Chapter 456 Extra Story: Previous Life 8
Song Yin fell ill without warning.
She had been running a fever, and in her dazed state, felt someone holding her.
She opened her eyes to find Xie Shi'an lying beside her.
Instantly more alert, she pushed Xie Shi'an away.
Xie Shi'an hadn't expected her sudden awakening. With only half his body on the bed, he was shoved off and tumbled to the floor.
Unfazed, he got up and picked up a bowl of medicine from the bedside. "Since you're awake, drink this. It'll help you recover faster."
"Get out." Song Yin closed her eyes. "I want to rest alone. Please leave."
"Yinyin, how long are you going to keep this up?" Xie Shi'an looked utterly dejected. "I've done everything I can. What more do you want from me?"
Song Yin didn't know what she wanted either.
She loved Xie Shi'an deeply and could feel that his heart belonged entirely to her.
They had four children and lived a happy, fulfilling life.
Such a wonderful life was the envy of every woman in the capital. So why was she making a fuss?
She couldn't understand herself.
But she knew she didn't want to see Xie Shi'an.
"Leave first."
Her tone was cold as she issued the dismissal.
Xie Shi'an pressed his lips together, set the medicine bowl on the table, and placed a few pieces of candied fruit beside it before walking out.
Just outside, a maid from the courtyard came to inquire, "Young Master, the young mistress hasn't eaten for days. This can't go on."
Xie Shi'an paused. "I'll make her something to eat."
Life had been hard when he was young, and he often cooked. Though it had been years, he still remembered some things.
He was clever and quick to learn. After the young maid explained once, he remembered and began preparing the food carefully.
The next morning, Song Yin felt somewhat better. She got up to bask in the sun in the courtyard but noticed the servants acting strangely.
She called her personal maid over. "What's going on?"
The maid avoided her gaze. "N-nothing..."
"The young mistress will find out sooner or later. Why hide it?" another maid said through gritted teeth. "It's the young master. Last night, a low-ranking maid from the kitchen schemed her way into his quarters..."
Song Yin froze. "What did you say?"
"The young master was careless and fell for her trick. But he's already called a slave trader to the residence to sell her off."
As they spoke, Gao Shi entered and exclaimed, "Sister-in-law, come quickly! That maid heard that big brother plans to sell her and is threatening to jump into the well. If this gets out, the Xie family's reputation will be ruined! Sister-in-law, be generous and let big brother take a concubine. Look at him—he's been deprived for so long. Ah!"
Supported by her maid, Song Yin hurried to the backyard.
Many servants had gathered there. In the center, a maid stood by the well, ready to jump.
Xie Shi'an stood nearby, his expression icy cold. "You have two choices: jump or be sold. The decision is yours."
The maid wept in despair. She deeply regretted scheming against the young master the previous night, but there was no cure for regret.
A maid who plotted against her master, if sold off, would face a fate worse than death.
She closed her eyes and prepared to jump."Wait." Song Yin's voice rang out. "What are you doing, husband? Could it be that our Xie family cannot afford to support one more concubine?"
She looked at the maid. "Come down from there. Clean yourself up properly and come serve me a cup of tea. From now on, you shall be the concubine serving the eldest young master."
"Hey, what are you still standing there for!" Gao Shi hurriedly said. "Quickly come kneel and thank the eldest young mistress!"
The maid snapped out of her daze, climbed down from the well, and fell to her knees with a thud before Song Yin.
Song Yin helped her up. "You shall reside in the eastern wing of my courtyard."
From the moment she entered this courtyard and spoke her first words, she knew Xie Shi'an had been watching her.
She knew that by doing this, the bond between husband and wife would be completely broken.
But if she didn't act, this young maid barely in her teens would meet a fragrant demise.
"Fine. You're just fine," Xie Shi'an said through gritted teeth. "If this is what you wish to see, then so be it."
In the following months, four additional concubines were added to the eldest branch of the Xie household.
The eldest young mistress of the Xie family neither managed household affairs nor commanded her husband's respect, and her life in the mansion gradually became more difficult.
By year's end, the Court of Judicial Review found evidence confirming Prince Pingxi's rebellion. Prince Pingxi was demoted to commoner status and imprisoned indefinitely within his mansion along with his two children.
The following autumn, the Crown Prince accidentally injured the Emperor during a hunt and was executed on the spot.
The Emperor fell ill from this incident, remaining bedridden for several months until he passed away during the first winter snow. Gong Xi Prince succeeded to the throne.
Xie Shi'an, already the Head Grand Secretary, was additionally appointed Minister of Revenue due to his merit in supporting the new emperor, becoming a truly powerful high-ranking minister whom everyone avoided crossing.
Soon after, the corruption case involving the He family, former Ministers of Revenue from years past, was reinvestigated. It was discovered that Minister He had been framed and made a scapegoat back then, leading to the execution of all male family members and the exile of elderly, weak, women, and children back to their ancestral home.
The current Head Grand Secretary was revealed to be a descendant of the He family. His mother had changed their names and devoted herself to raising her child solely to clear the family name. Now that the truth had finally emerged and justice was served, his mother could finally see the clouds part and the moon shine bright.
Shortly thereafter, the Xie family held a grand wedding.
The legitimate daughter of the former He family married Xie Jingyu, drawing crowds of spectators throughout the capital.
The Xie family welcomed its new matriarch.
He Shi entered the household... no, she had now resumed her original name, He Lingying.
On her first day, He Lingying was supposed to offer tea to the previous matriarch in the ancestral hall. She directly canceled this ritual and ordered Yun Chu's memorial tablet thrown into the storage room.
A dead woman who hadn't borne the Xie family any children wasn't worthy of drinking her tea.
On her second day, Concubine Jiang, who had long been bedridden, suddenly died. When the news reached the Ge family, Xie Xian also passed away...
Concubine Yu, sent by He Lingying to find Xie Shiyun, met with misfortune along the way and also perished...
The remaining concubines in the Xie household deeply felt the new matriarch's authority, each keeping their heads down like quails. The Xie family's rear courtyard became exceptionally quiet.
He Lingying found Song Yin unsatisfactory no matter how she looked at her. She had opposed this marriage from the beginning, but it proceeded only because An Ge'er insisted and Yun Chu gave approval.
After Song Yin married into the family and bore An Ge'er four children, He Lingying gradually became more accepting of her.
But ever since Yun Chu's death, Song Yin seemed like a different person, constantly giving An Ge'er attitude. How could a mere Cultivated Talent's daughter like Song Yin act so arrogantly toward An Ge'er, a first-rank minister?
He Lingying sent someone to summon Song Yin.Song Yin had been ill and came forward, forcing herself despite her ailing body. "Greetings, Mother."
He Lingying took a sip of tea and said indifferently, "I've heard that Shi'an is driven out of your room every time he enters. Since you have no intention of serving your husband, why not relinquish your position?"
Song Yin looked up. "Is this Mother's intention, or my husband's?"
Although the marital bond between her and Xie Shi'an had completely vanished, she still had four children. For their sake, she had to hold on to her position as the principal wife.
"Naturally, it is Shi'an's intention," He Lingying lowered her eyes. "You have borne four children for the Xie family, so we will grant you some dignity. Take the divorce agreement and leave."
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