Show Tao

Inside the private room, everyone exchanged glances, instinctively shrinking their necks as if they wanted to hide their faces in their sleeves.

Outsiders may not know, but these scions of prominent families are very clear about it.

The only reason they still fawn over and appease the arrogant and foolish Young Master Chen is because Chief Minister Chen is still in a high position.

But as everyone knows, with the death of the fourth prince and the confinement of the empress, Chief Minister Chen, who chose the wrong side, has no way out.

Therefore, the person who truly holds high position and real power in the court today is none other than Lord Xie.

I had heard earlier that Lord Xie had taken a concubine, but I never expected that we would run into him today.

A chill ran down everyone's spine. They silently broke out in a cold sweat, praying that Lord Xie hadn't overheard their flirting with the young woman.

Everyone in the court knows the political situation, so how could Young Master Chen, who is involved in it, not know? He is just taking advantage of his father's official power to live a carefree life day by day. But he never expected that he would be so unlucky today, offending Madam Xie for the sake of a prostitute.

He wiped the cold sweat from his face with his wide sleeve and said with a forced smile, "Please forgive me, Lord Xie and Madam Xie. I misspoke after drinking today. I hope you and Madam will forgive me."

Li Wan didn't want to get entangled with this kind of person. Just as she was about to say that she would take Xiu Tao away, Xie Qi turned around and looked at Young Master Chen.

A faint smile played on his lips as he glanced at Young Master Chen, his eyes dark and brooding. "Young Master Chen seems to enjoy drinking quite a bit."

He gently raised his hand, and two guards dressed in black appeared silently beside Young Master Chen. A moment later, several more guards entered, each carrying a wine jar.

"Since Young Master Chen enjoys drinking, I will let you drink to your heart's content today." Xie Qi's tone remained calm, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

The guard deftly opened the wine jar, and a strong aroma of wine instantly filled the air.

Young Master Chen was pinned to the table, his eyes wide with terror. He opened his mouth to scream, but the strong liquor was violently forced into his mouth. He struggled desperately, the liquor dripping from the corners of his mouth and soaking his luxurious robes.

The room was completely silent, except for the gurgling sound of alcohol being poured down the throat and the increasingly faint struggles of Young Master Chen, which mingled together to create a chilling atmosphere.

The other scions of noble families were pale, some of them had weak legs and could barely stand, but none of them dared to make a sound.

Standing beside Xie Qi, Li Wan could clearly feel the chilling aura emanating from him.

After downing jar after jar of strong liquor, when Young Master Chen collapsed to the ground like a rag doll, Xie Qi slowly raised his hand, signaling the guards to stop.

He didn't even look at the person on the ground. His gaze swept over the silent crowd again, finally settling on Li Wan.

“Let’s go.” He reached out his hand to her.

Li Wan placed her chilled hand into his dry, burning palm, letting him lead her through the crowd.

Xiutao was stunned by the terrifying scene just now, and only after Liwan left did she come back to her senses and hurriedly follow Liwan.

Only after Xie Qi's figure disappeared did the people in the private room seem to breathe again. They stared straight at Young Master Chen, who was lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance.

No one dared to help him; everyone felt only relief at surviving such a disaster.

On West Street, the Xie family's luxurious carriage was slowly moving along.

Inside the carriage, Xie Qi sat in the center with his eyes closed and a commanding presence, while Li Wan sat humbly to his right.

Even though she tried to stay as far away from him as possible, the man's legs were too long, and their knees inevitably touched lightly.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Li Wan spoke in a low voice. In her experience, Xie Qi was the type who responded better to gentle persuasion than force. Showing weakness first was always the right thing to do.

Xie Qi slowly opened his eyes, his narrow gaze sweeping over her. "Who is she?"

Li Wan knew he was asking about Xiu Tao, so she told him the truth: "She was my former maid. After being sold off, she ended up in a brothel. She saw me by chance today and begged me to save her."

Xie Qi gave her a deep look. Servants in wealthy families were all slaves. Even if they made mistakes and were sold off, they would be sold to other families as slaves. How could they become lowly prostitutes?

There must be something going on here, and clearly, the foolish woman in front of him hasn't realized it yet.

As the wooden wheels of the carriage inch by inch traversed the cobblestone path, a subtle silence suddenly descended upon the carriage.

Li Wan lowered her eyes and stared at the intertwined gold thread pattern on the hem of her skirt. She was somewhat worried that something had happened to Young Master Chen. Chief Minister Chen would probably come to report, and she wondered if Xie Qi could handle it.

She secretly raised her eyes, wanting to ask Xie Qi, but saw that he had closed his eyes again, so she had to give up.

My gaze swept over Xie Qi's hand resting on his knee. His fingers were long and slender with distinct knuckles. His nails were neatly trimmed, and the blue veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible. A slightly protruding blue vein ran along the back of his hand and disappeared into his wrist bone, exuding a strong sense of power.

Unlike her fingers, which are fair and delicate, easily becoming sore and weak with the slightest pressure...

My thoughts inexplicably drifted back to that night.

Her panting, the movements of her fingertips, and that delicate, dewy flower...

He stood before her bed, looking down at her, taking in everything. What she remembered most vividly were his dark eyes and his suppressed, increasingly heavy breathing…

A surge of heat rushed to Li Wan's cheeks, and her ears burned instantly. She was startled by the images churning in her mind, and horrified. How could she be so shameless as to think such things!

