Chapter 233: FLASHBACK 2

Inside the quiet private room on the second floor of the tea house, the rich aroma of fresh jasmine leaves filled the air.

Jianyu gently set Meiyun down on the soft window seat before sitting down directly across from her. Her two maids stood nervously outside the door, leaving the young couple alone in the peaceful room.

Jianyu poured a cup of hot tea and slid it smoothly across the table toward her. He looked at her with his usual calm, unreadable dark eyes.

"Lady Lin," Jianyu spoke up, his voice deep and steady. "I must ask... why did you agree to this marriage proposal? My reputation in the imperial court is far from pleasant. Most noble families view me as a dangerous, cold-blooded man."

Meiyun took a slow sip of her tea, setting the delicate porcelain cup down with a soft clink. She looked straight into his dark eyes, her expression calm, sincere, and entirely unfazed.

"Because I do not judge a person based on court rumors," Meiyun said softly. "I see a man who works tirelessly to protect his soldiers and his people. I do not fear you, Marquis Xi. And I chose to marry you because I want to be the person who stands by your side."

Silence fell over the room. Jianyu stared at her, his usual cold, emotionless composure cracking for the very first time.

Jianyu set his cup down and looked at her with absolute seriousness.

"I cannot promise you a quiet or easy life, Lady Lin," Jianyu said, his words plain, blunt, and devoid of sweet poetry. "But I promise you this: I will protect you with my life. I will take good care of you, and I will never disrespect you or bring shame upon your name."

His tone was plain and simple, but Meiyun knew with absolute certainty that he was not lying, not even by a single word. A warm, beautiful smile bloomed across her face.

"Then I hold you to your promise, Marquis Xi," she replied softly.

Fast Forward

The sound of joyful firecrackers, loud brass drums, and cheerful chatter echoed throughout the grand estate. The wedding of the year had arrived.

Red silk lanterns hung from every rooftop, and crimson banners decorated the grand courtyard. After endless traditional bowing ceremonies, official toasts, and congratulations from court officials, the long day finally drew to a close.

Inside the quiet, candlelit bridal chamber, the air was warm and scented with sweet rose water and burning incense.

Meiyun sat patiently on the edge of the large wooden bed, her heart thumping against her ribs. She was dressed in a grand, heavy red bridal gown embroidered with golden phoenixes. Her heavy bridal veil had already been lifted during the early ceremony, leaving her exquisite face fully visible in the soft, flickering candlelight.

The heavy wooden door creaked open, and Jianyu stepped into the room.

He was dressed in matching red groom robes, looking broad, tall, and strikingly handsome. He had consumed several cups of wine with his fellow officers outside, but his dark eyes remained clear and sharp.

Jianyu closed the door, sliding the wooden bolt into place. He turned around and walked slowly toward the bed, his long strides unhurried.

Stopping a few steps away, he looked down at his beautiful new bride sitting on the bed. Seeing her nervous hands clutching her silk sleeves, his expression softened.

"Meiyun," Jianyu spoke, his deep voice carrying a gentle, respectful tone. "It has been a very long, exhausting day for you. If you are tired or... if you are not ready for tonight, you do not have to force yourself. I can sleep on the daybed near the window. I do not mind."

Meiyun blinked, looking up at her tall, considerate husband. Hearing his selfless words, the lingering nervousness in her heart completely evaporated, replaced by a sudden wave of warmth and affection.

"Who said I wasn’t ready?" Meiyun whispered, a playful, courageous glint flashing in her eyes.

Before Jianyu could process her words, Meiyun reached out, wrapped her small hands tightly around his wrists, and yanked him down with surprising force.

Caught completely off guard, Jianyu stumbled forward and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed right beside her.

"Meiyun—" Jianyu started, turning his head to look at her in surprise.

Meiyun didn’t give him a chance to finish. She leaned in close, her soft red silk sleeves sweeping against his chest as she reached up, cupped his jawline with her hands, and pulled him straight into a deep, warm kiss.

Jianyu went still for a brief second, his dark eyes widening in shock. But as her soft lips pressed against his, the last bit of his icy restraint shattered. He wrapped his strong, broad arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest as he deepened the kiss, completely surrendering to his bride.

