Chapter 69 Reply Should I fall too?

Chapter 69: Reply - Do I Have to Fall Too?

Xie Chi's behavior was very easy to understand from the perspective of someone completely unaware of the situation.

For instance, the steward.

The steward felt that the scene at the mansion gate was simply Heir Xie of the Yong'an Marquis's estate having a crush on their Third Miss and coming to propose, though his approach was somewhat improper.

But to those with only a partial understanding of the situation, like Zhong Lan, it just seemed weird.

Before Xie Chi left for Wuyin Mountain, Zhong Lan had already sensed something unusual between him and Zhong Yao, but he hadn't been able to figure it out at the time.

After Zhong Yao returned to the capital, he wanted to ask her about it, but between work and family stuff, and the fact that every time he opened his mouth...

"Big brother might not handle his own feelings well, but he's definitely great at solving others' romantic problems. Little sister, trust big brother!" said Zhong Shu.

"I don't dare trust big brother at all in this matter, but he won't harm me, so I'll try to trust him!" said Zhong Yao.

The two of them played off each other, totally shutting Zhong Lan up.

As an elder brother, he was never a match for his younger siblings in verbal sparring, and now that they'd caught his weak spot, he was even more outmatched, his big-brother authority was totally gone.

Still, since Xie Chi wasn't in the capital, he didn't press further.

Who'd have thought Xie Chi would show up out of nowhere and just grab his sister and take off?

Zhong Lan had a gut feeling something was off with Xie Chi, was afraid Zhong Yao might get hurt, and chased after them quickly, only to find Xie Chi had taken her back to their own place.

...If he'd just said he was bringing her home, I'd have been fine with it...

"Heir Xie proposed to the young lady!"

The steward's words snapped Zhong Lan out of it.

He looked at Zhong Yao, who was wrapped in a thick cloak with a small pile of snow on her hood, nodding shyly under the lantern light at the mansion gate.

There was nothing more to say; he'd just go straight to their parents.

"Heir Xie actually proposed to Yaoyao?" Madam Zhong was totally shocked.

She'd seen Zhong Yao hanging out with Xue Fang and Xie Chi and wondered if she liked Xie Chi, but later found out it was just to save her two brothers, so she let it go.

Now it turned out the other way around—Xie Chi was the one proposing to Zhong Yao.

"Yaoyao, is this true?"

Zhong Yao had already taken off her cloak and was sitting off to the side, sipping some warm herbal soup. Seeing her parents staring at her, she blushed, her big, watery eyes blinking, and just smiled with her eyes all crinkly and didn't say a word.

Madam Zhong knew right away it had to be true.

When Minister Du came to propose on behalf of Fei Anxuan, she wasn't this shy.

The steward, being the only witness, was super excited. "It's true, madam, master, it's true. I saw and heard it myself. Heir Xie was so bossy, he didn't let our young lady say no at all—he just decided the whole marriage himself!"

Madam Zhong still thought of Xie Chi as that fake nice guy, so she frowned. "Are you saying Heir Xie forced Xiao Yao into this marriage?"

Zhong Huaizhi also frowned, looking at Zhong Lan. "Is that true, eldest?"

How was Zhong Lan supposed to know?

All he saw was Xie Chi grabbing Zhong Yao and taking off.

But the steward knew.

The steward affirmed, "Yes, Heir Xie practically threatened the young lady."

"How did he threaten her?"

He held her face and touched his nose to hers.

The steward found it a little hard to say, and it didn't really look like a threat.

Glancing at Zhong Yao out of the corner of his eye and seeing her listening happily with sparkling eyes, the steward felt relieved and went on, "He was really harsh, telling the young lady she could only agree and not say anything else, and he said he wasn't a good person."

What a load of nonsense.

Zhong Lan couldn't take it anymore and asked straight out, "Did he say what he'd do if she said no?"

"I don't think so." The steward hesitated, looking at Zhong Yao. "Young lady, Heir Xie didn't say, did he?"

"He did say," Zhong Yao said. "He said if I refused, he'd go crazy and beat up our big brother."

As soon as she said it, she burst out giggling before her family could react.

Anyone could tell she was in a great mood.

After what happened with Fei Anxuan, when it came to Zhong Yao's marriage, the Zhong couple and Zhong Lan couldn't just decide for her, even if she herself agreed and was happy.

The three of them discussed it aside, going over everything from character and family background to behavior and future prospects—all perfect, except for one thing.

Madam Zhong said worriedly, "If you get married, and later Old Madam Xie gives you a hard time..."

This snapped Zhong Yao out of it. "Ah," she said, "I forgot to mention this to Heir Xie!"

The Old Madam Xie would surely oppose it, given that Zhong Yao had spoken harshly to her before and claimed she couldn't bear children easily.

But it didn't matter.

After a moment's thought, Zhong Yao said, "Tomorrow I'll write a letter to Heir Xie and let him handle it himself. If he can't get the Old Madam Xie to promise never to trouble me again, I'd sooner die than marry him..."