Li Wan hurriedly moved towards the car window as if fleeing, trying to increase the distance between herself and him.

Just then, the wheel rolled over a pothole and lurched violently.

Caught off guard, Li Wan fell straight onto Xie Qi's lap.

In an instant, the man's cool breath wafted over her. Through the thin brocade robe, she could clearly feel the muscles beneath him tense instantly, and the tip of her nose even brushed against his slightly cool waist belt.

The unexpected turn of events left Li Wan frozen in place, too afraid to move.

A few breaths later, Xie Qi's voice came from above, a few decibels lower than usual, with a hint of barely perceptible hoarseness: "Aren't you getting up?"

"Um, um, sorry, sorry."

Li Wan hurriedly agreed, frantically bracing herself against him with her hands, trying to use the leverage to get up.

"Hmm."

The man suddenly let out a muffled groan, startling Li Wan so much that she instinctively looked down at her palm.

But the next moment, his waist suddenly tightened.

A large hand gripped her waist with considerable force and a controlling tone, instantly pressing her back into her seat.

Silence fell again inside the carriage.

Li Wan pressed herself tightly against the carriage wall, awkwardly explaining, "I didn't mean to hurt you. The carriage was unstable, and I pressed on you somewhere. Are you hurt?"

"Shut up."

The man spoke in a low, deep voice, then turned his gaze to the slightly swaying carriage curtain, not even glancing at her.

If you don't want me to talk, then don't talk. Why are you being so fierce? Li Wan secretly pursed her lips. Today has been enough. Not only did she not get to eat any delicacies, but so many things also happened.

As soon as the carriage came to a stop in front of the screen wall of the Marquis's residence, Li Wan stepped off the carriage on the wooden footstool and headed towards the backyard without looking back, filled with resentment.

Xie Qi then got out of the car, his tall figure appearing even more imposing and noble in the dim light of dusk.

He watched the petite figure almost run away and disappear behind the screen wall, his fingers behind his back gently stroking it, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

In the evening, the Moon Reflection Residence was brightly lit by candlelight.

Xiuhe brought out several delicate dishes from the kitchen, and Li Wan felt better after eating them.

Xiuzhu and Xiuhe were clearly shocked by Xie Qi's methods of punishing Young Master Chen today. They looked at Li Wan with even more heartache, thinking to themselves how their daughter would live her life after marrying such a cold and cruel man.

Li Wan wasn't worried about the future, since she was going to leave sooner or later anyway. The future? Her future was to return to Niutian Village, wait for Brother Lu Liang to come back, marry him, farm, have children, and work from sunrise to sunset.

Therefore, the thought of a better life ahead made her even more eager to learn about things here as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, Li Wan asked Xiuhe, "Where is Xiutao now?"

Xiuhe paused for a moment, then said, "Xiantao has been placed in the back room."

Li Wan frowned, "Why is it so remote?" But she quickly understood. Xiu Tao's identity was special. If the other people in the mansion knew that she had brought a prostitute back, it would definitely cause trouble. Therefore, Xie Qi was already being very generous by letting her stay.

"Xiuzhu, go and bring Xiutao here."

When Xiutao was taken to the side hall of Yingyue Residence, Li Wan was already waiting there.

After dismissing everyone else, only the two of them remained in the room.

Xiutao was still wearing the same pink ruqun she wore during the day, but Xiuzhu, fearing she would be seen, added a hooded cloak over it.

Upon seeing Li Wan, Xiu Tao knelt down in tears and pleaded, "This servant thanks you for saving me today, Miss. However, I dare not return to Chaohua Pavilion now. I hope you will not despise my dirty body and allow me to stay and continue to serve you."

Li Wan didn't expect Xiu Tao to want to stay as soon as she arrived, but that wasn't something she could decide. She could only help her up first. "Don't worry, I will arrange your place when the time comes. At the very least, I will never let you go back to Chaohua Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, Xiutao felt relieved. She wiped away her tears with her handkerchief and then had the mind to pay attention to her former master.

She glanced around at the luxurious furnishings of the Marquis's residence and said without any surprise, "Miss, you really did marry Lord Xie. I told you back then that you were too soft-hearted and didn't have your own opinions. It would be better to listen to His Highness."

Upon hearing this, Li Wan was stunned, repeatedly pondering the meaning behind her words.

The prince she mentioned must be Xiao Xian, which means that before Xiu Tao was sold off, she already knew that Xiao Xian wanted Jiang Feiwan to marry Xie Qi, so that they could plot against Xie Qi in the future.

Li Wan probably knew all this, so she went straight to the point and asked, "What is the truth about what you told us about that night?"

Xiutao understood that the young lady had summoned her for this matter. She lowered her eyelashes and whispered, "It was... that night of the Ghost Festival, you got drunk at the restaurant, and later the Third Prince came... You wouldn't let go of the Third Prince, so... you stayed overnight in a private room at the restaurant. The next day, the Third Prince was afraid that you would be embarrassed and angry, so he ordered me to say that you and the Prince were both drunk, and that's why things got out of hand..."

After Xiutao finished speaking hesitantly, Li Wan finally understood. She was referring to the night Li Wan lost her virginity, but...

Li Wan felt something was off, and hesitantly asked again, "Is this all the truth you've told me?"

Yes, yes.

Xiutao lowered her head even further, afraid that the person in front of her would ask more questions. Her mind raced, trying to think of what else she could say.