CH 25

The woman’s figure slowly disappeared in the dimly lit study. Xie Chong withdrew his gaze, glancing at the Xuande Furnace covered with Tibetan Scriptures on the case table. His obsidian eyes slightly narrowed, making it impossible to tell what he was actually thinking.

Zhou Qing stepped over the threshold and carefully closed the door.

Only to see Xie Yi waiting at the bottom of the stone steps, bowing to her in gratitude, “Thanks to Mrs. Luo’s help today. Otherwise, with the commander’s body drenched in blood, I’m afraid it would have caused another headache.”

As Xie Chong’s most loyal subordinate, Xie Yi has been with the commander for many years and knew a thing or two about his marrow and sea problems. Seeing that over the years, the Lord had invited countless famous doctors, and even the Imperial doctor had seen it a few times. But these doctors were helpless, unable to eradicate or relieve the pain from the disease.

Xie Yi was in distress. But now, there was a glimmer of hope. Naturally, he shouldn’t offend the Zhou family.

Zhou Qing did not know his thoughts, smiled lightly, shook her head, and said, “The commander has shown great kindness to the Zhou family. This little woman only makes some herbs and will usually stay in the herbal store to mix herbs. The effort given is not worthy enough to be mentioned.”

As they spoke, the two of them walked outside. Just near the door, Zhou Qing saw a young man get off the palanquin. The man’s profile and Xie Chong had three points of resemblance, but his pair of drooping eyes made him look vicious, like a poisonous snake staring at its prey, always spying on others.

The young man came closer, looked her up and down, and asked wistfully, “Xie Yi, who is this lady? Why is she here in our residence at this time of night?”

The guard’s face remained unchanged, and his tone and attitude could not be faulted, “In response to the second young master’s words, this is the commander’s honored guest. The Lord had invited the guest for an urgent matter. Now that the matter has been settled, it is only natural to send her back.”

“An honored guest? I think it’s more like a delicate guest, right? The other day, my cousin was in a brothel. I didn’t expect he would bring such a beauty back to the house today, but it’s a pity that she’s a married woman, so she can only have a private meeting and can’t be given a title…”

Hearing such rude words, Zhou Qing slightly frowned, while the fair, small face could not help but show anger. “Please do not talk nonsense. There is no clandestine affair between the commander and me. You have repeatedly slandered us. Is there a difference between you and a long-tongued woman?”

Xie Ling was stunned; he did not expect a woman to dare refute him. As he was about to threaten her, Xie Yi moved in front of Zhou Qing. The veins on his forehead bulged, and the terrifying aura burst forth, petrifying him. Xie Ling’s legs became weak as he swallowed back the words in his throat.

When she got on the carriage, Zhou Qing felt a bit strange.

The person who tarnished Xie Chong’s identity, even the Senior Ministers would not dare to treat him so, but that person just said that he went to a brothel to have fun with prostitutes and even have private meetings with people. It was really bold of him.

Even if she did not understand, Zhou Qing did not ask questions. After all, this was someone else’s affairs. The more one knew, the more unfavorable it would be.

“The one just now was the cousin of the commander, named Xie Ling. This person is extremely narrow-minded and vengeful. Because he could not deal with the commander, he said some unpleasant things. Please do not take offense, Madam Luo.” Xie Yi explained in a low voice.

Zhou Qing suddenly understood. After the former commandant Xie Meng Dong died, he left behind a son and a daughter. It seemed that Xie Ling should be his Eldest son. Although the son must be closer than the nephew, the position of the commander has always been occupied by capable people, and Xie Ling was not as good as Xie Chong. Naturally, he could not be in charge of the Northern Division.

The power that was within reach was snatched away by his cousin, Xie Ling felt wrong. It was reasonable, but he should not be like a mad dog who would climb and indiscriminately bite the people he saw. Xie Meng Dong was also a character, but he was a tiger father and dog son.

With her delicate fingertips fiddling with the loose hair on her cheek, Zhou Qing leaned against the carriage, no longer thinking about these things. She came to the Xie household to mix herbs, only to feel physically and mentally exhausted, as if she had left the Gates of Hell.

When she arrived at the Herbal Store, she said goodbye to Xie Yi and went into the house.

She thought her parents and brother had gone to bed long ago, but when she walked to the backyard, the hall was lit up, and the family was sitting on chairs, waiting for her to return.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing was touched. In this world, except for her blood relatives, no one would put her in such an important position, worrying about her safety and caring about her likes and dislikes.

Resisting the urge to cry, she slowly walked to Father Zhou and softly said: “Father, didn’t this daughter say it earlier? I just went to mix herbs for the commander. I’m the only one in the world who can make the tranquil fragrance. Nothing will happen.”

Father Zhou frowned tightly, not feeling comforted at all. In a rough voice, he spoke, “Although your talent is not bad, the skills are still a little rusty. The reason you can mix exquisite herbs is coincidental. What you can do, others can also do as long as they are guided. Xie Chong is the commander. Do you think you can deceive him with your little tricks?”

Hearing these words, Zhou Qing’s heart thumped. She didn’t know how to refute it, unable to say anything for a long time.

