Chapter 17

Fortunately, she had married Xie Yao, not some old pervert.

Mother Song felt no awkwardness and continued, "A woman must marry well to live a life worthy of the name." She tried to smile, but her heart was heavy with bitterness.

Seeing her like this, Yu Li dropped her cold demeanor and gave a faint, indifferent acknowledgement.

Mother Song asked again, "Is Young Master Xie good to you?"

Compared to the original book or the fate she would have faced in such a family, he was certainly good. And if she were to be honest with herself, apart from his somewhat intense possessiveness, he had not let her suffer the slightest hardship.

Yu Li nodded and said, "He treats me very well."

However, strange glints flickered in the eyes of Mother Song and Song Zhu.

Yu Li did not know what they were planning, so she decided to remain still, waiting for them to make their demands before counterattacking. Having dealt with clients for years, Yu Li was well-versed in negotiation; as long as it wasn't a high-handed party like Xie Yao, she was always capable of bargaining.

When it was time for a meal, Yu Li ordered it to be served.

At the table, protocol dictated that the elders sit in the seats of honor. Whether by Jing Yu’s design or not, no chairs were placed at the head of the table. Song Zhu sat in the secondary seat, with Yu Li opposite him.

"Is Young Master Xie always away from home?" Mother Song asked halfway through the meal.

"Yes, he only returns in the evening," Yu Li replied.

After the meal, the maid brought tea and a fruit platter.

The fruits were rare, and her younger brother ate voraciously, while the two elders seemed to be suppressing their words; after a few bites, they set their utensils down.

"Yu Li, Mother has something to tell you." Mother Song signaled for the maids in the room to leave.

Yu Li became even more curious. How greedy could they be, and what could they possibly want? She had Jing Yu take the others out.

Song Zhu began, "When this Xie fellow begged me to let him marry my daughter, he was all promises. Now, look at this—he leaves you a young widow in all but name. This manor has no vitality at all. I suspect he’s a fraud who swindled my daughter into being his concubine."

Yu Li was astonished that he could say such a thing. Had it not been for his insatiable greed, demanding she marry Xie Yao for the sake of wealth and status, regardless of whether she lived or died?

The man he had once called "son-in-law" with such enthusiasm had suddenly become "that Xie fellow."

"It’s true. I can see this Young Master Xie isn't treating you well. You’ve been wronged, child. Come home with your father and me," Mother Song added.

Yu Li was surprised but remained clear-headed. "He treats me very well, and I will not go home. Everything you have now—isn't it all exchanged for my marriage to him? Are you willing to return the gold and silver treasures he gave you?"

"What are you talking about? How could a dowry that has been given be taken back? You have already shared the marriage bed with him; he has already gotten his share," Song Zhu declared.

Though she was accustomed to Song Zhu not treating her like a human being, such shameless words still enraged Yu Li. "You were the one who forced me to marry, and now you are the one telling me to annul it. Could it be that you’ve latched onto someone even higher than my husband and want me to remarry?"

As if struck by her words, Mother Song looked pained, but Song Zhu smiled shamelessly.

Her younger brother, Yaozu, said impatiently, "Oh, Father, why bother with all these roundabout ways? Just tell her to get it done, tie her up and bring her back, and let her marry again just like before."

The fact that they truly wanted her to annul her marriage and remarry made Yu Li want to laugh with anger. She might be alone in the world, but she was married now. Did they really think her husband was dead?

Song Zhu said, "This matter is not up to you. Besides, you won't be at a loss. You were already involved with him before, and now that he’s successful, he’s still willing to take you."

"Who is it?" A sudden, ominous premonition washed over Yu Li.

Seeing her waver, Mother Song smiled. "It's Mei Qing. He placed as the top scholar in the imperial examinations, and the first thing he did upon returning to the county was to look for you. So many noble families wanted to take him as a son-in-law, but he refused them all. He says he will marry no one but you..."

Yu Li felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

Song Zhu added, "He knows you’re married, but he doesn't mind. As long as you divorce him, he will still arrive with an eight-bearer sedan chair to take you as his legitimate wife."

Yu Li looked at the couple, who were singing in harmony, and seemed to foresee the deaths of many people. In the heat of June, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her entire body growing cold. She could not utter a word.

Her brother Yaozu began to shout, "Are you done yet? Didn't you say before you wanted to marry him? You've already been married once, so what does it matter if you remarry? He’s a top scholar! No matter how rich the Xie family is, they’re just low-class merchants. If you marry a scholar, you'll be a lady of the official class, and I’ll be the brother-in-law of an official. A little pocket change is nothing; I’ll be able to walk sideways through the entire Xihe County!"

