After getting married, she spent every night alone in her room; when she asked for a divorce, he kne

After returning to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Liu Yuansheng first went to see Madam Yuan, and then went with Xiao Jinghan to visit the old lady. They had dinner at the old lady's place before returning to Chenxiang Courtyard.

Ying'er sorted out the dowry she had retrieved from the Prime Minister's residence and showed the list to Liu Yuansheng. Although Liu Yuansheng was somewhat tired, she still read it carefully, after all, these were things left to her by her mother, whom she had never met.

"Besides these few medical books, you can take good care of the rest of the things." Liu Yuansheng handed the list to Ying'er. "You've had a long day, go get some late-night snacks and go to bed early. I don't need anyone to wait on me here."

Ying'er wasn't tired at all; on the contrary, she was very excited. "It's so great to have helped Miss get revenge! Anyway, Miss is married now. From now on, we can each live our own lives and won't have to put up with Fourth Miss and Aunt Su's temper anymore!"

Liu Yuansheng pursed her lips, about to speak, when the beaded curtain was lifted and Xiao Jinghan walked in from outside.

As night fell, it was perfectly understandable for Xiao Jinghan to come to the bedroom to rest, but Liu Yuansheng still stood up awkwardly, looking at Xiao Jinghan with great restraint.

Xiao Jinghan had already changed into his nightgown. The thin, smooth fabric outlined his figure, making him appear even more broad-shouldered, long-legged, and upright.

He glanced at Liu Yuansheng, who was dressed neatly, and couldn't help but tease, "Dressed like that so late at night, are you getting ready to go out?"

Liu Yuansheng was taken aback, unsure how to respond. Ying'er playfully replied, "If you're not going out, Miss hasn't had time to change her clothes yet."

As she spoke, she pushed Liu Yuansheng into the inner room, saying, "Miss, please change your clothes."

Helpless, Liu Yuansheng went into the inner room, took a bath and changed clothes before returning to the bedroom. When she looked up, she saw Xiao Jinghan coaxing the child.

Xiao Jinghan was clearly not a good father. Although he tried his best to soothe the baby in his arms, his posture was too stiff and his tone was not gentle enough, making the child cry even harder. Liu Yuansheng quickly stepped forward and held out her hand to Xiao Jinghan, saying, "Give Yan'er to me."

Upon hearing Liu Yuansheng call out the child's nickname, Xiao Jinghan was taken aback at first, then handed the child to her, saying with a sigh of relief, "You've come at just the right time; I was just about to call for Nanny Li."

Liu Yuansheng held Yan'er firmly in her arms. "Good child, don't cry, or you'll lose your voice."

Yan'er slowly stopped crying, staring intently at Liu Yuansheng with her big, bright eyes.

The baby's eyes were as clear as a lake, and Liu Yuansheng's heart softened. She gently touched Yan'er's little face with her finger. "Good child, smile, okay?"

Yan'er's eyes crinkled into a smile, and she let out a clear, cheerful laugh, giggling with delight. Ying'er laughed along, moving closer to Liu Yuansheng and saying, "The wet nurse is right, the young master really does like the young lady!"

Liu Yuansheng, who was also smiling, froze upon hearing this.

"What's wrong?"

Xiao Jinghan, who had been silently watching Liu Yuansheng, immediately asked.

"It's nothing." Liu Yuansheng shook her head. "Yan'er peed."

"Did you pee?"

Xiao Jinghan was about to call Li Nanny over, but Liu Yuansheng said to Ying'er, who was standing to the side, "Go and fetch a basin of warm water, and also prepare clean diapers and clothes."

Ying'er moved quickly and soon brought over what Liu Yuansheng wanted. Liu Yuansheng placed Yan'er on the bed, slowly unwrapped him, and began to change his clothes and wipe his body.

Her movements were fluid and skillful, prompting the wet nurse, Li, who had come to help, to marvel, "The Third Young Mistress has never given birth, so how does she know how to take care of a child?"

