9 Chapter 9
This is his lawfully wedded wife.
Chapter Nine
This was his lawfully wedded wife. He glanced around the carriage, which had no soft couch, but he couldn't just lift her up, so he had no choice but to endure it.
Liu Qingqing withdrew her hand from the seam of her clothes, but as if that wasn't enough, she hurriedly reached her hand down again. Xie Lang quickly pressed her down, not caring whether she could hear him or not, and said in a slightly cool voice, "We're still outside, don't move around."
Unbeknownst to Liu Qingqing, in her half-dreaming, half-awake state, she felt an unbearable burning sensation all over her body, and the person beside her seemed to possess a spring of sweet water that could soothe her burning pain. She vaguely recalled the vivid descriptions of that powerful and pleasing manhood in the stories she had read before.
Her breathing grew heavier, and her fingertips seemed to be getting closer and closer to that spot.
Xie Lang's expression remained as cold as a knife, but the veins on his neck bulged as he stared at her movements with gritted teeth.
Suddenly, his body jolted violently, and he even stopped breathing. Then he took a deep breath.
This can't go on. This medicine is probably going to be very difficult to deal with. He clenched his fists, leaned back against the carriage, and endured it silently. If you looked closely, you would see that his strong body, which was supposed to be as tough as steel and not afraid of knives and guns, was trembling slightly.
He suddenly remembered that the regent had given him an extremely rare pill, which was said to be able to cure all poisons and have the miraculous effect of bringing the dead back to life. Even a celestial being descending to earth could not have achieved such a thing.
Xie Lang quickly lifted the carriage curtain, leaving only a narrow gap, and then beckoned Xie Wu to come and tell him to go back to the mansion first and quickly retrieve the pills.
Xie Wu froze, not moving, and said urgently in a low voice, "Sir, that medicine is life-saving. You are out in the world all day, facing dangers all the time. What if something goes wrong if you don't have this medicine? The physician just came and said that Madam's illness is strange, but there might be a way to treat it. Why don't we wait a little longer..."
Xie Wu wasn't just standing by indifferently; he simply felt that it was a bit too much for the lady to use this miraculous medicine to bring the dead back to life for a mere headache and fever.
Just as he was thinking this, Xie Wu was given a casual glance by his master, and he immediately felt a chill run down his spine and came to his senses. "I'll go get it right away."
Liu Qingqing held Xie Lang tightly, her palms burning hot, but her fingertips icy cold.
Xie Lang gritted his teeth, his anger finding no outlet, and suddenly flung off the carriage curtain.
She was restless and agitated, her eyelashes trembling, her hands desperately searching for any trace of warmth.
The breathing inside the car grew heavier.
Just as Xie Lang was on the verge of defeat, the carriage finally arrived at the Marquis's residence. He glanced down for a moment and had no choice but to call over Granny Li. Through the carriage curtain, he sent the woman in his arms out. Granny Li was strong and healthy, and without saying a word, she carried the young lady back.
After a while, Granny Li realized that she had probably fallen victim to Xiao Ying's vicious trick.
After resting in the carriage for a while, Xie Lang straightened his clothes, re-tied his belt, glanced down at the carriage, sighed, and helplessly picked up his cloak and placed it in his arm before getting out of the carriage.
As they walked toward their courtyard, they ran into Xie Wu, who was rushing over to fetch medicine. Xie Wu was surprised that the master was carrying a cloak even though it wasn't cold today. He hurriedly stepped forward to take the cloak, but Xie Lang dodged him.
"Go quickly and deliver the medicine to the lady."
Xie Wu accepted the order and ran off.
Their return was a grand affair, and many servants saw it and whispered among themselves.
Before Xie Lang even reached their courtyard, the servants of the Marquis's mansion were already saying that the young master indeed disliked his wife. Otherwise, why would the young master not personally carry his wife back to the courtyard when he knew she was unwell?
As luck would have it, Xie Lang was suddenly at a loss as to how to face Liu Qingqing. He wanted to wait until Liu Qingqing had taken her medicine and woken up before going over. When he passed by the rockery in the garden of the mansion, he heard servants hiding behind it and whispering about this. Their tone was quite disdainful.
