Xie Jingyu’s expression was gloomy to the extreme.

After drinking tea with Lord Yu, he emerged from the teahouse and from afar spotted the most conspicuous woman in the crowd.

She truly lived up to being the Yun family’s eldest daughter, whose beauty was renowned throughout the capital. On the busy street with people coming and going, she was so dazzling that everyone’s gaze unconsciously fell upon her.

However, when he saw the man standing face-to-face with Yun Chu, his entire heart immediately sank to the bottom.

He apologized to Lord Yu, then quickly walked over and yanked Yun Chu behind him.

He cupped his hands in salute: “This official greets the Marquis.”

“Tsk.” Qin Mingheng laughed. “This marquis was merely chatting with Madam Xie for a moment. Is Lord Xie afraid this marquis will devour Madam Xie?”

Xie Jingyu spoke: “It’s getting late. This official will take my wife home first. Next time there’s an opportunity, I’ll visit the Marquis’s manor.”

Having said this, he turned around and looked at Yun Chu. “Wife, let’s go home.”

Yun Chu dodged the hand he was about to extend, supported herself on Tingshuang, and boarded the carriage first.

Xie Jingyu followed her up and sat across from her.

As before, Yun Chu couldn’t be bothered to speak with him. She lifted the carriage curtain to look at the scenery outside.

Xie Jingyu had a stifled feeling in his chest.

He couldn’t help but speak: “What was Marquis Xuanwu saying to you?”

Yun Chu answered calmly: “We happened to meet on the road and exchanged greetings.”

Xie Jingyu pressed further: “Is that all?”

“What else could there be?” Yun Chu lowered the curtain and met his gaze directly. “Husband is interrogating me so aggressively—do you think I’ve been unfaithful?”

“Of course not…” Xie Jingyu hadn’t expected her to be so direct. Somewhat at a loss for words, he didn’t even dare look at Yun Chu’s clear eyes anymore. He said awkwardly, “After Wei’er injured the heir of Marquis Xuanwu’s manor last time, Marquis Xuanwu has constantly been making things difficult for me at court. I was worried he might be disrespectful to you, so that’s why I…”

Yun Chu looked at him steadily.

She knew Xie Jingyu was a thoroughly hypocritical man who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

If what Qin Mingheng said was true, then why would Xie Jingyu use two fake corpses to deceive her?

Those were children she had given birth to, also flesh and blood carrying the Xie family bloodline. She truly didn’t want to believe that Xie Jingyu had lost the children’s remains…

“Wife, what’s wrong?”

Under Yun Chu’s gaze, Xie Jingyu felt uncomfortable all over and couldn’t help touching his own face.

Yun Chu shook her head and said nothing more.

The carriage soon arrived at the entrance to the Xie manor.

They had left in the morning to go to the Yun family home, then to the outskirts, been delayed on the road for a while—by the time they returned, it was already dusk.

The orange sunset of midsummer fell on both their shoulders, casting long shadows.

He Shi was standing in the courtyard and immediately saw the two walking in side by side—the man tall and jade-like, the woman with peerless beauty. What a perfectly matched couple.

She suppressed the emotions rising in her heart, walked over, and curtsied: “My lord, Madam.”

“I still have matters to handle. I’ll return to my courtyard first.”

Without a single extra word, Yun Chu turned and left with her maids.

Xie Jingyu watched her retreating figure and sighed almost imperceptibly.

“My lord,” He Shi spoke. “Madam left alone this morning. How did she return together with you, my lord?”

Xie Jingyu answered casually: “We met on the road.”

“Why did Madam also change her clothes?” He Shi had been doing embroidery work recently and knew fabrics inside and out. “The garment Madam is wearing is the very rare cloud brocade satin from Jiangnan. Only noble families can afford to use it. Has the Yun family become that wealthy?”

Xie Jingyu’s expression suddenly darkened.

