Chapter 25: Slander

  He Huan stood by the wall inside the inverted seat next to the He family gate, his face calm, but in his heart he was hanging fifteen buckets of water, seven up and eight down.

  "What about the silver?" Xie San urged He Huan.

  He Huan pulled out a silver ingot from her sleeve and threw it on the table. "I only have this much." She clenched her fists, forcing herself to meet Xie San's gaze, commanding herself not to back down.

  Xie San suddenly reached out and pinched He Huan's neck. "What, trying to welch on the deal?" he squeezed out five words from between his teeth, his grip unconsciously tightening a bit. He noticed that the bruise on He Huan's neck had not yet fully faded, and his eyes flashed as he said coldly: "I can save you, or I can kill you."

  In an instant, He Huan felt like she was going to die. She closed her eyes, bit her lower lip tightly, and pressed the palm of her hand against the cold wall, trying to calm herself down. Thinking of her son's tender face, she couldn't help but blame Shen Jinglun in her heart. Bai Mei had already informed Zi Lan, so why did he still leave their son alone at the Shen residence?

  Xie San's eyes widened in surprise, and he relaxed his grip on her wrist. He hadn't expected that not only did she not resist, but also didn't beg for mercy, as if she had long since put life and death beyond consideration. "How, wanting to die again?" he sneered.

  "If you really want to kill me, it's useless even if I struggle with all my might. Besides, there are only a few old, weak women and children left at home, no one is your match." He Huan looked up at him.

  Xie San lowered his head to look at her, no longer using force, nor did he let go. The room was dimly lit with only a small window facing south to north, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of mildew that made people feel nauseous. The atmosphere between them became increasingly eerie.

  "Let me ask you again, why are you seeking death?" Xie San suddenly spoke up.

  He Fan didn't answer, but slowly stated: "I only have this much silver. However, if you want to find something in the Shen family, maybe I can help you..."

  "What's wrong, trying to trick me?" Xie San sneered, "Don't think I don't know, you've always wanted to marry Shen Jinglin."

  "Indeed." He Huan nodded, and the corner of her eye glanced towards the door. Suddenly, she slightly curled up the corners of her mouth and loudly shouted: "Save me, robbers are killing people!"

  Xie San was taken aback for a moment, and then he heard the sound of "bang" as the door was kicked open. He saw Lin Daotou holding a knife in his left hand and gripping the hilt tightly with his right hand, about to swing it down at him.

  He Huan grabbed Xie San's wrist and bit down hard, her right foot kicking towards his shin. Xie San came to his senses, feeling a sharp pain in his wrist, and instinctively shook her off, his left foot retreating half an inch, his ankle hooking around He Huan's right foot, using force to lift it up.

  He Huan felt her right foot go numb, and her whole body lost its balance, almost falling. At this moment, she couldn't think at all, instinctively grabbing onto Xie San's arm, her teeth biting tightly on his wrist.

  Xie San gritted his teeth in pain, yet saw He Huan's feet almost leave the ground, but she still bit him without letting go. He stared at her incredulously, his eyes full of anger.

  Bai Mian's eyes met Xie San's, and with just one slap, she was knocked dizzy. He Huan was so frightened that his face turned pale, his mouth agape but unable to utter a sound.

  "Seize him for me!" Lin shouted loudly.

  Two catchers rushed into the house, one on the left and one on the right, grabbing Xie San's arms. Suddenly, Cao Shi appeared out of nowhere and fell to the ground at Lin Catcher's feet. Her hair was disheveled, a button on her collar was torn off, and she grabbed Lin Catcher's pant leg, wailing: "Sir, this thief not only wants to rob our life-saving silver, but also wants to insult a civilian woman. Sir, he saw the wealth and followed me home with ill intentions. He robbed us and it's still not enough, he also...he also..." She let out a loud cry and shouted incoherently: "A civilian woman suffers this humiliation, can only prove her integrity with death, a civilian woman will not let him off even as a ghost!" Before she finished speaking, she pretended to hit the pillar.

  Lin caught the head in a hurry and held her, looking at Xie San with both eyes. He Huan took a step back, also looking at Xie San. She tasted the bloody taste on the corner of her mouth, took out a handkerchief to wipe away the bloodstain, and a smile flashed across the corner of her mouth. She turned around and fell beside Mrs. Cao, knelt down and hugged her, choking with sobs: "Auntie, it's okay now, fortunately Lin caught the head in time, Lin will definitely catch the head for us to justice." She followed suit and cried, her eyes involuntarily glancing at Xie San.

