According to custom, Xie Hengzai's coffin will be parked at home for seven days before the funeral.
And Nan Yi was planning to escape all the time. She originally thought that she would wait until the day of the funeral to follow the funeral procession out of Xie's Mansion before looking for a good opportunity. However, on the afternoon of the third day, she noticed something strange and was forced to advance her plan.
Yesterday, Qiao Yinzhi came to the mourning hall and asked the maid to go to the kitchen to bring a food box, so that Nan Yi could have a quite sumptuous dinner. She also stayed with Nan Yi in front of the funeral for a long time, telling her many things about Xie Heng's return.
Nan Yi was terrified when chatting with Qiao Yinzhi, fearing that if she asked about something about her family, she would reveal her secrets if she answered incorrectly. But Qiao Yinzhi didn't even ask a question. Nan Yi always felt that her eyes were full of compassion.
She also apologized to Nan Yi. She said that it was absolutely necessary for Heng to remarry the house-filling wife. He had never wanted a young girl to waste his life for him.
It sounds like Xie Heng is an extremely kind person.
Nan Yi wanted to tell Qiao Yinzhi that it was okay. She would escape from Xie's house and go back to Zhang Yue anyway. She would not waste her life for anyone. But these words were so rebellious that it was impossible to say them out loud.
Then one night later, the third aunt, Lu Jinxiu, came and brought some dishes. She also asked Nan Yi if she had anything to tell someone to take back to the Qin Mansion.
Nan Yi didn't have anything to say, but if she didn't say anything, it would seem that her relationship with the Qin family was abnormal, so she said some words of greeting.
The eyes of these people were all strange. Something must have happened to Nan Yi Shojue. How could Xie Queshan let her live so easily.
She felt as alert as a cat, and immediately slipped out of the mourning hall to inquire about the news. Then she heard the maids talking about the madam's decision to let her bury Xie Heng again.
"I heard that Mrs. Qin is an illegitimate daughter who was raised in a street market and is a pariah... Letting such a person into the Xie family will probably stain the eyes of our ancestors."
"How did you know about the affairs of the Qin family's inner house?"
"It seems that the Qin family's dowry maid was discussing it in the backyard, and Aunt Lu's people overheard it."
"Then what can we do about this?"
"The etiquette has been fulfilled. The Qin family is already the eldest son's wife. There is no way to retreat. I can only recognize her identity and let her be buried without pursuing the Qin family. This is the greatest thing that the madam can give. It’s decent.”
"Who gave her the greed to fly up a branch and become a phoenix? How could the Xie family be so easily deceived?"
The chatter among the maids gradually faded away, and Nan Yi had already understood that he was now definitely the sinner of the Xie family and was destined to die.
This must have been done by Xie Queshan! What he said about the aristocratic family turned out to be about the family's reputation, and she was about to become a victim of that reputation. She had to run immediately and couldn't wait a moment longer.
Fortunately, Nan Yi has been preparing for the past few days, trying his best to master the terrain of Wangxuewu.
She found out that the deepest part of Wangxuewu was the Xie Family Ancestral Hall, where no one usually dared to disturb it, so the defense was naturally the weakest. She planned to hide in the ancestral hall until dark, then climb over the wall and leave Xie's house.
At this time, there was a loud noise from the front yard, which attracted all the servants and servants to rush there. Taking advantage of the chaos in Wangxuewu, Nan Yi slipped towards the high wall of the deep courtyard.
——
In the front yard, Xie Sui'an actually fought with Xie Queshan while dancing with a soft sword.
Xie Sui'an was born to Aunt Lu. Although she was a concubine, she was bright and generous, and was favored by the Dowager. She was raised in the Dowager's room, and her uses in life were no different from those of a legitimate daughter.
Although Xie Heng was weak before his rebirth, he decided all the major issues in the Xie family. He allowed Xie Sui'an to practice martial arts, and no one dared to say anything. Xie Sui'an was also spoiled to the point of being fierce and upright, hating evil as much as hatred, and could not tolerate the slightest bit of sand in his eyes. .
She was filled with hatred for Xie Queshan, the treasonous third brother. Today, when she heard that Xie Queshan wanted to live in Wangxuewu, she was so angry that she burst into flames.
Her beloved eldest brother passed away suddenly. She was already filled with grief and anger, but she was so aroused that she no longer cared about etiquette, picked up her soft sword and started to chase people away.
Xie Queshan did not fight back and easily dodged Xie Sui'an's sword that was thrown at him like a dragon.
"Xie Xiaoliu, your swordsmanship has not improved at all."
Xie Sui'an couldn't get any advantage at all, and the beating became more and more anxious, while he was still cursing.
"You have killed so many people of your own clan, yet you still have the nerve to return to our Xie family! Bah! You traitorous thief! Do you think no one dares to touch you because you have Qi people behind you? I, Xie Sui'an, won't kill you today , I will take your last name!"
When Xie Queshan was hiding, he kindly reminded him: "If you have my last name, your last name is still Xie."
Xie Sui'an was so angry that he couldn't even say a single curse word, and he became even more angry when his flaws were pointed out. None of the maids or servants around her could stop her, and she stabbed out with a sword.
