Chapter 106 The Marquis's Commoner Wife 16
"I heard that shameless girl climbed into the Marquis's bed. When the maids at Shou'an Hall were cleaning up, they found a blood-stained handkerchief."
Ning Yan suddenly started coughing violently. Aunt Zhang was very worried. "Madam, are you alright?"
She quickly poured Ning Yan a cup of tea and brought it to Ning Yan's lips.
Ning Yan's cough finally stopped, and she pushed away the water offered to her. "I'm afraid I've caught a cold, so I won't keep you two any longer. You should go back first, and don't come to pay your respects for the next couple of days, lest you catch your illness."
She didn't even bother to pay her respects to the old lady, but the concubines from the outskirts of the mansion would come to her every day. Since they could keep her company and relieve her boredom, she didn't refuse them.
After Aunt Zhang and her companion left, Ning Yan continued to stare blankly at the sky in the courtyard. The sun was shining warmly on her body, making her feel extremely comfortable.
That night, Han Yongjin returned to the main courtyard very late. By then, Ning Yan was already asleep, and not only that, she had also taken over the entire bed.
Han Yongjin didn't dare to wake her and ended up sleeping on the couch for the night.
The next morning, when he got up to prepare for court, Ning Yan also woke up, but she only glanced at Han Yongjin before turning over and continuing to sleep.
Han Yongjin suddenly felt that although the two of them were sleeping in the same room, their hearts were as if they were thousands of miles apart.
Several times Han Yongjin wanted to wake Ning Yan, but in the end he swallowed his words and only left one sentence: "Yan'er, your husband is going to court. I will come back to be with you early today."
Ning Yan remained silent, as if she hadn't heard a thing.
Han Yongjin walked to the bedside, lowered his head, and wanted to kiss Ning Yan on the face as he always did, but Ning Yan simply pulled the blanket over her head, her refusal quite obvious.
The man clenched his fists, his lips pressed into a thin line, and after a long while, he finally lifted his foot and walked outside.
Lie Feng, who was guarding outside the door, noticed that the Marquis's aura was even lower today than yesterday.
He didn't know what had happened between the Marquis and his wife, but it certainly wasn't anything good.
Therefore, he obediently followed behind the Marquis, not daring to make a sound.
He only hoped that his wife would coax the Marquis tonight, so that their lives as subordinates would be easier.
Unfortunately, no one heard his wish, and even if they did, no one would do as he wished.
Han Yongjin declined his colleague's invitation, intending to go home and have dinner with his wife. However, the person who always waited for him to eat was not there today.
Moreover, after he entered the room, Ning Yan, who was reading a book, didn't even raise her head, let alone give him a glance.
His expression turned cold again, because this was too abnormal.
He was so angry that he didn't eat dinner. When it was finally time to go to bed, he quickly took a shower and was about to take Ning Yan to bed.
As a result, Ning Yan rejected him.
"I'm on my period, so it's inconvenient."
How could she possibly be menstruating? There are still seven days until her period.
Such a crude excuse can only mean one thing: Ning Yan loathes him to the extreme.
She didn't even bother to come up with a proper excuse to lie to him anymore.
"Let me check."
Ning Yan looked at him with eyes devoid of any emotion, and Han Yong hesitated.
The next day, Han Yongjin returned from court early and even bought Ning Yan a gift. However, when he placed the valuable hairpin in front of Ning Yan, she didn't even glance at it.
The two didn't even exchange a word that day, and Han Yongjin couldn't sleep all night.
In the following days, Han Yongjin would go home to see Ning Yan after court. He didn't want to live such a cold and distant life. He wanted the two of them to go back to the way they were before, eating and sleeping together, and talking about everything.
He didn't want to live that cold, desolate life for even a single day.
"Madam, let me take you out for a walk. You must be getting bored staying in the mansion all day."
Ning Yan looked at him with those emotionless eyes again, "No need, Your Excellency, please go about your business. If I feel bored, I'll go out for a walk by myself, so please don't trouble yourself."
Her tone was flat and even, without the slightest fluctuation, and she still called him Marquis.
Han Yongjin was devastated. For a moment, he wanted to confess to her what had happened that night, "Madam..."
But Ning Yan didn't want to hear it at all. "Today, the imperial physician examined the pulses of the concubines in the manor. I heard that it seems that Concubine Bai is pregnant."
Han Yongjin felt a tremor in his heart, a wave of regret washed over him, and his eyes welled up with tears. He finally let go and hurriedly left, looking somewhat disheveled.
There was no explanation, no apology, no reason.
How is he supposed to explain this?
He said the Marquis's mansion couldn't be without an heir? He said he and Concubine Bai only had one relationship? He said he wanted to adopt a child for her to raise?
Han Yongjin slept in the study that night.
For the next three days, he continued to sleep in the study.
The Marquis and his wife had never slept separately before, so much so that everyone in the household knew about their discord.
The women in the household began to have all sorts of ideas.
Even the old lady joined in the fun and bestowed two more concubines upon Han Yongjin. Yes, these were concubines this time. If she were to arrange for any more maids, his unfilial son would simply dismiss them.
When Han Yongjin's vacation ended, he couldn't even see Ning Yan. He could only go to court on time every day, and every day when he returned, he would find that his concubines had run into him on the road.
In the past, these women would have been confined to their homes, but he wanted to see if Ning Yan really didn't care about him anymore, so he let those people guard the road.
Occasionally, he would visit Aunt Bai's courtyard and bring back the soup they served him to the main courtyard, hoping to see Ning Yan get angry for him and become jealous of him.
However, nothing! There was absolutely nothing!
That night, Han Yongjin could no longer restrain himself. Even if Ning Yan was tired of him, even if she might hate him, he couldn't care less.
He dismissed all the servants, and regardless of Ning Yan's wishes, he used force!
However, Ning Yan had already anticipated this move and pulled out a handful of powder from somewhere, sprinkling it all over his head and face.
That night, the Marquis of Zhennan didn't even get to sit on a couch and slept on the floor all night. The next day, he felt dizzy and lightheaded, and he actually fell ill.
The old lady knew that the two had gone too far and that her son had fallen ill, so she was going to call Ning Yan over and give her a good scolding.
Ning Yan doesn't even serve her son anymore, why would she pay attention to her?
She didn't even leave the courtyard; the old lady could do whatever she wanted.
Han Yongjin was also afraid that his mother would anger the madam, so he sent someone to tell her that the madam wanted to take care of him and that he would go to pay his respects to his mother after he recovered.
The old lady was so angry she almost fainted, wishing she had never given birth to this son, but unfortunately no one cared about her feelings.
Han Yongjin was in good health and recovered after resting at home for two days.
Soon after, the emperor assigned him to work in Su County in the northwest.
The emperor's decree was not to be disobeyed, and even though Han Yongjin was the emperor's trusted and favored minister, he dared not defy the emperor's will.
That very day, he set off for the Northwest with several attendants.
After he left, Ning Yan completely relaxed and quietly left the mansion several times. Apart from the two head maids serving her, no one noticed anything unusual about her.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
