Silence lingered within the room for a moment before a low voice came from inside: “Enter.”
Wen Ning pushed the door open and entered. Before the writing desk, Xie Jinglan was reclining in an ebony round-backed chair, reading a book. Under the candlelight, he wore a dark green robe, his brows sharp as if carved by a blade, his star-like eyes narrow and long, adding to his stern demeanor.
Wen Ning’s heart trembled slightly. She quickly lowered her head, gently placed the medicine bowl on the side table, and said respectfully, “The medicine has just been brewed. It is best for the Marquis to take it while it is still warm.”
She then placed the small booklet with the blue silk cover beside it and explained, as instructed by the young lady, “This booklet was sent by the young lady’s order. She said it is the old madam’s intention, and the Marquis will understand once he reads it.”
Xie Jinglan glanced briefly at the desk, set down the book in his hand, and picked up the booklet. His well-defined index finger traced lightly along the spine, revealing the contents within.
His dark brows immediately furrowed, his gaze as deep and unfathomable as a dark pool.
His grandmother had indeed spoken to him about the matter of a bedchamber maid. In the past, he had paid little attention to such things, but he had not expected her to be so meticulous today.
He shifted his gaze to the maid before him and was about to wave her away when he recognized her as the woman who had been scolded by Granny Li in front of the kitchen the other day. Xie Jinglan seemed to take some interest.
Noticing the scabs from burns on the knuckles of her hands as she held the sandalwood tray, she must have been serving by the stove frequently these days, causing his brows to furrow involuntarily.
“What is your name?”
Wen Ning was slightly taken aback and replied, “Your servant is named Wen Ning.”
Wen Ning wore the plainest of coarse cloth dresses, tied only with an ordinary silk ribbon at the waist, yet it still outlined her slender waist and full bust. Strands of dark hair escaped from the indigo headscarf, trailing like stray ink marks against her snow-white neck.
“Wen Ning? A good name. Did you apply rouge and powder again today?” Xie Jinglan’s tone held a mix of teasing and questioning.
Upon hearing this, Wen Ning quickly knelt, not expecting to be so unlucky as to be remembered by Xie Jinglan. “Your servant did not, your servant would not dare.”
“Would not dare? Do you know the consequences of deceiving this Marquis!” Seeing the trembling figure kneeling on the ground, he couldn’t help but feel the urge to tease her further.
Wen Ning understood all too well that if Xie Jinglan wanted her life, it would be as easy as crushing an ant. Rather than dying wrongfully like this, it would be better to endure another basin of cold water to prove her innocence.
Summoning her courage, she said, “If the Marquis does not believe me, he may verify it himself.”
“Oh? Verify?” Xie Jinglan looked at the breathtaking face before him, now slightly puffed with indignation, finding it truly amusing. He wanted to see if she was truly as innocent as she claimed.
“Very well!”
Before Wen Ning could react, she suddenly felt a tight grip around her waist. A scorching large hand had firmly seized her slender waist, and in a dizzying turn, she was lifted into the air and then collided with a solid chest.
“Ah!” she let out a short cry, trembling all over in shock. Instinctively, she tried to pry away the hand at her waist, but Xie Jinglan tightened his arm, pressing her entire body tightly against his own.
Even through the fabric of their clothes, they could feel each other’s body heat. Wen Ning tried to pull back slightly, only to find that any movement felt like rubbing against him in his embrace.
"Aren't you here for verification? Then behave yourself, or if any trouble arises, it won't be something I can control." Xie Jinglan's low voice sounded by her ear, and Wen Ning naturally understood his meaning, widening her eyes in shock.
Xie Jinglan pinched her delicate chin, forcing her to lift her face as his gaze scrutinized her features inch by inch, leaving no detail unnoticed.
The curve of her eyebrows was too perfect, making her peach blossom eyes appear even clearer and brighter. Xie Jinglan lowered his hand, dipped his fingertip into the medicine bowl to gather a bit of the decoction, then raised it to brush across her brow.
Wen Ning felt a slight warmth from his touch, frightened by his action into immobility. She could only instinctively close her eyes, her long, delicate eyelashes trembling faintly.
Xie Jinglan narrowed his eyes slightly, shifting his gaze to her crimson lips. His well-defined fingers slid to the corner of her mouth, his thumb caressing her soft, full lips, making their originally pink hue appear even more radiant.
No trace of eyebrow pigment, no lip rouge—only the warm, smooth texture of her skin itself.
With brows like painted arches, a jade-like nose, snow-white skin, lips red without rouge, and cheeks rosy without powder, no wonder the matron had wronged her that day.
The bitter medicine lingering on his thumb secretly slipped into her mouth along the corner of her lips. Wen Ning frowned slightly, a glimpse of pearly white teeth escaping between her lips before quickly disappearing back behind her crimson mouth.
Xie Jinglan's eyes darkened, feeling a sudden heat throughout his body, wanting only to cover those tempting lips and capture the playful teeth playing hide-and-seek with him.
Sensing danger approaching inch by inch, Wen Ning pleaded intermittently, "This servant has been married… is a widow. It absolutely cannot…"
His lowered phoenix eyes turned cold as deep pools, as if regaining a shred of rationality.
Wen Ning nearly collapsed, sliding to her knees on the floor. Ignoring her unsteady breathing, she looked up fearfully, trying to explain clearly, "This servant… this servant was married. After my husband died, his elders sold me to Hou Manor to work as a servant. This servant is but a lowly body, not daring to tarnish the Marquis's reputation, nor worthy of the Marquis's pity."
The room fell terrifyingly silent. After a long moment, a cold laugh escaped Xie Jinglan's throat. "So that's how it is…"
His dark eyes faintly clouded with anger, his heart feeling as if half of it had been hollowed out.
Given this situation, he could easily drive the woman before him out of Hou Manor. Yet he didn't know what was wrong with him—the esteemed Marquis of An Yuan, what kind of woman couldn't he have? Yet he found himself wanting to get close to this widow who had been married before.
Ridiculous.
He picked up the small booklet on the table, his knuckles turning white as if finding an excuse for his unvented pent-up frustration. Word by word, he declared, "Since you brought this, the fire you lit must be extinguished by you!"
He abruptly threw the booklet in his hand before Wen Ning, startling the candle flame into flickering.
Wen Ning's heart was filled with panic. When had she lit any fire? Clearly, he had been the one to…
Bewildered, she picked up the booklet spread on the floor. When she saw its contents clearly, her cheeks instantly burned crimson, even the tips of her ears tinged with a vivid scarlet.
This was no ordinary reading material—it was filled with sensual images of red curtains and soft couches, figures completely unclothed, every posture depicted in meticulous detail. Beside the illustrations were annotations in small regular script, the handwriting elegant yet the words explicit.
She was certain something had gone wrong somewhere! This must be a misunderstanding!
Before she could explain, Xie Jinglan grabbed her by the waist and lifted her, pressing her directly against the writing desk.
Another gasp escaped her lips. She had no time to cover her mouth, and in her panic, she could only tightly clutch the front of his robe.
Xie Jinglan grasped the back of her neck, possessiveness surging in the darkness. "Didn't the instructing matron teach you how to serve your master?"
The little booklet? The instructing matron?
Wen Ning seemed to understand—she had been mistaken by Xie Jinglan for a bedchamber maid.
But she was not only a married woman, a widow, but also carried another man's child in her womb. How could she possibly engage in such matters with the Marquis now…