After everyone left, Xie Qinglan seemed to realize something, and a light blush appeared on the tips of her ears.
The soft touch of my fingertips still lingered on my lips, carrying a sweet taste.
The next morning, someone came from the main courtyard to remind them not to forget to offer tea.
When Ye Chaoxi got up, Xie Qinglan had already washed and dressed properly and was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.
When she married into the family, she only brought one maid with her, who was also the wife of the aunt. It is said that Xie Qinglan's courtyard was sparsely populated and she preferred quiet, so Ye Chaoxi only brought one maid.
Looking at it now, it's not that there are few people, it's that there are almost no people.
Before Ye Chaoxi married into the family, there were only Xie Qinglan, Zhuo Qing, and an old woman in the entire courtyard. Zhuo Qing usually took care of Xie Qinglan's daily life, and the old woman was responsible for washing the clothes. Now, with Ye Chaoxi and Qiu Shu who brought her along, there were only five people in the entire courtyard.
Based on what happened yesterday when she went to the kitchen to prepare the medicine, Ye Chaoxi had already guessed Xie Qinglan's situation in the Marquis's mansion.
On the surface, he was still the heir apparent, but in reality, everyone in the mansion treated him with great disdain.
"Madam, you're up." Qiu Shu arrived late, carrying a glass of water.
Qiu Shu was assigned to accompany Ye Chaoxi to the Marquis's residence. Seeing the situation at Tinglan Garden, she was extremely unwilling to continue serving. She had thought that coming to the Marquis's residence, as the head maidservant of the Heir Apparent's wife, would mean a good life, but who knew she would be here to suffer!
On her very first day, she didn't even want to serve Ye Chaoxi anymore.
Ye Chaoxi didn't say anything. She used to wash and groom herself at home without needing anyone to help her. She could get ready much faster by herself.
After washing up, Ye Chaoxi changed into a red embroidered lotus flower dress, pushed open the door, walked to Xie Qinglan's side, and naturally pushed the wheelchair. "Let's go."
Zhuo Qing, "..." Isn't that his job?!
In the main courtyard, Marquis Yongyi and his wife were already seated at the head of the table, while other members of the Marquis's household sat around them.
Compared to the Pingchang Earl's Mansion, the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion had a much larger population.
Marquis Yongyi had two legitimate sons and one legitimate daughter. His eldest son, Xie Qinglan, was born to his first wife, the Eldest Princess, and was granted the title of Heir Apparent. After the Eldest Princess passed away due to illness, Marquis Yongyi remarried, this time to Lady Zhang, with whom he had a son, Xie Changyu, and a daughter, Xie Changle.
Besides the legitimate sons and daughters, there were also three illegitimate sons and two illegitimate daughters.
They're quite prolific.
In addition, there was a second family, the younger brother of the Marquis of Yongyi, which was another large family.
In short, when Ye Chaoxi arrived at the main hall, the room was packed with people, and dozens of eyes were fixed on her and Xie Qinglan.
Some were amazed, some looked on with pity, and some watched with amusement.
Ye Chaoxi paused, feeling a little uncomfortable being watched by so many people. Xie Qinglan's expression remained normal, as if she had long been used to it, but her face was unusually pale, as if she was about to faint at any moment.
Oh no, he couldn't see it anyway.
"Qinglan and Chaoxi are here? Come in quickly." Lady Zhang, the wife of the Marquis, greeted them first.
"As expected, people are in high spirits when they have good news. Today, I can see that Qinglan is in much better spirits. This marriage is indeed a good one." Someone was lying through their teeth.
“I didn’t look closely yesterday, but today I see that the Crown Prince’s wife and heir are a perfect match. Their looks are the most outstanding in the crowd.”
The people around him started flattering him.
Ye Chaoxi sneered inwardly. If she hadn't lived in the desolate Tinglan Garden herself, she might have believed what they said. They all spouted eloquent words, but why hadn't anyone come to Tinglan Garden to inquire about Xie Qinglan's injuries or bring any tonics?
