Chapter 16 Innocence “Do I need to thank you?”

Chapter 16: Innocence

"Do you want me to thank you?"

Lady Xie was utterly stunned.

In her sixty-plus years, this was the first time she had heard a young, unmarried woman declare she would lay down the law for her future mother-in-law.

It was sheer defiance of heaven and earth!

But just as she was about to demand Zhong Yao repeat herself in shock, the girl had already changed her tune, tearfully claiming her wound hurt—as if those earlier words were merely an illusion.

"I'll see her to a room to rest," Xue Fang immediately stood up.

He cut her off. Glancing back at Zhong Yao, who looked pitiful and seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment, Lady Xie suppressed her displeasure and said, "Go ahead."

Zhong Yao felt as if granted a pardon and quickly followed Xue Fang out.

It was already early summer, with bright sunshine outside, a gentle breeze, and flowers in full bloom, so many guests were strolling outdoors. The two left the main hall, went around the garden, passed a pond and several octagonal gates before finally escaping the crowd.

After walking so far and enjoying the breeze for a while, Zhong Yao's emotions had eased considerably.

She gently rubbed her eyes and said, "Thank you for helping me out."

"I wasn't helping you," Xue Fang replied, speaking to Zhong Yao normally for the first time, though his words were just as unpleasant. "I was tired of being surrounded by women and used taking you to rest as an excuse to get out."

Zhong Yao believed this was what he really meant, but she still wanted to thank him.

She had been too upset earlier and couldn't resist provoking Lady Xie—it was terrifying, and she regretted it immediately afterward.

Yet, no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't understand: why was Lady Xie angry about her disrespect toward her future mother-in-law?

Was she just seizing the opportunity to vent?

"Your grandmother is so fierce!" Zhong Yao said with lingering fear. "Is she usually like this with you too?"

Xue Fang wasn't really her friend and had no intention of humoring Zhong Yao. He asked directly, "Do you want to rest in a guest room or go somewhere else?"

He asked but didn't wait for her answer, deciding for himself, "Let's go to the small garden next to my courtyard. You can rest there alone. I need to go back and practice boxing."

"I'm not going to rest," Zhong Yao said. "You go back by yourself. I have things to do."

She needed to find Miss Chen to inquire about her elder brother's whereabouts.

"No!" Xue Fang said. "You have to come with me and act as my cover!"

He appeared before the capital's nobility as the adopted daughter of the Yong'an Marquis estate, watched by countless eyes—some flattering, some probing. Whenever he showed himself in public, he could forget about peace and quiet.

Now, everyone knew he and Zhong Yao were close friends. The most reasonable excuse to dodge everyone was to stay in the room, keeping Zhong Yao company while she 'rested.'

Zhong Yao refused. "I have something important to do."

Xue Fang retorted, "So only your matters are important?"

That wasn't the way to put it.

Boxing practice could be done anytime, but if she missed this chance to find Miss Chen, who knew how difficult it would be to see her again?

Zhong Yao insisted on finding Miss Chen, but Xue Fang refused, threatening that if she dared to leave, he would go to Lady Xie and have her summoned back for another lecture.

Zhong Yao was horrified and quickly tried to placate him, "Let me take care of my important matters first, and afterward, I'll accompany you to practice boxing, okay? Be good, and in the future, whatever you want, sister will buy it for you."

Unfortunately, Xue Fang was twelve years old—an age where he neither listened to reason nor flattery and detested being treated like a child. He rolled his eyes at Zhong Yao and turned to walk toward his own courtyard.

Zhong Yao panicked and said, "If you dare go back, I'll go to Lady Xie right now!"

If she went, the women there would know Xue Fang was free at the moment and would come looking for him again.

Xue Fang was furious. He stopped and glared fiercely at Zhong Yao.

To avoid returning to Lady Xie, the two had to use each other as excuses, but now they were at odds. Their alliance, which had lasted only a quarter of an hour, was in jeopardy.

"Let me take care of my important matters first, then I'll accompany you to practice boxing," Zhong Yao proposed again, mixing persuasion with pressure. "Otherwise, I won't leave this spot."

But how could a mischievous boy be easily threatened?

Xue Fang said, "Then let's just stay here and waste time!"

With that, he glanced around, lifted his skirt, and dashed toward a large tree in the corner. Reaching it, he leaped up like an agile squirrel and disappeared into the foliage in the blink of an eye.

Zhong Yao exclaimed, "Wait!" and ran after him, looking up but unable to spot his figure.

Xue Fang had originally intended to return to his courtyard. Zhong Yao, led by him, didn't realize she was at the boundary between the front and rear courtyards.

