Chapter 71

In truth, before Li Chun even spoke those words, Xie Hengzhi already had the answer.

He simply clung to a sliver of hope, refusing to believe that someone who had died by his hand could inexplicably become Shang Yiling.

He thought, if there were no arrow wound on her chest, then it couldn’t possibly be the person who died in Qingyang.

So he looked—and the result was as he had hoped.

Her chest was perfectly clean, without a single mark.

Seeing is believing, and with this flawless face before him, he was completely certain she was not that woman.

Then why did she care so much about Yiyun?

Why did she call the unfamiliar Doctor Meng “Yun Niang”?

Even last year, when he returned to the capital from Qingyang, all the small details he had overlooked pointed to evidence of her true identity.

At this moment, Xie Hengzhi could no longer deny it. Even with the facts before him, he could no longer deceive himself.

Why she appeared in his home, why she took on the appearance of Shang Yiling, or even why she had no arrow wound—none of it mattered anymore.

There was no point in obsessing over these questions.

After the rain, the night had turned suddenly cold.

Xie Hengzhi stood up and walked out of the room.

Under the watchful eyes of the servants on night duty, he sat down on the bench by the corridor beneath the eaves.

The servants were baffled, unable to figure out what he was doing.

It was late at night, and they didn’t dare to speak. They exchanged glances but ultimately said nothing, silently observing his slightly hunched figure blending into the night.

Beside the corridor grew an early spring pear tree, its branches already covered with clusters of small white blossoms.

Though the rain had stopped, drops of water still clung to the treetops, occasionally falling onto Xie Hengzhi’s head and shoulders when the wind blew.

He didn’t notice, merely staring silently into the misty night before him.

As the last shred of his wishful thinking disintegrated completely, all his self-assurance of the past few days ebbed away like a tide, exposing the brutal truth.

Her hostility, her aversion, and her outward compliance masking inner defiance were never due to a sudden change in character or pretense.

She simply hated him. She hated him completely.

In fact, every bit of her resistance had always been a clear sign, yet he had arrogantly ignored it.

Especially in recent days, she even believed that her actions were due to shyness, stubbornness, or insincerity.

That night in Songyuan County, when Yiling had taken the initiative to lean into him, he had thought he had finally broken through to her heart, despite her saying stubbornly, “If we’re going to die, we’ll die together.”

But it turned out she truly wished for his death.

All those moments he had misunderstood were actually manifestations of her genuine hatred.

Thinking of this, Xie Hengzhi let out a bitter laugh.

So, during their argument the other night, every word she said had been heartfelt.

The phrase “Even if every man in the world died, it still wouldn’t be you” had always been her unshakable belief.

How could a woman who wished for his death ever leave a place for him in her heart?

And yet, he had arrogantly demanded that she accept her fate and be his wife for this lifetime.

He had even naively thought that no matter who she was, one day she would fall in love with him completely, wholeheartedly.

Xie Hengzhi spent the entire night sitting in despair, drowning in overwhelming hopelessness.

When the first light of dawn appeared and pear blossoms had fallen all over his shoulders, he finally admitted to himself.

She would never accept her fate, and she would never love him.

—
Perhaps because she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time, Yiling didn’t wake up until almost noon.

Apart from being sick, she had never slept so late.

And for the first time in ages, she had no dreams at all, sleeping soundly and comfortably.

However, she couldn’t help but think about what Xie Hengzhi had said about sending away Mrs. Shang today. She wondered what excuse he would use and how Mrs. Shang would react.

Hastily sitting up, she planned to find out for herself.

But before she could, Mama Cao came in and informed her that Mrs. Shang had already left.

“She left?”

Yiling couldn’t believe it and glanced toward the eastern wing. “She already left?”

“Yes,” Mama Cao replied, equally astonished and baffled.

Early this morning, Xie Hengzhi had someone inform Mrs. Shang that the Old Madam had fallen ill yesterday and needed rest, while Yiling’s health had always been poor, leaving no one to care for Mrs. Shang properly. Thus, he suggested she return to Jiangzhou.

The reason seemed absurd—who invites someone from so far away only to send them off three days later?

