Chapter 24

After Xie Hengzhi said these words, he went to the bath, leaving Yiling alone by the bed, lost in thought.
What does this mean…?

Since the imperial examination in the 14th year of Renle, Xie Hengzhi had been personally summoned by the emperor and appointed as the top scholar. From that point on, he soared to great heights. Countless people tried to associate with him, and forming connections through marriage was the easiest and most stable method.

In no time, every family with eligible daughters in the capital had set their sights on Xie Hengzhi. Matchmakers were nearly trampling down the door of the Xie residence, yet there was no sign that he intended to marry.

In these ten years, it had never been heard that he took any concubines or mistresses. Apart from rumors of his admiration for the young daughter of the Yi family, not a single scandal involving romantic entanglements had surfaced.

Truly, he was the most chaste person in the Great Liang Dynasty.
So why, after only a month of Yiling being by his side, did he suddenly seem consumed by lust and want to take a concubine?

Normally, he showed no interest in his beautiful wife, who lay beside him.

No. Absolutely not!

Even if Yiling wasn’t fighting for her own survival, she couldn’t allow Xie Hengzhi to live a life surrounded by beautiful women!

When Xie Hengzhi came out of the bath, Yiling, eager to say something, suddenly stood up but tripped over her skirt and almost fell.

With a “thud,” Xie Hengzhi turned back to see Yiling half-fallen to the ground, her elbow propped on the couch, her hair scattered at her temples. She stared at him blankly, her eyes tinged with red.

However, Xie Hengzhi remained silent for a while, merely raising an eyebrow without any intention of helping her up. He sat down at the table and began sipping the sobering tea the maid had prepared.

“Feeling faint again?”

Yiling: “…”

Since it had come to this, she decided to go along with it.

She suddenly raised her hand to cover her chest and, with a pitiful tone, said, “Husband, you’re so heartless!”

“Oh?”

Xie Hengzhi wasn’t moved by her exaggerated tone, instead smiling faintly. “How am I heartless?”

“Everyone knows how much I admire you. I came from far away, disregarding my reputation, and now I’m alone in the capital. You probably can’t see how I quietly cry every night.”

Since she had already fallen, Yiling lay down on the couch, her clothes loose, her slender white shoulders illuminated under the lamp, trembling slightly. She appeared frail and pitiful. “Since coming to the capital, I’ve devoted myself entirely to managing this household, my heart and eyes only on you. I don’t ask you to feel the same, but I hope you can spare me a little dignity and not let me become the laughingstock of the capital!”

Having said so much, her emotions overwhelmed her, and Yiling found herself out of breath.

Yet Xie Hengzhi remained in the same posture, his head lowered as he looked at her. He seemed focused, but his right arm was resting on the table, his fingers absentmindedly twirling the cup of sobering tea.

His gaze was subtle, scanning her from head to toe, as if he didn’t quite believe her words.

“Cry every night?” After a long pause, he spoke again, “No wonder you sleep until noon every day.”

Yiling: “…”

What a petty and indifferent man! She had put on such a pitiful act, yet he remained so cold-hearted.

The tears she had forced out quickly disappeared, and she no longer felt like playing along.

It was already painful enough to find ways to get closer to Xie Hengzhi every day. If other women came into the house in the future, she’d be forced to compete for his affection.

What was the point of living a life like this?

Yiling made up her mind and decided to give up entirely. She said bluntly, “If you want to take a concubine, then go ahead. But just know that if I can’t see you for a single night, I’ll faint and it can’t be cured by anyone. You’ll have to keep me alive! If you want to be a widower, just go ahead and take your concubine!”

Since Xie Hengzhi wouldn’t believe her, she just wanted to express her pain and immediately lay down on the bed, stiffly posing as if she were waiting to die.

She lay there for a while, and the room was as silent as if no one was there.

It was then that Yiling realized that Xie Hengzhi hadn’t left and hadn’t said a word either.

She felt uneasy and wanted to see his reaction, so she carefully opened one eye to peek at him.

As soon as she saw the light, she unexpectedly met Xie Hengzhi’s gaze.

But he didn’t look as fierce as she had imagined.

The half-open door let in a bit of night, and half of Xie Hengzhi’s face was hidden in the shadows, making it difficult to read his expression.

He just stared at her with a probing gaze, calm and unreadable.

After a moment, Xie Hengzhi suddenly broke eye contact.

