Chapter 064
Chapter 64: The Last Value
Madam Wan, angry that her daughter still did not understand, tapped her daughter’s forehead and scolded: “Think about it. How many words did Lu Rong Fang say to you, and how long did he talk with that wretch Xia Meng Yan? The Lu Family clearly used your name to invite Xia Meng Yan out. They have likely already made a deal, while you are still in the dark.”
Xia Qing Yao frowned and argued: “Impossible. Older sister is a divorced woman. Lu Rong Fang would have to be crazy to marry her. Mother, you must be wrong. The Lu Family belongs to the Imperial Clan. If older sister, already pregnant, marries Lu Rong Fang, the Capital noble houses will laugh at them to death.”
She admitted to herself that she was not as pretty as Xia Meng Yan, but the situation had changed. Xia Meng Yan’s reputation was ruined and she was carrying a child. In Xia Qing Yao’s mind, a woman like that could only marry a widower as a second wife.
Mother had nagged in her ear day after day, saying the Capital noble houses had their eyes on Xia Meng Yan, but Xia Qing Yao simply did not believe it.
She thought: [The noble houses are not blind. Why would they choose a woman with a child over a well-born maiden?]
Madam Wan snapped, her voice low: “You read operas all day and only understand romance. In the end you help others count their money. Noble houses care most about profit. All that talk about ‘equal families’ is fake. The dowries of Xia Meng Yan and Madam Lin together are worth as much as the State Treasury. Trading a concubine-born for a lifetime of comfort for the whole Lu estate, what about that is impossible?”
Xia Qing Yao still refused to accept it. In her mind, Lu Rong Fang was refined and elegant. How could gold and silver lead him by the nose?
Seeing her daughter’s disbelief, Madam Wan grew both angry and anxious. She thought: [How did I give birth to such a foolish daughter?]
She ended the talk with a cold warning: “Words are useless now. Just wait. The Lu Family will act soon.”
Nanny Li wanted to soften things, but Madam Wan sent her a sharp look. Nanny Li bowed her head. Madam Wan gave an order: “Burn all the opera storybooks in her room. If I see another one, she can kneel in the ancestral hall.”
Elsewhere, when Xia Meng Yan closed her eyes, Lu Rong Fang’s words kept echoing. Hesitation flickered in her gaze.
She had not yet sorted out her thoughts when a noisy commotion rose outside.
“Marquis, you cannot enter,” Chun Yue strained to block the door, but Lin Ye Lan shoved her aside and shouted: “Xia Meng Yan, come out.”
Sitting up, Xia Meng Yan watched Lin Ye Lan limp inside. He barked, face pale with pain: “Did you tell Divine Physician Luo to make things hard for me on purpose?”
Xia Meng Yan scoffed and looked him over, noting how thin he had grown in just a few days: “Are you out of your mind? Do you think anyone can order Divine Physician Luo around?”
Lin Ye Lan sank into a chair across from her and snapped: “Then why does every treatment feel like ten thousand arrows in my heart? Don’t use the word ‘Divine’ to fool me. You and Divine Physician Luo are old friends. Otherwise she would not have come to the Capital at your word. I may not know her, but I know you. It must be your trick.”
He had begun to fear the treatments. The pain like arrows through the heart, his body torn open, left him sleepless. He was sure something was wrong.
Xia Meng Yan laughed with open disdain: “Those words should be said to Divine Physician Luo, not screamed at me.”
She thought: [Coward. You only bully the soft.]
Lin Ye Lan slammed the teacup down with a dull thud and threatened: “Don’t think I have no way to deal with you. I’ve just returned from suppressing bandits. My merits offset my faults. The matter of the two hundred thousand taels is canceled. The Court needs people right now. His Majesty and the Huo Family have entrusted me with heavy tasks. As long as I open my mouth, many things are easy.”
The blade that had hung over the Marquis Manor had been taken away by His Majesty after Lin Ye Lan’s victory over the bandits. He had also heard that the envoys sent to the Northern Fortress Pass were already on their way back and seemed to have found nothing. The Huo Family had cleared their name and regained imperial favor. As Marshal Huo’s right-hand man, Lin Ye Lan would of course gain more.
He believed that what he had lost would soon return.
