The Pei family men had gone to the government office, leaving only Lady Meng and Lady Huo at home, reviewing accounts with their daughter-in-law. Suddenly, a servant came in reporting that the eldest young lady had arrived, causing both to feel a mixture of surprise and delight. They quickly had her invited in.
Seeing Ma Bing carrying a full load in her hands, Lady Huo clapped her hands and laughed, “Haven’t seen you for a few days, have you turned peddler instead?”
Lady Meng also laughed and motioned for Ma Bing to sit beside her.
It wasn’t until she stood at the entrance of the Huo household that Ma Bing felt her actions were impulsive:
She had rushed over without even sending word ahead. What if they had been out or busy?
Yet seeing their warm reception, Ma Bing’s heart softened, and for once, she felt a rare urge to be affectionately playful.
Ah, this must be what family feels like.
No matter how undisciplined she might be, they would never reject her.
Thinking thus, Ma Bing eagerly rushed to squeeze beside Lady Meng, hugging her affectionately and calling, “Auntie.”
It was rare for Ma Bing to act so girlishly. The mother and daughter-in-law exchanged glances and carefully examined her expression, “What’s wrong? Has that young man been giving you a hard time?”
It wasn’t even the usual day for medical checkups, so she must have come for a reason.
Ma Bing hadn’t expected them to be so perceptive. She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, “No.”
Lady Meng hugged her and gently touched her face, “We are not a family without name or position. You must never allow yourself to be mistreated.”
What about the young marquis?
Despite his many virtues, his grandfather was still unreliable.
If not for those old accounts, Zheng Zheng wouldn’t have suffered so much!
The sins of the father are borne by the son. Even by this alone, Xie Zizhi should be considered inferior!
Ma Bing nuzzled into Lady Meng and softly hummed.
In fact, Xie Yu had already done more than enough; no one could find fault with him.
But… Ma Bing always felt there was something still separating them.
She had observed Liu Chunlan and Erxi, Tu Yao and Lady Zhao, and other humble couples who came for medical aid, and none of them were like that.
But what exactly it was, she had no experience with, nor had anyone ever taught her these things. It was like a vague fog she couldn’t penetrate.
She had tossed and turned all night trying to figure it out yesterday but failed. After sending Zhang Baoyue and Pucao off this morning, Ma Bing came directly to the Pei household.
Even if the Pei family couldn’t help her find answers, just feeling a bit of warmth was enough to make her happy.
“Where’s Xiaoxia?” Though she had come, Ma Bing still wasn’t used to complaining to others, so she seized the chance to change the topic since Xiaoxia wasn’t around.
“The tutor is teaching her.”
Noble families never believed in the saying “a woman’s virtue lies in ignorance,” considering it mere nonsense.
Rather, women must be educated and broaden their horizons. This would prevent them from being looked down upon or deceived when going out, and would also help them manage social and household affairs properly.
The Pei family, being of military origin, cared even less for such formalities.
In a few years, when Xiaoxia grew up, Lady Huo would personally teach her archery and horsemanship.
At any time, it was always good for a girl to have the ability to protect herself.
Ma Bing deeply agreed.
Without even mentioning distant examples, just looking at herself—if she hadn’t had a few skills to rely on, she would have died many times over the years, let alone avenging her family.
The three were chatting when Xiaoxia finished her lessons.
Seeing an extra person in the room, the little girl was first startled, then her eyes lit up. She darted over like a little bird and hugged Ma Bing’s waist, saying, “Auntie, it’s been so long since you came. I missed you so much.”
Ma Bing immediately lifted her onto her lap and playfully poked her soft cheeks.
“Is it really me you miss, or is it the garlic shrimp?”
Last time, Ma Bing had made sweet and sour garlic shrimp, and the little girl had eaten it with delight, talking about it for days afterward.
Already at the age of six, Xiaoxia had started to feel shy. Her face turned red as she hugged Ma Bing and said, “No, no, I really missed my auntie…”
Then she cooed, “But if there were some shrimp too, that’d be nice…”
With a missing tooth, her speech was a bit slurred, mixing up “si” and “shi,” causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Ma Bing laughed too and turned to Lady Meng, “Do we have any shrimp at home today?”
