The commotion stirred up by the Lu family’s birthday banquet was no small matter, and those in the know were aware that Su Yi’s disposal was only a matter of ti.
However, using the excuse of "contracting a stubborn illness" to banish her to a poverty-stricken place like Suzhou was indeed beyond everyone’s expectations.
Wen Wan was also taken aback. Logically speaking, as Su Yi was bestowed in marriage by the late Empress Dowager, surely Grandfather would have given her so more face for the late Empress Dowager’s sake, even if he didn’t care about religious reasons. If soone was to be chased away, it should have been said after the New Year.
Yet, now with only a few days left until New Year’s Eve, Su Yi unexpectedly left the capital at such a ti. Could it be that sothing else happened with the Lu family?
In fact, Wen Wan’s guess was right indeed.
On the day of the birthday banquet, after Wen Wan and the others left, Lu Pingzhou gave fifty taels of silver to several won from Ningzhou, who couldn’t resist the temptation and confessed, stating that everything they said was true, but they were deliberately brought to the capital.
The person who brought them here was found to be Qi Hai after Lu Pingzhou’s investigation.
Qi Hai vehently denied it, and Lu Pingzhou didn’t waste words with him. He directly tied him up, sent him to the palace, and threw him into the Jing Shi Room, where a knife turned him into a eunuch.
Previously, in the Lu family, though unable to perform as a man, he could at least see Su Yi from ti to ti, and at the very least, was a complete person, giving him the will to live.
Now, having beco a genderless object, being humiliated by a group of old eunuchs, Qi Hai couldn’t bear the blow. Overwheld with grief and anger, he pretended to be crazy, speaking nonsense randomly, at tis laughing silly or suddenly bursting into tears.
The Jing Shi Room didn’t dare to keep a madman, so they kicked him out again.
In just a few days, Qi Hai beca a street beggar, his hair disheveled and in a pitiable state, telling anyone who would listen that he had an affair with a certain noble lady.
However, because he was filthy and reeked of madness, nobody was willing to pay him any attention.
In the bitter cold, Qi Hai huddled into a ball at the street corner, a broken bowl in front of him. Anyone who didn’t give him money would be grabbed, and he would tell them stories about how he and the lady deceived the master of the house and even had a child together.
Unfortunately, that day he grabbed Su Yi, who had co to the silver building to retrieve jewelry.
Su Yi didn’t recognize Qi Hai at first until he opened his mouth and spoke of the sordid affairs they had undertaken back in the day.
Su Yi’s face changed instantly.
The reason Qi Hai had fallen to such a state today was all thanks to this woman; how could he possibly let her go?
So, he grabbed Su Yi’s sleeve and shouted loudly to the surrounding crowd, saying that the lady he had an affair with was indeed her.
Furious, Su Yi raised her hand and slapped Qi Hai, "You madman, how dare you slander this lady. Do you believe I’ll have you locked up?"
Feeling guilty, Su Yi didn’t wait for Qi Hai’s reaction and hurried away with her maid through the crowd, preparing to return to the mansion.
Qi Hai’s mind was completely twisted by that one knife, and at this point, he would no longer protect Su Yi like before, only wishing to drag her down to suffer and die together.
Seeing Su Yi trying to leave, he lifted his steps to chase after her.
Thus, the townspeople saw, on the street just after the snow had lted and still wet, a disheveled, dirty beggar chasing after a noble lady.
The noble lady was out of breath, unable to run after a few steps, constantly exhaling white vapor from her mouth. Fortunately, the coachman hurried the carriage over in ti, and the noble lady, with her equally out-of-breath maid, quickly boarded the carriage and left the street.
A madman’s actions inherently defy logic, so this incident didn’t cause much of a sensation, and the townspeople quickly dispersed after watching for a short while.
In contrast, Su Yi, frightened to the point of losing her complexion, still hadn’t recovered even after being in the carriage for a long ti.
The maid Qiu Yan comforted, "Madam, it’s all over now."
Still shaken, Su Yi repeatedly placed her hand on her chest.
Before she could say anything, she heard Qiu Yan ponder, "How strange, why did that beggar look so familiar just now, like soone from our mansion. Who exactly does he resemble? I just can’t recall at the mont."
Su Yi’s breath hitched, then she scolded, "What nonsense are you speaking? What kind of household is the Lu family to allow their servants to beg outside?"
Indeed, most servants in large households had signed binding contracts, making it hard for them to leave easily, and those on temporary contracts, even if they left, the mansion would usually give them so rewards so they wouldn’t live like this.
However, this was the case for ordinary servants; soone like Qi Hai naturally had a different case.
