Shen Xihe was momentarily stunned.
The affairs of the Duke of Xie's residence had caused quite a stir, and Xie Yunhuai's act of severing his hair to cut ties with his father had also shaken the capital. She knew that Xie Yunhuai had publicly accused the Duke of Xie of murdering his first wife at the banquet for the Duke's remarriage, but she had no idea it was done in such a manner.
The Duke of Xie—a man praised by everyone in the capital as a great philanthropist, a man who had etched loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness into the minds of all in the capital.
Back then, when Xie Yunhuai severed ties and accused him of murdering his first wife, no one believed him. Everyone claimed that Xie Yunhuai couldn't handle the blow of losing his mother and failed to understand his father's suffering in losing his wife in middle age, as well as the hardship of the Duke of Xie's residence having few descendants.
Moreover, his act of severing his hair to cut ties was itself a violation of filial piety. It was said that at the wedding banquet, the Duke of Xie was overwhelmed with grief, even blaming himself for failing in his duties as a father and not considering Xie Yunhuai's feelings as a young man who had lost his mother. He even expressed regret over the marriage on the spot.
"How could it come to this..." Shen Xihe felt a pang of heartache for the refined and noble man before her.
"In his youth, he had feelings for someone, but the woman was already betrothed to another. Left with no choice, he married my mother." For some reason, Xie Yunhuai felt an urge to confide in Shen Xihe.
The heavy pain buried deep in his heart seemed to have found an outlet at this moment, a chance to pour it all out.
"Everyone says he cherished his first wife deeply, to the extent that he had neither concubines nor even a maid for intimacy. My mother, I imagine, once believed the same."
Xie Yunhuai let out a light, mocking laugh. "His current wife is the woman he admired in his youth. I don't know when he learned that she had been widowed for years, nor when they became involved. He couldn't bear to make her a concubine, yet he wanted to be with her, so the only way was to make room for her by removing my mother."
Even so, the widely praised Duke of Xie could not afford to bear the stigma of murdering his wife. So, he spent three years meticulously achieving his goal. From the onset of his mother's illness, for three full years, he painstakingly ensured she drank medicine that was ineffective for her condition, watching her slowly wither away, all while feigning deep affection and tender care.
According to the laws of this dynasty: "Taking a concubine or a female guest as a wife is punishable by a year and a half of penal servitude."
A concubine could not be elevated to the status of a wife. Once a woman became a concubine, even if the wife died, one could only remarry—not promote the concubine to wife.
Hearing this, Shen Xihe thought of Xiao Changyu and Bian Xianyi. Xiao Changyu, too, must have been unwilling to let Bian Xianyi become a concubine, which was why he wanted to marry her first, let her pass away quietly from illness, and then remarry to wed Bian Xianyi.
"Doctor Qi..." Shen Xihe felt somewhat apologetic, unaware of these details, which had stirred up Xie Yunhuai's painful memories.
But Xie Yunhuai shook his head lightly with a faint smile, indicating he was fine. "He has always been kind to others and meticulous in his schemes. Even if I had dragged those doctors to the authorities, they wouldn't have dared implicate him. They would only admit to their own lack of medical skill. Incompetence in medicine isn't illegal—as long as there was no fraud, no poisoning, and under the pressure of the Duke's influence, they would at most receive a beating."
It was precisely for this reason that he could no longer stay in the Duke of Xie's residence for even a moment. He feared that one day, blinded by rage, he would take up a blade and kill his father.
Xie Ji did not deserve his life in return!
"As someone who has severed ties with his father, branded by everyone as unfilial and unjust, if Miss Gu were to marry me, she would face a lifetime of criticism." The body, hair, and skin are received from one's parents, and filial piety is the foundation of all virtues.
