Read Novel Full CHAPTER 51 PART1
CHAPTER 51 PART1
Madam Yin instinctively clenched her fists. She had been about to order the servants to throw Xiao Yan out, but just as the words reached her lips, she heard Xiao Yanfei say with a light smile, “Mother, let him in.”
Madam Yin bit her lip and took several deep breaths to calm herself. Her eyes were still red.
“Let him in,” she finally said with a nod to the maidservant, then turned to Xiao Yanfei and gave her a small smile, as if to reassure her that she was fine.
The maid quickly rushed out again.
Xiao Yanfei dismissed Zhu momo in a hurry, then grabbed Gu Feichi’s hand and pulled him behind a screen in the corner of the hall. Pressing a finger to her lips, she gestured for him to stay silent.
Gu Feichi’s lashes trembled. He slowly lowered his gaze—and saw her left hand still tightly holding his right.
Their palms were pressed together.
She could feel the rough calluses on his hands, the strength and length of his fingers—so different from her own soft and delicate ones.
A moment later, he took the lead, calmly turning his hand and wrapping hers fully in his.
His palm was warm—burning, even—and powerful.
Xiao Yanfei’s heart skipped a beat. She turned to smile at him, her cherry lips curved upward, large cat-like eyes sparkling with mischief. Her delicate pearl earrings swayed as she moved, adding a lively charm to her graceful appearance.
Seeing her smile, Gu Feichi couldn’t help but feel his own mood lift.
“Marquis!”
Outside the screen, a servant’s respectful greeting pulled Xiao Yanfei’s attention back. She quickly peeked out and saw a tall, familiar figure striding into the hall.
“Yin Wan!” Xiao Yan stormed through the threshold, face dark, eyes sharp like blades as they locked onto Madam Yin sitting by the window.
Her eyes were red and brimming with unshed tears, and her breath quickened at the sight of him.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Xiao Yan roared the moment he entered. “Why did you go to Fu Chuan and spread such nonsense?!”
After leaving the marquis manor that morning, he had rushed to meet Fu Chuan, commander of the Imperial Guard, to explain the situation with the hot spring villa. But Fu Chuan had been even more ruthless than expected—making him wait two whole hours before granting an audience, then directly stripping him of his position.
Xiao Yan’s heart bled from the humiliation.
He stepped closer to Madam Yin, towering over her.
“You’ve caused me to lose my post as deputy commander of the Imperial Guard. Are you satisfied now?!”
“When one prospers, all prosper. When one suffers disgrace, all suffer with him. Destroying my career—what good does that do for you?!”
It had taken him over a decade to rise to that position. And now, thanks to this foolish woman, it was all gone.
He’d nearly written a divorce letter—but in the end, he restrained himself. First, he had to get the hot spring villa back from her. Maybe even that horse farm, too. If he gifted them to Fu Chuan, perhaps the man would reconsider.
That was his only chance.
Xiao Yan strode closer, but before he could say more, a vein popped on Madam Yin’s temple. Without warning, she picked up a teacup and hurled it at him.
They were barely four or five feet apart—far too close for him to dodge.
The teacup slammed into his shoulder with a dull thud, and he grunted in pain.
Smash!
The teacup shattered on the floor, splashing hot tea and leaves everywhere, soaking his boots and robe.
Madam Yin had successfully cut off his tirade.
Xiao Yan stood frozen, stunned like a statue.
Silence fell over the room. The air was heavy and tense.
Meeting his shocked gaze, Madam Yin gave a cold, mirthless laugh.
“Did Luan’er not tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Xiao Yan frowned.
He’d always looked down on the Yin family. If Madam Yin hadn’t crossed the line this time, he wouldn’t have even bothered to guess what she was sulking about.
Women’s nonsense—always jealousy or petty grievances.
But Madam Yin was oddly calm. Staring at the disheveled Xiao Yan, she said:
“She didn’t tell you that Cui Yingru switched her with Yanfei?”
