Chapter 23 The Old Lady Asks Questions

"Hmm..." The rough calluses on her fingertips rubbed against the tiny wound on her lips. Wen Ning couldn't help but let out a soft "hmm" sound, then quickly swallowed it.

Xie Jinglan's arms were already filled with the soft fragrance of jade, and at this moment he felt his blood rushing up.

He immediately closed his eyes and calmed down, trying to suppress the restlessness, but he still reacted.

Wen Ning's ears turned red instantly, and she dared not move in his arms.

Not until she saw a thin layer of sweat on his forehead did she say softly, feeling somewhat guilty, "I am feeling much better now. My Lord, you may go take a bath."

Xie Jinglan's eyes were deep. He lowered his head and touched his nose to hers, their warm breaths mingling. "Are you feeling better?"

Wen Ning's long eyelashes trembled slightly, her little face tilted slightly, and she nodded very lightly.

The big hand easily straightened the little face, and without any hesitation, Xie Jinglan's lips fell on her sweet lips with overwhelming kisses.

The tip of his teeth deliberately rubbed the bite mark on her lower lip, and then he heard her hum softly, as if punishing her for the wrong things she had done today.

The familiar warm fragrance escaped from the loose front of the clothes and lingered between the lips for a long time. Then he followed the fragrance all the way down, causing shivers on his skin.

Breathing heavily and bullying wantonly.

After an unknown amount of time, the red candle on the table burned out like mud.

Xie Jinglan knew that he couldn't go on, so he restrained himself and withdrew his hand, pulling the white jade ring away from her fingertips.

His voice was hoarse and rough, "I... go wake up."

He is a normal man, and he is really afraid that if this continues, he will develop a deficiency.

Every time he gets close to her, it's like drinking poison to quench his thirst. Even though he knows it's poisonous, he still craves the tenderness that fascinates him.

Wen Ning understood that if this continued, it would indeed harm his body.

At this moment, the contradictions were like fine needles, piercing her heart and causing her dull pain.

Sometimes she even doubted whether it was right or wrong to keep the baby in her belly.

Xie Jinglan ordered someone to prepare hot water for her, while he went to the bathhouse to take a cold shower.

At this time, the east was already bright and the dawn was approaching.

Outside the door, the maid who brought quilts to the Marquis was counting the hours on her fingers. The girl went to see the Marquis at midnight, and only now did she call for water for the first time.

Suddenly, two red clouds appeared on a pretty face...

…

In the study, Qingfeng saw for the first time that his master's eyes were gloomy.

"Master, I've made inquiries. The girl named Wen Rao is the eldest daughter of the Wen family. She was previously engaged to the young master of the Liu family. Seeing that the young master was already terminally ill, they forced Miss Wen to marry him in her place to bring good luck. However, on the night of Miss Wen's wedding, the young master died. Furious, the Liu family sold Miss Wen... into slavery."

Died that night?

Xie Jinglan's eyes were gloomy.

Qing Feng continued, "That Wen Rao is very timid. Before I could say anything, she confessed. She knew from childhood that Miss Wen was autistic. She said she was afraid that if she ran away, the Liu family would come to them again to ask for her, so she deliberately locked Miss Wen in a secret compartment."

Xie Jinglan tapped the table with his fingers and said coldly, "Lock her in that secret cell for two days. Then, we'll investigate the mistakes made by the mother and son during their time as imperial envoys over the past two years. If we find any evidence of their crimes, we'll strip them of their title as imperial merchants."

"Yes, Master," Qing Feng agreed, and then reminded, "My son-in-law and Prince Chen have invited you to have tea at Xianghe Tower today. Master, it's time to leave."

As soon as Xie Jinglan left the Marquis' Mansion, Wen Ning was called to Yifu Hall.

The old lady sat on a carved sandalwood chair, carefully looking at Wen Ning who was kneeling in the hall.

She was also kneeling here last time, but at that time he didn't take her seriously as a servant and didn't look at her carefully.

Now I see that she is indeed a rare beauty. With such a face and figure, even the ladies in the palace cannot compare to this little maid.

It's a pity that she came from a poor family, not to mention that she was married.

"Were you married before?"

Nanny Li had already polished these gossips to a tee, and she would find ways to find ways to get them into the old lady's heart. Now that she was in front of her, the old lady still wanted to hear her own words.

"To answer the old lady, I have been married before." Her voice was clear and there was no emotion in it.

"I heard from Madam Li that she was married for only one day?"

"Madam, what the nanny said is correct. It was a marriage arranged for good luck. When I married him, my husband was already unable to take medicine."

The old lady sighed softly, "It's quite pitiful."

Then he twirled his Buddhist beads and said seriously, "I see you are a smart person. You should just say what you want to say."

"But it depends on the old lady's teachings."

"The Marquis has always been cold-tempered, and it's rare to see him show any interest in anyone. Although I'm old, I'm not foolish. I saw it when he was going to give me some special treatment that day.

He was a dignified marquis, so not only did he choose to marry a woman of high social status, but even if he took a concubine before marrying, she had to be a servant from an official family with a clean background. It's not that I, as the mistress, am snobbish, but in this world, in this court, there is no room for error.

He rescued you from the pleasure boat yesterday, and today there are a lot of gossips about him, saying that he disregarded etiquette for a merchant widow. Do you know that the pens of the censors are three times sharper than the blades of knives? Once someone impeaches him, his future may be ruined.

We have only this one child left in the Xie family, and if I want to protect him, I am the only one left, an old man like me.

I thought he would only be interested in you for a few days, but now it seems that I, as your grandmother, will be the bad guy."

A bitter taste rose in Wen Ning's throat. She and the Marquis were destined to be impossible.

If the old lady was a cruel person, she would just accuse her of a crime right now, saying that she committed suicide out of fear of punishment, without even reporting to the authorities.

Wen Ning's shoulders trembled slightly, her voice was choked but her pronunciation was clear.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have ruined the Marquis' reputation. The old lady summoned me here today because she must have wanted to protect me. If the old lady shows mercy and lets me leave the palace, I will go far away from the capital, to a place where the Marquis can't find me. Then, the old lady will just say that I escaped on my own, and before long, the Marquis will have given up on me."

The old lady's eyes flickered slightly, a hint of surprise flashing across them. "You... really think so?"

She had intended to escape yesterday, but only the Marquis knew about it.

She had already escaped once, and it would be even harder to escape again.

But if the old lady agrees, the matter will be half successful.

"I dare not deceive the old lady."

The old lady nodded and said, "Well, she is a good girl who understands things."

"In a few days, during the Double Ninth Festival, the Marquis's residence will go to the temple to pray for blessings as usual. The Marquis will definitely take you with him. I will then arrange for you to leave the capital with the caravan. You will live in anonymity and find a farm to live a good life."