Chapter 280: Blinded by Hatred

Chapter 280: Blinded by Hatred

After Li Jingyi left, Xiao Yuzhu took out some pastries from the food box, asked Cu Yun to deliver them to Xiao Yuchen and Xiao Yuming, and handed Tang Shuyi a piece of her favorite mung bean cake. Then she turned to Xiao Huai and asked, "Father, which one would you like?"

Xiao Huai glanced at the food box in her hand and picked out a round, crisp-looking pastry, saying, "I'll have this one."

"The Dowager Duchess has never made this kind of pastry before," Xiao Yuzhu remarked.

Xiao Huai hummed in acknowledgment, and Tang Shuyi, realizing that the pastry might have been specially made for him, urged Xiao Yuzhu, "Eat quickly, it will get cold soon."

Xiao Yuzhu hurriedly bit into her favorite pastry, her eyes lighting up. It was delicious.

Meanwhile, Xiao Huai chewed the pastry in his mouth, the familiar taste flooding his senses. He was endlessly grateful. If he had not become the current Xiao Huai, he wouldn't have been able to live again, nor see his mother, nor taste the pastries she made with her own hands.

Even oftentimes, he was consumed by guilt, pondering if it wasn't for his soul inhabiting Xiao Huai's body, perhaps Xiao Huai might not have met his demise.

After a journey of half an hour, they arrived at Chongguang Temple. Dismounting from the carriage, Tang Shuyi and her children saw the Dowager's carriage not far away. With the children in tow, she approached, accompanied by Xiao Huai at her side.

As they neared the carriage, the curtain was lifted, revealing the Dowager alighting with some difficulty. Tang Shuyi stepped forward to assist her, and then led the three children to pay their respects. The Dowager waved her hand dismissively, "Out here, such formalities are unnecessary."

At this moment, Xiao Huai stepped forward, bowing respectfully to the Dowager, "Paying my respects to the Dowager."

A tinge of sorrow tinged the Dowager's voice, holding back tears, she said, "Marquis of Dingguo, please, no formalities."

Xiao Huai rose, and the Dowager turned to Tang Shuyi, suggesting, "Let's ascend the mountain."

"Certainly," replied Tang Shuyi, looking around, she suggested to the Dowager, "Perhaps you'd prefer to be carried up in a sedan chair?"

The Dowager declined with a wave of her hand, "No need, I'm still quite hale and hearty."

Accepting her decision, Tang Shuyi did not insist further, and the group began their ascent. Although the primary purpose of this visit was for the Dowager to meet Xiao Huai, Tang Shuyi also had her own intentions to offer incense.

She had previously lit a long-life lamp for her predecessor "Tang Shuyi" and had not visited for a while, so she took this opportunity to check on it. Alongside her, Xiao Huai entered the hall of everlasting lamps and lit one himself, dedicating it to Xiao Huai.

Tang Shuyi observed him as he solemnly refilled the lamp with oil, lit the wick himself, and then stood in silent contemplation in front of the everlasting lamp. He was probably communicating with the departed Xiao Huai in his heart.

Tang Shuyi reflected on how life's precarious twists had strangely intertwined her fate with Li Chengyong. Two individuals, who might have never crossed paths, now shared the bodies of others, bound together as "husband and wife."

Having said what they wanted in their hearts, the two left the hall of everlasting lamps together, neither inquiring whom the other's lamp was for.

"I'll be resting in the back courtyard. Will the Marquis join me?" Tang Shuyi inquired.

The Dowager was likely in the back courtyard at that moment.

"Sure, let's go together," Xiao Huai responded.

They started towards the back courtyard but had only taken a few steps when they encountered a group approaching. On closer inspection, Tang Shuyi recognized them; it was the Lady of Anyuan Marquis, accompanied by her eldest daughter, Miss Song. Previously, the Lady of Wuyang had mentioned matchmaking Miss Song with Xiao Yuchen.

"What a coincidence!" beamed the Lady of Anyuan Marquis as she approached, first greeting Xiao Huai with a bow, then engaging in pleasantries with Tang Shuyi.

Seeing this, Xiao Huai said to Tang Shuyi, "My lady, I shall take my leave for a while."

Tang Shuyi nodded in agreement, and Xiao Huai departed. The Lady of Anyuan Marquis, watching him leave, chuckled, "The Marquis of Dingguo and you are truly affectionate!"

Tang Shuyi responded with a smile before continuing the conversation. Initially, she thought that despite their acquaintance, their relationship wasn't very close and they could part after a brief exchange of words. However, unknown to her, Lady Song had deliberately come to Chongguang Temple after learning about her plans to offer incense, which is why she was being exceptionally warm and even requested to visit her resting chamber for a chat.

Lady Song was overly affectionate, and Tang Shuyi, not wanting to refuse, accompanied her to her resting chamber.

Meanwhile, Xiao Huai entered the courtyard that Tang Shuyi had arranged in advance, where he saw Nurse Feng standing at the door of a room. As Xiao Huai approached, Nurse Feng lifted the curtain for him, watching him enter before she continued her vigil at the doorway.

Inside, Xiao Huai saw the Dowager Empress sitting eagerly on the couch. He approached, lifted his robe, and knelt down, kowtowing thrice and saying, "Your son pays his respects to Mother."

Tears that the Dowager Empress had been holding back finally flowed freely. She rose to help Xiao Huai up, incessantly murmuring, "Good, good, good."

Xiao Huai, with moist eyes, said, "Mother, your son has returned."

The Dowager Empress, tearful, nodded. Xiao Huai helped her sit down, and she kept holding his hand, crying. Xiao Huai patiently stood by her side. After a while, the Dowager Empress let go of his hand and allowed him to sit.

"I wanted to see you days ago, but visiting the Marquis of Dingguo’s residence hastily would arouse suspicion," said the Dowager Empress as she dabbed her tears. "You came here; Shuyi didn’t suspect anything, did she?"

"No," Xiao Huai lied without changing his expression. "I ran into the Lady of An Yuan Hou's residence, so I took the opportunity to leave."

The Dowager Empress nodded, then said, "Now that you have become Xiao Huai, you must take up the responsibilities of a father and a husband. You can't let them suffer any more hardships."

Xiao Huai nodded, "Son understands."

The Dowager Empress sighed, "Although you becoming Xiao Huai is heaven’s will, I still feel guilty towards him, Shuyi, and the three children."

She often thought that if it weren't for her son taking over Xiao Huai's body, perhaps Xiao Huai wouldn’t have died. Out of guilt, ever since she knew her son had become Xiao Huai, she had been praying daily at the small Buddhist hall for Xiao Huai’s blessings.

"I know you harbor hatred in your heart," the Dowager Empress continued, "but having a second chance at life is rare. Don’t let hatred cloud your judgment, seeking revenge recklessly. You now have a wife and children to consider."

"Son understands," Xiao Huai said, "Rest assured, my life and my family's lives are more important than Li Chengyi’s."

The Dowager Empress, relieved by his words, asked, "About you and Shuyi..."

There were some things she didn't know how to inquire about. She understood her own son; he could take good care of and nurture Xiao Huai's children, but as for Xiao Huai's wife, he probably couldn’t truly consider her as his own.

She could understand that, but thinking from Tang Shuyi’s perspective, one's affectionate husband returning cold would sadden anyone. What about the three children?