The lamplight on the corner of the table was soft, but Xiao Xin's gaze was anything but gentle. Xu Rong was immediately defeated when they met eyes—the longer one reads books, the harder it is to fool someone.
She chose to confess: "He once tried to test me, but I wasn't feeling well that day and wasn't in the mood to argue with him, so I chased him away."
She described it lightly, but when Xiao Xin heard the word "hit," his eyes sharpened, and he pressed her for details. Xu Rong was gradually overwhelmed by the questions: "Second Young Master, I'm fine. He's the one who suffered."
"You never told me."
Xu Rong felt a subtle sense of guilt under his gaze—she didn't know where it came from, so she could only comfort him, "Second Young Master, don't worry, I know he wants to probe our background, I won't fall for his tricks."
Xiao Xin was worried.
He continued to stare at her silently, and she actually thought that Xiao Lun was just testing her.
"Second Young Master?" Xu Rong asked, puzzled by his silence.
"He—" Xiao Xin began to speak, but then stopped abruptly.
He didn't want to enlighten her; it wasn't so bad to leave that string empty.
“Be careful of him.” Xiao Xin changed to a serious admonition, “When I’m not home, don’t let him in. Don’t try to deal with him. If he has something to say, tell him to come to me.”
Xu Rong had a similar idea—it wasn't that serious, but she definitely wouldn't meet with Xiao Lun alone. She nodded and said, "I know, if it really comes to a fight, I can't beat him."
Xiao Xin: "..."
Well, that makes sense.
"However, he shouldn't have much time to bother me lately." Getting to the point, Xu Rong couldn't help but laugh. "Second Young Master, you don't know yet, things are getting lively with your eldest brother—"
Smiling, she told him about Zhi Tao. Xiao Xin was stunned for a moment, not expecting the aftermath of the Butterfly Incident to be like this.
"The timing is perfect. The Second Young Master has finished his exams, and I have time now." Xu Rong was very satisfied; otherwise, she might not have personally brought Zhi Tao back.
While it is important to drive this nail between Xiao Lun and Chang Shuyin, their core interest is still Xiao Xin's future, and everything else should give way to it.
Looking up, she saw the undisguised awkwardness in Xiao Xin's eyes.
...No way.
Does this need vinegar too?
Xu Rong wanted to rub her forehead, using the gesture to hide her embarrassment: "After I fell down, my memory was impaired. I can't remember many things from before. Zhi Tao was transferred away from me, and I'm not familiar with her anymore. I never knew she would do something like this."
Hearing her say tactfully that she wasn't familiar with Zhi Tao, Xiao Xin's expression softened a bit. He said, "A girl who betrays her master like this shouldn't have been so easily indulged in the first place."
Xu Rong explained, "My mother was in charge at that time." It wouldn't be surprising if she made some kind of foolish decision.
However, it wasn't all bad; without Madam Xu's carelessness, this long thread wouldn't have been laid.
"I'm afraid Madam and my elder brother won't let her off the hook," Xiao Xin reminded her.
Neither Madam Xiao nor Xiao Lun were kind-hearted people. Although Madam Xiao had summoned the imperial physician, her only concern was for the child in Zhi Tao's womb. It was uncertain whether Zhi Tao's life could be saved after the child was born.
Xu Rong nodded, as she had expected: "Therefore, the whereabouts of her brother and sister-in-law are very important. Next, they will definitely intensify their search."
Speaking of this, Zhi Tao is quite capable. Xiao Lun must have had people watching her long ago, yet she managed to hide it well and not expose her channels of communication with her brother and sister-in-law. However, without this cunning, she wouldn't have dared to take the risk and force herself to climb up to Xiao Lun.
"You want to protect her?"
"I don't think so," Xu Rong said after thinking for a moment. "Let nature take its course."
This time she took the initiative, but at this stage, she should slow down and let others take the lead.
As for Zhi Tao, her fate is ultimately in her own hands; it depends on whether she can think things through.
She entered the Marquis's mansion and figured out the right path, but this was only the first step. If she thought she could rely on Madam Xiao and live a peaceful life as a concubine in the Marquis's household, she would be too naive.
Even if she manages to come to her senses before danger approaches, the number of people she can turn to for help in this unfamiliar mansion is very limited, almost exclusively Xu Rong.
Therefore, Xu Rong was not in a hurry.
She wanted to give Zhi Tao time.
This timeframe roughly corresponds to Zhi Tao's entire pregnancy, from now until April or May of next year. Coincidentally, this is also the time when Xiao Xin needs to overcome the next hurdle.
The provincial examination will be held next April.
"In short, Second Young Master, your business is more important. As for how they make a scene, we should just watch the show from the sidelines for now," Xu Rong concluded.
Her calm demeanor was not without its dangers. There were undercurrents beneath the Changxing Marquis's residence. She needed to investigate them to prevent them from suddenly erupting and sweeping her, a member of the so-called "Xiao family," into the fray. At the same time, she also needed to carefully maintain her distance from them to avoid slipping and falling before they erupted.
Xiao Xin wasn't interested in watching the spectacle, but he still nodded: "I understand."
Since the results were announced, he had been busy and hadn't had a moment to rest. This was the first time he had sat so quietly with Xu Rong. He didn't want to move, so he stretched his body slightly and looked at Xu Rong.
