TRBDM -Chapter 58 Lei Lieshan Arrives

Xie Sheng bowed to Minister Cui and, following the motion, sat beside him.

“Inspector Xie.”

“Minister Cui actually knows me!” Xie Sheng said in surprise, suddenly feeling a glow on his face. He shifted his seat, pushing Xie Lan aside.

Seeing that the two of them were engrossed in conversation, Xie Lan stepped back, leaving the seat for Xie Sheng.

The intentions of the second branch were easy to guess. Today, with so many high officials gathered, it was a perfect opportunity for Xie Sheng to showcase himself.

The Marquis’s household had thrown a birthday banquet for Xie Lan, which the second branch resented deeply, but their mother’s decision was final—they couldn’t sway her in the slightest.

Since that was the case, rather than opposing their mother under pressure, it was better to face the situation head-on and make the most of this chance to expand their connections.

Moreover, Xie Sheng had another important task to accomplish today.

Wei Zhaorong had arranged for someone to follow Xie Sheng. If anything unusual happened, they were to report immediately to her.

If the second branch didn’t stir up trouble, they wouldn’t be the second branch.

Wei Zhaorong had to be prepared in advance.

The Mingde Marquisate was lively and bustling. In a side hall, laughter rang out.

A young servant came over to announce, “General Lei of the Weiyuan Marquisate has arrived.”

Xie Wanrou, who had been chatting with the other ladies, suddenly stiffened.

She struggled to control the tremor in her heart, stood up, and said, “Excuse me for a moment, everyone.”

Swallowing hard, she drew in a deep breath, adjusted the expression on her face, and walked toward the main hall.

“Rou’er,” Wei Zhaorong called after her.

Xie Wanrou turned her head to see Wei Zhaorong waving at her.

“Mother.”

“Come over, Rou’er. The young lady from the Nanyang General’s household has some questions for you regarding a musical score.”

Xie Wanrou was accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her room held many musical scores. After marrying into the general’s household, she hadn’t touched the qin at all, but she always kept the scores with her and occasionally leafed through them during leisure.

Questions about the score could be answered anytime, but now that Lei Lieshan had arrived, she had to go.

“Mother, my husband is here. I need to go check on him.”

Xie Wanrou’s fear of Lei Lieshan had long been etched into her bones. The thought of him being inside the Mingde Marquisate made her legs tremble.

“Rou’er, General Lei is a son-in-law of the Marquisate, not just a guest. He is more at ease here than ordinary visitors; you don’t need to accompany him. Besides, a few younger brothers are already entertaining their brother-in-law—your going would only disturb them.”

Their conversation caught the ears of others, and someone quickly chimed in, “Sister Rou, we know you and your husband are devoted, but now isn’t the time to flaunt it. Come keep us company.”

“Yes, Sister Rou, come on, come on!”

In the past, no matter how others teased her, Xie Wanrou would only smile quietly, apologize, and go find Lei Lieshan.

But today, perhaps emboldened by Wei Zhaorong, she felt a spark of defiance for the first time.

If she couldn’t take this step, how could she ever separate from him in the future?

Xie Wanrou forced herself to make a decision.

The violent image of Lei Lieshan’s face flashed before her eyes, making her dizzy.

She shook her head, trying to shake off his shadow.

“Sister Rou, come on!”

The urging interrupted Xie Wanrou’s scattered thoughts, and she responded, “Ah, alright.”

Then she returned to sit among the ladies.

Wei Zhaorong nodded in satisfaction—the first step had been taken.

“Sister Rou, a page is missing from the musical score in my house. If you have it, could I borrow it to copy?”

“Which piece?”

“‘Moonlit Night on the Snowy Mountain.’”

“No need for me to fetch the score from home. I’ll just write it out for you directly.”

Xie Wanrou instructed Xiaodie to prepare ink and brushes.

“Wow, Sister Rou is amazing—she can even recite the sheet music by heart!”

Xie Wanrou said modestly, “I just happen to know this piece. If you asked me about another one, I’d have to go back and check the score.”

In just a few words, Xie Wanrou had written out the complete sheet music.

“Wow~~~”

Everyone gasped in amazement.

Thump, thump, thump—urgent footsteps sounded from the side hall.

The crowd turned to see a young gentleman, dressed in a white brocade robe. His features were flawless, his skin pale and smooth, soft and lustrous like fine jade.

Several unmarried young ladies blushed instantly.

“Who is he?”

“He’s today’s guest of honor, the third young master of the Mingde Marquisate, Third Master Xie—Xie Lan.”

So, that was Xie Lan.

“Third Master Xie is really handsome.”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen a man so beautiful… he really is like a piece of jade.”

No one present contradicted this view—Xie Lan looked even more stunning than jade itself.

Whispers filled the room, various eyes falling on Xie Lan. Yet he didn’t glance anywhere else; his gaze was fixed solely on Xie Wanrou.

“Greetings, sisters,” Xie Lan said politely to everyone.

“Greetings, Third Master Xie.”

Xie Lan patiently exchanged a few words with everyone. After the small talk, he seized a moment to speak privately.

“Big sister, may I have a word with you?”

“Sure.”

Xie Lan led Xie Wanrou into a side hall.

“Big sister, Lei Lieshan has arrived. But don’t be afraid—he can’t harm you here in the Marquisate. If he acts recklessly and oversteps, I will protect you.”

Xie Lan’s eyes were resolute, never leaving Xie Wanrou, as if even a fraction of harm coming to her was unbearable.

“If you don’t want to see him, stay in the Lan Courtyard—he won’t be able to find you. And if he insists on meeting you, I’ll stop him; he won’t set foot in the Lan Courtyard.”

Xie Lan had grown a little taller recently, yet in Xie Wanrou’s eyes, he was still the little brother who needed protection.

But unexpectedly, in places she couldn’t see, her slight, thin brother was now capable of spreading his arms to protect her.

His fragile frame contained a formidable strength.

A warm current flowed through her heart, and Xie Wanrou finally spoke: “With you here, I’m not afraid of him.”

Xie Lan carefully judged her words for sincerity. After a moment, he confirmed that she truly wasn’t afraid.

Ever since Lei Lieshan had arrived, Xie Lan’s heart had been uneasy.

Distracted during his social interactions, he found a chance to slip away immediately.

He had to make sure Xie Wanrou was safe before he could calmly entertain the guests in the main hall.

“Lan’er, don’t worry—I’m really fine. Now go to the main hall; today you’re the star, you can’t be gone too long.”

Xie Lan finally relaxed.

Xie Wanrou returned to the women’s section, her expression noticeably lighter than before.

Wei Zhaorong watched everything silently. Everything that had happened today remained under her control.

Once all the guests had arrived, the banquet officially began.

As everyone took their seats, Wei Zhaorong raised her cup: “Today is the birthday banquet of Xie Lan, third son of the Mingde Marquisate. Thank you all for coming. My Lan’er is fifteen this year, studying under Mr. Dong. Because he was young, he has not had the chance to meet you before. From today onward, I hope you will continue to guide and support him. Thank you again—I’ll drink first in your honor.”

Everyone raised their cups.

From this moment on, Xie Lan, the third son of the Xie family of the Mingde Marquisate, officially became one of the prominent young nobles of the capital.

Xie Wanrou lifted her cup with satisfaction. She was truly happy—Xie Lan had finally reached this day.

After finishing her drink, a sudden chill ran down her back—she felt a violent gaze fixated on her.