Xie Chichun - Chapter 4

Old Lady Xie always harbored a prejudice against the three children of the Tao because of the events that happened with the Tao family years ago. Moreover, as she got older, her daughters-in-laws flattered her to the point that she became muddled, and she often acted unfairly. Because of this, she had received countless scoldings from the Duke, and this was something Lady Xie felt deeply.

She looked at Xie Jun, who was kneeling straight before her, and couldn’t help but tighten the rosary beads in her hand.

Xie Jun was a child who acted properly and with grace, always respectful toward the elders and Old Mr. Xie often asked her to come over and talk. Today, she had done something like this, once this matter was reported back to the Duke, the whole story would come out. Wouldn’t that be a trouble again?

Old Lady Xie hesitated for a long time, glanced at Mrs. Luo, and finally sighed. “Since Jun’er has said so, it seems that both sides have made mistakes. Then I won’t punish you. Each of you should recite this several times and keep it in your heart as a lesson. From now on, remember to get along with your sisters in harmony and never lose face!” Seeing that Xie Jun was still dissatisfied, she added, “Yue’er, you must not cause trouble again in the future!”

This was the greatest concession Lady Xie could make at the moment. Xie Jun was willing to step down from the situation, and Xie Xuan reluctantly followed suit.

She did hope that Lady Xie would be fair and punish Xie Yue, who was so unruly, but was that even possible? With how much effort Mrs. Luo had put into pleasing Old Lady Xie and the prejudice Lady Xie had against her, that seemed more difficult than climbing to the heavens!

On the way back to Tangli Courtyard, Xie Jun and Xie Xuan walked together. Xie Jun sighed and said to her younger sister, “How did you suddenly come to terms with it after taking a loss? You don’t want to suffer, and I think that’s a good thing, but in the future, you should be more tactful to avoid getting hurt. There’s still me in this household, but when you go to the Jingning Marquis’s house in the future, will you still act like this?”

Xie Xuan responded cheerfully, but when the Jingning Marquis’s house was mentioned, a sense of doubt began to stir in her heart.

In this lifetime, she was determined to break off her engagement with Han Jie, not wanting to delay it even a bit.

Counting the days on her fingers, she realized that in about ten days, Mrs. Luo would trick her into going to the Daoist temple for “quiet meditation” and then force her out of the Xie residence. In her previous life, Xie Xuan had suffered because, on the one hand, she had tried to be obedient and made compromises, which ultimately pushed her into a difficult situation. On the other hand, it was due to Mrs. Luo’s malicious scheme.

Back then, she had been so naive and foolish. Mrs. Luo had used both threats and coaxing to trick her, and she had foolishly fallen into the trap set by Mrs. Luo and Old Lady Xie. She agreed to go to the Daoist temple for quiet meditation, and from then on, she didn’t see Xie Zhen or her younger brother for months.

People’s feelings really are fragile. They may say they have deep father-daughter bonds, treating all their children equally, but those who live with them are treated differently from those who don’t. In her previous life, Xie Yue had the upper hand and kept sowing discord, which caused her relationship with Xie Zhen to grow colder. By the time she married into the Han family, she had little support left.

She absolutely couldn’t repeat the same mistake. The Han family’s daughter-in-law was a pit of fire, and she couldn’t fall into it again.

But this engagement had been arranged by the ancestors of both families, and it couldn’t be changed so easily. To break off the engagement without a solid reason, while also not affecting the relationship between the two families, was truly an incredibly difficult task.

As Xie Xuan walked, an idea suddenly came to her mind.

The Duke of Heng’s residence was a house granted by the late emperor when the old duke was given his title. It had all kinds of pavilions, towers, and gardens, with a pond in the back courtyard where lotus flowers were planted, and red koi fish swam. The pond was named Lotus Pond, and it was a great place to relax.

Since Xie Dan was a boy, though only ten years old, he had already been sent to the outer courtyard to be raised separately. Xie Jun was preparing for her upcoming marriage, and since Xie Xuan had recovered from her illness and had nothing else to do, she instructed Fang Zhou to prepare some fish bait and hooks, and with a casual swish of her hand, she set off to go fishing.

Just before leaving, she saw Xie Yue picking flowers and deliberately shot her a challenging glare.

