“What do you mean? What do you mean I’m not allowed to touch Xie Yushu?”
Li Huixian didn’t understand, but Pei Shilin clearly did.
He sneered coldly, “I never thought Song Prime Minister truly took a fancy to Xie Yushu. To develop such possessiveness over another man’s wife…What’s next? Is Song Prime Minister going to force me to divorce her?”
He glared venomously at Song Jie and asked, “I’m curious—how far does Song Prime Minister’s affection for Xie Yushu go? If I divorce her, could Song Prime Minister still marry her as his prime minister’s consort? Aren’t you afraid that the whole world will mock you for taking the woman I discarded?”
“Shilin!”
Li Huixian shouted in alarm.
But it was already too late.
Song Jie raised his eyes, and immediately Cang Shu stepped forward to grab Pei Shilin by the neck, slapping him hard on both cheeks.
Blood spattered from Pei Shilin’s mouth.
“Pei Shilin, angering me will do you no favors,” Song Jie said coldly.
“If you insist on seeking your own death, I can oblige. After all, it’s better for Xie Yushu to be a widow than the wife of a coward like you.”
Li Huixian hurriedly pleaded on Pei Shilin’s behalf, “Prime Minister, please don’t be angry. Shilin will divorce Xie Yushu right away.”
“I will never divorce her!”
Pei Shilin stubbornly retorted.
Song Jie chuckled.
“I’m not asking you to divorce her. You can remain her husband in name and the Yong’an Marquis Manor’s son-in-law. All I want is for you and your Pei family to feed and pamper her well from now on. Don’t touch her. Don’t interfere with her.”
Pei Shilin’s expression darkened as he suddenly realized the meaning behind Song Jie’s words. He glared at him furiously.
“So Song Prime Minister means for me to wear this green hat properly? From now on, I have to watch my own wife meet secretly with you, unable to say a word or interfere, while keeping it all a secret?”
Song Jie looked at him with satisfaction.
“Since you understand, don’t waste time.”
He was too lazy to elaborate further.
“Either agree, and starting tomorrow you will enter the Hanlin Academy as an official of the seventh rank. Or…”
He glanced at Li Huixian and said, “Madam Pei will be waiting to collect the bodies of her two sons.”
Li Huixian felt as if struck by lightning.
Song Jie stood up.
“You don’t have to reply now. I will come to pick up Xie Yushu tonight. Take a day to think it over.”
With that, he left as if he were at home.
Pei Shilin fumed, blood dripping endlessly from his lips.
He shouted curses at Song Jie, but his mother covered his mouth.
Li Huixian was truly terrified.
The Pei family no longer had any protection.
How could they stand against Song Prime Minister?
She sat on the bed and earnestly pleaded with Pei Shilin.
He had to swallow his pride.
Even if it was for his own career, he had to endure it.
But Pei Shilin grew only angrier.
He pushed his mother aside and shouted, “You can endure anything for Shibin! And now you want me to endure it too? If you hadn’t urged me so hard, I wouldn’t have sent my wife to another man! Now you want me to wear this green hat for the rest of my life?”
Li Huixian was stunned, tears streaming down her face as she suddenly knelt before Pei Shilin.
“Shilin, it’s all your mother’s fault. If I could trade my life for your career and Shibin’s life, I would die immediately…But now we have no way out…Even if Shibin dies, Song Prime Minister will not relent. He will ruin your career and destroy the Pei family.”
She continued, “Of course, you could risk making a scene before the emperor and demand justice. But Shilin, think about it—it was we who sent Xie Yushu to the Prime Minister’s mansion in the first place. If the Yong’an Marquis Manor finds out, even though Xie Yushu is an illegitimate daughter, they will make things difficult for us Peis just to save face.”
Pei Shilin’s heart broke seeing his mother like this.
The grown man bowed his head on the bed and wept bitterly.
“I’m useless…It’s all because I’m useless that things have come to this!”
He had no one to blame but himself.
He forced his newlywed wife to serve another man, leading to this disastrous situation.
The shame would belong to him alone.