Xie Yunhuai's actions back then were indeed widely condemned, and with such a precedent, he had effectively ended any chance of a career in officialdom.Xie Yunhuai’s slender yet scarred hands meticulously arranged the medical tools he had laid out. “At that time, I had just left the Duke’s residence and was about to marry Lady Gu. If Minister Gu had urged me to return, it would have wounded me. If he had not, rumors would have spread that he had instigated my severance of ties. One must remember that the Gu family had no legitimate son.”
Every word Xie Yunhuai spoke came from the heart, and he was not wrong.
Between him and Gu Qingzhi, neither had wronged the other. It was simply a matter of fate not favoring their union.
“Why were you unwilling to break off the engagement with her in person?” Even if he did not wish to explain the circumstances, it would have been better to speak with her directly.
“Princess, at that time, my reputation was in tatters. If I had broken off the engagement, others would have said I knew my place or dared not offend the daughter of a minister. For Lady Gu, there would have been no damage to her reputation. But if I had broken it off with her personally, the outcome would have been different.”
Shen Xihe quietly watched Xie Yunhuai. So this was what he had thought.
Indeed, marriage was a matter arranged by parents. His decision to break off the engagement with Minister Gu was straightforward and honorable. If he had insisted on meeting Gu Qingzhi in person, rumors would have spread in the capital that they had long been in love—or worse.
At that time, the Gu family was at the height of its power, with countless eyes watching their every move. The slightest misstep would have been magnified into a scandal.
He simply did not want to tarnish her reputation.
“What if she had been willing to retreat to a simple life with you…?”
“She would not.” Before Shen Xihe could finish, Xie Yunhuai interrupted her firmly. “Princess, she is Lady Gu, the model of grace among noblewomen in the capital, the foremost daughter of an aristocratic family.”
A young woman who had ingrained propriety, responsibility, and gratitude into her very bones would never abandon the duties she bore as the legitimate daughter of the Gu family for the sake of personal affection.
Xie Yunhuai stood up and slung his medicine chest over his shoulder. “If she had wished to, she could have found countless ways to avoid marrying into the royal family. Yet she chose to press forward without hesitation—because she is Lady Gu.”
With these words, Xie Yunhuai bowed to Shen Xihe and took his leave.
At the doorway, he paused. Without turning around, he slowly glanced back, his profile facing Shen Xihe. “Princess, the same applies to you.”
Shen Xihe watched as Xie Yunhuai walked away step by step until he disappeared from sight.
Distractedly, she gazed out the window. At some point, a light drizzle had begun to fall, its fine droplets slanting through the air. Unconsciously, she walked to the window and watched the misty rain. A soft laugh escaped her lips. “I never imagined that the one who understands me best would be you.”
Just as Gu Qingzhi had countless ways to avoid marrying into the royal family, so did Shen Xihe.
Yet both of them had chosen to stake everything on one throw, driven by a sense of responsibility that left them no room for retreat.
Though the Gu family had ultimately met with ruin, Gu Qingzhi felt neither regret nor guilt. She had done her utmost.
Xie Yunhuai had spoken so much to her because he wanted her to know that she still had a choice. He did not wish for her to be dragged into the vortex of imperial power, for once she stepped into it, it would be a matter of life or death. Even if she emerged as the ultimate victor, she would be exhausted and scarred.
But so what?
She could indeed choose to remain her Father and Brother’s cherished daughter forever, feigning innocence and ignorance, enjoying the peace and comfort they had fought tooth and nail to secure for her. Yet if Shen Yueshan and the others were to fail, where would that leave her?
She feared she would even be ashamed to be buried alongside them in death.
They were a family. Supporting one another and sharing the burdens—that was what made them a family.
Power was an invisible hand, manipulating the hearts of all, forcibly pushing everyone into the game.
The Shen family had no path of retreat. As a member of the Shen family, she bore an inescapable responsibility."Raindrops fall, autumn winds rise. Some admire the rain's scenery, some hope for the rain to hasten, while others..." Shen Xihe extended her pale hand out the window, feeling the autumn rain's chill, "wait for the rain to cease."
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