Xie Chichun - Chapter 16

Lady Luo hurried to the drawing room in a panic. When she saw the large group of people gathered there, she was startled. Seeing Xie Zhen’s furious expression made her legs go weak.

She had a guilty conscience and suspected that her scheme had been exposed. She quickly put on a meek and respectful demeanor, stepping forward to bow properly. “Master, you called for me. Is there something wrong?”

When Xie Zhen saw her, his anger surged even more. He pointed at the three men and shouted, “What is this about? Huh? Xuanxuan went to a temple, and now she was almost killed!” Seeing Lady Luo about to defend herself, he cut her off directly. “Don’t play innocent with me! These men have already confessed that they were ordered by Luo Xiong!”

“I’ve been wronged! Xuanxuan is your own daughter. How could I ever think of harming her?” Lady Luo’s face was full of grievance. “Just a few days ago, you told me to take good care of Xuanxuan and Dan. I’ve done everything I could, even if I don’t get a word of thanks, I shouldn’t be accused of such a vile act!” Tears streamed down her face as if they cost nothing, her sorrow and grievance palpable.

Xie Xuan watched coldly from the side, saying nothing.

Xie Zhen was furious. In front of Tao Congshi and Han Jie, he felt both ashamed and angry. He couldn’t help but grab Lady Luo and shout, “You still won’t admit it? It’s all been confirmed, and you still dare to lie!”

—If it weren’t for his upbringing holding back his temper, he might have kicked Lady Luo to the ground.

Lady Luo would never admit it so easily. She cried even more pitifully. “Even if these three men confessed, how do we know there isn’t some other reason? After the children went out yesterday, I stayed in the residence the whole time. How would I know where Xuanxuan went? And how could I have the power to order these men? Master, do you want me to cut out my heart to prove my innocence?”

Tears of grievance fell like raindrops. Lady Luo was a beautiful woman, and her crying was truly moving.

Behind her, Han Jie sneered and stepped forward. “It’s natural that someone would have informed Lady Luo about Xuanxuan’s trip to Xuanyuan Temple. If you think this is a frame-up, that’s even better. Someone dared to commit murder under the emperor’s nose. The Imperial Guards won’t stand by and do nothing.” He slowly approached Lady Luo, brushing dust off his qilin uniform and casually resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

The name “Imperial Guards” was enough to terrify anyone. Lady Luo’s sobs choked off, and she looked up.

Han Jie still wore his lazy expression, but his words sent chills down Lady Luo’s spine—

“These three men have pointed the finger at Luo Xiong, so we’ll have to take him to the Southern Office. There are plenty of ways to make him talk there. If Luo Xiong implicates anyone else, the Imperial Guards won’t go easy on them.”

Lady Luo’s body trembled like a sieve, clearly frightened. Her crying no longer carried the same tone of grievance and gradually quieted.

The Imperial Guards were notorious for their ruthlessness and overbearing methods. Taking Luo Xiong to the Southern Office for interrogation would be effortless. If Luo Xiong couldn’t withstand the torture and confessed, wouldn’t this become a scandal?

Lady Luo clenched her sleeves, glaring hatefully at the three men who were as dumb as pigs.

They were supposed to kill a ten-year-old girl, but they bungled it so badly! How utterly stupid!

While she hesitated, Xie Zhen slowly clenched his fists.

Before calling Lady Luo over, although he was furious, he had held onto a sliver of hope that she could explain herself. But now… His heart burned with rage. Seeing Tao Congshi’s disdainful and angry expression made Xie Zhen’s face burn with shame. He couldn’t hold back any longer and slapped Lady Luo hard across the face.

“You vile woman! Tell the truth!” The usually calm and composed heir of the Duke’s residence shouted and cursed for the first time.

Lady Luo cupped her face in disbelief, this time truly crying out in pain. She was both hurt and humiliated, clutching her sleeves tightly. She never expected Xie Zhen to hit her in front of so many people—since marrying into the Xie family, although Xie Zhen might not have loved her, he had always felt a sense of guilt toward her and often yielded to her.

But now, he had hit her?

She hadn’t even harmed Xie Xuan! That wretched girl was standing right there, perfectly fine!

Overwhelmed with shame and anger, the resentment she had been suppressing surged to her throat. She finally couldn’t hold back and screamed, “So what if I did it! Who told you to keep lingering feelings for that woman all these years… Ah!”

Another slap cut off her words.

Xie Zhen, whether from anger or shame, turned red in the face. His eyes were bloodshot, like a raging beast.

He waved his hand and ordered the servants behind him, “Take her back to Tangli Courtyard and wait for me to deal with her!” Then he threatened Lady Luo furiously, “What you did to Xuanxuan today, I won’t let it go. If you don’t repent, I’ll divorce you and throw you out of the house!”

The latter part was naturally said for Tao Congshi’s benefit.

On the other side, Xie Xuan stared dumbfounded at Xie Zhen, whose eyes were red. Her small mouth hung open in shock.

—From childhood to now, she had never seen her father like this, nor had she ever seen him hit someone.

