Ji Xiaosong watched Song Yuxi approach from a distance and realized there was no avoiding him.
'What a strange man. Has he been pushed to the brink by his colleagues and the Emperor?'
'Or are the hundred concubines in his estate too much for him to handle, so he's looking for someone to take it out on?'
Before Ji Xiaosong could speculate further, Song Yuxi had already strode up to her.
"Song, it's been a long time. Are you well?" Song Yuxi asked, his face a picture of earnest concern.
Before Ji Xiaosong could answer, her eldest sister-in-law stepped in front of her and said sharply, "Young Master Song, Song is now Lady Xiao. We expect you to address her properly and not overstep your bounds."
Her second sister-in-law quickly chimed in, "Hah. I wonder who was responsible for what happened back then. How dare you show your face in front of Song now?"
Her third sister-in-law was even more blunt. "Hmph. Go away. Don't ruin our fun."
The maids and servants all crowded around, forming a protective circle around Ji Xiaosong.
Song Yuxi's expression turned ugly under the barrage of accusations, but he said resentfully, "Song and I had a history. Is it so wrong for me to simply ask if she's well now?"
The eldest sister-in-law sneered. "Young Master Song, don't forget that it was you who betrayed her trust and caused Song so much pain! And you have the nerve to bring up your 'history'?"
The second sister-in-law added sarcastically, "Hmph. You got your mistress pregnant before you were even married, forcing Song to break off the engagement. And now you're putting on this act of deep affection!"
The third sister-in-law showed no mercy. "A shameless man like you, are you even worthy of speaking to our Song? Look at the state of you now. You can't hold a candle to the National Guardian General!"
At that moment, Ji Xiaosong, who had been silent, finally spoke. Her expression was cold as she said, "Mr. Song, I have no desire to speak of the past. I am now another man's wife. There is nothing between us anymore."
Song Yuxi started to say something more, but Li Wanyu, who was beside him, could no longer bear it. She rushed forward and said, "Please, everyone, don't humiliate Yuxi like this. He made a mistake, but he has seen the error of his ways. He and I are engaged now. I beg you, please spare him your harsh words."
"And you are?"
The eldest sister-in-law looked Li Wanyu up and down. After a long moment, she finally seemed to recall who she was.
"Oh, I was wondering who this was. So you're the eldest legitimate daughter of Vice Minister Li from the Ministry of Personnel—the one raised on a country estate. I hear you only returned to the Capital City after you were ten. To land a match with the Song Family now... I suppose one could say you're marrying beneath yourself."
'Marrying beneath me?!'
'This was pure mockery.'
No matter how far Song Yuxi had fallen—even as a mere fifth-rank official—he was still the heir of a great family.
A family with a three-generation legacy was not something your average nouveau riche could compare to.
Vice Minister Li only had his current position thanks to the Second Prince's patronage. Before that, he was just a down-on-his-luck scholar who got his start by marrying into his first wife's money.
If not for the Second Prince's influence, Madam Song would have never even considered Li Wanyu.
"Shut your mouth! You have no right to speak here!"
Song Yuxi whirled around and glared at Li Wanyu, his eyes filled with anger and irritation. "Who told you to speak out of turn? Now get out of my sight!"
Li Wanyu flinched at his sudden rebuke, and her eyes instantly reddened. "Yuxi, I was just trying to help..." she said, her voice thick with grievance.
"Help me? You're just making things worse!"
Song Yuxi cut her off without a shred of pity. "Stop embarrassing yourself and get out of the way!"
The thought that his future wife had such a background and appearance made Song Yuxi feel utterly humiliated.
He looked back at Ji Xiaosong, draped in fine silks and satins, her gold and jadeite jewelry dazzling, the very picture of regal elegance.
Then he looked at Li Wanyu, wrapped in coarse, old clothes, her hair ornaments plain and simple.
The difference between them was as stark as that between the heavens and the earth.
'His wife, Song Yuxi's wife, should have been someone like Ji Xiaosong!'
