping over her, before he leisurely walked to the open window and shut it.  

“What could I have done to him?”  

The dim candlelight in the corner wasn’t very bright. When he turned back, half of his face was shrouded in shadow, hiding his piercing gaze. Only the faint light outlined the curve of his lips, which carried a smiling yet sinister air.  

“I merely asked him a few questions. Yi Shangshu rewarded him with a beating, so I had to step aside.”  

“…”

Hearing that it was only a beating with a plank, Yi Ling felt a bit more at ease.

But when she looked up and saw Xie Hengzhi’s arrogant demeanor, her anger flared uncontrollably.

“Yi Yun is nothing but an unambitious, idle son of privilege. Even if word reached the princess, it was merely because it couldn’t be hidden from her, not because anyone slandered him,” Yi Ling said coolly. “You’re a man of high status—why stoop to holding a grudge against him?”

Xie Hengzhi replied, “I already said I didn’t lay a hand on him.”

Yet even without lifting a hand, what difference did it make?  

Yi Ling could already picture her father’s sycophantic behavior in her mind. Without even questioning his son’s actions, he would’ve ordered a harsh beating just to curry favor with Xie Hengzhi.  

“If I truly wanted to make a move,” Xie Hengzhi said, closing the window and slowly walking toward Yi Ling, “it wouldn’t have been as simple as a beating.”  

“…”  

True.

Yi Ling was well aware that this time, Xie Hengzhi had indeed shown restraint.  

But hearing his arrogant words with her own ears and thinking of Yi Yun’s suffering, Yi Ling could hardly suppress her anger.  

Clenching her teeth, she glanced toward the door.  

The arrogant will face disaster; the reckless will invite misfortune. Let Xie Hengzhi enjoy his moment of superiority—Princess Yu’an would surely deal with him soon enough!  

When the imperial decree arrived from the palace later, let’s see how long he could keep up his swagger.  

“Young Master Yi is still the legitimate son of a Minister of the Court,” Yi Ling said. “Do you really think there’s no one in the Shangjing who can deal with you? Just you wait.” 

Before she could finish, the steward, Uncle Fu Rui, suddenly came in carrying a pot of hot tea.  

Noticing Yi Ling in the study, he froze for a moment, then bowed his head. “Madam.”

Still seething with anger, Yi Ling turned her face away without responding.  

Unbothered, Fu Rui walked over to the desk, poured tea for Xie Hengzhi, and said in a low voice, “My lord, Marquis Liangkang, is celebrating his 60th birthday next month and has sent an invitation today.”  

Xie Hengzhi replied, “Say I’m unavailable and decline it.”  

Fu Rui bowed. “Understood.”

Hearing this, Yi Ling sneered inwardly.  

Liang Kanghou came from a distinguished family with a century-old legacy, though their influence had waned in recent years.  

Yet Xie Hengzhi dismissed the invitation outright without even asking the date—he truly thought himself above everyone else.  

After calmly finishing the tea, Fu Rui suddenly added, “My lord, there’s another matter. Word has come from the palace—Princess Yu’an caused a scene in front of His Majesty over the Lanjiang river incident.”  

What…

Finally, is it happening?!  

Yi Ling straightened her back, her ears pricked with attention.  

Fu Rui lowered his voice further. “His Majesty was furious…”  

Of course! The princess was always favored!  

Yi Ling’s cheeks flushed as she leaned toward Uncle Fu Rui, listening intently.  

Then Fu Rui continued, “The princess has been confined to her quarters.”  

Yi Ling: “…?”  

“Got it,” Xie Hengzhi said, taking a sip of hot tea before looking up at Yi Ling. “You were just saying… what should I wait for?”