As the sun began to set, its dim, yellowish light streamed through the window and fell upon the vase on the tall table in the corner.
Shi Lan lazily got up, changed her clothes, and returned to Chunxi Hall.
Madam Qian remained seated in her proper place. It was unclear whether Qian Zhiqing had returned or not; when Shi Lan arrived, she was still sitting in the same spot as in the morning.
Upon seeing Shi Lan, Qian Zhiqing raised an eyebrow provocatively, but when she turned her face away, she had a gentle expression and a sorrowful demeanor.
Shi Lan raised an eyebrow slightly and stepped forward to greet him.
Madam Qian gave a perfunctory hum and ordered someone to set out the meal.
Shi Lan stood behind Qian Shi as usual, calmly serving her food.
The dinner menu included a few more dishes than the breakfast menu, giving Qian a reason to spend more time chewing slowly.
Qian Zhiqing, along with Madam Qian, slowly savored the food, as if what was in front of her was not a bland and tasteless dish of wood ear fungus and tofu, but a rare imperial banquet.
It gradually got dark outside the window. An old woman had already hung lanterns in the courtyard, but the night was so deep that even the brightest light could not penetrate into the house.
While Qian was still savoring her food, Shi Lan subtly moved her stiff legs, feeling a sharp, needle-like pain in her feet.
Qian Zhiqing noticed Shi Lan's movement, and a smile appeared on her lips. She turned her head and said, "Aunt, I think my sister-in-law is a little tired. Why don't you have someone remove these?"
Qian paused with her chopsticks, pushed away the half-bowl of steamed green rice beside her, and said without turning her head, "What do you say, Shi?"
Shi Lan grinned and said with a faint smile, "Serving the madam is what a junior should do. It's just a little tiring. How can we let the madam suffer from this?"
Shi Lan's unspoken meaning was quite obvious, but Madam Qian pretended not to know, pursed her lips, gave a deep "hmm", and pointed to the stir-fried vegetables next to her.
Shi Lan quickly picked up the plate placed in front of her.
Just as Qian was about to put the curtain away, the curtain was lifted from the outside, and Zhu Xian walked in with a dark expression.
Madam Qian quickly got up and went to greet him, saying, "Why didn't you say hello before coming, Lord Marquis?"
Because Qian Zhiqing came to report the death just as Zhu Yi was celebrating his wedding, Zhu Xian went from great joy to great sorrow. He immediately felt that her family was unlucky and hadn't given her a kind look since he heard the news.
Madam Qian thought that given Zhu Xian's personality, she wouldn't be able to see him again during the mourning period, but to her surprise, he came without a word just two days later.
Madam Qian was secretly delighted. After all, the Marquis still cared about her and couldn't bear to see her sad alone.
Zhu Xian had no idea what she was thinking. At this moment, he was staring at the food that had already solidified into fat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shi Lan standing by the table, her face pale and her body trembling as she bowed to him. He couldn't help but feel furious.
Turning his head, he immediately scolded Qian, who was strutting over, "What kind of feast do you want to be served like this?"
"My lord," Madam Qian cried out in a trembling voice, her face ashen and her body swaying precariously.
Zhu Xianli ignored the pleading in her eyes, pointed to the table, and shouted, "When you first entered the manor, did anyone set such rules for you?" He pointed out the window and said, "A meal that's already this late, are you planning to turn dinner into a midnight snack?"
Ms. Qian trembled, her heart filled with grievance.
When she first entered the household, no one set rules for her, but by then her pregnancy was already quite obvious, and later it became even more so…
Thinking of the son she had no chance with, Madam Qian was overcome with grief, and her eyes welled up with tears without her having to pretend: "I was confused, please forgive me, Your Highness."
She turned to Shi Lan and forced a smile, saying, "Shi, you should go back now. You've only just arrived at the manor, so rest well if there's nothing else to do. You don't need to come over again unless necessary."
Shi Lan bowed to the two of them and walked out, her steps faltering as she brushed against Qian Zhiqing's skirt.
Zhu Xian's gaze followed her direction and landed on Qian Zhiqing, who had been silent and almost invisible.
What are you doing here?
Qian Zhiqing gritted her teeth inwardly, knowing that Shi Lan had tricked her. She quickly pursed her lips and stepped forward, saying, "Aunt is in a bad mood. Zhiqing has come to keep Aunt company and talk to her."
Zhu Xian snorted and said, "You do have a filial heart," then turned his head away, neither saying he was leaving nor that he was staying.
Qian Zhiqing pursed her lips, gave a curtsy, and quietly withdrew.
After the curtain was lowered, he said, "I know you are saddened by the passing of the two old immortals of Mount Tai. You were already in poor health, so please take good care of yourself from now on. From now on, leave the affairs of the manor to your wife."
Qian, who had been keeping her head down, was shocked upon hearing this and quickly said, "No!"
Zhu Xian said coldly, "Why not?"
Qian choked up for a moment, then suddenly knelt down on the ground, crying.
"My lord, I have served you for more than ten years. Are you really so heartless as to not even leave me this little bit of dignity?" She covered her face, her voice somewhat muffled. "Rather than being manipulated by a junior, my lord would rather just take my life. That would be much more swift."
Zhu Xian was stunned, seemingly not expecting her to be so desperate.
Qian was already in tears, her whole body like a slender willow being swept by a gale, about to break.
Zhu Xian looked down for a while, and couldn't help but feel irritated.
The reason I suggested she relinquish power was simply because it was a thought that suddenly popped into my head after seeing that troublemaker.
He knew that he had just reprimanded her in front of everyone and embarrassed her, but did she not think that the daughter of the Shi family was so restless?
She tormented someone's daughter one minute, and the next minute they'd make things difficult for him. He did this simply because he didn't want this foolish woman to bring trouble to the Marquis's mansion, so why did it have to cost her her life?
After all, she was his wife of over ten years, and Zhu Xian still had feelings for her. However, over the years he had become accustomed to being pampered and coaxed, and it was not easy for him to lower his head and coax her.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
