Wan Tang wanted to flee, but her feet were rooted to the spot.
She kept her head lowered for a long while.
Xiao Zhi strode over.
Just as he approached, Song Zhiyun hurried over, her expression grim as she greeted him, subtly positioning herself half in front of Wan Tang: “F-Father, has she offended you with her lack of manners?”
She glanced hastily at her stepfather, who was only ten years older than herself, then fearfully lowered her head.
Xiao Zhi was notorious in the capital for his unruly and defiant nature. Back then, instead of enjoying a life of luxury and comfort, he had insisted on going to the border to fight enemies. When he first returned, he was unshaven and dark-skinned, making his role as their stepfather seem less out of place.
But after two months of recuperation, once he shaved his beard, how could he still look like a man of twenty-six?
Now, dressed in a dark blue robe with gold-threaded borders and subtle patterns, his demeanor was cold and aloof. The fierce intensity in his eyes and brows was so overwhelming that even a casual glance from him could make Song Zhiyun tremble with fear, not daring to look a second time.
Xiao Zhi’s gaze lingered on Wan Tang for a moment. “Is she the maid from your quarters?”
“Yes.”
“The robe I changed out of earlier—take it to Meiyuan tomorrow.” Meiyuan was the courtyard where Xiao Zhi resided.
He withdrew his gaze, dropped these words, and left.
Song Zhiyun looked back at Wan Tang suspiciously, gritting her teeth. “Why would Father’s robe be entrusted to you for care?”
Wan Tang’s palms were drenched in cold sweat as she replied in a trembling voice, “Replying to Eldest Mistress, the Marquis seemed to have soiled his robe earlier. This servant was called upon halfway to attend to him, which is why… why I was delayed in handling your affairs.”
Xiao Zhi, who had already walked a distance away, paused slightly, almost imperceptibly glancing sideways.
Song Zhiyun, with her back turned, did not notice his movement. She sneered, shooting Wan Tang several sharp, disdainful looks.
In the end, Wan Tang was punished. After returning to Jinxiu Garden and personally washing Xiao Zhi’s long robe clean, she obediently knelt in the corridor outside the main hall for the entire night.
The next day, when someone from Meiyuan came to summon her, Song Zhiyun finally allowed her to rise.
Wan Tang carefully folded Xiao Zhi’s robe and limped her way to Meiyuan.
Xiao Zhi was practicing with a long spear, the sound of it cutting through the air echoing in all directions, occasionally stirring fallen leaves into swirling eddies.
Wan Tang kept her eyes downcast, her peripheral vision catching glimpses of reflections in the pond, faintly revealing Xiao Zhi’s agile and imposing figure—a stark contrast to his fierce demeanor from the day before.
Not daring to dwell on it, Wan Tang waited a moment until the sounds of weapon practice ceased, and she was called into the room.
The maids withdrew in an orderly manner, leaving only Xiao Zhi and Wan Tang in the room.
Wan Tang kept her head lowered, feeling Xiao Zhi’s scrutinizing gaze. After greeting him, she presented the robe with both hands. “This servant has brought the robe for the Marquis. It has been washed… washed clean.”
A cool voice came. “Does this Marquis look that frightening?”
Wan Tang’s legs trembled. After hesitating for a moment, she knelt down, not daring to look up. “Not frightening.”
Xiao Zhi withdrew his gaze, displeased. “Houfu is not a place of tyranny. There’s no need for all this kneeling.”
Wan Tang had no choice but to stand up awkwardly.
“Lift your head.”
She timidly raised it halfway, but her eyes remained downcast, only catching a glimpse of Xiao Zhi’s intense stare from the corner of her eye.
“Yesterday…”
Wan Tang heard him pause after these two words and immediately understood his meaning.
She was a maid from his stepson’s wife’s quarters. If he were to take her into his own household, immoral gossip would drown Houfu.
Wan Tang was well aware of this, but having taken that step yesterday, she had no intention of retreating.
Yes, last night she had deliberately passed by that area. She had long known that Xiao Zhi would be targeted by someone yesterday. Originally, she planned to secretly call a doctor for him, hoping to earn his gratitude. She never expected things would end up the way they did. Although it deviated somewhat from her original plan, it didn’t matter—she had always intended to rely on him.
But not now. Xiao Zhi, as a Marquis, how could he possibly ask his own daughter-in-law for someone just because of yesterday’s absurd incident?
She was merely a maid, as lowly as dirt, not worth him doing so.
“Marquis!” So Wan Tang took a step back to advance, saying, “Nothing happened yesterday. This servant merely happened to help the Marquis tidy his robe.”
Xiao Zhi was no fool; he understood the implication behind her words.
She was a sensible person.
Xiao Zhi gazed at her for a moment. “What do you want?”
His tone was resolute, as if he could fulfill any request she made, as long as she spoke it.
After struggling for a long time, Wan Tang finally said in a hoarse voice, “This servant wants a bowl of… Contraception Decoction.”