20demayo Chapter 13 Sister-in-law: Get out!
Chapter 13 Sister-in-law: Get out!
The main hall was brightly lit, and two figures, one sitting and one standing, had been waiting for a long time.
It was Shen Zhirou and the butler Xu Fu.
The candlelight flickered, casting their shadows, sometimes long, sometimes short, on the blue brick floor. Shen Zhirou sat upright in the main seat, holding a cup of tea that had long since gone cold, but she did not drink it.
Her eyes were somewhat vacant, as if she were lost in thought.
Xu Fu stood beside her, his hands clasped in front of him, glancing at the doorway every now and then. The wrinkles on his face appeared particularly deep in the candlelight.
Upon seeing Xu Ming walk in, Xu Fu's wrinkled old face instantly tightened, as if pulled by an invisible hand.
He rushed forward, his steps faltering yet swift, his cloudy eyes filled with urgency and worry.
"Young Master! You...you're finally back!"
His voice trembled slightly as he looked Xu Ming up and down, as if checking if he was missing any parts.
"We were all very worried about you. Someone from the palace came to summon you to court. This old servant has been on tenterhooks since this morning, and I still can't relax..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Zhirou, who was sitting in the main seat, had already stood up.
She was still dressed in plain white, without any decoration on her dress, and the white silk flower in her hair looked even more aloof in the candlelight.
Her face was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, but her clear eyes were fixed intently on Xu Ming.
"Uncle Fu, you can go down now." Shen Zhirou's voice was soft, but her tone left no room for argument.
Xu Fu glanced at Shen Zhirou, then at Xu Ming, opened his mouth as if to speak, but hesitated.
He had been the housekeeper of the Xu family for decades and knew the young mistress's temperament well—she was usually gentle and mild-mannered, but once she opened her mouth, she was a woman of her word.
"Yes."
He bowed and stepped back, but as he reached the door, he looked back one last time.
Under the candlelight, the young master and young mistress stood facing each other, one with a weary face but sharp eyes, the other with a calm face but hidden sharpness.
Xu Fu sighed inwardly and gently closed the door.
Only the uncle and his sister-in-law remained in the main hall.
The candle flame flickered, making a soft "crackling" sound.
The flames of the two candles flickered in the draft, casting their shadows, which appeared to grow longer and shorter.
"What happened in the Imperial Palace today?"
Shen Zhirou didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
"It's nothing, I just had a fight with someone."
Xu Ming shrugged casually, walked to a chair and sat down. He picked up the teapot on the table and shook it; it was empty.
Shen Zhirou did not move, her hands hanging at her sides, her posture ramrod straight.
She looked at him quietly, her eyes showing no anger, no blame, only scrutiny.
That kind of gaze is like it can see right through a person, inside and out.
"A mere argument is enough for His Majesty to issue an edict to execute the entire families of two former Grand Secretaries?"
Xu Ming's relaxed expression froze instantly.
He remained silent for a moment, then walked to a chair and sat down, picking up the teapot to pour himself a cup of tea that had gone cold.
The tea went down my throat, and the cold liquid slid down my esophagus.
He slammed the teacup down, making a soft "bang".
"Sister-in-law, what do you think is the current situation of our Xu family?"
Instead of answering Shen Zhirou's question, he posed a question of his own.
Shen Zhirou frowned her beautiful brows, her clear eyes narrowing slightly, as if she were pondering the true meaning of the question.
"Dangerous."
Four words: concise and precise.
"That's right."
Xu Ming tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
"Father, second uncle, third uncle, eldest brother... all died in battle. Of the seventeen men in our family, sixteen died."
"I'm the only son left in the Xu family. In other people's eyes, I'm just a good-for-nothing who only knows how to walk around with birdcages, cockfighting, and dog racing."
He looked up at Shen Zhirou.
"The emperor is wary of our Xu family's military achievements—three generations of the Xu family have served in the military, and our old troops are all over the country. He is afraid. The court officials are jealous of our Xu family's reputation for loyalty and valor, and they wish they could kick us while we're down. We're like a piece of fat meat, and everyone wants to take a bite, and everyone thinks they can get a piece."
He paused, a cold smile curving his lips.
"So, you're going to use the most extreme method to turn yourself into a knife?"
Shen Zhirou immediately understood his intention, and a complex look flashed in her eyes.
"A sword that only His Majesty can wield."
Xu Ming nodded in agreement.
He looked directly into Shen Zhirou's eyes, his gaze as open and honest as a pool of clear water.
"Today in the imperial court, I offended all the civil officials, I offended them to the point of death."
He paused for a moment, then his smile deepened.
"The more they hate me, the more they want to kill me, the safer I am."
Shen Zhirou's body trembled slightly, as if she had been blown by a gust of wind.
Her red lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but then she swallowed it back.
"Because if they want to kill me, the only way is through His Majesty. And I have offended everyone, so I have no way out and can only cling to His Majesty like a big tree." Xu Ming's voice grew lower and lower, but every word was firm and resounding.
"The crazier, greedier, more lustful, and more like a pure mad dog I appear, the more at ease His Majesty will be with me. Who would dare let a hungry, masterless mad dog go out to bite people? But if the leash of this dog is in the hands of its master, then it is the best hunting dog."
Shen Zhirou looked at Xu Ming in front of her, her eyes filled with something indescribable.
The candlelight flickered on his profile, the interplay of light and shadow creating a flowing painting.
The boy who used to follow her around, clinging to her clothes to avoid being scolded, has somehow grown into a deep-thinking and ruthless man.
Is it disappointment?
A little.
Is it out of heartache?
It breaks my heart!
He used a playboy exterior to conceal a heart more clear-headed and more insane than anyone else's. Beneath that smiling mask lay a wild beast ready to bite at any moment.
"Have you... made up your mind?"
After a long silence, Shen Zhirou finally uttered four words.
"There was no other choice."
Xu Ming tugged at the corners of his mouth, a smile that contained bitterness, helplessness, and a hint of ruthless determination.
"Either we'll be slowly boiled like a frog in lukewarm water, until the last bit of wealth the Xu family has been devoured, until we have nowhere to live, until we completely disappear from the capital—as if we'd never existed."
He stood up, walked to the center of the main hall, turned around, and faced Shen Zhirou.
"Either we overturn this table and fight to the death, then we'll fight back."
I choose the latter.
Shen Zhirou looked at him.
The candlelight flickered behind him, casting his shadow long and long, stretching all the way to the threshold.
She slowly closed her eyes.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly.
When she opened her eyes again, all the worry, hesitation, and unease had vanished from those clear eyes. Only a resolute calm remained.
"I see."
Her voice regained its usual gentleness.
"Go ahead and do it. I'll take care of things at home."
Xu Ming felt a warmth in his heart.
He lowered his head, looked at his hands clasped in front of him, and remained silent for a moment.
Then he looked up and nodded.
"Oh, right."
He stood up, walked to the door, and the night wind blew in through the crack, causing the hem of his clothes to flutter gently.
He seemed to remember something, turned around, and a smug smile appeared on his face.
"I asked His Majesty for a favor—if there are any women he finds attractive during the confiscation of property, he can bring them directly back to the mansion."
Seeing Xu Ming's smug and shameless face, Shen Zhirou took a deep breath and squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth: "Get lost!"