Chapter 519 - 513_1
"My sweet wife, I’m back now. I’ll take care of everything from here on out. Just get some good sleep." Zhao Erhu placed Lin Yue gently on the bed, tucked in the blanket snugly, and then tenderly planted a soft kiss on her forehead before he straightened up. Turning to look at the gathering of servants, the affection and concern on his face vanished completely, replaced instantaneously by a stern expression. Even Madam Xu, who was accustomed to handling major incidents, felt a hint of fear and knelt on the ground with trepidation.
In order to avoid disturbing Lin Yue, Zhao Erhu gestured for Madam Xu and Xixi to follow him to the outer room, leaving Dalang and the others to keep Lin Yue company inside. Although Lin Yue had gotten much better over the past few days, Dalang and his brothers still stayed in her room, worried that she might feel bored. However, Lin Yue was concerned that this might disrupt their studies, especially since Scholar Zhang had strict expectations for them. Even though the academy was closed, homework was still assigned. Dalang and his brothers naturally refused to leave Lin Yue alone and instead brought their books into her room to study. Lin Yue couldn’t decide whether the stubborn children were staying by her side partly to keep an eye on her progress.
"This servant begs for the master’s forgiveness. It is my fault for not taking good care of madam," Madam Xu admitted her fault without any defense, knowing Zhao Erhu’s implication of blaming. Despite having little relation to the incident, she thought perhaps she could have prevented it by offering some advice before madam left the house. Besides, ingrained in her since her time in the palace was the idea that when misfortune befalls a master, the servants accompanying them are to blame, regardless of the reason.
Seeing Madam Xu act this way, even though Xixi didn’t know exactly what she did wrong, she knelt down to admit her own guilt, understanding that Lin Yue was injured under her watch. The good attitude of confession shown by Xixi resulted from training by Madam Xu during this time.
Zhao Erhu, seeing their reaction, softened his expression considerably. He was aware of Madam Xu and Xixi’s loyalty to his wife. Having gathered a rough understanding of the situation from his wife’s sobbing account just now, he still needed to clarify the specific details.
After hearing the whole story from Madam Xu, the veins on Zhao Erhu’s forehead bulged visibly, and his body radiated a chilling aura of wanting to flay and grind the wrongdoer to bits, "Damn these worthless bastards!"
Fortunately, Zhao Erhu was mindful of Lin Yue in the inner chamber, worried that making too much noise might disturb her. He barely managed to suppress the urge to violently throw things around, his curse still frightening Xixi terribly. Despite his typically cold demeanor, he now seemed terrifying. However, Madam Xu, having experienced Zhao Erhu’s anger just moments ago, had already regained her composure.
Li Jiansan’s elder brother was an arrest officer in the government office, and Magistrate Ceng Lu of Xin’an City was known as a negligent official. Zhao Erhu certainly didn’t expect the government to punish Ceng Lu, which meant he had to think of other ways. But knowing who was responsible gave him a target, and dealing with Li Jiansan, who wasn’t a significant figure, would be easy. He had inferred from Madam Xu’s words that Jimin Hall had gotten involved with intentions of avenging Lin Yue. Therefore, Zhao Erhu still needed to make a visit to Jimin Hall.
Not only for this matter, but he also owed personal thanks to Doctor Zheng and Manager Liu, who had saved Lin Yue. Zhao Erhu was genuinely grateful. Apart from past events, this time, had it not been for Doctor Zheng’s timely encounter and Manager Liu’s prompt rescue, Lin Yue might have been lost. The mere thought tightened his chest, far beyond mere pain. It was almost suffocating. He couldn’t imagine a life without his dear wife; without her, he felt he wouldn’t be able to continue living, akin to a walking corpse. All his current efforts would lose their meaning.