"When I was at Shuiyue Nunnery, I helped the abbess take care of the adopted infants." Liu Yuansheng quickly wrapped the baby in swaddling clothes, picked up Yan'er and handed him to the wet nurse Li. "I see that Yan'er is a little sleepy. You can take him to breastfeed. He should fall asleep after eating. If he doesn't fall asleep, bring him back to me."

"Yes!" Nurse Li curtsied, picked up Yan'er, and left.

As soon as Yan'er left, the bedroom immediately became quiet. Liu Yuansheng picked up the medical book she had brought back from the Prime Minister's residence and sat by the window to slowly read it.

These medical books were left by her mother. Liu Yuansheng carefully studied the words and illustrations on them, feeling as if she were having a silent conversation with her mother.

She watched with exceptional focus, so much so that she completely ignored Xiao Jinghan.

Xiao Jinghan sat in his armchair, sipping his tea, while Ying'er tidied the antique shelf beside him. As he drank, Xiao Jinghan asked, "Is your young lady always this quiet?"

Upon hearing this, Ying'er put down the feather duster and lowered her voice, saying, "No, it's not like that. When Miss first returned to the Prime Minister's residence, although she was preoccupied with her own worries, she still had some semblance of life. Later, Aunt Su, the Second Young Master, and the Fourth Miss teamed up to bully her, and the Master was biased and turned a blind eye to the grievances Miss suffered. Over time, Miss became like this."

Ying'er clenched her fists angrily, "Speaking of which, this is all Aunt Su's fault! With their arrogant and mean-spirited manner, even the dead couldn't stand them, let alone the living."

Xiao Jinghan listened silently to Ying'er's words and deeply agreed. If he hadn't joked around and made a scene with Ying'er today, how could Liu Jingyuan have allowed Liu Yuansheng to bring back the keepsake left by her mother?

He vaguely sensed something, but said nothing, only saying to Ying'er, "There's no need for anyone to serve you here, go and rest."

"Yes." Ying'er bowed slightly and left the bedroom quietly, thoughtfully lighting an extra lamp for Liu Yuansheng before leaving.

Only when the candles burned out and the room was completely dark did Liu Yuansheng raise her head.

She gently rubbed her sore eyes, got up and placed the medical book on the display shelf, when she suddenly noticed someone sitting in the armchair next to the display shelf.

The man was tall and slender, with a noble air, exuding a sharp aura that kept strangers at bay in the darkness.

Liu Yuansheng stared at that beautiful, cold face for a moment, then said nothing, just stared at him intently.

Xiao Jinghan spoke slowly, "What's wrong? Did I scare you?"

His voice was languid, tinged with weariness. Liu Yuansheng shook his head and said, "Should we light a few more candles?"

"No need, aren't you going to sleep?"

Liu Yuansheng: "Of course I need to sleep."

"Okay, you go to sleep," Xiao Jinghan said nonchalantly. "I'll leave when it's my turn."

Liu Yuansheng pondered for a moment, then looked out the window.

The moonlight in the courtyard was cool and clear; apart from the shadows of the trees and the dark tiles, nothing could be seen. But she knew that, out of her sight, Granny Xu and Granny Tian were eavesdropping in the old lady's room.

This is also why Xiao Jinghan stayed here.

Liu Yuansheng could see it clearly, but she didn't understand why the old lady would do this.

Logically speaking, given her troubled past and the scandals surrounding her, she was hardly a suitable candidate to be the wife of the heir. However, the old lady took a liking to him and forced Xiao Jinghan to marry her despite the gossip.

Could it really be because of her mother?

Liu Yuansheng couldn't understand it and didn't want to waste any more energy on it. She said to Xiao Jinghan, "I'm going to sleep in the warm pavilion."

"How can that be?" Xiao Jinghan said. "There's only one bed in the warm pavilion. If you go there, where will Yan'er and Nurse Li sleep?"

Liu Yuansheng paused for a moment, then said, "Then, shall I have Nanny Li bring Yan'er over, and the young master can sleep in the warm pavilion?"