Chapter 31

Yiling had said so much in a row that even Li Chun, who was following behind Xie Hengzhi, was left stunned.

Li Chun looked up and indeed saw Xie Hengzhi’s gaze. He was equally surprised.

He stared at Yiling for a long time without speaking, while Yiling met his gaze with an expression that seemed to say it was only natural, not feeling in the slightest that she had been unreasonable.

After a long silence, Xie Hengzhi looked away without giving a response, turning toward the study beside them, leaving only a murmured remark.

“Why don’t you find me a few godfathers and godmothers while you’re at it?”

His voice was very soft, but Yiling still heard it.

She watched as Xie Hengzhi entered the study without looking back, her eyes filled with disbelief.

What did that mean?

Was her request really so outrageous?

It wasn’t until Li Chun had closed the door to the study that Yiling, fuming, stormed off.

Sigh.

In fact, Li Chun felt that the trivial matters that the madam had arranged for Xie Hengzhi, though somewhat unreasonable, were understandable. After all, he had just suffered such a great grievance and was still ill; what’s wrong with soothing him with a few words?

Why did he have to turn so sour and send him away?

After closing the door, Li Chun walked back toward the desk.

Xie Hengzhi had his back to him, facing the wall. He raised his hand to adjust a flower vase on the antique shelf. The dragon bones at the edge of the wall made a noise as the protective wall panels folded open, revealing a large map of the country. The map showed mountains, towns, and all the land features in detail.

Li Chun had studied this map several times, but every time he saw it, he was still stunned, unable to tear his eyes away.

At that moment, Li Chun suddenly understood why Xie Hengzhi had been so impatient just now.

Normally, he was looking at maps of the country, managing important matters of state. But when he came home, out of nowhere, his wife arranged a bunch of trivial things without asking him. That wasn’t just overqualified for the job; that was using a giant talent for petty things.

If it had been Li Chun, and his future wife treated him this way, he too would have been angry.

Seeing Xie Hengzhi so absorbed in the map, Li Chun was even more certain of his feelings.

Just then, Xie Hengzhi turned his head slightly, glancing at Li Chun from the corner of his eye.

“Did you remember everything the madam said just now?”

Li Chun: “Huh?”

Meanwhile, Yiling entered the room and lay down on the couch, sulking.

She had long suspected that the incident in Xishan was masterminded by Princess Yu’an, but she hadn’t made it clear to Xie Hengzhi.

After all, if she could think of it, how could Xie Hengzhi be kept in the dark?

So, today, she wanted to see what Xie Hengzhi’s attitude would be. To her surprise, he never even mentioned Princess Yu’an and seemed to have taken no action. He went to the palace as usual, and there hadn’t been any news from the Hehuan Palace

It seemed he didn’t intend to risk his relationship with the royal family just to get Yiling some justice.

Xie Hengzhi’s inaction left Yiling powerless to retaliate, so she had no choice but to swallow her anger.

But it was one thing for her to suffer, another to do nothing for those who had died because of her. Was that really wrong?

She wasn’t asking for the moon!

The more Yiling thought about it, the angrier she became. Her already frail body nearly gave way, and she started searching the room for medicine.

By the time she had calmed down, it was already dark outside.

In winter, nights fell early. It was barely the third watch of the evening.

Xie Hengzhi almost never shared dinner with Yiling, and today was no exception. But when he came over to the study, he saw that the food on the table hadn’t been touched.

Mama Cao and two maids stood by the bed, chattering and coaxing her, all with helpless expressions.

Xie Hengzhi silently walked over, raised his hand, and Mama Cao and the maids left.

Through the gauze curtain, he saw Yiling lying on the bed and turned away, only showing him her back.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

Xie Hengzhi asked.

After a long time, the person on the bed finally mumbled, “I’ll be hungry even if I eat, so I might as well not eat.”

Xie Hengzhi didn’t know where she had gotten this stubbornness from. Perhaps it was because she was sick and emotional, so he didn’t say much. Instead, he directly said, “Get up and eat.”

That tone, that manner, did he think everyone was his subordinate?

Yiling snorted coldly, too lazy to even move.

“Then don’t eat. Just stay there.”

Xie Hengzhi said again, “Don’t eat in the future, either.”