Xie Lang frowned and listened for a while. Judging that Liu Qingqing should be waking up soon, he didn't have time to deal with this matter for the time being. He directly ordered his men to tie up the servants behind the rockery and stuff them into the woodshed.
Unfortunately, contrary to Xie Lang's expectations, although Liu Qingqing's condition improved greatly after taking the medicine, she did not wake up. Granny Li said that she only woke up and looked around twice, seemingly searching for something, before falling into a deep sleep again.
Whether she was seeing things or not, Granny Li felt as if the young master's ears had turned red after she said those words.
Just as she was about to ask, she noticed the cloak in the young master's arms and hurriedly reached out to take it. Xie Wu was about to stop her when he saw the master hand the cloak to Granny Li. Xie Wu lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought, then suddenly widened his eyes, as if afraid the master would notice, and lowered his head even further.
Xie Lang entered the inner room alone. This was the first time he had come here since their marriage. He glanced at her briefly and noticed that her attire seemed quite different from before. He lifted the curtain and saw that she was sleeping peacefully. Xie Lang stood quietly by the bed for a moment, then gently touched her forehead, palm, and fingertips with the back of his hand. After confirming that everything had returned to normal, he carefully lowered the curtain and left the inner room.
The gauze curtains were sheer, and as Xie Lang's footsteps grew lighter, the girl hidden under the brocade quilt suddenly stirred. She clenched her right hand, then quickly released it as if burned. After a moment of annoyance, she pulled the corner of the quilt to her lips and gently bit it with her pearly teeth. Then she turned over and hid her flushed face between the pillows and blankets.
After Xie Lang went out, he did not leave. Instead, he ordered Xie Wu to move the chair to the corridor.
"Summon the steward and all the servants in this courtyard."
When Xie Wu went to call for help, Xie Lang summoned Granny Li and Qingju, Liu Qingqing's personal maid.
As night deepened, the lamplight flickered under the eaves.
Xie Lang sat boldly on the veranda, while Granny Li and Qingju stood a few steps below.
The dark, menacing figure, resembling a monstrous beast with bared fangs, stood behind Xie Lang. He no longer concealed the murderous aura he exuded from the battlefield and the imposing presence of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
At this moment, he was no longer the kind son-in-law, and only then did Granny Li realize that the words "high position and great power" could take a person's life.
Their innate fear of death caused Granny Li and Qingju to tremble uncontrollably.
"Granny Li,"
Xie Lang's voice was cold yet gentle, "Tell me, what has happened to Madam since she married into the household?"
The quiet courtyard was filled only with the rustling of bamboo leaves.
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingqing, who was pretending to be asleep in the inner room, immediately looked towards the door.
"The disobedient people in the yard"
Xie Lang's cold, sword-like gaze swept over them without any mercy. "Once Madam wakes up, we'll change everything according to her wishes."
Upon hearing this, the servants who had just been trembling and struggling to stand all collapsed to the ground, wanting to beg for their lives but not daring to, and began to cry softly on the ground, a truly pitiful sight.
The world is in such chaos these days; if we don't even go far away, the situation is no better than widespread starvation.
They had lost their true selves due to the leniency and indulgence of their masters. Living in the Marquis's mansion was already the best life they could have. If they couldn't find work outside, they wouldn't even be allowed to work as prostitutes, and in the end, they would only have death as their only option.
Some of the timid and talkative ones were so frightened that they spilled yellow soup all over the floor.
Granny Li snorted coldly, glared fiercely at them, put her hands on her hips, and said shrewishly, "Now you know how to cry? How arrogant you were before! I thought you were the mistress of Jialan Garden!"
Seeing that Xie Lang was standing up for her young mistress, Granny Li rolled up her sleeves, eager to pour out all her previous grievances and bitterness.
“My young lady cares about her reputation, but I, this old woman, do not. I didn’t want to offend you with this sordid matter before, but now that you are asking, I will report it in detail.”
Granny Li showed no mercy, exposing how these people treated people differently based on their status. Because Xie Lang was busy with official duties and rarely came back to the courtyard, they neglected their young mistress, even refusing to bring her hot water.
