Little did he know that his words were truly adding fuel to the fire. Xie Yurou’s gaze toward Xiaolian instantly turned fierce and ruthless.
However, having been meticulously raised by Madam Xie, although she inwardly wished to immediately beat to death this lowly woman who dared to seduce the Heir Apparent, she wanted even less to lose his heart.
Xie Yurou lowered her head and touched her belly. After a long while, she finally spoke with a look of desolation: “Since the Heir likes her, then let her stay. It’s just that Xiaolian’s status is rather low. If the Heir wishes for her to bear children, why not elevate her to a Yiniang?”
Xiaolian, who was being held down by the matrons, immediately brightened up. Ignoring the pain from the beating, she looked at the Heir with an expectant expression.
That affectionate, tender look made Xie Yurou feel nauseous. A mere maidservant actually dared to dream of bearing the Heir’s child. Xie Yujing, who had been standing quietly behind Xie Yurou all along, looked at Xiaolian as if she were already a dead person.
In Qing’an Marquis Manor, no one understood Xie Yurou better than she did. Seemingly magnanimous in proposing to elevate Xiaolian to a Yiniang, in reality, from the moment she uttered those words, regardless of the Heir’s response, this fool named Xiaolian would not live long.
Xie Yurou actually took the initiative to propose elevating Xiaolian to a Yiniang. Many of the young, pretty maidservants in the courtyard exchanged glances. Unexpectedly, the Heir seemed not to notice Xiaolian’s pitiful, pleading gaze and said gently to Xie Yurou:
“Madam is magnanimous, but I am not so foolish. For a maidservant, being a bed-warming maid is already elevating her status. Madam, please handle the matter as you see fit.”
After saying this, the Heir flicked his sleeve and left. No one knew what he meant by making this special trip.
He seemed to be pleading for Xiaolian, yet he refused Xie Yurou’s proposal to elevate her to a Yiniang, and simply left her in Xie Yurou’s courtyard. The gentle and beautiful confidante of last night seemed to wither away all at once.
Xie Yurou was also confused by the Heir’s actions, but she felt more joy than anything else.
She loved the Heir; seeing him brought her happiness, and she wanted him to be devoted to her for a lifetime.
Although she felt displeased when he barged into her courtyard to plead for a maidservant, his two sentences made her heart flutter with excitement.
Xie Yurou turned to look at Xie Yujing behind her and asked, thinking she was speaking softly: “What does the Heir mean by this?”
Seeing the blush on Xie Yurou’s cheeks, Xie Yujing followed her wishes and said with a smile: “Madam, the Heir Apparent values you greatly. Perhaps you have been too busy nurturing your pregnancy these past few days and have neglected him. From now on, you must show him more care and attention.”
Xie Yujing’s words precisely captured Xie Yurou’s thoughts. The smile on her lips could no longer be hidden, and seeing Xiaolian kneeling pitifully in the courtyard no longer annoyed her as much.
She waved her hand, a gentle smile curling at the corner of her mouth: “Enough. Since the Heir likes her, then administer the medicine and let her continue serving by the Heir’s side as before.”
The medicine she spoke of now was naturally not the Anti-conception Decoction, but the sterility drug that could directly prevent Xiaolian from ever conceiving.
Xiaolian immediately collapsed to the ground, as if only now realizing what a foolish move she had made.
She tried to rush forward to plead for mercy but was firmly held down by two stout, broad-shouldered matrons. A bowl of already cooled bitter medicinal decoction was forcibly poured down her throat.
After the medicine was administered, the courtyard fell into complete silence. All the servants lowered their heads, not daring to look at the scene unfolding before them.
Xie Yurou was quite satisfied with the effect of today’s example-setting punishment. Speaking of which, she had to thank that fool Xiaolian. The heir’s unparalleled grace inevitably attracted admirers. The two women her mother-in-law had given were temporarily untouchable, but with Xiaolian’s precedent set here, at least until she successfully gave birth to a child, no one would dare harbor any other ideas.
Xie Yurou was right. The events in the courtyard were spread by the servants.
In the rear courtyard, the two women the Marquise had sent to the heir sat together uneasily, talking. One of them, dressed in green, was quite indignant: “She herself is pregnant and cannot serve the heir, yet she won’t allow us to approach him either. This is too domineering.”
The woman in a pink dress was plucking a brightly blooming flower in her hand. Hearing this, she lazily tore off a petal and threw it on the ground before saying:
“Although we were given by the Marquise, when it comes down to it, we’re just maidservants. Naturally, whatever the wife of the heir says goes. I advise you, sister, to behave yourself as well. Drinking the Anti-conception Decoction is just drinking it.”
It’s better than having a bowl of Sterility drug forced down your throat.
The green-clad woman felt utterly defeated upon hearing this. She genuinely liked the heir.
People are greedy. In the past, knowing her lowly status, she only dared to watch and yearn from afar. Finally, she waited until the heir married a noble lady from a prominent family, and she herself was sent by the Marquise to serve the heir.
Having gained the heir’s favor, she greedily wanted a little more—she wanted the heir to spend an extra night in her room, and she wanted a child who looked exactly like the heir.
The thought of being able to bear the heir’s child made the green-clad woman feel that even death would be worth it.
But now, the mistress of the mansion had made it clear that wanting to have a child was nothing but wishful thinking. How could this not be distressing?
The pink-clad woman could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression. If not for fearing that this person might do something foolish and implicate her, she really couldn’t be bothered to offer advice.
A man like the heir was both affectionate and fickle. The child in the wife of the heir’s belly was the legitimate heir, noble in status, and would be able to associate with other young nobles like him in the future. Did they really think someone like him would care about children born from maidservants like them?
The pink-clad woman saw things clearly, but people are often blinded by illusions in life. Only when death comes and matters fade can one truly see through them.
……..
Sister-in-law Qiao took Xie Linlang’s matter to heart. In just a day or two, she brought back a puppy that had just turned one month old from her own family.
Xie Linlang took the basket and looked inside, feeling very pleased. She smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, you’ve picked the strongest one for me.”
The puppy was black and yellow, and the most distinctive feature was the two tufts of yellow fur above its large, watery eyes, which looked as if they had been painted on. At first glance, it seemed as if the dog had four eyes.
The little fellow was chubby and not afraid of strangers. It wiggled its plump little bottom and short, stubby limbs, trying to climb out of the basket.
No one could dislike such a little creature, and Xie Linlang felt her heart melting with adoration.
Seeing that she genuinely liked it, Sister-in-law Qiao was also happy. She reached out and stroked the puppy’s soft back: “As long as you like it. This really is the strongest one from that litter. The original owner wanted to keep it for themselves, but I insisted on taking it.
My parents also said that this kind of Four-eyed dog is the most loyal. If you raise it well, it will be very capable at guarding the door when it grows up.”
Xie Linlang agreed and went inside to pack some grain for Sister-in-law Qiao, also taking the opportunity to wrap up a portion of the pastries she had bought from the street.
The grain was naturally for the dog’s owner, while the pastries were for Sister-in-law Qiao to take home and treat her children, Daya and her younger brother.
Seeing Xie Linlang honestly fill a cloth bag with grain, Sister-in-law Qiao hurriedly refused, saying, “Why so much? Put some back quickly.”
But Xie Linlang paid no heed. The puppy was so sturdy, clearly well-raised by its owner. Nowadays, even raising a cat required giving something in return, let alone such a large puppy.
Moreover, in this scorching heat, she couldn’t let Sister-in-law Qiao make the trip for nothing.