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

The previously beaming Li Nanny instantly stopped smiling and, along with Ying'er and Sui'er, lowered their heads and retreated to the side. Xiao Jinghan flicked his sleeves and walked towards Liu Yuansheng.

Liu Yuansheng was still holding the young master in her arms. Seeing Xiao Jinghan approaching with an unhappy expression, she slowly stood up and handed the young master to the wet nurse, Li.

To her surprise, the moment she stretched out her arm, the young master burst into heart-wrenching sobs. It was as if anyone who dared to suggest he separate from Liu Yuansheng would cry themselves to death in front of them.

The wet nurse looked embarrassed. She glanced worriedly at the wailing young master, then at Liu Yuansheng, who insisted on handing the young master over to her. She frowned and said, "The young master is crying so hard, I'm afraid he won't let me comfort him."

Give me the child.

Standing behind Liu Yuansheng, Xiao Jinghan reached out his hand and said.

Liu Yuansheng had no choice but to turn around and hand the child to Xiao Jinghan.

Because they were handing over the child, both of them bowed slightly and bent over, just like when they were a married couple bowing to each other. Liu Yuansheng's sleeves were extremely wide and the fabric was smooth. With a slight lift of her arm, her fair and slender wrist was revealed, along with the crimson bracelet that the old lady had given her, all of which caught Xiao Jinghan's eye.

Xiao Jinghan's gaze swept over the wrist, and he caught the child steadily. But the child showed no mercy, crying even harder. Xiao Jinghan was taken aback, his expression a mixture of hesitation and confusion. Seeing this, the wet nurse, Li, hurriedly said, "Third Young Master, please return the young master to the Third Young Mistress. It was the same last night; once the Third Young Mistress held him, he wouldn't let us hold him anymore. He's very close to her!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinghan immediately recalled the scene from last night.

And the slap that landed on Liu Yuansheng's face.

He glanced at Liu Yuansheng and handed the young master to her. Helpless, Liu Yuansheng could only hold the young master and watch as Xiao Jinghan's large, bony hands with prominent veins pulled away from the young master's swaddling clothes.

"Since this child will be raised in Chenxiang Courtyard, and you are his legal mother, you should hold him more often when you have time," Xiao Jinghan said. After speaking, he casually sat down on the daybed and picked up the tea from the low table to drink.

Ying'er stood in the corner and muttered, "Miss's hand injury hasn't fully healed yet! And she's still carrying her!"

Xiao Jinghan looked at Ying'er, "What are you muttering about?"

Ying'er stiffened. "This servant didn't utter a single word."

Xiao Jinghan put down his teacup and stared at Liu Yuansheng. "What happened to your hand?"

"fine."

Liu Yuansheng held the young master and silently uttered these two words.

Upon hearing Liu Yuansheng's reply, Xiao Jinghan's eyes flickered with surprise. If he remembered correctly, this was the first thing she had said to him since their marriage.

Without love or hate, without joy or sorrow, he possessed the tranquility of an old monk in meditation.

Didn't she scheme and plot her way into the Fu family? How can she be so calm, as if she doesn't care about anything?

Xiao Jinghan stared at Liu Yuansheng's lifeless yet undeniably beautiful face, lost in thought.

Liu Yuansheng's reputation is even worse than his.

She was mistakenly taken in by servants at birth and left to wander outside, but fortunately she was adopted by Abbess Jing'an of Shuiyue Nunnery. At the age of ten, she became an adopted daughter of a butcher at the foot of the mountain. At the age of fifteen, she was kicked out of the house by the butcher's wife for seducing the butcher and his son.

Then, she returned to Shuiyue Nunnery, but she was still restless and secretly began an affair with a worshipper.

Then, she orchestrated the affair of the Princess's residence and became her wife.

Because of this marriage, his cronies often mocked him, saying he had married a woman full of ulterior motives. But judging from her carefree attitude, she didn't seem like a formidable woman.

Suppressing his doubts, Xiao Jinghan heard Liu Yuansheng say, "Can I take him out for a walk?"

He looked up and realized that these words were spoken by Liu Yuansheng to Granny Li.

The wet nurse was flattered and overwhelmed. "Of course! Third Young Madam, you are the mistress of this courtyard!"

Liu Yuansheng remained noncommittal and left the bedroom with the child in her arms.

She never looked at Xiao Jinghan again, not even for a single glance.

As night fell, Liu Yuansheng settled the young master in and went to bed early.

The child clung to her tightly, as if he really regarded her as his own mother. Although Liu Yuansheng was not annoyed, she was really tired and wanted to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

But she couldn't fall asleep; past events flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.

Just as she was finally starting to feel sleepy, Xiao Jinghan arrived. Liu Yuansheng had no choice but to struggle to sit up and look at Xiao Jinghan.

Xiao Jinghan didn't say anything after he came in, but kept glancing out the window.

He knew that the people sent by the old lady were there and wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, so he simply picked up some books from the display shelf and flipped through them casually.

After reading two pages, he sensed a pair of eyes watching him in the dimly lit bedroom.

