After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

Seeing that the person came out so quickly, Madam He, who was hiding in the distance, hurriedly came up with a smile and asked if the person was not to her liking.

"Ah—Bang!" Before he could even open his mouth, Xie Yunxiang kicked him away.

When the servants heard the commotion and came over to help her up, Madam He San noticed what the red clumps on the ground were.

"Ouch! My back...blood?!"

Then she saw that the bloodstains were dripping all the way from inside the house, and she was immediately terrified. "How...how could there be so much blood?!"

Recalling Xie Yunxiang's attitude just now, "It's all over!! My son's future is ruined!!"

Madam He's back pain vanished instantly, and she rushed into the room with lightning speed, yelling at He Xi, "You brat! What have you done?!"

"You die..."

Seeing He Xi clutching the blood-stained hairpin tightly, trembling as she squatted by the wall.

He kept muttering, "Don't come any closer, don't come any closer..."

Madam He was so angry that she trembled all over. "You, you! You!"

Looking around, the old woman ignored everything and picked up the water He Xi had just given her, splashing it all over He Xi.

Slowly regaining her senses, He Xi saw that the person in front of her was Madam He San, and burst into tears, "Mother..."

"Slap! Slap!" But Madam He snatched the hairpin away and slapped He Xi twice hard across the face, interrupting her crying.

After hitting her, he grabbed her clothes and dragged her out of the inner room while yelling at her, "You can't even serve someone properly, what use are you to me?!"

"A good-for-nothing who eats and drinks for free!"

"You've ruined your brother's future!"

"You've offended Young Master Xie, let's see how you explain this to the family head!"

"What's going on?!" Speak of the devil, and he appears; He Shoufeng, having received the news, arrived quickly.

Madam He immediately pulled He Xi aside and whispered something in He Shoufeng's ear.

He Shoufeng's face darkened upon hearing this. Looking at He Xi, who was in tears, he showed no pity whatsoever. "Useless thing."

"Pah!" Adding fuel to the fire, Madam He also glared at He Xi, "What a shameless wretch, thinking she's so precious!"

"Pretending to be something you're not! I never saw you like this back in the countryside! You were always flirting with those random men!"

"I...I didn't, I didn't..."

The girl, who was so ashamed that she couldn't even utter a complete explanation, could only keep crying and shaking her head, not knowing how such a thing could happen.

"Alright!" Seeing that things had been messed up, He Shoufeng felt annoyed.

For now, all we can do is try to salvage the situation. "Keep an eye on her. If she causes any more trouble, she'll have to go back to her hometown."

"Yes, yes, yes," the old woman, relieved, nodded and bowed in agreement. She then called two maids to take He Xi away and lock him up.

After resolving He Xi's matter, He Shoufeng summoned He Shouzheng and instructed him, "Consort Xuan is of noble status, so do not disturb her peace."

He Shouzhen, who fully understood what he meant, immediately went to do it.

......

At the back gate of the He residence, Xie Yunxiang, having treated his wounds, boarded the carriage while grumbling.

Across the street, on a high-rise building, Baili Ming withdrew his gaze with interest. "So it was him."

"Should we keep up?" Fenglan asked.

"Not urgent"

Looking at the scenery downstairs, Baili Ming suddenly became interested and started counting in her mind. She wanted to see just how capable the dignified head of the He family was, that he would dare to do such a heinous thing.

"Quick! Catch up with the carriage ahead!"

Sure enough, He Shoufeng chased after them after only counting to nineteen.

Seeing him hastily board the carriage, not even noticing his purse falling to the ground, Baili Ming immediately felt that this family head was somewhat incompetent.

Given He Shoufeng's sycophantic and impatient nature, how did he manage to do things so flawlessly and without leaving a trace?

This is completely unlike anything he could come up with.

While the "young lady" was pondering, Feng Lan had already retrieved the purse.

Baili Ming simply picked up the purse and glanced at it again.

"Ugh..." A pungent smell made her throw the purse away again.

She took out her embroidered handkerchief to fan herself and let out some fresh air before Baili Ming felt more comfortable.