Yiling: “…”

Apart from everything else, Yiling believed Xie Hengzhi was really capable of doing such heartless things.

Anyway, she couldn’t make herself suffer.

So, she reluctantly sat up, just about to throw the blanket aside and get out of bed, when she saw Xie Hengzhi coming over with a bowl of porridge, striding toward her and lifting the curtain to stand in front of her.

What was he doing?

Yiling shrank back instinctively.

“Should I make her drink this?”

“I’ll just eat it!” she said. “Why do you have to—”

As she spoke, she saw Xie Hengzhi sit down and feed her with a porcelain spoon filled with porridge.

She couldn’t help but pause for a moment, lowering her gaze to the spoon, and then raised her head to look at Xie Hengzhi, feeling an inexplicable daze.

It was even hard to reconcile this face with the person who had once shot her on the city wall.

But the daze was brief, and when she regained her senses, she instinctively turned her face away.

The spoon hung in mid-air, but Xie Hengzhi didn’t seem awkward. He casually ate the porridge himself and then asked slowly, “What are you angry about now?”

Yiling glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then lifted her chin and said, “What is there to be angry about? How could I dare to get angry? Anyway, if I drown, no one will stand up for me. I’ll just die in the water.”

Xie Hengzhi stirred the porridge again. “Then how do you want to be treated?”

Why is he asking her now?

Yiling had never thought about how to fight back. After thinking for a moment, she said, “You could report her during court, or go to the Emperor and tell him the truth. The Emperor will surely do something, right?”

“I never bring family matters to court to discuss with others.”

After saying this, he glanced at Yiling and sneered, “Report her? Complain? Such childish methods.”

Yiling: “?”

She might be pathetic, but to be mocked as childish!

Now she understood, Xie Hengzhi wanted her to just swallow this grievance.

“Look at you, always so majestic,” Yiling said with a forced smile. “I didn’t expect you to be so scared of a falling leaf, timid like a mouse.”

Timid like a mouse?

Seeing Yiling frown and cover herself with the blanket, the faint smile in Xie Hengzhi’s eyes spread to his mouth, and he laughed joyously.

He’s laughing? Why is he laughing so happily?

Yiling stared at him, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

How could such a person exist? She won’t dare to mock him again, afraid he might enjoy it too much.

Just at that moment, Xie Hengzhi swiftly fed her another spoonful of porridge.

“Don’t worry.” Even though he was restraining himself, his voice still carried a hint of amusement. “Even a mouse like me can at least swim.”

Yiling: “…”

It’s strange, but Yiling’s mood improved quite quickly after venting her anger at Xie Hengzhi every day. She couldn’t say anything, so she just used her expression to scold him, and her condition got better faster than she expected.

After resting in the mansion for five or six days, she no longer needed daily acupuncture and could rely on medicine to ward off the cold. She also started sleeping less.

One morning, when Shen Shufang knew she had gotten out of bed, she made a special visit.

“You look much better, not like when you first woke up, looking so pale it was alarming.” After carefully inspecting her, Shen Shufang added, “But why did you get out of bed so early? You should rest more.”

“My bones are almost stiff from lying down.”

Yiling said listlessly, “I’d rather get up now than be bedridden and useless when I recover.”

“That makes sense.”

Shen Shufang looked out the window, noticing the good weather and sensing Yiling’s slight depression. She suggested, “How about we go out for a walk? It might help you feel better.”

“Thank you for your kindness, but I’ll pass.”

Yiling rested her hand on her forehead, looking gloomy. “I don’t dare go outside. Who knows where another big-name assassin might pop up to harm me?”

Shen Shufang knew Yiling was still wary of the incident on Xishan, but she didn’t expect Yiling didn’t know that the mastermind no longer posed any threat.

“You… didn’t know?” Shen Shufang asked. “This morning, before dawn, Princess Yu’an went to the Huguo Temple with the queen mother. She likely won’t return for a while.”

Shen Shufang’s voice lowered, and she dragged out the last syllable. Yiling immediately caught the hidden meaning behind her words.

She turned her head and whispered, “Why?”

“Why else?”

Shen Shufang said, “The night after you fell into the water, the princess also fell into the water and nearly died. She woke up in a state of shock.”