Xia Meng Yan could not help laughing: “So the marquis has so many choices. Then go into the palace soon and get what you want. Stop waving yourself in front of me.”
In her mind, Lin Ye Lan was only the Huo Family’s knife. This knife had not helped them kill, only caused trouble. If the Huo Family had any sense, they would not reuse him. His final worth would be to take the blame.
Lin Ye Lan leaned forward and bargained: “If you make Divine Physician Luo treat me properly, I will enter the palace now and ask His Majesty to allow us to remarry. I will bear all punishment.”
He believed that with a child between them, Xia Meng Yan was only putting on a show. If he took the punishment for her, she would see his sincerity and remarry for the child’s sake.
Xia Meng Yan looked him in the eyes, unable to understand where his confidence came from: “Lin Ye Lan, Marquis of Ping An, I said it clearly last time. After this child is born, the surname will be Xia. The child has nothing to do with you. As for Divine Physician Luo, if you think she is playing tricks, then don’t get treated.”
He had not expected that even when he lowered himself, she would still refuse. If so, she could grow old at home, and as for the child, severing ties would never happen.
He shot to his feet. Pain in his leg swept through his body and robbed him of courage for a breath. Seeing her look of contempt, he clenched his teeth and left.
He thought: [It’s only pain. I can endure it.]
Xia Meng Yan told the servants, voice cool: “If Lin Ye Lan forces his way in again, throw him out.”
The servants answered with awkward faces. He was the marquis. If there was trouble, they would be the ones to die.
After hitting a wall at Autumn Lotus Court, Lin Ye Lan stomped away. Not paying attention, he ran into someone at a corner.
“Sorry,” he said on instinct. In Xia Manor, it was safe to apologize first if you bumped into someone.
Xia Qing Yao had been on her way to Autumn Lotus Court to ask questions, but to her surprise she ran into Lin Ye Lan. She thought: [Older sister meets her ex-husband in private while also tangled up with Lu Rong Fang?]
She dipped a proper curtsey and spoke softly: “This young lady greets the Marquis of Ping An.”
Lin Ye Lan looked up. Seeing it was Xia Qing Yao, his anger faded: “So it is Second Miss Xia. I was in a hurry and did not watch the road.”
“It’s all right,” Xia Qing Yao said, then asked with concern, “Mother said the marquis is being treated here. Is your leg any better?”
Madam Wan had not told Xia Qing Yao about Divine Physician Luo. It was not that she didn’t want to. Xia Ping Yuan had given a strict order: anyone who exposed the physician’s whereabouts would be thrown out of the manor. The second branch had many old debts that the main branch often covered, so they did not dare to take risks. Xia Qing Yao only knew that Madam Lin had invited a physician to protect Xia Meng Yan’s pregnancy. That physician had a family secret medicine for injuries. When the Marquis of Ping An heard of it, he came to the manor for treatment.
Had Xia Meng Yan known how seamless Madam Wan’s story sounded, she would have clapped.
“It’s much better,” Lin Ye Lan answered, not wishing others to know the true state of his injury. He stepped aside to leave, but Xia Qing Yao asked in a gentle voice: “Does the marquis want to remarry my older sister?”
He paused and glanced back: “Yes, but she refuses.”
Xia Qing Yao tightened her grip on her handkerchief, looking as if she had something she dared not say.
Lin Ye Lan frowned: “Second Miss Xia, speak plainly.”
Xia Qing Yao twisted the handkerchief and said in a worried tone: “Older sister also wants to remarry, but the Lu Family is pressuring her in secret and promised many benefits. She is only hesitating out of anger at you. I fear she will agree to the Lu Family.”
“Isn’t the Lu Family courting you, Second Miss?” Lin Ye Lan’s face changed as he remembered the rumors. “How is this connected to Meng Yan?” Could the Lu Family really be after Xia Meng Yan? Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
He warned coldly: “Second Miss Xia, you should speak with proof.”
Xia Qing Yao looked troubled, glanced around, and lowered her voice: “I pity the child in older sister’s belly, so I tell you this. Today Young Master Lu asked both me and my sister to meet at Bright Moon Pavilion. The two of them spoke in private for a long time. If you don’t believe me, you can check at Bright Moon Pavilion.”