The Ruthless Female Forensic Doctor's Husband-Destroying Story

Chapter 52

When Jiao Niang's two other brothers saw that their father remained silent, they also said the same thing in unison.

Just as Xu Hanlin was about to speak, there was a knock on the study door. The group looked up and saw Jiao Niang standing there. Somewhat surprised, they asked, "What brings you here? It's been so chaotic these days, you should go and rest early."

Xu Shirong approached them, bowed slightly, and then said seriously, "Father, brothers, I shouldn't say so much. My family and the Yang family are related by marriage. The incident a few days ago, where my mother and mother-in-law argued at the Kaifeng Prefectural Governor's office, must have already become a laughing stock. I already feel ashamed to face anyone. Now that this has happened, if you and my brothers were to appeal to the Emperor tomorrow, wouldn't that be adding fuel to the fire and pushing both families into the limelight, making them the subject of ridicule behind our backs? Father and Mother always say they care about me. If they truly had even a shred of pity for me, they should have tried to suppress this shameful matter instead of discussing how to bring it up in court. I beg you and my brothers to consider my reputation and not make me the subject of gossip in the capital!"

After Xu Shirong finished speaking, she stared intently at Xu Hanlin.

Xu Hanlin frowned, and her brothers exchanged bewildered glances, speechless. After a long while, Xu Hanlin sighed and waved his hand, saying, "Our two families were originally related by marriage, but now that we've turned against each other, we've become a laughingstock. Father knows what to do. You can go and rest."

Seeing that he seemed somewhat persuaded, Xu Shirong breathed a sigh of relief, thanked him sincerely, and returned to her room. After washing up, she lay down to sleep, but tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The self-reproach in her heart grew stronger.

Yang Huan rushed back from afar, only to find himself and Xu Jinrong in this state. Given Xu's usual temperament, his reaction was understandable. He shouldn't have acted rashly out of anger over the Qingyu matter, turning his back on Xu and leaving him, leading to the absurd situation that followed. Although he had advised Xu Hanlin earlier, and it seemed to have some effect, he was still somewhat at a loss about how to end things between them. He couldn't help but sigh deeply.

I don't know how much time had passed, but I was just drifting off to sleep when I suddenly heard a noise outside the door. I woke up with a start, remembering that there were two old women sent by Madam Xu to keep watch in my courtyard at night. So, although I found it a little strange, I didn't pay any attention to it. I turned over and was about to go back to sleep when I heard a light, bird-pecking sound knocking on the door.

"Jiaoniang, it's me..."

In the darkness, a familiar, hushed voice came from within.

Chapter Sixty-Five

Xu Shirong sat up abruptly, thinking she had misheard. When she heard the knocking again, she threw off the covers, hastily slipped on her embroidered shoes, and rushed to the door, pulling open the latch.

The door creaked open. In the quiet of the night, the sound was somewhat jarring.

Yang Huan stood outside the door, his eyes gleaming like those of a nocturnal animal in the dim night.

Xu Shirong was momentarily stunned, as if countless words were rushing to his lips, but he didn't know what to say first.

"you……"

She had barely opened her mouth when he pulled her close and held her tightly in his arms.

His arms encircled her waist, tightening until she could barely breathe. Yet she remained motionless, letting him hold her, feeling his heavy breathing as he buried his face in her neck.

His breathing was heavy, his warm breath brushing against her ear, and both of their hearts were pounding.

When he finally loosened his grip a little, Xu Shirong broke free from his embrace, quickly closed the door and bolted it shut. She felt both happy and nervous. She grabbed his hand and whispered, "There are still two old women on guard in the courtyard. Didn't they notice?"

Before Yang Huan could answer, she let out a soft gasp. He had already picked her up and carried her to the bed. Once he was beneath her, he whispered in her ear, "Your husband missed you, but there's always a way!" Without another word, he pressed his lips firmly against hers.

Even with a thousand questions swirling in her mind, Xu Shirong was speechless. He pressed her down and ravaged her for a moment, the only sound in the darkness being their heavy breathing. Suddenly, she felt a chill on her lower abdomen; his hand had parted her undergarment and slipped inside.

