Chapter 14 Accident So annoying.

Chapter 14: To Annoy Him to Death

The message from the Yong'an Marquis Estate servant nearly scared Madam Zhong out of her wits.

"It's over, it must be Dowager Lady Xie seeking revenge!"

Zhong Yao initially thought the same, but upon reflection, it didn't seem right. The grudge between her mother and Dowager Lady Xie had already been unintentionally revealed to Xie Chi by her. Xie Chi's face had turned livid with anger back then, yet he hadn't done anything to her and still intended to repay the favor. He likely wouldn't seek revenge over such a trivial matter.

Moreover, Dowager Lady Xie had specifically named her, probably because of Xue Fang.

"Perhaps she wants to see what kind of person I am, since I'm close with Fangfang," Zhong Yao said. "We went through hardship together, her 'granddaughter' and I. She won't give me a hard time."

Madam Zhong still couldn't set her mind at ease, deeply regretting her impulsive act of revenge against Dowager Lady Xie.

Seeing her mother's anxious state, Zhong Yao thought it wasn't her mother's fault for being timid—it was all because of Dowager Lady Xie. That old woman was too harsh!

No matter how worried Madam Zhong was, the banquet had to be attended.

In the following days, Madam Zhong worried about her missing sons, her husband who had left the capital, and also kept an eye on the movements of Xu Guozhu's and Minister Chen's households, living on tenterhooks.

Zhong Yao was also anxious. Second Miss Chen had been pleading illness and refusing to go out, so Zhong Yao couldn't meet her at all. To make matters worse, Xie Chi, busy with who knows what, hadn't replied to her letter.

Both mother and daughter were restless and anxious. The only thing they could look forward to was that, since the Yong'an Marquis Estate had a joyous occasion, Minister Chen would surely pay his respects, and Second Miss Chen might attend.

Days passed, and soon it was the day of the Marquis Estate's adoption banquet.

Due to her injuries, Zhong Yao hadn't ventured farther than the estate gates these days. With no outings and hardly any visitors, she had little occasion to dress up.

Today, however, she was attending a banquet at the Marquis Estate and needed to dress more formally.

After dressing up, Madam Zhong looked at her daughter's lively appearance and felt sad. Holding Zhong Yao's hand, she said, "I've asked some of the ladies I'm on good terms with. Second Miss Chen is also attending. Once we're at the Marquis Estate, I'll go find her. You stay close to Xue Fang. That child may seem cold on the outside, but she's warm-hearted and gets along well with you. By her side, no one would dare say a word against you... except for Dowager Lady Xie. She's of noble status, so no matter how harsh her words are, we'll just have to bear it... My dear daughter, your father and I are failures. Even when bullied, we can only ask you to endure..."

Hearing this, Zhong Yao also felt her family was pitiful and joined her mother in self-pity.

After a moment of sadness, Madam Zhong remembered that Zhong Yao's injuries weren't fully healed and added, "If you get tired, just say you need to rest in a side room..."

"I know," Zhong Yao nestled in her arms and said obediently. "If I get tired or my wounds hurt, I'll tell Xue Fang I need to rest in a side room. Or I'll say it in front of many noble ladies. With so many people watching, Dowager Lady Xie surely won't have the nerve to trouble a guest like me."

Madam Zhong nodded and continued her advice. "If someone mocks you about the broken engagement or your reputation..."

"I don't care," Zhong Yao hugged her mother's arm. "Once our family matters are settled, you and Father can find me a good match. If everyone looks down on my reputation, I just won't marry. Our family can afford to support me anyway."

Madam Zhong thought her daughter was just comforting her and felt heartbroken. In reality, Zhong Yao meant every word.

After experiencing her two elder brothers' troubles and the broken engagement, she'd come to realize how terrifying men could be—either causing trouble that implicated the whole family or being heartless and unfaithful. None were any good.

...Perhaps there were some, but she had no time to think about that.

She had serious business to take care of.

Second Miss Chen had been avoiding her family for so long and would surely try to dodge them today. Even if her mother managed to speak with someone, she might not be able to find out anything. The task would still fall to Zhong Yao.

As for other matters—being mocked, being troubled by Dowager Lady Xie, and so on—compared to finding her eldest brother, these were nothing.

Besides, Xie Chi was there.

If Dowager Lady Xie dared to trouble her, she would cry in front of Xie Chi. If she couldn't see him, she'd write letters and cry, annoying him to death.

Mother and daughter prepared themselves thoroughly and mustered their courage to go.

The Yong'an Marquis Estate was renowned and prestigious. Although it had lain low for decades, with Xie Chi now upholding the family's honor, its glory was undiminished.