As the Yun family’s son-in-law, he knew very well that although the Yun family was a first-rank general’s manor, they weren’t particularly wealthy and simply couldn’t afford such expensive fabrics.

He quickly walked into his own courtyard and ordered coldly: “Go to the Yun family gatehouse and inquire how long Madam stayed there.”

The young servant worked quickly. In less than half a shichen, he returned and reported: “After Madam had lunch at the Yun family home, she left at approximately the first quarter of the hour of the goat.”

Xie Jingyu slammed his teacup onto the table.

She left the Yun family at the first quarter of the hour of the goat, yet why was she still on the street at dusk?

Could it be that after leaving the Yun family, she went to Marquis Xuanwu’s manor…

Just thinking of this possibility, Xie Jingyu could no longer control himself. He set off toward Sheng Residence.

Yun Chu had just sat down at the dining table. Ice had been placed in the hall, making it quite cool. The maids brought out the dishes one by one.

She picked up her chopsticks and was about to eat when she heard a young maid’s voice outside curtsying: “My lord, Madam is dining. Please allow this servant to go in and announce…”

Before the little maid finished speaking, Xie Jingyu had already walked into the side hall and sat directly at the dining table.

Yun Chu ordered calmly: “Prepare another set of bowl and chopsticks.”

Xie Jingyu’s gaze fixed steadily on Yun Chu. He remembered she had an outer robe like this, which she had probably worn two or three times. If one didn’t look carefully, one might think the one she was wearing now was the same as before. In fact, there were still some differences—even though both were white, there were slight variations.

This garment was clearly meant to deceive the eye.

Why had she changed her outer robe outside? Had she only changed this outer layer, or had she changed everything underneath as well?

He picked up his chopsticks and ate a few bites at random while restraining his emotions.

Seeing that Yun Chu had also eaten about enough, he said coldly: “Everyone, withdraw.”

Tingshuang looked toward Yun Chu.

Yun Chu smiled. She also wanted to have a proper talk with him anyway. She waved her hand, and the maids and servants in the room all withdrew, gently closing the door.

The room became quiet.

“Wife, where did you go this afternoon?” Xie Jingyu asked directly. “Did you and Marquis Xuanwu really just meet on the road?”

Yun Chu lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea.

If she didn’t know that this man had once given her to Marquis Xuanwu to resolve the Xie family’s calamity, she might truly believe he cared about her.

Having done such despicable things, did he still have the right to interrogate her?

Before she could speak, Xie Jingyu suddenly stood up, leaned forward, and grabbed Yun Chu’s wrist.

Then without warning, he yanked open her outer robe. He saw a garment he had never seen before.

“Why did you change clothes outside—everything, inside and out!” Xie Jingyu angrily gripped her slender wrist. “What exactly did you and Marquis Xuanwu do?!”

“When you left me alone at Marquis Xuanwu’s manor, why didn’t you consider these things?” Yun Chu said coldly. “Marquis Xuanwu told me that day at the marquis’s manor, the tea you handed me contained a sleeping drug. I was still wondering how I could have slept all afternoon at the marquis’s manor. Doesn’t husband want to explain?”

Xie Jingyu’s heart skipped a beat: “What else did he tell you?”

“Just this one matter is enough to shock me. Is there something else I don’t know about?” Yun Chu pushed Xie Jingyu away forcefully, her eyes sharp. “If you don’t explain clearly, I don’t mind making a trip to Marquis Xuanwu’s manor to ask about it.”

Xie Jingyu clenched his fists.

This matter—there was no way to explain it. Even if he explained it clearly, if Qin Mingheng mentioned the wedding night to Yun Chu again, he would once more fall into a passive situation.

He raised his eyes, his face full of disappointment: “Wife, would you rather believe an outsider than trust your own husband? What kind of person I am—no one understands better than you.”

Yun Chu laughed coldly.

Yes, no one understood better than her the weakness and hypocrisy in Xie Jingyu’s very bones.