After leaving the Listening Rain Studio, Qin Miao bumped into Xing Zhi at the door again. Just now, she was in a hurry to see Xie Yan and didn't have time to pay attention to this girl's abnormal behavior when she saw her.

  "Stop being so sloppy! Pull yourself together!"

  The apricot branch still hadn't figured out what had happened last night, and now that she'd met the master, she couldn't help but feel a bit flustered. So she timidly lowered her head and replied, "This servant will definitely be careful, it won't happen again."

  Qin Miao didn't have the mood to continue entangling with her, and directly returned to Chao Lu Yuan. For now, there were more important things that needed attention, not a single moment could be delayed.

  "Zi Xuan, go to the Rain Frost Pavilion and bring Qin Xiang back for me. I have something to discuss with her." Qin Miao gave orders as soon as she returned to the Morning Dew Yard. Xie Yan had already gained certainty on that end, so she didn't need to hesitate anymore. However, it was Qin Xiang who was difficult to deal with.

  It's no wonder that Qin Miaoru thought so, a prostitute from a brothel could actually deceive a first-class military marquis to fight for her and still take good care of her after secretly raising her for many years. This is not all, now she has gradually climbed into the mansion step by step. Obviously, she is not an easy-going person.

  It wasn't long before Qin Xiang arrived, with Liao Mama following closely behind her.

  Qin Miao couldn't help but admit that Xingxiang was a little beauty, especially those eyes, three parts pure, three parts charming and four parts alluring. As the little beauty swayed her willow waist and walked up to him with lotus steps, asking him for greetings in a crisp voice, Qin Miao's heart couldn't help but flutter with a strange thought. Such a person, after so many years, could it be that he had never been moved by her?

  Fortunately, she is not a person who gets entangled in thoughts. Since she has made up her mind to turn the page on this matter, what's the point of making more assumptions? One should leave some room for themselves and others, and not waste their thoughts on unnecessary things.

  Qin Xiang was invited by the lady of Chao Lu Yuan today, and she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. She thought to herself that every time she went to pay her respects in recent days, she was rejected at the door, so why would they suddenly take the initiative to invite her now?

  "I've asked you to come today because I have some good news to share with you." Qin Miao sat on the rose chair, sipping her iced tea, and didn't invite Xingxiang to sit down. As the lady of the marquis's manor for nearly half a year, she naturally grasped the proper etiquette.

  After being soaked in the cool tea, her voice no longer had its previous fiery tone and instead sounded quite calm and peaceful. As a result, Xingxiang's originally anxious thoughts also calmed down slightly, but the next sentence that followed made her heart sink directly to the bottom of her throat.

  "The young lady is in her prime, with a promising future ahead of her. She has now entered a good marriage. I and Master Hou have discussed it, thinking to find a suitable husband for the young lady, so as not to let Master Hou's efforts to save you back then go to waste, and ultimately achieve a happy ending."

  As soon as she heard this, it was like a thunderclap, and Qingxin stood unsteadily, her face turning pale. Liao's mother saw the situation and supported her with one hand, barely bringing her back to her senses.

  "Madam, Xiangxiang doesn't want to get married yet!" She knelt down on the spot, biting her teeth and looking at the exquisite embroidered shoes on Qin Miao's feet, helplessly bowing her head to plead.

  Qin Miao had naturally anticipated her reaction, after all, she was quite magnanimous.

  "What's the point of this, a woman always needs a place to settle down. Now that Master Hou is willing to marry you off in the name of the Hou Manor, at that time, considering the face of the Hou Manor, they definitely won't let you suffer."

  As soon as these words came out, everyone heard the implicit meaning in them, which was what Master Xie meant. This time even Lao Tai Tai couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. Although Master Xie hadn't shown much deep affection for his own daughter in recent years, it didn't mean he had no feelings at all. Otherwise, after so many years, every time the young lady asked for something, he would always agree. Besides, the young lady only wanted to ask for the status of a concubine, which wouldn't affect anyone or anything, so why did Master Xie want to drive her out completely?

  While Qingxiang was even more wronged and bitter than Lao Lao, her thoughts towards him were not obvious enough. Did that one night really mean nothing to him? Was he really so unworthy of himself? She couldn't believe it, back then he had taken pity on her, but now he was coldly rejecting her, what was the point of agreeing to her request and bringing her into the manor in the first place?

  No, this must not be the intention of Lord Hou. Only then did Xingxiang raise her head to stare directly at Qin Miao. It was certainly this woman's intention, she had been in the way, and could not tolerate her, so she wanted to use this grand plan to get rid of her. How could Xingxiang, who had endured for so many years, agree to it?

