Xie Chichun - Chapter 20

The confinement of Lady Luo caused quite a stir in the residence.

On the day Xie Xuan returned from Xuanyuan Temple, Lady Luo had been hastily summoned by Xie Zhen to the drawing room and then escorted back, a scene witnessed by many, which naturally sparked numerous rumors. Now, with the mistress of the household being banished to a deserted courtyard, the gossip only intensified.

The maids and old women, who were always the most well-informed, didn’t know exactly what Lady Luo had done, but they knew it was because she had tried to harm Xie Xuan, which had enraged the old master. Some of the old women couldn’t help but sneer, “Serves her right! It really does! Our sixth young lady has been pitiful since she was a child. Instead of taking good care of her, Lady Luo harbored malicious intentions. No wonder the family rules were invoked!”

“That’s right! When she first entered the household, our master suffered so much criticism for her sake. And now, look at her, scheming against the sixth young lady. She’s truly black-hearted!”

—Lady Luo had entered the household by leveraging the child in her belly, and she had already brought Xie Yue, who was still in swaddling clothes, with her. Her reputation had never been good. Initially, she had been cold-shouldered by Old Madam Xie for a year or two, but she eventually won her favor through flattery and gradually established herself.

In the eyes of these old women, Lady Luo only looked upward, bowing and scraping before Old Madam Xie but acting haughtily toward the servants. She was not a good mistress.

Some even dug deeper, “Back then, she seduced our master and forced the previous mistress to leave. Her methods were despicable. As the saying goes, a dog can’t change its habit of eating filth. After forcing the previous mistress to leave, does she now want to force the sixth young lady out too?”

“Tsk! Her? She should take a look in the mirror.”

……

Various speculations quietly spread throughout the residence. Although the old master and old madam had issued strict orders to stop the gossip, such blatant rumors were impossible to suppress. Even Xie Dan, who lived in the outer courtyard, heard about it.

When Xie Jun and Xie Xuan went to visit him, the little boy pulled his sister into the inner room and asked, “Sister, is what they’re saying true?”

“What?” Xie Xuan didn’t understand.

Xie Dan then whispered in her ear, “I heard that Madam has been punished. Everyone says it’s because she wanted to harm you and also wanted to harm me. Is it true?”—Although children naturally understand the difference between close and distant relatives, Xie Dan didn’t fully grasp Lady Luo’s malicious intentions. He spoke hesitantly.

Xie Xuan sat him down on the chair across from her. “Dan, we’re both ten years old now. It’s time we learned to judge things for ourselves. Do you think it’s true?”

Xie Dan lowered his head for a moment before whispering, “I think it’s true.”

“Mm, Madam isn’t our birth mother. She only cares about Xie Yue and Xie Ze. When Xie Ze bullied you before, she never stood up for you, did she?” Xie Xuan looked at her still-growing younger brother and felt a pang in her heart, remembering how he had been reduced to a dull-witted state in her past life.

In a noble household, one must not harbor ill intentions, but one must also be vigilant. Moreover, as Xie Zhen’s eldest son, Xie Dan faced even greater dangers. Aside from the old nanny left by Tao Shi, he had no one else to look after him. If someone harbored malicious intentions, not only would his servants need to be cautious, but Xie Dan himself would also need to be alert—

“Dan, remember, in this residence, apart from Nanny Tian by your side, you can only trust me and Sister. At all other times, you must be extra careful.”

“Mm, I’ll remember.”

“Be especially careful with your daily life—food, drink, and lodging. Sometimes Father will call a physician to take your pulse. Don’t be afraid; go along and let the physician examine you, so you don’t accidentally ingest something harmful without realizing it. If you ever feel unwell, you must tell me and Sister, understand?”

“Got it.” Xie Dan, seeing his sister’s nervous expression, leaned in and whispered, “If someone wants to harm you, then someone must also want to harm me, right? I’ll be careful. You should be too, Sister.”

Just then, Xie Jun walked in and saw the siblings whispering to each other. She smiled and asked, “What are you two conspiring about now?”

Xie Xuan waited for her to sit down and then said, “Sister, Madam doesn’t like me, and she probably dislikes Dan even more. I’ve told him to be cautious about everything from now on. There are many things Father can’t take care of, so Dan has to be vigilant himself.”

Xie Jun understood this well and said, “While I’m still in the residence, I’ll keep an eye on things. After next year, it’ll be up to you two. Xuanxuan, Dan—” She pulled her younger siblings into her arms, her voice tinged with helplessness. “We can’t rely on anyone else. No matter what happens, the three of us must always take care of each other.”

It was a relying on each other for survival kind of embrace, which made Xie Xuan’s nose sting.

“Mm!” The twin siblings nodded firmly. As they walked out hand in hand, they happened to see Xie Ze returning from playing outside. When he saw Xie Dan, he reluctantly walked over and said in a low voice, “Brother, I’m back.”

“Mm, go rest.” Xie Dan had the air of a little adult.

Xie Jun and Xie Xuan, watching from the side, were amazed. “Has Ze’er finally learned to behave?”

“Father has been coming over frequently these past few days to personally teach me. He said that as the older brother, I’m like a father to him and that he should listen to me. At first, he was still mischievous, but now he’s slowly becoming more obedient.” Xie Dan nodded with satisfaction as he watched Xie Ze’s retreating back, making Xie Jun and Xie Xuan burst into laughter.

The little boy, seeing his sisters laughing, pouted. “Don’t laugh! I’m the older brother now. When I grow up, I’ll become an official and earn a title for Sister!”