The table was covered in dust, and the grass in the backyard, out of sight, hadn't even been weeded.
"You have to urge them three or four times before they'll agree to do anything."
Granny Li gritted her teeth, her chest heaving with anger as she thought of the grievances her young mistress had suffered. "If it weren't for my young mistress's kindness, I would have scratched your faces black and blue."
He berated his subordinates mercilessly, also for Xie Lang's benefit.
Unable to directly curse Xie Lang, she resorted to indirect criticism, implying that her mistress's grievances stemmed from being mistreated, and that these heartless scoundrels were simply opportunistic!
Xie Lang raised his hand to restrain Granny Li, and only said gently that the madam was still sleeping, before Granny Li reluctantly shut up.
Xie Lang then concluded the matter by saying, "Now that Jialan Garden is managed by Madam, the Marquis's residence will also be managed by Madam in the future."
Having said that, she stood up and said without any mercy, "Whether you stay or leave, whether you live or die, is entirely up to Madam's decision."
Upon hearing that the dead had come out, the people below were terrified and ran away in a panic. Xie Lang glanced at Xie Wu, who then took orders to lead his men to lift the men up and take them away.
"I'll trouble you to make arrangements, Granny. I'll stay here and watch over her today."
Seeing the look of surprise on Li Mama's face, Xie Lang patiently explained, "It was my fault for neglecting Madam when I was busy with official duties. My lax management of my subordinates caused Madam to suffer. I am not busy these days, so I must apologize to Madam."
Granny Li was overjoyed. Although she didn't know how things had suddenly taken a turn for the better, she knew that her young lady had finally found a bright future in the Marquis's mansion!
In this day and age, although there has been a resurgence, nothing is as reliable as a husband's support.
In the previous dynasty, women were able to make a living by doing business, but in recent years, with the war raging and the world in chaos after the fighting stopped, families with some wealth no longer allow their women to show their faces in public. It's not that they dislike it, but they are afraid of insecurity.
Granny Li knew that the young lady's heart was not yet settled, but if the couple's relationship was harmonious, the Marquis's mansion was the best place for her at this time.
This was Xie Lang's first time dealing with matters in the backyard. After speaking, he thought it over and over again and made sure that there were no omissions or oversights before getting up and going into the main house.
Just then, Qingju carefully opened the chest and brought out the brocade quilt. When she turned around and saw the adult, she was so frightened that she froze on the spot.
Xie Lang gestured for Qingju to be quiet and followed behind her quietly.
Summer is almost here, why add another blanket?
Qingju, afraid of waking her mistress, carefully covered her with the brocade quilt. As she turned around, she saw Xie Lang looking puzzled, so she stepped forward and whispered, "Miss fell into the water and caught a chill at the end of last autumn."
"I understand, you can go now." Xie Lang waved for Qingju to leave.
The room was quite different from before. The rosewood canopy bed was now completely covered with brocade, and gauze curtains hung low. The bed was still covered with the bright red Shu brocade from the wedding, and the small double happiness character on the side wall was still hanging there.
Xie Lang turned his gaze and saw that the tortoiseshell dressing table that had been placed diagonally opposite was now filled with women's jewelry, rouge, and other precious items in brocade boxes. In the corner sat an unfamiliar guqin, which was probably hers.
On the round table were blooming lilies of the valley and hyacinths, and not far away, separating the clean room, was a glass screen that he had never seen before.
Her teacup was placed on a small table on the soft couch by the sandalwood window, with a book lying upside down beside it. Not to mention the scattered jade ornaments, and the bronze censer burning incense, emitting wisps of smoke.
The cool, icy main house made the young woman feel quite different from before, giving it a touch of homeyness.
He glanced around and then looked back. Her beautiful face was hidden under the bright red brocade quilt, her disheveled black hair resembling fluttering butterflies. For some reason, Xie Lang stepped forward and quietly bent down to gently smooth her hair back with his fingertips.
Afraid of waking her, he moved very gently, but he noticed that the tips of her ears were gradually turning blush. Xie Lang paused, still bending over, but his gaze shifted to her face.
[Author's Note]
Next chapter preview: "We've been making a ruckus all night, stop it."
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