“Well, haha, what a fine ‘young master’s wife’ you are.”
Sun Qi doubled over with laughter, though not in mockery.
He pulled Mianhe into his arms and gave her a good squeeze: “Marrying the young master is good—better than fooling around with a maid. The taste of a young master’s wife must be absolutely intoxicating.”
“Pah.”
Mianhe spat at him: “Shameless! Who wants to fool around with you?”
With that, she playfully pushed Sun Qi away.
Having gotten his fill of teasing, Sun Qi cheerfully went off to fetch charcoal, while Mianhe bantered with him in a half-hearted manner.
The two chatted animatedly, but Wei Hu, crouching by the wall, was so furious he could only beat his chest in frustration.
His master had actually been entangled by a toad!
Wei Hu snorted coldly and decided to report this to his master after returning from the main household.
Due to the discord within the Xie family, even the servants were fiercely at odds with one another.
Xie Shan’s trusted aides couldn’t control Xie Sanniang’s people, and similarly, Xie Sanniang’s people found themselves powerless when dealing with those loyal to Xie Shan.
This led to the Xie family servants forming cliques, most of whom were lawless and disobedient.
It was also because of this that Wei Hu could wander around all day, gathering information.
Carrying a broom, he openly walked into Xuanji Courtyard and found a place to hide.
When Xie Xuchuan and Hua Nanzhi returned, Wei Hu lazily stretched and perked up his ears without much interest.
Merchant families were nothing but trivial matters, and Wei Hu wasn’t particularly intrigued.
Just as he was thinking about Mianhe, he saw Xie Xuchuan suddenly kneel before Hua Nanzhi.
Wei Hu’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly recalling the meaningful expression Xie Qi had worn when he mentioned his good brother causing trouble in Huizhou.
Leaping down from the tree, Wei Hu slipped over to the base of the window.
“What are you doing?”
Seeing Xie Xuchuan kneel as soon as he entered the room, Hua Nanzhi couldn’t help but feel a twitch in her eyelids.
“Mother, there’s something I need to ask for your help with.”
Perhaps he had already lost all face in front of Shen Yuanzhu, or perhaps Xie Xuchuan was simply exhausted from running around for this matter, but at this moment, he was unusually calm.
“Wansu is pregnant, two months along. I want to bring the child in her womb back to the Xie family and raise it under my and Yuanzhu’s names.”
“Wh… what?”
Hua Nanzhi looked confused, as if she hadn’t quite understood.
Outside the window, Wei Hu’s mouth fell open.
“Wansu is pregnant…”
“Wansu? Jiang Wansu?”
Hua Nanzhi’s voice was sharp and piercing: “Didn’t you always like Yuanzhu? How did you end up fooling around with Jiang Wansu? How did the Jiang family raise their daughter?”
Xie Xuchuan felt bitter but didn’t refute her.
“I don’t agree.”
Hua Nanzhi frowned deeply: “When the old lady took in a son-in-law back then, she specifically set a rule against taking concubines, which is why there hasn’t been a single concubine in the entire Xie family.”
“Mother, I have no intention of taking a concubine.”
“You have no intention?”
Hua Nanzhi stood up: “You may have no intention, but Jiang Wansu might. I’m afraid you’ve been tricked by her.”
“You’ve misunderstood Wansu.”
“I’ve misunderstood?”
Hua Nanzhi sneered: “What kind of person is Jiang Hong? He’s a cunning old fox who schemes at every turn, curries favor with everyone, and has no bottom line.
“What good could his daughter possibly be? If she were a proper girl, would she knowingly entangle herself with you when you’re already engaged to Yuanzhu?
“You’ve lost your mind too. The child in her womb is only two months old, and you say you want to bring it back to the Xie family. Are you planning to take it as soon as it’s born, or wait until she raises it before bringing it back?
“I know your temperament—you wouldn’t come up with such an outrageous idea on your own. That little hussy put you up to this, didn’t she?”
“She thinks she can enter my Xie family’s door just by getting pregnant?
“Dream on!”