Qin Sheng arrived first and sat for a while before Ye Jiaoniang arrived. She wasn't showing yet and looked rather thin.
Madam Yin naturally knew why.
Wenxiao has stayed at Rainbow Courtyard five times in this period. However, the woman at Rainbow Courtyard is much better at dealing with people than Ye Jiaoniang. No matter what trouble she causes, she goes to Zhefang Courtyard to pay her respects and serve the mistress her meals the next day as usual.
"Why do you look so haggard?" Qin Sheng asked Ye Jiaoniang. "Are you not getting enough rest because you're pregnant?"
Ye Jiaoniang nodded and shook her head, saying only, "The morning sickness is quite severe, but the doctor said it will get better after the first three months."
Madam Yin said indifferently, "If you have severe morning sickness, you should rest in your room and not run around unnecessarily."
She naturally knew that Ye Jiaoniang had visited Rainbow Courtyard several times.
Whether she went in or not, Madam Yin did not know, but she did know that her son had stayed overnight at Rainbow Courtyard.
That Xue Mei is no pushover either.
She was already a lowly actress, and one whose body was already tainted.
The old lady originally thought that given her son's character and conduct, he would absolutely not approve of it, but who knew---
For families like theirs, even if they were to take a concubine, they would at least make sure she was a virgin.
At that time, the situation was unforgiving, so we accepted the offer. At worst, we could just send the person to the estate after the storm passed and let them live out their remaining days.
Unfortunately, Wenxiao has now run into that actor!
Madam Yin gets a headache just thinking about it. So many times, she doesn't know if Wenxiao made her drink the contraceptive soup.
As they were talking, Yin Wenxiao and Xuemei arrived.
Xue Mei was already petite, and dressed in a plain white dress, she looked even more delicate than Ye Jiao Niang.
Yin Wenxiao's expression was indifferent. When he came in, he deliberately kept his distance from Xuemei.
Xuemei then bowed respectfully to Madam Yin and Qin Sheng.
Everyone had their measurements taken and chose their fabric.
Qin Sheng still had matters to attend to at home, so she left after sitting for a short while.
Knowing that she was not favored by the old lady, Xuemei followed her.
She originally wanted to follow the lady and say a few words, but the lady walked quickly, and by the time she went out, the lady had already gone far away, so she had to give up.
Xuemei pursed her lips slightly, watching the lady's departing figure.
During this period, the Earl doted on her. After their first time, he even had someone prepare a contraceptive soup for her, but he didn't prepare one for the next few times.
I don't know if he forgot or...
And what about the lady?
Xuemei couldn't figure out what the madam meant. There was already one concubine in the mansion who was pregnant. Would the madam really allow a second concubine to get pregnant?
...
In the evening, Yin Wenxiao came to Zhefang Courtyard.
Qin Sheng had just finished her dinner.
As is her usual routine, she would take a bath after dinner, then read a book or storybook to relax before going to sleep.
But tonight, Yin Wenxiao came.
Qin Sheng couldn't figure out what was wrong with him this time, so she could only give a perfunctory reply: "Why has Lord Marquis come?"
"This is also my residence, can't I come?" Yin Wenxiao asked, raising an eyebrow.
Speaking of which, Zhefang Courtyard was their bridal chamber when they got married, but he only visited it very rarely.
In addition, when he first married Qin Sheng, Yin Wenxiao only had Ye Jiaoniang in his heart. In order to be 'worthy' of Ye Jiaoniang, he never even thought about consummating the marriage with Qin Sheng.
When did my mindset begin to change?
It was probably after he took up a position in the Hanlin Academy that he saw many colleagues who were meticulous during the day but indulged in sensual pleasures with women on both sides at night.
Many of the seemingly upright adults that Yin Wenxiao thought had an incredibly wide variety of ways of having sex with women in private.
It seems that someone like Yin Wenxiao, who is devoted to only one person, is truly an anomaly.
The first time he had physical intimacy with a woman other than Ye Jiaoniang was in a brothel.
At that time, because Ye Jiaoniang was pregnant, Yin Wenxiao had been holding back for a while. That night, he was dragged by several colleagues to drink with prostitutes. Later, for some reason, he got entangled with a prostitute.
The woman was still a virgin, a young and innocent girl.
Yin Wenxiao spent one hundred taels of silver to buy her virginity, and spent the night in a brothel making love with a stranger.
He also felt something for Xuemei that night when he was drunk.
Xuemei is no longer a virgin, but she is very good at serving people, especially in that area, where she can make people feel like they are in heaven.
Yin Wenxiao, having tasted the marrow, found it delicious.
He couldn't help but wonder, whether it was Jiao Niang or the other women he had slept with outside, or Xue Mei, they all gave him a different feeling. What about Qin Sheng?
Qin Sheng, who appears to be a dignified and refined young lady, what kind of charm does she possess in bed?
The more Yin Wenxiao thought about it, the hotter his body felt.
"...Lord?" Qin Sheng frowned. "What does Lord think?"
She had just asked about the renovation of the clan school, but Yin Wenxiao was preoccupied with other things and didn't hear her clearly.
"Oh? Oh, it's up to you."
Yin Wenxiao's throat moved, and he suddenly grabbed Qin Sheng's hand. "It's getting late, I'll stay here tonight."
"..."
Qin Sheng reacted almost reflexively, as if touched by something dirty, forcefully shaking off his hand.
Yin Wenxiao's expression changed, but before he could speak, his servant arrived.
"My lord, something has happened!"
The servant looked anxious and didn't even bother to bow. "Aunt Ye, Aunt Ye fell and is bleeding!"
"What did you say?!" Yin Wenxiao stood up abruptly.
The girl was carrying her eldest son, though he was born out of wedlock, he was still her first child!
"What's going on?" Yin Wenxiao turned around and strode out, his face grim.
They walked too fast for Qin Sheng to hear what the servant was saying. She frowned and called for Emerald to bring in a basin of water so she could wash her hands.
While washing her hands, Qin Sheng asked Qiao'er to go to Mingyue Pavilion to see what had happened.
Qiao'er returned after about 15 minutes, her face pale, as if she had been frightened.
"What happened?" Qin Sheng asked.
Qiao'er took a breath before saying, "Aunt Ye miscarried... It's said that when she was digesting her food in the courtyard last night, a wild cat suddenly pounced down from the roof, and Aunt Ye was so frightened that she fell..."
"..."
Why would there be stray cats in the manor out of nowhere?
Moreover, Qin Sheng remembered that throughout the year, there were always people in the mansion specifically responsible for driving away snakes, insects, rats, and ants, including stray cats.
She asked, "Does anyone in our household keep cats?"
Qiao'er thought for a moment and then shook her head.
Caiyue, who came in, hesitated for a moment before saying, "In the past... there was one, my great-aunt. She had a black cat with emerald eyes. It was so beautiful, and my great-aunt treasured it."
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