Twelve years passed in the blink of an eye.

The heavy autumn rain poured relentlessly over the grand Xi estate, hammering against the dark roof tiles and flooding the stone courtyards. Thunder rumbled across the dark, overcast sky, matching the frantic rhythm of Meiyun’s heart.

Inside her warm, decorated chamber, Meiyun paced back and forth across the floor, her silk robes sweeping against the rug. Her brow was pulled into a deep, worried frown.

Jianyu had left the estate early that morning without saying a single word to her. It was completely unlike him. Over their twelve years of marriage—a year after which he had been granted the grand title of Duke, making her the revered Duchess Xi—he had always made sure she knew his whereabouts. He never left her in the dark. Not once.

A maid rushed into the room, breathless and drenched around her hem. "Duchess! The Duke has returned! He is entering the front gates!"

Meiyun didn’t even wait to grab a cloak. Ignoring the maid’s startled gasp, she lifted her skirts and hurried straight outside into the storm. Her personal attendants scrambled behind her, desperately trying to hold a large oil-paper umbrella over her head while calling out in panic, "Duchess, please! The rain is too heavy! You will catch a cold!"

Meiyun ignored them completely. The icy rain drenched her fine clothes and plastered her hair to her skin, but she didn’t care. Her eyes were fixed entirely on the main courtyard gates.

Through the thick curtain of downpour, the heavy wooden gates creaked open.

Jianyu rode in on his tall warhorse. The moment the horse ground to a halt, he dismounted, his heavy leather boots splashing into the deep puddles on the stone floor.

Meiyun’s breath caught in her throat, her blood running completely cold.

He was dressed in full, heavy battle armor, and he was soaked in crimson. Dark, thick blood covered his chest plate, his gauntlets, and his blade. The heavy rain washed the red water down his armor, staining the puddles around his feet. His sharp, dark eyes looked hollow and haunted, devoid of their usual steady warmth.

He took one staggering step toward her, his body swaying heavily under the weight of his bloodied armor.

Then, his knees gave out, and he collapsed hard onto the wet stone right in front of her.

"Jianyu!" Meiyun screamed, dropping straight to her knees in the cold mud and rain.

She threw the attendants aside and grabbed him, cupping his ice-cold, blood-splattered face with her trembling hands. Hot tears mixed with the icy rain streaming down her cheeks as she looked into his hollow, dark eyes.

"Jianyu... oh god, Jianyu," Meiyun sobbed, her voice cracking with pure agony as she held his face tight against her palms. "What have you done?!"

Jianyu remained completely silent, staring down at his broad, shaking hands. The thick blood on his skin was slowly washing away under the heavy rain, turning the water around them into a pale, sickening pink.

Rain beat down on both of them, soaking straight through Meiyun’s fine silk clothes, but she didn’t feel the cold. She just stared at her husband in heartbreak.

After they got married, it had taken years of patience and love, but slowly, she had brought the color back into his life. She had brought back his gentle smile and the warm, peaceful look in his eyes whenever he was home with her and their children.

But right now, sitting in the cold mud under the roaring thunder, it felt as if someone had suddenly switched off the light inside him. The color was completely gone again, leaving him looking hollow and broken.

"Jianyu, please..." Meiyun cried, her hands trembling as she held his wet face, trying to make him look at her. "Talk to me! What happened?!"

Jianyu slowly raised his head. His eyes were red, filled with pure guilt and agony.

"Dan Village..." Jianyu whispered, his voice completely raspy and broken. "There were no traitors, Meiyun... It was just an innocent village."

Meiyun’s heart dropped into a cold abyss.

"The Empress..." Jianyu choked out, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "She gave the order. She told me they were rebels plotting against the throne. She said if I spared even one person, she would execute you and our children for high treason."

Thunder crashed loudly across the dark sky.

"I killed them all, Meiyun," Jianyu wept quietly, his whole body shaking beneath his heavy armor. "Seven hundred people... men, women, babies... I killed them all with my own hands.. I’m a monster."