The servants were likely busy, so there was no one around—only this massive ginkgo tree standing quietly.

The tree was probably several decades old, its trunk as thick as a person. At this time, its lush green leaves had grown out, vibrant and bright, swaying gently in the breeze.

Zhong Yao circled the tree, patted its trunk, and called up, "Xue Fang, where are you?"

"Come out quickly. Let's discuss this again."

"Do you know how to hunt? I'll buy you a bow and arrows, okay?"

"...If you don't come out, I'll go complain to Heir Xie later?"

"I'll go to your grandmother and tell her you're missing, so she sends people to look for you?"

Zhong Yao tried both coaxing and threatening, but nothing worked.

"Your grandmother bullies people, you won't listen, Xie Chi is even more of a scoundrel—everyone in your marquis estate is just like this, so awful!"

Furious, Zhong Yao kicked away a pebble at her feet, squatted down, hugged her knees, and buried her head in sulking.

She truly couldn't understand why such a family existed, where everyone was so fierce and unreasonable.

If not forced by circumstances, she would stay far away from this family and avoid every single one of them!

After fuming for a while, Zhong Yao lifted her skirt and stood up, deciding to go find Miss Chen first. If Xue Fang went to Lady Xie to have her scolded, she would go to her mother.

Even as hosts, they couldn't force a guest to stay, right?

Zhong Yao made up her mind, but as soon as she stood up, a tingling numbness spread from her calves. She cried out, "Ouch!" and quickly steadied herself against the tree trunk.

She had squatted for too long, and her legs had gone numb.

Just as she was about to bend down and rub her calves, she heard faint, rustling footsteps approaching. Zhong Yao happened to be hidden behind the thick tree trunk, and because her legs were numb, she couldn't immediately lean out to see who was coming.

This delay led the other person to mistakenly believe no one was there.

"Head straight in this direction, pass through two vase-shaped gates, then follow the covered corridor eastward. The first courtyard you see is where Xie Chi, the heir, lives."

It seemed two people had arrived—one male, who spoke quickly, followed by a girl's voice.

"There must be guards in his courtyard. I... I..."

"Earlier, I deliberately spilled chicken soup on Xie Chi. The soup was greasy and strong-smelling. He's particular about cleanliness, so he's definitely bathing in his room right now. There shouldn't be many people in the courtyard at the moment. Just go ahead."

"But..."

The girl hesitated, sounding reluctant. The man noticed and whispered, "Are you going to just watch your father die? We've come this far—there's no turning back. You must go!"

"If you want to save Lord Lian, the only way now is to ruin Xie Chi's reputation. Once you're inside, just tear your clothes and scream for help. There are many guests today. As long as people see Xie Chi forcing himself on you..."

"Remember, you must make it clear: Xie Chi wanted you, you refused, so he fabricated evidence to frame Lord Lian. After Lord Lian was imprisoned, he abused his authority to forcibly abduct you from your residence."

"The marquis's estate has strict entry controls. If not for today's banquet, you wouldn't have been able to enter at all. This is a rare opportunity—it must succeed, no failure allowed. Do you understand?"

The man whispered many instructions. Finally, the girl said, "Alright," and they parted ways—one heading to the inner courtyard, the other to the front hall.

After a while, when she was sure there was no more sound around, Zhong Yao, who had been holding her breath, finally exhaled deeply, patting her chest.

Her calves were still a bit numb, but it didn't hinder her movement.

Leaning against the tree trunk, she called out softly, "Xue Fang, did you hear that?"

Xue Fang had, of course, heard it too.

With a rustling sound, he jumped down from above like a monkey, straightening his clothes as he said, "I'm not deaf."

"Then why aren't you going to warn Xie Chi?"

Xue Fang replied, "I'm not going. I don't want to get scolded."

"He's your brother!" Zhong Yao grew anxious. "Someone is plotting against your brother to save that villain surnamed Lian!"

Xue Fang pouted. "Still not going."

He had experience with this kind of thing.

As a child, he was adopted by a clan relative. Their child was mischievous and got stuck up a tree. The servants urged him to climb up and rescue the child, but they both ended up falling. Even though he was only trying to help, the accusation of "attempting to harm his younger clansman" was slammed onto his head.

Even later, when someone stepped forward to testify on his behalf, he still couldn't escape blame.

The relative called him a fool.

Xue Fang believed women and children were alike—both were easy targets for venting frustration, regardless of whether their intentions were good or whether they had tried their best.

He was certain that whoever exposed this matter today would be called an idiot.

Besides, it was such a trivial matter—Xue Fang was sure Xie Chi could handle it.

So he wasn't going.

Zhong Yao was shocked by his decision. "How can you be like this? You're family!"