“The queen mother took her to Huguo Temple under the pretense of letting her recover, but in reality, she’s under house arrest.”

Shen Shufang’s voice was quiet, but when she said the word “accident,” her tone was heavy.

Yiling immediately understood the implication. She gasped, “Could it be…”

“Your husband’s just as tight-lipped, not telling you.”

Shen Shufang raised an eyebrow and added, “But you were traumatized recently. He probably didn’t want to scare you.”

That was indeed shocking.

Yiling never expected Xie Hengzhi to be so direct, repaying an eye for an eye by drowning Princess Yu’an half to death.

No wonder Xie Hengzhi called her childish; her thinking really was immature.

Yiling widened her eyes and pressed her chest, asking, “But she’s a princess, and the Emperor…”

She glanced at Shen Shufang. “And she’s also the Crown Prince’s sister.”

Shen Shufang lightly raised her eyes, blew on her tea leaves, and slowly said, “The Emperor’s daughter, the Crown Prince’s sister—does that mean her life is untouchable?”

She turned her head. “Besides, if the truth were to come out, the one who would suffer wouldn’t necessarily be your Xie family.”

Thinking about the current situation in court, Yiling immediately understood what Shen Shufang was implying.

Though she understood, her heart was still pounding.

She had thought Xie Hengzhi wouldn’t dare go against the royal family to seek justice for her, but he had silently taken action.

“Don’t worry.”

Shen Shufang saw Yiling remain silent and comforted her, saying, “Although Princess Yu’an is the crown prince’s biological sister, she nearly caused your death. I have to say, I have a higher regard for Xie Hengzhi now, given how decisive he acted.”

For Shen Shufang, who typically disregarded everyone except for the talented merchants, to say this was already a high compliment.

Yiling understood that Xie Hengzhi must have acted with confidence, knowing there were no repercussions.

But still, her heart couldn’t settle.

At this moment, as a palace maid urged her from outside, Shen Shufang suddenly remembered something else.

“By the way, actually, I came here today to ask for a small favor.”

After a moment, Yiling snapped out of her thoughts.

“Hmm? What kind of favor?”

“It’s not a big deal,” Shen Shufang waved her hand, and a palace maid presented a lacquered box.

“The Crown Prince’s birthday is coming up in a few days, and he recently gave me a lot of things.

I feel like I should show my gratitude.”

The maid opened the box, revealing a gold lotus petal hairpin.

At the top of the pin, there was a lotus flower with six petals, one facing up and one facing down.

Although it didn’t seem like an incredibly valuable item, its exquisite craftsmanship stood out, showing the artisan’s dedication.

Shen Shufang said, “Although I only asked the Internal Affairs Department to make it, they slacked off, and the pin’s shaft has no decoration. If I were to show it off, I fear it would embarrass me.”

Would it?

Yiling thought about how intricate the lotus petals were. Would adding more decoration to the pin shaft be excessive?

Before she could voice her opinion, Shen Shufang continued, “I’ve seen the designs you’ve done, like the heart-shaped box, with patterns that are extremely delicate and interesting, much better than the crude items from the Internal Affairs Department. How about you help me come up with a design for the pin shaft?”

Yiling found Shen Shufang’s words somewhat strange.

On one hand, she downplayed the birthday gift as a mere token of appreciation, but on the other hand, she was very meticulous about the design of the pin shaft.

But that wasn’t the issue—what truly mattered was that…

She had no idea how to design any kind of pattern!

“This…” Yiling hesitated. “I might need to think about it.”

“Don’t rush; after all, the Crown Prince’s birthday is still some time away.”

Seeing that Yiling had agreed, Shen Shufang prepared to leave. “Make sure to take care of your health.”

After Shen Shufang left, Yiling didn’t even look at the hairpin. Her mind was consumed by the incident of Princess Yu’an “accidentally” falling into the water.

Later in the afternoon, Mama Cao suddenly came to inform her that Li Chun had something to discuss.

Li Chun?

Yiling couldn’t understand why he would need to speak with her. When he arrived, she asked, “Has your master returned?”

“Huh?”

Li Chun was momentarily confused. “My master is still in the palace.”

Yiling nodded. “Then what is it you need from me?”