He sighed lightly, then stood up and walked straight toward Yiling.

Instinctively, Yiling shrank to the corner of the bed, clutching the blanket as she stared at him.

He didn’t say anything, just like before, lifted the blanket, and silently lay down.

By the dim moonlight, Yiling shifted closer to the man beside her.

Normally, they lay in the same bed but kept their distance from each other.

At this moment, Xie Hengzhi was lying on his side with his back to Yiling, not moving at all, as if he could fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

After a while of hesitation, Yiling carefully stretched out her hand, trying to wake him.

Before her fingertips could touch his shoulder, she suddenly heard him speak: “What is it now, Miss Shang?”

Yiling knew he didn’t believe a word she said.

But what could she do? She was just as speechless about the situation as he was, but it was the truth.

“The things I said earlier were all true. Don’t think I’m making it up. If you don’t believe me, go ask Master Huiming at Jing’an Temple.”

“I don’t want to keep bothering you, but this problem can’t be cured by anyone. I don’t know what else to do.”

“If you agree to spend time with me every day, even if there are other women in the house, I won’t care if you take eight or ten concubines.”

Yiling said this in a hurry, but Xie Hengzhi seemed to have gone deaf.

A long while passed, and just as Yiling thought he wasn’t going to respond, he smoothly rolled over, and the distance between them suddenly closed.

The surroundings were silent, with the pure white moonlight drifting through the gauze curtain and casting a faint glow on the bed. Through the dim light, one could vaguely see Xie Hengzhi’s eyes fixed on her.

He suddenly regretted teasing her earlier for no reason, which had led to their conversation spiraling further and further, almost to the point where he had claimed to be a reincarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

It was probably because he had drunk too much tonight.

But if he were to soften up now and say, “I was just joking, I won’t take a concubine,” it would seem like he was unintentionally making promises.

He just stared at Yiling, silent for a long time.

Under Xie Hengzhi’s gaze, Yiling swallowed nervously and finally realized how inappropriate her earlier words had been.

How did their conversation end up sounding like an indirect invitation for affection?

And it was so clumsy too.

As expected, Xie Hengzhi finally spoke, but with a cryptic question: “Has the doctor mentioned when your illness will be cured?”

Yiling: “…”

Good question.

Not hearing a response, Xie Hengzhi asked again, “If it never gets better, does that mean I’ll have to stay with you every day for the rest of my life?”

Yiling: “……..”

Xie Hengzhi might not realize that Yiling was even more worried about this than he was.

If it never gets better…

“I—”

Just as Yiling was about to struggle and explain herself, Xie Hengzhi suddenly interrupted.

“I understand.”

It seemed he had lost patience and turned over, facing away from her. “Sleep, young lady.”

Yiling: “…”

The next day was the beginning of light snow, the rainbow disappeared, and winter had fully settled in.

As dawn broke, the cold northern wind rustled the withered branches, and the voices of the maids sounded muffled, wrapped in a layer of frost, indistinct and distant.

Yiling hadn’t slept well all night, overwhelmed with too many troubling thoughts that kept her awake the more she thought about them. Xie Hengzhi, however, slept soundly, unaware of her restless tossing.

When breakfast time came, he even asked for an extra bowl of porridge, and he was still eating it now.

At this moment, the Queen Mother’s imperial decree arrived—

The lotus flowers in the Linfeng Yuan had bloomed beautifully, and she invited Yiling to go and admire them.

Yiling’s mind was hazy, but she still remembered the date.

“Today is Xiaoxue, and we’re going to see lotus flowers?”

The eunuch delivering the message proudly said, “Yes, madam. You don’t know, but the Linfeng Yuan is a special place. It has a warm pond, and even in the cold winter, the water there stays warm, which is why the lotus blooms in winter. It’s truly a rare sight.”

“This morning, the Queen Mother heard from the people in Linfeng Yuan that the lotuses have been blooming beautifully and immediately sent me to invite you, madam, to be the first guest to admire them this year. This shows how much the Queen Mother values you.”

Yiling was stunned for a while, until Xie Hengzhi walked into the front hall and snapped her out of her daze.

The eunuch hadn’t left yet, standing to the side with a beaming smile, respectfully greeting Xie Hengzhi.

But Xie Hengzhi didn’t even spare him a glance. He raised his hand to adjust his cap and walked straight past him, heading toward Yiling.

