Quarreling all the way, the two finally arrived at the Duke’s residence, just in time to run into Duchess Xu as she was heading out.
Duchess Xu squinted at them—well, now, after only half a day apart, the young couple’s relationship seemed to have warmed considerably. Looked like her hopes of holding a grandchild weren’t so far off. Her mood was pleasant until she noticed her son deliberately teasing Wen Ning. The girl, mindful of her presence, could only swallow her grievances.
Duchess Xu frowned. This rascal—when would he ever grow up?
Wen Ning stood obediently to the side, greeting her softly. “Good day, Mother.”
“Ah, Ning’er, so sweet.” She cast another glance at Shen Zhou, lounging carelessly, and scolded with disdain. “Mind the house properly, and don’t bully Ning’er.”
Shen Zhou snorted. The way his mother spoke was no different from Uncle Wang at the village gate telling his dog Laifu to guard the yard.
Once Duchess Xu left, Shen Zhou drawled lazily, “Come on then, young madam.”
Wen Ning nodded. “Lead the way, little Zhouzi.”
Shen Zhou: “…”
Forget it—he wouldn’t argue with a directionless fool.
Later, as they were eating supper, an attendant entered carrying a box.
“Your Lordship, Miss Qiao requests to see you.”
At the words, Shen Zhou’s chopsticks stilled. His voice sank. “What now?”
The attendant shook his head. “She said, once you see this, you’ll go to her.” He opened the nanmu box. Inside lay a jade pendant, green in color, clearly old. Its quality was decent, but for someone of Shen Zhou’s family, it was nothing remarkable.
Wen Ning thought: given Qiao Yanxin’s current situation in the teaching bureau, short on money, it wasn’t surprising she couldn’t afford finer jade. She leaned closer for a look—strangely, the pendant seemed familiar.
Before she could study it further, Shen Zhou’s face darkened. He shut the box and ordered in a low voice, “Tell her I’ll come later.”
The officer obeyed, but cast Wen Ning an apologetic glance.
That Miss Qiao really was something—summoning the heir right in front of his wife, trying to pry her husband away. If the lady remembered this and sought revenge later, he’d be the first to suffer. Truly, being a guard had no future!
Shen Zhou hesitated, unsure how to speak to Wen Ning.
But Wen Ning didn’t dwell on it. She only said gently, “The night air is cool. Remember to take an extra coat when you go out, my lord.”
Wen Ning herself was almost moved by those words. What a virtuous, understanding wife she was!
Unfortunately, Shen Zhou only cast her a glance and gave a cold snort. “Is that all? Don’t you have anything else to say to me?”
What—was she supposed to wish him sweet dreams? Wen Ning thought for a moment. Could it be… was he trying to ask her for money?
She vaguely remembered that in her past life, Shen Zhou had spent all his money on Qiao Yanxin. Supporting someone in the teaching bureau wasn’t cheap. Resolute, she opened her little purse, pulled out five taels of silver with a pained expression, and said, “This is all I have. My lord, spend it sparingly.”
Shen Zhou nearly choked with fury.
After he left, Xiao Tao grew anxious. “Miss, this won’t do.”
Wen Ning, gnawing on a braised pig’s trotter, looked at her blankly. “What’s wrong?”
Xiao Tao spoke earnestly. “You need to keep the heir here!” She bit her lip, then blurted out, “Right now, everyone outside is saying that since your marriage, you and the heir still haven’t… consummated.”
Wen Ning stayed silent, continuing to chew her trotter.
Seeing her mistress so quiet, Xiao Tao regretted speaking and quickly changed the subject. “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have upset you. But, Miss—didn’t that jade pendant the officer brought look familiar?”
Wen Ning lifted her eyes. “You thought so too?”
Xiao Tao brightened. “Yes! The lotus design on it—I’ve seen it before. Oh, that’s right!”
She slapped her thigh. “Miss, that pendant was yours.”
Wen Ning: “Mine?”
Xiao Tao reminded her, “Lord Wen gave it to you for your seventh birthday. You treasured it, but one day after playing outside, you came back saying you’d lost it.”
Wen Ning remembered now. No wonder it had looked familiar—it was hers. She recalled that day: Madam Xu had taken her to offer incense. On the way home, they met a dark, skinny boy, lost and crying as though he’d lost his parents. Wen Ning couldn’t bear it. She soothed him patiently and even shared two pieces of her osmanthus cake. The boy ate while sobbing, telling her his story. His father said he lacked manliness, always clinging to his mother, so he dragged him to the army camp. But he was only ten—how could he endure military training? Every day before dawn, his father forced him up to drill. In the heat, he couldn’t eat, yet still had to train under the blazing sun. From a once-handsome child, he was worn down into a skinny, dark little monkey. He cried to his father but was ignored. So, at last, the boy made a bold decision: he would run away. He wanted to go home to his mother. He couldn’t stand another day in the camp. But clever as he was, he was still only ten. Soon, he got lost. Hungry and frightened, he met Wen Ning.
The moment Shen Zhou first saw her, he froze, forgetting even to cry. The little girl was pure and lovely, dressed in pale green gauze, her face milky-white like jade, dimples faintly showing, her voice sweet enough to melt into the heart. She comforted him gently: “Don’t be afraid, brother. I’ll have Uncle Lin take you home.”
And she shared her osmanthus cake. He said it was the best thing he had ever eaten.
Memories surged back, and Wen Ning pressed her brow. She never imagined that the ragged little beggar she had once helped would turn out to be the heir of the Duke’s household.
That day, Shen Zhou had cried himself to sleep, and she asked Uncle Lin to drop him at the gate. Both she and Uncle Lin had assumed he was just a child from a nearby small family. Who would have thought that the heir of the Duke’s household could look like such a scrawny, ugly monkey? And in helping him, she had lost her beloved jade pendant, searched for it in vain, and even been scolded by Wen Zheng. But how had that pendant ended up in Qiao Yanxin’s hands?
Clearly, this matter needed to be investigated.