Chapter 210: Way Out
“Grandmother, may you be well.”
Xue Yuechen, holding her pregnant belly, prepared to perform a full bow. Madam Cui quickly offered a supporting hand, her fingertips steadying Xue Yuechen’s wrist.
“With your condition, why bother with such empty rituals? Get up quickly, lest the Prince worry.”
Xue Yuechen smiled and gestured for a maid to present a brocade box with gold trim.
“The Prince, concerned for Grandmother’s health, specially ordered this agarwood, a tribute from the Southern Zi Kingdom, which is most conducive to calming the mind and ensuring restful sleep.”
“The Prince is most thoughtful.”
Madam Cui, her face beaming, leaned on her cane and ushered the Prince Duan and his consort inside.
“Your Highness, Princess Consort, please come inside and sit to talk. Don’t let our little Heir Apparent be tired…”
Xue Yuechen smiled shyly and entered alongside Li Huan.
Xue Sui followed behind, her skirt brushing against the carved threshold.
Gu Jie silently lagged behind, his gaze lowered in thought. However, his peripheral vision couldn’t help but linger on Xue Sui—she was adjusting a cushion for Madam Cui, her fair fingertips brushing over the intertwined embroidery, her posture gentle and beautiful.
In a daze, he seemed to see again the young maid who had bandaged his wound with her head bowed. Back then, her fingertips were just as gentle, and her eyes were full of lively light…
The scene gradually overlapped, and Gu Jie’s heart ached unbearably.
This woman, who had almost walked through life with him, was now beyond reach. He himself was mired in a quagmire, tormenting Xue Yueying, and even lowering the prestige of the Marquis’s Mansion.
“Lord Gu’s complexion is not good,” Li Huan suddenly spoke, his gaze sweeping over the dark circles under Gu Jie’s eyes. “Has the Court of Diplomatic Relations been busy lately?”
Gu Jie stiffened, sensing the scrutiny in Li Huan’s eyes, and his throat tightened.
“Replying to Your Highness, it’s merely some trivial matters of welcoming and seeing off guests.”
He answered respectfully, his palms already sweating cold.
Li Huan nodded, took a sip of tea, and said no more. However, the tea mist cast a faint chill around his eyes.
Seeing this, Xue Yueying sneered, covering her mouth with a silk handkerchief. “Lord Gu isn’t busy with official duties, he’s clearly…”
Before she could finish, she was met with a sharp glance from Madam Cui and swallowed her words.
Xue Qingzhi finally arrived, running. The moment he entered and saw Li Huan, he hastily straightened his robes and bowed.
“This subordinate did not know of Your Highness’s arrival. I apologize for not welcoming you properly. I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness!”
He bowed deeply, his fists clasped above his head, and held the pose for a long time.
Li Huan raised his hand, signaling him to rise. He sat upright, as steadfast as a pine tree, his expression indifferent.
The hall fell silent.
Seeing this, Xue Yueying and Xue Yue Man both put away their sharp tongues and obediently curtsied.
Xue Sui stood to the side, quietly observing the scene.
Xue Yuechen smiled and beckoned, “Sixth Sister, come and sit too.”
Xue Sui smiled in response and walked over to sit down.
Qian Shi busied herself with instructing the servants to serve tea, while Xue Qingzhi sat by her side, making polite conversation. Li Huan also responded courteously, his gaze subtly sweeping over everyone in the room, finally resting on Xue Sui for a moment before casually moving away.
Xue Yueying glanced at Li Huan, then at Xue Sui, her jealousy burning ever fiercer.
Xue Liu was merely lucky to be so valued by Prince Duan that she was made a consort. Who knows what seductive tricks that slut used to make the Prince look upon her with favor.
However, a man’s affection eventually fades. Prince Duan’s side has never lacked beautiful women; she wouldn’t always be in the spotlight.
She leaned closer to Xue Yue Man and whispered in her ear.
“Look at Xue Liu’s smug look. She’s just a consort, what’s so great about that.”
Xue Yue Man did not respond, silently eating her crab roe pastry, her heart filled with mixed emotions…
She was about to marry into the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion. While it was a prestigious match, Guo Si Lang was merely a son of a concubine. How could he compare to Xue Liu’s fortune? She never expected that among the Xue sisters, she would be the most downtrodden…
Madam Cui held Xue Yuechen’s hand and her gaze swept towards her abdomen.
“You are delicate, and this pregnancy is precious. You must take good care of yourself.”
Xue Yuechen smiled gently, “Grandmother, please don’t worry. I am doing well, thanks to the Prince and Sixth Sister’s care.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Xue Sui, her eyes full of smiles.
“Sixth Sister personally inquires about my meals every day; she’s more attentive than I, her elder sister.”
Madam Cui’s expression softened. “Sixth Girl is indeed filial and well-behaved, knowing how to care for others. Her meticulousness can save you a lot of trouble…”
Xue Yuechen nodded in agreement.
