The guests had all dispersed.

In the vast courtyard, only the Xie family members remained.

Although Old Madam Xie was advanced in years, she was normally in robust health and rarely fell ill. At this moment, however, she slumped powerlessly in her reclining chair.

“Worthless scoundrel, base wretch!”

The Old Madam looked at the two people kneeling before her and picked up a teacup to smash downward.

The splashing porcelain shards cut Xie Jingyu’s cheek. Only then did he seem to awaken, as memories from before his confusion suddenly came flooding back.

He suddenly clenched his fists tightly. “Grandmother, I was schemed against.”

He Shi also slowly regained consciousness. She only remembered that Xie Jingyu had pulled her to a small courtyard by the artificial mountain to talk, and as they spoke, they had begun to quarrel.

Not wanting to have a falling out with Xie Jingyu, she casually poured a cup of tea from the pot on the table and handed it to Xie Jingyu.

The two sat facing each other drinking tea, and then… then she knew nothing more… She only vaguely remembered that she and Xie Jingyu seemed to be inseparably passionate, and were surrounded by guests from the birthday banquet…

She also remembered being called Concubine He by someone.

“Schemed against?” The Old Madam sat up straight. “Who would scheme against you?”

“That would naturally be Nanny He.” Concubine Tao supported her pregnant belly and spoke coldly. “Who doesn’t know that our Nanny He harbors inappropriate thoughts toward the master? Drugging him on such an occasion, isn’t this just trying to create a done deal, wanting to fly up the branch and become a mistress herself?”

He Shi immediately said, “It wasn’t me. I didn’t scheme against the master. I never thought of becoming a concubine…”

“If it wasn’t you, then who else could it be?” The Old Madam’s eyes seemed to shoot fire. Although she knew that He Shi had no intention of becoming a concubine, this time the Xie family had lost such tremendous face, wasn’t it all because He Shi was restless? If she had stayed properly in the small temple, would there be so many troubles?

Xie Jingyu pressed his lips tightly together. Only after a long while did he say, “It was the Yuan family.”

He and Lord Yuan were both fifth-rank Vice Ministers of Revenue. Lord Yuan had been in this position for over ten years and was now nearly forty years old, never having had an opportunity for promotion.

This time there was an opportunity to become an upper fifth-rank official. Originally, it was one hundred percent his, Xie Jingyu’s, but for some unknown reason, Lord Yu had suddenly turned against him. Combined with the recent rumors about the Xie and Yun families spreading throughout the capital, this position had suddenly become filled with many possibilities.

If word of his private coupling with a household maid spread to the court, he feared he wouldn’t be able to get promoted for the next five or six years at least.

Lord Yuan must be trying to take this opportunity to trample him down and make him completely lose his chance.

He Shi pressed her lips tightly together.

She always felt that the Yuan family’s reach couldn’t extend this far. She sensed it was someone from the Xie residence who had schemed against her.

Those capable of doing this were only the few concubines and the wife. But these ladies should all be unwilling to have another woman beside the master, right? They had no motive to scheme against her.

Thinking it over, she still didn’t know whose hands she had fallen into.

“There’s no point in investigating who schemed right now. We should think of ways to minimize the impact.” Yun Chu spoke slowly. “A current official coupled with a household maid at Grandmother’s birthday banquet. If this matter reaches the ears of the Censorate officials, not only will my husband have difficulty getting promoted, he might even be demoted and stripped of real power… It was precisely because I thought of this that I addressed Nanny He as Concubine He in front of those ladies. To avoid giving people grounds for criticism, we must now register Concubine He’s name in the Xie family’s registry book…”

Yuan Shi breathed a great sigh of relief. “Chu’er, you’re still the most thorough in your thinking.”

“No, I won’t become a concubine.” He Shi’s face was pale. “Madam, I never thought of becoming a concubine.”

Concubine Tao spoke up with a panicked expression. “He Shi once harmed the child in my belly. If she becomes a concubine, the child in my belly will be in danger.”

Xie Jingyu spoke up. “He Shi cannot become a concubine.”

Concubine Tao, Concubine Jiang, and Tingyu all showed expressions of relief on their faces.