When she reached the Lotus Pond, Xie Xuan set up a small stool, placed her teacup and dried fruits on a nearby mat, set up her fishing rod, and asked Fang Zhou to prepare the bait. She then calmly sat back, fishing and enjoying the flowers.

Not long after, she saw Xie Yue indeed walking towards her.

Xie Xuan then exchanged a look with Fangzhou. Fang Zhou had been instructed in advance, so she quietly moved away, leaving Mu Ye to watch over Xie Xuan. The two of them weren’t really fishing today, so they gathered together, chatting and playing with the dried fruits, appearing especially happy.

Xie Yue’s anger flared up.

Ever since that day when Xie Xuan slapped her, Xie Yue had been seething with resentment. Then she was reprimanded by Xie Zhen, beaten by Xie Xuan, and with the events at Rongxi Pavilion just a few days ago, she was now on the verge of exploding. Seeing Xie Xuan and her servant happily playing, Xie Yue felt irritated and walked over with a cold laugh, “Oh, haven’t you finished your lessons yet? You dare to come out fishing?”

“Fifth Sister,” Xie Xuan greeted her without acknowledging the remark.

Xie Yue continued to make sarcastic comments, but Xie Xuan seemed not to hear her. She was entirely focused on the red koi in the pond, completely ignoring the flustered and irritable Xie Yue.

After quite some time, a pigeon flew up into the sky with a whistle in the distance. Only then did Xie Xuan turn her head, looking at Xie Yue. “Did you forget Father’s teachings, Fifth Sister? Why are you still speaking like this?”

“What’s wrong with the way I’m speaking?” Xie Yue finally got a reaction from the other person. She immediately became domineering. “Don’t think that just because father helped you once, you can suppress me. Let me tell you, the madam is my mother, and father is also mine! You should still listen to my orders just like before!”

Xie Xuan didn’t really want to argue with this childish sister, but not arguing wasn’t an option. She could only sarcastically respond back, slowly angering her. Meanwhile, she took off the jade pendant, a gift from the Han family when she was engaged to Han Jie, from her neck. She played with it in her palm, walking toward the edge of the pond, sitting down by the one-and-a-half-foot-high stone border.

Around the Lotus Flower Pond were rockeries and flowering trees, and a straight stone path led toward the outer courtyard, about two hundred steps away.

Sitting by the pond, although Xie Xuan was arguing with Xie Yue, her gaze occasionally swept toward the stone path. When she saw two figures appear in the distance, she deliberately dropped the jade pendant, which had already cracked in two, into the water, pretending to reach down and pick it up. She didn’t forget to turn and viciously say to Xie Yue, “Didn’t you hear what they’re saying outside? Your mother is the shameless one — A shameless woman who seduced a married man with the identity of a general’s illegitimate daughter, got pregnant before marriage, and took over the rightful place!”

Xie Yue was furious. Seeing Xie Xuan lean half of her body over the edge of the pool to pick up the jade pendant, her anger surged, and she pushed Xie Xuan hard. Watching Xie Xuan “plop” into the pool, she let out a cold snort.

Isn’t she going to complain about this to father? I’ll take advantage of the moment when no one is around to drown you until you’re a fool. Let’s see if you dare to cause trouble again!

At the end of the stone path, Xie Zhen and Han Jie hurriedly walked side by side, and from a distance, they saw this scene—Xie Xuan and her sister were talking by the pond, and when Xie Xuan bent down to pick something up that had fallen into the water, Xie Yue viciously pushed her into the water.

Xie Xuan is only ten years old; she doesn’t know how to swim.

Xie Zhen suddenly panicked, while Han Jie was left in a thunderous silence in his mind.

The shock and overwhelming pain of receiving the news of her death in the last life washed over him like a tidal wave, nearly drowning him.

The heartache of that moment, he would never forget. And so, a tremendous fear surged within him, making him forget everything else as he watched that small figure fall into the water, feeling as if the entire world had collapsed, driving him to madness.

Like an arrow, Han Jie’s figure shot toward the edge of the pond. In his mind, there was only one thought:

She must not be allowed to get hurt again! He had already lost her once; he absolutely, absolutely could not lose her a second time!

In the Lotus Pond, Xie Xuan opened her eyes, watching the rippling water as she observed Xie Yue’s expression of both triumph and fear.