Qiu Yan felt disdain in her heart, but didn’t show it on her face, "Perhaps this maid has misjudged."
Seeing her doubts finally dispelled, Su Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon returning to the mansion, she sent Qiu Yan away and intended to go to the outer courtyard to see Lu Pingzhou, but a servant inford her that the Young Master had gone to Aunt Wen’s place.
Hearing this, Su Yi felt a sharp tug at her heart.
Clenching her handkerchief, she hurried towards the Haitang Courtyard.
As expected, she heard Lu Pingzhou’s voice coming from Aunt Wen’s room from afar.
The maid waiting outside saw Su Yi and forced a smile, raising her voice impatiently, "Madam is here, isn’t she?"
The voices of the two people inside the room stopped abruptly.
Su Yi tugged at the corners of her lips and asked, "Is the Young Master here?"
"He is." The maid said while opening the curtain for her.
Su Yi stepped inside and saw Lu Pingzhou holding Aunt Wen on a redwood-backed chair. Whatever had been said earlier had made Aunt Wen blush deeply, as she coyly teased him to stop fooling around.
Su Yi found it incredibly glaring, her heart a mix of bitterness and jealousy.
She had struggled against Zhao Xunyin for over twenty years, only to end up childless, without family, and exiled. It was a complete and utter defeat.
Only at this mont, upon witnessing this scene, did she regret not having tried to live well with Lu Pingzhou from the beginning.
If on the year of her marriage she had accepted her fate and sweetly appeased him, the woman nestled in his embrace today wouldn’t be that wench Wen, but herself!
In over twenty years of marriage, the only ti they had shared a bed was because he was drunk; thinking back, it was sheer mockery.
The more Su Yi thought about it, the more she felt indignant, her hands unconsciously tearing at the handkerchief.
It was as if Lu Pingzhou had just noticed her presence; he slowly raised his head, but his hand encircling Aunt Wen’s waist did not retract.
"Sothing you need?"
Facing him, his handso features instantly cooled a few degrees, and his tone was not very friendly.
Su Yi’s mouth opened slightly.
Originally, her affair with Qi Hai had already been laid bare before Lu Pingzhou and Aunt Wen, so she could speak openly about anything now, but Su Yi still felt discontent.
"I wish to speak with the Young Master alone."
As she spoke, her jealous gaze pierced into Aunt Wen like two sharp knives.
Perhaps it’s true that "one cannot shed tears until seeing the coffin"; only after having brought herself to such ruin did she suddenly realize that Lu Pingzhou was actually a smart and considerate man.
The reason she had felt he was unsuitable was, first, because he was sickly, and second, because back then, all her heart and eyes were occupied with Lu Xingzhou. Even though she had married Lu Pingzhou, she still fantasized about one day becoming Lu Xingzhou’s woman.
When you dislike soone, everything they do seems wrong.
After leading herself to ruin, she began to regret it, feeling that everything Aunt Wen now possessed should have belonged to her.
"No ti; if there’s sothing, say it here."
Lu Pingzhou crossed one leg, retaining his arm around Aunt Wen, his other wrist resting on his knee, exuding a relaxed and languid air.
Yet Su Yi could sense the danger lurking in that nonchalance.
She was left with no retreat, forced to stake everything on this final effort.
Bowing her head, Su Yi said, "Private matters between husband and wife, surely the Young Master wouldn’t embarrass by making speak them out loud, right?"
Private matters between husband and wife?
"Hah—" Lu Pingzhou returned her a cruel and disdainful sneer.
Su Yi’s eyes turned red, looking extrely aggrieved.
Aunt Wen lightly coughed and pushed Lu Pingzhou away, "Since Madam has business, you should attend to it, and I’ll handle the rest myself."
Lu Pingzhou stood up, tidied his robe, and walked briskly toward the door.
Aunt Wen watched him with soft smiles, warmly advising, "It’s cold outside; rember to put on your cape."
A complete scene of affection and tenderness between a man and his concubine, Su Yi was entirely superfluous. She turned her back to Lu Pingzhou, cast a hateful glance at Aunt Wen, then turned around, imdiately concealed her emotions, and walked to the redwood standing coat rack, intending to pick up the cape and fasten it for Lu Pingzhou, but he beat her to it, swiftly draping it over himself.
Without even eting his gaze, Su Yi could sense the mocking look from him—it was cold, piercingly cold.
Her heart sank.
Only when Lu Pingzhou flicked open the curtain and stepped out did she take a deep breath and follow.
Lu Pingzhou apparently had no interest in spending even a mont alone with her, his steps were hurried, "I have matters to attend to later, speak while we walk."
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