They knew it—He Shi was old and faded. The master absolutely could not look favorably upon her. Even if she offered herself to his bed, she could not gain the slightest bit of the master’s pity.

Yun Chu became even more certain in her heart that He Shi’s identity probably had some background.

The more unwilling she was to become a concubine, the more Yun Chu must elevate He Shi to the position of concubine. Otherwise, why would she have orchestrated this entire performance?

She spoke up. “Then does my husband have any better solution?”

Xie Jingyu pressed his lips tightly together.

He could not think of a second solution.

“I do have another method.” Yun Chu paused. “Have Nanny He end her life with a cup of poisoned wine, and this matter will naturally pass.”

He Shi collapsed directly to the ground.

Xie Jingyu’s lips pressed into a tight line as he fell into deep inner conflict.

Old Madam Xie said sternly, “Concubine or poisoned wine. Choose for yourself.”

Yuan Shi truly could not understand. “He Shi, you have feelings for Jingyu, yet you’re unwilling to become Jingyu’s concubine. Is becoming a concubine really such an extremely painful thing?”

He Shi’s entire body trembled. Tears appeared in her eyes as she looked at Xie Jingyu with expectation.

Xie Jingyu closed his eyes and said softly, “Then let Concubine He be registered in the Xie family genealogy.”

In this dynasty, even concubines could be registered in family genealogies, all because hundreds of years ago there had been a Nation-Pacifying Lady who greatly elevated women’s status.

Yun Chu stepped forward and helped He Shi up. “Concubine He, from now on we shall serve my husband together. We’re all family now. What is your given name?”

He Shi was still in a state of fearful unease. Hearing the question, she answered instinctively, “He Lingying.”

Yun Chu wore a faint smile on her face. “Father-in-law is usually busy. We won’t trouble him to make a special trip back. Husband, why are you still kneeling there? Let us first go open the ancestral hall, request the genealogy, and register Concubine He.”

Xie Jingyu struggled to rise from the ground with difficulty.

His figure swayed somewhat, unsteady on his feet.

Yun Chu stepped aside, mainly because she feared Xie Jingyu would lean on her body. She absolutely did not want to take several extra baths tonight.

She turned around and took the lead in walking out.

Watching her figure, Concubine Tao sighed. How could she herself not be as carefree as the madam? Just thinking about another person beside the master made her heart feel as if pricked by needles. The only consolation was that she had conceived a child, which gave her something to depend on. And He Shi was so old now, she would probably have great difficulty conceiving. As time passed, the master should completely forget about this person He Shi…

Yun Chu and Xie Jingyu led He Shi away from the courtyard.

As soon as they left, the Old Madam said sternly, “Bring that steward surnamed He here!”

Nanny Zhou had long been waiting at the side with He Xu. Once the masters’ affairs were resolved, it would naturally be He Xu’s turn.

Nanny Zhou pressed He Xu down to kneel on the ground and presented a large bundle. “Old Madam, this was searched out from He Xu’s room.”

The Old Madam glanced at it. Inside was actually several hundred taels of gleaming silver.

“How dare you!” The Old Madam angrily kicked out hard.

This He Xu had originally entered the Xie residence together with He Shi, claiming to be a clan elder brother, so they gave him some care.

Because of this relationship, He Xu had only been in the residence for four or five years but had already become a head steward with considerable say in the outer courtyard. The Xie family had been extremely benevolent and righteous to these siblings, yet they both dug pits for the Xie family. One brought great shame and humiliation to the Xie family, the other secretly embezzled the Xie family’s silver!

Nanny Zhou continued, “Just now this servant went to check several shops and only then learned that the shops managed by Steward He have been running at a deficit for half a month.”

Those shops were located on the main street. It was absolutely impossible for them to run at a deficit. It was clearly He Xu who had embezzled the funds.

“Give him twenty heavy strikes, then throw him out!” The Old Madam’s head felt ready to explode. “Never allow him to enter the Xie family again!”

He Xu’s mouth was gagged. He tried to explain something with muffled sounds, but was held down by four burly matrons. After twenty loud strikes, he, a grown man, fainted directly from the pain. Then he was thrown at the entrance of a dilapidated temple where beggars gathered on the outskirts of the capital.