Chapter 62: Moving

"I do not think what you said is necessarily true." Madam Li cut off Song Xirui's words. "Ruier, as your mother-in-law, I know that petty conflicts between women are inevitable, but you cannot bring up Yun'er every single time something happens. If you handled everything properly, why would your husband and I make things difficult for you?"

Hearing this, Song Xirui sneered inwardly.

Her mother-in-law truly had the skin of a thick wall to shift such a colossal blame onto her like this!

Song Xirui's expression instantly turned several degrees colder, and her voice rose sharply. "Is that really how mother-in-law views your daughter-in-law?"

She turned her gaze to Su Yun, who was standing silently to the side, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I suppose in my husband's heart, Ruier holds no position at all. Since that is the case, why don't we part ways amicably and wish each other well?"

"That way, I won't have to keep playing the part of a two-faced villain in front of mother-in-law!"

As her voice trailed off.

Madam Li cried out in alarm, "Song Xirui!"

Yet Su Yun stepped forward first to hold her back, shaking his head resolutely. "Mother, you should not speak to her like this. Everyone knows how deeply Xirui cares for me. If she were driven to say such words, wouldn't it be akin to tearing out her heart?"

Madam Li opened her mouth. "Son—"

Unexpectedly, Song Xirui simply seized the opportunity to press her advantage, her cold gaze sweeping over both of them with a mocking laugh.

"My mother-in-law and my husband must be putting on a play to trick Ruier again. One of you plays the bad cop while the other plays the good cop, naturally coordinating yourselves wonderfully. How laughable that I have devoted myself entirely to my husband, only to be subjected to such bullying by both of you!"

With that, she turned her face away and refused to look at them ever again.

Feeling helpless and recalling what had happened in the carriage, Su Yun shuddered involuntarily and hurriedly stepped forward to coax her.

"Ruier, Ruier! You know mother is advanced in years and speaks without thinking. You must be more forgiving of her..."

Seeing that she ignored him, he anxiously began to exchange glances with Madam Li, signaling her.

Instead of catching Song Xirui off guard, the two of them had completely lost the upper hand and ended up embarrassing themselves.

Half an hour later, Madam Li departed, while Song Xirui chose to stay behind after Su Yun's repeated entreaties.

"Wife, can you explain in detail how Yun'er's fate clashes with mine?" Su Yun asked in a gentle tone.

He still could not understand how his destiny could possibly clash with Luo Yun'er's. Why did such bizarre and ominous occurrences keep happening every single time?

At this, a flash of slyness crossed Song Xirui's eyes, and her voice softened.

"Husband, have you not noticed how many strange things have happened to you ever since Yun'er stepped through our doors?"

"There have been quite a few," Su Yun nodded, adding, "but I have always been accustomed to having bad luck since childhood. Perhaps this matter has nothing to do with her after all."

In his heart, he still hoped to be intimate with Luo Yun'er and spend every day by her side.

After all, no matter how gentle Song Xirui was toward him, he always felt that a woman of such brilliance and dazzling presence left no room for someone like him.

Song Xirui shook her head slightly.

"My husband is merely deceiving himself. Every time you and Yun'er spend a few days apart, your vital energy flows smoothly. Yet once you stay together for too long, safety turns into peril. This is something that cannot be disguised."

"Yun'er is the woman you love, and it is only natural that you cannot let her go in your heart. There is no need to avoid mentioning this to me. Your humble wife has never thought of monopolizing her husband; it is simply that the person staying by your side cannot be Luo Yun'er."

Su Yun opened his mouth.

Deep down, he truly suspected that his string of bad luck was mostly the result of Song Xirui's jealousy toward Luo Yun'er stirring up trouble. Yet, harboring such suspicions, he found it difficult to voice them directly.

Yet Song Xirui saw right through his thoughts and smiled brightly.

