When Xie Shi’an returned to the Xie family, it was already seven days later.

These past few days he had left the capital to handle affairs for the Emperor. Returning to the manor exhausted, he picked up a box of pastries in his hand—very sweet, very soft, very sticky in taste. Song Yin liked them most.

He handed them to the servant boy beside him, saying indifferently: “Deliver these to the Young Madam. Just say they’re a new creation the manor’s cook has developed.”

The servant boy stammered: “Y-Young Master, you should still go ask in Madam’s courtyard.”

Xie Shi’an realized something was wrong.

He didn’t go to He Lingying’s courtyard, but went directly to Song Yin’s courtyard.

Once, this was also his residence. Later, Song Yin began making trouble, making trouble every day. He really couldn’t endure it anymore, so he moved to live in his study courtyard.

Song Yin’s father was only a scholar. Under his support, her brother had entered officialdom. It could be said the Song family was very poor. Song Yin’s dowry maids were only two. All the servants in the entire courtyard were arranged by him. Now, those people were bustling about the courtyard like headless flies.

Seeing him enter, the servants quickly paid their respects: “Greetings to the Young Master.”

Xie Shi’an’s brow furrowed: “Where is the Young Madam?”

“The Young… Young Madam…” The leading woman stood out in panic. “Madam gave the Young Madam divorce papers. The Young Madam left the Xie family seven days ago.”

“What?” Xie Shi’an’s eyes suddenly widened. “Why didn’t anyone send me word?”

After reaching the highest positions of power, he had gradually begun to show neither joy nor anger on his face. But at this moment, all his emotions were displayed on his face, carrying extreme unease.

The woman kept her head lowered: “Madam forbade us servants from sending word to the Young Master, or else we would be sold away…”

He enunciated each word: “Where are the Young Master and Young Misses?”

His eldest son was already over ten years old. Such a major matter couldn’t possibly not be communicated to him.

The woman replied: “Madam arranged for the Young Master to go on an educational journey. The First and Second Young Misses went to the palace to keep the Grand Imperial Consort company for a short stay. The Second Young Master is with his wet nurse…”

Xie Shi’an swept his sleeves and walked out, heading straight to He Lingying’s courtyard.

Since becoming the mistress of the household, He Lingying’s days had become increasingly carefree. Her husband was a Third Rank Minister of Revenue, her eldest son was the current Chief Minister, her second son was a general, and her eldest daughter was now a Grand Imperial Consort… She knew that her good days had come.

She drank the finest tea, ate the finest pastries, and had two maids massaging her shoulders.

With a bang, the door to her flower hall was kicked open, kicked into a large hole.

She looked up at the perpetrator: “An’geer, are you mad? Do you know how much silver I spent on that door?”

Previously, Yun Chu had lived here. After she became the Xie family’s mistress, she had replaced everything Yun Chu had used with more expensive, more exquisite items…

Xie Shi’an stepped forward, raised his hand and swept it across. An entire table of tea and pastries all crashed to the floor.

Several maids trembled in fear.

He Lingying said with a stern face: “All of you, withdraw.”

After the maids left, she said coldly: “For the sake of a woman, you embarrass your birth mother. Chief Minister Xie truly has great official authority!”

Xie Shi’an braced his hands on the table, enunciating each word: “I have the ability to make you the Xie family’s mistress, and I also have the ability to make you nothing at all.”

“You, what are you saying?” He Lingying’s face was full of disbelief. “I am your birth mother. You dare speak to me this way?”

“Yun Chu was also my legitimate mother, who raised me to adulthood. Didn’t I still force her to her death?” Xie Shi’an’s voice carried a cold darkness. “I’m going now to bring Song Yin back. Remember, after she returns to the manor, she will be the Xie family’s mistress. You go retire.”

“You, you, you!” He Lingying pointed at his back, cursing loudly. “How did I give birth to such a traitorous thing like you! What’s so good about that Song Yin? With such a low family background, what can she help you with? I’ll find you another wife, the daughter of a First Rank official…”

Halfway through speaking, Xie Shi’an turned back, his eyes full of sinister intent: “Say one more word, and I’ll send you to a nunnery to become a nun.”

He Lingying couldn’t catch her breath and fainted.

Xie Shi’an hurried outside, grabbed the reins, and mounted his horse in one motion.

The servant boy beside him urged: “Young Master, you just returned from out of town. If you don’t rest, your body won’t be able to take it…”

Xie Shi’an kicked the horse’s belly and swiftly galloped toward Jizhou.

That very evening, he arrived at Jizhou, the county town where the Song family was located. Back then, he had studied at the private school run by Song Yin’s father.

The horse stopped at the Song family’s front gate.

After marrying Song Yin, he had given his father-in-law a large sum of money to renovate the Song home. Now the Song family counted as important figures with face in the county town.

He dismounted and knocked on the Song family’s door.

A servant boy came to open the door. Seeing him by lantern light, he immediately shouted: “It’s son-in-law! Son-in-law has come!”

Soon, Scholar Song and his wife came out to greet him.

Xie Shi’an stepped forward, cupping his hands: “I beg father-in-law and mother-in-law’s forgiveness. The previous divorce papers were a misunderstanding. Yinyin and I could never divorce in this lifetime. I’ve come especially to bring Yinyin home. I trouble father-in-law and mother-in-law to let Yinyin come out.”

