That night, Xie Yun took Qin Miao back to the Chao Lu courtyard and then hastily left without resting. Qin Miao was severely drunk this time and also had emotional injuries, even after drinking the sobering soup, she still couldn't sleep well, and ended up disturbing the servants in the Chao Lu courtyard for the whole night.

  When the hostess returned home drunk, Master Hou did not accompany her wholeheartedly. Such gossip among masters soon spread to the servants' quarters. Those with ulterior motives naturally whispered and got excited again.

  The next morning, just as the sky was brightening, Qin Miao couldn't help but open her eyes due to the throbbing pain in her temples. She subconsciously reached out to touch the bed beside her, it was cool, if she wasn't mistaken today was Xie Yan's day off, yet he wasn't there.

  Waking up from a hangover, I was already feeling uneasy. The person beside me wasn't there to lean on, and my heart suddenly felt a sense of loss. I called in Yulu, who had been keeping watch at night, to attend to me as usual. With a casual question, she dispelled the doubts in my mind.

  Originally, last night was a chaotic mess, and in the end, she had been driven away by her own life. She spent the night in the study in the front yard. Thinking about it now, she couldn't help but recall yesterday's scene, but only remembered some fragmented scenes that didn't make sense, so she gave up. Since she had driven someone away with her temper, she should still try to coax them back. But then she thought of the scandalous rumors she heard at the tea house yesterday, and her heart couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

  After breakfast, I went to Yang Yi Institute and accompanied Sun Shi Xuewei and the two of them chatted with their ancestors for a while before returning to Chao Lu Institute.

  Today's sun is slightly cool, unlike the vibrant summer and autumn. Qin Miao carries a food box, walking along the familiar bluestone path to Tingyu Pavilion. As she approaches the door, she sees Po Feng standing outside, looking somewhat anxious.

  "What's wrong, Master Hou hasn't gotten up yet?"

  The wind broke and it was her who came, he rode forward on his horse to welcome her with a bow, and replied in a low voice: "Yes!"

  Just as Qin Miao was smiling and looking lovely, the door creaked open with a "creak" sound, and a young girl came out from inside. This wasn't the personal attendant Xingzhi, so who could it be?

  Apricot branch was carrying a basin of water and walking out, when she suddenly saw Qin Miao standing in front of her. Her legs went soft and she almost spilled the water from the basin. If one looked closely, they could faintly see that her ears were flushed red and there was sweat on her forehead.

  "Is Master Hou awake?" Qin Miao raised an eyebrow and looked at the rather timid maid in front of her.

  Indeed, it was a soft and gentle voice, like the hum of a mosquito, as Xingzhi lowered her head to reply: "Replying to Madame, Master Hou has already woken up and is currently having his meal."

  "You can go down now. If nothing happens, you don't need to come in, I have something to discuss with Master Hou." In fact, this time she came, she really had something to say.

  All the way, she thought again and again, always feeling that her intention was not to get along with Xie Yan in this lukewarm manner. He originally had a colder heart than others, and it would take some time and effort to warm him up, but now there was an unclear and ambiguous barrier between her and Xie Yan. So she wanted to have a good talk with him about the barrier, calmly and quietly, and get things out in the open.

  She entered the study and saw Xie Yan sitting cross-legged on a couch, eating at a small table. Seeing her come in, he was slightly taken aback.

  Qin Miao took out the chilled pear juice from the food box and said in a warm voice, "I thought you had already eaten your breakfast, so I brought this pear juice to help you cool down."

  The man in front of him, who was holding a bowl of chicken noodle soup, heard the two words "reduce fire" and suddenly stopped. This reminded him of an absurd thing that happened last night.

  After returning from Choroin Temple last night, he couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. After some deliberation and struggle, he called out to Kyōji who was keeping watch outside.

  As soon as he entered the room, Xingzhi was startled by his cold and handsome face.

  "Come over!"

  She walked up to the bed as usual, ready to pour water for her master to drink. But the person sitting on the edge of the bed gave a cold order: "Take off your clothes."

  She had indeed been thinking of serving her master, but she never thought that this day would come so suddenly, catching her off guard.

  Thanks to her long-standing preparation, Xingzhi didn't linger for too long either.