Being the top scorer in the county exam is nothing, being the top scorer in the prefectural exam is nothing, and even if the results of next year's provincial exam come out, he has not let down everyone's hard work, but he is still far from his ultimate goal.
Before this, all he had was this kind of time.
Xu Rong: "..."
Several meanings.
Does she think she's stupid?
She was exasperated. If you wanted to say he was impatient, he had kept quiet for so long, and his roommates hadn't done anything to him. But if you wanted to say he was patient, ignore everything else—just look at that gaze.
That's a terrible way to judge people.
It's brighter and hotter than the lamp on the table.
Wait, roommate—Xu Rong suddenly grasped at a straw in his unbearable urge and hurriedly said, "Second Young Master, I forgot something important. I'll invite Doctor Yu over for you tomorrow!"
"..." Xiao Xin's eyes dimmed and became dull.
Xu Rong held on, looking at him. She couldn't back down, she couldn't admit defeat.
Of course, she wasn't soft-hearted either.
—Okay, a little bit.
Xiao Xin finally said, "Oh."
**
The next day, Xu Rong dared not delay any longer and promptly invited Doctor Yu for a follow-up consultation.
The follow-up visit yielded excellent results. Dr. Yu was pleased that the patient's family was willing to follow his medical advice. He stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly, saying, "The second young master is in good spirits and as healthy as ever. Grandma, you don't need to worry anymore."
Although Xu Rong felt it should be so, he was still happy to receive the doctor's confirmation and said with a smile, "Thanks to your skillful hands."
Just as they were about to present the consultation fee, Doctor Yu seemed to remember something and continued, "If the two of you are going to conceive, it is the perfect time. The second young master's health will certainly not be a problem."
Although quite some time has passed, Dr. Yu still has a very good memory for his job. He was invited here for this very reason, and he wanted to give the patient's family a definite answer.
Xu Rong coughed lightly: "--Understood, thank you."
I handed over the consultation fee again, and finally saw him off.
Xu Rong looked at Xiao Xin again, carefully choosing his words.
Xiao Xin didn't look at her. He didn't need to go to the Su family today, so he walked back to the warm pavilion and started packing his things.
He stayed here for a little over a month, which is neither a long nor a short time. He also left some personal belongings here, so this warm room bears his mark to some extent.
Xu Rongyuan didn't know what he was doing. After following him and discovering what was happening, she stood quietly by the door for a moment.
Without needing to spell it out, he understood her intention in mentioning Dr. Yu and didn't pretend to be oblivious.
Actually, it saved her some trouble.
But for some reason, she felt a strange pang of sadness.
Perhaps she knew what he wanted, what he expected, what he was enduring, and what he was restraining.
This in itself is a form of sacrifice.
But what gives her the right?
Their contract didn't contain such a clause, so he could be said to have overstepped his bounds and should bear the consequences himself. But if she hadn't brought up the contract with him, and they had each gone their own way, he wouldn't have encountered this predicament.
She was the older one and should have understood the potential consequences of such an agreement better than he did.
Unfortunately, her weaknesses are too obvious. I didn't think of them back then, and I don't know how to deal with them now.
Xiao Xin didn't have much stuff, and after two trips back and forth, he had already taken it all. Seeing her still blocking the door, he gave her a strange look.
Xu Rong scratched her cheek to hide her embarrassment. She wanted to say something, but couldn't come up with anything.
Xiao Xin then left.
In any case, this problem that had been delayed for quite some time was finally resolved, albeit somewhat.
As she had predicted, the manor did indeed become lively in the following days. First, the Duchess of Zheng came to make a scene. Keeping a mistress was already a scandal, and being pregnant made it even worse. Madam Xiao could stop Chang Shuyin from accompanying her for a while, but she couldn't stop her forever. The news was leaked back the next day.
Lady Zheng was also a formidable woman. This time, she didn't even bother negotiating with the Xiao family. She directly brought people to take Chang Shuyin back to her parents' home. The two groups of people tore each other apart in the main courtyard. In the end, when Marquis Xiao returned from his official duties, he personally intervened, and Lady Zheng was defeated.
She didn't give up and came back the next day to continue arguing. This tug-of-war lasted for seven or eight days before a compromise was finally reached: Zhi Tao's child could not be raised by herself and had to be given to Chang Shuyin.
As for what other conditions were involved behind the scenes, such as how Zhi Tao herself handled it, that remains unknown.
Both pregnant women needed to rest and their pregnancies were not yet stable. After the excitement, the mansion entered an unprecedented period of tranquility. The last golden petals of the osmanthus in the courtyard fell, and people changed from light jackets to cotton-padded coats. The harsh winter had arrived.
Winter was approaching, and so was the New Year. Xu Rong was afraid of the cold, so she only went out once. Luo Yanfeng's sister-in-law, Grandma Luo, had given birth to a big, healthy baby boy and sent an invitation to the baby's one-month celebration. Xu Rong went to the celebration, and Madam Luo, with good intentions, specially put the chubby baby in Xu Rong's arms so that she could share in the good fortune of her pregnancy.
She couldn't refuse, so she hugged the baby. The baby was soft and smelled wonderful. When she returned, she could still feel the milky scent on her body.
Not long after returning from this drinking party, the New Year arrived, and at the same time, Chang Shuyin's due date was approaching.
In late January or early February, just after the Lantern Festival, Madam Xiao had already found the imperial physician and midwife.
Be on high alert.
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