Lady Meng nodded and pointed at Xiaoxia, “With this little girl around, even if we ran out of rice and flour, we’d still have some shrimp.”
Ma Bing then placed Xiaoxia on the ground and stood up herself, “In that case, let’s make it today.”
“I’ll help my little auntie!” Xiaoxia eagerly raised her arm.
But she was more interested in the fun than in helping; everything fascinated a child her age.
The Pei family didn’t restrict children’s behavior. Lady Meng gave a few gentle reminders before letting the two girls hold hands and go, ordering maids to follow them.
“Watch carefully and don’t let her prick her hands. It’s no joke.”
Last year, she had heard of someone getting a finger pricked while handling shrimp and crab at home. They hadn’t taken it seriously at the time, but a few days later, they developed a fever, and their skin turned black and blue and rotted.
The family was frantic, seeking medical help everywhere, but it was too late in the end, and they had to amputate the arm to save the person’s life.
Hearing Ma Bing exclaim from afar, Lady Meng finally turned back and said to Lady Huo, “I think that child must have something on her mind and doesn’t know who to ask for advice. But after so many years of independence, she impulsively came here, yet is now too shy to speak up.”
Lady Huo nodded, “I feel the same way.”
Then both sighed.
Lady Meng said, “In all fairness, that young marquis is indeed a good match—his family background, character, and appearance are all suitable. But there’s the old feud between the families. Regardless of the current situation, there might be more trouble in the future…”
If the two young people were to be together, one of them would inevitably end up hurt.
The young marquis seems fine now, but what about later? And what about the opinions from above?
“Exactly, it’s said that enemies don’t meet unless fate brings them together,” Lady Huo also sighed. “Not to mention the unpleasant truth, if it weren’t for the previous generation’s affairs, these two might never have met.”
In the past, the Yanshun couple were so free-spirited and never appreciated the luxury of the capital. Even if they were ennobled as princes or kings, they probably wouldn’t have wanted to settle in the capital or have their descendants marry into the royal family.
Even from Lady Huo’s own perspective, although the border areas might be desolate, they were indeed freer. If one could live freely there for a lifetime, it would be much more vibrant than being confined to the narrow confines of the capital city.
Thinking of this, it was truly hard to tell whether it was a curse or a blessing.
After discussing for a while, Lady Meng said, “The young girl is too shy. You are close in age and similar in personality. Tonight, keep her here for a night and talk to her, offering some comfort and advice.”
Meanwhile, Xiaoxia indeed followed Ma Bing around like a little tail, trying to imitate her in catching shrimp.
Fearing that Xiaoxia might prick her hands, Ma Bing had to send her away to peel garlic.
Peeling garlic…
Suddenly, she thought of that person again.
“Auntie, don’t be sad.”
Just as she was lost in thought, a pair of small hands gently pressed on Ma Bing’s forehead.
Ma Bing immediately snapped out of it and instinctively smiled, “Auntie isn’t sad.”
Xiaoxia pouted and said very seriously, “Good children shouldn’t tell lies!”
The little girl strained to stand on tiptoe, gently stroking Ma Bing’s forehead, trying earnestly to smooth out the frown between her brows.
In her clear eyes, Ma Bing could clearly see her own reflection.
It seemed, indeed, she was a little sad.
Ma Bing was momentarily stunned.
After a while, she opened her arms and tightly hugged the little girl, greedily nuzzling her neck.
Xiaoxia obediently let her be hugged. After a while, she even imitated how elders usually comforted her, gently patting Ma Bing’s back, one stroke after another.
“There, there, good girl, Auntie Xiaoshia is here…”
Later, Ma Bing felt a bit embarrassed, saying that she was clearly an adult yet made a child worry.
Xiaoxia was unconvinced, standing with her hands on her hips as she argued her point.
“Adults are people too, why shouldn’t they be allowed to be unhappy?”
Ma Bing was momentarily stunned. After thinking for a moment, she found this argument quite reasonable.
