SGEIRS -Chapter 379 Eavesdropped

Useless trash?

There was no man under heaven who could hear words like that in such a situation and remain calm.

His dignity as a man insulted, Lord Wei was immediately provoked by her words. Seeing her scornful expression, he was furious, gritting his teeth as he grabbed her and went at it again.

Mei Qingyun resisted, and after struggling with the man for a while, it was over. She curled her lips into a smirk and once again mocked him mercilessly: “Useless trash!”

Lord Wei’s face darkened. He had originally intended to prove himself once more, but reality cruelly slapped him in the face. Although he performed slightly better than before, it was still far from satisfying.

He took a deep breath, unwilling to be outdone, and jabbed at Mei Qingyun’s heart: “The one you’ve been longing for… he isn’t even as good as me, this useless trash!”

Mei Qingyun retorted: “At least he’s faithful. He didn’t marry anyone for me for over a decade. Unlike you, fickle and wavering—he’s better than you in every way! Trash, if you want a sense of accomplishment, go find your concubines—they’ll say all the sweet things you want to hear.”

“You…”

Lord Wei was infuriated. He reached out, grabbed her by the neck, his eyes red with rage, full of hostility, glaring at her. When he saw that she neither resisted nor flinched but instead looked at him provocatively, for a fleeting moment, he truly wanted to strangle her. He pressed harder until her face flushed, struggling for breath, before finally letting go.

Mei Qingyun clutched her neck, coughing violently, then looked at him triumphantly, mockery in her voice: “Wei Heng, you’re nothing but a coward. You don’t even have the guts to kill someone—what use are you?”

Lord Wei grabbed her hair, gritting his teeth: “Mei Qingyun, if you want to die, hang yourself! Don’t drag me down!”

She sneered: “With your talents, even if you hadn’t been accused of killing your wife, you’d never have reached the highest ranks. If your brother-in-law hadn’t helped you back then, do you think you could have become a fourth-rank prefect? So many people were eyeing that position in Huzhou.”

Lord Wei’s face shifted between red and pale in anger. True, many were after that lucrative post, but he wasn’t without ability—just that multiple forces were competing, so he needed his brother-in-law to maneuver on his behalf.

Mei Qingyun ignored his fury and poured on more fuel: “Are you going to continue your beastly acts? If not, then leave. Looking at you now, even if you tried again, it would be the same.”

Hearing this, Lord Wei wanted once more to prove himself, but recalling his two previous embarrassments, he clenched his fists, then after a moment, pulled on his clothes and dressed himself.

Seeing this, Mei Qingyun added another jab: “So quick to face the truth? No desire to prove yourself anymore?”

Lord Wei grabbed her hair, warning: “Mei Qingyun, no matter what, I am stronger than the one you’re pining for. If you want a decent life, you better behave and stop trying to provoke me—or forget about having Madam Wei’s dignity!” Saying this, he let go of her hair.

Mei Qingyun smiled dismissively: “Lord Wei is careful with his reputation. He couldn’t do it, and he doesn’t dare to indulge a concubine while eliminating a wife—such a despicable act.”

Lord Wei was speechless, staring coldly at her for a long while. Finally, in a huff, he looked away, no longer wanting to argue. Once dressed, he stormed off without looking back.

Mei Qingyun lay on the bed, pulling the covers over herself, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes as she quietly sobbed, swallowing all her bitterness and grievances.

She could have had a good life. If her parents hadn’t gone out to cancel her engagement and she had married Gu Jingxi as planned, she wouldn’t be in this mess. Gu Jingxi would have treated her well; she could have been as happy as Meng Jinyao.

But now, having married Wei Heng, there was no going back. This was her life, and it could only be this way.

In front of others, she and Wei Heng were a loving couple, with a gentle, attentive husband and a virtuous, refined wife. Behind closed doors, they were enemies, tormenting and humiliating each other.

How long this unbearable life would last, no one knew.

Meanwhile, on the roof…

Yu Chuan had intended to eavesdrop on Lord and Madam Wei’s conversation to see if he could glean any useful information. Unexpectedly, he overheard this scene and felt instantly unlucky!

This couple was insane. Fine if they bit at each other, but dragging the marquis into their words, talking so much about him—how was he supposed to report back tomorrow?

Yu Chuan left Mei Qingyun’s courtyard and quietly followed Lord Wei to see what he would do next. He was disappointed—Lord Wei went to his study, did nothing, and lay down on the bed there for a nap, exhausted from his usual labors.

Seeing this, Yu Chuan had no choice but to return empty-handed. Tonight’s mission yielded nothing.

The next morning…

Gu Jingxi sought out Yu Chuan, asking if he had gained anything the previous night.

Yu Chuan recalled what he had heard, glanced at his lord, and stammered hesitantly: “My lord… this… this…”

Gu Jingxi’s expression turned serious: “What do you mean ‘this’? Only one night apart, and you’ve already stuttered?”

Yu Chuan shook his head repeatedly: “My lord, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but what I heard last night… it’s probably not what you want to know.”

Gu Jingxi pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing: “What could I not want to know? Just tell me what you heard.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Chuan recounted the entire affair of Lord and Madam Wei, even including the arguments they had over trivial matters. When finished, he cautiously looked up at his lord, saw him frowning, and quickly lowered his eyes.

Gu Jingxi hadn’t expected to hear such things. He had done nothing, yet had been falsely accused of pining for another man’s wife for over a decade. His years of remaining unmarried were simply due to illness; he didn’t want to trouble anyone.

Yu Chuan said carefully: “My lord, such nonsense is purely their own imagination. You need not worry. Rest assured, I will act as if I never heard this, and I won’t let the madam know. Even though you have no feelings for Madam Wei, she has feelings for you. It’s better she doesn’t know about this.”

Gu Jingxi waved it off: “Whether she knows or not doesn’t matter. I’ve done nothing improper. How others think has nothing to do with me. Of course, you mustn’t bring it up to her, so as not to spoil her mood.”

Yu Chuan nodded: “Understood, my lord.”

After a moment, Gu Jingxi added: “Right, find a time to sneak into Lord Wei’s study. Check for any secret compartments. We didn’t find anything before, but maybe it’s hidden behind some mechanism. Be careful—don’t alert anyone.”

Yu Chuan responded: “Understood, my lord. I’ll be careful.”

Gu Jingxi waved his hand: “That’s all for now. You may go.”

Yu Chuan saluted again and left the study.

Gu Jingxi rubbed his temples. The case was tricky—some clues, but no evidence to confirm. It was all speculation for now; it depended on Fang Xuan and Fang Ce’s side of things.

Wei Heng, Prefect of Huzhou, had accepted bribes, but there was no evidence.

Many officials accepted bribes for favors; a full investigation would reveal most were not clean. The emperor knew this. The issue was whether it went too far and who benefited—if excessive, the emperor would act to remove them.