This time, Xie Jun couldn’t hold back her laughter. “You’ll earn a title for me?”

“Yes! Father said that if I become a high-ranking official, I can earn a title for the person I love most, so she can live a life of luxury. I’ll earn a title for Sister, and no one will dare to bully her!” Xie Dan puffed out his chest. Although the ten-year-old boy was ambitious, he clearly misunderstood the meaning of “love.”

Xie Xuan couldn’t help but laugh. “Then I’ll be waiting.”

The three siblings played for a while. When it was time, Xie Dan, as punctual as ever, went to the study to listen to the tutor Xie Zhen had specially hired to teach him.

Xie Jun and Xie Xuan returned to the Tangli Courtyard together. On the way, they discussed Xie Dan’s changes, each feeling relieved—

Although the quiet child wasn’t as outgoing as Xie Ze, he had his own plans. He was ambitious, cared for his sister, and wanted to protect her. That was naturally a good thing. But by the time he was seventeen or eighteen and ready to take the imperial examinations…

Xie Xuan thought of the turmoil in her past life. At that time, Guo She and Eunuch Feng had joined forces to control the court. The aging and weakened Emperor Yuanjing, blinded by the two, had handed over the peaceful empire he had built. If Xie Dan wanted to pass the imperial examinations and achieve success in such a corrupt environment, the path ahead would not be easy.

Moreover, there was that foolish second uncle, who would deliver the Duke of Hengguo’s residence into the hands of Prince Yue.

She could only hope that their efforts in this life would make a difference.

While Xie Ze was becoming more obedient, Xie Yue was also growing quieter.

Perhaps under Lady Yue’s guidance, she suddenly seemed to have an epiphany. She stopped causing trouble and instead began to act sweet and obedient in front of Xie Zhen. Every day, she would practice her calligraphy and present it to Xie Zhen. During meals, she no longer picked fights and even helped serve Xie Xuan, claiming it was “the older sister taking care of the younger sister.”

As the saying goes, ” Flattery without cause is either deceitful or treacherous.” (when someone is overly attentive without reason, they must have ulterior motives). Although the Tangli Courtyard was calm, when they went to Rongxi Pavilion to pay their respects, Xie Xuan noticed Xie Yue’s intentions—

After paying their respects, Old Madam Xie dismissed everyone except Xie Xuan and Xie Yue. She then sent someone to summon Xie Zhen, saying she had something to discuss.

Xie Xuan didn’t know what they were up to and could only wait. Not long after, Xie Zhen arrived. Old Madam Xie led him to the inner room and pointed at Xie Yue, who was sulking while folding colored paper. “Look at this child. She smiles and tries to cheer me up in front of me, but when no one’s around, she secretly cries. It’s pitiful. She’s been with Lady Luo since she was little. Now that they’ve been separated so suddenly, she’s heartbroken.”

“But Yue’er has also become much more sensible.” Xie Zhen stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the small figure.

“What does a ten-year-old girl need to be sensible for? I called you here today for this very reason—” Old Madam Xie turned toward the inner room and called out, “Bring her out.”

At this command, the soft curtain of the inner room was lifted, and Lady Luo slowly walked out. She wasn’t dressed in her usual finery but in simple, everyday clothes, her head bowed meekly.

Xie Zhen’s expression changed, and he scolded Lady Luo, “What are you doing here!”

“I called her here. Yue’er, come see your mother.” Old Madam Xie beckoned Xie Yue forward, and the mother and daughter embraced, both crying. Old Madam Xie seemed moved and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. She then waved Xie Xuan over and asked kindly, “Madam has already admitted her mistake. Can we let this matter go? Look at how pitiful they are, being separated.”

Just let it go? Xie Xuan almost laughed coldly. She widened her eyes and tilted her head. “But I was almost killed.”

Old Madam Xie was displeased. “You’re fine now, aren’t you? A proper mistress, reduced to this state—it’s a laughingstock. In my opinion, you should go talk to the old master and let this matter drop.” She looked at Xie Zhen.

Beside her, Xie Xuan let out a scoff—

Afraid of becoming a laughingstock? Lady Luo had done something so malicious, nearly costing Xie Xuan her life, and all Old Madam Xie cared about was the family’s reputation? Although Xie Xuan had long known that the old woman was muddle-headed, it still made her want to laugh coldly—or even throw a knife at her feet and let her experience the feeling of being on the brink of death.

Xie Xuan couldn’t be bothered to say more. Without even a word of farewell, she turned and left.

Behind her, Xie Zhen clearly also found Old Madam Xie’s suggestion absurd. He simply clasped his hands and said, “Mother, I cannot comply with your request.” Then he coldly glared at Lady Luo and said sternly, “Do you think the old master’s punishment wasn’t severe enough? For every hour you’re late, you’ll be confined an extra month! If you come out without permission again, it’ll be another month!”

With that, he bowed to Old Madam Xie and stormed off.

Xie Xuan, fuming, returned to the Tangli Courtyard. As she arrived, Fangzhou approached her with a joyful expression and whispered in her ear, “Young Master Han just sent a message. He said that Madam has a cousin named Luo Xiong, who was the head of the South City Patrol Office. He’s been exiled to the army now, and the journey is treacherous. He said you can rest easy.”

Xie Xuan was stunned. Had Han Jie already dealt with Luo Xiong? The frustration in her chest instantly dissipated. She looked up at the clear sky and smiled.

Although Han Jie could be quite detestable at times, he certainly knew how to get things done.