How to help?

These three words strangled Du Yiyun’s throat, forcing her to reveal her final card.

“Marry me and take me home, Third Brother.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

Xie Zhifei displayed an expression of utter shock.

“I haven’t lost my mind. This way, the marriage alliance between the He and Du families won’t happen—this is also what Third Brother and those behind him wish to see.”

Du Yiyun: “After I marry in, I can slowly win over my father to lean toward Third Brother’s side. This benefits both parties, doesn’t it?”

This woman was too clever.

This indeed was the best solution, but Third Master absolutely refused!

Xie Zhifei curved his lips, crossing his hands before his chest. “Let’s not discuss that matter. Let’s first talk about what Li Zhengjia did.”

“Third Brother, I was indeed wrong in that matter, but my intention was to help you.”

Du Yiyun knew this couldn’t be avoided and had prepared her explanation long ago.

“If that matter had succeeded, Concubine Liu wouldn’t have been able to cause any more trouble for the rest of her life. Madam treats me so well, like her own daughter. How could I harm her? It’s just that Li Zhengjia was too stupid and exposed himself.”

Is your face a city wall?

Thick enough!

Xie Zhifei’s half-smile disappeared, replaced by a completely roguish expression.

“Actually, this matter doesn’t have much to do with me. I’m just a sesame-seed official who can barely manage my own tiny territory. What people in front, people behind… Miss Du is overthinking.”

“You…” Du Yiyun’s face turned pale in an instant.

“Young Master Pei and I listen to music at pleasure houses, gamble a bit at gambling dens, living carefree and happy as immortals. We’d be crazy to get involved with this imperial grandson or that prince.”

Xie Zhifei smiled again. “As for Miss Du’s marriage, I’m sorry, but I can only watch the excitement from the sidelines. Anything else…”

He stepped forward, his gaze cold as winter water.

“I’m also unwilling to do.”

“Xie Zhifei, are you even human?”

No matter how clever Du Yiyun was, she was still a woman, and this matter concerned her lifetime happiness. She immediately became agitated.

“I’m indeed not human. Rather than Miss Du wasting time and breath on me, why not…”

Xie Zhifei raised an eyebrow. “Go beg He Wenyu instead. After all, he’s completely useless with women. If he marries you, it’ll just be for show anyway.”

Du Yiyun’s vision went black, feeling both her legs trembling.

…

Xie Zhifei left the moat embankment and headed straight for the Buddhist Registry.

Young Master Pei saw him arrive and personally poured two cups of tea.

Xie Zhifei took one and drank. “Just now I went to see Du Yiyun.”

“Did you agree to marry her?”

Xie Zhifei rolled his eyes and recounted the entire conversation to Pei Xiao.

Young Master Pei had originally thought Xie Zhifei had taken the initiative, never expecting Du Yiyun to seek him out herself.

After being stunned for a long while, he suddenly sighed. “Even if you don’t have someone in your heart, you still shouldn’t marry this woman. Bringing her home would be bringing in trouble—there’d be no peace.”

Xie Zhifei threw him an expression that said “you’re only realizing this now.”

“I found Ji Haidong.”

Pei Xiao: “He’ll go to the Zhang family this morning. If things go smoothly, the Zhang family will visit the Crown Princess this afternoon.”

Xie Zhifei sighed. “Just hoping the Crown Prince’s side will make some move.”

“What about your Second Brother? What did he say?”

“I said what needed to be said. Now it depends on whether he’ll listen.”

Xie Zhifei rubbed his brow. “Honestly, if it really comes down to parents’ orders, the influence he can exert is limited.”

Young Master Pei suddenly brought his face close to Xie Zhifei. “Actually, I have another terrible idea. Want to hear it?”

“What?”

“When the two families discuss marriage, they must invite an eminent monk to match the eight characters. At that time, just say Du Yiyun’s eight characters are too strong—she’ll bring misfortune to her husband, her children, her husband’s family, everything?”

“Pei Mingting, how dare you speak such fabricated nonsense?”

Xie Zhifei pointed at Pei Mingting’s nose and cursed furiously. “What’s in your brain? Shit?”

Young Master Pei: “…”

What’s wrong with this guy? Which nerve did I touch?

Young Master Pei hadn’t touched Third Master’s nerve—rather, Third Master couldn’t bear to hear the word “misfortune” anymore.

Mother brought misfortune to her husband.

He and Huaiyou brought misfortune to the Zheng family.

All this talk of misfortune was false.

No one understood better than him what life would be like after being labeled with this word of “misfortune.”

It was a helplessness where you couldn’t even lift your head, a despair you couldn’t shake off, the wall that he and Huaiyou couldn’t climb over no matter what during their childhood.

Du Yiyun indeed wasn’t a good person. By rights, pinning this word “misfortune” on her shouldn’t trouble Xie Zhifei’s conscience.

But whenever he thought of Yan Sanhe, thought of how she showed compassion even to Huiru at Water Moon Convent…

Xie Zhifei couldn’t bring himself to pin this word “misfortune” on Du Yiyun.

Not out of sympathy, but because he didn’t want Yan Sanhe to look at him with contempt if she ever found out.

She and that troublemaker both had an unusual tolerance for women that others lacked.

“Mingting.”

Xie Zhifei’s expression was frank.

“Even if Du Yiyun deserves to die, she shouldn’t die that way. Using schemes and plots against a woman is meaningless.”

Young Master Pei’s gaze fixed on this person again.

In this instant, he discovered that Xie Fifty had not only become more capable, but his entire way of doing things had changed.

“Your sweetheart wouldn’t happen to be Du Yiyun, would it?”

“Get lost—”

…

In the Du family carriage.

Ni’er looked at her young lady’s grim expression and sighed inwardly.

For the young lady to lower herself and seek out Third Master Xie was already a last desperate gamble. Who could have expected Third Master Xie to act so carelessly, clearly just watching the show for entertainment.

“Miss, let’s not beg anyone. Just marry him. At least you’ll be a hereditary prince’s consort.”

She consoled carefully.

“No matter how outrageous that person is, he can’t very well bring men into the residence, can he? At least you’ll have peace and quiet. When you bear a son or daughter, won’t the He family’s estate be in our hands? Those men outside can’t bear children for him anyway.”

Du Yiyun looked over coldly. Ni’er was so frightened she quickly shut her mouth.

Thinking again, still unwilling to accept it, she wiped away tears. “This servant can’t bear to see Miss humble herself begging people.”

Du Yiyun’s eyes stung painfully.

Overnight, she discovered she was no different from those prostitutes in pleasure houses—all needing to sell themselves in exchange for good food, good clothes, and fine silk.

What noble young lady, what capital’s foremost talented woman—when fate wasn’t in your own hands, you could only be slaughtered by others.

“I’ll marry!”

Du Yiyun became thoroughly ruthless. “But I won’t marry so easily.”

“Miss?” Ni’er was confused.

“I want to hollow out half the Du estate before I’m willing to marry.”

She finally understood—what parents and siblings, what blood kinship—it was all false. Only the silver in your hands and the power of your husband’s family were real.

“If I’m not having a good time, no one gets to have a good time. If I really die, I’ll drag a few people down with me before I go.”

Du Yiyun ground her teeth in hatred.

Xie Zhifei, you bastard, refusing to save me when I’m dying—just you wait!