“It’s cold today. If you don’t want to go, stay at home.”

As soon as he said that, Yiling shivered.

The Queen Mother’s people were still standing here!

She glanced at the eunuch and saw his expression change. Though his head was bowed, his tightly pursed lips were visible.

Xie Hengzhi, however, sat down, placing his cap on the table, and casually poured himself a cup of hot tea.

Xie Hengzhi clearly didn’t care about the Queen Mother, but Yiling didn’t have the courage to act the same.

She hurriedly raised her voice and said, “Of course, I’ll go! This is the Queen Mother’s imperial decree, and I’m deeply grateful!”

Xie Hengzhi glanced at her coldly and sneered.

She was one to act bold only when safe at home.

With Yiling smoothing things over, the eunuch took the opportunity to leave, having no reason to remain at Xie’s residence and endure further humiliation.

As soon as he turned and walked out, Yiling repeatedly patted her chest in relief.

That was terrifying.

Though she knew Xie Hengzhi was audacious, she didn’t want him to drag her into danger with him.

Regaining her composure, Yiling turned her head to look at Xie Hengzhi, only to find that he was still sitting there, leisurely drinking tea, as though waiting for something.

Yiling glanced at him several times, wanting to speak but unsure how to start.

If she wasn’t mistaken, the Queen Mother’s invitation to admire the lotus flowers was likely an attempt to meddle in her personal affairs.

Now that the situation was urgent and the Queen Mother had summoned her, if Xie Hengzhi didn’t take a stance, she would probably be in a dire situation.

But what could she do?

The Queen Mother had intentions, and Xie Hengzhi was more than happy to comply. She, a powerless woman, couldn’t refuse.

Yiling sat there, worrying, while Xie Hengzhi glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Her delicate face seemed veiled in a faint mist, her brow furrowing with determination, then relaxing into a half-dead, lethargic expression.

In the time it took for him to sip a few more cups of tea, she seemed to cycle through a hundred different emotions.

Finally, her gaze shifted back to Xie Hengzhi.

“From what I imagine, the Queen Mother must have many beautiful women around her,” she asked coldly. “Do you want me to bring a few back?”

“…”

Xie Hengzhi turned his head, meeting her gaze for a long time, before asking, “Are you really that concerned?”

Yiling didn’t respond; she just turned her face coldly away.

If she wasn’t mistaken, she might have even shot him a glare.

Forget it.

If she didn’t make it clear, there would be no peace in the Xie residence.

She still didn’t understand why she had gotten into this pointless struggle with him earlier.

“I was just joking with you last night.”

“What?”

Yiling, confused, asked, “What joke?”

Xie Hengzhi didn’t speak or look at her, merely staring straight ahead.

After a long while, Yiling finally understood his meaning…

It turned out that his casual remark about taking a concubine yesterday was just to tease her on purpose.

He had made her worry all night for nothing—what a jerk!

However, despite her anger, Yiling mostly felt a sense of relief.

A heavy weight seemed to lift from her heart, and she felt a rush of ease.

Unable to hold it in, she shot Xie Hengzhi a glare. “If you had said so earlier, I wouldn’t have spent the whole night unable to sleep!”

Xie Hengzhi put down his teacup, stood up, and slowly dusted off his coat before turning and walking out, hands clasped behind his back.

“If you don’t want to,” he said, his back to Yiling, “just reject the Queen Mother directly. There’s no need to suffer.”

Of course.

But Yiling’s heart was now clear, and her thoughts were much more focused. She knew she should put on a dignified front.

“What is there that I don’t want? If the Queen Mother has such good intentions, I would naturally welcome more women who are to your liking to take care of you and make you happy.”

The more she forced her tone, the more insincere it sounded.

Xie Hengzhi was already at the door when he heard her words and turned his head to glance at her.

The two of them looked at each other from a distance. As their gazes met, Yiling, in an attempt to cover up her thoughts, deliberately smiled.

As soon as she smiled, Xie Hengzhi lazily raised his hand and pointed at her brow, a hint of warning in his gesture.

Yiling quickly lowered her head, feeling guilty as she added, “I have always been this magnanimous.”

Xie Hengzhi didn’t say anything, but his eyes scanned her lowered face inch by inch. Her cheeks, as pale as winter snow, were now tinged with a rosy flush of excitement.

He gave a light smirk, and as he turned to leave, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.