Xu Shirong was jolted back to her senses by the sudden chill. Remembering the two old women outside, she quickly grabbed his hand and said, "Stop fooling around. Speak quickly. There are old women keeping watch outside."

Yang Huan chuckled softly and said, "Two old women are keeping watch for us! What are you afraid of!"

Xu Shirong was taken aback, and Yang Huan then hurriedly recounted what had happened.

It turned out that he had been punished by Grand Commandant Yang to kneel before the ancestral tablets. Jiang, heartbroken for her son, waited until her husband returned home that night and learned he would be taken to the emperor the next day. She then begged for forgiveness and punishment, leading to a brief argument. Grand Commandant Yang scolded her for being short-sighted and stormed off to his concubine's quarters. Jiang was both frightened and terrified. She waited until the second watch of the night, unable to bear it any longer, and secretly took the key, letting Yang Huan out and slipping him a packet of silver. Her intention was for him to stay away for a day or two, until she could find a reason to go to the palace to see her daughter, and ask her to plead with the emperor for her brother's safety before returning.

Yang Huan, already racking his brains for a way out while imprisoned, readily agreed when his mother spoke to him. He then quietly left the Grand Commandant's residence and headed straight for the Hanlin Academy.

Erbao had followed them out as well. He'd sneaked back to deliver the message out of good intentions, but seeing Yang Huan made him uneasy, expecting a scolding and a spanking. Seeing that Yang Huan ignored him as if nothing had happened, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't gone far when he sensed something was wrong. They were heading towards the Hanlin Academy, where they'd caused trouble earlier that day. Terrified, he grabbed Erbao and pleaded, "Young Master, please, don't go banging on people's doors in the middle of the night. If the officials find out, it's no laughing matter!"

Yang Huan flicked him on the forehead before scolding, "You idiot. Who said we were going to bang on his door again? Just come with me!"

Erbao was relieved to hear that he wouldn't bang on the door anymore, but he was still a little confused and followed him to the Hanlin Mansion. Seeing him walk around the outer courtyard wall and finally stop at the northeast corner of the alley, Erbao ordered him to squat down. Only then did Erbao realize that his young master had been banging on the door during the day, but now he was climbing over the wall at night. Erbao inwardly groaned, but there was nothing he could do. He had Erbao step on his shoulders, and with all his might, Erbao slowly stood up, lifted Erbao onto the wall, and then grabbed a rope that had been dropped down. He stood outside the wall and pulled on it with all his might until Erbao slid down the wall. Only then did Erbao retrieve the rope and squat in the corner, waiting to do the same to get Erbao out again, hoping that no one would discover them.

The Hanlin Academy was not large, and Yang Huan had been there a few times before, so he had some impression of it. In the middle of the night, even the servants on duty were drowsy and would never have imagined that someone would climb over the wall and enter in the middle of the night. He quickly turned to the courtyard where Xu Jiaoniang's boudoir used to be, and stepped through the holes in the flower window on the low wall, landing on the ground without any effort.

The two old women sent by Madam Xu to keep watch were light sleepers. They happened to get up in the middle of the night and heard movement outside. They opened the door to investigate and were startled to see a figure heading towards the young lady's boudoir. They were about to scream when they were rendered speechless. The person was already close and quickly stuffed a hard object into their mouths. The old women, horrified, immediately spat it out. Looking at it in the moonlight, they saw it was a piece of silver. Looking up, they saw it was the young master of the Yang family, grinning and whispering, "I'm going to see my mistress. I'll leave after a few words. Thank you for your hard work, old women. Take this to have a drink tomorrow."

The two old women, reluctant to part with the money, hesitated, only to see Yang Huan slip away to knock on the young lady's door. They thought to themselves, "At least he's still the young master; he hasn't been gone for long, and the warmth of his presence is still there." They exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and pretended not to see him, slipping the money into their clothes. Afraid of being discovered, they went to stand guard by the courtyard gate.