Scholar Song’s expression froze: “That is to say, the divorce doesn’t count?”

“There was never any talk of divorce to begin with.” Xie Shi’an’s voice carried urgency. “Quickly let Yinyin come out.”

Madam Song stammered: “Yinyin, Yinyin she…”

“She’s not at the Song home.” Scholar Song sighed heavily. “In our hearts, you are the best son-in-law. This sudden divorce must certainly be Yinyin’s fault. Her mother and I couldn’t help but say a few words to her, telling her to go back and beg you, soften her attitude and such. She was unwilling… This morning her sister-in-law had a small dispute with her, and she left the Song home…”

Xie Shi’an’s rage instantly burst through the roof: “Where did she go?”

“She has an estate in Changhui County. She went there.” Scholar Song quickly said, “You should rest for the night first. Tomorrow morning we’ll go there.”

Xie Shi’an said in a heavy voice: “We go now.”

His appearance made Scholar Song feel somewhat afraid, but also comforted. At least it showed that his son-in-law cared about his daughter.

He quickly had someone hitch up the carriage.

Xie Shi’an felt it was too slow. He had the guard beside him take Scholar Song on horseback and galloped swiftly toward Changhui County.

The distance was neither far nor near. After about two hours, they finally neared Changhui County. But this road was blocked dead. Under the night sky, a large crowd of people surrounded the area, pointing and gesturing.

“How did these stones from the mountain suddenly roll down and block the road completely?”

“I still need to hurry to Changhui County on business. This is too unlucky.”

“What’s unlucky for you? That carriage is what’s unlucky. I saw with my own eyes the carriage had just reached that spot when the biggest stone fell down and smashed onto the carriage roof.”

“Heavens, that person must have been crushed to death…”

“Don’t know, don’t dare to look. Who knows if more stones will roll down…”

Xie Shi’an knew that from here to Changhui County on foot would only take half an hour. He simply abandoned his horse, dismounted, and headed straight down the road.

But he was stopped by helpful villagers: “Stones are falling up ahead, be careful of being struck… See that carriage? The people inside are eighty percent dead…”

Only then did Xie Shi’an’s gaze fall on the carriage. With this one look, his entire person froze. This was a Xie family carriage. His blood, which had been boiling hot, instantly turned cold.

He shoved aside the villagers blocking him and rushed toward the carriage regardless of everything. A large stone had smashed through the carriage. Inside was all blood.

He yanked open the carriage window and saw inside were three people—two maids and one mistress. That mistress was precisely Song Yin.

“Yinyin…”

Xie Shi’an knelt at the carriage, his voice trembling to the extreme.

He slowly extended his hand, placed it in front of Song Yin’s nose, and left it there for a very long time. He didn’t feel even a trace of breath.

“Yinyin… I’ve come, I’ve come to bring you home, wake up…”

He wanted to carry his wife out.

But that large stone had struck Song Yin’s abdomen, pinning her entire body beneath the stone, unable to move.

He felt that Song Yin’s body had already lost its original warmth.

“No, don’t leave me…” Xie Shi’an cradled her blood-covered face. “Yinyin, I was wrong, I know I was wrong… I kept asking you what trouble you were making, but actually I knew what you minded…”

She loved him when he had the character of bamboo.

Loved him when he was bright and clear as the moon.

But Yun Chu’s death, Xie Xian’s marriage—these let her glimpse the darkness in his heart.

She couldn’t accept that her husband was such a despicable and shameless person.

So she sealed herself in a small courtyard, unwilling to see him again, also unwilling to concern herself with any Xie family matters…

He thought that given time, she would surely come to understand.

But he never imagined he would lose her.

“Yinyin, in the next life, marry me again…” Xie Shi’an held her and wept bitterly. “In the next life, be a bit foolish, alright? Don’t glimpse my baseness and filth again. Don’t worry, no matter how foolish you are, I will protect you…”

Song Yin’s corpse was buried in the Xie family ancestral tomb. Xie Shi’an personally laid her to rest.

Not even two months after her death, Sister-in-law Song suddenly died. From then on, the Song family declined precipitously.

The Xie family’s newly appointed mistress He Lingying also fell ill and was sent by Xie Shi’an to an estate to recuperate…

Xie Shi’an, who held the highest positions of power, loved his eldest daughter most. She looked exactly like Song Yin—the more she grew, the more alike.

He married his eldest daughter to the current Emperor’s legitimate eldest son, that is, the Crown Prince. From then on, the Xie family became increasingly prosperous, gradually becoming one of the capital’s foremost noble families of ministerial rank.

When the full moon hung in the starry sky, when the Xie family was filled with laughter and joy, Xie Shi’an sat alone in the courtyard drinking wine.

“Yinyin, this is the twentieth year since you left. The children have all grown up.”

“In a few more years, I should also return to my hometown to retire. I’ll clear a wasteland in front of your tomb to plant flowers, and never be apart from you again…”

“Life is too short, yet also too long. I truly hope there’s another life…”

“In the next life, you and I will still be husband and wife, have four children, and be together for a lifetime…”

“…”