Xie Yushu had been right.
He was a spineless coward who sold his wife for status.
“Host, your green hat value just jumped by 5 points!” the system excitedly announced. “All thanks to Pei Shilin.”
Xie Yushu was surprised. It had risen so sharply—had Song Jie been provoking Pei Shilin again?
Sure enough, Yin Ya, who Xie Yushu had sent to eavesdrop, came running back, animatedly imitating the conversation between Song Jie and Pei Shilin, mimicking Pei Shilin lying on the bed crying with perfect accuracy: “I’m just a coward!”
The whole room burst out laughing.
Xi Zhi Mammy, half amused and half worried, kept telling them to lower their voices, “Be quiet, you girls…”
But in her heart, she was delighted and muttered as she shut the door, “Serves them right! They deserve it!”
“Exactly,” Jin Ye agreed happily
“Those two—mother and son—moved us away from Miss intentionally to isolate her and force her to serve Song Prime Minister. Now that they dare not make a scene, it’s only because they’re shooting themselves in the foot.”
“Exactly, exactly,” Yin Ya chimed in, “Now that they’re crying, it’s just like cutting their own flesh. Too late for regrets!”
Xie Yushu heard the system notification: “Congratulations, host. Secondary female lead main mission progress: 12% complete.”
Outside, the rain had stopped and the sun broke through the lingering clouds. Xie
Yushu looked toward the sun peeking through the dark clouds and felt a sense of satisfaction.
Yes, only when the knife cuts oneself does one truly regret it—but by then, it’s already too late.
“Miss,” Xi Zhi Mammy came over worriedly.
“Do you have any plans? Will you divorce and return to Yong’an Marquis Manor? Or…”
She dared not say that Xie Yushu would marry Song Jie after divorce, thinking it too improbable.
But she worried for Yushu, “That Song Prime Minister is scarier than the Peis. If he really wants to bully you, what will you do?”
Yin Ya was too quick and bold with her words and blurted out, “I think that Song Prime Minister won’t live long. Maybe he’ll…”
“Yin Ya!”
Jin Ye immediately covered her mouth.
“You have no filter! What if Song Prime Minister’s men are still nearby? You’d be endangering Miss!”
Yin Ya instantly realized her mistake.
Xie Yushu smiled.
“Yin Ya is right. I don’t think Song Jie will live long either.”
She glanced at Xiao Dao, who was scrubbing the bed frame beside the couch and said, “If he dares to bully me, I’ll have Xiao Dao kill him.”
Xiao Dao paused and turned back to her seriously.
“I will.”
Xie Yushu hadn’t slept well last night.
She went to the side room for another nap.
When she woke in the afternoon, the bed where Song Jie had lain had been completely replaced—new bed boards, bedding, sheets, even the canopy were all fresh.
The room was fragranced with incense, and a few fruit with strong aromas were placed in a cool bucket.
The whole room smelled sweet.
The small kitchen in the courtyard had also been refurbished.
Xi Zhi Mammy, Xiao Dao, Jin Ye, and Yin Ya were busy arranging the new kitchen.
Xie Yushu sat on a lounge chair beneath a large tree in the yard, feeling content.
If only this Pei family mansion were her own.
After noon, the sky turned cloudy again.
Pei Shilin and his mother were unusually quiet, neither coming to trouble her nor bringing up divorce.
Like two retreating turtles, they hid in the front courtyard, silently accepting Song Jie’s arrangements.
Xie Yushu naturally ignored them.
The heat made her uncomfortable, and the afternoon felt stifling, as if rain was about to fall.
Not a breeze stirred.
She stayed inside near the ice bucket, not planning to go out.
But a family servant at the back door reported that Qiao Bao’er’s mammy had come to deliver something.
Xie Yushu immediately told Jin Ye to invite her in.
The mammy was reluctant to enter, fearing she’d cause trouble for Xie Yushu.
She only wanted Jin Ye to take the items in for her, but Jin Ye firmly pulled her inside.