Li Chun stood respectfully before her. “My master asked me to inform Madam that the matters he instructed earlier are nearly taken care of.”

This left Yiling stunned.

“What matters did I instruct?”

Li Chun explained, “It’s about the funeral arrangements for the six guards and the coachman who died.”

He continued in an orderly manner: “The money has already been delivered, and my master also added an extra hundred taels for each family.”

“The road in Zhang Zhi’s village has been repaired, and the roof of Mrs. Zhang’s house has been fixed.”

“We found the head of the Tai Hospital to look at Zhang Surabaya’s father. While it’s unlikely he’ll recover fully, there’s hope for him to regain four or five percent of his hearing.”

“Only a widow and a younger brother are left in Niu Jun Cai’s family. He’s been arranged to study at the village school.”

“As for Wang Erhu’s sister…” Li Chun scratched his head. “She wants a wealthy and virtuous husband, one who is at least eight feet tall and as handsome as Pan An, and she doesn’t want him to take another wife. It’s been hard to find a suitable match.”

Hearing this, Yiling lowered her eyes, lost in thought.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, “How can it be that in the entire capital, there isn’t a good husband for her? It must be that he hasn’t tried hard enough.”

“How could my master not try?” Li Chun said with a sad face. “He said that if no suitable match is found by the end of the year, he’ll let me marry her.”

Yiling: “…”

That night.

Xie Hengzhi returned later than in previous days, yet two lamps were left burning in the bedroom.

After bathing, he didn’t rush to sleep. Instead, he took a book and sat down by the window.

After casually flipping through a few pages, sure enough, a head peeked out from the bed curtain.

“Aren’t you going to rest?”

This was the first time Yiling had spoken to him in several days. It was clear that she had been holding it in for a while.

“Mm.” Xie Hengzhi didn’t look up at her. “Just reading for a bit.”

“Oh.”

Yiling lay back down, but through the bed curtain, she could see her figure tossing and turning.

Sure enough, after a while, her head popped out again.

“Why don’t you turn off the lamps before reading?” she said. “I can’t sleep with the light on.”

Xie Hengzhi: “…”

He set down the book, got up, and blew out both lamps in the room, then walked towards the bed.

The room immediately plunged into dim haze, and Yiling finally dared to open her eyes wide.

After hearing about how Xie Hengzhi had dealt with Princess Yu’an so ruthlessly earlier that morning, Yiling felt strangely anxious.

After all, even her parents had never shown her such blatant protection.

It felt like a child, accustomed to being bullied, suddenly had someone standing up for them—an unconditionally protective feeling that was both comforting and unreal.

Later, Li Chun came again to report on the funeral arrangements for the guards and coachman.

If partiality was indeed Yiling’s guess, then these actions showed that Xie Hengzhi did not treat her requests as a joke but instead quietly and without a word, followed through on each one.

How could this be?

Yiling really couldn’t understand this man, feeling a mixture of emotions in her heart.

She had questions to ask but didn’t know what to ask or how to begin.

Though they were lying on the same bed, the space between them was wide enough to fit three more people.

Yet the night was so quiet that Xie Hengzhi could still sense Yiling’s awkwardness, her desire to speak but holding back.

After a long wait, Xie Hengzhi took the initiative and asked, “Do you have something to say?”

Yiling immediately turned over, her back to him. “No.”

Xie Hengzhi glanced at her in the dim light and silently closed his eyes.

The next morning, Xie Hengzhi woke up at the usual time, just before the end of the Shen hour.

Yiling was still sound asleep. He quietly washed up and changed clothes, and after tying his hair back, he suddenly noticed an unfamiliar lacquered box on the vanity.

He opened it, and inside was a golden hairpin meant for a man.

The lotus petals were carved lifelike, delicate, and exquisite.

Xie Hengzhi paused for a moment, glanced at the still-sleeping person on the bed, then placed the hairpin into his own hair and walked away.

Over an hour later, Yiling finally stirred and woke up slowly.

After washing up and having breakfast, she vaguely remembered Shen Shufang’s instructions.

But when she walked over to the vanity, her eyes widened in shock.

Where was the hairpin? The one the Crown Princess was supposed to give to the Prince???