In Qingfeng Courtyard, Bai Yunxiang had just finished resting when Xiao Cui ran happily into the room and said cheerfully, "Aunt Yun, the young master has arrived."

Xiao Cui was originally a cleaning maid in Bai Wei's courtyard. She was of average appearance but diligent, and Bai Wei assigned her to Bai Yunxiang.

When Bai Yunxiang heard that Li Huai'an had arrived, her heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself, "The young master is here and he's going to try to take advantage of me again. I'm too embarrassed to refuse. What should I do?"

Oh, right, fake illness!

Thinking of this, she slowly lowered her upper body, which she had just raised.

The bed beside her suddenly sank, and Bai Yunxiang rubbed her eyes, saying in surprise, "Master, why are you here?" She said guiltily, "I'm not fit to serve you. You should go back to Handan Courtyard, Sister Liu and Sister Yuming can both serve you!"

Li Huai'an sensed the nervousness in Bai Yunxiang's words, gently turned her body around, and leaned down to give her a light kiss on the forehead.

Bai Yunxiang's heart was in her throat.

"Master, the physician said that if I don't control my sexual activity, the baby... the baby might not survive!" she said, sobbing softly.

Li Huai'an gently stroked her icy nose with his long, slender fingers and chuckled, "Don't worry, Mother has already instructed me. I won't touch you again until the baby is six months old."

After saying that, he got up and walked outside, instructing Xiao Cui to take good care of Bai Yunxiang.

Standing outside Qingfeng Courtyard, Li Huai'an gazed at the dark night sky, feeling somewhat hesitant.

Before getting married, he envied his colleagues who had multiple wives and concubines. But after marriage, he suddenly realized that no matter how many women he had, there was no one in this huge courtyard whom he truly liked and could talk to. He still felt like a lonely man.

Unbeknownst to her, Li Huai'an strolled to the outside of the Lotus Courtyard. Yu Ming saw him standing outside the gate and was about to go in to announce his arrival when she looked up and found that he had already disappeared.

After much deliberation, Li Huai'an ultimately decided he didn't want to face Zhao Yun's face, so he turned and went to Zhao Rou's Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

The fragrance of pear blossoms was quiet and peaceful, with a soft light filtering through the house. The snow in the yard had been swept clean.

When Li Huai'an lifted the cotton curtain and went into the room, Le Kui felt the cold wind invading her. She looked up and saw that the person who came was the young master. Just as she was about to go into the inner room to announce his arrival, Li Huai'an put his middle finger to his lips, indicating that she should not disturb Zhao Rou.

Le Kui stepped forward, took off Li Huai'an's cloak, and hung it on a clothes rack to the side.

Li Huai'an tiptoed into the inner room, where a faint scent of pine filled the air.

Zhao Rou was sewing a small garment. She sat by the window, a bronze candlestick beside her, the flickering candlelight illuminating her gentle and beautiful face.

Her gaze was lowered, falling gently and attentively on the small garment in her hands, every stitch and thread imbued with endless tenderness and delicacy.

Li Huai'an stood quietly beside her, while Zhao Rou's attention was focused on the small garment in her hands, completely unaware of the person beside her.

Li Huai'an gazed tenderly at Zhao Rou's profile in the candlelight, a strange, indescribable flutter rising in his heart.

"You really like children?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Ah!" Zhao Rou exclaimed as the needle pricked her finger, and blood immediately seeped from the pricked area.

"It's my fault, I scared you." Seeing this, Li Huai'an slowly approached and sat down on the round stool next to Zhao Rou.

In the soft candlelight, he gently pressed his lips to Zhao Rou's fingers, which were busy with needlework.

At that moment, Zhao Rou felt a tingling sensation coming from her fingertips.

This feeling of being cherished made her heart race uncontrollably, as if it were about to leap out of her chest.

Hearing Zhao Rou's exclamation, Le Kui, who had just entered, saw this embarrassing scene and silently retreated with a grin.

"Master!"

Two blushes instantly appeared on Zhao Rou's cheeks, her shyness overflowing. She hurriedly lowered her head, and at the same time, the hairpin in her hair suddenly slipped off, her long hair cascading down like a waterfall, concealing her bashfulness but also stirring Li Huai'an's lifeless heart.

Li Huai'an could hear his own heart pounding.

He actually fell for Zhao Rou.

"Rou'er..." Li Huai'an gently called Zhao Rou's name, lifted her body up so that she sat on his lap, and leaned down to kiss her.

The needle and thread in Zhao Rou's hand fell to the ground with a thud.

The dim candlelight illuminated the small garment that was one-third complete and the shoe patterns that had just been cut, which were in the basket.

The canopy bed creaks and sways gently.

Overcome with emotion, Li Huai'an whispered in Zhao Rou's ear, "Rou'er, you love children so much, how about I give you one?"

Zhao Rou's eyes gradually welled up with tears, and she choked out, "Master, are you...aren't you angry with Rou'er anymore?"

Li Huai'an gently kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes, and let out a long sigh of relief, saying, "I'm not angry with you anymore. From now on, I just want to pamper you and love you every day, okay?"

Zhao Rou hummed in agreement, bursting into tears of joy. But the sobs quickly turned into soft, pleasurable moans.

A gust of wind suddenly blew in through the crack in the window frame, extinguishing the candlelight.

On a pitch-black winter night, two figures were tightly entwined inside the canopy bed. Their breaths, sometimes light and sometimes heavy, mingled with the gentle swaying of the bed, creating a tender melody.