From a distance, Xie Yushu heard Jin Ye telling the mammy, “From now on, just come straight into the manor if you need anything from Miss. The Pei family wouldn’t dare give you attitude, much less Miss.”
The mammy hurriedly whispered, “You can’t call the Miss ‘Miss,’ or if anyone hears, they’ll say our Miss has no manners.”
Jin Ye laughed, “Miss told us to call her that. She says that in her courtyard, she’s the one with the manners. Don’t worry about Miss.”
The curtain was lifted.
Xie Yushu saw Jin Ye leading in an elderly mammy with graying hair.
She remembered this mammy—
Qiao Bao’er’s only remaining old servant, named Mai Dong, a timid but honest woman.
Entering the cool room, seeing the ice bucket with four or five cold packs, the large fruit giving off fragrance, and two maids adorned with gold and silver, Mai Dong felt both happy for Miss Yushu and nervous.
She nervously bowed to greet her.
Xie Yushu stopped her.
“We’re family, Mammy. No need for formalities.”
Mai Dong quickly withdrew her hands.
“No, no. I’m dirty and might soil Madam’s clothes.”
Xie Yushu noticed her rough cloth clothes and faded shoes.
The old silver hairpin was probably her most valuable possession.
Yet such a frugal Mai Dong placed a heavy package on the table, opened it, and presented it like a treasure.
“This morning, the Madam of Yong’an Marquis Manor gave this to Aunt Qiao—a bolt of exquisite floating satin. Aunt Qiao said the color suits you… And these are bird’s nests and ginseng for you to replenish your health.”
Xie Yushu looked at the gifts with a pang in her heart.
She didn’t need these, but for Qiao Bao’er, they were precious treasures.
As soon as she received them, she hurried to send them via Mammy.
“Madam of Yong’an gave them to mother. Mother can keep and use them herself.”
Mai Dong looked at Xie Yushu but didn’t correct her title.
She just happily said, “Yes, yes. Aunt Qiao keeps some herself. Madam has been good to Aunt Qiao these days. Yesterday, I went to the Marquis Manor to collect Aunt Qiao’s monthly silver, and Madam gave ten extra taels of silver. You can rest assured.”
Ten taels of silver.
Looking at the withered Mai Dong, Xie Yushu’s heart ached more.
She understood that Yong’an Marquis’s Madam Meng Min was better to Qiao Bao’er because of her ‘help’—a kindness in her eyes.
But in Meng Min’s heart, Qiao Bao’er was still a slave-born aunt.
No matter how much she was treated well, it was just good gifts and a little extra silver.
That was considered kindness.
Xie Yushu understood all this.
She accepted it, but was this really how Qiao Bao’er had to live her life?
Was this the future the female antagonist Yushu wanted to see?
No. Qiao Bao’er could leave Xie Zhian.
Xie Yushu had enough money to support her.
“I’ll keep these,” Xie Yushu said, not refusing Qiao Bao’er’s kindness.
“I’m just about to visit mother. Let’s go together.”
Mai Dong hurriedly shook her head.
“That’s not proper. Madam can’t visit Aunt Qiao. You know…The Marquis Manor doesn’t like you going to see Aunt Qiao.”
When they mounted the carriage from the front gate, Xie Yushu noticed the driver wasn’t Zhao Feng but Xiao Dao.
Xiao Dao avoided her gaze, feeling shy.
He came over and gently helped her into the carriage.
“I’m not limping much anymore. I want to accompany you.”
He had changed into new clothes today.
His black hair was tied back with a band, making his handsome, upright face look spirited and refined—more like a young master than a coachman.
Xie Yushu looked at him, smiled, and grasped his wrist as she got in, tacitly agreeing to let him drive.
Xiao Dao was overjoyed and urged the horses swiftly.
When Mai Dong got off, her face was pale, nearly fainting.
She steadied herself against the wall and entered the small courtyard to report, “Aunt Qiao, Miss Xie Yushu has come to see you.”
Inside the courtyard, Xie Yushu heard a weak woman’s voice, “What? Yushu came? The Marquis Manor doesn’t allow her here…”
Yin Ya pushed the gate open.