With few family members, the estate was rarely this lively. Those who wanted to curry favor often found no reason to visit. Now, with a rare joyous occasion, everyone in the capital who heard the news came to offer congratulations.

When Zhong Yao followed Madam Zhong to the estate, they happened to bump into the female relatives from Xu Guozhu's household. Perhaps due to Xu Su's disappearance, the Old Madam Xu hadn't come. Instead, it was the wives of the eldest and second branches, along with a niece staying with them.

When the few of them saw the Zhong mother and daughter, their faces fell.

But the matter between the two families hadn't been settled yet, and it was unclear who had wronged whom. So, even if they were angry, they couldn't vent it. After glancing at the Zhong mother and daughter a few times, they finally forced smiles in front of the steward who came to greet them and entered the Marquis Estate with dignity.

However, Madam Zhong felt guilty and was afraid of running into people from Xu Guozhu's household again, so she deliberately slowed her steps. This delay led to an unexpected scene.

There were many guests arriving for the banquet. Zhong Yao was obediently letting her mother adjust her cloak when, out of nowhere, a figure rushed forward and prostrated themselves at the entrance of the Marquis Estate, kowtowing.

"Heir Xie, I beg you to show mercy and spare my household! Please release my husband, release my son!"

The sudden wailing startled Zhong Yao. She turned to look and saw a middle-aged woman dressed in relatively bright clothes but with an exceptionally haggard expression.

The woman's face was streaked with tears as she kowtowed and pleaded, "I'm willing to offer all my family's wealth, willing to be an ox or a horse for the Marquis Estate. I beg Heir Xie to spare my husband and son..."

The lively, festive atmosphere was completely shattered. Guests who hadn't yet entered were frightened and stepped back, whispering among themselves.

The Marquis Estate steward, turning red with fury, stepped forward and said, "Mrs. Lian, your husband, as the commander of the palace guards, dared to collude with traitors and arbitrarily transfer guards away from the palace gates. If our heir hadn't received advance warning, wouldn't you have succeeded? Our heir is investigating this matter on imperial orders and handling it impartially. If you have grievances, you can go to the palace and seek justice from His Majesty. What do you mean by making a scene at our estate?"

"Moreover, your household has been sealed, and no one is allowed to leave. How did you get out?"

Mrs. Lian didn't answer, just kept kowtowing and begging Xie Chi to spare her family.

The Marquis Estate steward, of course, couldn't let her cause a scene. He recounted the facts loudly once more. Just then, a messenger from inside the estate arrived. Without further ado, the steward ordered guards to drag her away.

Once the disturbance was over, no one dared to ruin the Marquis Estate's joyous adoption banquet. The guests acted as if nothing had happened, offering congratulations and gifts as they entered the estate one by one.

Madam Zhong also led Zhong Yao inside, following a maid. Outwardly, she seemed calm, but Zhong Yao, holding her hand, could clearly feel the sweat on her palm and the trembling of her body.

Zhong Yao knew it was because of that Mrs. Lian.

She had heard that Xie Chi, on imperial orders, was thoroughly investigating the attempted palace coup and had uncovered many officials who had secretly manipulated things. Commander Lian of the capital was one of them.

It was said that on that day, he had privately transferred away a small portion of the guards stationed at the West Palace Gate.

After Commander Lian was imprisoned, other dirty secrets from his household were exposed—such as his son beating a concubine to death, allowing servants to seize fertile land and drive tenant farmers to ruin, and abducting common women.

All the men in the family were imprisoned, with several already sentenced to beheading. The women were temporarily detained in the estate.

—This Mrs. Lian, somehow, had escaped and come to cause trouble at the Marquis Estate on such a day.

Zhong Yao knew her mother's fear stemmed from empathy.

If her father had acted faster that day, if Xie Chi hadn't appeared in time, her family would likely have suffered the same fate as the Lian household.

Her mother was afraid in hindsight.

Zhong Yao was also afraid, but she felt her family was different from the Lian household.

Before this, her father had always been a loyal and dutiful official. The worst thing her mother had ever done was splash wine on Dowager Lady Xie's shoe.

Her two elder brothers were bad, but they only bullied their younger sister and hadn't harmed outsiders.

She was also a little bad—she had recently considered deliberately crying in front of Xie Chi to annoy him to death.

But none of this could compare to the Lian household, which was rotten to the core and got what they deserved.

They were different.

Clutching her mother's arm, Zhong Yao thought to herself that if she could speak a few words with Xie Chi later, she would stress this point to him, letting him know he hadn't helped the wrong person, hadn't repaid kindness to the wrong person...

That way, he wouldn't scheme to turn on her again.