This sword was blocked by someone.
Then the butler shouted, breaking the stalemate in the courtyard: "The master is back."
Xie Jun, Duke of Changning, had already passed through the second courtyard. He was dressed plainly in Zen clothes, with only two personal guards behind him. This omitted the pomp that should have been there, but the self-evident majesty could still be seen on his face.
"lord."
"Daddy."
Everyone in the courtyard saluted.
When Lu Jinxiu saw Xie Jun coming back, she couldn't help but burst into tears - great, this messy family finally had a anchor.
Xie Jun's eyes gently glanced around the family, and finally fell on Xie Queshan. In an instant, his eyes turned cold, and there was even a bit of murderous look on his face.
"Father."
Xie Queshan saluted Xie Jun in a neither humble nor overbearing manner.
Before Xie Jun entered the house, he had heard Nei Zhi tell him what had happened in the past few days, and he had an idea in his mind.
"Since you are the envoy of Qi people, what are you doing in Wangxuewu?"
"Father, when my son returns home, he naturally wants to stay at home."
"My Xie family has been loyal for generations, and there is no one who has betrayed the country and surrendered to the enemy."
"My son has never been taught by his father since he was a child, and he never knows what kind of people the Xie family should be."
Xie Jun paused, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly, as if he was angry but tried his best to endure it.
"You mean, the crime you committed was my fault, Xie Jun, for not teaching you well?"
"My son didn't say that."
Xie Jun sneered: "Okay, if you want to go back to the Xie family, you have to follow the Xie family's rules."
"Father taught me that."
Xie Jun's voice was cold, looking at his son as if he were looking at an enemy.
"Open an ancestral hall and ask for family advice."
——
As soon as Nan Yi hid himself under the altar table, a large number of people entered the ancestral hall. Nan Yi didn't dare to look outside and could only hold her breath and listen to what was going on outside.
"I ask you again, if you are the envoy of Qi people today, everyone in the Xie family will respect you, but please go back to where you should be. If you want to return to Xuewu and become a descendant of the Xie family, then you must first Receive punishment and plead guilty before the ancestors.”
"My son is willing to accept the punishment."
Xie Queshan lifted up his robe and knelt down in the ancestral hall.
Hearing Xie Queshan's voice, Nan Yi was startled. He hesitated for a moment, then gently opened a corner of the tablecloth and looked out through the gap.
No matter what happens, Xie Queshan always has that calm expression.
Xie Jun shouted angrily: "Take off your clothes!"
Two boys stepped forward and took off Xie Queshan's shirt.
Nan Yi was a little frightened, even she felt the fury of the thunder. She was afraid that such anger would affect her, so she quickly retracted her hand and hid in the darkness.
Then there was the sound of a wooden stick hitting the flesh from outside. The wooden stick hit hard, and there was a muffled sound of skin and flesh splitting with every blow.
The tortured man did not say a word.
Doesn't it hurt?
Nan Yi tightened the corners of his clothes. The stick didn't fall on her, and it had nothing to do with her. She should be gloating that someone could control the big devil, but why should she be nervous?
By some mistake, Nan Yi opened a corner of the crack again and looked out.
Xie Queshan was naked and lying on the bench. His hands gripped the edge of the bench so tightly that veins almost popped out on the back of his hands. He lowered his head, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat. Even though he was a calm person on weekdays, he couldn't restrain the pain on his face at this moment. His back was covered with shocking bloodstains, but he still didn't say a word.
No one in the ancestral hall dared to say a word, even Xie Sui'an was shocked by this scene, and the expression on his face changed from being happy at the beginning to becoming a little bit intolerable. She wanted to say something, but Lu Jinxiu stopped her. Lu Jinxiu gave her a warning look, then shook her head. Xie Sui'an could only suppress the words in his mouth.
Lu Jinxiu retreated behind the crowd and quietly left the ancestral hall.
Xie Queshan's eyes were fixed on one place, and all his attention was firmly controlled by his will, but another heavy blow with the staff made him finally couldn't help but groan, and his eyes wandered elsewhere. . He suddenly saw a pair of eyes behind the gap in the tablecloth, and those eyes were looking at him.
He couldn't see through these crystal clear eyes.
They just looked at each other, and in the entire noisy ancestral hall, he was the only one who knew of her existence, and she was the only one who saw the fragility in his eyes head-on. They were at a safe distance where no one could hurt anyone. At this moment, they were actually equal, as if two drowning people were sinking together. Maybe it was because his body was in too much pain, and a ridiculous thought suddenly flashed through his mind. If the world was so miserable, and if Western Bliss was a scam, then he wanted to drag her down to hell.
With a bang, the wooden staff was broken.
Xie Jun was unmoved and ordered: "Continue."
Xie Queshan gasped, with the strong taste of blood in his mouth, but he laughed.
"Father, do you want to kill me?"
"You, the rebellious son, will die thousands of times, but it's still not enough to apologize in front of your ancestors!"
"If the tiger's poison does not eat its children, will my father have the nerve to meet his ancestors?"
"continue!"
The servants were also hesitant, but the master ordered so and they could only carry it out. Fu raised the wooden staff and struck it hard.