As her brother indulged in his daydreams, Yu Li grew alert. "When did I ever say I wanted to marry him?"

"You said it yourself back when Father tried to make you marry Master Zhang."

Mother Song agreed, "That's right. Didn't you say you wanted to marry Mei Qing and no one else?"

Song Zhu declared, "Whether you want to or not, this marriage to the scholar is happening. If you won't tell that Xie fellow, I will."

Yu Li gasped, "You have all gone mad!"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

"What kind of nonsense is this wretched girl spouting!" Song Zhu recovered his senses and scolded her.

Yu Li stared at him without a word.

Song Zhu snorted, "You eat my food and sleep under my roof. I raised you to this age—without me, where would you be today? Pack your bags and leave with me now; we’ll settle things with that Xie fellow another day."

Yu Li gave a cold laugh and retorted, "Every cent I spent on food and shelter was paid back before I left. You took those fifty taels and forced me to marry. Even if fifty taels weren't enough, what my husband paid is more than enough to buy me outright."

Yu Li would not be held hostage by the morality of such despicable people. Even if she had married an ordinary man, the moment they had tied her into the bridal sedan, she had ceased to have any connection with them. She would never let them manipulate her again.

Seeing that his words were ineffective, Song Zhu actually tried to strike her. Yu Li spun away and snatched up a porcelain vase.

"Just try to lay a hand on me."

Her expression was fierce, a stark contrast to the submissive girl she had been before her marriage. They had seen for themselves when they arrived that the manor had many guards; if Yu Li refused to leave with them, they would never be able to force her.

Song Zhu glared at her and cursed, "You ungrateful wretch."

Yu Li said coldly, "Clean up your mouth. You have already sold your daughter. I am not Song Yi; I am Song Yu Li, and I have nothing more to do with the Song family."

Jing Yu and her men stepped quickly into the hall just as Yu Li was saying this, still holding the vase and facing the three of them.

Seeing help had arrived, Yu Li put the vase down and said calmly, "Show them out."

The tall guards stood forward, a head taller than the father and son, and with their intimidating presence, the two men dared not make another sound.

"Drive them away, and don't ever let them in again," Yu Li commanded.

This family was incorrigible; they were actually delusional enough to try to force her into another marriage. They didn't even know how they would end up dying.

Driven out without regard for their dignity, the three of them, thick-skinned as they were, felt they had lost all face and walked away with a flick of their sleeves.

Yu Li said coldly to their retreating backs, "Don't ever come back. Just pretend I’m dead."

Once they were gone, Yu Li put down the vase and took a deep breath. Only if they believed she was dead could they hope to survive. If they truly dared to seek out Xie Yao, Yu Li did not dare to imagine the consequences.

She felt a pang of annoyance at not having retrieved Xiyun’s contract of indenture, but in the situation, had she brought it up, they would have thought they could leverage it against her, or if they had agreed, they would likely have demanded an exorbitant price. She had never imagined there could be such greedy people in the world.

After a moment of anger, Yu Li suddenly froze. Mei Ziyu had appeared.

She recalled that a few days ago, Xie Yao had mentioned, as if in passing, that the top scholar was her fellow townsman. It seemed that from then on, his possessiveness had become unusually intense. She hadn't kept mentioning Mei Ziyu like in the original book, so how would he know of Mei Ziyu's existence?

And as for her saying she wanted to marry Mei Qing, that had been before she saved Xie Yao. At that time, Song Zhu had wanted her to marry an old wealthy man as his second wife; she had been only fifteen, which was no different from being sold to an old man to bear his children. By comparison, Mei Qing was handsome, gentle, and had shown interest in her; it was only natural that he was the first person she thought of to oppose such a marriage. In reality, under those circumstances, Mei Qing could have been replaced by any young man in the county.

Yu Li felt lost. Was this matter driven by the Song family's wishful thinking, or was it truly Mei Qing's desire? She sat in the hall, head bowed in deep thought.

In the midst of her chaotic thoughts, a pair of black boots and pale robes appeared in her field of vision.

Yu Li looked up, and Xie Yao filled her sight.

He was dressed in a jade-colored robe with a green jade hair ribbon, holding a folding fan—the picture of a refined young nobleman. Yet, his expression was inscrutable, his eyes like two bottomless pools.

"Your father and mother were here earlier, and you drove them away. What happened?" Xie Yao opened his red lips slightly. He spoke slowly, with no discernible emotion, yet Yu Li felt an inexplicable chill.

