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

In her past life, Xi Lingxian regarded Xie Wanyi as her enemy. Xie Wanyi was her Achilles' heel. Her true and false childhood sweetheart relationship with Wang Jue was a thorn in her heart that no one could touch.

Lady Wang liked her, the Wang family girls were close to her, and even the Wang family's maids felt that Xie Wanyi was more suitable to be the matriarch of the Wang family than she was.

Even the most carefree person can be hurt by such conflict. She also doubted herself, wondering if she was really that bad.

The answer is no, she is fine, it's the Wang family who are blind.

In this second life, Xi Lingxian's understanding remained unchanged. At most, she realized that she had indeed placed too much importance on emotions and lacked rationality in her previous life, which often led her to be confused by love. Secondly, what Madam Wang found most intolerable about her was that she did not take the initiative to arrange for Wang Jue to take concubines or provide maids. This was because a noble family that valued offspring more than anything else was simply an offense against the rules of heaven.

Xie Wanyi's sobs pulled her back from her wandering thoughts. It was understandable that Princess Nankang was staying at the post station.

However, Xie Wanyi is Wang Jue's own cousin, and everyone knows what she thinks of him. If they were to kick her out as well, it would be like trampling on the Xie family's reputation.

Wang Jue remained calm and unmoved, instructing his guards to prepare, determined to send the person back in three days.

Xi Song clicked his tongue and muttered, "If a girl liked me this much..."

He was only halfway through his sentence when his older sister noticed his gaze and changed the subject, saying, "That depends on whether I like it or not. If I don't like it, nothing else matters."

Xi Lingxian disliked Xie Wanyi, but at this moment, she felt a strange sense of sadness.

Actually, she probably wasn't that infatuated with Wang Jue, but she had devoted all her energy to him for the past ten years or so, so how could she possibly accept giving him up?

In truth, the fault mostly lies with the Wang family.

If they are determined to form a marriage alliance between the Wang and Xie families, they should stick to it to the end. Xie Wanyi is a young girl who grew up with her cousin as a childhood sweetheart and was told by those around her since she was young that she would marry her cousin when she grew up. She must have had her own girlish feelings.

But the Wang family can change their tune so easily. The young woman has already given her heart and years of her life; how can she be so easily resigned to this?

……

Upon returning to the post station, Princess Nankang was so angry that she smashed everything she could in the room.

Wang Jue had spies outside the post station, so he forbade his servants from going in to clean it up. He also instructed the post station officials not to treat him with excessive courtesy.

In this world, emperors are just mascots, so what are princesses anyway?

Xi Song hasn't left the house these past few days. He can't help it; his father's "reputation" isn't very good right now, and he always feels that people outside will point their fingers at him and curse him.

After wandering around the mansion twice, it was almost time to go find Xi Lingxian to have dinner together; as I turned a corner and passed by the Xie family's room, I heard several maids whispering to each other.

Xi Song loved listening to all sorts of trivial matters, so he stood at the foot of the wall, holding his breath as he listened.

"Why do you need ice on such a cold day, young lady?"

"It's obvious: the second young master doesn't want her to stay, and she doesn't want to leave. We need to think of a way."

Xi Song had heard many secrets about the inner quarters of aristocratic young masters. Asking for ice in the dead of winter was clearly a way to make himself sick!

What a brilliant plan! No matter how ruthless Brother Wang is, he can't possibly kick his seriously ill cousin out of the house; that would ruin his reputation.

Even with Xi Song's tip-off, it still couldn't prevent the incident from happening.

Xie Wanyi took a cold bath, which caused her to develop a persistent high fever.

Xi Lingxian couldn't believe her ears when she heard the news.

Taozhi had just returned from outside and witnessed the chaotic scene of doctors coming and going.

"Miss Xie is really crazy. Taking a cold bath in this weather, doesn't she want to die?"

Xi Lingxian frowned. "A high fever can be fatal. She really..."

Does it really have to be this way?

Wang Jue is still at the government office and has not returned. He has spent a lot of effort promoting Zhou Gui these past few days. Zhou Gui has a good reputation in the Jiangzhou area, and it would be detrimental to winning over the people's hearts if he were to kill him rashly. Given his nature, he will definitely try to squeeze the greatest value out of this man.

Wang's personal guards had already gone to the government office to report the news. Wang Jue didn't say anything, but simply told Mr. Zhou to take good care of the patient and leave after he recovered.

Xi Lingxian: "Has a doctor gone to see him?"

"Mr. Zhou has gone there and prescribed medicine, but no one can guarantee when the high fever will subside."

Xi Song asked in surprise, "She's gambling with her life. Is it worth it?"

Suddenly a messenger arrived in haste, saying, "Greetings, Miss Xi. We have a letter for you from Jingkou."

Xi Song stepped forward, took it, opened it, and handed it over.

"It's a letter from my elder brother..."

Xi Lingxian glanced at it a few times, and her expression changed drastically in an instant.

"W-What's wrong?"

Xi Lingxian was stunned, and murmured, "My elder brother said... Xi Hui and Xi Yao might not be Father's children."

Xi Song's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"what?"

Tao Zhi closed the doors and windows in time.

"Sister, what exactly happened?"

Xi Rui's letter was very simple and direct.

Father disliked Yu Shi at all. Ever since she married into the family, he had been sleeping in the study by himself. According to the time when Yu Shi became pregnant and gave birth to Xi Hui and Xi Yao, once Yu Shi put something in Father's teacup herself; another time she used Grandmother's hand.

It is said that the drug was a family heirloom of the Yu family, and its effects were extremely vile; yet, she became pregnant on both occasions, which made her father suspicious.

Xi Song's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Neither of them?"

"Who knows?"

Xi Song jumped up, "If this is true... the Yu family is absolutely disgusting."

Xi Lingxian speculated, "The Yu family initially married Yu Shi into the family hoping to use their connections within the household to win over Father. They thought Father was like those heartless men who wouldn't care who they remarried after their first wife died. They never expected that Father would be such a devoted lover, unwilling to even touch Yu Shi. This was very detrimental to Yu Shi's foothold and to the Yu and Xi families being tied together. Fortunately, the Yu family had the expertise and experience in using such drugs, so they simply went all in..."

"I see!"

Her eyes lit up. "Father's outburst now is probably to shut those people in Jiankang up completely and to settle scores with the Yu family for forcing him into marriage back then."

Xi Song suddenly perked up, "Father's going to retaliate?"

"right!"

"Whether Xi Yao and Xi Hui are both Father's flesh and blood is not important, nor is it necessary to investigate! As long as the news that Father only slept with Yu twice, or even whether they succeeded in sleeping together, spreads, everyone will doubt the bloodline of Xi Hui and Xi Yao; in addition, there is evidence that Yu bribed my wet nurse to poison me, and there is also evidence that she deliberately spoiled you. Even if Yu Liang is eloquent, he will find it difficult to make a fuss."

Xi Song clapped his hands in delight.

"Great! Experience really pays off!"

However, he paused, then hesitated, and asked, "Father, do you really not care about Xi Yao and Xi Hui at all?"

Xi Lingxian patted his shoulder. "Father is a kind father to us, but do you think he can be kind to everyone?"

That's a man who has climbed his way up from mountains of corpses and seas of blood; he can't possibly be soft-hearted towards anyone, and his methods can't possibly be anything but ruthless.

Xi Lingxian once thought that her father was so kind and gentle that he was no match for those snarling old men in the court.

I gradually came to understand later.

The kind and gentle father in her eyes might not be the same old gruff old man that others see.