Tao Congshi, however, remained calm. Seeing Lady Luo being taken away, he said to Xie Zhen, “How do you plan to handle this?”

“I’ll report it truthfully to the old master. According to family rules, whoever deserves punishment will be punished. No one will be spared.” Xie Zhen’s fists were still tightly clenched. When he turned to Tao Congshi, he looked extremely awkward. “This was my negligence. Such a thing will never happen again.”

Tao Congshi sneered. “I’ve never believed your words. I didn’t come here today to listen to your empty promises. I just want to tell you that Xuanxuan is your daughter, but she’s also my niece, the flesh of Qingqing’s womb! You didn’t cherish Qingqing back then. If you don’t treat these two children well now, I, Tao Congshi, will turn the world upside down and never let you off!”

“It was my negligence.” Xie Zhen was filled with guilt and shame. When Tao Congshi brought up the past, he felt even more regret and humiliation. Thinking of Lady Luo’s actions and Xie Xuan’s situation, his mind was a tangled mess. His hands trembled slightly, as if he was barely holding back something.

Tao Congshi snorted coldly, unable to stand the sight of Xie Zhen like this.

He regretted it? He was ashamed? He was in pain? He deserved it all!

While his wife was pregnant, he ran off to fool around with another woman and even got her pregnant. Were all the promises he made when he proposed to the Tao family just lies? This scum deserved to suffer every day!

The more Tao Congshi thought about it, the angrier he became. He didn’t want to stay in the Xie residence a moment longer and stormed off.

Han Jie was left standing there, his expression also grim. Although he resented Xie Zhen, he was still Xie Xuan’s father and his former teacher. While Han Jie could coldly threaten Lady Luo, he had to show some restraint when dealing with Xie Zhen.

“Uncle Xie.” Han Jie stepped forward, his voice slightly gentler. “Yesterday, Xuanxuan almost lost her life at the hands of these men. Tao Congshi’s anger isn’t without reason. I’ll deal with these three scoundrels, but I hope Xuanxuan can be safe and no longer suffer such grievances and dangers. After all, she’s just a ten-year-old child.”

Xie Zhen took a deep breath. “I know how terrifying this is. If something had really happened to Xuanxuan, I would never be able to hold my head up again. Yujie, thank you for saving her.”

“It’s my duty.” Han Jie said calmly. When he turned, he saw Xie Xuan also curtsy to him, her voice no longer distant or evasive. “Thank you, Brother Yujie.”

She had been frightened last night and had endured a bumpy journey today. Now, she looked utterly exhausted.

Han Jie stepped forward and couldn’t help but gently pat the top of her head, his voice unconsciously softening. “Xuanxuan, go back and rest well. No matter how big the problem is, Uncle Xie and Tao Congshi will handle it. And I’ll also take good care of you.”

Xie Xuan bit her lip, guessing that Han Jie probably had something to discuss with Xie Zhen, so she headed back to Tangli Courtyard first.

Tangli Courtyard was in chaos. Lady Luo had been brought back, crying all the way, and was now locked in her room, guarded by the maids from Xie Zhen’s study. Intermittent sobs could be heard from inside. Although Xie Ze was young, he lived outside with Xie Dan. Xie Yue, left alone, was panicking. Hearing from the servants that Lady Luo had been beaten because of Xie Xuan, she rushed toward Xie Xuan with tears in her eyes.

Fortunately, Xie Jun was also in the courtyard. She signaled the maids to stop Xie Yue. Seeing that Xie Xuan was safe and sound, her anxious heart finally settled, but her worry was quickly replaced by coldness.

Xie Xuan knew her sister was still angry, so she stuck close to her. “Sister?”

“…” Xie Jun looked at her kitten-like, coquettish behavior and turned her head away, leading the way to the west wing.

Xie Xuan followed her, calling out “Sister” repeatedly. When the two entered the room, Xie Jun pointed to the bed, her face still stern. “Go to sleep!”

“Aren’t you worried about me?” Xie Xuan pouted, acting spoiled.

“Why should I worry about you?” Xie Jun said coldly, pulling Xie Xuan over to help her undress. When she removed the intact outer robe and saw the torn undergarments underneath, her hands paused. “What happened to this?”

“I was carried through the woods by someone, and the branches tore my clothes. Sister, I saw her.”

“I’m asking what happened!” Xie Jun’s worry showed on her face, avoiding the topic of Lady Luo.

Xie Xuan didn’t push it. She just pouted and said pitifully, “Sister, I almost died last night.” Sitting on the bed, she leaned against the soft pillow and recounted the events of the previous night. Seeing Xie Jun’s shocked and worried expression, she comforted her, “Luckily, Brother Yuli arrived in time and saved my life. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to see you again.”

Xie Jun’s voice trembled. “Was it really… Lady Luo?”

“It was her. Father is still in the drawing room. He’ll deal with her later.” Xie Xuan was concerned about another matter. “Logically, Lady Luo shouldn’t have known about my trip to Xuanyuan Temple. Sister, when you met Lady Yue yesterday, did you tell her where I was going?”

“Lady Yue…” Xie Jun murmured, then suddenly shook her head. “Impossible!”