Chapter 3 Feeling Wronged "What if I cherish her? What if I don't? This is..."

Extra three

In my drowsy state, I felt as if I had lost track of what year it was.

Where did this person learn these brothel styles from?!

It made her want to escape but also reluctant to do so.

It's like standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing full well that there's an abyss below, yet still unable to stop yourself from sticking your foot out.

Then came the moment of suspension and fall.

It was as if a celestial being had lifted the person back to the edge of the cliff, and then the person was suspended in mid-air again before falling.

Every time she climbed out, he would pull her back in, causing her to fall back into the hot spring.

When Liu Qingqing woke up the next day, her eyes were filled with complicated emotions.

She used to think he disliked this, she actually thought he disliked this!

She didn't sleep all night!

Even during the hurried and tense escape from the capital to Yingcheng, she and Lin Mei took turns sleeping lightly at night.

But she didn't sleep a wink last night!

Liu Qingqing sensed something was amiss; Xie Lang had never used so many different flower patterns before.

While Xie Lang was in the study, she summoned Xie Wu to inquire.

To everyone's surprise, Xie Wu's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. Under his wife's questioning, Xie Wu stammered, "Whenever we go to town, the adults go to learn something."

Liu Qingqing asked in confusion, "What should I study?"

After hearing Xie Wu finish speaking in a low voice, Liu Qingqing's vision went black.

How could he possibly find someone to learn those things?

Fearing that his wife might misunderstand his master, Xie Wu quickly said, "Your master did not watch it."

Seeing the lady's expression, he said cautiously, "Moreover, the gentleman did not have any contact with the woman, he only asked the man."

Liu Qingqing:

Wenwan's face froze, turning white and then red.

Liu Qingqing gritted her teeth, "Does anyone else know that it's an adult?"

Xie Wu hurriedly replied, "Sir, you are wearing a mask."

Liu Qingqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Otherwise, word would spread to the capital that Lord Xie had visited various brothels along his way back to the capital to learn about bedroom arts.

Where does she put her face?!

The rumors circulating about her in the capital lately have become quite strange.

But Liu Qingqing was unaware that she had let her guard down too soon.

However, on both occasions, the generals returned to the capital one after another. After some adjustments, the regent hosted a banquet to entertain the meritorious officials.

The Regent and the Queen sat at the head of the table, while Xie Lang sat at the very bottom, demonstrating the great favor he enjoyed.

The officials were all talking about it. If it weren't for the fact that Lord Xie had just been promoted to Vice Minister of War not long ago, he would have been promoted again!

Even if he is blocked now, he is still the youngest cabinet member.

Besides, Xie Lang and Wei Mingzhao could freely roam around the Regent's small study, which was no different from the current Grand Secretaries.

On the contrary, their power and influence have only increased!

Besides, Madam Xie is quite a celebrity these days!

It wasn't that other ladies hadn't done good deeds; though not as "decisive" as Lady Xie, they had done their share. But the Regent's Consort truly valued Lady Xie, as if she wanted nothing more than to take her home and raise her as her daughter.

But it made everyone tremble with fear! Their hearts were churning with jealousy; who could compare?

Not to mention that the Regent's only legitimate son has a close relationship with the Xie family. It is said that Lady Xie once saved Young Master Li's life by chance and was regarded as a benefactor by the Regent's Palace.

The women were particularly eager to see Madam Xie, eager to see what the rumored beloved daughter of Lord Xie was really like.

When the two first married, the noble ladies of the capital didn't take it seriously, assuming it was merely a marriage agreement being followed reluctantly. Furthermore, the fact that Lord Xie rarely brought his wife out to social events afterward only reinforced this notion.

Who would have thought that this wasn't the case? Everyone knows that last time Madam Xie went to Jinshan Temple to offer incense, she was caught in a heavy rain, which made Lord Xie so anxious that he lost his composure. He even forgot about the Regent at the banquet and rushed to find his wife himself.

