Chapter 3 The Marquis has a hidden illness
She hurriedly stepped forward and bowed politely, saying respectfully, "I am here, Madam, please give me your instructions."
"Go to the kitchen and start by making the fire. Don't underestimate this job. There are many tricks to it. Be careful."
"yes."
Wen Ning was about to leave when Nanny Li suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"What an ignorant servant! No wonder you looked so fair and tender in the woodshed. You must have been wearing rouge and powder! Do you know what would happen if your rouge and powder fell on the master's food while you were working in the kitchen? Also, what was your intention in dressing like this? Are you relying on your good looks to seduce the master as soon as you arrive at the mansion? How could you possibly dream of our Marquis?"
"Mammy, I didn't." Wen Ning was confused and at a loss because of the injustice she received from this series of sudden questions.
"No? Then where does the fragrance on your body come from?!"
It turned out to be because of the fragrance on her body, but this fragrance had been there since she was born. Her mother said it was a natural body odor and not something she did intentionally.
She knelt hurriedly to explain: "Madam, please understand, this servant..."
Before she could finish her words, Nanny Li picked up a basin of cold water from the maid who was cleaning nearby and poured it in her face.
"You still dare to quibble? I think you won't cry until you see the coffin! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you won't remember the rules of the kitchen!"
The wet clothes clung to her body, and Wen Ning couldn't help shivering.
"What's all the commotion?"
A cold shout silenced Nanny Li. Everyone looked at the newcomer and knelt down.
"Greetings, Lord..."
Nanny Li knelt at the front, conscious of her unwavering devotion to her master. Even when addressing the Marquis, she spoke earnestly: "My Lord, this new slave, serving in the kitchen, dares to put on makeup. I am setting the rules for her."
Wen Ning felt a shadow looming over her. The fingers in her sleeves clenched slightly and she held her breath involuntarily.
The rumors about Xie Jinglan, Marquis of Anyuan, are truly frightening.
It was said that he had been accompanying his father into battle since he was twelve years old, and wherever his silver spear struck, blood would be seen. Most horrifyingly, he would always take the heads of enemy generals in every battle, tying them to his saddle with reins. When he returned to the capital, he would always drag a few hideous heads behind his horse.
"Raise your head." The man ordered in a deep voice.
Wen Ning slowly raised her head and saw the man in front of her standing tall, with eyebrows as dark as a solitary mountain, eyes as black as ink, a nose as sharp as a knife, and thin lips tightly pressed into a cold and hard line. It was indeed as the rumors said, Xie Jinglan had a handsome face but carried a murderous aura.
She was about to explain but swallowed it back.
Xie Jinglan's eyes moved slightly. A maidservant actually looked like this...
Wen Ning's long hair was wet and stuck to her fair cheeks and neck. Drops of water dripped from the ends of her hair and slid down her pointed chin. Her eyelashes trembled, and her clear eyes looked pitiful.
The soaked plain dress clung to her skin, outlining her slender shoulders and slender waist. She looked like a jasmine flower after the rain, with a startling beauty in its mess.
This kind of demeanor not only does not make him look embarrassed, but instead adds a bit of pitiful charm.
When had Xie Jinglan's eyes ever stayed on a woman? The woman in the thatched hut suddenly appeared in his mind, and he suddenly felt that he might be crazy.
"absurd!"
He sneered coldly, looking down at the soaked woman in front of him, with a barely perceptible fluctuation in his eyes.
"I...know my mistake." Wen Ning's slender body trembled slightly, and she clutched the wet corner of her clothes tightly.
"Go back and change your clothes." Xie Jinglan didn't know where his anger came from. He just felt very uncomfortable with the feeling of being manipulated.
The shock she had received over the past few days had made Wen Ning feel somewhat dazed. She had actually managed to save her life from the hands of this marquis who was rumored to be a murderer.
"This servant...I will go right away."
She hadn't eaten for two days. She couldn't stand being hungry since she was pregnant, and the cold water made her feel dizzy. She shook her body and fell down softly. Before falling, she subconsciously covered her lower abdomen with her hands.
Xie Jinglan's eyes darkened, and he was about to step forward, but was stopped by the nanny.
"My Lord, please don't be fooled by this lowly servant. I've seen this kind of person many times. She must be pretending to win your pity. Please don't fall for her tricks. I'll have her carried back to her room right now!"
When Wen Ning opened her eyes again, she was lying on the bed in the servant's room, and she had changed into dry coarse cloth clothes.
Before she could get up, a round face suddenly came up to her: "Sister, you're awake. I just changed your clothes."
The little girl was about twelve or thirteen years old, her hair tied in a crooked bun, her cheeks stained with ash. In her hand, she held a bowl of ginger soup. "Sister, drink this bowl of ginger soup quickly, and then eat something. The bowl of food on the table is what I secretly left for you."
"Thank you." Wen Ning thanked him and stood up to take the bowl of steaming ginger soup.
As soon as she moved, she felt the pain deep in her skin and flesh, like a poisonous snake, winding up along her spine, contracting with every breath, causing her to suddenly tense her shoulder blades.
Nanny Li was extremely ruthless.
"Sister, you must never use rouge and powder again. Madam Li is not easy to deal with. The other day I was half an hour late in making medicine for the Marquis and was beaten with three boards. If the Marquis hadn't happened to pass by today, I'm afraid you wouldn't have escaped punishment either."
Wen Ning nodded helplessly: "Okay, I understand."
She paused briefly and then asked, "What illness has the Marquis suffered from? Does he need to take medicine every day?"
When she looked at Xie Jinglan today, he didn't seem like a sick person.
"I don't know what it is either. I just know it's a strange illness, but I can't identify the symptoms." Chun Xing lowered her voice and leaned close to Wen Ning's ear. "It's probably infertility. The old lady burns incense and prays to Buddha all day, praying to God to give the Xie family a son."
Chun Xing was young after all, so she listened to everything and thought her analysis was reasonable.
It was originally a hidden disease. When Wen Ning followed the lame master at the foot of the mountain to diagnose patients, he had met many men who seemed to be strong but were actually empty inside.
Although she knew a little about prescriptions, she, a servant, had no right to interfere in this matter. She secretly guessed her master's hidden illness and wondered if he was tired of living. She knew very well that she was now in the Marquis' Mansion and should not be kind-hearted.
Wen Ning looked around and saw that although the room was not big, it was simply and neatly arranged. Two narrow couches stood opposite each other, with a small square table in the middle, and two camphorwood boxes stood side by side in the corner.
"Sister Tangli went to serve the old lady, and the other sisters all disliked my nighttime farting, teeth grinding, and snoring, and didn't want to share a room with me. From now on, I'll have to bother you."
Wen Ning smiled slightly: "It's okay, you can just call me Wen Ning from now on. I don't know what your name is."
"Sister Wen Ning, my name is Chun Xing."
Wen Ning drank the ginger soup and was really hungry, so she picked up the bowl of food on the table and started eating.
The cabbage, tofu and vermicelli were stewed until they were soft, and two slices of pork belly could be found inside. I ate it with a steamed bun made of two-grain flour and finished it in no time. Only then did I feel like I was alive again.
While Chun Xing was not paying attention, she stretched out three fingers of her right hand and gently placed them on the fair wrist of her left hand.
Her pulse was smooth and fluent, like beads rolling on a plate. It seemed that the little life was still stubbornly existing in her body.
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