As she spoke, she seemed to think of something amusing and laughed again.

The Zhong couple was now certain that Zhong Yao had feelings for Xie Chi too, but they still had concerns. However, this wasn't something that could be resolved in a moment, and it was late with snow falling outside, so they decided to leave it for now and let everyone retire to their rooms.

Their mansion wasn't large, so the distance from the main courtyard to each small courtyard was short.

It was just a few steps, but Zhong Shu insisted on seeing Zhong Yao back.

Zhong Yao knew he must have something to say—when their parents were discussing her marriage earlier, her second brother hadn't said a word, which was already unusual.

Sure enough, as soon as they reached the covered corridor, Zhong Shu dismissed the servants and said, "Something's off, little sister. Heir Xie likes you, and you like him too. It's mutual affection, so why all the threats and coercion?"

Zhong Yao: "I don't like him."

Zhong Shu: "Whoever lies has to hug big brother's stinky feet."

Zhong Yao immediately changed her tune. "Fine, I like..."

It was the first time she'd said it seriously, and she felt a bit shy.

Flustered, she suddenly remembered how Xie Chi had "tapped" her on the head during the journey back. Now that she thought about it, maybe it wasn't a tap at all...

"The one I like..." she whispered.

"Then why did he threaten you? You didn't confess your feelings to him?"

"I didn't get the chance..."

Zhong Shu figured this was no good.

Out of the five in the family, he was the only one who'd actually felt Xie Chi's fury. Back then, if Zhong Yao hadn't called out to stop Xie Chi in time, he'd have been dead right there by Xie Chi's hand.

After surviving so long in a den of murderous bandits, finally escaping to find his family, only to get his throat cut the next second—who could he even complain to?

Even now, Zhong Shu still got chills thinking about it.

"You better tell him soon, before Heir Xie loses it... Guys going crazy are scary! Just think of how Big Brother gets when he's drunk!"

Zhong Yao figured he had a point.

"But..." she blushed, hiding her face in her hands, and whispered, "But I like seeing Heir Xie lose it over me..."

As she spoke, she recalled how Xie Chi would always put on a stern face to scold her whenever she angered him.

He acted all strict, but he never once laid a real hand on her.

Zhong Yao broke into another goofy grin.

Seeing her like that, Zhong Shu knew she was really into it.

Sure enough—no matter how mad Xie Chi got, he only hurt other people, never her. How could she not love watching him throw a fit?

Zhong Shu shook his head and sighed. "Little sis, you're too evil!"

"Hehe!" Zhong Yao giggled sweetly, looking all innocent, not at all like a troublemaker.

"Good thing I'm pretty evil too," Zhong Shu said. "Little sis, wanna bet? I bet Xu Su's about to get screwed..."

As the two whispered secrets, Zhong Lan, who'd deliberately followed them to eavesdrop, had a face that went from green to red.

After standing there a moment, hesitating to say anything, he finally huffed and flicked his sleeves, then went back to his room.

After their family roughly talked it over, they called it a night. Over at the Marquis's residence, Xie Chi went back and took a long time to cool off. By the time he'd calmed down, Old Madam Li was already asleep.

So it wasn't until breakfast the next morning that the old lady found out.

"What was bound to happen finally happened!" Old Madam Li let out a relieved sigh.

Beside her, Xue Fang, who'd slept like a log all night and woken up starving at dawn, was chowing down. Hearing that, he swallowed his food and sighed deeply, "Finally here!"

Xie Chi couldn't be bothered with those two and said bluntly, "I'm heading to the palace. I'll probably be back real late. Xue Fang, stay in the mansion and study—no more dressing up as a girl. And think about whether you wanna keep the surname Xue or switch to Xie, and which name to use."

Xue Fang's real name wasn't really Xue Fang. Because his real name was given by the clan elders when he was a kid, after falling out with his family, he refused to use it anymore and casually picked another.

Now, "Xue Fang" could no longer be used either.

He'd gotten a lot taller, and as long as he stopped dressing as a girl, he wouldn't be that easy to spot.

Even if he got recognized, dressing as a girl wasn't exactly treason.

But to keep people with bad intentions from using it against him later, Xie Chi felt it was better to mention it to the emperor during this trip to the palace, when discussing the trip to Misty Hidden Mountain.

Helping interrogate that evil kid was also a good deed.

Xie Chi said, "I've already told the steward to get the betrothal gifts ready. Grandma, keep an eye on things and stop having people read you those crazy stories."

"I know." Old Madam Li sighed again and asked, "Who do you plan to ask to be the matchmaker? Are you gonna ask the emperor for a decree, or get Old Madam Li and the others?"

Xie Chi was quiet for a moment before saying, "We'll talk about that once she says yes."

Old Madam Li went "Oh," wiped her hands on a handkerchief, and suddenly felt something was off.

