He was ruthless on the battlefield, having beheaded enemy commanders and stained his hands with countless blood.
In the treacherous court, he remained aloof and upright, unaware of how many enemies he had already made.
If Wen Ning heard these things, she would likely be frightened. Xie Jinglan decided to drop the subject with her.
Lowering his head, he saw the slight frown between her brows and sighed regretfully, “I had planned to take you to Wanwei Jiahui the day after tomorrow, but it seems that won’t be possible now.”
“Wanwei Jiahui?”
Wen Ning’s lashes fluttered, and she couldn’t help leaning forward, almost nestling into his embrace. “Does the Marquis mean… you’ll take this servant out of the estate?”
Xie Jinglan saw the sudden sparkle in her eyes, nodded, then shook his head.
Wen Ning grew anxious, kneeling up on the bed with her knees. “What does the Marquis mean? Will you take this servant or not?”
Xie Jinglan instinctively reached to steady her waist. Seeing her so flustered, he tapped her forehead with a bent finger. “I had intended to take you, but seeing you unwell, I’ve changed my mind.”
Wen Ning refused to let such a good opportunity slip away. She tugged lightly at the Marquis’s sleeve and pleaded, “This servant will be better by tomorrow. Please, Marquis, please take this servant…”
Xie Jinglan had never seen her act so coquettishly before. His eyes darkened instantly as his large hand clasped her wrist, flipping her over and pinning her beneath him. “In this Marquis’s opinion, there’s no need to wait until tomorrow. You’re already better now.”
His dark eyes now swirled with an unusual intensity, and Wen Ning immediately sensed something amiss.
Her wrists were pinned above her head, the smooth sleeves sliding down to her elbows, revealing slender, fair arms that glowed softly in the candlelight.
Wen Ning’s waist arched helplessly, her body forced into a revealing curve.
The thin inner robe already concealed little, yet it had unknowingly slipped open another half-inch.
She turned her face away in shame, her ears flushed crimson as if about to bleed.
This position was far too humiliating. He hadn’t done anything excessive—merely looking at her like this made her voice tremble uncontrollably. “Marquis… the Marquis said earlier that you wouldn’t touch this servant today…”
Xie Jinglan watched the fine hairs on her skin rise with shame and couldn’t help curling his lips. “This Marquis said I wouldn’t touch you, but I never said I wouldn’t look…”
His gaze swept over her inch by inch.
Slow.
Greedy.
Cruel.
Until dewdrops gathered on her lashes and her entire body grew soft under the heat of his gaze.
Only then did he release his grip, sliding his hand beneath her waist to pull her into his embrace.
Her pale fingers clutched tightly at his inner robe, a delicate flush spreading from her ears down to her neck.
Her trembling body, mingled with damp, ragged breaths, buried her face deep into his chest.
Just being looked at by him felt like enduring a silent siege.
Xie Jinglan felt they had tormented each other once again. His jade thumb ring gently grazed her crimson earlobe as he coaxed, “This Marquis will take you, alright?”
Wen Ning bit her lip, her small hand clutching his inner robe curling into a tiny fist. For the first time, she overstepped her bounds and struck his shoulder.
His muscles were firm, and her blow felt like a mere tickle. Instead, he seized her fist and chuckled softly, “You’ve grown bold, daring to strike this Marquis.”
Then, leaning close to her ear, he enunciated each word deliberately, “You… are… so… beautiful…”
"You—!" Wen Ning's mind was set ablaze by those words, crackling with sparks of embarrassment that left her speechless. She could only clench her fists and give him another light punch.
In the end, he could no longer bear to torment her and let her rest in his embrace.
He watched as her eyelashes ceased their faint trembling, until her breathing gradually evened out.
Wen Ning slept until the hour of Chen, waking to find Xie Jinglan had already left for Jingjun Jiaochang.
Sitting curled up on the bed, she suddenly let out a soft sigh, propping her elbows on her knees and cupping her chin in her palms, unable to believe what she had done the day before.
Two maidservants, hearing movement inside the room, entered the inner chamber carrying clothes.
"We are here to assist the young lady in dressing."
Wen Ning slowly shifted to sit at the edge of the bed, suddenly feeling somewhat uneasy. She spoke gently to the two maidservants, "You may just leave the clothes here. We are all servants here; there's no reason for you to wait on me."
The two maidservants showed no intention of leaving. They exchanged a glance, their expressions troubled. "The Marquis specifically instructed before he left that the young lady is not to do anything today, only to rest."
Wen Ning smiled and said, "Don't worry, just leave the clothes here. I won't say anything to the Marquis."
Only then did the maidservants obey, setting down the clothes and withdrawing.
Just as Wen Ning had finished arranging her garments, Nanny Xue brought over the morning meal.
Seeing this, Wen Ning hurried forward to take the food. "How could I trouble Nanny to personally deliver the meal?"
A hint of a knowing smile appeared on Nanny Xue's face as she said, "I saw the maidservants bringing food here and thought I'd come see you. You must have been exhausted with the Marquis last night, weren't you?"
Wen Ning caught the implication in her words and felt her face flush with heat.
"Nanny, it's not what you think. I saw the Marquis in such agony, and since I have some knowledge of medicine, I know how to alleviate the symptoms when the poison flares up. That's why I thought to perform acupuncture and bloodletting for the Marquis."
"Oh my, our Wen Ning is shy. Nanny knows you did it for the Marquis's sake. But Nanny has been through it all; what could I not understand? Could the poison flare-up really last all night? There's no need to be embarrassed in front of me. Though it may seem like the men do all the work in such matters, it's us women who bear the exhaustion."
Wen Ning's cheeks grew even redder upon hearing this. "Nanny… you're teasing me again."
After finishing the morning meal, Wen Ning remained unsettled, contemplating the various possibilities of the coming days.
She pursed her lips lightly and looked at Nanny Xue. "Nanny, if I were to do something wrong in the future, would you blame me?"
"What could you possibly do wrong, such a well-behaved child?"
Wen Ning lowered her long lashes and sighed softly. "I always feel that one day I will do something wrong… If that day comes, Nanny must believe that Wen Ning had no choice."
Nanny Xue understood well that in the inner chambers of the manor, every woman newly favored by her master lived in constant fear, terrified of taking a single misstep and losing that favor. Thinking Wen Ning was troubled by this, she comforted her, "You have the Marquis's favor now. Just focus on serving him well. If you can bear him a son or daughter in the future, you'll have secured your footing, and no one will dare look down on you."
The fact that Xie Jinglan's poisoning had left him unable to conceive children was known only to Nanny Zhou beside Old Madam among the servants of Hou Manor; the others were unaware. Thus, Nanny Xue spoke these words.
Hearing this, Wen Ning thought, if the child in her womb were the Marquis's…
No! No! What was she thinking? How could that be possible!
It was merely a delusion born of her desire to escape reality!
A couple of days ago, Nanny Xue had inadvertently noticed Wen Ning’s slightly protruding belly and assumed she had simply indulged in too much food. Now, seeing her in such a state, she couldn’t help but ponder more deeply.
She had previously asked Wen Ning about the date she entered the manor. Calculating it now, could it be that she was already carrying the Marquis’s child, yet feared that without a proper status, she would be unable to protect the child, and thus dared not speak of it?
Thinking this, Nanny Xue turned to Wen Ning and said, “If there is anything, you can tell the Marquis. He will protect you in all matters. If it’s inconvenient to speak directly with the Marquis, you can confide in an old woman like me.”