Yet Mrs. Shang dared not protest. If Xie Hengzhi wanted her gone, she had no choice but to leave.

She had requested to speak with her daughter before departing, but even that was denied. Xie Hengzhi argued that Yiling had just returned from Mengyang Prefecture after a long and arduous journey and needed rest, so she shouldn’t be disturbed.

Mrs. Shang was so furious she nearly fainted.

How could she be treated like this? Not even allowed to see her own daughter before being sent away?

In Jiangzhou, the Shang family held a respectable status, and Mrs. Shang was not just Xie Hengzhi’s mother-in-law but also his master’s wife.

But in the capital, this was Xie Hengzhi’s domain. No matter how great the grievance, Mrs. Shang had to swallow her pride and leave in silence.

Having witnessed Mrs. Shang’s departure, Mama Cao was perplexed but also relieved.

Had Mrs. Shang stayed for ten days or half a month, the consequences could have been dire when they returned to Jiangzhou to face her.

After recounting the events of the morning to Yiling, Mama Cao refrained from asking further questions, instead focusing on combing Yiling’s hair with meticulous care.

As for whether the woman before her was truly Shang Yiling…

Mama Cao only knew that this woman wouldn’t harm her and even looked out for her in times of trouble. Even during their perilous journey into Songyuan County, she had left Mallow behind to ensure safety.

So Mama Cao had no desire to probe deeper.

She only wanted to live peacefully.

Yiling, however, was stunned after hearing the account.

Last night, Xie Hengzhi had only mentioned that Mrs. Shang was restless and needed to be sent back to Jiangzhou.

While she had no objections to this outcome, she hadn’t expected him to act so ruthlessly, as though Mrs. Shang had committed an unforgivable sin.

But…

No matter how Xie Hengzhi acted, Mrs. Shang’s departure would only bring her countless benefits without any drawbacks.

After the start of spring, the days grew longer, and nightfall came later.

It was already past the hour of You (5–7 PM), and the palace in the Imperial City had just lit its lamps.

The Crown Prince and Xie Hengzhi exited the Wenhua Palace together, speaking softly in the fading light.

“Judging by Father’s expression today, it seems he intends to release our elder brother.”

Today, the eldest prince, confined to his residence, had once again written a letter of concern to the emperor. In addition to repeatedly confessing his mistakes, he claimed to be gravely ill, hoping the emperor would remember his frail health since childhood and allow him to leave confinement to recover.

The incident at the Luo Tian Great Ceremony had long past, and the emperor’s anger had mostly subsided.

Furthermore, the eldest prince’s words were earnest, and as the emperor’s oldest son, his plea seemed to have softened the emperor’s stance. Although he had not made a decision, his tone suggested a change of heart.

However, the eldest prince had indeed ruined the Luo Tian Great Ceremony, leaving a knot in the emperor’s heart that would be hard to untangle. Even if he were released, he wouldn’t pose much of a threat anymore.

But the eldest prince was a vengeful man. If released, he would never let Xie Hengzhi go.

Even if he could no longer rise to power, he would certainly try to secretly sabotage Xie Hengzhi.

Everyone knows that the king may be easier to deal with, but his underlings are not, and the interests of the Crown Prince and Xie Hengzhi were tightly bound together.

Thus, the Crown Prince wanted to see what Xie Hengzhi planned to do.

But after waiting a long time, Xie Hengzhi did not respond.

“Jin Xuan?” The Crown Prince turned his head to look at him.

Xie Hengzhi snapped back to attention, lifting his gaze. His expression had already returned to normal.

“What did Your Highness just say?”

The Crown Prince did not answer immediately. Instead, he carefully observed Xie Hengzhi.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I was thinking about what Lord Zheng mentioned earlier,” Xie Hengzhi replied casually. “What was Your Highness saying? I didn’t catch it.”

“It was about our eldest brother. It seems Father intends to release him,” the Crown Prince said. “What are your thoughts?”

Xie Hengzhi squinted slightly against the golden rays of the sunset.

“He won’t get out.”

The Crown Prince fell silent for a moment and said no more.

In truth, he did not care whether the eldest prince was released or not. But back then, the eldest prince had nearly cost Xie Hengzhi his wife’s life.