Xue Sui nodded and smiled, “Grandmother, it is my sister who praises me. These are all within my duties.”
As she spoke, she quickly got up, placed a brocade cushion embroidered with the character for longevity at Madam Cui’s knees, and then brought a steaming teacup to the old madam.
“Third Aunt specially brewed dried tangerine peel and old ginger tea. Grandmother, please drink it to warm your stomach.”
Xue Yueying pouted at the side and snorted coldly, “Sixth Sister’s filial piety is truly thorough. Third Aunt’s intentions have become a stepping stone for Sister to gain a reputation for filial piety in front of others.”
Madam Cui frowned and glared at her sternly.
Unexpectedly, Li Huan, who had been silent, suddenly his gaze sharpened, and his voice turned cold.
“I’ve heard the Xue Mansion has a family motto: ‘Jade is precious only after carving, and a person stands firm only by adhering to rules.’ Today, observing this… it seems the carving has gone too far?”
The room fell silent.
Everyone’s expression changed.
“You damned fool!” Madam Cui slammed the table and stood up, her prayer beads snapping against Xue Yueying’s face. “Where have all the rules you’ve learned gone? Such loose talk! You’ve disgraced the Xue family! … Now kneel and apologize to the Prince.”
Xue Yueying was terrified and flustered. She quickly knelt, tears welling up in her eyes, looking pitiful.
“Your Highness, please forgive me. This humble wife has been impolite.”
Li Huan’s gaze was calm, and he slightly raised his hand to Madam Cui.
“Old Madam, there is no need to be angry! The way of managing a household is like cooking small fish. Do not mix the raw and the cooked…”
These words, while seemingly diffusing the situation, carried an implicit threat.
He lightly issued a warning to the Xue family, subtly protecting Xue Sui’s dignity and status.
With the Prince’s backing, who would dare to slight her in the future?
After this incident, the once lively family banquet now felt like a pot of overcooked porridge, filled with bitterness and awkwardness. Everyone forced smiles and made small talk, the atmosphere so oppressive it was suffocating.
After the meal, Xue Sui went to Li Xiang Courtyard.
The Xue Mansion was bustling with activity, but here it was surprisingly quiet.
“The date paste needs to be ground very finely. It will look beautiful when shaped into rabbits later…” Xue Ji, holding her waist, directed the maidservants who were making pastries in the corridor.
After her face was disfigured, Xue Ji rarely went to the main hall to avoid frightening people.
Even for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, she led her own maids and servants in Li Xiang Courtyard to manage things.
The scars on her face had not faded, but she wore a silver-red velvet flower at her temple. Sunlight, like gold foil, filtered through the branches, dancing upon her. Her heart was full of joy, tenderness, and anticipation…
Xue Sui approached with a smile, “Mother, have you been feeling any better these past two days?”
Only then did Xue Ji see her. The fatigue on her face instantly lessened, and warmth bloomed in her eyes.
“Sixth Sister, come and sit down quickly. Don’t stand.”
She reached out to adjust Xue Sui’s collar. Her fingertips touched her thin shoulder, and her heart couldn’t help but ache…
Her daughter had grown into a graceful young woman, capable of handling matters independently. Yet, she was a useless mother, unable to provide support when her daughter needed it most, causing her so much hardship and suffering…
The mother and daughter sat opposite each other, chatting about trivial everyday matters.
Other words had settled too deeply in the years, making them difficult to speak.
During the meal, she could only keep putting food into Xue Sui’s bowl, as if trying to infuse all the love she had owed her over the years into every dish.
Xue Sui ate a little more with her and then, taking incense and candles, quietly went to the ancestral hall to offer incense.
Sandalwood smoke curled in the ancestral hall, and the ancestral tablets gleamed coldly in the dim light. She knelt on the cushion, looking at the ever-burning lamp on the offering table, remembering that at the age of eight, she had curled up in a corner here, her only thought being to survive…
Familiar footsteps sounded from behind.
She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“Is the incense still effective?” Li Huan looked at the ever-burning lamp on the offering table, the firelight flickering into two flames in his eyes.
“Your Highness already investigated. You know best what I’m capable of.”
Xue Sui inserted the incense into the burner, the firelight casting a hazy glow on her features.
“Before I left the capital at eight years old, I hid here for three days and three nights. It was the ancestors’ blessing that I survived…”
Li Huan suddenly smiled and stepped closer.
He reached out and grasped her wrist with considerable force.
“Does the consort know the consequences of deceiving this Prince?”
Xue Sui calmly stood up and patted her skirt. “Even ants cling to life; why would I seek death? What Your Highness wants is the secret of the Old Mausoleum Swamp, and what I want is merely a way to live…”
Li Huan released her hand, gave her a meaningful look, stepped back half a pace, and stood with his hands behind his back.
“This Prince has been waiting for your good news—don’t make me wait too long.”
