Xie Yushu stared at Pei Shilin in surprise, finally understanding that the female supporting role’s pleasure point was making Pei Shilin regret his past decisions and suffer the consequences.
So she knew exactly what to do.
She released her fingers and gently placed her hand on Pei Shilin’s arm, speaking softly but firmly, “Of course I can do it, husband. I’ve always detested Song Jie. If it weren’t for you and your Pei family forcing me to go, how could I possibly have gone?”
It was Pei Shilin who couldn’t do it.
He grew even more confused.
She looked so sincere, as if she truly wanted to live a good life with him.
Perhaps she really had thought about living happily together.
How could years of feelings be just an act?
She had once been full of hope when marrying him, even going to great lengths to please his mother.
But she had become like this because he forced her to care for Song Jie in the first place.
He actually felt a bit guilty toward her.
If it hadn’t been for the chaos of rescuing his younger brother, perhaps she would still be gentle and filial like before.
She added slowly, “Today I swear, from now on, even if Prime Minister Song beats you to death, I won’t see him again.”
Pei Shilin took a long moment to react to her words.
“What do you mean?”
Did she really think Song Jie would cause a scene just to see her?
The carriage swayed to a stop, and Zhen Nanny of the Yong’an Marquis Manor called for her to disembark.
She didn’t answer him, smiling as she stepped down.
Pei Shilin had no choice but to follow her into the manor, holding back his anger.
The Yong’an Marquis wasn’t home today.
Pei Shilin had expected Madam Hou to dismiss him with a single word, but unexpectedly, she arranged a full banquet just for him.
It was a treatment he had never experienced before.
Even more surprising, Madam Hou specifically asked Xie Yushu to accompany him, saying a carriage would later send her back.
Pei Shilin left early to return to the Pei family manor, feeling dazed along the way.
Why did Madam Hou suddenly treat Xie Yushu so well?
He was exhausted and leaned back in the carriage filled with her scent, thinking vaguely that if she was willing to change, maybe it wouldn’t have come to divorce.
He had put in quite a bit of effort to marry her.
Although she was an illegitimate daughter, their Pei family was declining, and he was just a low-ranking scholar.
The Yong’an Marquis Manor never looked favorably on him.
If they divorced, both families would lose face.
Besides, now that Madam Hou was suddenly kinder to Xie Yushu, maybe there had been some misunderstanding on the day of her return visit?
Xie Yushu clearly understood the intentions of Madam Hou, Meng Min.
As soon as Pei Shilin left, Meng Min returned to her usual cold demeanor and said to Xie Yushu, “The favor I showed you today is because you informed me about Liu’s Nut Shop.”
“So you’ve already investigated,” Xie Yushu stopped calling her “mother” and sat leisurely by the desk, sipping tea, and straightforwardly asked, “What do you want me to do? Another gift? Another banquet? Such hospitality surely isn’t just to thank me.”
Meng Min looked at her, admitting silently that Xie Yushu was now clever and tactful enough to not need her to waste words.
She did have something for Xie Yushu to do.
She raised her hand to signal Zhen Nanny.
Zhen Nanny then spoke: “Yesterday after returning from the Duke of Ying’s mansion, Madam sent people to investigate Liu’s Nut Shop. It just so happened that one of the master’s attendants was seen entering a large house behind the nut shop.”
“They only discovered it yesterday. There is a sizeable residence behind the shop, but it’s not owned by the nut shop’s owner. Instead, a very young widow named Ye Xizhu lives there. She’s not from Bianjing; her accent suggests she’s from the south.”
“A woman lives there with a three- or four-year-old girl, and the entire courtyard is served by maids and servants.”
Zhen Nanny went on to say they had spent a good amount of silver to pry this information out of the nut shop’s apprentice: “The apprentice said the master’s attendant often comes here. Sometimes the master’s carriage even parks in the alley nearby.”
She glanced at Meng Min, noticing her face pale with fury.
Quickly, she poured her some tea to calm her down before continuing, “Many have seen the widow named Ye Xizhu. They say recently her belly has grown larger.”
Meng Min couldn’t swallow the tea; she slammed the cup on the table, spilling tea over her sleeve.
Zhen Nanny hurriedly wiped it up.
“Madam, please don’t get angry yet,” Xie Yushu advised.
“The worst is yet to come.”
She said, “I can tell you what I found out. The little girl the widow carries is named Jiayan.”
Meng Min looked at her in disbelief, instantly understanding her meaning.
Years ago, Xie Yushu’s mother’s mistress gave birth to her and wanted to name her Jiayu.
Xie Zhi’an even dared to ask if that was acceptable, claiming it was just a name.
Meng Min was furious and cursed Xie Zhi’an.