“She didn’t say that Yanfei is Cui Yingru’s own daughter?”
“That for fifteen years, Cui Yingru abused my child in her place?!”
Her voice slowed, each word steeped in venom. The fury she’d suppressed for days ignited once more before the man who had betrayed her so deeply.
Xiao Yan’s face stiffened for a moment. His eyes flickered with something unreadable.
Then, slowly, a sneer spread across his lips. He casually brushed his injured shoulder and straightened up, placing his left arm behind his back, staring down at Madam Yin like a righteous man.
“That’s what this is all about?”
Madam Yin’s eyes widened slightly, staring at the man she had shared a bed with for sixteen years.
He suddenly felt like a stranger.
Seeing her wounded expression, Xiao Yan felt as though he had regained some control. The humiliation he’d suffered earlier with Fu Chuan seemed to dissipate.
He took a step closer, his boot crunching on shattered porcelain.
“Luan’er and Xiao Yanfei are both my daughters. What does it matter who gave birth to whom?”
“You’re the legitimate wife. Both girls call you ‘mother.’ What difference does it make?”
“If Yanfei had a hard time, it’s because you, the mother, failed to treat all the children equally.” Xiao Yan snorted, “You still have the nerve to throw a tantrum?”
He towered over Madam Yin, his shadow falling halfway across her.
Madam Yin’s chest heaved violently, her fury boiling in her eyes. Her whole body trembled.
Xiao Yan’s gaze was sharp as a blade: “For such a trivial matter, you made a scene across the whole city and cost me my post…”
A merchant’s daughter—greedy, impulsive, short-sighted.
“Mother.”
A clear, steady voice cut him off.
Xiao Yan instinctively looked toward it and saw Xiao Yanfei stepping calmly out from behind the screen. He froze, stunned into silence.
She walked directly to Madam Yin’s side, unfastened the whip at her waist, and handed it over.
“Here, Mother,” she said with a faint smile.
The whip had been given to her by Princess Ning Shu, who told her to get used to the feel of it—next time, she’d teach her how to wield it properly.
“You again, stirring up trouble!” Xiao Yan quickly regained his composure, glaring at her with contempt. “Has your aunt ever mistreated you? You’re just an ungrateful wretch, biting the hand that—”
Crack—!
A sharp whip crack split the air.
Madam Yin leapt to her feet. With a flick of her wrist, the whip unfurled with a loud snap—and lashed straight at Xiao Yan’s face.
He was a trained martial artist and didn’t see her as a threat. With a cold smirk, he stepped forward to grab the whip—
But just then, a teacup lid flew from behind the screen and hit the back of his knee with perfect aim.
Xiao Yan grunted in pain, staggering from the impact.
The whip lashed across his face.
Snap!
The sound wasn’t loud, but to him it rang like thunder.
A vivid red welt appeared on his once-handsome face, stretching from his temple down to his jaw—three full inches long.
“You—!” Xiao Yan’s face burned with pain. Rage erupted within him, his expression contorted like a beast.
She had dared hit him!
Madam Yin’s eyes were bloodshot, still seething with rage. She lifted the whip again.
Crack! Crack!
Two more lashes.
Xiao Yan scrambled to shield himself. The second and third strikes landed squarely on his arm. The whip tore through silk sleeves, leaving searing welts underneath.
“Yin Wan, have you lost your mind?!” he roared, teeth grinding.
Blood trickled down his face, dripping onto the polished marble floor.
“Get out!” Madam Yin shouted, gripping the whip tightly. Its tail dragged along the floor behind her.
Xiao Yan’s breathing was ragged. He stared at mother and daughter, his face flickering between red and white. Sweat and blood plastered strands of hair to his cheeks.
With a vicious wave of his sleeve, he spat, “Yin Wan, let’s see if you ever dare come back to the marquis manor again!”
Xiao Yan stiffly stepped out of the main hall. The spot behind his knee, where the teacup lid had struck him, still throbbed with pain, causing his gait to falter. Gone was the usual steadiness and grace—his steps now looked unsteady and disoriented.
