Reborn Lady

Chapter 97

Xie Huai’an’s conspicuous act of restraining the young man in blue was obvious. Knowing she couldn’t lie, Yin Hui explained, “The young man in white is Xie Huai’an. My great-grandmother is a member of the Xie family, and my grandfather and Xie Huai’an’s grandfather are cousins.The relationship between the two families has always been very good. So Xie Huai’an and I have known each other since childhood, he is three years older than me, he is my cousin.” 

Wei Luo’s expression remained unmoved.

After a moment’s contemplation, Yin Hui said, “Cousin Huai’an is a cautious and respectful person. You’ve witnessed it. He recognized me and likely guessed your identity earlier, but he didn’t reveal anything recklessly. He won’t disclose this to those people.”

Wei Luo couldn’t forget the look in Xie Huai’an’s eyes when he recognized her.

“It’s about time for Xiao Heng to wake up. Let’s go,” Wei Luo declared abruptly, and Yin Hui had no option but to pick the closest mountain path and return to the temple with him ahead of schedule.

Xiao Heng was still soundly asleep, even snoring faintly, so Jinzhan didn’t disturb him.

When Yin Hui glanced at Wei Luo, he declared, “We’ll wait until he wakes up before we leave.”

Yin Hui instructed her maids to prepare some water, as she wanted to freshen up.

Since she couldn’t sleep, Yin Hui settled into a chair, planning to have Yinzhan help her undo her hair bun when Wei Luo entered the room. He told the two servant girls to leave.

Yin Hui stared at him with intense curiosity.

Wei Luo approached her and raised his hand, not to her bun as she expected, but to her neckline.

Just when Yin Hui didn’t understand his intent, his large, warm hand moved skillfully down her neckline.

It was a move so daring that it was unbelievable.

Yin Hui didn’t have time to react, and he had already touched her skin. She clutched his hand tightly. “Aren’t you afraid that the Buddha would see it?”

Wei Luo seized her shoulder with his other hand and raised her gently, whispering above her head, “He has already seen it.”

Yin Hui thought of the Buddha pendant she wore that night. If the pendant could indeed report everything to the Buddha in the sky, Wei Luo might have already been struck down by a divine lightning bolt.

Yin Hui was speechless.

She didn’t know how long it took, but Xiao Heng’s laughter could be heard coming from the adjacent room, signaling that he had awoken.

Yin Hui had her mouth covered, so she had to convey a silent warning with her eyes.

After another cup of tea, Wei Luo, dressed neatly, went to the outer chamber.

Jinzhan and Yinzhan, stationed outside, exchanged glances, ready to enter the room to assist in case they heard any commotion.

As soon as the thought came, the lady’s voice came from inside, asking them to serve. 

The two maids entered the room one after the other. Inside, they saw their lady, who was dressed in a middle coat, sitting at the simple dressing table in the guest room of the monastery. Her hair was still tied in a neat bun, but her face was flushed, as though she had been drinking, and her eyes remained slightly unfocused.

“Brush my hair,” Yin Hui murmured weakly, and her leg under the table trembled slightly.

After changing into women’s clothing and emerging from her room with a veil, she found Wei Luo holding Xiao Heng. Wei Luo’s expression had returned to normal.

During the return journey to the city, Wei Luo continued to admire the scenery outside with Xiao Heng. Meanwhile, Yin Hui was leaning against the corner of the carriage, struggling to keep her eyes open but unable to sleep.

Wei Luo glanced at her several times, checking to see if the marks on her face from where he had gripped her had faded. When he was satisfied, he sighed in relief.

The carriage retraced its path, finally stopping outside the east gate of King Yan’s Mansion. Yin Hui appeared unfazed as she disembarked. However, as she stepped down from the carriage, her legs were still numb, and she nearly stumbled.

Just in time, Wei Luo extended his large hand to steady her.

When Yin Hui lifted her head and gave him a stern look, Wei Luo averted his gaze.

Perhaps because he had eaten during the day, or maybe due to a sense of guilt, Wei Luo went to bed early that night.

Over in King Yan’s residence, he was quite interested and joined Concubine Li. While they took a bath together, Concubine Li twirled her hair and chatted with King Yan, saying, “I heard that the youngest son accompanied Madam Yin on an outing to see the peach blossoms the other day. This young couple is truly affectionate. I suppose it was Madam Yin’s idea as a reward for helping in your recovery. Otherwise, with the third son’s cold disposition, how could he have thought of it?”

King Yan, who was getting his shoulders massaged , casually responded, “No matter how aloof he may be, he still cares for the people in the family. There’s nothing wrong with going for a walk with her. Besides, we have the second son setting an example for his younger brothers.”

Concubine Li detected an underlying meaning in his words and didn’t appreciate them. “Are you implying that the second son dotes on Xianxian? But Xianxian is a noble lady; how can Madam Yin compare to her?”

King Yan raised an eyebrow and retorted, “Both are daughters-in-law of King Yan’s Mansion, so why can’t they be compared?”

Before she could reveal Yin Hui’s background as a merchant’s daughter, Concubine Li suddenly met King Yan’s icy gaze.

Although she didn’t think she had said anything wrong, Concubine Li chose to remain silent.

King Yan snorted, put on his clothes after the bath, and returned to Qinzheng Hall with Eunuch Hai.

Concubine Li waited anxiously at the courtyard gate until King Yan disappeared from sight. Once he was out of sight, she stomped her foot in frustration. What kind of person was he becoming? The older he got, the more inscrutable he became. He’d easily turn his face after initiating a conversation!

In Chengxin Hall, Wei Luo hadn’t visited the backyard in several days since the incident at the temple. However, he still came for meals. Yin Hui couldn’t determine whether he was reflecting on his past actions or trying to calculate her menstrual cycle.

Regardless, after Wei Luo met with Uncle Zhou on the seventh day, when he arrived for dinner the following evening, Yin Hui took the opportunity to remind him, “I informed Uncle Zhou. He’ll lead the horse to wait for you at the city gate tomorrow evening.”

While he wrote down notes from a military strategy book, Wei Luo hummed but didn’t look up.

Yin Hui continued, “You don’t have to know Uncle Zhou. My horse is quite distinctive; it’s all white, without a single black hair…”

Finally, Wei Luo glanced at her and responded, “Understood.”

In short, Yin Hui’s horse was unmistakably the one that looked the most valuable—a pure white horse.

At dusk the next day, Wei Luo returned from the guardhouse. He rode through the city gate, scanning the surroundings, and his eyes settled on a white horse standing on the street to his left. The horse was so dazzlingly white that it almost seemed to glow.

The horse’s coat was exceptionally smooth, a sign of good care and excellent breeding.

Wei Luo guided his horse closer to the white horse. When Uncle Zhou spotted him, he immediately put on a warm smile and followed his madam’s instructions, allowing the young master to inspect the horse without saying a word.

While Yin Hui’s horse was also a Xiongnu breed and certainly valuable, it wasn’t one of the famous Xiongnu horse breeds. Nevertheless, it had a beautiful coat color that was particularly pleasing to girls.

Wei Luo exchanged a knowing glance with Chang Feng.

Chang Feng dismounted, took the reins of the white horse from Uncle Zhou, and followed his master back home. Everything went smoothly, and Yin Hui finally felt appreciative of Wei Luo. She stopped bringing up the issue of him accompanying her to the temple.

That night, Wei Luo stayed in the backyard.

Author’s Note: 

When they meet on horse and exchange glances from a distance.

Yin Hui: Cousin!

Xie Lang: Cousin!

Third Master: …