Night had completely fallen by the ti the carriage finally returned to the Xi Manor.
The large estate was quiet now.
The loud music, laughter, and celebration from the wedding earlier had already disappeared, leaving behind only silence and the soft glow of lanterns hanging along the stone paths. Their warm light stretched across the cold walls of the manor, making the entire place feel strangely heavy.
The carriage doors opened slowly.
Grand Duke Xi Jianyu stepped down first.
Right behind him was his eldest son, Xi Wenzhe.
Neither of them spoke.
Their expressions were calm, but the pressure around them was so heavy that the servants nearby imdiately lowered their heads and moved aside without daring to breathe too loudly.
The old steward hurried over at once and bowed deeply.
"Duke! Young Master! You’ve returned!"
Xi Jianyu continued walking without stopping.
"Where is everyone?"
The steward quickly answered,
"The family is gathered in the dining hall, Duke... except for Young Madam. She has not arrived yet."
Xi Wenzhe’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Not arrived?"
The steward nodded carefully.
"She was escorted back to her courtyard earlier, but later the Duchess ordered everyone to gather first."
Xi Jianyu said nothing more.
But sohow, the air around him beca even colder.
The two n continued walking toward the main hall in silence.
Behind them, the servants did not dare lift their heads.
—
Inside the dining hall, the atmosphere was tense.
Bright lanterns lit up the large room, shining over the long tables filled with expensive dishes that had already gone cold. Not a single person had touched the food.
The servants stood quietly in the corners with lowered heads, too nervous to make a sound.
Everyone seated inside looked uneasy.
Old Madam Zhao Rui sat at the head seat with her cane resting beside her. Her face looked calm as always, but her sharp eyes revealed her irritation.
Lin iyun sat quietly nearby, her posture elegant and graceful like usual, yet her sleeves remained carefully pulled down as if she was hiding sothing.
Xi Lanyin and Xi Qianqian sat together unusually silent.
Xi Yunhao stood near the side with his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
Xi Yunchen leaned lazily against a pillar, but for once, there was no playful smile on his face.
Even Xi Ronghua and Gu Zhen were quieter than normal.
The younger children sat obediently beside the adults, sensing sothing was wrong even if they did not fully understand it.
Then footsteps echoed from outside the hall.
Everyone imdiately turned toward the entrance.
The doors opened.
Xi Jianyu walked in first, his dark robe carrying traces of dust from the journey. Behind him, Xi Wenzhe entered calmly, his cold gaze sweeping across the room like a sharp blade.
The mont they entered, everyone stood up.
"Father!"
"Duke!"
"Elder Brother!"
Xi Jianyu lifted one hand slightly.
"Sit."
Everyone imdiately sat back down.
Silence filled the hall once more.
But this was not peaceful silence.
It was the kind of silence that felt like sothing dangerous was about to happen.
Xi Wenzhe slowly looked around the room.
Then he spoke calmly.
"We received a letter from the manor."
His voice was steady and cold.
"What exactly happened today?"
Xi Jianyu’s sharp gaze swept across everyone.
"Explain everything properly," he said. "From the beginning."
For a mont, nobody spoke.
Then suddenly, Xi Qianqian blurted out,
"It’s Su Yueqing."
The mont her na was ntioned, the atmosphere beca even heavier.
Xi Wenzhe frowned slightly.
"Her?"
Xi Yunchen let out a dry laugh from the side.
"She’s... strange."
Xi Jianyu’s eyes darkened.
"What do you an by strange?"
Lin iyun slowly lowered the teacup in her hand.
"It started after she entered the main hall today."
Xi Yunhao continued seriously,
"At first, everything seed normal."
He paused.
"But then things beca... unbelievable."
Xi Ronghua quickly added,
"She slapped a maid in front of everyone."
Xi Jianyu’s expression did not change at all.
"What is strange about that?"
Xi Ronghua hesitated awkwardly.
"...That’s not the strange part."
The hall beca silent again.
Then Xi Yunchen finally spoke clearly.
"We could hear her thoughts."
The entire room fell still.
Even Xi Wenzhe paused slightly.
Xi Jianyu’s sharp gaze landed on him imdiately.
"What?"
Xi Qianqian nodded quickly.
"Not guesses. Not expressions. Her actual thoughts."
Xi Yunhao nodded seriously too.
"It was like her voice appeared directly inside our heads."
Xi Wenzhe’s eyes grew colder.
"That’s impossible."
Xi Yunchen rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"That’s exactly what I thought too... until she started talking in her mind about how the Xi family is going to fall apart."
"She can what?" Xi Wenxhe was confused at this point.
The hall instantly beca even quieter.
Xi Jianyu stared at him.
"Continue."
Lin iyun finally spoke again, her voice softer this ti.
"She looked at once... and said I was poisoned."
Xi Jianyu imdiately turned toward her.
Even Xi Wenzhe’s expression changed slightly.
Lin iyun slowly lifted her sleeve a little.
"At first, I didn’t believe her either."
Her voice lowered.
"But... she was right."
The room beca completely silent.
Xi Qianqian’s eyes widened.
"You’re really poisoned?!"
Lin iyun nodded once.
"Yes."
Nobody spoke after that.
Even Xi Ronghua stayed quiet for once.
Xi Jianyu’s face darkened heavily.
"Who did it?"
Lin iyun shook her head slowly.
"I don’t know yet."
Xi Ronghua imdiately slamd her hand against the table.
"How can you not know?! This is your own ho!"
Gu Zhen hurriedly tried calming her.
"Ronghua, lower your voice—"
"Why should I?! Soone poisoned her!"
Before the argunt could continue, Xi Wenzhe raised one hand slightly.
Instantly, the hall beca quiet again.
"Continue," he said calmly.
Xi Yunchen sighed deeply.
"After that, things beca worse."
Xi Yunhao nodded.
"She spoke as if she already knew the future."
Xi Qianqian quickly added,
"She even said I would marry a terrible man."
Xi Ronghua frowned deeply.
"She also said the Xi family would eventually collapse."
Xi Yunchen pointed at himself helplessly.
"And apparently, you’ll beco crippled."
Xi Wenzhe slowly turned to look at him.
Xi Yunchen imdiately raised both hands.
"Don’t look at like that. I’m only repeating what she said."
Xi Jianyu’s face remained dark and unreadable.
Finally, Old Madam Zhao Rui spoke.
"After that, I sent her away to rest."
Xi Wenzhe imdiately asked,
"Where is she now?"
Before anyone could answer—
A servant suddenly rushed into the hall and dropped to his knees in panic.
"Duke! Young Master!"
"Young Madam has arrived!"
Everyone imdiately turned toward the entrance.
The doors slowly opened again.
Su Yueqing walked inside calmly.
She was still wearing her bright red wedding robes.
Her face looked peaceful and composed, completely different from the nervous atmosphere filling the hall.
It was as if she had no idea that the entire family had spent the evening discussing her.
She stopped in the middle of the room.
Her gaze swept across everyone quietly.
Then she simply stood there without speaking.
Xi Wenzhe stared directly at her.
Xi Jianyu stared too.
The silence in the hall stretched longer and longer.
Then Xi Yunchen leaned slightly toward the others and whispered softly,
"...She really doesn’t know we can hear her thoughts, does she?"
Nobody answered him.
Because at that mont—
No one was truly sure anymore.
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