Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Inside Qiluo Residence, Xie Yihua was idly flipping through a collection of poems when Zhixi suddenly rushed in, her expression showing a hint of surprise.

"Miss." Zhixi leaned close to Xie Yihua's ear and whispered a few words.

"What did you say?!" Xie Yihua's expression changed slightly, and she sat up abruptly, her eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

Xie Yihua: "Big brother assigned one of his maids to serve Jiang Sese?"

Zhixi nodded, feeling incredulous as well.

Xie Yihua's face darkened, and she pursed her lips, saying, "No, I have to go to Tingsong Courtyard to ask."

After Xie Yihua finished speaking, she got up and left.

Zhi Xi dared not delay and quickly followed.

The master and servant hurried to the entrance of Tingsong Courtyard, where, unsurprisingly, they were stopped by Qin'an, who was guarding the entrance.

Unfortunately, it's another day of duty for security guards.

Upon seeing that it was Xie Yihua, Qin'an quickly bowed and greeted her, saying, "Greetings, Fourth Miss."

Xie Yihua asked, "Has the eldest son finished court yet?"

At this hour, my elder brother should have finished his court session.

But there are occasional exceptions.

Qin'an bowed respectfully and replied, "Fourth Miss, the Eldest Young Master has not yet returned from court. If you have urgent business, perhaps you could come later?"

Without Xie Jue's permission, the servants would never have dared to let Xie Yihua into the courtyard.

Although they are siblings, Xie Jue has his own rules.

Xie Yihua could neither go inside to wait, nor could she simply wait outside.

Xie Yihua could only suppress her turbulent emotions and coldly snorted, "I know."

Having said that, he took Zhixi and turned back to Qiluo Residence.

Back at Qiluo Residence, Xie Yihua lost her appetite. It wasn't until nightfall that the maidservant she'd sent to guard the gate came running in, breathless: "Miss, Miss, the eldest young master is back! He's already gone back to Tingsong Courtyard!"

Xie Yihua immediately got up and took Zhixi straight to Tingsong Courtyard again.

This time, Qin'an did not stop her: "Fourth Miss is here, and the Eldest Young Master is in the courtyard, waiting for you."

Xie Yihua pursed her lips, walked around the screen wall, and arrived at a delicate and elegant little courtyard in the backyard.

In a corner of the courtyard, an old plum tree with gnarled branches stands, and beneath it, a rustic stone table and benches.

Xie Jue had already changed out of his official robes and was now wearing a casual robe with cloud patterns, exuding a calm and composed demeanor.

On the small red clay stove beside it, the water in the silver pot was making a soft, rustling sound.

Shu Tong picked up the tea whisk, and as she moved, a layer of fine, snow-like foam rose in the tea cup, filling the air with a fragrant aroma that was refreshing and delightful.

Xie Yihua unconsciously became more respectful and curtsied, saying, "Big Brother."

Xie Jue glanced at Xie Yihua and said calmly, "Come and sit down, have some tea."

Xie Yihua nodded and sat down on the stone bench opposite Xie Jue.

Shu Tong started following Xie Jue when she was five years old. When she was eight, she became a disciple of Master Huo, a tea master who was famous throughout the world and whom even the Empress could not persuade to join her.

Shu Tong studied diligently under Master Huo for seven years, and his tea-making skills have reached the pinnacle, making him a unique master.

It was simply because Xie Jue liked to drink tea.

Shutong's tea was brewed just for him.

Although it was a rare treat to finally get to drink tea brewed by Shu Tong, Xie Yihua had no interest in appreciating it.

Xie Yihua took a sip of tea absentmindedly, then couldn't help but ask, "Brother, I heard you assigned Hongdou to serve Jiang Sese? Hongdou is one of your servants. She's a dependent; what makes her so special that she deserves your trouble? Don't you have any maids in the manor? Why do you have to go to such lengths with the people from your Tingsong Courtyard?"

Shu Tong, standing to the side, was focused on brewing tea, seemingly oblivious to everything around her.

Xie Jue picked up the teacup in front of him and took a small sip of tea.

The image of the girl eagerly offering him tea flashed through his mind.

If it were someone else, they would simply accept the loss of face.

However, Jiang Sese was staying at the Xie residence, and the servants there were used to their masters' moods and acted accordingly.

If he offended Jiang Sese, his subordinates would find ways to give her a hard time.

The Xie family either won't take her in or they won't.

Since we've taken her in and allowed her to stay in our household, we should treat her well.

Otherwise, what was originally a good thing that demonstrated the Xie family's benevolence and righteousness would turn into a bad thing.

Xie Jue put down his teacup, his voice calm and without a trace of emotion: "There are rules in the manor. Cousin Jiang is supposed to have two personal maids to serve her. I didn't know that, but now that I do, I should assign one to her."

Xie Yihua couldn't find fault with Xie Jue, but she was still dissatisfied.

Xie Yihua said angrily, "Then you shouldn't have given Hongdou to her. Don't you know what she did before?"

Xie Yihua was referring to Jiang Sese deliberately falling into the water to frame Chu Shaoyuan.

In other words, the servants of the Xie family kept their mouths shut, and Chu Shaoyuan didn't tell anyone either.

Otherwise, if outsiders found out that a woman from the Xie family had done such a thing, what would they be considered? Outsiders wouldn't care whether Jiang Sese's surname was Xie or not; since she was living in the Xie family's home, it was the Xie family's problem.

Xie Jue looked at Xie Yihua and said, "She is very different from before. If she has the intention to change, why should you hold a grudge?"

Xie Yihua hid her hostility towards Jiang Sese very well, but it did not escape Xie Jue's notice.

Xie Yihua's face darkened: "I'm holding a grudge? That's because she dared to make a move on Brother Shao Yuan. If it weren't for..."

If Chu Shaoyuan hadn't had such strong willpower, he might have actually been seduced by her.

Any man who dares to seduce her.

Not only did her older brother not help her deal with the person, but he also told her not to hold a grudge?

Xie Jue said calmly, "If she continues to pester Chu Shaoyuan, I will take care of things for you."

But she won't.

Xie Jue lowered his eyes and drank his tea; he was always very good at judging people.

So far, I haven't made a mistake in my judgment.

Xie Yihua could only bite her lip and get up: "Then thank you very much, brother."

After saying that, she turned to leave, but Xie Jue called her back again. Xie Jue said calmly, "You are the eldest daughter of the Xie family. There are some things I don't need to repeat myself."

Xie Yihua stiffened for a moment, then replied in a muffled voice, "Understood."

……

Once the Dragon Boat Festival was over, the tailor sent by Wang came to Jiang Sese to take her measurements, and four or five days later, the clothes were finished.

Jiang Sese changed her clothes and first went to thank Wang Shi, then went to Aunt Sun's place.

Aunt Sun was sitting in front of the embroidery frame by the window, staring intently at the lotus scroll pattern that had just begun to unfold on the frame.

Upon seeing Jiang Sese arrive, Aunt Sun put down her needlework and said with a smile, "Sese's here, come and sit down."