Xiao Jinghan put down the book, looked into those eyes, and asked, "Is this book yours?"

Liu Yuansheng nodded.

She didn't bring much from the Prime Minister's residence; that medical book was her most treasured possession.

Because it was given to her by the person she cherished most.

A rare spark of life returned to her eyes, which shone brightly in the candlelight, like two gleaming gems. Xiao Jinghan, clutching the medical book, asked again, "Can you understand it?"

Liu Yuansheng: "Just browsing."

After saying that, he sat up and reached out his hand to Xiao Jinghan.

Xiao Jinghan was slightly taken aback. After realizing what Liu Yuansheng meant, he stood up, put the book back in its original place, and sat down again on the rosewood armchair.

Seeing this, Liu Yuansheng lowered her hand, and the light in her eyes slowly faded.

She slowly lay down, but then heard Xiao Jinghan suddenly say, "I have to go to the yamen tomorrow and won't be able to accompany you on your homecoming."

Liu Yuansheng paused, pondered for a moment, and then remembered that the "government office" Xiao Jinghan mentioned referred to the Censorate.

Xiao Jinghan may be young, but he has a wealth of experience. In his youth, he traveled and learned martial arts. Later, he changed his name and joined the Jincheng Army. He followed General Cheng in the northern border campaigns and made great contributions.

Based on these military achievements, the emperor conferred upon him the title of Second-Rank Protector of the Nation General. However, he abandoned his military career and entered the Censorate, where he is now the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief.

Back when she was at Shuiyue Nunnery, Liu Yuansheng had heard people say that Xiao Jinghan, in order to avenge his mother who had been betrayed by the Duke of Zhenguo and committed suicide by drowning, killed the Duke of Zhenguo's beloved woman and her unborn child with a single sword.

Thus, the father and son became enemies, and the three remaining children of the Duke of Zhenguo's first wife were also no longer of interest to him.

The rumors were all unbelievable. But at this moment, looking at Xiao Jinghan's incomparably handsome face, which exuded the aura of a death god, Liu Yuansheng felt that any cold-blooded and ruthless thing that happened to him was believable.

But what does that have to do with her?

They were originally unrelated people.

He said nothing and simply lay silently on the couch.

Sleepiness quickly passed, and she could no longer fall asleep.

Something was buzzing in her head, giving her a terrible headache. She closed her eyes and lay quietly for a while, but the buzzing in her head only became clearer and louder.

Those images that haunted her came flooding back, causing a thick fog to gather in her eyes. She had no choice but to open her eyes and let the fog dissipate quickly.

"What? You can't sleep peacefully with me here?" Seeing Liu Yuansheng open her eyes and stare blankly at the gauze curtain above her head, Xiao Jinghan said with a hint of sarcasm, "Didn't you ask for all of this? Is this affected and pretentious act just for my benefit?"

The sharp words pierced Liu Yuansheng's heart like icicles.

However, she felt no pain whatsoever, because she had heard even harsher words from her years ago.

Now I am immune to all poisons.

She remained silent, but this silence only fueled Xiao Jinghan's dissatisfaction. "Speak!" he said forcefully. "Didn't you hear me?"

"What did you say?" Liu Yuansheng asked.

Xiao Jinghan glanced at him. "What are you trying to say?"

"I don't have anything to say," Liu Yuansheng said. "Does Your Highness have anything to say?"

Xiao Jinghan had something else he wanted to say, but seeing Liu Yuansheng's lifeless expression, he swallowed his words.

They couldn't agree on anything, and both fell silent. Liu Yuansheng closed her eyes again, and after what seemed like an eternity, she finally fell asleep.

The people sent by the old lady were very diligent and didn't leave until the third watch of the night. Soon, it was dawn, and Liu Yuansheng slowly opened her eyes, only to find that Xiao Jinghan was no longer in the room.

It was impossible to know when he left, whether he sat in the armchair all night or rested outside, and Liu Yuansheng didn't care at all.

She quickly washed and dressed, then set off for the Prime Minister's residence.

Clutching a pair of gold hairpins, Ying'er walked along, gesturing at Liu Yuansheng's head. "Miss, your attire is too plain! The Fourth Miss will laugh at you! Quickly put these hairpins on!"

"That's fine. You and Sui'er can take these hairpins and wear them." Liu Yuansheng stepped out of the Zhenguo Duke's mansion and looked at the carriage road not far away. "Let's go, come back soon."

Ying'er had no choice but to give up. She glanced at the empty space behind her, Liu Yuansheng, and couldn't help but mutter, "What son-in-law doesn't accompany his wife on her homecoming? This young master is really something, taking advantage of my young lady's gentle nature!"

Ying'er's voice wasn't loud, but it still reached Liu Yuansheng's ears. Liu Yuansheng didn't even frown, calmly stepping onto the sedan chair, only to see a large hand, like a white jade fan bone, push open the carriage door.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Jinghan's unforgettable face appeared, and he said impatiently to her, "Why are you so slow? Hurry up and get in the carriage."