"Does my husband think that I have committed the offense of jealousy, one of the seven grounds for divorce?" Before Su Yun could speak, she answered her own question, "To say I feel no jealousy at all would be a lie. But I can assure my husband of this: I would gladly procure a hundred beautiful concubines for you rather than watch you ruin your path to success for the sake of Luo Yun'er alone."

"If my husband is willing, you may ask the old mistress to start scouting for suitable candidates tomorrow. After all, she was the one who brought it up."

Things having reached this point, Su Yun had no choice but to believe her.

He sighed. "Having my wife by my side is already enough. How could I possibly need a hundred beautiful concubines?"

Though truth be told, he certainly wouldn't mind having one or two.

Song Xirui smiled faintly and said no more.

Having been thoroughly shaken by these events, Su Yun did not dare to leave Song Xirui's side and suggested moving into her chambers.

Though she felt a strong aversion to this in her heart, Song Xirui knew that refusing would inevitably arouse Su Yun's suspicions once again.

Therefore, she agreed.

It would simply require her to cast a mystic arts spell every day, making Su Yun yawn incessantly and spend his nights on the daybed whenever the time came.

For several consecutive days, peace prevailed.

Su Yun grew increasingly in awe of Song Xirui's abilities, coming to believe about ninety percent of what she had told him.

***

On this day, while Su Yun was attending court, Song Xirui closed the doors to speak with Hongdou.

"My lady, you really must nourish your body properly. You have lost so much weight recently!"

Hongdou's small face was scrunched up with worry as she hurriedly handed a bowl of ginseng soup to Song Xirui.

"It is nothing of consequence, merely taking a bit of energy to alter his fate," Song Xirui said calmly, shaking her head with a faint smile as she took a sip of the soup.

Hongdou pouted, unable to hold back her words any longer. "My lady, when the master treats you like this, why on earth do you still bother helping him? Just let him suffer his bad luck!"

Though the remark bordered on rebellious, it came straight from Hongdou's loyal heart.

To put it in Granny Wang's words, this master was simply a complete scoundrel!

Song Xirui smiled faintly. "If I merely wanted to take his life, wouldn't it be far more satisfying to finish him off with a single blade? But I want to watch him indulge in the delusion of soaring to great heights, only for his efforts to end up like drawing water with a bamboo basket—completely empty! Besides, I am not doing this entirely to harm him; there are others in this world whom I must protect."

The Song family, for instance, and the countless common folk who had been ruined by Su Yun in her past life.

If nothing went wrong, perhaps even that general who constantly scaled courtyard walls might be able to keep his life.

Thinking of Xiao Yunci, the corners of Song Xirui's lips curled into a smile.

Presumably, the general must have made a complete fool of himself on several occasions lately.

Serves him right.

As the two were talking, Su Yun returned from outside. Seeing the bowl of medicinal soup in Song Xirui's hands, he asked casually, "Is my wife feeling unwell? Why are you taking medicine just like me?"

Song Xirui shook her head. "It is merely some soup to nourish my constitution. As my husband knows, I have always been of delicate health and require medicinal support."

With that, she handed the empty bowl to Hongdou, who took it away.

Seeing this, Su Yun did not press the matter further.

Yet over the next few days, every time he returned from court, he found Song Xirui drinking her tonic. When he inquired in the kitchen, he learned that Song Xirui and Hongdou had been purchasing the ingredients outside and brewing the medicine themselves.

Su Yun mentioned this to Madam Li, who immediately slapped her thigh in indignation and scolded, "That money-wasting wretch! She's bleeding the Su family's coffers dry again!"

"Mother, what do you mean by that?" Su Yun asked, his head full of question marks.

Madam Li curled her lip. "Don't you remember what Hongdou said? The medicinal powder she added for you cost eight hundred taels per liang! Could whatever she's giving herself possibly be cheap?" She spat fiercely onto the ground. "It must be worth a thousand pieces of gold!"

Hearing this, Su Yun furrowed his brow.

She truly was a money-wasting wretch!

Knowing only how to indulge herself in fine luxuries while completely forgetting that her own husband was still unwell.