Cheng Xiran was sleeping in the inner room, so she could hear the conversation between the two men outside.
"Master He is so decisive in his actions. It's really enviable. The prince is truly fortunate to have such a capable subordinate as you, which has led to the perfect resolution of this matter," said the speaker.
Helian Duo remained expressionless and only focused on getting to the bottom of things. "Madam Qian knew about this long ago, while you were kept in the dark and only found out in the past couple of days. You wanted to protect your wife, but you were helpless. So you had to take precautions in advance and shift the blame onto Steward Wu in order to divert our attention..."
Before Helian Duo could finish his words, Lord Qian knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"Master He, please, for the sake of my wife being involuntarily involved, forgive her this time!"
Helian Duo didn't even look at him and simply said coldly, "But your wife doesn't think there's anything wrong with what her family has done!"
Lord Qian had nothing to say and just knelt there silently.
"Your position is directly under the Empress Dowager's command, and your wife's family are all part of the Empress Dowager's faction..." Helian Duo stared at him sternly. "Now that things have turned out like this, how do you think I should report this to the prince and the emperor when I get back? And how will they deal with you?"
Lord Qian pondered for a moment before answering, "I've long anticipated this day. Please report the truth, Master He. But I must keep Shiyue. From today on, I'll resign from my position as the provincial governor and flee to other places with Shiyue. I'll make sure she has nothing to do with the Li Mansion anymore. What do you think?"
"I don't need that. What's the point of me escaping alone while the Li Mansion is in trouble?"
Madam Qian suddenly walked in. Her delicate face was stained with traces of tears, indicating that she had been crying.
Lord Qian quickly got up and walked to her side, trying to persuade her earnestly, "Shiyue, this is no time to cause trouble. All I want now is to protect your life!"
"I've said I don't need it!"
Madam Qian roared at Lord Qian. This was the first time Lord Qian had seen her so fierce.
"I've already prepared the divorce letter for you. Just sign and seal it. From tomorrow on, I, Li Shiyue, have nothing to do with you. No matter what happens to our Li Mansion, it's none of your business as an outsider!"
Cheng Xiran kind of understood what was going on.
But Lord Qian seemed not to understand yet and strongly resisted the idea of divorce.
In the end, Lord Qian didn't agree to the divorce. Instead of begging for Helian Duo's forgiveness, he chose to bear the responsibility together with Madam Qian and the Li Mansion, waiting for the imperial edict from the capital.
Helian Duo originally planned to return to the capital early to report on his mission. But considering that Cheng Xiran was still injured, he thought he'd wait for a couple of days. However, she immediately rejected his idea. "I'm fine. We can take breaks on the way. Let's go to Chuzhou. Otherwise, I'm afraid my grandmother will be anxious, and my father may also start to suspect something."
"Okay. I'll take good care of you. Don't worry. I'll accompany you on this bumpy journey."
Cheng Xiran suddenly noticed that since Helian Duo's confession, his words always sounded so sweet, as if she had already accepted his love and they were now in a passionate relationship.
But when she thought it over, she realized that the prince's confession was too heavy for her, an ordinary commoner. Their union would surely stir up a huge storm in the capital. Not to mention that her father might be on the Empress Dowager's side. How could his father allow her to be with him, which might endanger the Cheng Mansion's status in the court?
So Cheng Xiran didn't even dare to think about it.
Occasionally, when she recalled the confession, a bit of sweetness would well up in her heart, and that was enough to satisfy her.
On the way, Helian Duo still changed Cheng Xiran's dressing for her. When they stopped at inns, he would personally feed her. In short, the two of them were inseparable, which made Xue Lian extremely envious.
When they arrived at Chuzhou, Cheng Xiran's wound was already scabbing over, so her complexion was much better than before. Her grandmother was overjoyed to see them return safely and kept them for one day. After buying some local specialties, they set off back to the capital that night.
Once back at the Cheng Mansion and everything returned to normal, Sun Yanyan and Mrs. Liu were still vying with each other, and Cheng Zhiyue was still looking for trouble. Every time this happened, Cheng Xiran couldn't help but think that the ten-odd days she had spent with Helian Duo seemed like a big dream.
Moreover, since she returned to the capital and didn't see Helian Duo for two consecutive days, she became even more convinced of this thought. So she stopped having any illusions and focused on her work instead.
One night, when she returned to the Cheng Mansion as usual, the steward blocked her in the courtyard and wouldn't let her enter the front hall.
Just as she was about to ask, she saw Chancellor Cheng walking towards her with his hands behind his back, his face solemn.
"Cheng Xiran, tell me honestly. Where on earth have you been these days?"
"Father, aren't you just asking a question you already know the answer to? Of course I was accompanying my grandmother..."
Before she could finish her words, Chancellor Cheng interrupted her harshly. "Cheng Xiran, tell me. Were you with the prince? Did you go to Fenzhou together and tell outsiders that you were husband and wife?"
Sitting inside, Cheng Zhiyue was looking forward to seeing a good show, and the smile on her face was self-evident.
Cheng Xiran didn't have the mood for this.
"Father, where did you hear such nonsense? If you don't believe me, go and ask my grandmother. Don't you trust what she says?"
But Chancellor Cheng didn't care and just kept asking his question. "Cheng Xiran, I'll give you one last chance. Were you involved with the prince?"
"Father, using the word 'involved' like this, aren't you afraid that the prince will get angry when he hears it?"
Cheng Xiran smiled brightly, showing no sign of fear. "I've said before. Since you'd rather believe other people's one-sided words than me, there's nothing I can do. I don't even expect your trust."
This was her way of being stubborn.