Marquis Manor, deep into the night.
The chaotic clatter of horse hooves stopped in front of the manor gates. Returning were Shen Gui and the two coachmen who had driven the carriage.
He walked ahead, dressed in his formal robes and hat. The gloom and heaviness had vanished from his handsome face.
Instead, a faint, barely perceptible joy and hesitation shone through.
The joy came because Zheng Wu’s vomiting had not been due to poison in the pastries, but because she was pregnant. The pastries had simply been too sweet and greasy, worsening her early morning sickness.
When the doctor finished taking her pulse and congratulated him, Shen Gui had been stunned for a long time, overwhelmed by immense joy. He confirmed it several times over.
In that moment, he had lost all the dignity and composure befitting a marquis. Even Zheng Wu’s maidservant could not help exchanging quiet smiles with her mistress.
The meaning in their eyes was clear: Look at the marquis, acting just like a child. Had he gone silly with happiness?
Only when Shen Gui fully recovered from his joy did he recall their afternoon tussle and absurdity. He bluntly asked the doctor if intercourse would harm the fetus.
Zheng Wu flushed bright red and glared at him, then could not hold back and punched him several times. “The marquis is… how can you say such nonsense? Have no shame at all.”
That look filled Shen Gui’s heart completely, leaving him without a shred of temper. After the maidservant saw the doctor out, he pulled her into his arms and coaxed her with laughter for a good while.
In the end, he promised Zheng Wu that he would soon bring her into the Marquis Manor. The red wedding dress, dragon-and-phoenix candles—none would be missing. He would handle everything according to the rites for a proper wife, giving her and their unborn child a rightful status.
That was truly what Shen Gui intended. But upon returning to the Marquis Manor and thinking of Xin Yi, he found it tricky. He hesitated, unsure how to broach the subject with her.
Could she accept A Wu? Would she treat that child as her own?
She should.
With her gentle and clever nature, since she had learned the intricate etiquettes and rules of noble families, she should also know how to be a proper stepmother.
Though a twinge of guilt lingered in his heart, Shen Gui thought that if she wanted a child of her own someday, that would not be impossible. It could serve as compensation for her and the Wu family.
Having settled on this, Shen Gui did not head straight to his courtyard to rest. Instead, he summoned the maids attending the separate courtyard to his study and inquired about Xin Yi’s condition.
After he had left the manor, had she been angry? Had she asked about “Miss A Wu”? How had she taken her dinner?
The little maid hesitated before answering, “Madam… she did not.”
Shen Gui frowned.
Then he heard the maid’s follow-up. “Madam was still recovering from her cold, and with such emotional turmoil, right after the marquis left, she… she fainted.”
Shen Gui froze for a moment. He set down the warm jade he had been rubbing and rose from the recliner. “What?”
Only then did he seem to remember that his wife had a frail constitution and could not withstand any torment, not even unconscious venting of anger.
The little maid had sharp eyes. Seeing the marquis’s face grow grave, she quickly added, “But Marquis need not worry too much. Sister A Ying already helped Madam drink her medicine and go to bed.”
“The doctor said that after finishing the remaining doses, her body would be mostly recovered.”
The next day dawned bright and clear, with a spotless blue sky.
Xin Yi slept until late into the morning before taking the bowl of thick, black medicine from her maidservant’s hands.
They said she had to drink this stuff for several days.
Xin Yi stared at the medicine bowl in silence, delaying opening her mouth. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, clearly showing utter disgust. “System, please, can you block the bitterness for me these next few days?”
The Melodramatic Transmigration System replied, “Possible, but you will also lose the ability to taste food, plus 800 points.”
Xin Yi: “…”
This world was as cruel as she had imagined.
She quickly weighed the pros and cons, pinched her nose decisively, and gulped down the black liquid. Afterward, her features scrunched up, and she shuddered heavily.
She then swiftly picked up a piece of preserved fruit and popped it into her mouth to mask the bitterness of the medicine.
The system sensed her poor mood and consoled her. “Is there any easy job in the world? Do we not all have to work hard first to reap the rewards?”
Xin Yi: “Is that so? But you seem pretty comfortable.”
All it had to do was chatter with gleeful schadenfreude every day and watch the drama.
As they spoke, A Ying returned with the items Xin Yi had instructed her to buy a few days prior and handed them over. “Madam, take a look. How is the quality of this jade?”
Xin Yi examined it in her hand for a long time. “Very expensive… no, very good.”
Though white jade, its quality was exceptionally lustrous and smooth, feeling like mutton fat in her palm. It was clearly worth a fortune.
A Ying was a bit curious. “What does Madam plan to use it for? The carvings and patterns do not seem like something a lady of the inner chambers would fancy.”
It was a very elegant Dual Beast Dragon Pattern Pendant. Was it for the marquis?
Xin Yi saw the look on her face and knew what she was thinking. She shook her head in denial. “No need to guess. In any case, it is not for the marquis.”
She would not even give it to a dog.
