Xie Xuan saw the maid was about to serve Qin Miao medicine, so she waved her hand and let the servants disperse, replacing herself with holding the medicine bowl.

  The black medicine smells bitter just by smelling it. He has been practicing martial arts since he was a child and rarely gets sick, so he doesn't often take medicine. But she is different, on such a rainy day, after drinking and getting wet in the wind, and crying to the point of exhaustion, now she has no choice but to drink this bitter medicine.

  He was used to being served by others and normally only had others serving him. But today, he unexpectedly received the medicine bowl.

  "Drink up, drink your medicine, and get better soon." He said, then somewhat awkwardly handed the medicine bowl over.

  Qin Miao withdrew his thoughts and saw that he had already placed the medicine bowl in front of himself, his eyelids trembling slightly as he hesitated for a long time before reaching out to take the medicine bowl. However, he deliberately avoided touching the part where their fingers would meet.

  A bowl of medicinal soup was drunk, and the pale little face wrinkled slightly, but it recovered in an instant.

  "Does Master Hou have any business?"

  "If nothing's wrong, then let me rest for a moment."

  Qin Miao didn't hand the bowl back to him, but instead put it on a small stool beside the bed. Xie Yan had thought of taking the bowl, but seeing his empty hands, he could only awkwardly put them down, and the words he had planned to say in his heart also gradually lost their confidence.

  "I originally wanted to talk to you about Qin Xiang's matter. If you're tired, then let's discuss it another day. Take a good rest."

  Just as he was about to get up and leave, he heard Qin Miaoyu's words to retain him.

  "Is the rumor true? Did you really... with her...?" Even after taking a few deep breaths, she still choked out the words. Although someone had already been sent to ask, it was indeed true that Rousuo Pavilion's mistress was over a month pregnant. Mrs. Li had wanted to send for a doctor to take her pulse again, but was persuaded not to; what was the point of slapping herself in the face now?

  Xie Yun's back was facing her, and upon hearing such a difficult-to-ask question, he felt annoyed and frustrated in his heart.

  "It should be." When he heard Baofeng come to report, he was unwilling to believe it in a thousand ways. But had to admit it.

  Hearing him admit it with her own ears, Qin Miao's heart seemed to let out a sigh of relief, and the luck she had been suppressing all day finally became an illusion.

  "Well then, let's take good care of her. Once the child is born, we'll formally make her a concubine, and that will also be a way for our manor to branch out."

  Never thought that the beauty's heart was not yet obtained, but had to perfect it. She herself admitted that she was not a good person, but after last night's disturbance, she had been depressed for a day, thinking about things that should and shouldn't be thought about, all turned gloomy. From start to finish, it was just her own wishful thinking.

  When he heard her say that, Xie Yan suddenly felt uneasy. He turned around instantly, almost rushing to her front, wanting to ask her why she had decided so readily. But when he saw the person at the head of the bed, his expression was lazy, as if he were talking about a very ordinary matter, and a faint anger rose in his heart. The anger came suddenly, inexplicably, leaving him speechless for half a day.

  Qin Miao didn't go see him again, put away the pillow, and covered herself with the quilt to sleep.

  Xie Xuan gazed at her actions in a daze, cold and distant, long gone was the "unkempt" of his past encounters, he could only leave the room with a lack of enthusiasm.

  The sky had already darkened, and the candles in the house were about to burn out. Xingzhi held a pair of scissors to trim the excess, adjusted the wick, and the room was slightly brighter.

  Xie Xuan didn't go to Yu Suo Ge personally, but instead let Po Feng ask about the situation. The pregnancy was already a certainty, and even if she didn't want to acknowledge it, she had no choice but to accept it.

  He leaned back in his chair, his fingers gently massaging his brow. "Xingzhi, what kind of person is the mistress?"

  I've known her for a few months, and although I've seen her use different tactics and schemes that are unlike her age, she's always been sincere with me. She can also feel the love and admiration she has for me when we meet. Even if she's foolish to this extent, a woman's fondness for a man is still palpable. Perhaps it was because of her infatuation that she went crazy that night, exhausting herself until she collapsed. But after just one night, when I saw her again, she had become cold and distant, with no emotions in her eyes.

  The woman, he never wanted to take it seriously. It's a trouble, sometimes even humiliating. So he never expected any romance, maybe because of this idea, and didn't really have feelings for anyone.

  After the master of the house returned from the inner courtyard, he didn't even order food to be sent over or tea to be served. He just shut himself in his study. The young master asked another strange question, leaving Xingzhi at a loss for what to do.

  "Madam is capable and the servants in the mansion all respect her. She's also good-looking and young." This was really putting her on the spot, as she didn't know whether the marquis wanted to hear praise or...

  Xie Xuan smiled wryly to himself, what's wrong with him, actually asking a little servant girl.

  "Never mind, you can go now."

  The night watchman on the street had walked back and forth several times, drowsily leaning against the wall corner with his eyes closed. Unbeknownst to him, a black shadow flew over the high wall at this moment and disappeared into the inner courtyard of the Hou Mansion in an instant.

  Inside Yu Suo Pavilion, the lanterns were still lit.

  "It's almost midnight, Miss, you should rest now." Liao Yima put away the tea bowls on the table and advised Xiangxiang, who was still sitting at the table in a daze.

  "Mother, news of my pregnancy has already spread. Why doesn't Master Hou come and ask about me, or take a look at me?"

  Liao's aunt turned around and let out a soft sigh, not daring to let others hear. "Perhaps due to busy official duties, he can't come to the Rainy Pavilion for now. He'll definitely come in a few days."

  "Girl, are you sure you want to do this? This isn't a joke, in two months if your belly doesn't show, it'll be troublesome."

  The dim candlelight cast a warm glow on Xiang's half-face, and the flickering light had washed away the snowy complexion of daytime, revealing high cheekbones that seemed rather austere.

  "They're all going to drive me out of the house, if I don't use some tactics, I'm afraid I'll never have a chance again." Since the road has already been walked, there's no reason to retreat. She comforted herself and clenched her fists.

  Liao's mother-in-law served her and then closed the door after rolling down the curtain.

  The third watch's rattle "crack crack crack" sounded, a black figure silently slipped into the depths.

  Qin Xiang was already a light sleeper, and in her daze, it seemed as if there was a cold wind blowing by, causing her to subconsciously pull the quilt tighter around her.

  Suddenly a pair of large hands lifted the curtain, and a dark shadow blocked the moonlight that had scattered into the tent.

  "Who!" She shrank back in alarm.

  Someone reached out and gently touched her cheek with a slightly cool touch.

  "How could you forget me so quickly?" His voice was as cold as his hand, and it carried a hint of evil through the air.

  Listening to the sound of the approaching person, Xingxiang finally felt at ease and slapped away the hand of the newcomer with a bad temper.

  "What are you doing? It's late at night and you scared me to death." He then rubbed his forehead.

  Someone dragged her out of the quilt and scratched her chest hard. "Scare you to death, so that you won't forget me."

  My body was already thinly clothed, and with his grasp, I had softened a bit. "No one dares to forget you."

  He was worried about how to get out of this situation if he spoke up. Xie Yan didn't come here himself, and there wasn't much opportunity to take action, it would be really difficult two months later. Unexpectedly, the opportunity came knocking on his door.

  "What's the point of saying anything, huh?" He hastily pressed the person under his body and quickly stripped himself off. The soft body instantly gave him a boost of energy, and after holding back for so long, he couldn't help but release it all out fiercely.

  Soon, the creaking sounds inside the house rose and fell in succession, with no end to the commotion for several hours.