She helped Jin Ye inside and saw the small courtyard was clean and tidy.
There were no other servants, only a young maid of about twenty washing clothes.
Noticing Xie Yushu, the maid hurriedly stood and wiped her hands, greeting her with a “huff huff” sound.
She was mute.
The original story didn’t give much detail about Qiao Bao’er’s side characters, so Xie Yushu didn’t know this maid’s name.
“Her name is Miao’er,” the system informed her in her mind.
“She’s not a maid but Qiao Bao’er’s younger sister. She became mute due to illness in childhood. Both were sold into Yong’an Marquis Manor as servants. Since Qiao Miao’er is mute, she only does laundry and cleaning in the outer courtyard. Later, after Qiao Bao’er became an aunt, she asked Madam Meng Min to bring Qiao Miao’er over.”
At this moment, Xie Yushu suddenly felt the world seemed more ‘real.’
Before, she had only treated this world as a short drama, but now she realized it was a real place.
Everyone was alive, living their own lives and enduring their own suffering.
Xie Yushu smiled at Qiao Miao’er and called her, “Aunt.”
Qiao Miao’er was stunned, frozen in place.
From inside, Mai Dong hurried out supporting a woman.
Xie Yushu heard the woman first call her, “Yushu…” then switch to, “Madam Pei…” as if about to bow to her.
“Mother,” Xie Yushu hurriedly steadied her, frowning.
She wanted to tell her not to bow, but then she noticed the woman’s excessively pale face.
Qiao Bao’er was somewhat beautiful, but now she was emaciated, her narrow face colorless as if seriously ill.
“Mother, you look terrible. Are you sick?”
Xie Yushu smelled medicine and a bitter wormwood scent in the air.
Her heart sank.
Was Qiao Bao’er ill?
In the original story, Xie Yushu died not long after, and Qiao Bao’er died soon after…
“No, no, I’m not sick,” Qiao Bao’er said, eyes reddened after seeing her long-lost daughter, carefully studying her as if it was never enough.
“Yushu, how are you? Do the Peis treat you well?”
Xie Yushu inexplicably felt a lump in her throat.
She never experienced maternal love before, but she thought—if Qiao Bao’er knew her daughter Yushu had been tortured to death, how much would it break her heart?
“I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”
Xie Yushu took her hand and let her touch her face.
“Feel it. I’ve put on weight.”
Qiao Bao’er touched her face and immediately cried, embracing her tightly.
After a while, she said, “As long as you’re well, I’m at peace.”
Then she added, “You shouldn’t have come. If the Peis find out, it won’t be good…”
But as she spoke, she suddenly cried out low and pained.
“Aunt, please don’t cry. You shouldn’t get upset now.”
Mai Dong hurried to support her and led her inside.
“Lie down first.”
Xie Yushu saw Qiao Bao’er clutching her stomach.
When she helped Jin Ye into the room, she saw half-burnt moxa sticks.
Suddenly it all made sense.
She immediately asked, “Mother, you’re not sick. Are you pregnant?”
Qiao Bao’er leaned on the side couch and nodded.
A tired smile appeared on her face.
“Just five months. The fetus is unstable, so I haven’t told you.”
Xie Yushu’s heart sank like a stone.
She saw the used medicine bowls and herbs on the table—probably prescribed to maintain the pregnancy.
“Yushu, sit down. I’ll ask Miao’er to make you some sweet water,” Qiao Bao’er said anxiously, afraid she was neglecting her.
Mai Dong quickly explained, “Miss Xie, please don’t blame Aunt Qiao for not entertaining you properly. Her pregnancy is unstable. The doctor ordered her to stay in bed and rest.”
Xie Yushu’s head was buzzing.
Setting aside the fact that she was only five months along and already burning moxa to protect the fetus, would the baby survive?
Yesterday, she had just accompanied Meng Min to catch the pregnant Ye Widow.
How could Qiao Bao’er be pregnant at such a time?
Had Meng Min’s people noticed Bao’er’s pregnancy when they delivered things?
Had Qiao Bao’er told Meng Min?