Wen Ning shook her head helplessly and placed a hand on Young Master Liu’s wrist. His pulse manifestation was erratic, now racing, now halting, like a dying sparrow pecking at grains.
Sure enough, in less than an hour, Young Master Liu passed away.
Instead of an auspicious marriage, it became a funeral. The Liu family wailed and cursed, harboring deep resentment toward her.
They called her a celestial doom star, claiming she had brought death upon her husband the moment she married into the family.
Even after cursing her, their anger remained unappeased. Deciding to go all the way, they sold Wen Ning into servitude at the Hou Manor.
The Granny Li before her was a distant relative of the Liu family. The Lius had specifically instructed her not to show any courtesy to such a broom star—it would be best to make her life a living hell.
That was why this Granny Li dared to act so brazenly toward her.
Wen Ning hurriedly stood up, but having gone without food for two days, her vision darkened in waves. She tried to reach out for support but accidentally knocked over a nearby pile of firewood, scattering dry sticks noisily across the floor.
“How dare you! You still dare to show attitude toward me! I’ll teach you a lesson, you little wretch!” Granny Li’s triangular eyes flashed with a blade-like ferocity as she swung the fire poker with a whoosh toward Wen Ning’s back.
Once, twice, three times…
Wen Ning first felt her skin and flesh go numb, followed by waves of pain exploding through her. Like a wounded little animal, whimpers escaped through her clenched teeth, impossible to suppress no matter how hard she bit her lip.
“Granny, spare me! I didn’t, I wouldn’t dare show attitude toward you…”
Granny Li finally stopped, her sharp, mean eyes scrutinizing Wen Ning from head to toe.
When the Liu family sent her over yesterday, it was already dark, and she hadn’t gotten a clear look at this broom star’s appearance. Now, upon closer inspection, despite her weariness, an undeniable beauty shone through—a slender, well-proportioned figure, a waist so narrow it seemed one could encircle it with a single hand, and a delicate, lovely face as beautiful as a freshly bloomed jasmine, exuding a fragrant, jade-like tenderness just at a glance.
Granny Li snorted coldly and jabbed the fire poker hard into Wen Ning’s shoulder. “The Liu family must have sold you to the wrong place. They should’ve sold you to a brothel instead, judging by your seductive appearance! Broom star! Little widow! Now that you’ve entered the Hou Manor, you’d better recognize your place. Under my watch, behave yourself and don’t stir up any trouble with improper ideas!”
Wen Ning’s lips paled from the pain, but she forced herself to reply, “Granny, rest assured, I will obey.”
…
In Yifu Hall, the Old Madam of the Hou Manor knelt on a cushion embroidered with the “Hundred Sons, Thousand Grandsons” pattern, her hands pressed together in prayer.
“Greatly compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, have pity on the sole heir of my Xie family. Bless my grandson, Xie Jinglan, to carry on the family line for the Hou Manor. If you grant my Xie family a precious son, this old woman is willing to shorten her own life by ten years…”
The Anyuan Marquis Manor had generations of loyalty and bravery, its legacy built on iron horses and golden spears, with countless achievements to its name. Yet, the family line remained sparse, with more clothes tombs enshrined in the ancestral hall than living descendants.
By this generation, the only male heir left in the manor was a single seedling—Xie Jinglan.
Xie Jinglan had already achieved remarkable military feats by the age of twenty-one. At an age when he should have been spirited and ambitious, he unexpectedly fell victim to a mysterious poison and nearly lost his life. Though he survived by sheer luck, the physician declared—he might never father children in his lifetime.
Xie Jinglan had grown up under his grandmother’s care, and Old Madam Xie doted on him deeply. Hearing the physician’s words struck her like a thunderbolt. She spent her days weeping, seeking blessings from gods and Buddhas everywhere, praying only that the Xie family’s bloodline would not be severed.
But how could Old Madam Xie know that while she was worrying herself gray, the Xie family's bloodline had already taken root and sprouted within Wen Ning's womb…
Xie Jinglan, having endured a night of burning meridians, had just recovered from the agony. Leaning against the bathtub, he tilted his head back with eyes closed, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly with each breath.
This time, the poison had seeped from his skin into his meridians, dark venomous patterns spreading like spiderwebs beneath his flesh.
He had originally thought that what he was afflicted with that day was nothing more than the lowly passion powder common in the jianghu, and that taking the woman that night would leave no serious aftereffects. Who could have known this poison would cling like bone-attached gangrene, lying dormant for half a month before beginning to devour his internal energy? Now, even channeling energy felt as though his meridians were being sliced by knives.
Memories always grew exceptionally clear during poison flare-ups—the thatched cottage halfway up the mountain, the soft, fragrant, and alluring woman from that night replaying in his mind on a loop. Even though she herself was trembling, she stubbornly asked him if he was a good person?
When he drew his dagger that night, it was merely a feint to lure her in, but he never expected she would actually offer herself.
That night, having tasted the marrow, he knew its flavor all too well, leading to such indulgence. Time and again, he deceived her, saying the poison within her hadn't fully dissipated, ignoring her repeated pleas for mercy until she finally fainted.
Thinking it over, he really couldn't be considered a good person.
"Interesting…" Xie Jinglan couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Outside the door, Qing Feng held clothes scented with sandalwood. Hearing movement inside, he tentatively asked, "Master, shall I help you dress?"
Only after receiving permission from within did he carefully push the door open.
"Have you found that woman?"
Before Qing Feng could even steady his footing, he heard his master's booming inquiry. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, when had his master ever been so fixated on a woman? It was almost becoming a daily question. Could it be that the person who saved his life was truly that extraordinary?
Though he thought this, his expression remained serious and respectful as he replied, "Master, since you don't remember the woman's appearance, nor her age, and know so little about her, I'm afraid it will take more time."
Xie Jinglan pondered briefly, his throat moving slightly. He knew that woman's body intimately—how could that be considered knowing little?
He even knew she carried a unique fragrance, like medicinal fragrance blended with jasmine. He had sought out several perfume masters, yet none could recreate that scent.
However, these clues were something he absolutely could not let others know!
Xie Jinglan gathered his thoughts and glanced sideways at Qing Feng. "That woman was still a pure body before saving me. Go investigate all unmarried young women near that mountain, especially those around pharmacies and medical clinics."
"Yes, Master."
…
The masters' breakfast had already passed, and now was the time for the servants to eat.
In the side room behind the kitchen, several elm long tables were arranged, already neatly set with two rows of coarse pottery bowls.
Wen Ning, who had gone hungry for two days, thought she could finally eat, but unexpectedly, Granny Li called everyone from the kitchen into the courtyard to deliver a lecture.
"The day before yesterday, the Marquis's medicine was half a moment late! Yesterday, Old Madam's chicken velvet porridge wasn't simmered to perfection! Today, the young lady's almond tea was forgotten to be mixed with milk! You all are truly making me proud!"
"The Hou Manor has only the elderly madam, the lord, and one young lady as its masters. Compared to other households, our duties as servants are already quite light. In other homes, three masters might demand eight stove heads, yet our Hou Manor hasn't even opened an additional inner kitchen. Since the masters show consideration for us servants, we must be even more diligent and devoted. If anyone is caught dozing off or slacking by the stove again, watch your skin!
"And that newcomer!"
Wen Ning heard Granny Li call her name and met her sharp, knife-like gaze, causing her heart to skip a beat.