Chapter 62 Confession

After a while, two chubby little hands appeared from the crack in the door, clinging to the door frame.

Then the little ball "gurgled" and crawled in.

"My Lord, please forgive me!"

Nanny Xue hurried in from outside the door and bent down to pick up Xibao. "This child didn't take a break. While I was turning around to get something, he slipped in here. I'll take him out right away."

Xie Jinglan raised his eyes to glance at the little ball and said lightly, "It's okay."

Nanny Xue paused, gave Xibao a look that said "be obedient", and then she tiptoed out.

Since Xiao Xibao came to Xianfengyuan, he has been curious about every place here.

The little hands touched the carvings on the pillars, looked at the large bronze mirror embedded in the wall, and then looked up at the animal heads on the eaves.

He felt that this place was much bigger than his home, and he could even take a few more breaths when running.

So, he would gesture to Mammy and say, "My dear, it's so big~"

But the nanny said that the largest courtyard she had ever lived in was the Anyuan Marquis Mansion, which was much larger and more magnificent than this one.

Although Xiao Xibao didn't know what Anyuan Marquis Mansion was, he kept these four words in mind.

At this moment, half of little Xibao's body was still stuck in the crack of the door. He paused with his little hand holding the door frame, and remembered what his mother said about understanding the rules, so he poked his little head forward.

"Hou Nie, can I come in~"

The longest he can say now is a short sentence of six words, which can basically express what he means in daily life.

Xie Jinglan paused for a moment as he gripped the wolf-hair brush, then replied, "Yeah."

Xibao lowered his head, grabbed his trouser legs and patted them, frowning. He had clearly been climbing the stone steps for a long time, but there was not much dirt on his pants, and even his palms were clean.

The little hands subconsciously rubbed together twice, then took small steps into the study.

He walked up to Xie Jinglan and looked up at him.

"Hou Nie, what are you doing~"

"Approving official documents."

"What is an official document?"

Xie Jinglan was speechless after being asked this question. He simply reached out and scooped up the little ball, holding it firmly on his lap.

"That's it."

He tapped the documents spread out on the table with his fingertips, and suddenly realized that the little body in his arms was so soft, like holding a ball of freshly fluffed cotton, light and warm, with a faint milky aroma.

When Wen Ning came back, what she saw was the Marquis reviewing documents with one hand and holding the child with the other.

"Xibao, why...why aren't you coming down quickly?" Wen Ning hurried forward and reached out to take the child.

But Xie Jinglan raised his pen and made a gesture of silence.

She held her breath immediately, and then she could see clearly that Xibao's little face was pressed against his black brocade robe, her eyelashes drooping, her breathing even, and her hand still clutching the jade pendant at his waist.

Wen Ning leaned over and hugged Xi Bao. Seeing that his little hand was still not loosened, she was about to pry his little fingers apart, but Xie Jinglan simply pulled the jade pendant off from his waist and let him hold it in his hand.

Xibao was held in her mother's arms and swayed. Her little nose rubbed against her clothes, and when she smelled a familiar scent, she kept snuggling into her arms.

Before he opened his eyes, his baby voice came out in a sticky voice: "Mother, milk~"

Wen Ning's face immediately turned slightly red, and her arms, which were holding Xi Bao, tensed up.

She was about to lower her head and retreat, but she saw Xie Jinglan raised his hand and pointed at the rosewood couch inside the study.

Just signal her to stay on her couch.

Wen Ning was stunned for a moment, holding Xibao who was still humming in her arms, she walked more lightly and moved towards the couch along the wall.

After a while, there were very light sucking sounds and soft swallowing sounds coming from the inner side of the couch.

Xie Jinglan tightened his grip on the wolf hair brush with his knuckles and didn't even notice a drop of ink falling from the tip of the brush.

His Adam's apple rolled silently around his neck before he lowered his eyes again.

Seeing that Xibao was sleeping soundly, Wen Ning tucked in the corner of his quilt, straightened his slightly messy clothes, and walked out quietly.

Xie Jinglan, who was sitting at his desk, had stopped writing at some point. Seeing her approach, he pushed the documents aside. His gaze fell on the red spots at the corners of her eyes, and he said softly, "Are you tired these past two days?"

It would have been fine if he hadn't asked, but now that he asked me this, I didn't know why, and my nose suddenly felt sore.

She couldn't help it, and simply ignored the rules. She walked forward, crossed his knees, sat in his arms, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Xie Jinglan froze for a moment, his arm hanging in the air, and finally placed it lightly on her back.

Her chest still felt the warmth she had used to comfort the child.

This girl is braver than before. She even dares to sit on me like this.

But he was very happy.

Xie Jinglan raised his hand and touched the top of her head, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

The person in his arms buried his face deeper, and said in a muffled voice, "It's nothing."

She paused, "Exactly. The county yamen's medical officer didn't approve it, the patients in the neighboring farms were disobedient, and the medical books at Moshu Pavilion weren't clear enough."

Just now she saw the Marquis holding Xibao again, and she didn't know how it happened.

The man's large palm slid up her back and gently pressed the back of her tense neck. "Tomorrow is a day off, so the case can be put aside for a while."

She shook her head in his arms, and those inexplicable emotions seemed to be washed away by the confession just now.

Wen Ning raised her head, her eyes still red, "My Lord, do you think a doctor can make poison?"

Xie Jinglan was stroking her hair when he paused and looked down at her, "Why do you ask that?"

Wen Ning told Xie Jinglan about what happened today in Mo Shu Pavilion where she saw the handwriting of her master.

The man felt her breath brushing against his neck and realized that she was feeling very upset.

"Even in his twilight years, he could still pronounce names like 'Yuanyang Sha' and 'Ice Marrow Powder.' His medical knowledge must have been ingrained in him. It's not surprising that someone so obsessed would secretly study the art of poison making."

He didn't know how to make her understand that people in this world are not black and white.

Xie Jinglan paused, his fingertips gently brushing against her hair. "The human heart is like ink; only when light and dark colors intermingle can the universe be formed. The same is true of medicine; only by mastering the poison and the solution can the overall situation be achieved. Even if the old man made poison, he might not have used it for harm."

The person beside his neck buried her little face in the crook of his neck again, rubbed her nose against the small dark mole on her Adam's apple, and nodded very lightly.

"Does the Marquis know Zhang Zhenghe? He is the medical officer who wrote the book 'A Study of the Origins of Various Poisons'." Wen Ning asked curiously.

She always felt an inexplicable admiration for the doctors in the palace.

"There are hundreds of doctors in the palace, both great and small. I recognize several of the doctors in charge, but I may not have seen all of the others."

Feeling her eyelashes tremble against his neck, he added, "If Ning'er is interested, I can have the secret guards investigate his background and the diseases he specializes in."

Wen Ning quickly sat up straight, placed her palm on his chest and gently pushed, "No, no, how can you mobilize the secret guards to do such a thing? I was just asking out of curiosity."

Xie Jinglan saw that the corners of her eyes were red and she looked very cute when she was nervous.

He chuckled softly, and pulled his arms closer, pulling the person deeper into his embrace.

The tip of his nose brushed against her trembling eyelashes, and he lowered his head to cover her soft lips.

Their lips and teeth touched, their breaths blended together, and suddenly they heard a baby voice mumbling in front of the desk, "Mom, I'm sleepy~"