Xin He almost spat out the mouthful of tea she was drinking, and hurriedly handed the teacup to Xiaoyu, "Put this away in the cupboard."
Unable to resist, Xiaoyu burst out laughing: "Madam, you did not seem so panicky when you asked your servant for the cold tea earlier."
Xin He glared at her: "Hurry up! If he finds out, I’ll definitely get you involved."
Xiaoyu went pale: "Madam, you promised not to implicate me."
"I’ve changed my mind."
At this point Xiaoyu dared not delay, she hurriedly packed away the items, fearing they might implicate her.
Fortunately, Xiaoyu acted quickly and managed to hide the teacup in a small closet just before Marquis Mu Houchu entered the room. The teacup would cool down soon and the secret would remain unnoticed.
With a sequence of "Greetings, my lord."
Mu Houchu strode into the room.
Xin He said with a smile: "You’re back? I heard that you were out all day today, did you have anything urgent to attend to?"
"Nothing much, just some small issues with the Prefecture."
Now that Mu Houchu bore the title of Prince Pingyang, the entire Yu State was his domain, so naturally, he had to look into any issues that arose.
However, he didn’t want to share these matters and trouble Xin He. His wife was already busy enough with the Flower House all day, he couldn’t bear to burden her with these trivial matters.
As Mu Houchu spoke, he unconsciously squeezed her palm. Xin He wanted to ask more questions, after all Mu Houchu never let her worry about anything, so she couldn’t be too comfortable.
Unexpectedly, Mu Houchu suddenly frowned: "Why are your hands so cold?"
Xin He flinched, but she suppressed her panic and casually replied, "Oh? Are they? Perhaps because I washed my hands with cold water earlier."
Bad luck! She had just held the cold teacup, which must have cooled down her hands. However, considering the hot weather, she didn’t suspect anything and slipped up.
"How could cold water chill your hands so much in this heat?"
Xin He blinked: "Are they very cold?"
Mu Houchu’s eyes swept over the table, and he chillingly looked at her: "How long have you been home?"
Xin He didn’t understand the meaning behind his question. Though she was good at understanding others, she felt she was clueless in front of this man. She bit her lip and cautiously said, "About half an hour, why?"
A cold smile spread across Mu Houchu’s face: "You’ve been at home for so long and you didn’t even serve any tea?"
Wide-eyed, Xin He feigned calmness: "I wasn’t thirsty!"
Mu Houchu squeezed her hand slightly: "Oh? You ran around outside all day in this heat, and you don’t want a cup of tea when you get home. Is it that you’re not thirsty, or did those servants forget their duties?"
At his words, Xiaoyu turned pale and knelt down hastily: "Your servant wouldn’t dare."
Mu Houchu raised an eyebrow: "Where’s the tea then?"
Xin He desperately made eye contact with Xiaoyu, but this usually clever maid was panicking and rarely thinking to meet Xin He’s gaze. Mu Houchu’s intimidation seemed to force a confession out of her: "It’s in, in, in..."
"It’s brewing!" Xin He rushed to cut off Xiaoyu’s stutters and responded with a nervous laugh.
Mu Houchu glanced at Xiaoyu, immediately getting a grasp of the situation, and calmly said, "You may leave."
Upon hearing that, Xiaoyu felt as though she had been pardoned, and she hurriedly rushed out.
Once the room door closed, Mu Houchu raised his lip, his expression a mixture of amusement and sarcasm: "You’ve started lying to me now?"
Xin He clenched her teeth and shook her head, "No!"
"Are you waiting for me to order someone to find the cold tea in your room?"
Only then did Xin He back down and grabbed his sleeve to plead: "I only drank one cup, and you came back before I could finish it."
Mu Houchu gripped her chin: "How many cups in total?"
Xin He had no choice but to answer honestly: "Three."
Mu Houchu shook his head in frustration, scolding her: "Why are you so fond of cold drinks? Last time you drank too much iced tea, you coughed all night. Do you think your body can take that? Now you’re acting even more childish!"
Xin He weakly replied: "I didn’t cough all night."
Mu Houchu’s eyes chill, taking her immediate backtracking as admission: "Alright, alright, I understand my mistake. I won’t drink it anymore!"
Seeing her looking so wronged, Mu Houchu’s face softened significantly. He felt a sense of powerlessness. She had definitely learnt how to deal with him.
This mischievous little girl has gone from being completely helpless and frustrated in his presence a year ago, to openly committing errors and yet, daringly pretending to be innocent. Who would believe it?
She’s truly his nemesis. Completely under her control, he was no longer able to resist.
"Can I even trust you anymore?" Mu Houchu’s words contradicted his softened expression.
Xin He clearly sensed the shift and became more arrogant: "Look how Xiaoyu and Shulan take your words more seriously than mine. How dare I not obey?"
While speaking, she grumbled: "If this continues, it would be better for me not to keep maids."
"Your bet today with her was quite successful. If it wasn’t for the coldness I sensed from your hands, I probably wouldn’t have discovered it," Mu Houchu critically responded. "In the future, if you want to hide something from me, won’t it be as easy as flipping your hand?"
"I just snuck a few sips of iced tea behind your back, what else could I hide from you?" Xin He said laughing, this man can be so petty!
But Mu Houchu just snorted lightly and stopped talking.
What if other men start to have their sights set on her and she hides it from him too? Would he be completely ignorant then?
However, he couldn’t disclose these thoughts to his wife. If he did, she would definitely say that he was overthinking.
Whether he was overthinking or not, he knew very well. With a swift move, he then pulled her into his arms: "Never mind. Do not repeat this, don’t drink too much ice again. Take good care of your body during the summer to avoid complications in winter."
This little woman really didn’t give him peace of mind.
Xin He repeatedly assured him, knowing that if she didn’t agree, there would be no end to this.
——
The preparations at Flower House were going smoothly. Gui Lin Residence was covertly assisting the Flower House to hide its activities. Until Xin He made an announcement, the Flower House could only make it seem as though everything was falling apart to deceive the public.
Though Shopkeeper Wu was cooperating, he was actually worried and frequently came to consult with Xin He.
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