Chapter 13: Not Intending to Let Her Go

Xie Jinglan's eyes suddenly darkened, and the white jade ring creaked as it was crushed. He knew in his heart that the person in the portrait must be Wen Ning.

"I don't have any in my house. I'm afraid you've heard the wrong thing."

Chen Lin lazily crossed his arms and said, "How is that possible? You think my money was wasted. Are you hiding a beautiful woman in your golden house?"

He shook his head consciously after he finished speaking, "Marquis Anyuan is as cold as ice, so he shouldn't be so charming."

Xie Jinglan stroked the cup and couldn't help but glance at him.

Chen Lin sighed and thought that he could not stay in the Marquis' Mansion for a few more days, otherwise he would definitely find that stunning woman.

Xie Jinglan: Show him out!

…

Late at night, when everyone was asleep, Wen Ning brought the prepared medicine to the inner room, and Xie Jinglan had no intention of letting her go.

He thought of what Chen Lin said, and felt uncomfortable. Wen Ning was clearly beside him, but she was being coveted by countless eyes. He really wanted to imprison her in his bedroom like this.

Wen Ning's eyes were moist and the water on her lips had not yet dried when she was carried by him towards the carved bed.

Her white knuckles clenched the fabric of his robe on his shoulders, and Wen Ning sobbed and shook her head, "No, no... Please, my Lord, let this servant go..."

Xie Jinglan gently placed her on the bed, lowered his head to her ear, and said in a hoarse voice, "You are my antidote, how can I let you go..."

As soon as he lowered his head, he could see the thin strings of the small dress hanging around her shoulders and neck, stretched tight.

Her long black hair was loose, her face was flushed, and the man's hot breath was blowing in her ear. A passionate kiss fell on her earlobe, and then covered her bright red lips, and rolled down her slender neck...

"No... My Lord..." The misty eyes were already shimmering with light.

The belt around her slender waist was untied, and her clothes were taken off, revealing her skin as white as frost and snow, captivating and charming.

Xie Jinglan felt his blood rushing up, and his rationality was almost stretched to its limit.

The curtains are lightly drawn, the gauze curtains hang low, and the white silk falls to the ground silently, as if afraid of disturbing the beauty in the room.

At the critical moment... Xie Jinglan had no choice but to rush into the bath room and pour cold water on him...

…

Within two days, the painting studio that Chen Lin mentioned was closed down by the government on charges of colluding with the black market and selling stolen paintings and calligraphy.

The portrait of Wen Ning naturally fell into Xie Jinglan's hands. As for the one in Tang Zhu's hands, he had to go and get it himself.

He claimed to have taken it, but in fact he was stealing it. The painting in Tang Zhu's hand was very explicit, and he would not let Wen Ning be humiliated again.

Although Xie Jinglan is a marquis, this is the first time he has committed such a theft.

He sneaked into Tang Zhu's room in the middle of the night and knocked him unconscious on the bed with a single blow. When he saw the portrait hanging in the inner tent, he kicked Tang Zhu hard in the chest.

When Tang Zhu woke up, he felt that he had broken two ribs again, and he kept cursing which rapist stole his portrait!

Xie Jinglan took the portrait back to the inner room. When he thought of Tang Zhu profaning the portrait all day long, he knew that his death was not far away.

But he had to admit that when he saw the portrait, he did... have many other thoughts in his mind, even a feeling of resentment.

Wen Ning is his, and the only one who can truly outline her body is him, Xie Jinglan!

Yesterday, on the carved bed in this inner room, his eyes were filled with surprise, and he almost wanted to swallow her whole. However, in order to keep his promise to her, Xie Jinglan had to suppress his desire and went to the bathhouse to take a shower with cold water several times, which slightly calmed the surging restlessness in his body.

He had to admit that he also wanted a painting by Wen Ning, a painting that belonged only to him.

Thinking of this, Xie Jinglan went to the study, took out a piece of silk, dipped it in ink, put pen to paper, and his Adam's apple rolled. For the first time, he felt so dirty.

Xie Jinglan seemed to have some magical power in painting. In the painting, the half-hidden belt floated in the wind, her skin was fair and smooth, her figure was graceful, her waist was round and her collar was exquisite.