At ten years old, Xie Xuan couldn’t swim, but at twenty, she could. Now, in her childhood body, although her limbs might not be very nimble, she at least knew how to hold her breath. If she could stay under long enough, Xie Xuan even considered deliberately swallowing a few mouthfuls of water—though it would be unpleasant, it would make the act more convincing, ensuring a better result.

While silently calculating how far Xie Zhen had come, she suddenly saw a figure darting toward her. Before Xie Xuan could clearly see who it was, the person broke through the ripples and pulled her out of the water.

From the moment she fell into the water to being pulled out, only a few breaths passed. Xie Xuan hadn’t even choked on any water and quickly pretended to faint.

When Xie Zhen approached, Han Jie was pressing on Xie Xuan’s chest. Seeing that she hadn’t coughed up water, he finally sighed in relief. “Thankfully, she didn’t choke on water. She must have been scared into fainting. Her condition from the earlier drowning hasn’t fully recovered yet, and now she’s been pushed into the water again. Let’s hope it doesn’t leave any lasting effects.” He turned to look at Xie Yue, his eyes full of reproach.

Seeing his daughter unconscious, Xie Zhen felt a burning shame on his face. Being reprimanded by Han Jie for not properly teaching his daughter was more humiliating than being scolded outright. In anger, he roughly shoved Xie Yue back and shouted, “Go back now, and wait until I deal with you!”

Xie Yue was shoved back like a piece of trash, stumbling and falling to the ground, immediately bursting into tears.

However, she had come alone without any maidservants or nannies, and with Luo Shi not around to back her up, she felt humiliated and furious. Watching Han Jie carry Xie Xuan and walk away with Xie Zhen, she felt an overwhelming sense of shame and resentment, almost driven to throw herself into the Lotus Pond.

But she didn’t have the courage to do that. Instead, she could only sob as she made her way back to Tangli Courtyard to find Luo Shi.

In Tangli Courtyard, it was Han Jie’s first-time entering Xie Xuan’s private room. After placing her on the couch, he hurriedly instructed someone to call for a doctor.

Inside the room, the doctor was examining Xie Xuan, while Han Jie followed Xie Zhen to the next room. He spoke seriously, “Uncle Xie, I’ve come today to bring a gift, thinking to comfort Xie Xuan after all the suffering she’s been through recently. But who would have known…”

He paused for a moment. “Xie Xuan and my marriage was arranged by our grandfathers. I will do everything in my power to protect her from harm. I ask you, Uncle Xie, to also take good care of her.”

Xie Zhen’s face grew even hotter with shame. “I know, I know.” He sighed. “I’ve been away on the emperor’s orders for the past couple of months, so I neglected family matters. From now on, I’ll make sure to discipline her properly.”

This was, of course, an excuse.

How could Xie Yue be so openly troublesome and unruly just because Xie Zhen was away for one or two months? It was because she had always been spoiled and indulged, and her behavior had gone unchecked for a long time.

Han Jie didn’t press further but gave a deep bow. “Xie Xuan holds the family heirloom jade pendant of the Han family, the token of our engagement. Although she is still young, in our family, we already consider her a part of the Han family. She’s always been quiet and gentle, and even when she suffers, she doesn’t speak up. I hope, Uncle Xie, that you’ll watch over her carefully. On behalf of my ancestors, I thank you.”

Xie Zhen felt even more ashamed. While he thought Han Jie’s words were a bit arrogant, he couldn’t deny that his own failure in raising his daughter had led to this situation. He could only apologize profusely, his words filled with shame and self-reproach.

Xie Xuan heard every word of this conversation clearly. She couldn’t stand to listen to these fake suitor-like pleasantries anymore, so she abruptly coughed loudly, her face turning red as she woke up, looking utterly confused.

“Xie Xuan!” Xie Jun, who had been anxiously watching, finally felt a sense of relief.

She let out a surprised exclamation, and upon hearing this, Xie Zhen quickly entered the room. Seeing that Xie Xuan was unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Xie Xuan, how are you feeling?”

“Dad.” Xie Xuan looked at him with a dazed expression. “My jade pendant is gone.”

Both Xie Zhen and Han Jie’s faces changed upon hearing this.