  After all, she was still a young girl of seventeen or eighteen, and it was the first time she had been in front of a man like this, so she was naturally extremely shy.

  As the candle flame burned slowly, before long, the apricot branch stood there withered and shriveled.

  It was the time when summer and autumn were changing, even though the daytime still had some heat, but at night there was a feeling of autumn wind. Moreover, with her heart racing, the girl's arm trembled slightly in the cool night.

  She knelt down on one knee in submission, while Xie Xuan looked down at everything in front of her from a high position.

  He turned his head, closed his eyes, and the blurry face from that day kept flashing in his mind. When he opened them again, the chill at the bottom of his eyes had replaced his previous confusion.

  Apricot branch shyly and boldly raised her head, wanting to meet the man's eyes, but what awaited her was not a pair of eager and impulsive eyes, but a cold face.

  "Master Hou~~" a soft and charming voice echoed through the air.

  "Go ahead."

  She didn't wait for the man's favor, but was met with a cold and white rejection. She bit her lip in grievance and collapsed onto her own legs.

  Apricot branch is more fragrant than before, or it can be said that it is more reserved, or the courage is smaller. The master has already given orders, and saying more is futile.

  She had no choice but to put her clothes back on one by one, and the emotions that came with it were like a sharp pain in her gut.

  Tonight, Xie Yun finally figured out one thing, it wasn't that he didn't have a reaction to any woman. This discovery made him happy, but also made him hesitant.

  Just like now, facing Qin Miao and sitting together, it seems very calm to talk about something, but he can always be led by her expression, a movement.

  "I want to talk about Qin Xiang." Qin Miao was straightforward again, without giving anyone any preparation.

  "Yesterday I drank because I inadvertently heard about your romantic affair with Xiangxiang back then. My heart ached, so I wanted to drink. That's it."

  It's been so long since this matter was brought up by his own wife at this moment, it made Xie Lin somewhat embarrassed, so he wanted to lightly pass over it.

  "That was all a long time ago. But it was just because I was young and arrogant, and couldn't stand seeing people being bullied."

  Even after a night had passed, the wine had been drunk and spilled, and her composure had returned, she couldn't help but feel upset when she heard her man casually mention that it was just a youthful indiscretion. Even though many years had gone by, she still couldn't calm her heart. This is why there are so many jealous wives in the inner quarters.

  Qin Miao coldly ridiculed herself in her heart, wondering how she would one day get entangled in such a boring and uninteresting matter. However, she didn't forget the main topic of today.

  The tea in his hand had been refilled, and the words that were originally difficult to say finally came out.

  She subconsciously let out a breath, then lowered her voice and said: "Last time you told me that Qin Xiang is not your woman, just a guest in the mansion. Since she's a guest, there will always be a time to leave the mansion, but I don't know if she still has any relatives who can take her in now. If not... I have a way, but I don't know what you think."

  Xie Xuan had also tried to find a match for Qingxiang before, after all, she had been raised by him outside the household, and it was indeed inconvenient in many ways. "According to her, there were no relatives left in this world, so she could only take refuge within the manor."

  Upon hearing this, Qin Miao smiled slightly. This Xing Xiang was indeed a brave warrior who cut off her own path and didn't leave any room for herself, with the sole intention of throwing herself at this man in front of her to gain wealth and glory for the rest of her life. But unfortunately, Qin Miao didn't want to give her that opportunity.

  "It's just as well. She is alone and adrift, but fortunately, Master Hou has helped her escape her suffering. Now that she is in the prime of her life at seventeen or eighteen, why not have our Hou household take charge and find a good match for her to entrust her lifelong happiness?"

  She then opened her mouth to take a sip of tea, and the warm tea flowed into her mouth. She was waiting for his answer. Whether it was a nod or a shake of the head, it was an explanation. Rather than being anxious all day guessing and inferring, it's better to speak directly from the heart and listen to the true interpretation.

  "Alright, you go ask her what she means and then make arrangements for her."

  Qin Miao was right after all, it's indeed worth believing him this time.

  But the other party in the Rain Fragrance Pavilion was unaware that Xie Houye had already planned to "expel" her from the manor with a gentle and even gracious manner.