In fact, Shen Gui had only asked casually and did not truly care what she was thinking.
But his gaze lingered on Xin Yi.
The woman wore a light-colored silk dress, her skin snow-white and her features delicate as flowers. Her eyes were particularly dark and lustrous. Perhaps because she had been confined to her chambers for years, the small section of wrist that was exposed was so pale it dazzled the eyes, as if a gust of wind could blow her over.
Xin Yi noticed his scrutiny and deliberately gave a shy smile, her voice soft and gentle. “I was thinking about when I could recover my health and bear a child for my husband. After all…”
“After all, the Marquis treats me so well. He considers my needs in everything and has never taken another woman since we married.”
Shen Gui fell silent.
He did not know if it was his imagination, but he seemed to detect a hint of sarcasm in her words.
Yet the woman before him still looked so fragile, her expression timid, as if it took tremendous courage just to lift her head and look at him.
How could she possibly mean to mock him? She clearly admired him greatly.
Moreover, A Wu’s existence was still a secret.
Since he had never brought it up himself, and Wu Xin Yi spent her days sickly and rarely even left her room, how could she possibly know? Unless someone had deliberately told her.
Thus, he suppressed his unwarranted suspicions, and his tone softened. “I specially called you here today to personally hand over the herb I fetched from You Province.”
At this point, he seemed to finally remember the younger brother who had been standing in the rain outside the corridor. He instructed the maidservant at the door, “Call Shen Ru Jie in.”
Turning to meet Xin Yi’s gaze, he added quietly, “He stood there in the rain without knowing better. Others might think this elder brother of his is mistreating him.”
“The Marquis would never do such a thing.”
Xin Yi thought to herself, ‘Yeah, yeah, you just hate him so much that every maid and servant in the estate knows about it.’
The servants ate the master’s rice, so they naturally knew how to do their jobs. Thus, Shen Ru Jie’s courtyard was hardly ever cleaned, and though his food was not outright leftovers, it could not compare to what the other young masters and misses in the marquis estate enjoyed.
The window lattice was half-open, and suddenly a cold gust blew in.
Xin Yi subconsciously rubbed her arms. As she looked up, she saw Shen Ru Jie enter.
His clothes were naturally soaked through.
A few strands of black hair, drenched by the rain, clung to his pale face, still dripping water. The air carried a sweet, rusty scent of blood.
Shen Ru Jie knew he was not welcome, so he did not stand too close. After entering, he merely called out flatly, “Elder Brother.”
Shen Gui frowned the moment he laid eyes on him.
There was not the slightest concern on his face; instead, it was filled with undisguised disgust. “I only told you to fetch a herb from You Province. How did you end up in such a sorry state?”
“I dared not delay Elder Brother’s orders, so I traveled day and night.”
His face was pure white and harmless, without a trace of dissatisfaction or resentment, as if this was only to be expected.
Xin Yi inwardly tsked in admiration and could not help saying to the system, “He really knows how to bend without breaking. He doesn’t even get angry hearing that.”
He had gone to such lengths, gotten himself all injured, yet not only did he get no thanks, he had to stand in the rain until soaked through, then come in to hear the other party’s condescending reprimand.
Putting herself in his shoes, Xin Yi immediately felt a surge of indignation.
She could not tolerate it at all!
The system replied, “Yes, so Host, keep it up.”
“…”
Shen Gui was accustomed to his lack of emotional display and had no interest in wasting time playing along.
He directly placed the warm jade in his hand on the table and ordered coldly, “Alright, set the medicine down and go back to rest. You need not leave the estate for the next couple of days. Stay in and recover from your injuries.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Ru Jie responded flatly, “Many thanks for Elder Brother’s concern.”
He placed the narrow sandalwood box from his bosom on the table, made no further pause, and turned to leave.
Xin Yi did not stay long with Shen Gui either, for he clearly had little to say to her. It had been this way even before his new favorite; now with Zheng Wu, it was even more so.
Thus, she said some soft, affectionate words with flushed cheeks—before she found it too cringeworthy and nauseating—and hurriedly left, hugging the sandalwood box.
A Ying held an umbrella and teased her by the ear, “Madam and the Marquis have been married for two years, yet you still blush in front of him like a girl who hasn’t left the boudoir.”
She had actually been a bit worried at first, afraid that Madam would recall that heartbreaking matter upon seeing the Marquis.
But on second thought, which man did not have a concubine or two? If Madam cried and refused to allow it, people would gossip behind her back, saying she was jealous.
Xin Yi felt inexplicably guilty.
Of course she was flushed—the original host’s body had held its breath for half a minute; if she did not leave soon, she would turn into an eggplant.
Thus, she smiled with downcast eyes to cover it up. “Yes, the Marquis… actually has many good qualities.”
At least, if thrown into a crematorium, he could stoke the boiler.
The night rain drizzled on, falling intermittently until dawn.
Xin Yi could hear the rain even in her dreams, but perhaps because the bedding was so soft, she slept especially soundly that night.
