Chapter 22 A Yuan, You Are Not Being Good

Chapter 22 A Yuan, You Are Not Being Good

Wei Xun had arranged today's outing, assigning four or five servants and two maids to accompany her, even the nanny from the outer study was included.

A Yuan, fearing that today's incident would reach Wei Xun's ears and implicate Zhou Yan, held back her panic and urged the coachman to hurry.

Zhou Yan attempted to stop them but was shoved aside by the servants.

With many carriages and horses on the street, the green cloth carriage soon disappeared into the crowd.

Zhou Yan felt a chill in his chest, gazing blankly into the distance for a while. He was absolutely certain; that was A Yuan.

The person he had dreamed of every night for over a thousand days.

"...Go and find out whose carriage that was."

......

The Great Buddha Temple sits on Dragon Mountain in the capital's outskirts, reportedly built by the dynasty's founding emperor, and has stood for over two hundred years. As a royal temple, it thrives with incense offerings.

A Yuan wore her cloak, a bamboo hat, and a veil, but her graceful figure remained noticeable.

Nanny Zheng and Chun Tao flanked her, and the group entered the temple.

The main hall was crowded, so A Yuan gave Chun Tao a look, signaling her to keep Nanny Zheng occupied.

Although she had come under the pretense of offering incense to Bi Wu, her true purpose was to light eternal lamps for her parents.

Over the years, her monthly allowance and the money from selling embroidery had amassed over a hundred taels.

After offering incense, A Yuan went to the back hall and found a young monk, only eight or nine years old, who received visitors with great decorum.

He clasped his hands together, his youthful face bearing a serious expression.

"Benefactor, please come this way."

Many people lit eternal lamps in the temple, as families often wished to leave a token for their departed loved ones, praying for their smooth reincarnation.

When A Yuan's parents passed away, she was only five years old. The memories of her parents had somewhat dimmed, but she could never forget the warmth of her mother holding her and calling her 'sweetheart,' the delight of her father giving her piggyback rides, and the candied haws her brother bought her with his saved-up pocket money.

In her eighteen years of life, those fleeting five years of sweetness had sustained her through thirteen years of hardship.

A Yuan lit two eternal lamps and knelt down, "Father, Mother, A Yuan will live well... Please watch over my brother and keep him safe..."

When she came out of the back hall, her eyes were red-rimmed.

Chun Tao and Nanny Zheng were waiting for her outside. Having served in the Marquis's household for so many years, Nanny Zheng understood Chun Tao's intentions.

Since Mistress Xie wanted to send her away, she would feign ignorance.

However, she still had to report today's incident to the Heir Apparent.

After the incense offerings and lighting the eternal lamps, A Yuan returned to the mansion.

Wei Xun had already bent the rules by letting her go out, as even married women needed their in-laws' permission to visit their parents, let alone her, who was merely a bought concubine in the Marquis's household.

Once inside those high walls, there was no chance to leave, and whether one could live peacefully depended on one's fate.

A Yuan forced a bitter smile. As the lanterns lit up the streets, people were gradually returning home. A child ran out to greet her father, who lifted her high into the air, playfully tossing her a few times before holding her in his arms and feeding her a piece of candy.

The child covered her mouth and laughed, her eyes sparkling, and one could faintly hear her say, "So sweet."

The father and daughter joked and laughed on their way home, and A Yuan couldn't help but smile, as if seeing her younger self through the evening-lit street.

If her parents were still alive, she might have been just as happy.

......

By the time they returned to the Marquis's mansion, night had fallen.

A Yuan and Chun Tao went back to the Jade Clear Courtyard, while Madam Zheng went to the outer study to deliver her report.

Wei Xun stood by the window, his face a mask of indifference as he listened to Madam Zheng's report.

Madam Zheng trembled with fear, unsure of what the Heir Apparent was thinking.

He held Mistress Xie in such high regard; if she were truly involved with another man, those in her service would face dire consequences.

"You may leave."

After a long while, Wei Xun spoke, and Madam Zheng felt relieved, quickly exiting the room.

Listening to Madam Zheng's hurried footsteps, Wei Xun's eyes darkened.

He was unaware that his concubine was involved in such matters.

......

In the Jade Clear Courtyard, Chun Tao instructed the servants to prepare hot water to help A Yuan bathe.

After a long day out and about, she was sweaty and exhausted.

A Yuan took off her clothes and stepped into the bathtub, her graceful figure disappearing into the water.

Chun Tao reached for the bath beans to scrub her back, but A Yuan waved her hand, "You must be tired too; I can manage on my own."

She was unaccustomed to being attended to; she usually bathed herself. Chun Tao didn't insist, setting down the bathing essentials and checking the water temperature to ensure it was just right before leaving.

"Even though it's spring, the nights can still be chilly. Don't soak for too long, Mistress."

"I know, you go and rest."

Steam filled the room, and A Yuan half-closed her eyes, leaning against the tub.

Today, she had lit the eternal lamps in memory of her parents, fulfilling a wish of hers, but the encounter with Zhou Yan left her feeling uneasy.

Especially when Zhou Yan stopped her, the servants of the Marquis's mansion were all there; if word of it reached Wei Xun...

A sudden chill ran down A Yuan's back, and she didn't even hear the door open.

A hot hand came down on her shoulder, and A Yuan couldn't help but shiver. She turned her head and met the man's dark eyes.

Wei Xun was enigmatic and hard to read, and A Yuan had never been able to see through him, but seeing him like this, she knew he was suppressing his anger.

In the past, she would have been trembling and trying to appease him.

But now, she didn't want to.

A man's favor was like a passing cloud, just an illusion.

A Yuan crossed her arms to cover her chest, burying herself in the water.

Wei Xun looked at the wariness in her eyes and sneered coldly.

A Yuan's wrist was caught by him, pressed against the tub, her body forced to lean back.

"Who is he?"

The man’s voice was cold and harsh. A Yuan shook her head helplessly, "I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir... Ah!"

The man exerted more force, and A Yuan let out a sharp cry, but he had no intention of letting her go.

"Speak!"

"There’s no one, I don’t know him!"

A Yuan insisted she didn’t know Zhou Yan. She and Zhou Yan had done nothing wrong, and if Wei Xun were to vent his anger, it would only harm him.

But she didn’t know that this lie only made him angrier.

He already hated this feeling of being out of control—the incident with the purse was one thing, and now there was another man she was desperately trying to protect.

Wei Xun’s eyes turned crimson at the corners, "A Yuan, you’re not listening."