Even though this painting has reached the pinnacle of perfection, Xie Jinglan believes that her beauty cannot be depicted in these paintings.

Wen Ning knew nothing about the portrait. She was currently in the kitchen preparing medicinal food for Xie Jinglan.

The scene of last night was still vivid in her mind. She had not yet recovered from it and her face was flushed all day.

Xie Jinglan said last night that he would no longer let her go back to the kitchen to work, and that she would live in Tingsongyuan from now on.

She still remembered her mother's repeated advice to her before her death: It is better to be a wife in a poor family than a concubine in a rich family.

The mother had been a mistress all her life, and she often felt sorry for herself and was unhappy, so she would never allow her daughter to repeat her mistakes.

But what has she done now?

She lost her virginity, became pregnant, became a widow, and now she is having an affair with the Marquis...!

Wen Ning felt as if there were four big characters hanging over her head at all times: "No Shame." They were like a sharp sword hanging over her head, making her dare not raise her eyes.

At dinner time, Wen Ning brought the prepared food to the study.

Bamboo fungus duck soup, steamed hilsa, crab meat tofu, jade belt shrimp, and water shield soup.

Xie Jinglan was staring at his painting at the desk. When he saw Wen Ning come in, he quickly rolled up the painting silk.

He felt a little guilty, but also secretly happy.

Wen Ning felt a little uncomfortable when she saw Xie Jinglan.

"My Lord, it's time for dinner."

Xie Jinglan slowly sat down at the dinner table and then pulled her into his arms.

"Can I assign you two maids? That way, you won't have to do these trivial things."

Wen Ning looked at him with clear eyes, "What should this servant do?"

Xie Jinglan lifted her chin, a slight smile on his lips: "What do you think..."

Wen Ning immediately understood the deep meaning behind his words, blushing slightly, and politely declined, "No need, my lord. I quite enjoy working in the kitchen."

Wen Ning knew very well that the Marquis was only interested in her for a temporary novelty. Once the novelty wore off, she would be able to leave Tingsong Courtyard and perhaps even find a good opportunity to escape from the Marquis' Mansion.

At this time, she only needs to correct her status. A servant is a servant, and there is no reason for her to let others serve her.

She stood up and served Xie Jinglan a bowl of bamboo fungus and duck soup, which was full of the flavor of mushrooms and duck, and the aroma of medicine permeated the food.

Xie Jinglan looked puzzled, "Is this a medicinal meal?"

Wen Ning nodded. "Last time, I heard Qingfeng mention that the Marquis had been poisoned before. Although the poison was cured at the time, there are still some residues in his body, causing him to suffer from it frequently."

"Stop talking!"

After Xie Jinglan finished despising Qing Feng, he seemed to remember something and asked Wen Ning tentatively, "Did he... tell you how to cure the poison?"

Wen Ning shook her head, "No."

That’s good, otherwise Xie Jinglan would have beaten Qingfeng to death.

"Then how did the Marquis solve it?" Her eyes were clear, and her thirst for knowledge was as surging as a spring stream.

Xie Jinglan felt like he had done something bad, so he pretended to be relaxed and said, "It's a prescription written by the doctor."

He changed the subject after he finished speaking, "You can make medicinal food, but have you learned it?"

When asked by Xie Jinglan, Wen Ning seemed to open up, "I used to live in the farm. There was a lame doctor next door. His right leg was healthy, but his left leg seemed to have been pulled out of the bone. It was limp and curled up. It was really pitiful.

Seeing that he had no children, my servants often brought him food, and through this constant flow, they became familiar with each other. Because his foot disease made it difficult for him to navigate the mountain paths, I taught my servants the art of identifying medicinal herbs. Whenever I needed herbs, my servants would go to the mountains to gather them. Sometimes, when I found a good harvest, I would bring it to the pharmacy and exchange it for copper coins or silver.

This lame doctor later became my apprentice. I often followed him in taking pulses and diagnosing illnesses, and over time I learned a bit. But compared to my master, I'm afraid I don't even have half his medical skills.

When Wen Ning said this, there seemed to be broken stars shaking in her eyes, sparkling, and even the corners of her eyes were curved in a playful arc. This was a look that Xie Jinglan had never seen before.