The women in the family were incredibly envious when they heard about this.

Leaving aside the tension in his heart, he also mentioned that Madam Xie was not actually ill, but rather that she had grown tired of being in the capital, so Lord Xie had found a nice place for her to go out and have some fun.

Look at the kind of life they live.

Look at them, spending their days in the mansion facing the old matriarch above and the concubines and illegitimate children below.

It is truly enviable.

If there were even the slightest difference, there might be jealousy, but now that things are like this, even flattery can't catch up, so all that's left is envy.

For some reason, Liu Qingqing was surrounded by several beautiful ladies.

At first glance, all the women were wives of high-ranking officials, their eyes burning with desire. Why was that? He couldn't help but take two steps back.

The woman in the lead is the daughter of the current Grand Tutor, who will be getting married in a few days. She is very nervous because her fiancé is similar to Xie Lang in temperament, both being very cold. That's why she wants to learn a lot from Liu Qingqing.

"Tell us about it!"

The slender woman, her lips partially hidden by a fan, asked with great curiosity, "How did Madam Xie manage to capture Lord Xie like this?"

ah?

Liu Qingqing's eyes widened.

She never expected anyone to ask her that.

For a moment, his eyes showed panic.

Xie Lang, who was socializing with others not far away, would occasionally glance at her. Upon seeing Qingqing like this, he immediately bowed to the officials and said goodbye, heading straight for Qingqing.

Having been through this battle, Xie Lang's aura became even colder and more imposing.

Everyone fell silent as he walked by. When the ladies realized something was amiss, Xie Lang was only a few steps away.

Xie Lang first looked steadily at Liu Qingqing, his eyes asking if she was feeling unwell. Although Liu Qingqing's face was flushed, her expression was not frightened. But Xie Lang was still worried, so he went over and apologized softly, gently putting his arm around her back and looking down at her carefully, "What's wrong?"

He looked as if Liu Qingqing was his eyeball!

This confirmed the rumors, and the women looked at Liu Qingqing with unusually bright eyes, even showing a hint of reverence!

With Madam Xie's thriving business in medicine and her clinic, and the fact that she has a man as exceptional as Xie Lang under her control, what is there that she can't do!

Zheng Rou, the daughter of the Grand Tutor, rolled her eyes and said, "If Madam Xie is not feeling well, she should rest well. We will come to bother you another day."

The women all agreed, "Yes, yes."

Liu Qingqing: "..."

Her face turned even redder.

Xie Lang frowned, thinking that she was really uncomfortable but unwilling to say it in front of others. After passing through the hanging flower gate, he ignored her struggles and bent down to carefully hug her into his arms.

It makes people both envious and jealous.

Zheng Rou sighed, "If Madam Xie were willing to open a class, she might become the richest woman in the world."

That's true.

Lord Xie neither took a concubine nor shared a room with anyone else; he devoted himself entirely to his wife. After his shift, he would decline all unnecessary social engagements, saying to anyone who asked why, that he was going back to be with his wife.

oops!

Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable.

Their thoughts diverged at that moment.

Ignoring Liu Qingqing's attempts to push him away, Xie Lang pulled her into his arms and swaggered through the palace, feeling the emptiness finally filled.

Xie Lang carried the person onto the carriage, and followed closely behind.

Xie Lang had a social engagement yesterday and was unusually away from home, so she read a storybook and stayed up a little later. When she was about to go to sleep, Xie Lang still hadn't returned, so she didn't wait any longer and went to sleep on her own.

As a result, I was woken up in the middle of the night...

The two of them did not come to the Prince's mansion together today.

Early in the morning, Xie Wu hurriedly woke Xie Lang, saying that there was an important matter at the Ministry of War.

Liu Qingqing didn't get up until the afternoon, and her whole body ached.

The two arrived at the Prince's residence separately, met at the gate, and entered together.

Therefore, although the two did something more intimate, they didn't exchange more than a few private words.