Until…
She was suddenly jolted awake by an alarm ringing in her mind.
Xin Yi frowned sleepily, covered her ears to resist for a few seconds, then sat up in fury. “!!!”
What was this?
“System, get out here! Why is there an alarm clock in ancient times?!”
Xin Yi was still too naive.
She had thought that in ancient times, she could at least sleep well, but the vile clutches of capitalism would not let her go!
The system’s response was smug. “Host, you must maintain your persona. Wu Xin Yi is a talented young lady of the boudoir. She gets up at six to read and practice calligraphy, plays the qin at noon, paints in the afternoon, and sometimes embroiders a sachet by lamplight at night.”
“…”
“……..”
“What did you say? Say that again.”
“Host, you’d better get up, or the system will deduct your points.”
Xin Yi let out a scornful huff. “Don’t joke. Do I even have points?”
Her capture progress was still zero. What points could she have? If it wanted to scare her, it should at least use a believable excuse.
“It’s your salary from the Space-Time Bureau. Your bank card is linked to the system mall for instant point conversion.”
The system added lazily, “Instant exchange.”
“…”
She shared no common ground with capitalists!
Thus, when A Ying entered as usual with a copper basin and silver comb to attend to her, she saw her own madam sitting on the edge of the bed with disheveled black hair hanging down.
Her clothes were thin, and her expression seemed on the verge of tears.
“Madam, what’s wrong?” A Ying quickly set down her things and went to support her, asking worriedly.
“Did you have a nightmare, or is your heart acting up again?”
Xin Yi leaned weakly on her shoulder, her voice faint as a thread. “It’s nothing. I just can’t sleep. I really want to get up and read.”
A Ying breathed a sigh of relief. “Madam is diligent enough already. You don’t need to take exams, so you can sleep more.”
But seeing Xin Yi still downcast, she tentatively asked, “If you really want to read that badly, how about tomorrow… getting up a quarter-hour earlier?”
“…”
Xin Yi dared not spout nonsense anymore. She obediently sat before the copper mirror and let A Ying comb her hair.
Strangely, through her sleepy eyes in the mirror, she seemed to see a female college student dragging herself to a six a.m. class.
A Ying’s eyes were full of smiles. She touched the white jade pearl earring dangling by her ear, then happily went to the box to pick out simple hairpins and flowers.
“Shall Madam wear this flower today?”
Xin Yi roused herself to glance at it and nodded without objection. “Sure.”
By the time A Ying had helped her into layer upon layer of intricate, ethereal skirts, most of her sleepiness had dissipated.
Then she sat at the desk by the window, extended her slender, onion-root-like fingers, and picked up a thick, bound ancient book.
She read straight through until noon.
In between, the system tried to persuade her to switch to practicing calligraphy, but Xin Yi found it tiring and pretended not to hear.
What could one say? Sometimes you thought she was reading, but she was actually lost in thought.
But if you thought she was practicing calligraphy, she really was.
After lunch, A Ying brought over the decocted medicinal soup.
It contained that spirit herb fetched from You Province. It did not smell very bitter; instead, there was a refreshing, heart-clearing fragrance of grass and wood.
Xin Yi needed no mental preparation and drank it all down. She asked the system, “Will this thing really restore the original host’s body?”
It should have been decocted last night, but this herb required over five hours of simmering to fully release its effects.
So that morning upon waking, she had instructed the kitchen matron to prepare it.
“It is effective. Host, drink with confidence.”
Xin Yi propped her chin on her hand by the window, but Shen Ru Jie’s injured appearance from yesterday suddenly flashed in her mind.
After some thought, she hesitated. “If I go send him some wound medicine now, would that count as no reason to be overly courteous? Could it bring us closer?”
“It would be repaying a debt of gratitude.”
The system held back the second half: Though Shen Ru Jie would take you for a fool.
In a remote, desolate side courtyard of the marquis estate.
The youth drank half a bowl of ginger tea to dispel the cold, then washed and hung up the bloodied clothes he had taken off last night. Because it required some strength, the unhealed wound hidden in his sleeve split open by an inch.
But his expression did not change.
As if he had long grown numb to pain of this degree. And it was not just him—everyone in the estate was the same.
No one would pity him.
Much less offer concern or goodwill beyond mere courtesy. Such things were useless, and he did not need them.
Suddenly.
The half-closed door was knocked twice. Shen Ru Jie’s first reaction was an irrepressible surge of hostility, for in the past, the only one who came to provoke him was Shen Xianxian.
She and Shen Gui were born of the same mother and shared his dislike for him, though their methods differed. Shen Gui was more hypocritical, while Shen Xianxian was more direct.
But soon, the murderous intent in his eyes calmed.
No…
If it were her, the knock would not be this light.
Shen Ru Jie frowned as he walked over and pulled open the door.
He was slightly taken aback, as if seeing someone unexpected. “Sister-in-law?”