The tattered cuff of his sleeve hung limp at his side. The once-glorious Marquis of Wu’an now looked utterly disheveled, like a defeated man fleeing in disgrace.
Madam Yin: “…”
She stared blankly at Xiao Yan’s departing figure, silent for a long time until he disappeared completely from view.
Suddenly, her grip loosened, and the whip in her hand slipped to the floor.
Two streams of tears surged from her eyes, carving paths down her bloodless cheeks.
A sob burst from Madam Yin’s throat as her entire body began to tremble. The tears poured out endlessly, as though she were finally releasing all the grief and bitterness she had endured over the past decade.
Let her cry. Xiao Yanfei didn’t try to comfort her, only reached out to gently pat her back.
Her grandfather had already told her: when Madam Yin first learned the truth, she had been so overwhelmed with emotion that she nearly fainted. The resentment had been bottled up for far too long—not just the betrayal, but also the humiliation and heartbreak she had endured in the marquis’s household all these years.
She had to see Xiao Yan. She needed to let it out. If not, the bitterness would eat away at her, make her ill.
And yet…
Xiao Yanfei raised a hand to her chest, where a deep, sour ache had begun to rise.
The original soul within her had also carried resentment—questions, injustice, heartbreak…
Suddenly, she felt warmth above her. A tall shadow loomed over her head.
A large, steady palm gently ruffled her hair—softly, tenderly, as though handling something precious.
She turned and saw that Gu Feichi had quietly come out from behind the screen and now stood beside her. He gave her a faint smile, his eyes bright and warm.
Xiao Yanfei shook her head slightly and smiled back, lips pressed together.
She was fine. She was not the original Xiao Yanfei.
The one who was truly heartbroken was the original soul—and Madam Yin.
Thinking of what Xiao Yan had just said, Xiao Yanfei raised a brow and asked Gu Feichi, “He’s lost his post?”
She knew exactly what was going on. Her grandfather had deliberately sent someone to retrieve the hot spring estate from Fuchuan—that move was designed to strip Xiao Yan of his position in the Imperial Procession Guards.
“And then?” she asked. “That can’t be all.”
Gu Feichi chuckled softly, his smile calm and composed. “There’s unrest in Youzhou. His Majesty has ordered Lord of Cheng’en, Liu Huan, to lead a campaign to suppress the bandits. Many of the noble families are now vying for the opportunity to have their younger sons join the expedition—earning military merit would be ideal.”
“Marquis Wu’an will almost certainly try to secure a position for himself—tag along with Liu Huan and pick up military credit with little effort.”
He chuckled again at the words “pick up with little effort,” then added with quiet admiration, “People look down on merchants for chasing profit, but commerce is just like life—one must read people, weigh benefits and costs, see the bigger picture. Only then can one carve out a path through blood and chaos.”
“Xiao Yan is too full of himself, blind to reality. He’ll only end up being played like a puppet by Grandfather.”
Gu Feichi’s gaze followed the path Xiao Yan had taken, and a sharp glint flickered behind the mask in his fox-like eyes.
Just beyond the wall, Xiao Yan swung himself onto his horse. He reached up to touch the blood on his face, his expression dark and vicious.
He gripped his riding crop furiously, just about to crack it down, when a voice called out behind him—
“Marquis!”
“Marquis! You’re leaving already after coming all this way?” Yin Huan, the eldest master of the Yin family, rushed toward him, his face plastered with a fawning smile as he tried to explain. “My sister was just…”
Xiao Yan, already seething, didn’t spare him a glance. The whip lashed down hard, and his horse reared up with a shrill cry before galloping away.
Yin Huan stood there awkwardly, watching Xiao Yan’s retreating figure. His expression gradually turned grim.
Yin Wan had truly been reckless and spoiled—offending the Marquis of Wu’an like this would only bring disaster to the Yin family!
***