Chapter Sixty-Eight: His and Her Fated Marriage Talisman

What's inside?

Xie Yanzhi released Shen Qingnian.

He brought the sachet closer and smelled it, and found that it was different from ordinary sachets; it had almost no fragrance.

Shen Qingnian knew, of course, that she had asked Ling'er for this, and that keeping it close to her body made her feel at ease.

Because it was for Shen Qingnian, Ling'er gave her a new sachet.

Since it hasn't been infused with spices, of course it has no fragrance.

Xie Yanzhi tugged at the knot on the sachet's opening, wanting to open it and see what was inside.

"Cousin, no!"

Shen Qingnian cried out in surprise, her face turning pale.

“Why not? It’s just a sachet.” He looked at her meaningfully.

Shen Qingnian's unusual behavior aroused Xie Yanzhi's suspicion even more, making him even more certain that there was something strange about it.

Seeing that the knot was about to be untied, Shen Qingnian's mind went blank and she blurted out, "That's the marriage charm I asked for!"

As Shen Qingnian spoke, Xie Yanzhi had already opened the sachet a little and saw that it did indeed contain something that looked like paper.

He looked up again and saw that Shen Qingnian had lowered her eyes and looked somewhat shy, so he stopped what he was doing.

A marriage charm?

Seeing that he had stopped, Shen Qingnian reached out and took the sachet.

"Yes, it's our marriage charm."

“Cousin, the monks at the temple said that this marriage charm shouldn’t be opened casually, otherwise it won’t work.”

As Shen Qingnian spoke, she closed the sachet and held it tightly in her hand.

Their marriage charm!

Xie Yanzhi was already somewhat angry, suspecting that Shen Qingnian was hiding something from him.

Now she's actually saying it's a talisman she prayed for to bring them together.

I never expected her to value their relationship so much.

Xie Yanzhi felt quite gratified; it seemed she was becoming more and more accustomed to her status as a concubine.

Xie Yanzhi hugged her from behind and whispered in her ear, "Why did you think of asking for a marriage talisman?"

Shen Qingnian heard him speak softly again and knew that her words had pleased him.

Squeezing the sachet in her hand, Shen Qingnian forced a smile: "Of course, I want the Bodhisattva to bless my cousin and me so that we can always be of one mind and stay together until we grow old."

As she spoke, she adopted the demeanor of a young girl.

Xie Yanzhi leaned in and kissed the rounded earlobe.

No wonder she insisted on protecting that sachet; women are afraid of seeking marriage and always want others to know.

But he was no stranger.

"Let's hurry up, cousin," Shen Qingnian urged again.

She didn't want to stay in that room for another second.

They really need to leave quickly.

Xie Yanzhi grasped Shen Qingnian's hand and pulled her towards the door.

Shen Qingnian broke free from his hand and pointed to the ground, where Ling'er was still lying.

Shen Qingnian walked over, squatted down, and patted Ling'er: "Ling'er, wake up, we should go."

"Get out of the way!" Xie Yanzhi said coldly.

He immediately splashed the tea he hadn't finished drinking onto Ling'er's face.

Shen Qingnian turned around and glanced at Xie Yanzhi, somewhat annoyed.

She then took a handkerchief and wiped the water off Ling'er's face.

Xie Yanzhi coughed, turned around, stood by the door with his hands behind his back, and said calmly, "This is faster."

After being splashed with water, Ling'er did indeed wake up, but she was still a little dazed and couldn't figure out what was going on.

Immediately afterwards, she felt a pain in the back of her neck.

Her eyes widened suddenly as she remembered that a man had just barged in and knocked her unconscious.

What about the young lady?

"Miss!" Ling'er cried out, struggling to get up and check on her mistress's condition.

"It's okay, I'm here."

Ling'er turned her head and found that her mistress was squatting beside her, looking at her with concern.

"Miss, are you alright?"

Ling'er helped Shen Qingnian up, looked her over, and only when she found that her mistress was indeed alright did she feel relieved.

"Where is that thief?" Ling'er thought of the tall, dark figure.

She was stunned. How did that young lady manage to defeat that thief all by herself?

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingnian covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed, glancing towards the door.

Ling'er was completely confused and also looked towards the door.

Eldest son!

She quickly covered her mouth.

The thief was actually the eldest son!

And she actually called him a thief to the very face of the eldest son!

Ling'er felt that the young master's sharply defined profile looked even more fierce.

He was holding a teacup in his hand. Would he smash it on her head any second?

"Miss," Ling'er whispered, shrinking behind Shen Qingnian.

What are you still standing there for?

Xie Yanzhi was getting impatient when he saw that Ling'er was awake but still dawdling.

If they don't leave now, and those people come back later, the two of them will become easy targets.

Xie Yanzhi slammed the bowl back onto the small table and said coldly, "Follow me!"

With that, he lifted his foot and walked out.

Seeing Xie Yanzhi leave, Shen Qingnian and the others lifted their skirts and followed him.

Xie Yanzhi escorted them to the carriage, gently squeezed her hand, and instructed, "Go back to the manor quickly, it's not safe here."

Shen Qingnian looked up and saw two men in the distance carrying knives, looking around menacingly, which looked extremely dangerous.

Shen Qingnian nodded.

Xie Yanzhi glanced at Yuan Qing again: "Deduct this month's allowance in full!"

"Huh?" Yuan Qing made a bitter face.

Ling'er opened her eyes wide and looked at Yuan Qing with great sympathy.

Next month, she'll buy pine nuts for Yuanqing again.

Yuan Qing knew that Xie Yanzhi was being punished because he hadn't stayed by Qing's side to protect her.

But he had no choice.

The side hall that Miss Qing went to was reserved for women; a man like him couldn't go in.

However, the master was able to sneak into the young lady's boudoir at night in the mansion, and when he went to the temple, he could even follow her to the side hall.

That's truly impressive!

As expected of the master!

He secretly cast an admiring glance at Xie Yanzhi.

Noticing the sharp look Xie Yanzhi gave him, he forced a smile and asked, "Isn't Your Excellency coming back to the manor with us?"

"No need, just protect her," Xie Yanzhi said in a deep voice, glancing into the distance.

Those two people saw Shen Qingnian with him. If he doesn't deal with them, Shen Qingnian might be in danger in the future.

Yuan Qing looked at Xie Yanzhi's shoulder, somewhat worried about his injury. Just as she was about to speak, she saw several guards approaching.

"Your Highness!" The leader clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Most of those rebels have been captured, but two escaped!"

Xie Yanzhi glanced at the crowd and said, "They're over there. Let's herd them to the back of the mountain before we make our move."

There are many people here; if a fight breaks out, innocent people may be harmed.

After Xie Yanzhi finished speaking, he led his men away.

With Ling'er's help, Shen Qingnian boarded the carriage and sat on the soft couch.

Yuan Qing drove the car obediently outside, not daring to let Miss Qing out of his sight for even a moment this time.

The carriage began to sway and rock as it moved along. Suddenly, Shen Qingnian asked, "Ling'er, can you smell anything?"

Ling'er sniffed hard and shook her head.

Her daughter has had a more sensitive sense of smell than most people since she was a child; she can detect even the faintest scents.

The young lady said there was a smell, so there must be, but she couldn't smell it.

Shen Qingnian's heart tightened immediately because she could smell a faint scent of blood in the air.