I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 322 Wiping her tears

Hou House.

Yesterday, Lady Hou cried her heart out in the main courtyard, and eventually fainted from crying.

I didn't wake up until the afternoon of the next day.

When Lord Xie heard that she had woken up, he hurried over.

When Lady Hou saw him, tears streamed down her face, and her voice became hoarse from crying.

"My lord, Chongzhi is gone! But Siyuan is still here! Please bring Siyuan back!"

As she spoke, she gripped Lord Xie's sleeve tightly, tears streaming down her face.

"That's Chongzhi's own flesh and blood! His only remaining flesh and blood! How can we let him continue to suffer in the manor!"

She has figured it out now.

Chongzhi's life couldn't be saved, but Siyuan is still alive!

She must protect Siyuan!

Lady Hou wept bitterly, almost kneeling down to beg for the Lord's thanks.

Lord Xie frowned as he looked at her, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes.

A pang of sadness welled up in my heart.

Xie Siyuan was, after all, a member of the Xie family, and how could he not want to take him back to his home and raise him properly?

But when he thought of Xie Zhongzhi's various actions, Lord Xie's gaze darkened.

Chongzhi went astray because he was not strictly disciplined, which made him so despicable that he even betrayed his country!

If you ruin one child, you can't have another!

Lord Xie took a deep breath and finally gritted his teeth and said, "No! Xie Siyuan cannot be brought back for the time being."

Upon hearing this, Lady Hou burst into tears.

"He's still a child! He's lost his father and mother, are we not even going to abandon him?"

"Precisely because he is young, he needs to be disciplined even more! Xie Zhongzhi has ended up like this, and I cannot let Xie Siyuan follow the same path!"

Lady Hou was stunned when she heard this.

She opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found herself speechless.

In the end, she just sat there holding a handkerchief, sobbing uncontrollably.

Dinner.

Lady Hou forced herself to go and have dinner.

Her eyes were swollen and red, and her voice was hoarse from crying.

He tried to calm himself down before speaking.

“Zhongzhi did make a mistake, but he is still a child of the Xie family. We can’t just bury him like this.”

"Now that the body has been returned, we should hold a proper funeral for him."

Xie Yanli frowned and said, "No, keep everything simple."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lady Hou felt as if she had been splashed with cold water.

She looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief and anger.

"Simple? How simple? He's your brother, he's your own brother! Are you only satisfied if he's wrapped in a straw mat?"

"Precisely because he is my brother, I cannot allow his affairs to become public knowledge."

Xie Yanli spoke calmly, but his eyes were as cold and hard as ice.

"Xie Zhongzhi is a traitorous official, and it was only because the Emperor showed mercy that the Xie family was spared. If we hold a grand celebration, it will only fuel further gossip and ruin the entire Xie family's reputation!"

"Does everyone really need to know that the Xie family has a traitor?"

Lady Hou swayed violently, gripping the armrests of the chair tightly, her chest heaving with anger.

"How could you be so heartless!"

Xie Yanli remained unmoved.

"He broke the law of the country. The fact that his body was returned is already the greatest mercy."

Lady Hou's vision blurred, and she nearly lost her balance. She had to grab onto a maidservant beside her to stay upright.

Lord Xie sighed deeply and shook his head heavily.

"Let's do it according to Yanli's wishes."

Xie Zhongzhi betrayed his country; he had no face to hold any funeral for him...

A few days later, Xie Zhongzhi held his funeral.

Xie Yanli's memorial tablet is placed in a corner of the Xie family ancestral hall.

There were no decorations, only a memorial altar and a few incense sticks.

Lord Xie was dressed in a plain robe, his face so gloomy that it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

He stood quietly before the altar and sighed deeply.

Lady Hou knelt before the altar, clutching a handkerchief that was already soaked with sweat, tears streaming down her face.

Xie Wanning stood beside her with her head down, her eyes slightly red. She gripped her sleeves tightly with both hands and shed tears without saying a word.

Her only brother is gone.

Xie Yanli stood in the corner, quietly looking at the memorial tablet.

The children were even more expressionless.

They weren't familiar with Xie Zhongzhi.

There weren't many relatives or guests in the ancestral hall; only a few members of the Xie family stood quietly.

Qin Jiu turned her gaze to Xie Jue and quickly covered his mouth as he was about to yawn.

"Don't sleep yet."

It's one thing if you don't cry, but why are you sleepy?

Xie Jue gave a vague "hmm".

Then she leaned softly towards Qin Jiuwei and nodded gently.

Qin Jiuwei was relieved. She turned her head unintentionally and saw a small figure at the door. Her eyes narrowed immediately.

Xie Siyuan's figure flashed past the doorway and quickly entered the ancestral hall.

I hadn't seen Xie Siyuan for a month, and he looked even thinner, with his clothes hanging loosely on his shoulders.

He looked up at the offering table in front of the hall, his gaze heavy, as if shrouded in a shadow.

When Lady Hou saw Xie Siyuan, her eyes immediately reddened.

She rushed forward and hugged him tightly, her voice trembling.

"Siyuan! My dear grandson, you're finally back!"

Lady Hou grabbed Xie Siyuan's hand, so excited that she could barely speak.

"My dear grandson, how...how did you get so thin! You...you've made your grandmother so worried..."

Xie Siyuan slowly took out a clean handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Lady Hou's eyes.

"Grandmother, don't cry," Xie Siyuan said softly.

Lady Hou stared blankly at Xie Siyuan's actions, raising her tear-streaked face.

She couldn't believe her eyes, could she? Siyuan was actually wiping away her tears!

Perhaps because this action was so unexpected, Lady Hou actually burst into laughter through her tears.

She took the handkerchief with trembling hands, wiped her eyes hard, and choked out, "Our Siyuan is more sensible than before."

Qin Jiuwei raised an eyebrow as she noticed Xie Siyuan's obvious change.