Xue Fang glanced at her, his eyes darting around. Suddenly, he sighed. "I don't want to either, but yesterday I argued with my elder brother because I didn't want to dress as a girl. He forbade me from appearing in front of him."

Zhong Yao said, "Then go find a servant!"

"Find a servant..." Xue Fang pretended to think it over, speaking slowly. "No, that won't work. My elder brother has many confidential documents in his room. Servants aren't allowed near."

"Then go find your grandmother!"

"If we go find Grandmother now, by the time she arrives, won't it just be in time to catch them in the act?"

"Then what do you suggest we do?!"

A gleam flashed in Xue Fang's eyes. "We'll have to go ourselves. But let's agree on this first: you have to testify for me. If my elder brother gets angry at me for going to him without permission to protect his reputation, you'll take the punishment for me."

Zhong Yao nodded without hesitation.

First, since Xie Chi was handling the treason case, her family would be safe as long as he was in charge. Zhong Yao couldn't let Xie Chi lose the emperor's trust because of someone else's scheme.

Second, anyone with a conscience wouldn't stand by and watch an innocent person suffer an unjust wrong.

Third, Xie Chi valued his reputation so much. If she helped protect it, he would surely be even more diligent in helping her in the future...

With these self-serving calculations in mind, Zhong Yao followed Xue Fang to Xie Chi's residence.

On the way, Xue Fang mentioned that the man plotting with Miss Lian was Steward Zou from the estate, usually responsible for purchasing fruits and vegetables. Perhaps because there were many guests today, he had seized the opportunity to bring an outsider into the estate.

Maybe because he had made arrangements in advance, on the way to Xie Chi's residence, Zhong Yao only saw two guards. The guards recognized Xue Fang and didn't stop them.

They arrived smoothly and noticed faint sounds coming from inside.

Through the closed doors and windows, Zhong Yao couldn't hear clearly. Just as she leaned in to listen more carefully, she heard Xue Fang say worriedly, "Why is there no sound? Could Elder Brother have been drugged into unconsciousness?"

With that, he pushed the door open directly, grabbed Zhong Yao's sleeve, and rushed inside.

Caught off guard, Zhong Yao stumbled to the outside of the screen. She was about to tell Xue Fang to slow down when he suddenly shoved her forward forcefully.

"Ah—"

"Crash—"

Two sounds followed in quick succession.

The first was Zhong Yao's startled cry; the second was the sound of the screen falling—Zhong Yao had accidentally knocked it over while instinctively reaching for something to hold onto as she was pushed into the inner room.

Zhong Yao nearly fell but managed to steady herself against a wooden tub, only bumping her forehead slightly.

However, the movement was too abrupt, tugging uncomfortably at the newly healed wound on her back. She hissed in pain, one hand gripping the wooden tub in front of her, the other rubbing her forehead as she looked up—directly meeting a pair of dark, intense eyes.

Below those dark eyes were tightly pressed lips, with a droplet of water tracing the curve of his jaw before falling lightly.

Zhong Yao's gaze followed the droplet downward, landing on a wet, prominent Adam's apple, beside which stood out a bulging vein.

Xie Chi's arms were spread out, resting on the sides of the bathtub. Further down was his muscular chest.

Only half of his chest was visible above the water; the rest was submerged. But the water was clear, revealing quite a bit...

Zhong Yao's face flushed bright red instantly.

She quickly tried to stand up by pushing against the tub, but she was too flustered, her legs felt weak and rubbery.

Instinctively, she tried to use her hands for support, unconsciously gripping downward. Her fingertips suddenly felt warmth, as if they had dipped into the water.

...

Zhong Yao, her face flushed crimson, hastily withdrew her hand, feeling like her heart was going to pound right out of her chest!

"What are you doing?" Xie Chi spoke, his voice cool and devoid of emotion.

Finally remembering her purpose, Zhong Yao hurriedly said, "Someone is trying to set you up..."

She glanced around as she spoke, but the room was empty except for the two of them.

Her gaze returned, landing on his glistening, naked chest. Her cheeks burned, and she quickly averted her eyes, stammering, "Really, it's all true. Someone wants to set you up. Xue Fang can vouch for me..."

"So, what are you here for?"

Zhong Yao turned her head back, locking her gaze on Xie Chi's wet, jet-black hair, and said sincerely, "Whether you believe it or not, I truly came to protect your virtue..."

"Did you succeed?" Xie Chi asked.

"..."

Xie Chi's face darkened, his pitch-black eyes nailing into Zhong Yao. He spoke again, "Do I need to thank you?!"

"..."

Zhong Yao quickly glanced at his naked body in the water and wordlessly covered her face.