Who are these polite words meant for?
Ye Chaoxi pushed the wheelchair to the Marquis Yongyi and his wife, and a maid served them tea.
Xie Qinglan suddenly spoke up, "Is my mother's memorial tablet placed at the head of the table?"
The smile on Zhang's face, who was sitting next to Marquis Yongyi, instantly froze.
“My mother is Princess Fushun. It’s not your turn to serve tea at my wedding.”
Zhang's face turned pale, and in the next instant, she was on the verge of tears. "My lord, the princess has been gone for many years. I have been her stepmother for so many years, working hard every day. Can't I even stand a cup of tea now?"
No sooner had she finished speaking than a dagger flew through the air toward Zhang, narrowly missing her head before embedding itself in the wall behind her.
"Get down!" Xie Qinglan shouted coldly, clutching her chest and coughing violently.
Zhang was so frightened that her legs went weak, and she looked to Marquis Yongyi for help.
Marquis Yongyi glared at her, "Hurry up and get down. Someone, go and bring out the memorial tablet of the Eldest Princess."
Thinking of Xie Qinglan's madness years ago, Zhang dared not say anything more, shut her mouth, and was helped away from the head seat by her maid.
The people who had been flattering her just moments before were now too scared to breathe. They sat or stood quietly to the side, fearing that Xie Qinglan might also throw a knife at them.
He's blind; whoever gets stabbed by this knife is doomed.
Ye Chaoxi was dumbfounded, never expecting that the calm and aloof Xie Qinglan would suddenly launch an attack.
She doesn't seem to know Xie Qinglan very well.
After Princess Fushun's memorial tablet was brought up, Ye Chaoxi and Xie Qinglan offered tea to Marquis Yongyi and the tablet.
After serving tea and a brief introduction of their kinship, the two headed home.
Seeing Xie Qinglan walk away, everyone in the main hall breathed a sigh of relief.
Throughout this time, a malicious gaze remained fixed on Ye Chaoxi, staring at her graceful figure with greed in its eyes.
Lady Zhang noticed her son's gaze and warned him in a low voice, "Behave yourself. She is your sister-in-law. Don't try anything you shouldn't."
Xie Changyu pursed his lips, unconcerned.
Along the way, Ye Chaoxi pushed the wheelchair forward while whispering to Zhuo Qing, who was half a step behind.
"Is your young master so ill-tempered? Has the Lady of the Marquis done anything bad to him in the past?"
"Tell me about your young master's past."
Zhuo Qing frantically winked at Ye Chaoxi, her heart filled with tears.
My lady, you think you're speaking very softly, but the Crown Prince can hear you perfectly well!
Zhuo Qing hesitated and dared not speak.
Xie Qinglan, who was in front, suddenly spoke up, "No need to hide it from me, what can't you say?"
Seeing that Xie Qinglan did not object, Zhuo Qing was relieved and began to speak eloquently, "The young master's temper has become much more restrained than before. The year the young master lost his sight after being poisoned, he almost slaughtered the people in the main courtyard with his sword."
"There were also members of the second branch of the family who came to laugh at him, but they were all beaten up by the young master and dared not speak. They all thought the young master had gone mad. After that, they dared not ridicule him to his face, but only dared to do some small tricks behind his back, such as deducting the monthly allowance and food from Tinglan Garden. It was only because the young master has cultivated his character and temper a lot in the past few years that he stopped arguing with them."
"But today, when it came time to serve tea, Madam Zhang wanted to sit in the main seat and have the young master serve her tea. How could the young master not get angry?"
Xie Qinglan's face darkened. Was this all he wanted him to say?
Doesn't he have a single good past?
If Zhuo Qing reveals all this, how will Ye Chaoxi view him?
The two were completely oblivious to Xie Qinglan's dark expression, continuing their lively conversation in the back.
"So, it was Zhang who poisoned the young master?"
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