It seemed as though he knew about Mei Qing, yet also as if he were completely ignorant.

She had dared to snap back at the Song family because she knew that while they were greedy, they were merely law-abiding commoners. But the man before her, Xie Yao, was a regent who held the power of life and death in his hands.

Whether or not this matter was instigated by Mei Qing, she had no need to mention him to Xie Yao. Surely he would have no reason to kill someone she didn't care about and had never mentioned.

Yu Li said, "They came to ask if I was doing well. I told them I was, but my father and brother are insatiable and wanted to get something from me. I refused, and since I don't want to have any dealings with them in the future, I simply drove them away."

"So that's how it is," Xie Yao said faintly. After a long pause, he looked at Yu Li and asked again, "What did they want from you?"

Yu Li hesitated for a moment and looked away. "Nothing more than gold and silver."

"That should be easy to handle."

"You already gave them so much before we married. They are greedy, and you work from dawn till dusk—everything you earn is hard-won. I don't want to give them a single cent," Yu Li said.

Xie Yao's eyelashes fluttered, and he reached out his hand toward Yu Li.

This was a prompt for her to take his hand. Yu Li let out a sigh of relief, took his hands in hers, and smiled.

The matter seemed to have been glossed over. It wasn't mentioned again at Mingyue Manor, and following her usual routine, it was time for her afternoon nap. Xie Yao had never arrived so early before, and Yu Li felt a bit uneasy.

"It's time for your nap. Go and sleep," Xie Yao said.

Yu Li didn't enter the room immediately, but asked, "What about you?"

Yu Li was still holding his hand, looking up at him slightly.

"If you want to sleep..." Yu Li secretly gritted her teeth and made a decision, looking toward the inner chamber.

"I won't sleep," Xie Yao said.

Yu Li couldn't tell if she felt relieved or disappointed. She smiled at him and went into the room to sleep. Not long after she lay down, Xie Yao helped her close the door, and she drifted off to sleep with peace of mind.

With no one else in Mingyue Manor, Xie Yao stood before the screen for a while before walking out.

When he reached the hanging flower gate, Jing Yu came to greet him. "Does my Lord wish to eat?"

"No need. Remember, I arrived at the manor this afternoon."

Jing Yu acknowledged this.

After Xie Yao had walked away, Jing Yu took out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead and the back of her neck.

-

After Yu Li woke from her nap, Xiyun came in shortly after.

Yu Li first apologized to her for not being able to get her contract of indenture back. In the morning, Yu Li hadn't let Xiyun appear; she had been sent to the kitchen and then called away to select fabrics for new clothes, only returning much later.

Regarding the contract, Xiyun smiled and said, "From the day I was sold by my parents, I never thought I would have a day of freedom. I have always been very lucky, and now that I am with you, Madam, there is no slave more fortunate than I am."

Seeing that Xiyun was sincere, Yu Li let the matter go for now.

In the evening, Xie Yao came over from the guest wing to dine with Yu Li. He ate with focus and concentration, while Yu Li was somewhat distracted.

Today’s events had sounded an alarm for her; she could not delay any longer.

After the meal, she summoned her courage and took his hand. "Husband, teach me how to write."

Xie Yao paused, then gave a flat acknowledgement.

The events of the last time she wrote were still vivid in her mind, but this time Yu Li was mentally prepared. She decided that no matter what Xie Yao did, she would not push him away.

In the study, she glanced out into the courtyard—there was no one, not even a cat—but she closed the door anyway, just in case. Turning back, she saw Xie Yao meticulously grinding the ink. She stood there for a while; he looked over, but his gaze lacked its former intensity.

Yu Li assumed he was waiting for her to take more initiative.

She walked over and took his hand, placing it on her own.

Xie Yao gripped her hand and wrote a few strokes with steady precision. It was exactly the same situation as before, yet he remained very cold.

It wasn't until Yu Li embraced him as she had last time that he stiffened for a moment.

"Husband. I am ready," Yu Li said with a trembling voice.

She closed her eyes, prepared to endure Xie Yao's unrestrained kisses.

Xie Yao did not move, but Yu Li could feel his chest rising and falling more heavily.

"I gave you so much time, why have you suddenly figured it out today?" he asked.

Yu Li thought for a moment and replied, "Seeing my family today, I realized by comparison how well you treat me. I want to live a good life with you, hand in hand, until we grow old together."

Xie Yao's breathing grew heavier, as if he were suppressing something.

After a long while, she heard him speak: "Tomorrow I will take you to meet someone. I hope you still remember what you just said."