Yes, adults are people too. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to be unhappy?
Normally, Father and son Pei would have lunch at the government office, so at noon, only the four women were dining together.
As expected, Lady Meng took the opportunity to invite Ma Bing to stay for a couple more days.
Xiaoxia also enthusiastically encouraged her.
Ma Bing hesitated slightly before agreeing.
In the evening, Pei Rong and his son returned from work one after another. Before they even entered the main hall, Pei Rong’s loud voice was heard first.
“There’s good news today, let’s have a big celebration! Oh, Bing girl is here too, perfect!”
Seeing Pei Rong’s obvious joy, everyone was curious about what had happened.
Pei Rong didn’t even bother to change clothes first, but sat down at the table and started chatting.
“That young fellow Xie really has some guts. Today he actually went straight to Prince Su’s Mansion…”
It turned out that this morning, Xie Yu had gone out to attend to important matters.
Although he encountered Ma Bing on the way, which slightly stirred his emotions, this feeling quickly calmed down after dealing with Zhuang Peng and bullying Huo Ping.
Then, he proceeded with his plan, bringing the two corpses to Prince Su’s Mansion.
The entire Su Prince Mansion was immediately stunned.
So early in the morning, what did the Kaifeng Prefecture officials come here for so aggressively?
If it was just a visit from the young marquis, it certainly didn’t look like it.
Xie Yu personally came to the door, and even Prince Su, who usually liked to put on airs, couldn’t maintain his dignity. Supported by attendants, he personally came to the courtyard gate to welcome him.
“Why did you come to visit your uncle today?”
He still didn’t know that the two men he had sent to deal with Ma Bing were already dead. Seeing Xie Yu acting strangely, he thought he had succeeded and suddenly felt much better.
Xie Yu looked at Prince Su, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, thinking that the man had indeed been through a lot.
Just during the Dragon Boat Festival, he was still full of vigor, able to race dragon boats in the river. Now, he had become so thin.
Only a few months had passed, yet Prince Su was already wearing a thin fur coat over a few layers of light clothing.
Even with all that clothing, he looked frail, lacking the healthy plumpness of a normal person.
His face was pale and bluish, his eye sockets sunken, looking more like a ghost than a human, with only three parts humanity left.
At first glance, he seemed pitiful.
But upon further thought, he felt even more resentful.
Even as he grew old and sick, he was still supported by the national treasury and served by so many people. But what about those people he had killed in the past?
In an instant, countless thoughts passed through Xie Yu’s mind, but he maintained a professional expression on the surface.
He slightly bowed, “These days, the city has been in chaos. Just now, while I was patrolling the streets, I accidentally discovered some suspicious people entering Prince Su’s Mansion. I was worried it might be an assassination attempt, so I specially brought people here to check things out.”
Prince Su almost couldn’t keep the smile on his face. He looked at Xie Yu as if he were a stranger, almost with astonishment.
This wasn’t just lying through his teeth!
Isn’t this the Xie Zhi I remember, who never used to lie?
Who in their right mind would sneak into Prince Su’s Mansion in broad daylight!
Are those guards, both visible and hidden, just for show?
Prince Su got excited and started coughing. As he coughed, his head began to ache.
Seeing this, his attendants quickly stepped in with a forced smile and replied, “Young Marquis, ah, I mean, Minister Xie, you’re worrying too much. Everything at the mansion is fine, no need to be concerned.”
As they were speaking, suddenly there was a commotion outside, followed by the highly recognizable cries of Prince Su’s servants:
“Minister, Minister, what are you doing!”
“Heavens, you…”
“This is rebellion, pure rebellion!”
“Hurry and report to the Prince!”
Amidst the sounds of shoving, breaking porcelain and clay pots, and chaotic footsteps, Huo Ping marched in majestically with his men. From a distance, he saluted crisply and said, “Minister, my subordinates just discovered two very suspicious corpses in the courtyard!”
Prince Su: “!!”
Then came another round of commotion, and finally a steward from Prince Su’s Mansion managed to break free.