"The little lady hasn't agreed yet? Then what were you running off for last night? And why are you in such a hurry to get all this ready today?"

Xie Chi said, "She'll agree."

...Something's off.

Old Madam Li pondered his words, studied her grandson's expression, and probed, "Did you threaten her?"

A simple probe was met with silence.

Old Madam Li was momentarily dazed, then quickly turned to Xue Fang and said, "This is bad. Children shouldn't listen. Cover your ears."

Xie Chi: "..."

He said in a deep voice, "It's true that I forced Zhong Yao to agree to this marriage, but she does have some feelings for me."

Matters of the heart are always hard to articulate, but intuition doesn't lie.

Besides, although his temperament wasn't the best and he had all the common flaws of men, he wouldn't sweet-talk a girl like Fei Anxuan did.

His family background, looks, and physique were all presentable, and he wouldn't let Zhong Yao suffer in the future.

Moreover, he truly cherished Zhong Yao...

No matter how you looked at it, he was the best choice for her.

"Men, sigh..." Old Madam Li began lamenting again. "They really know how to make excuses for themselves."

Xie Chi: "..."

Fortunately, at that moment, a guard arrived in time with a letter, saving Heir Xie's precarious dignity.

Xie Chi took it and read it. His slightly furrowed brow relaxed, then furrowed tightly again.

He looked at Old Madam Li and asked, "In the months I was away, did you bully... Zhong Yao again?"

Xie Chi had intended to say "Yaoyao Zhong," but it was too awkward to get out.

Calling her "Yaoyao" or "Xiao Yao" felt like imitating Zhong Shu.

Even the term "little lady" paled in comparison to "Yao ah Yao."

So after a brief pause, Xie Chi reverted to calling her by her full name, Zhong Yao.

"How would I dare?" Old Madam Li cried out in protest.

A sharp-tongued, cranky old lady is always more reassuring than a steady, shrewd one, right?

After putting on an act for so long, sometimes when I see opportunities to be sharp-tongued, I can't help myself...

But after that, she really never made things difficult for Zhong Yao again.

"It's clearly that little woman of yours who's too hard to please," said Old Madam Xie. "She's like a stubborn mule—once she's set on something, not even a team of horses could drag her back."

Xie Chi fully agreed with that last sentence.

Just like before, when she was convinced he couldn't possibly like her, she dismissed all his flirting, charm, and marriage proposals as him being crazy.

...Thinking about it made his hands itch, wanting to pinch Zhong Yao's face.

"If you stop picking on her, she'll gradually come to see your good side," Xie Chi said, handing the letter in his hand to Old Madam Xie. "Whether I ask for an imperial decree or find a matchmaker, I'm fine with either. I need to go to the palace. Grandmother, send someone to ask Zhong Yao's intentions and get things started."

Old Madam Xie took the letter and found it was from Zhong Yao.

The first half was mostly filler, with only the last line mattering. The gist was that as long as she stopped hassling Zhong Yao, Zhong Yao would agree to marry Xie Chi.

Old Madam Xie wouldn't dare do that anymore.

But knowing that Xie Chi's earlier words weren't false, and that he hadn't actually coerced Zhong Yao, which was a relief.

—Zhong Yao might look all delicate, but she's actually tough as nails and she's got a sharp edge. If she weren't truly interested in Xie Chi, how could she agree?

And the bad mood he'd been stewing in all night finally lifted when he got Zhong Yao's yes.

She agreed.

With personal stuff settled, he couldn't forget business.

Time to go to the palace.

It had been snowing all night, only stopping at dawn, and now everything outside was a blanket of white.

Wrapped in his cloak, Xie Chi looked at the snow-covered scene, recalled what Zhong Yao had said in her letter, and a smile tugged at his lips.

Just then, Xue Fang, having eaten his fill, was about to go romp in the yard. Xie Chi casually remarked, "The snow's slippery; Zhong Yao just took a fall this morning."

Xue Fang paused, remembering the grueling days and nights of travel, and couldn't help but wonder if Xie Chi was hinting at something.

He squeezed his left hand—last night, to keep him from being punished by Xie Chi, his grandmother had tearfully struck him three times with a ruler.

And all because he had accidentally burned his grandmother's letter, nearly causing Zhong Yao to "marry" someone else.

Xue Fang already knew he was wrong. He hesitated, then cautiously asked, "Should I take a fall to make up for it?"

Before Xie Chi could respond, his expression shifted, and he resolutely threw himself forward, crashing into the thick snow, then flailing his limbs around.

"..."

Before he could get up, Old Madam Xie's hesitant voice came from the side: "Do I have to fall too?"

She was very uncertain. "I'm still in good shape, but I'm an old bone after all. What if this fall does me in..."

Xie Chi: "..."

Logically, with his grandmother and Zhong Yao holding each other in respectful awe, and Xue Fang not daring to act up in front of Zhong Yao, the household would be very peaceful from now on.

But for some reason, Xie Chi felt a vague sense of impending doom...