  Her originally gentle and warm eyes suddenly became sharp, her waist stiffened, and her words were full of provocation: "Madam, Qin Xiang cannot leave. Because Qin Xiang is already the master's person, no longer a chaste body."

  Although Xie Yun reminded herself not to speak recklessly, she was now in a precarious situation and couldn't afford to worry about many things.

  Her hand, which was holding the teacup, suddenly tightened, and her heart felt like it had been kicked, aching so much that her body trembled slightly. But Qin Miao was Qin Miao, someone who could be ruthless to anyone, including herself.

  "You say you gave your innocence to the Marquis, but I don't believe it. Otherwise, why would the Marquis be unwilling to acknowledge you as his woman? Is it that you want to cling to the Hou Mansion's partial words?" She spoke with a calm and composed expression, as if she had already planned everything out beforehand, not being affected by Xiangxiang at all. This actually made Zixuan and Li Mama secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Only then did Xiangxiang speak up, and both of them wanted to go forward and directly tear that woman's mouth apart.

  In fact, Qin Miao was not as calm as they thought, but reason told her that Xingxiang must be dealt with, otherwise it would be a great threat to both herself and others. So she had to hold on tight.

  But it seemed like Xiang didn't want to give her a chance to solve things on her own, and continued to tell her one thing after another.

  "Master Hou and I met in times of trouble, when we were both young and our hearts were filled with tender feelings. He has been kind to me and has feelings for me, but unfortunately, I have nothing to repay him with except my pure body... I know that my status is a hindrance, so I am willing to be his nameless and unregistered woman. But he pitied me and was heartbroken for me, and still placed me in the mansion. Therefore, how could I possibly think of marrying another person?"

  Qin Miao heavily bowed her head and tearfully begged, "I hope the madam will grant us her blessing and allow the young master to be with me. I am willing to serve as a cow or horse for the madam, and I absolutely do not have any other improper thoughts."

  If it were in the past, Qin Miao would have already countered with a sharp tongue. But for some reason, she was now powerless. Suppressing her urge to flare up, she gestured to Zi Xuan: "Go invite Lord Hou over to listen to the rain."

  It's almost noon now, and the summer heat is gradually approaching the hall, but Qin Miao's heart is slowly cooling down in this waiting.

  Xie Xuan rushed over in no time, saw Qin Miao staring at her coldly, and also saw Quanxiang still kneeling on the ground and sobbing uncontrollably.

  As soon as Qingxiang saw Xie Yun arrive, she immediately threw herself into his arms and tearfully poured out her grievances: "Master Hou, how could you let me marry another person? I've already lost my innocence, what other marriage can I have?"

  This was true when Xie Yun heard it. One day, Ziwei Lane came to pass on a message, saying that Qinxiang had a matter of utmost urgency and wanted to see him. When he rushed over in a hurry, Qinxiang was also sobbing and crying pitifully, unable to speak coherently. He really couldn't bear it, so he comforted her with a few words and stayed for dinner. Perhaps because he drank too much wine at night, he became unconscious that evening and only woke up the next day to find that he had taken her body. At this point, he was shocked by his own actions.

  Although it wasn't done with a sincere heart, after all, he was the one who made the mistake in the first place. So for so many years, he has continued to take care of her.

  Xie Xiang remained silent for a long time, and Qin Xiang was also anxious. After a moment's thought, she suddenly let go of his hand and rushed straight to the pillar under the corridor. While most people had not yet reacted, they only saw this woman violently colliding with the pillar, and in an instant, her head was bleeding.

  This was not only unexpected by Xie Xian, but also Qin Miao. Lao Tai Tai rushed forward at the first moment, hugged Xiangxiang's body, covered her bleeding head, and cried out: "Young lady, why did you have to do this..."

  Qin Xiang gazed at Xie Yun, not seeing him come over, and murmured: "Master Hou, Qin Xiang can't leave you, please don't abandon me..." After finishing speaking, she fainted.

  "Hurry up and send the person back to Yu Suo Ge!" Qin Miao Xin had doubts, but Xing Xiang's blood couldn't be faked, so she quickly ordered her servants to find a doctor to treat him.

  After the women had noisily carried the person away, the entire Chao Lu Yuan seemed to fall silent all at once. Xie Lin still stood in the hall, watching Qin Miao enter the inner chamber with exhaustion, and for a moment felt a pang of discomfort in her heart.

  He didn't understand the affairs of men and women, but he could see the sadness and disappointment in Qin Miao's eyes. He wanted to go forward and hug her, or tell her again that he had no improper thoughts about Xingxiang. But his feet seemed to have taken root, stuck in place and unable to move. He stood for a long time, ultimately leaving without giving Qin Miao a single word or message, and returned to Tingyu Zhai.

  It's really cool like this...