Wen Ning looked up helplessly at Xie Jinglan, her voice trembling softly, "Marquis, you’ve misunderstood. This servant is not the bedchamber maid Old Madam selected for you. I only came to deliver your medicinal broth.
I encountered Grand-aunt in the corridor, and she ordered me to present the booklet to you, with no further instructions. Your bedchamber maid must be someone else. I beg you, Marquis… please let me go."
The candlelight flickered gently, illuminating her eyes, which shimmered with unshed tears.
With just a slight tremble of her lashes, a faint flush spread from the corners of her eyes—both fragile and scorching, making one want to shield her in their arms and soothe her gently, yet also unable to resist the urge to see her cry even harder.
Wen Ning’s explanation did nothing to ease the restless heat within Xie Jinglan; instead, it only fanned the flames.
His throat bobbed as he picked up the bowl of medicinal broth from the desk and drank it down in one gulp.
Then, with one hand supporting her waist and the other gripping the slender nape of her neck, he pressed forward aggressively, capturing her lips.
Lips and teeth intertwined, Wen Ning was forced to tilt her head back as the bitter scent of herbs flooded her senses. Her delicate hands beat helplessly against the broad, solid chest of the man before her.
Xie Jinglan’s husky voice spilled out between heated breaths, "When did I ever say you were a bedchamber maid… Besides, whether you are or not is for me to decide! Right now… you’re nothing more than a cooling vessel to soothe my thirst!"
Only Xie Jinglan himself knew that the woman before him was no cooling vessel—she was a raging fire, a sweet confection! A bewitching enchantress who could cloud a man’s mind!
Just like that night in the thatched hut, he found himself losing control once again. His prideful self-restraint crumbled because of a woman, and long-suppressed emotions surged forth, fueling an even stronger desire to punish her fiercely.
Only after Wen Ning was forced to help him dispel the bitterness of the medicinal broth, leaving his mouth filled with her sweet fragrance, did Xie Jinglan reluctantly release the figure in his arms.
His deep gaze lingered on the delicate, breathless form nestled against his chest, and he realized just how rough he had been.
Aside from that night in the thatched hut, this was the second time Xie Jinglan had lost control over a woman. A mere kiss had stripped him of his reason, and he even wondered if he was suffering from a sudden onset of poison.
"Master, the instructing matron has brought Miss Táng Lí on Old Madam’s orders."
Outside the door, Qing Feng, unaware of the situation inside, saw that Old Madam had sent a bedchamber maid for his master and immediately stepped forward to knock and report.
Startled by the sound from outside, Wen Ning felt even more embarrassed and instinctively shrank further into Xie Jinglan’s embrace. But a moment later, she regained her senses.
The mention of Táng Lí outside the door felt like a lifeline to Wen Ning. She broke free from Xie Jinglan’s embrace and rushed toward the door, remembering to grab the tray beside her before leaving.
The three people outside stared blankly at Wen Ning as she burst out, then watched her slightly disheveled, sobbing figure disappear into Tingsong Courtyard.
With just a little thought, they could easily piece together what had happened.
Their expressions shifted, each revealing different emotions.
Qing Feng was filled with regret, the skin on his nose bridge wrinkling. He instinctively slapped his own face—he had ruined his master’s moment! He was surely going to get a beating!
Beside him, Táng Lí dug her nails deeply into her palms, her face contorted with jealousy.
She had waited day and night for this moment, only to have it snatched away by a lowly newcomer who had barely been in the manor for any time at all.
She had heard from her mother that this little wretch named Wen Ning was a widow from the Liu family—how could the Marquis possibly take a fancy to such a woman!
She must have heard that the Old Madam was selecting a concubine for the Marquis, so she rushed to seduce him before she arrived!
Inside the room, Xie Jinglan had initially intended to have the instructing matron take Táng Lí away immediately. However, considering that she was arranged by his grandmother, if he didn’t even allow her through the door, he would likely face her wrath tomorrow.
Only after the lingering warmth from Wen Ning on his chest slowly dissipated did Xie Jinglan allow Qing Feng to let Táng Lí in.
Upon hearing this, Táng Lí felt overjoyed.