"Young Master Song, it seems you have some domestic affairs to attend to. We won't disturb you any longer."
With that, the eldest sister-in-law pulled Ji Xiaosong along, calling to the other two, "Let's go. We shouldn't waste the best hour for choosing jewelry by dallying here."
The women clustered around Ji Xiaosong, bypassing Song Yuxi as they headed in another direction.
But Song Yuxi hurried forward to block their path. "Song, this white jade hairpin would look perfect on you. I picked it out especially for you. Please, accept it."
The eldest sister-in-law glared at him. "Young Master Song, show some decency! Song is the General's wife now. Why would she ever accept something from you?"
Ji Xiaosong didn't even glance at the hairpin. "Mr. Song," she said coldly, "I will not accept anything from you. Do not pester me further."
Song Yuxi's face paled, but he refused to give up. "Song, I..."
The second sister-in-law cut him off impatiently. "That's enough, Young Master Song. Stop making a scene and ruining our mood."
The third sister-in-law chimed in, "That's right! Our Song has no use for your trinkets. Now move!"
Song Yuxi wanted to follow, but women from great families were always accompanied by an entourage of maids and servants. He had no chance of getting through the crowd to hand the hairpin to Ji Xiaosong.
'His actions just now had merely been a test of Ji Xiaosong's attitude.'
'If she had shown even the slightest hesitation, he would not have considered it a failure.'
'Furthermore, if she had relented today, or if the Ji family hadn't been guarding her so fiercely, he could have spread rumors later and made it seem as though Xiao Shen had been cuckolded.'
'He had calculated everything, but he never expected that his former fiancée, who had once been madly in love with him, wouldn't give him even a shred of dignity.'
"Doctor Song, still harboring hopes for another man's wife?"
Li Wanyu's expression was cold, and her tone held a hint of mockery as she looked directly at Song Yuxi.
The taunt snapped Song Yuxi back to reality.
He turned to Li Wanyu and snarled, "You bitch, you dare mock me!"
Li Wanyu tilted her chin up slightly, a cold smile playing on her lips. "I was merely stating a fact. Why so angry, Doctor Song?"
"Hah. Since you know your station is low, you should watch your words and actions. Don't ruin my plans."
With that, he put the hairpin down and turned to leave.
Song Yuxi had just walked away, and before Li Wanyu could follow, the steward of Qiong Jade Workshop stopped her.
"Miss Li, Young Master Song hasn't paid the silver for the hairpin he was holding. Do you still want it?"
Li Wanyu's face fell. She glared at the steward and snapped, "What hairpin? Song Yuxi picked that up himself, what does it have to do with me? I never said I wanted it! Go ask him for the silver, and stop bothering me!"
The steward was taken aback by her fierce demeanor and stammered, "Miss Li, this... that's not how we do things."
Li Wanyu scoffed. "Rules? Song Yuxi acts without any sense of propriety, and I'm supposed to clean up his messes? I'm not married to him yet, so why should I be the one to pay the silver! Let go of me now, or I'll have my father come and have a word with you!"
With that, she violently shook off the steward's hand and hurried after Song Yuxi.
'She might have been fond of Song Yuxi for years, but she would never compromise when it came to silver.'
'One could live without love, but not without silver.'
Once the pair had gone, Ji Xiaosong breathed a sigh of relief.
'She really wasn't good at arguing. When she'd first transmigrated into this world, her emotions had gotten the better of her, and she'd impulsively traded a few barbs back and forth.'
'Now, she was genuinely afraid of getting entangled with Song Yuxi again, lest it tarnish her reputation.'
After selecting some jewelry at Qiong Jade Workshop, Ji Xiaosong spent the rest of the day at the Ji family residence, only returning to the Xiao family home at dusk.
'It seems I have to leave tomorrow,' she thought. 'Otherwise, who knows what else Song Yuxi might do.'
Ji Xiaosong wrote several farewell letters: one for the Emperor, one for her parents in the Ji family, and one for Uncle Chen.