Zhou Liangyu – who sat on the side – saw his sister’s frown and could not help but be distressed. He advised, “Father is right. The commander is not the same as us. Once we provoke others, what can we do? It is better to avoid him to protect ourselves.”

“Brother, don’t worry. I have my own sense of propriety. I’ll only go to the Xie residence to blend herbs and not break any rules nor offend the commander.”

“Qing’er, just a short time after you left, Luo Yu came and wanted to take you home.” Thinking of her daughter and son-in-law who had a disagreement, Mother Xi couldn’t help but sigh.

Staying at home for the past two months or so, Zhou Qing only felt incomparably at ease. She never even wanted to return to that damp and filthy mire. After all, even after taking revenge and stirring up the messy mud to splatter, she herself could not be clean.

“Mother, I asked Senior brother Yu Fu to inquire about it earlier. Luo Xinyue eloped with someone, and now the neighbors know about it. How can I go back and raise my baby in peace?”

At these words, Mother Xi was surprised at first, then she became furious, her face flushed. “The Luo family is really not strict with family customs. A daughter who is not yet married, ran away with a foreign man. Where is their honor? If Luo Xinyue is married in the future, it’s okay, but if she can’t get married, it will cause people to stab her in the back!”

Zhou Qing didn’t think it was a big deal. In her previous life, she did her best to match Luo Xinyue, found a good man who was honest and responsible, didn’t mind Luo Xiaobao’s origin, and treated his mother extremely well. However, Luo Xinyue felt vexed about it. Zhou Qing didn’t know if she was with Wu Yongye at the moment. Would she regret it in the future?

“Mother need not worry. Luo Yu is a wise man. He can certainly take care of the whole Luo family. What am I going back for?”

“That’s right. The Luo family is in such a mess. You should stay at home since you are pregnant so as not to spoil your health.”

It was getting late now. Zhou Liangyu noticed the slightly dark circles underneath her eyes. Worried, he instructed, “Quickly go back and rest. If other women are pregnant, they’ll have a much plumper body. Unlike you, not only are you not fat, but also your chin is pointed. If you continue wasting sleep and studying herbal recipes like this, be careful otherwise I will take away all the herbal wares.”

Zhou Qing knew that her brother was the most soft-hearted. She curled her lips and smiled, hurriedly saluted to her parents, then returned to her room. She did a simple freshening up and rested.

——

The day Luo Xinyue disappeared, Luo Yu went to the pharmacy to buy saffron, thinking he would get rid of the evil seed in her belly to eliminate future problems. However, when he returned home, he saw his mother sitting on the floor and crying, saying that Xinyue had run out of the house and was nowhere to be found.

Although Luo Yu was only a minor official of the eighth rank, he was deep-rooted and knew that the matter was not honorable and must not be disclosed. Otherwise, there would be a daughter who had run away with someone in the family, and his reputation would not be left intact. Thus, he went to great lengths to conceal it, but he did not expect Mother Luo – who had a broken mouth – would complain to the neighbor, Aunt Wu, and leak the matter, and the rumors were now spreading and unpleasant to the ears.

Now, Qing’er had returned to her mother’s house, and she had a grudge against him because of the previous incident. If she took this opportunity to directly propose a divorce, Luo Yu could not accept such a result.

In the past few days, he had already inquired about some clues, but was uncertain.

At this moment, Mother Luo was sitting on the bench. Her long, thin, old face was gloomy. Miserably she said, “Why is Zhou Qing still not back? She has lived in her mother’s house for more than two whole months. I think she is wild-hearted and does not put you in her eyes at all.”

Luo Yu appeared grim. The palm hidden in the sleeve clenched into a fist. It was obvious Qing’er was not like this when they first got married. She did her best to take care of the household. Every time she saw him, the small, gorgeous face would blush. But since he brought the drugged man home, everything became different.

It seemed that a hole had been pierced in his heart, and the excruciating pain almost drowned Luo Yu. He took a deep breath and said in a gruff voice, “Mother, now that the family is in such a mess, it would be inappropriate for Qing’er to come back. Don’t forget; she is still pregnant with your grandchild.”

At these words, Mother Luo’s complexion improved a bit. Although Zhou Qing was not a good woman, her belly was considered to not fall short. As long as she gave birth to a son, the old Luo family would have a descendant.

“By the way, did you find out where Xinyue is? She is a girl who lives outside. How can she bear that suffering?”

With a cold face, Luo Yu’s tone was icy, “Mother doesn’t need to worry about her. This son followed the adulterer these days and found him going to West Street every day, so I’m sure Xinyue is there too.”

Mother Luo could not help but frown, “What adulterer? That’s your brother-in-law! He has already cooked the rice with Xinyue. This marriage must be done. Otherwise, how can your sister find any good family?”

The woman’s shrill shout made Luo Yu feel agitated. He held back his anger and said, “The marriage? You also know that the Marquis of Changxia is a high-ranking family and will not look at ordinary people like us for a proper wife, let alone Xinyue doing such a thing, being hired as a wife but running as a concubine. How can people show respect to it?”