She knew the Marquis wouldn’t be interested in that wretched woman—it had to be her, the one who came with proper standing, who was worthy of the Marquis.
She swayed her hips as she stepped inside, not wasting the effort she had put into dressing up today.
Her water-red gauze dress was not only thin enough to reveal the undergarment beneath but also three parts narrower than the usual maid’s attire.
The collar of the dress was already half an inch wider than usual, and she had deliberately tugged it to both sides earlier, revealing the honey-colored undergarment inside.
Táng Lí approached Xie Jinglan with a delicate curtsy, her fingers twirling the silk ribbon at her waist.
Without even looking up, Xie Jinglan slightly tilted his head toward the inkstone beside him and commanded, “Grind the ink.”
Táng Lí hurriedly stepped forward. As she ground the ink, she stared fixedly at Xie Jinglan, thinking that the Marquis might be constrained by propriety and couldn’t directly get to the point—there had to be some buildup.
A quarter of an hour passed, and Táng Lí’s hands grew sore from grinding the ink, yet the Marquis remained engrossed in his book, showing no signs of taking the next step.
However, how could she let such a rare opportunity slip away?
Her fingertips hooked onto the gauze on her shoulder, subtly pulling it downward until her entire shoulder was exposed, and then she tried to lean into Xie Jinglan’s embrace.
Xie Jinglan felt the timing was about right, so he pointed to the empty medicine bowl on the desk and said coldly, “Take it away and leave!”
Táng Lí was taken aback, thinking she must have misheard. How could the Marquis have no interest in her? She was personally chosen by the Old Madam.
She called out in a seductive voice, “Marquis…”
“Do you want a beating?” Xie Jinglan’s expression turned stern, sending a chill down her spine.
Only then did Táng Lí take the medicine bowl, cover her face with her sleeve, and sob as she ran out of Tingsong Courtyard.
Qing Feng outside the door was stunned—how had he made another one cry?
Was the master’s health still holding up!
Once out of Tingsong Courtyard, Táng Lí hurled the medicine bowl fiercely against the rockery. She hated Wen Ning to the core, convinced that it was that wretched woman who had ruined the Marquis’s mood today.
Táng Lí’s father had once been the old Marquis’s groom. That year, an accident occurred, and he lost his life saving the old Marquis.
Her status in the mansion, along with her mother and brother, was beyond ordinary. The Old Madam had chosen her partly out of gratitude for this favor.
But she looked down on the position of a concubine—she wanted to be the Marquis’s wife, or at least his official concubine.
She never expected her first step toward climbing higher would be ruined by Wen Ning!
She would definitely have her mother teach that wretched woman a lesson!
…
Wen Ning hurried back to the servants’ quarters, tears streaming down her face as she pondered why Xie Jinglan had treated her that way!
Chūn Xìng had once mentioned that the Marquis’s illness was a hidden ailment.
Could it be because of this hidden ailment that he needed that kind of booklet?
Or was it because of the ailment that he was eager to prove himself?
Wen Ning thought to herself, it must be so…
Chun Xing was lying on her side on the bed when she saw Wen Ning rush back with flushed cheeks, holding a sandalwood tray in her hands. On the tray lay a rather exquisite-looking booklet.
"Sister Wen Ning, why did you bring the tray back? Just to carry that booklet?"
Wen Ning looked down and was startled to realize that in her panic, she had brought back Xie Jinglan's booklet as well!
What was she to do now? She wondered if losing this booklet would affect his… activities with Miss Tang Li.
But at this moment, she could no longer return it to Tingsong Courtyard.
She would have to wait for an opportunity to return it later.
She lied to Chun Xing, saying, "This… this is a popular storybook nowadays. I only sneak a glance or two in my spare time. Chun Xing, you must keep this a secret for me. If Granny Li finds out, I'm done for."
Chun Xing grinned slyly, revealing the tip of a half-tooth, then raised an eyebrow and nodded.
She then said, "Sister Wen Ning, so you can read! That's wonderful. Can you teach me to read in the future?"
"Of course."
Wen Ning temporarily tucked the booklet under the quilt. After washing up, she began applying burn ointment to Chun Xing.
Once she finished these tasks and was about to rest, the door to the room was suddenly kicked open!