Xu Yanchi's eyebrows twitched. "What's wrong, Madam?"
The young servant didn't know how to put it and simply said, "You'd better go and take a look quickly."
Xu Yanchi quickened his steps. From afar, he saw a crowd surrounding the study door, each holding a torch.
A sense of humiliation welled up in him. Unable to hold back, Xu Yanchi snapped, "What are you all doing?"
The servants immediately made way for him. Xu Yanchi saw the ruins in front of him. Standing right in the middle was Zhang Da, the servant who came with Shen Qing as part of her dowry. And it was he who was holding the torch.
"My lord, Madam said that the bed you've shared with other women makes her feel sick. So she specially sent me to bring it here for you," Zhang Da said.
So Shen Qing thought he was disgusting!
Xu Yanchi held back his anger. "Where's the bed?"
Zhang Da jerked his chin at the ruins and looked at Jiang Chan behind him haughtily. "Our Madam's things, even if they're burned, won't be given to that bitch for free!"
As he spoke, Zhang Da threw the torch into the ruins. The pear - wood was highly flammable, and since Zhang Da had someone pour tung oil on it beforehand, the fire immediately shot up.
In the firelight, Xu Yanchi's face turned ashen. Zhang Da's veiled insults were clearly directed at him!
A mere servant dared to talk to him like this!
With the fire so fierce, he definitely couldn't sleep in his study. Xu Yanchi had no choice but to go to Jiang Chan's Mingyue Pavilion with her.
Xu Yanchi said apologetically, "Cousin, it's my fault today. You've been wronged... I'd better sleep outside."
As he said this, he turned around and was about to go to the warm pavilion outside.
Jiang Chan knew that she had lost the initiative. Taking advantage of Xu Yanchi's current guilt towards her, she must make good use of it!
She stepped forward and hugged Xu Yanchi's waist from behind. Shaking her head, she said, "Chan'er isn't wronged. As long as I can marry cousin, I'm willing to do anything."
Feeling the soft touch from behind, Xu Yanchi's heart softened. He felt that he had somewhat regained his dignity that he had lost in front of Shen Qing today. He turned around and held Jiang Chan's hand, his eyes full of affection.
"Cousin, don't worry. It's really a pity for you to follow me like this. I will definitely make it up to you in the future."
Jiang Chan felt sweet in her heart and nodded happily.
That night, the two of them were deeply in love.
Meanwhile, Shen Qing, who had no bed to sleep on and was in the next room, felt a sense of relief. Although she had lost a bed, Xu Yanchi wouldn't be able to harass her for a long time. She regarded it as spending money to avoid disaster.
As for Jiang Chan, did she think entering the mansion was the end?
No, it was just the beginning.
If Jiang Chan didn't enter the mansion, how could she return all the things that Jiang Chan had done to her?
However, the old madam really doted on Jiang Chan. Jiang Chan had made a big mistake this time, and the whole Marquis Mansion knew about it. The old madam, such a selfish person, actually didn't care about her own face just to make Jiang Chan a concubine.
But if she really doted on her, couldn't she find a good marriage for her?
Everyone knew that no matter how good a concubine was, she was still a concubine after all. How could it be as honorable as being the main wife?
The next day, Jiang Chan dressed up neatly. Although she was extremely reluctant in her heart, since the old madam had warned her in the morning, Jiang Chan had no choice but to kneel down respectfully and kowtow three times to Shen Qing.
"This humble concubine pays respects to Madam."
Yingxiu served the tea. Jiang Chan took it and held it high above her head, trying to hide the unwillingness and resentment in her eyes.
"Madam, please have some tea."
Shen Qing didn't say anything and reached out to take the teacup. Just as her fingers were about to touch the cup, Jiang Chan rolled her eyes. But Shen Qing was quicker. She directly knocked over the teacup, and the tea splashed all over Jiang Chan.
"Ouch, it's so hot!"
