Chapter 8: Exploring Xiaoyi

"Can you hold me tighter, please..." Wen Ning asked without hesitation, and she really felt the force of the arms holding her become tighter.

Wen Ning's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes in the faint scent of sandalwood.

The moment she regained consciousness, she first felt the softness of the satin beneath her.

This? It wasn't her coarse cloth bedding, nor was it the blue brick floor of the woodshed.

This is... the Marquis' study!

She was actually lying on the couch in the Marquis' study!

Wasn't she in the woodshed...

Could it be that the Marquis saved her?

Then the man she dreamed of holding her sideways must be - the Marquis!

But what nonsense did she say when she was in the Marquis's arms?

Wen Ning propped herself up in shock, and the thin quilt in front of her slid down. The sudden chill made her completely awake.

She looked down and was shocked to find that she was not covered at all. On her pearly and shiny skin, the blood clots spread under the porcelain white skin, making the wounds even more shocking.

this!

Fear was like cold water pouring down on her, and Wen Ning quickly pulled up the quilt to wrap herself up.

"Don't be afraid, girl."

A gentle female voice sounded.

Wen Ning looked up in panic and saw a middle-aged woman standing beside a small table. She was wearing a short jacket with narrow sleeves and a cross collar, and a plain cloth skirt that reached her ankles. She was putting several bottles and jars into a medicine box.

"I was invited by the Marquis from outside the palace to treat the young lady's injuries. I used to be a doctor in the army."

She took a few steps closer, stopping at just the right distance. "I just applied ointment to the young lady, and had no choice but to take off her clothes. These ointments are good for relieving pain and dissolving blood stasis. The young lady will be fully recovered in less than three days."

Upon hearing this, Wen Ning's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and she felt that she was indeed feeling better.

"Thank you, doctor."

But when her eyes fell on the pulse pillow next to the medicine box, her heart tightened again, "You... took my pulse?"

The female doctor nodded.

"Then..." Wen Ning was speechless for a moment, not knowing whether she should ask.

The female doctor seemed to be able to see her embarrassment and said with a hint of deep meaning, "The Marquis only ordered me to treat the girl's injuries, so I will only treat the injuries. The girl's other symptoms are not within my scope of diagnosis and treatment."

Perhaps because they were both women, the female doctor did not reveal the fact that Wen Ning was pregnant. After saying that, she picked up the medicine box and left the mansion.

Wen Ning was the only one left in the study. She stretched out her right hand and touched her wrist - the baby in her belly was still there.

She didn't know whether to be sad or happy.

The baby is already more than two months old. If she doesn't take the abortion pill, it won't be long before she can hide it.

Wen Ning didn't dare to linger in the Marquis's study. She looked around hurriedly, but found that her original clothes were gone. There was only a brand new dress folded on the pillow. The material was exquisite but low-key, and even small clothes were prepared.

Wen Ning saw that Xiaoyi's two silk ribbons were hanging neatly beside the couch, as if waiting for its owner to love it.

At this time, a breeze came in through the window, and the two silk ribbons suddenly became entangled under the wind.

Wen Ning's ears suddenly felt burning, and she hurriedly tore off the silk ribbons and placed them on both sides.

She looked at the stack of new clothes, feeling uneasy, but there was nothing she could do.

Wen Ning bit her lip and put on her clothes one by one.

The size is just right, especially the small clothes...

Wen Ning walked out of the study. Outside the study, there were no pretentious rockery or winding water, only a square martial arts training ground.

There were ebony weapon racks on both sides, with swords, spears, swords and halberds arranged in order of length.

Qing Feng, who was guarding outside the courtyard gate, saw Wen Ning leave the room and immediately stepped forward respectfully, "Miss, you're awake."

Wen Ning nodded, bowed, and asked, "The Marquis..."

Qing Feng realized that his master treated Miss Wen Ning in a special way, so he had to respond carefully and be a good servant to his master.