Hearing his words, Xu Shirong felt slightly relieved. She pushed away his restless, groping hands, went down to the door, opened it, and peeked out. Seeing that everything was quiet, she returned to light the lamp on the table. Turning back to Yang Huan, who was still slumped on his couch, she suddenly noticed a bruise on his cheek. Exclaiming in surprise, she was already beside him. Just as she was about to ask what had happened, she suddenly realized that who else but Grand Commandant Yang would do such a thing? She climbed onto the couch, knelt beside him, gently touched his face, and whispered, "Does it hurt a lot?"

Yang Huan had long forgotten about the injury on his face, but when she gently touched it, he felt a burning sensation and grimaced, "It hurts so much. Quickly blow on it for me."

Xu Shirong withdrew her hand and scolded in a low voice, "Who would have thought you were so brainless as to do such a stupid thing!"

Seeing that his attempts to be charming had failed and he had only been scolded instead, Yang Huan reached out and pressed her down to lie beside him, then hugged her. He said sullenly, "Who told you to go on a blind date with that Xu guy? He scolded me and then left me behind. I wanted to find you, but they wouldn't let me in. What was I supposed to do but bang my head against the wall?"

Xu Shirong sighed and said softly, "A few days ago, he sent someone to propose marriage, and my parents seemed to be about to agree..."

Yang Huan sat up abruptly, angrily saying, "You are my wife! Where did these foolish father-in-law and mother-in-law come from, wanting to marry you off to someone else?"

Xu Shirong shook his head and said, "Of course I don't want to. Asking him to go there today is a way of rejecting him in person."

Yang Huan calmed down a little, but he still looked extremely unhappy. He said angrily, "It would be best if he knew what was good for him. If he doesn't, I'll beat him every time I see him."

Seeing his lazy and slovenly manner, Xu Shirong suddenly remembered the matter of Qingyu and felt displeased. She just snorted and remained silent.

Seeing her face darken, Yang Huan knew something was wrong. He knew that news of Qingyu's matter must have already reached her ears, and the reason he had risked his life to come find her was precisely that matter. There was no way to avoid it now, so he braced himself and said, "Jiaoniang, I have something to tell you, but please don't be angry after you hear it..."

Xu Shirong hummed in agreement.

Yang Huan glanced at her before cautiously saying, "Not long after you returned to the capital, the prefectural government sent people to inspect the seawall. Afterwards, the magistrate of the neighboring county said it was my mother's birthday, and I couldn't refuse, so I went. Since my leg wasn't fully healed, I listened to what you said and didn't drink much wine, but I felt dizzy and was helped to sleep by Erbao. When I woke up the next morning, I didn't know what had happened. I just heard people say that I slept with Qingyu last night and was caught red-handed this morning..."

Xu Shirong sat up abruptly, glaring at him and asking, "Did you sleep with her or not?"

Yang Huan wiped the sweat from his brow and whispered, "Jiaoniang, I wouldn't dare lie to you. I really can't remember anything. I clearly took Erbao with me that day, and Qingyu was nowhere to be seen as usual. I really don't know how she ended up sleeping with me in the neighboring county and being seen by someone... I just guess that nothing like that happened, I'm perfectly clean... Someone must have tricked me, deliberately trying to drive a wedge between us! At first, I couldn't figure out who wanted to harm me, but now I know, it's definitely related to that Xu guy!"

Xu Shirong frowned and asked, "Where is Qingyu? Where is she now? Have you asked her about her after that incident?"

Yang Huan said angrily, "This Qingyu is truly baffling! When I woke up that morning, she was already gone. After I found out what happened, I rushed back to find her and ask her what was going on, but she locked herself in her room without saying a word. She didn't show her face for two days, and wouldn't even open the door when the cook brought her food. I thought I should keep her here until you came back to confront her, and I was afraid that if she starved to death, I wouldn't be able to explain myself, so I kicked down her door. Guess what? She was even fiercer than me! She even called me stupid, saying I didn't even know my wife had been tricked, and chased me out with a broom. I was so angry..."