There's no way around it; the Baili family members have heightened senses, so they always react more strongly to medicines with a peculiar odor than others.

"Young Miss, if we don't chase after her now, we'll miss her," Feng Lan reminded her after a while.

Bai Liming asked in a strange tone, "Who said we were going to pursue them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Although He Shoufeng is clever and knows how to use various spices to cover up the filth, it's a pity that the earthy smell on the purse is still too strong."

"An earthy smell?" Feng Lan recalled that the He family's business was diversified, including several pottery factories located in the suburbs of Beijing.

There is a place that seems to be not far from the He residence.

"what do you mean?"

Baili Ming rested her hand on the railing, gazing at the green hills that were mostly blocked by the He Mansion.

When her husband was still alive, the scenery here was absolutely beautiful.

So, the He family's mansion is really an eyesore. "Let's send a message to the Investigation Department and have them investigate."

"My sister, whom I don't like, is leaving tomorrow, so I'll treat this as a farewell gift for her."

"Yes"

......

"Young Master Xie, whether you hit me or scold me, I only ask that you don't get angry."

"Get out of here!"

"Yes, yes, I'll leave, I'll leave, but you can't just go back like this."

"How I go back is none of your business! Get out of my way!"

"I, He, may leave, but Vice Minister Xie..."

"What do you mean?!"

"It means..."

After weighing the pros and cons, He Shoufeng analyzed the situation for Xie Yunxiang, telling him that the situation in the court was unstable recently and that if things got out of hand, it would be detrimental to his father's reputation. He then acted like a grandson and let the mockery and insults be tolerated. Finally, He Shoufeng managed to calm this spoiled brat down.

Although Xie Yunxiang was a scoundrel, he knew that everything he had came from his father's successful official career, so he naturally cared a lot about Xie Shilang's reputation.

Besides, he was in the wrong if this got out. He was so angry that he didn't care about anything else, but now that he's calmed down, he's starting to feel scared.

“Young Master Xie has come to my residence as a guest, and I should treat you with the utmost hospitality. It is a blessing for Xi’er that you can take a few more glances at her.”

"I never expected that Xi girl would be so ungrateful."

"Hmph, you think you can get away with this by saying I don't know what's good for me?"

Xie Yunxiang held up her bandaged left hand for He Shoufeng to see; the pure white gauze faintly revealed blood and a strong medicinal smell.

He Shoufeng continued to smile apologetically; compared to the insults he had just received, the young master's attitude was much better now.

"Young master, you are too kind. You are so noble. That wild girl hurt you, so it is only right that you serve her like a beast of burden."

"How can this be resolved with just a few perfunctory explanations? We definitely need to compensate you for your losses."

"I just don't know if my compensation will meet your expectations."

Xie Yunxiang paused for a moment, then immediately understood what He Shoufeng meant by "compensation".

A slight smirk played on her lips, and she immediately became interested. "Hmph, don't be like your brat again, will you?"

"If I have to do it again, I won't have a second life!"

Seemingly oblivious to the contempt and sarcasm in Xie Yunxiang's words, He Shoufeng pulled out a booklet and continued to flatter her, "How could that be? How could that ignorant country girl compare to them?"

After saying that, he gently patted the booklet and placed it in Xie Yunxiang's arms, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Hmph," Xie Yunxiang opened the booklet with a disdainful look.

At first, he pretended not to care, but after a while, his eyes started to light up.

The anger that had been suppressed became even more agitated.

"These..." He swallowed hard, but hesitated to speak directly.

He Shoufeng, who understood his thoughts very well, immediately told the driver to change course and go to a nearby pottery factory.

Xie Yunxiang didn't stop him, but couldn't help being proud again, "Alright, stop looking so timid. You're getting on in years, so I won't hold it against you."

"Yes, yes, yes," He Shoufeng quickly thanked him. "Young Master is so magnanimous, I am deeply grateful!"

After showering him with compliments, he couldn't help but secretly think that Xie Yunxiang was an incompetent fool.

If it weren't for his father's connections, I wouldn't put up with this humiliation!

......