The people Xie Yu had brought today were all tall and strong, practically like beasts with their strength. If it weren’t for the large number of people at Prince Su’s Mansion, the steward wouldn’t have escaped at all.
Even so, he was disheveled, with one sleeve torn off.
But he didn’t have time to care about that. He knelt down with a thud and crawled on his knees to Prince Su, crying out, “Your Majesty, these people are bandits! They, they actually dug a pit in our courtyard to bury the bodies…”
Huo Ping casually brushed off his muddy clothes and lied effortlessly, “Nonsense! Which eye did you see that with?”
Only then did the people of Prince Su’s Mansion realize they had been too hasty.
This was completely against the rules!
Isn’t the usual way for royal relatives to fight through secret schemes and tricks?
You can’t be this shameless!
The steward was almost speechless from Huo Ping’s rebuttal, nearly unable to catch his breath.
Which eye did I see it with…
Didn’t all the dozens of eyes here witness it!
Your pants are still covered in mud that hasn’t dried yet!
The shovel used for digging the pit was even brought by you!
But Xie Zhi, who usually emphasized evidence, turned a blind eye.
He listened carefully to his subordinate’s report and nodded solemnly, “In broad daylight, how could there be corpses? This is indeed suspicious.”
Prince Su, holding his aching head that felt like it was about to explode, almost laughed bitterly.
“And where did these corpses come from? I had already disposed of mine properly. Don’t you know how these two got here?”
What kind of ghostly bureau is the Kaifeng Prefecture? How could this young man have learned to lie without blinking in just a few years?
The key is that the lies are so crude, aren’t you even embarrassed?
But Xie Yu really wasn’t embarrassed.
In his view, all lies were despicable and dirty.
If that’s the case, then what difference does it make whether they are high or low?
As long as it works, that’s all that matters!
He subtly and quickly experienced a bit of the joy of courtiers scheming against each other.
So Minister Xie waved his hand decisively and sternly ordered, “To protect Prince Su’s safety, come, surround the mansion! No one is allowed to enter or leave at will!”
Today, he had not only brought people from the Kaifeng Prefecture but also a squad of imperial guards waiting outside on his command.
Prince Su finally lost his composure, holding his forehead and gritting his teeth, “How dare you! Are you trying to place me under house arrest?”
Xie Yu looked at him, “I dare.”
Prince Su had many private soldiers. Upon hearing the commotion inside and outside the walls, they all gathered around.
They were just waiting for Prince Su’s order to confront the imperial guards with real swords and spears.
Huo Ping took out his official badge and shouted sternly, “The imperial guards are directly under the Emperor. Anyone who resists will be treated as a traitor!”
Facing the large number of private soldiers, he was not afraid at all. He stepped forward boldly, almost shoving the badge into their faces.
“Open your dog eyes wide and take a good look! Who wants to move, come and strike my head!”
Although Prince Su had many private soldiers, most of them had never seen real combat. For a moment, they were intimidated by Huo Ping’s fierce aura and actually took a half-step back together.
Huo Ping’s bull-like eyes swept over each of their faces, and he spat on the ground fiercely.
“Hmph, cowards!”
Prince Su felt his temples pounding violently, the pain almost making his veins burst.
Never had anyone been so brazen!
Does he really think I’m old?
Xie Yu looked at him, and he looked back at Xie Yu. His right hand, which had been slightly raised since earlier, slowly lowered in the end.
They were right. Even if this was a well-dug trap, the clumsiest of traps, he couldn’t jump in.
Once his private soldiers clashed with the imperial guards, the emperor would have an excuse to act…
Then he heard Xie Yu say nonchalantly, “If Your Highness is unconvinced, you may appeal to the imperial palace.”
The emperor wouldn’t pay attention even if he did!
Not only would he not pay attention, he might even celebrate!
Prince Su stared fiercely at Xie Yu, his chest heaving violently, “You’re great, you…”
He didn’t finish his sentence before the intense pain caused him to faint.
Panic ensued among his attendants.
In his first half of life, he had been arrogant and domineering, relying on the late emperor’s favor and the will.
Now, finally, someone had retaliated with the same favor from the current emperor.
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