Pretending to be shy and admiring in daily life was one thing, but this jade pendant cost real gold and silver. Giving it to him would be a waste of a good item.
She tucked the beast-patterned jade pendant into her sleeve embroidered with orchids and rose gracefully from the table.
Then she smiled softly at A Ying. “The weather is nice today. I want to walk in the garden myself. You need not follow.”
The Marquis Manor was full of winding corridors and waterside pavilions. Behind the flower beds stood artificial rockeries, and beyond them lay the lake pond.
It was a fine spot for leisure.
But Shen Ru Jie had not expected that a casual glance as he passed by would reveal an unexpected figure.
The female lead wore plain skirts, having removed her embroidered shoes and silk stockings to bare her jade-like toes hidden beneath her skirts. Her brows and eyes held a slight daze as she gazed at the lake surface.
Then she tentatively extended her foot and took a step forward.
The youth’s expression sharpened. He unleashed his lightness skill, soaring over in a flash, grabbed the silk sash at her waist, and pulled her away from the lake edge.
Xin Yi had barely steadied herself when she heard his accusatory rebuke.
His tone was icy cold, leaving her no face. “Has Sister-in-Law gone mad? Just because you heard a few heartless words, you lose your soul and seek death? Do you not think yourself stupid?”
Xin Yi: “Ah? I did not…”
“The facts are right before you. Does Sister-in-Law still intend to quibble?”
Mockery flashed in the youth’s eyes, as if her earlier foolish stupidity had greatly irritated him. “Next time you want to throw yourself into the lake, kindly go farther away. That way, I need not trouble myself to follow and do something stupid.”
Xin Yi: “…”
He looked so angry; an outsider might think it was he who had tried to drown himself.
But she felt the need to explain. Her eyes reddened with grievance as she gazed at him. “I did not want to throw myself in. The jade pendant accidentally fell into the pond. I removed my shoes and stockings to fish it out. Who knew that just as I bent to pick it up, Second Young Master hoisted me high?”
“…”
Now it was his turn to be speechless.
Shen Ru Jie’s gaze fell on the woman’s slender, pale feet and the cute, uneasy way her toes curled.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke in some self-abandonment. “What jade pendant? I will fish it out for Sister-in-Law.”
But Xin Yi did not answer immediately. Instead, she curved her eyes into a smile and walked toward him barefoot.
His reflection was clear in her ink-black pupils, her tone soft and gentle. “So, Second Young Master was worried about me just now?”
The youth’s lips pressed even tighter.
He wanted to say no, but he could not even explain his instinctive act of saving her to himself.
Was it?
Was it as she said, that he had been worried about her?
Xin Yi had only meant to tease him subtly, but his reaction seemed like tacit agreement.
Flattered and surprised, she deepened her dimples with a smile. “I knew Second Young Master was a good person.”
After hearing her “good person” theory, Shen Ru Jie said nothing. He turned and walked to the pond’s edge where she had stood.
His gaze swept around, and with little effort, he fished the jade pendant from the bottom. Then he walked back and offered it to her.
Xin Yi did not take it. On her refined and dignified little face, a pair of timid, lovely eyes looked at him. “I noticed earlier that those noble young masters all wear jade pendants on themselves, to pray for blessings and ward off evil…”
She paused there. “But I see Second Young Master does not have one.”
Of course Shen Ru Jie did not.
From childhood to now, whatever good things the Marquis Manor had, even if the masters rewarded them to servants in good moods, nothing ever came to him.
Meeting the youth’s stiff and bewildered gaze, Xin Yi pressed the beast-patterned jade pendant into his hand, smiling serene and gentle. “This is for Second Young Master. I specially chose patterns to dispel evil spirits, matching the corresponding zodiac. I hope you do not mind it.”
With words like that, Shen Ru Jie naturally could not refuse in the end.
Though his expression was a bit unnatural when he accepted it, Xin Yi only cared about the result. The gift was bought to be given; as long as he accepted, it was a success.
When she returned to her separate courtyard, she learned that Shen Gui had just sent someone over with a pile of supplements and precious medicinal herbs.
He had also left a message, saying he wanted to take her to the poetry gathering in a few days, so she would not forget to mingle with the noble families while secluded in her chambers.
Xin Yi knew of that so-called poetry gathering: flowing cups along the stream, feigned elegance—a popular event among high officials and nobles in this dynasty.
But she did not understand why Shen Gui had suddenly thought of her.
The system reminded her: “He probably realized he wrongly accused you, but cannot bring himself to apologize directly, so he is showing goodwill this way.”
“And before Zheng Wu marries into the Marquis Manor, it never hurts to treat you a bit better.”
Hah, the tricks of a scumbag.
Xin Yi had been somewhat reluctant to go, until she heard that Shen Ru Jie would also attend.
Her hands paused slightly as she flipped through the ginseng and angelica. She frowned: What was he going for? Surely not to show family harmony and brotherly affection—she did not believe Shen Gui was that kindhearted.