"The Marquis has gone to the palace and will probably be back in an hour.

"This morning, the Marquis saw that the maid Chun Xing was the one who brought medicine. After asking, he learned that the young lady was in trouble, so he personally rescued her from the woodshed. After the Marquis settled the young lady, he hurried to the palace and didn't even have time to eat breakfast."

"My Lord, has he not had breakfast yet?" Wen Ning asked apologetically.

Qing Feng nodded vigorously, feeling that his words were insufficient to express his meaning. He continued, "However, ever since my master was poisoned, his sense of taste has become slightly duller than before. Even the most exquisite delicacies have a hard time stimulating his appetite, and he is very depressed. Therefore, it is better not to eat this breakfast."

"Poisoned! Why?" Wen Ning's pupils suddenly shrank. Xie Jinglan was a dignified marquis. Who would dare to poison him?

Qing Feng was being mysterious. "It was an accident, but it was very dangerous. Fortunately, my master was blessed with good fortune, so he was able to survive. The doctor said that it would be best if someone could carefully feed the Marquis on a daily basis, so that his appetite would recover faster."

Although this was half true and half false, it was a fact that the Marquis had no appetite after being poisoned. He usually only tasted a little of the food sent by the kitchen and then ordered it to be taken away.

Wen Ning thought, no matter what the Marquis did to her yesterday, it was true that he saved her from Tang Zhu today, and she could never repay such a kindness. Since the Marquis had a poor appetite recently and had not had breakfast because of her, she might as well cook a meal for the Marquis.

…

In front of the Imperial Street, a carriage with red wheels and a canopy hurried towards the Anyuan Marquis Mansion.

Xie Jinglan was wearing a dark robe with gold weave, sitting upright in the room. An inch of his snow-white undergarment was visible at the collar of the robe, and his Adam's apple formed a sharp arc protruding from under the fabric.

He pulled open his collar, his Adam's apple suddenly rolled, and his slender fingers reached into his arms and slowly pulled out a lilac-colored dress.

If he had gone a step later this morning, the consequences would have been disastrous. When he kicked the door open, Tang Zhu was lying on the girl, with most of his clothes loose.

He carried Wen Ning back to Tingsong Courtyard, and along the way he listened to her mumbling in a coma. Sometimes she moaned in pain, and sometimes she asked him to hold her tighter, tighter.

Her wet eyelashes trembled slightly with her breathing. The bruises on her chest, against the backdrop of her messy black hair, looked like white porcelain dyed with pine soot ink, which made him tremble and feel distressed.

The fine cotton fabric made a slight sound under the weight between Xie Jinglan's fingers. The material was not the best, but it was very soft after being starched. Xie Jinglan could imagine how it would feel against her skin.

The small clothes seemed particularly thin in his big palm, and the soft cotton cloth had already been stained with his body temperature.

The lace was softly wrapped around the white jade ring on his index finger. Xie Jinglan played with the lace tirelessly, pulling it gently back and forth.

After a long time, he brought Xiaoyi close to his nose, and his fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

It was not the same scent. Although there was also a light scent of jasmine and medicine, it was still slightly different from the body odor of the woman in the thatched hut. He felt that he might have gone crazy, how could he mistake the two for the same person.

"Could it be..."

Xie Jinglan's eyes darkened as his fingertips caressed the lines on the small garment. Could it be that he needed to find a third woman to verify it?

What was he proving? Was he proving that all women felt the same when held in his arms? Was he proving that all women could make him lose his composure like this?

No! That's absolutely not the case!

Whether it was a beauty bestowed by the emperor, a lady from a noble family, or a maid who threw herself into his arms regardless of her life or death, he instinctively felt a sense of disgust before the fragrance of cosmetics even approached him.

Holding Xiaoyi's knuckles against his brow, Xie Jinglan had lived for more than twenty years and had gone through many hardships. How could he, with a heart of stone, be so confused by the breath of two women!