Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Xie Huaiyu's face was deathly pale, she couldn't speak, and she lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him.

At this moment, Xie Huaiyu had only one thought in his mind: he absolutely could not let Zong Xian discover that Mingyi was still alive.

Otherwise, given his cruelty, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Zong Xian looked away, forced a smile, and said in a dejected tone, "It's my fault for not protecting her. She must resent me, otherwise why wouldn't she entrust her dreams to me?"

Only the dead can appear in dreams, and since Mingyi is still alive, he naturally won't appear in dreams.

Xie Huaiyu understood perfectly, but showed no sign of it on his face.

Seeing that he was in a daze, Zong Xian assumed that the terrible scene in the room had frightened him, so he took him away from there and back to the mourning hall.

The evening breeze gently fluttered the white banners before the spirit tablet.

When Xie Huaiyu saw the words "beloved concubine Ji Mingyi" engraved on the memorial tablet, he couldn't help but speak with a hint of sarcasm: "Perhaps she wasn't harmed by someone else, but was driven to desperation by you and chose to take her own life."

These words undoubtedly struck a nerve with Zong Xian.

He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Xie Huaiyu's collar. His usually calm and composed expression showed signs of breaking down. His eyes were bloodshot, and he retorted sharply, "She didn't commit suicide!"

"She promised me she would never leave me, and on the ninth night, we consummated our marriage. How could she choose to commit suicide? That's utter nonsense!"

Xie Huaiyu stiffened his neck and met the other party's furious gaze with a cold laugh: "The rites of husband and wife? But she is not your wife at all! Don't forget, you took her as a concubine. Why does Second Uncle pretend to be so affectionate and deceive himself as well?"

The raging anger in Zong Xian's eyes suddenly froze, and he stood there stunned.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xie Huaiyu broke free from his grasp, her tone icy: "She's always been proud. She wouldn't even agree to be my concubine before, so how could she willingly become yours? In the end, you're the one who drove her to her death!"

"She had such a bright future ahead of her; you ruined it. Blame yourself!"

Xie Huaiyu pressed on relentlessly, venting all the resentment and bitterness that had been building up inside him.

Seeing Zong Xian speechless and unable to refute, he felt extremely pleased.

"If you hadn't taken her from me, she would have been my wife long ago. You're the one who tore us apart!"

Upon hearing this, Zong Xian finally showed a reaction.

His dark eyes stared at Xie Huaiyu, his gaze as tangible as a nail, and he said, "Don't think that just because you're surnamed Xie, I won't dare to kill you."

Xie Huaiyu's expression suddenly changed.

Zong Xian stepped forward, his eyes terribly red: "That day in Qingzhou, if it weren't for her pleading for you, you would already be a corpse. Now that she's no longer alive, why should I care?"

Xie Huaiyu retreated hastily, asking in a panic, "What do you want to do?"

A cold smile appeared on Zong Xian's lips as he slowly drew a dagger from his sleeve: "Since your feelings for her are so deep, I will naturally grant your wish and send you down to see her."

Xie Huaiyu finally regretted it.

He shouldn't have acted rashly and angered this madman.

Zong Xian is capable of anything these days.

"Jiro!"

A majestic voice rang out.

Zong Xian looked up and saw it was Old Madam Zong.

When she learned that Xie Huaiyu had arrived, she guessed that something bad was going to happen. Sure enough, if she had arrived any later, Xie Huaiyu would have died in the funeral hall.

What absurdity!

Madam Zong looked at Zong Xian with displeasure, "For a woman, you actually wanted to kill your own nephew? How long are you going to go crazy? In my opinion, I should find a monk to perform a ritual to help you pass on to the afterlife!"

Faced with the old lady's reprimand, all emotions faded from Zong Xian's eyes, leaving them as calm as a stagnant pool.

Do not argue or debate; do not be pleased or angry.

Seeing his stubborn and unyielding appearance, Madam Zong was quite helpless and, without saying anything more, took Xie Huaiyu away.

Xie Huaiyu dared not linger any longer and left the capital overnight.

...

The vast Songhe Garden was deathly silent and gloomy.

Zong Xian sat in the mourning hall all night, his mind filled with Xie Huaiyu's accusations from earlier that day, and he couldn't recover for a long time.

He gripped the plain white clothes tightly with both hands.

Throughout his life, he was meticulous in his planning and execution, always keeping people's minds in his grasp. Nothing ever escaped his control.

This was the first time he had been struck hard, a blow that shattered him completely.

Looking at the plaque on the memorial tablet, he felt an overwhelming sense of bewilderment and fear for the first time.

Did he drive her to her death?

Was it really wrong from the very beginning?

But if he could do it all over again, he would still keep her by his side.

How could he let go, watching Ji Mingyi marry another man? That would be worse than death for him.

The candle flickered, its wax dripping and reflecting off the man's pale face, his eyes gleaming with a fanatical light.

"Ji Mingyi, how dare you die without my permission?"

...

Xie Huaiyu returned to Lin'an Town on New Year's Eve.

Seeing that he was safe and sound, Mingyi breathed a sigh of relief and asked him with concern, "He didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

Xie Huaiyu felt a warmth in his heart and shook his head.

Without thinking twice, he reached out and hugged her tightly.

Mingyi was stunned for a moment, but did not struggle and quietly let him hold her.

He didn't tell her what happened at the Zong residence, not wanting to trouble her.

After a while, Mingyi took the initiative to ask, "Are you sure he doesn't suspect anything? What about the others from the Zong family?"

Zong Xian was too smart; she always felt a little uneasy.

She didn't know how others reacted or what happened after she "died".

"It's probably not true. The people of the Zongfu firmly believe that you are dead." After all, no one would believe that a person who has stopped breathing is actually still alive.

"As for him..." Xie Huaiyu's eyes were deep, "He set up a mourning hall and erected a memorial tablet for you. He would never have imagined that you were still alive."

Mingyi breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

Xie Huaiyu said, "After some time, they will gradually forget about you. At that time, you can go wherever you want and won't need to stay here."

Mingyi nodded.

Xie Huaiyu loosened his arms and smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "Look at me, I'm covered in dust. Don't get me dirty, little sister. I'll go back and take a bath and freshen up."

He had just arrived in town and came to see her immediately.

Mingyi smiled gently, her eyes crinkling: "Go."

After watching his figure disappear into the distance, Mingyi stood there for a while, lost in thought.

She couldn't help but wonder if anyone felt sad for her, since she had died so suddenly.

I suppose only Sister Fan would truly feel sorry for her.

But she absolutely cannot contact her; let her be as if she were dead. If fate allows, perhaps they will meet again.

Mingyi slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, treating everything that happened in Kyoto as a nightmare.

Now that she's woken up from her dream, she's ready to start a new and better life!

Mingyi turned around and saw Yuegui and Mingzhe hiding behind a tree, watching for who knows how long. The two of them had their eyes crinkled and were smiling mischievously.

They must have all seen Xie Huaiyu hug her just now!

Mingyi's cheeks flushed instantly, and she feigned annoyance: "You two, how dare you hide here and peek!"

He casually picked up a broom that was standing against the wall and waved it as if he was about to go up and teach the two a lesson.

"Girl, have mercy!"

The laughter and chatter in the courtyard startled the sparrows on the wall.

In the shadows beneath the courtyard wall, a furtive figure cautiously moved to the door, peering through the crack into the doorway...