Chapter 455: Extra Story – Previous Life 7
Xie Family Ancestral Hall.
Xie Xian knelt on the prayer cushion, her eyes vacant as she stared at the dozens of memorial tablets before her. Her heart was numb, devoid of any emotion.
She had been kneeling here for over half a month, unable to even bid her mother a final farewell.
She stood opposed to the entire Xie family, uncertain of what awaited her.
The door of the ancestral hall creaked open.
She knew it was the maid bringing her food. Although her father had confined her to the ancestral hall, he would not actually let her starve to death.
"Miss..." whispered the maid who had grown up with her, kneeling beside her. "I heard from the household that the master is arranging a marriage for you."
Xie Xian pressed her lips together and remained silent.
Her marriage had been under discussion before the New Year, with her mother selecting a suitable match. However, the matter was delayed after the Yun family's incident.
The prospective groom was the illegitimate son of a third-rank official, a Cultivated Talent with no concubines or mistresses—his household was clean. Marrying him as the principal wife would have been an excellent match for her.
As she pondered this, the maid continued, "It's not the Qi family that Madam was in contact with before the New Year. It's the Ge family."
Xie Xian froze. "Which Ge family?"
The young maid didn't know which Ge family either and said tearfully, "The master intends for you to become a concubine in the Ge family..."
"A concubine..." Xie Xian's voice was faint, almost unreal.
Her own mother had been a concubine. No matter how kind the principal wife was, a concubine was always inferior.
Her mother had told her that being a concubine in a wealthy family was worse than being the wife of a humble household.
She had always remembered this and had even told her mother that she wished to marry into a family of lower status as the principal wife.
Her mother had carefully chosen the Qi family for her.
Now that her mother was gone, it had become the Ge family's concubine.
"I must go see Father!"
Xie Xian stood up abruptly but felt dizzy, nearly collapsing to the ground.
"Miss, don't go. It's useless..." The young maid couldn't hold back her tears. "The eldest young mistress and the eldest young master argued over this matter, and the whole household knows about it now. That's how I found out... Even the eldest young mistress's intervention was useless. How could you possibly change the master and the eldest young master's decision?"
No sooner had the maid finished speaking than footsteps echoed from outside.
Shortly after, Xie Shiwei strode in. "It seems you already know about your marriage. I won't say much more. The wedding is set for three days from now. The Ge family will send someone to fetch you then. Prepare yourself."
Xie Xian closed her eyes. "I won't marry."
"Who are you to refuse?" Xie Shiwei sneered. "Minister Ge is a high-ranking third-rank official. Marrying him as a beautiful concubine is no loss for you."
Only then did Xie Xian realize which Ge family it was.
That Minister Ge was the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, indeed a third-rank official. However, he was already in his thirties or forties, with a household full of concubines. She would rather die than become a concubine to such a man.
She pressed her lips together and remained silent.
"Stop pretending to be dead here!" Xie Shiwei's expression turned even colder. "Don't forget, your mother, Concubine Jiang, is still locked in the woodshed, surviving on a single bowl of plain porridge a day. If you dare commit suicide or flee the marriage, I will grind your mother's bones to dust!"
Xie Xian's heart sank.
She believed Xie Shiwei was capable of such a thing. If Xie Shi'an was a hypocrite, then Xie Shiwei was an outright demon.
Several maids had been tormented by Xie Shiwei day after day until they could no longer bear the humiliation and threw themselves into a well to end their lives."Stop kneeling in the ancestral hall. Return to your courtyard and prepare properly," Xie Shiwei said coldly. "If you serve Lord Ge well, the Xie family will become your backing, helping you establish yourself in the Ge household."
Xie Xian clenched her jaw tightly, refusing to let any pleas for mercy escape her lips.
The entire Xie family began bustling with preparations for the second young lady's marriage.
For the Xie family's second daughter to marry a third-rank official as a concubine was, by any measure, hardly an honorable affair.
Thus, the Xies silenced their servants, arranged for an inconspicuous sedan chair, and quietly carried Xie Xian out through the back gate—effectively marrying off their daughter.
After seeing Xie Xian off, Gao Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As Xie Shiwei's wife, household authority should have fallen to Song Yin, the eldest daughter-in-law, after their mother-in-law's passing. But for some reason, the eldest brother and his wife quarreled constantly, and Song Yin had abandoned her duties. Consequently, the responsibility fell to her, the second daughter-in-law—a favorable turn of events, for who wouldn't want to be the mistress of the household?
Meanwhile, at Pineshade Pavilion.
Xie Shi'an gazed at the woman before him. After all these days, she had finally come to speak with him voluntarily, yet her words concerned someone else's affairs.
Song Yin pressed her lips together, her voice icy as she asked, "You're already the Chief Grand Councilor. Why must you still use Xie Xian to curry favor? She's your own sister—how could you send her into such a pit of fire?"
"I've told you before—this wasn't my decision. It was Father's will," Xie Shi'an stepped forward and grasped her shoulders. "You've been angry for so many days now. Isn't it time to let it go? Whatever punishment you demand, I'll accept it."
"But you didn't stop it," Song Yin enunciated each word deliberately. "Though Father-in-law remains, everyone in the Xie family knows you truly hold the reins. Had you objected, no one would have dared send Xie Xian to the Ge family as a concubine. Ultimately, you welcomed this outcome. Whenever someone can bring you advantage, you won't hesitate to use them as stepping stones..."
"Song Yin!" Xie Shi'an cut her off. "In your heart, am I truly such a despicable man?"
Song Yin continued, "If someday sacrificing me could secure your official career, you'd undoubtedly do the same, wouldn't you?"
Xie Shi'an gritted his teeth. "Song Yin, have you no heart? Search your conscience—since you married into the Xie family, have I ever wronged you?"
"Not in the past doesn't mean never in the future." Song Yin shook off his hands. "Never mind. There's no need to ask you these questions. The answer doesn't truly matter."
Even if the man sharing her pillow was a hypocrite, what could she do? She still had to guard this marriage for a lifetime.
She turned and walked slowly away, her footsteps carrying her unconsciously to Concubine Jiang's courtyard.
After Xie Xian agreed to the marriage, Concubine Jiang had been released from the woodshed, though guards remained at her gate, forbidding her from leaving.
"Young Madam!"
The guards bowed respectfully.
Everyone knew the young master feared his wife—within the Xie household, the young madam's word was law.
Song Yin entered without hindrance.
"Young Madam!" The moment Concubine Jiang saw her, she tumbled from her bed and crawled to Song Yin's feet. "I beg you, Young Madam, please help! Save Xian'er, save her..."
Song Yin looked down to see Concubine Jiang's haggard face, eyes swollen like peaches, cheekbones protruding sharply—the woman devoid of any vitality.She shook her head, "I've tried to persuade her, but she wouldn't listen. There's nothing more I can do. But please rest assured, Concubine Jiang, I will visit Xian'er at the Ge family often and do my best to ensure she lives comfortably..."
Concubine Jiang sobbed, "It's my fault she's in this situation. If I weren't still in the Xie family, Xian'er would never have agreed to marry. I might as well be dead..."
"Please don't think that way, Concubine Jiang," Song Yin consoled her. "If you were to die, Xian'er would have nothing left to tie her here, and she might simply leave. As long as we're alive, there's always hope..."
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