  Xie Sanren was subdued by two bailiffs, his face showing no signs of panic, only a self-mocking regret. He lowered his head to examine He Huan, slowly curling up the corners of his mouth.

  Lin had spent most of his life serving in the yamen, and seeing the scene before him now made his heart sink with a "thud". He pointed at Xie San and said in a low voice: "Take him back to the yamen!"

  Xie San did not struggle, nor did he utter a single word of defense. As he passed by He Huan's side, he stopped in his tracks and gazed deeply at her before taking another step forward.

  He Huan didn't lift her head, she only saw a pair of black cloth shoes stop beside her knees, and immediately felt a hot gaze shooting straight at her neck. Her heart shrank, and conditioned reflexively thought back to when she had just married Shen Jinglu, at that time, whenever she met his gaze, it was also an extremely uncomfortable feeling.

  Cao's family saw Xie San being taken away by the catcher, and according to He Huan's previous teachings, she cried to Lin Daimu: "Sir, we are a family of orphans, with no one to rely on. Just two days ago, we managed to borrow some life-saving silver from my uncle's house, but it was targeted by thieves." She picked up the silver that He Huan had placed on the table and pointed to the marks on it: "Look, the marks are still there! If you hadn't arrived in time, this silver would be a small matter, but our lives...our lives..." She covered her face and wept, lightly pushing He Huan to prompt her to continue.

  He Huan followed Lin's gaze and saw that Xie San's figure had already disappeared behind the He family gate. She felt a bad premonition, gritted her teeth and said: "Lin, Xie San is extremely bold, daring to barge in broad daylight. It's possible that he was the one who instructed the beggars to intercept our carriage on the street that day..."

  "Alright, today's matter will certainly be investigated clearly by the government office." Lin, the captain of the guards, waved his hand and walked out with a serious face.

  He Huan wanted to chase after him, but ultimately stopped in his tracks. Earlier this morning, he had thought for a long time before deciding to send Xie San to the great prison, once and for all. But looking at the current situation, Xie San was not an ordinary idler, and Lin Hu Tou seemed to have already sensed that something was off...

  "Big sister, didn't you say that Lin would take me back to the yamen for questioning?" Cao had already wiped away her tears. She only agreed to help He Huan with this act because of their friendship.

  He Huan had no time to speak, when Bai Shao hastily returned from the main gate, anxiously saying: "Miss, Lin Zhen has stationed a guard at the outer gate..."

  "How could this be!" Cao shouted, "Didn't you say that as long as I did what you said, Xie San would definitely be thrown into prison..."

  "What's the panic!" He Huan shouted, "He blackmailed us is a fact, we didn't frame him." She said so with her mouth, but her mind was like a tangled mess of threads, unable to be sorted out.

  Back at the Western Courtyard, He Huan took a deep breath and sat by the window, forcing herself to calm down. Shen Jinglin had taught her that before making any decision, she must first understand her own situation and clarify her goals; if she wanted to understand someone, she had to figure out their identity background and temperament.

  "Just like he said, sometimes I'm really too impulsive." He Huan sighed softly, and involuntarily thought of his own married life with Shen Jinglu.

  She had always admired him and was even a little afraid of him at first. And he, she felt, was like a teacher in every way, carefully instructing her.

  "What would he do if he were in my position?" He Huan muttered to himself, and the image of Shen Jinglin standing by the window, gazing calmly into the distance appeared before his eyes. He was always so calm and composed, and as long as you stood beside him, everything became quiet and distant, as if nothing in the world mattered.

  "Mother, elder sister must have an unavoidable bitter intention."

  As the courtyard door creaked open, Tao Shi strode out in her undergarments, her face blazing with anger as she charged towards He Huan. Behind her, Bai Ju hurried to keep up, while He Jing anxiously tried to persuade her to stop. Cao Shi trailed behind the trio by three or four paces, following at a leisurely pace.

  He Huan took a look at the situation, closed his eyes and gently rubbed his forehead. If Shen Jinglin saw this scene now, he would probably frown and order someone to "invite" them all out?

  He Huan let out a soft "heh" and opened her eyes, gazing at the leader of the Tao family with sparkling black pupils.