Xie Lang pulled her into his arms, his large hand enveloping her slightly cool hand, and he let out a satisfied breath.

Only after the carriage had driven away did he ask her, "What happened just now? Are you feeling unwell?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingqing glared at him reproachfully. What was she supposed to say?

No one knows what kind of behavior he has outside. The whole capital is saying that Lord Xie is henpecked. When has she ever controlled him? He's truly a man who can't clear his name even if he jumps into the Yellow River.

"Are you really not feeling unwell?"

Liu Qingqing shook her head, "Either is fine."

Xie Lang was relieved and gave a deep "hmm." He looked composed, which was quite intimidating.

That deep, magnetic voice and slightly lowered eyes truly exuded the imposing aura of a high-ranking official.

The two looked at each other, and Liu Qingqing noticed the subtle unhappiness in his eyes.

Before she could even ask him why he was out socializing and coming home late, Xie Lang objected, digging up old records, "Why didn't you ask me where I'd been last night?"

Liu Qingqing: "...Xie Wu said that you had dinner with your colleagues."

"Why didn't Madam ask where we were going to dine? What if they took me to a brothel?"

"...Did they go to a brothel?"

Xie Lang pursed her lips and glanced at her sideways. "Of course not."

She paused for a moment, then said with great grievance, "I don't go to places like that."

Liu Qingqing: "Mm."

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the cries of vendors outside, which distracted Liu Qingqing.

Seeing this, Xie Lang's eyes darkened, and he continued, "I did not return to the manor on time, and Madam did not send Fatty Pigeon to inquire about it."

It was called an inquiry, but it was really just putting a small note in the mailbox asking when he would return, and Xie Lang would reply after receiving it.

This process can be repeated two or three times.

Nothing serious, just flying back and forth every night, Liu Qingqing felt that even the fat pigeon had lost weight!

Liu Qingqing snapped out of her daze and listened to his accusations.

"This month, Madam has forgotten twice, without asking me where I am, who I am with, or what I am doing."

Xie Lang's gaze was deep as he pressed her hand against his face. "Does Madam dislike me and no longer want to care about me?"

He spoke slowly, “Or perhaps he’s so captivated by the flowers and plants in the capital that he doesn’t have time to care about me.”

Liu Qingqing: "..."

How dare you turn the tables!

"Who did you socialize with yesterday? How much did you drink? What time did you return home?"

"Yesterday, I drank two bowls of wine with the Vice Minister of Revenue and his friends, and returned to my residence before curfew."

Liu Qingqing now knew how to appease Xie Lang, and sure enough, after asking the question, she added nitpickingly, "It's getting late, come home earlier next time."

Upon hearing this, Xie Lang's brow relaxed. "I understand."

He hugged her tighter and whispered to her, “I didn’t want to go either, but the Vice Minister of Revenue said he angered his wife, and she went back to her parents’ home and refused to see him. He asked me for advice, and I went because I felt sorry for him.”

Liu Qingqing: "...Anything else?"

Xie Lang thought for a moment: "They also talked about farmland taxes."

Liu Qingqing closed her eyes. Was this something else?

After the man returned from the frontier, and the two confessed their feelings for each other, he became increasingly attached to her.

After becoming less cautious, my expectations of her have become increasingly higher.

In short, it means—let her keep a closer eye on him.

Xie Lang is virtuous and upright, returns home on time, and does not go out to cause trouble. How can we control him?

But if left unattended, his dark eyes would fill with resentment.

This is a sweet trouble.

"Does my wife cherish me?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingqing felt a sudden chill run down her spine and immediately became wary, looking at him with a question: "What if I cherish you? What if I don't?"

Recalling his recent actions, Liu Qingqing gritted her teeth and scolded him softly, "This is in the carriage!"

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Author's Note: Next Chapter Preview:

Even the slow-witted Liu Qingqing noticed something was wrong; Xie Lang hadn't touched her for half a month.