TRBDM -Chapter 129 Marital Estrangement

Outside, it was terrifyingly quiet.

The narrow walls of the well were slick and damp, and unknown crawling creatures had already slithered into Xie Wanyi’s pant legs.

Where they crawled, it was both painful and itchy.

She wanted to swat away the disgusting bugs, but the space inside the well was so cramped that even bending over—a simple movement—was impossible.

Worse, any slight movement caused her feet to sink deeper, making them almost impossible to pull out.

So frightening. Terrifying.

A thousand times worse than death.

“Mother! Mother! Please… please save me! Get me out! I won’t cause trouble again! I really understand now, Mother! Mother—”

Xie Wanyi’s cries grew more desperate with each shout, her breathing increasingly ragged.

Her hands scrambled frantically against the well walls. Several of her carefully manicured nails snapped, but in this moment, fear far outweighed pain.

Outside, there was no response at all. In despair, she stretched her hands toward the air, grasping blindly.

Suddenly, she caught a rope.

“Second Miss! Grab the rope! We’re coming to rescue you!”

Someone called down from the top of the well.

Xie Wanyi clutched it with all her strength. With the help of several people, they finally pulled her out of the well.

She collapsed on the ground, gasping, a puddle of exhausted weakness.

Wei Zhaorong’s gaze fell lightly on her.

“Xie Wanyi, the world doesn’t owe you everything. You were born into the Mingde Marquis House, a noble lineage, destined for a life without worry. But because of my poor guidance, you’ve grown spoiled, jealous, selfish, and self-centered. Tonight, you suffered a great loss. I hope you understand that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, shining over all the earth—it will not stop for you.”

“The day you stop centering everything on yourself and learn to empathize with others, that’s when you will truly grow up.”

“Considering the fright you’ve suffered tonight, we’ll postpone the matter of moving house until tomorrow. Nanny Qi, escort Second Miss back to Lingshui Pavilion and summon the household physician to examine her.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Xie Wanyi shivered uncontrollably, barely drawing in breath, unable to exhale.

Her pitiful state startled Nanny Qi. She quickly had others lift Xie Wanyi away.

Dou Shuyao, uneasy, followed them.

Xie Wanrou took half a step forward, then withdrew her foot.

Harsh words wound deeply. The past words and actions of Xie Wanyi had hurt Xie Wanrou’s heart, and she didn’t want to endure that pain again.

Everyone has their fate. Though they were sisters, the two had ultimately become strangers.

Wei Zhaorong returned to Anhe Courtyard, unable to sleep all night.

By early morning, Nanny Qi sent word: “Second Miss was only frightened and is otherwise unharmed. She has already fallen asleep.”

Only then did Wei Zhaorong close her eyes.

The next day.

In Quyang Courtyard, before Xie Sheng went on duty, Shen Zhizhi hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Husband… I heard Mother sent Wanyi to live in another residence. Yesterday she caused such a scene trying to jump into a well.”

Xie Sheng responded coldly with a flat, “Mm.”

His attitude sent a shiver down Shen Zhizhi’s spine. She whispered, “When will we move out, then?”

Xie Sheng cast her a glance. If she didn’t need to stay in bed for a month, he would have moved out as soon as the Flower Festival ended.

Now the Marquis House had nothing to do with him. Each return felt like being a guest in someone else’s home—utterly uncomfortable.

Recently, Xie Sheng had met several fifth-rank officials and wanted to invite them to his residence for a proper reception.

Inviting them to the Marquis House might reveal his strained relationship with his brothers. After thinking it over, he decided it would be more appropriate to entertain them in his own Xie residence after moving.

To cultivate connections, Xie Sheng had spent the past few nights drinking with them.

Naturally, such gatherings were often accompanied by beauties.

As a result, for several consecutive days, Xie Sheng carried the scent of rouge on his body.

After hearing this, Shen Zhizhi felt sick and vomited several times.

Yet Xie Sheng seemed completely unfazed, not even attempting to hide his indifference.

Shen Zhizhi watched him, her worry mounting.

But burdened with guilt, she didn’t dare show any displeasure. Instead, she continued pressing close to him every day, fussing over him and asking after his well-being.

“Husband, once my health recovers a bit more, shall we move?”

“Mm.”

After saying this, Xie Sheng left, leaving behind a cold, indifferent back.

Shen Zhizhi sighed.

By midday, a maid delivered a letter.

It was from Madam Shen.

Shen Zhizhi hurriedly opened it.

After reading it, the smile on her lips vanished instantly.

Madam Shen’s letter contained only one request: money.

Shen Tianci had gone gambling again during the Flower Festival and lost everything—he was left with nothing but his undergarments and was kicked out of the gambling house completely naked.

In the letter, Madam Shen scolded the gambling hall for taking advantage of people and looking down on them, yet throughout, she was overtly biased and indulgent toward Shen Tianci.

Finally, Madam Shen demanded that Shen Zhizhi find a way to come up with one hundred taels of silver. The Shen household couldn’t even afford their servants anymore—they needed the one hundred taels urgently.

From beginning to end, the letter didn’t once ask about Shen Zhizhi’s health. In the eyes of the Shen family, she wasn’t a person—she was a free bank.

With nothing but her empty mouth and teeth, she was expected to provide silver at any time, without interest and without returning the principal.

A single tear fell from Shen Zhizhi’s eye; she felt as if the letter were driving her to death.

Choose Xie Sheng, or the Shen family.

It was a fatal dilemma from the start.

She wanted to hold onto both, but that was no longer possible.

In the end, Shen Zhizhi hid the letter under her pillow and, for the first time, didn’t reply to Madam Shen.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to—it was that she couldn’t.

She couldn’t even get out of bed, let alone come up with a hundred taels of silver for the Shen household.

Despairingly, Shen Zhizhi closed her eyes.

At Quyang Courtyard, Xie Sheng received the letter from the Shen family—and he knew its contents even before Shen Zhizhi.

After opening it to read, he resealed it and handed it to Shen Zhizhi, appearing as if untouched.

The trust between husband and wife had long vanished.

After the family split, Xie Sheng inevitably realized one thing: from now on, he had to know everything happening in the Xie household. He would never allow anyone to covet his family’s wealth or tamper with it behind his back.

Shen Zhizhi didn’t know that her husband had already changed; Xie Sheng’s dissatisfaction with the Shen family had reached its peak.

Meanwhile, at Linshui Pavilion, people had been coming and going all day. After dusk, several large carriages loaded with belongings departed from the Mingde Marquis Manor.

Xie Wanyi lowered her head in the dark red sunset, not once glancing back at the manor.

She didn’t know when she would return next—perhaps never again.

Her unwillingness, her pride, her temper and capriciousness, had all been swallowed up completely.

With Xie Wanyi gone, the second household grew as quiet as a quail; the Marquis Manor was much more peaceful.

Mr. Dong selected three students to participate in the imperial academy’s competitive exam, including Xie Lan.

Xie Yu, losing by a hair’s breadth to another classmate, didn’t earn a spot.

Yet he wasn’t sad at all—in fact, he was happy for Xie Lan.

The night before the competition, Wei Zhaorong had a long talk with Xie Lan.

“Lan’er, I need to tell you something important. This matter is extremely serious—you must keep it a secret. No matter who asks, you cannot reveal it.”

Hearing this, Xie Lan immediately sat up straight. “Mother, please speak. I promise I will keep it a secret.”