If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

Wang Jue left the Xi residence and mounted his horse.

He wandered aimlessly around the streets of Jiankang City, from Zhuque Avenue to the banks of the Qinhuai River, and from the banks of the Qinhuai River to the entrance of Wuyi Lane.

The wind whistled past my ears, as cold as a knife.

But it felt like there was a fire burning in his chest, burning all the way, making his internal organs ache.

The cold wind rushed into his lungs, making him shiver.

All his kindness and patience were exhausted, and his anger transformed into a possessiveness and a desire for control that almost consumed him.

No one can live without the other.

Since she wants to sever all ties, he will grant her wish.

Let her go, let her marry someone else, let her see who else in this world can give her the same honor and wealth as him.

She'll regret it, she definitely will.

When she suffers injustice at the hands of others, when she discovers that those people cannot give her what she wants, she will come back.

By then, he will no longer give her a choice!

Wang Jue is gone.

If they're that angry, it must be completely over.

Xi Lingxian slowly lay back down, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and curled up into a ball.

She was caught completely off guard when the tears started flowing.

Silently, drop by drop, it slid from the corner of my eye, trickled down my cheek, and landed on the pillow, leaving a small, dark stain.

She tried to wipe it off with the back of her hand, but it kept flowing out.

She simply stopped wiping and buried her face in the pillow.

Her chest ached, as if something was pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

She told herself that this was the last time she would cry for him.

Now that you've finished crying, let's end it completely.

……

After the winter solstice, Linchuan Academy resumed classes.

Xi Lingxian stayed at home for three days and was fed in shifts, which made her cheeks a little rounder.

On the third day after the academy reopened,

Shen Qingdai arrived at the fine house with red and swollen eyes.

A light drizzle was falling, so fine and dense that it looked like a thin veil covering the entire retreat.

Xi Lingxian came to meet her with an umbrella and saw Shen Qingdai standing under the porch, her clothes half wet, her hair sticking to her cheeks, and her eyes red and swollen like two peaches.

"Fanfan—" Shen Qingdai saw her and tears welled up again.

She rushed over, hugged Xi Lingxian tightly, buried her face in her shoulder, and cried so hard her whole body was trembling. Xi Lingxian didn't ask what was wrong, she just held her tightly.

Xi Lingxian led the person to her own study, had Taozhi bring hot water, wrung out a handkerchief to wipe her face, poured her a cup of hot tea, and put it in her hand.

"Did something happen at home?"

Shen Qingdai took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and spoke haltingly.

The Shen family has been accused of embezzling salt taxes and smuggling contraband. Someone tampered with a shipment of goods belonging to their business, inserting unwanted items. These items didn't belong to the Shen family, but since they were found in their shipment, the Shen family can't escape responsibility.

Her father had been detained, and many of the family's properties and shops had been seized. Most of the ungrateful relatives and servants who usually called themselves family thought they were in deep trouble and ran away, leaving only a few loyal old servants to hold on.

"My father was wronged." Shen Qingdai's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "It's the Gu family. The Gu family is jealous of our business and has long wanted to take over our assets. This matter is definitely related to them."

"I went to my father's old business friends. They used to be like brothers to me, but when trouble came, they all ran away faster than rabbits. Some refused to see me, and even when they did, they only said some innocuous things. Not a single one of them was willing to help."

"I don't know what to do."

"Fanfan." Shen Qingdai looked up. "There's something I don't know if I should ask you."

"What exactly is your relationship with Wang Jue?"

"I heard that this case fell into his hands."

"If it really is related to the Gu family, then it's not a black-and-white issue. The Gu family and the Xie family are related by marriage, and the Xie family and the Wang family are old friends. Then my family is completely doomed!"

The powerful families that marry into each other are closely connected, sharing both prosperity and adversity.

It's never something that can be easily dismissed with the simple phrase "handling according to the law."

"Sister Qingdai." She raised her head and looked into Shen Qingdai's eyes. "Wang Jue isn't exactly a good person. There are some things he does in court that I don't approve of. But he's not the kind of person who acts without discernment. If the Gu family is behind this, he shouldn't stand idly by as long as the evidence is conclusive."

As she finished speaking, her voice lowered, and she seemed less confident.

Shen Qingdai knew that Xi Ling had completely rejected Wang Jue on the winter solstice, and she didn't want to put Lingxian in a difficult position.

She decided to talk to Wang Jue herself.

On the second day of the classics class, Shen Qingdai held a pen in her hand, the Xuan paper in front of her was blank.

She stole a glance at Wang Jue on the podium.

He held a book in his hand and was lecturing on the second half of the "Quli" chapter of the Book of Rites.

Looking at his expressionless face, Shen Qingdai suddenly felt a little uneasy.

She had exchanged fewer than ten sentences with Wang Jue, most of which were just greetings like "Hello, Master" and "Goodbye, Master." How was she supposed to begin?

Xi Lingxian squeezed her hand under the table.

Shen Qingdai forced a smile, which looked worse than crying.

It's time to get out of school.

Wang Jue closed the book, picked up the documents on the desk, and turned to leave.

"Master—" Shen Qingdai stood up.

Wang Jue stopped and turned around to look at her.

Shen Qingdai felt a chill run down her spine under that gaze. She took a deep breath, swallowed the tension that rose to her throat, and got out of her seat to stand in front of him.

"Master, I have a request." Her voice trembled slightly.

"Master, something has happened in my family. My father has been wrongly accused and implicated in a salt tax case. He has been detained and our property has been seized. I know that you are handling this case, and I do not ask for your favoritism, but only that you handle it impartially."

After she finished speaking, she bowed deeply to Wang Jue.

"Miss Shen."

Shen Qingdai raised her head and met his gaze.

"This case is currently under trial, and I will handle it impartially and without bias."

His voice was as steady as a straight line, without the slightest fluctuation: "Go back now and calm down. If your father is innocent, I will not wrong him. If he is indeed guilty, I will not tolerate it."

After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the lecture hall.

"Qingdai—" Xi Lingxian's voice was a little hoarse.

"He said he would handle it impartially." Shen Qingdai's voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself.

Xi Lingxian looked at her without saying a word.

Children born into prestigious families are never stupid.

The phrase "handling matters impartially" can either uncover the truth or cover it up.

The key question is, who holds the power over the "public" aspect?

Xi Lingxian sent a message to Xi Jian and Xi Rui, hoping they could help the Shen family with some matters.

Two days later, a reply arrived.

It is the handwriting of the eldest brother, Xi Rui.

"Fanfan, the Shen family case you asked your father to inquire about has made some progress. This case involves a wide range of people, including the Gu and Qian families, which are powerful clans in Jiangdong. These families are deeply intertwined, with intermarriages among them, and their influence in the Jiangdong area is immense. A single move can have far-reaching consequences. The Langya Wang family is in charge of the case, and Wang Jue is personally handling it. Other forces in the court have no way to get involved. Your father and I have both tried to inquire about it, but the Wang family is keeping the information very tight. It's not that they don't want to help, but that they can't."

Xi Lingxian didn't want to think too badly of people, but subconsciously she did have some doubts.

Isn't this a ruthless tactic by Wang Jue to force her to submit?

But then I thought, she shouldn't be important enough for Wang Jue to cause such unrest among the Jiangdong aristocratic families.