If Xie Hengzhi wanted to block his release, the Crown Prince would not oppose it.

Still, the eldest prince was, after all, his blood brother.

The Crown Prince sighed and dropped the subject, parting ways with Xie Hengzhi at the palace gates.

After saluting and watching the Crown Prince leave, Xie Hengzhi stood still for a long time before finally boarding his carriage.

The Xie residence was not far from the palace. Every day, the journey was short enough for Xie Hengzhi to rest his eyes for a moment before arriving.

Yet today, for some reason, the road felt particularly long.

Abruptly, he opened the window of the carriage and instructed Li Chun, who was riding alongside, “Tell the driver to go faster.”

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the carriage arrived at the gates of the Xie residence.

Xie Hengzhi dismounted swiftly and walked quickly inside.

However, when he reached the moon gate of Linfeng Yuan, he stopped abruptly, as if an invisible threshold prevented him from crossing.

After a long while, Xie Hengzhi finally lifted his leg and stepped inside.

Everything in Linfeng Yuan was as it had always been, except quieter than usual.

He immediately scanned the area and noticed that the bedroom lights were off and there was no sign of Yiling.

Realizing something, he felt a sudden, hollow sensation in his chest, and even his steps seemed unsteady.

Fortunately, the next moment, Mama Cao appeared.

She emerged from the kitchen and, upon seeing Xie Hengzhi standing in the courtyard, bowed immediately.

Xie Hengzhi stared at her for a long time before finally asking, “Where is Madam?”

“Madam went to the Crown Prince’s villa again today,” Mama Cao replied.

Hearing this, the emptiness in Xie Hengzhi’s chest vanished, replaced by a heavier emotion.

He almost forgot—given Yiling’s current circumstances, it was impossible for her to leave.

Whether or not he should be relieved by this fact he did not know.

Before long, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed outside the house.

Even the maids’ greetings to her were tinged with urgency as Yiling appeared outside the window, looking anxious.

“I heard His Majesty plans to release the eldest prince.”

She blurted out the question before she even came to a stop.

But when she stood in front of Xie Hengzhi, she saw him gazing at her intently, lost in thought.

After a moment, Yiling repeated, “I heard this from the Crown Princess earlier. Is it true?”

Xie Hengzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he finally replied, “No, it won’t happen.”

Hearing this, Yiling should have felt relieved.

But his voice was hoarse, and his expression seemed off. So she asked, “Are you sure?”

Xie Hengzhi did not answer. Instead, his gaze fell on the back of her hand.

“What happened to your hand?”

“Oh,” Yiling glanced at the bruise on her hand, brushing it off. “I was in a hurry to return and bumped it while getting into the carriage.”

Xie Hengzhi said nothing, standing up to retrieve a bottle of ointment for bruises.

Initially, he intended to naturally take her hand, but as he reached for her palm, he found himself unable to proceed.

Seeing his hesitant demeanor, Yiling simply took the ointment from his hand, sat down on the couch, and began applying it herself.

As she rubbed her hand carelessly, she asked, “But the Crown Prince mentioned that His Majesty seemed to have softened?”

Xie Hengzhi still did not reply. Watching her clumsy attempts, he finally took her hand and applied the ointment himself.

“Does it hurt?”

“This is nothing,” Yiling said dismissively.

Hearing this, Xie Hengzhi’s movements paused. He looked into her eyes.

Indeed, he thought.

Compared to what he had done, this minor injury was nothing at all.

“Say something!”

Yiling was nearly frantic. This First Prince was guilty of heinous crimes—how could they let him go?

“I was lucky to survive, but several guards and coachmen still died! Why should he get to walk free and live a carefree life after just a few months of confinement?”

Xie Hengzhi looked at her steadily.

“You think his crimes are unforgivable, don’t you?”

“Of course! He nearly took my life back then!”

Without hesitation, Yiling continued, “If I had the power, I’d drown him with my own hands!”

A standing lamp beside the bed casts a soft glow.

Yet to Xie Hengzhi, it felt unbearably harsh. He closed his eyes briefly before responding with a low, heavy “Hmm.”