Yingxiu widened her eyes. "What are you doing? How can you not even hold the teacup steady when serving tea to Madam? This tea was prepared by Nanny Cui beside the old madam. Don't you dare to blame it on our Madam!"
Thanks to Yingxiu's scolding, Jiang Chan couldn't use the excuse she had prepared in advance that Shen Qing was deliberately making things difficult for her.
Shen Qing looked down at her haughtily. "Since you can't hold the teacup well, practice holding it for an hour every day until you can do it properly."
Jiang Chan was so aggrieved that she was about to cry.
Holding a teacup for an hour every day? How could she endure such hardship?
In the end, the old madam asked Nanny Cui to take Jiang Chan to change her clothes and serve the tea again.
After Shen Qing finished the tea, she left directly.
The old madam pressed her eyebrows with a gloomy face. Shen Qing was becoming more and more disrespectful to her. She always felt that many things had got out of her control since the birthday banquet of the Grand Princess.
When Shen Qing returned to her courtyard, she found several people carrying a new bed into the room.
She frowned and asked Yingxiu, "I don't remember asking anyone to bring a new bed. Who sent it?"
Yingxiu shook her head. "This servant doesn't know either. Didn't Madam ask someone to bring it?"
Since people were busy inside, Shen Qing had no choice but to sit down in the small pavilion outside and call Zhuxing to ask.
Zhuxing was highly skilled in martial arts. It seemed that she had an intelligence system of her own. She could quickly find out whatever Shen Qing wanted to know.
Zhuxing said, "It was sent by His Majesty."
Yingxiu was puzzled. "His Majesty? Why would His Majesty send a bed to our Madam?"
Although Shen Qing had known for a long time what Ji Junye had sent Zhuxing here for, it was still hard not to mind when it really happened.
But what right did she have to say no?
Since Zhuxing had stayed by her side, she had realized that what that His Majesty wanted might be more than just a night of passion.
In her previous life, he didn't give Zhuxing to her at first, but later he still had Zhuxing kidnap her to his side, didn't he?
"Did His Majesty ask you to bring any message for me?"
Zhuxing said, "His Majesty said that he misses Madam, and Madam should miss him in return."
Miss him?
Shen Qing didn't quite understand what he meant for a moment. Asking her to miss him? Who was she to him?
Yingxiu scratched her head. "Madam, what are you talking about? How do you know His Majesty?"
Shen Qing glanced at her. "Silly girl, have you forgotten what happened that day?"
"Which...?" day?
Yingxiu suddenly remembered and her face turned as white as a sheet.
"Then, the person that day..."
Shen Qing nodded to her obscurely.
Yingxiu took a step back suddenly. No wonder Madam said she couldn't kill that person. If His Majesty knew about her rebellious thoughts, would she still be alive?
Yingxiu suddenly looked at Zhuxing and carefully recalled that she hadn't let anything slip in front of her. Then she finally felt relieved.
Fortunately, her life was saved.
The new bed was quickly installed. It was made of top - grade mahogany, much bigger than her previous bed. The workmanship was also much more exquisite, and it had a faint fragrance of peach blossoms. It was obviously very valuable.
Shen Qing was a little flattered. "This is too precious."
There was also a bed in the dowry prepared by her mother when she got married. But she had married in a hurry and hadn't had time to replace everything with her own dowry. So the bed she had someone burn yesterday was actually from the Marquis Mansion.
Her own dowry was still in the warehouse. She had planned to have someone install it when she came back. But unexpectedly, he had someone send her such a good bed.
She had thought that the bed prepared by her mother was already very precious. But if the two beds were put together, they couldn't be compared at all.
Could it be that her bold seduction that day really touched his heart?
Shen Qing's mood suddenly became a bit delicate.
So what was he hinting at by sending her a bed?
On the other side, the atmosphere between the old madam and Jiang Chan was far from good. Jiang Chan pulled on the old madam's sleeve.
"Aunt, things have come to this. You have to continue to help me. We can't let Shen Qing have full control of the whole mansion, can we?"