Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Zong Xian raised an eyebrow slightly, remaining seated motionless.

Xie Huaiyu was startled, never expecting that Ji Mingyi was actually in the carriage. After a long while, she called out in a hoarse voice, "Mingyi, what are you doing here..."

Ji Ming got off the carriage in a huff and went straight to Xie Huaiyu. She raised her hand, pulled out the butterfly hairpin he had given her, and threw it hard at his feet.

The hairpin struck the ground with a crisp sound, and the beautiful butterfly's wings snapped off.

"Our engagement is null and void! You can keep this hairpin and give it to your wife, Lady Li. I can't accept it!"

After saying that, she turned and walked away quickly, wiping away the tears rolling down her cheeks as she went, so that no one could see them.

Xie Huaiyu came to her senses and was about to chase after him to explain, but after taking two steps, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and bent down to pick up the butterfly hairpin on the ground.

Only then did I see that the hairpin had been chipped and cracked, with a small piece broken off. A dull pain suddenly surged in my chest.

This hairpin isn't particularly valuable, but it's a keepsake from his mother, originally intended for his wife who would spend her life with him.

Xie Huaiyu carefully gathered up the broken pieces, tucked them into her sleeve, and then hurriedly set off to chase after Ji Mingyi.

But the night was deep and the streets were sparsely populated. He was a step too late, and the slender figure had already disappeared into the darkness without a trace.

...

Mingyi no longer saw the beauty of the lantern festival. On her way back, she ran into the maid's younger brother.

When Yuegui saw that she was alone, she was about to ask why the young master was not with her when she looked up and saw that her eyes were red.

Yuegui's expression changed, turning to worry: "Miss, what's wrong?"

Mingyi said sullenly, "It's nothing, let's go back now that we've had enough sightseeing."

She was unwilling to say more, and Yuegui, seeing this, did not dare to ask further. She secretly guessed that the young lady and Young Master Xie must have had a falling out.

Ji Mingzhe stayed close to his older sister, his brows furrowed and his gaze fixed on her.

After the group returned to the inn and closed the door, Ji Mingzhe stared at her reddened eyes and asked softly, "Sister, did your husband bully you?"

"You're not allowed to call him brother-in-law anymore. He's not your brother-in-law."

Mingyi patted his head and said gently, "Alright, sister is fine. Go back to your room and rest."

Ji Mingzhe nodded and obediently went back.

The next day, the sky was bright.

When Mingyi went downstairs, she heard from the shop assistant that a handsome young man had come last night but did not stay at the shop. He just waited outside her door and sat there until dawn before leaving.

She knew exactly who it was.

Mingyi lowered her eyes, took out some loose silver from her purse, and said to the shop assistant, "If he comes again, kick him out, or I'll leave."

The shop assistant's eyes lit up. He took the loose silver and readily agreed, "Don't worry, miss, I've got it. I'll do as you say!"

Mingyi said no more, his expression indifferent, and walked out of the inn with his maid.

She wasn't the type to die for love; one night of heartbreak was enough. She had to move on; a man who had betrayed her didn't deserve her.

...

Mingyi went to the bustling streets of Qingzhou, a place she had visited twice before, where she had recently taken a liking to a shop that was about to be sold.

The shop isn't big, and it's at the end of the street, so there won't be much foot traffic, but the rent is very reasonable. The key point is that there's a deserted medicinal herb field behind it, which is practically made just for her.

At that time, Xie Huaiyu was going to take up his post in Lin'an County, and she had already made up her mind to marry him. She thought that she should follow him wherever he went, and that her business should naturally be settled in Lin'an County, so she suppressed the idea of ​​taking over the shop.

But now everything has changed.

There is no longer any possibility between her and Xie Huaiyu; she can do business wherever she wants.

Mingyi personally negotiated the price with the brokers.

The monthly rent was two taels of silver, with a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent paid in advance. Mingyi took out eight taels of silver in cash and paid it to the broker. Finally, he signed and sealed the document, and the matter was settled in one morning.

But she didn't sit idle. After having lunch outside, she went straight to the brokerage to hire two workers and also went to the east of the city to purchase building materials.

By the time we got back to the inn, it was already evening.

Yuegui had been running around with her all day, and although she was tired, she was also happy and felt a sense of security: "Miss, once the shop is settled, we'll have a place to stay, and we won't have to live at the mercy of others anymore..."

As they were talking, Yuegui suddenly caught sight of someone out of the corner of her eye, paused, and said softly, "Miss, it's Young Master Xie."

Mingyi looked up in the direction of her gaze.

A carriage was parked outside the inn, and Xie Huaiyu stood to the side, seemingly having waited for her for a long time, gazing intently in her direction.

He was supposed to rush back to Kyoto to report on his duties today, but he has been delayed until now.

Mingyi kept a cold face, deliberately ignoring him, and lightly lifted her skirt to walk into the inn.

Xie Huaiyu stepped forward to stop her, his face full of anxiety: "Sister, please let me say a few words."

Mingyi glanced at him; there was a dark circle under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well and was overwhelmed with worry.

Mingyi patiently followed him to the side and said calmly, "Speak."

Xie Huaiyu looked at her: "Is my sister still angry?"

Mingyi replied indifferently, "No. That counts as one sentence."

Xie Huaiyu paused, then awkwardly tugged at her sleeve. "How about I say three things?"

Mingyi pulled the hem of her clothes back, turned around and left.

Xie Huaiyu dared not provoke her any further, and hurriedly stepped forward to block her path, saying urgently, "I didn't mean to deceive you. Last night I wanted to tell you the truth, but Li Yunwan suddenly appeared, so I had to go find her first..."

"So, you deliberately abandoned me." Mingyi sneered.

"Yes..." Xie Huaiyu didn't dare to look her in the eye and explained, "She drugged me. I fell for her trick and was forced to have sex with her that time... That's why I had no choice but to marry her."

"Mingyi, my feelings for you have never changed. You must believe me!"

Ji Mingyi found it absurd: "What's the point of you making up this kind of lie to deceive me?"

"I didn't lie to you..."

Mingyi interrupted him, "I'll assume you had no choice, but what about last night? Were you drugged when you kissed her by the river last night?"

Xie Huaiyu's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she was flustered and at a loss: "You...you saw everything?"

Mingyi's chest heaved, and her eyes uncontrollably reddened. After all, she had treated this person with all her heart, and she couldn't remain completely calm.

There's no point in arguing and debating repeatedly; the point is that we want to part amicably and save face for each other.

So she turned her face to one side, suppressed the soreness in her throat, and said calmly, "Brother Huaiyu, I never thought of severing ties with you. You have been kind to me, and I will never forget it. But right now I really don't want to see you. Besides, your fiancée probably minds my presence. It would be better if we saw each other less often."

Mingyi gave him one last look, pursed her lips, and said, "I wish you a safe journey. I'll head back now."

After saying that, she didn't linger, her steps resolute, and she never looked back.

Xie Huaiyu finally understood that he couldn't keep her.

He stood there motionless for a long time, like a clay doll that had lost its soul.

Atop the restaurant diagonally across the street, Fan Siyuan leaned against the railing, taking in the entire scene unfolding below. Turning to the man beside him, he spoke with a half-smile, "A clean break, are you happy now?"