"I'm going to pinch you, come here and let me pinch you!" I knew he was good at changing the subject, so I reached out my hand, but Xie Yuancheng actually dodged it.

"Ying'er, Mercury Pavilion is just ahead. Hold on tight, or you'll fall." Xie Yuancheng winked at me, and I held up the lantern to light the way for him. Although there were lights in the mansion, it was still clearer to see with the lantern.

The Mercury Pavilion was incredibly grand, with marble floors everywhere, and it was even larger than our courtyard. There were carved jade beds, golden-domed lanterns, and decorative vases, jars, pearls, and gemstones—it was practically overflowing with money, clearly indicating a huge investment. There were pillars around the perimeter, ensuring the room was warm in winter and cool in summer.

This was repaired last month. Xie Yuancheng even said he would spend the winter here, but he came over early today. He led me to the bed, and I held up the lantern to lift his chin.

"I want to take a bath~" I wasn't planning on taking a bath, but the bugs in the yard are really too deadly, so I'd better change my clothes.

"Ying'er, don't be too enthusiastic, I can't handle it." He always overthinks things. I hung the lantern to the side, and as soon as I put it down, he threw it into the bronze furnace not far away. The lantern was burned just like that.

"You're going too far!" I got up and straightened my clothes, and he came over and pulled me out. There was a flower bath surrounded by it, with lots of flowers floating in it.

"Ying'er, aren't I amazing? Praise me, I need your praise."

Xie Yuancheng, like a little child, leaned on my shoulder and acted spoiled. I patted his head and showered him with all the compliments I could think of, and the more I praised him, the brighter his smile became.

"Alright, let's go in and soak for a bit. I have some questions for you later." I helped Xie Yuancheng undress. He closed his eyes and looked completely relaxed. I was happy to serve him.

After we were all soaking in the hot water, I asked him about the woman. Xie Yuancheng said that she had used a very poisonous insect this time. But for some reason, our courtyard didn't turn out as she had hoped; everyone was injured or killed except for Xie Yuancheng.

She planned to take advantage of Xie Yuancheng's grief to comfort him, rise in status, and secure her position as the Marquis's wife. However, while her plan was beautiful, why should Xie Yuancheng like her? If she liked him, she should give him status and position; he wasn't a gentle breeze that could warm everyone's heart.

"Sigh, do too many people have their eyes on my man? I'm starting to feel sad."

"Are you sad?" Xie Yuancheng leaned closer and hugged me. "I think you're very happy tonight. You can chat so happily with my bodyguard."

"It's all because you left; I almost swallowed a bug while drinking my tea!"

"Whoever brewed the tea, I'll make sure that person suffers!"

“You’re just impulsive. Even though we are the owners of this big house, the servants in the mansion are still people. Don’t always punish people for a single wrong word.”

I placed my hands on Xie Yuancheng's chest and told him my thoughts on the trees in the yard. I told him that when he saw the shopkeeper next time, he should thank him properly. If it weren't for the shopkeeper, we probably would have met in hell.

"Let me see that scroll you mentioned. You've been doing things behind my back! No way! You're not allowed to sleep tonight; you have to stay with me the whole time!"

I just wanted to talk to him about something, how did it become my problem? Xie Yuancheng, wrapped in a very thin cloth, went to get my book. The scroll was placed inside; anything that has appeared will not disappear.

"Why can't I see anything? Did you add some viewing tricks to it?" Xie Yuancheng looked at me with a face full of complaints. I pulled him down, and when I opened the scroll, I silently recited "share". He was finally able to see it.

"See? I would never lie to you. You're the one who's lying to me." I followed him as he looked at the contents of the document, and I could see the situation inside the mansion.

"Great, that's really great." Xie Yuancheng was all smiles. I took the document and saw that Xizhi and the others were fast asleep. The little ones weren't affected, which was the best thing.

They had a blast today, so they were sleeping soundly. I checked on them again, and since nothing seemed amiss, I got up. This time, Xie Yuancheng started bombarding me with a bunch of questions, and even listening to them made me sleepy.

"I don't want to tell you. You didn't even explain to me how you met, how she did things for you, and the same goes for what happened today."

"Ying'er~ I'll dry you off, let's lie down and talk slowly." He's trying to change the subject again. If he doesn't explain things clearly to me, I won't explain to him.

I lay down beside him with a book, ignoring Xie Yuancheng no matter what he said. But I still gave him face, leaning against the pillow and listening intently, even though I couldn't remember a single word of his nonsense.

"You always say I'm annoying, but Ying'er is the most annoying one. She's always trying to fool me!"

"Now you know how it feels. I'm always being coaxed by you. Next time you do something, I'll know exactly what to do."

Xie Yuancheng snatched the book from my hand again, took out the scroll and looked at it from left to right, but he couldn't see anything. He started winking at me, determined to find out some information.

"Tell me clearly first, and then I'll consider whether or not to tell you." This time I'm going to be firm; if Xie Yuancheng doesn't tell me, I won't tell him.

"Ying'er, you're not being good at all anymore. You used to be such a sweet little girl when you were a bit silly~"

"So you can fool me then." I rolled my eyes at him, pulled the covers over myself, and prepared to sleep. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Anyway, I don't know when the shopkeeper will remind me.

"Alright, I'll tell you." Xie Yuancheng couldn't resist the unknown and went through the whole story with me. I thought they had some kind of affair, but it was just this bad woman's one-sided self-righteousness.

She also came from Piaomiao Residence. During her childhood and adolescence, she was a person who thought a lot and often imagined what would happen after she married Xie Yuancheng.

However, after our wedding, Xie Yuancheng spread a lot of rumors, and everyone around him knew that he had married me. The "bad woman" was also at the wedding banquet, but I didn't notice her because I didn't like him at the time.

After that, she went into seclusion to cultivate, but she secretly contacted many Taoist priests. Because she knew some esoteric arts, she did some bad things behind their backs.

Back in the Western Regions, she secretly followed Xie Yuancheng. After I left, she thought she could take his place. Especially after impersonating me once, she wanted to become Xie Yuancheng's wife even more. Even though she only showed half a cup of tea's worth of eyes and was completely covered up, she was still bursting with confidence.

She deliberately tripped Xie Yuancheng up on his way to find me. Most of the tragic scenes I dreamed about had actually happened. The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became. I must never leave him alone next time.