She had long suffered in silence, tolerating a slave woman bearing his child, yet he dared let the mistress’s daughter share the character “Jia” from her own daughter’s name.
The character “Jia” had been specially chosen by the Empress Dowager for her daughter!
And now, the widow’s daughter was named Jiayan…
Meng Min stood up restlessly and asked, “Where did you get this information? Do you have proof? You mean the widow’s daughter is also—”
“Yes, that little girl, three or four years old, is also his child,” Xie Yushu answered without hesitation.
Having read the entire script, she knew that Xie Zhi’an had several mistresses besides her mother and Widow Ye, including several at Qinlou Chuguan.
This seemingly good husband never stopped sowing his seed behind the scenes.
Only her mother and Ye Xizhu ever got pregnant, and the latter was quite skilled, quietly giving birth to both a daughter and a son.
Before the heroine Xie Jia Ning was found and returned, Ye Xizhu had already been brought back to the Marquis Manor holding her full-month-old son.
At that time, the Xie family’s relatives had been called to pressure Meng Min, saying that such a prestigious clan could not end without an heir.
Meng Min, childless for years, was forced to submit and allow Ye Xizhu to become a concubine, even acknowledging her son as the Yong’an Marquis’s legitimate heir.
Though the heroine Xie Jia Ning returned and cruelly mistreated Ye Xizhu, selling her off, the innocent child remained at the manor, personally raised by Xie Jia Ning as a obedient younger brother.
This was simply unfair.
Xie Yushu deeply disliked such men who cheated and then punished women as revenge.
If she had her way, Xie Zhi’an should be sold off with his big son—none of these troubles would exist without him.
But this era had no birth certificates, so she had no solid proof.
“If Madam wants proof, it’s simple,” Xie Yushu said.
“Send someone to bring the nanny who serves Ye Xizhu. Just question her, and you’ll know. I guess you called me back today precisely to investigate whether the widow’s child is the father’s.”
Meng Min eagerly asked, “Have you investigated? How did you find out about Widow Ye?”
Her heart felt like it was on fire; she desperately wanted a clear answer—was the widow pregnant with Xie Zhi’an’s child?
“Not only do I know about Ye Xizhu, but also about Song Brothel Leader, Li Jiaoniang, and Du Qinshi,” Xie Yushu said with sarcasm in her voice.
“If you send someone to secretly follow the master every day, you’ll hear many women’s names.”
Meng Min was struck like lightning, dizzy and nearly collapsing.
“Madam!”
Zhen Nanny quickly caught her, seeing her face pale and sweating profusely.
She ordered the maids to fetch ice immediately.
Xie Yushu was also shocked, moving closer to check on Meng Min, who could not endure the shock.
The maids hurried back with ice wrapped in cloth, pressing it against Madam’s palms, forehead, and neck.
After a while, Meng Min caught her breath and began to weep.
Trembling, she grabbed Xie Yushu’s hand and choked out, “Are you…deceiving me? You have no proof, just speculation? How could you possibly know…all this?”
Xie Yushu sighed, holding her hand gently.
“Madam, I want to comfort you, but you know clearly in your heart that I’m not lying.
Otherwise, how could you have fainted from anger?”
Meng Min opened her tear-filled eyes, only able to sob in her throat.
If Xie Yushu had said these things yesterday, she wouldn’t have believed her.
But last night, she sent people to the house behind the nut shop, and her men had personally seen Xie Zhi’an’s personal attendant, Moonlight, carrying bundles inside.
Many of the items were precious medicines and high-quality floral dew.
Those precious medicines were gifts from the palace.
That bottle of floral dew was a tribute from foreign lands, specially given by the Empress.
If not for Xie Zhi’an, how could Moonlight dare to steal these?
“Madam, don’t cry yet,” Xie Yushu asked.
“Where did father go today?”
Tears streamed down Meng Min’s face as she looked at Xie Yushu.
Zhen Nanny answered first, “Minister Xie issued an invitation a few days ago, asking the master to attend a poetry banquet.”
Xie Yushu remembered that in the original script, Xie Zhi’an cared a great deal about Widow Ye’s pregnancy, hoping for a son, and visited her almost constantly.
She glanced at the sky; it was just past noon.
“Madam, wipe your tears and don’t get too angry,” Xie Yushu said gently, “If you faint from anger, you’ll only be helping others take your place. If you really want a definite answer, do you want to go out with me?”
“Go out?”
Meng Min, still crying and angry, didn’t react immediately.
“Yes, I hired a carriage. Madam can come with me to get some fresh air.” Xie Yushu explained clearly, “We’ll just stroll near Wuyi Lane.”
Isn’t that where the nut shop is?
Meng Min realized, looking at Xie Yushu in shock.
Was she going to catch her own father in the act?
An illegitimate daughter bringing the lady of the manor to catch her own father cheating?