The Marquis's line has ended? The pregnant maid is pregnant again!

The little girl curled up in the blanket, and just moments ago she was clearly afraid that he would do something to her, but now her clear eyes were filled with laughter.

Holding his hand, she looked at him with great sincerity, appearing incredibly charming. The fresh and sweet fragrance wafted from the girl, only reaching Lu Jihan's nose.

Lu Jihan blushed all the way from his neck to his ears, then quickly spread to his cheeks, and he subconsciously turned his head away from the little girl's eyes.

she!

How dare she become more and more direct? More and more explicit!

Lu Jihan had never encountered anything like this before. Among all the women in Chang'an, the shy ones might exchange glances, while the more open ones would only exchange letters or handkerchiefs.

Why is it that nothing works when you're in front of this little girl? Rules and etiquette don't exist in her eyes at all!

They dare to say such nauseatingly sweet things so casually!

Lu Jihan swallowed nervously, and for some reason, he couldn't control his racing heartbeat.

"You're talking nonsense..."

Lu Jihan wanted to act like a marquis and give her a lecture, but when he turned his head and met Shen Qinghe's eyes, all his words seemed to freeze into a stone, stuck in Lu Jihan's throat.

Lu Jihan had said those words of rebuke for her sweet talk and audacity many times, but today he really couldn't bring himself to say them.

Lu Jihan cleared his throat, trying to ignore his heartbeat, which was noticeably faster than usual. "You can say things like that so easily."

"Of course, the truth just comes out naturally." Shen Qinghe smiled as she looked at Lu Jihan in front of her. When she saw Lu Jihan's reddened earlobes, she knew that she had just said the right thing.

He falls for that.

The more aloof, abstinent, and celibate a man appears on the surface, the more horny and sexually active he often is inside. Once he has tasted the forbidden fruit, it's not that he loses his desires, but rather that he suppresses them in ways that others cannot see.

To deal with a proud, aloof, abstinent, and taciturn man like Lu Jihan, the most effective methods are relentless pursuit and sweet talk.

The more indifferent a man is, the more he is susceptible to enthusiasm.

"You! Stop talking nonsense."

Lu Jihan didn't know what was wrong with him today; his heart was racing after Shen Qinghe's words.

Now, when he met Shen Qinghe's eyes, just looking at those chattering red lips uttering those three words of truth, he couldn't help but feel his heart surge.

Lu Jihan stood up abruptly, turning his back to Shen Qinghe: "Your current condition is unclear. Grandmother said she will have a renowned gynecologist come to examine you in a few days. Once we've determined your condition, we'll discuss this with you. Otherwise..."

Shen Qinghe noticed Lu Jihan's stiff back; the man was facing away from her, not even turning to the side.

It was as if he was afraid Shen Qinghe would see something in front of him.

Shen Qinghe had some suspicions in mind, but pretended not to know and asked, "Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise...otherwise, don't say such things when you can't consummate the marriage."

As Lu Jihan spoke, his ears grew increasingly red, and his voice became somewhat hoarse: "To ignite such a fire, yet have no water to extinguish it, is an extremely unacceptable and irresponsible behavior!"

The man in front of her, so upright and polite, painstakingly and deliberately uttered such a long and eloquent speech, but the central idea he was trying to convey was simply this: Shen Qinghe had no way of serving him in bed, so she shouldn't easily provoke him.

Shen Qinghe sat on the bed, listening to his words, and almost instantly understood what Lu Jihan meant. She couldn't help but chuckle: "So... has the fire started yet??"

Lu Jihan stood stiffly in front of him, and did not answer immediately.

Just by looking at Lu Jihan's reaction, Shen Qinghe knew that he was truly burning with lust.

Shen Qinghe had just said some nice things to please people, but when it comes to love, words alone are not enough.

If she wanted Lu Jihan to remember what she had just said, she had to take action.

Shen Qinghe stood barefoot on the ground, threw her bedding on the bed, and walked step by step behind Lu Jihan, slowly embracing him from behind.

When the warm, soft flesh pressed against him from behind, Lu Jihan froze on the spot, his whole body stiffening.

"How dare you..." Lu Jihan managed to squeeze out three words, but that was all he managed to say.

This was because Shen Qinghe's soft, warm hands had already wrapped around his waist.

The girl had a lovely, subtle fragrance that lingered in the air, and now it seemed to envelop Lu Jihan.

"But sir, sometimes you don't necessarily need water to put out a fire." Her soft voice came through as she spoke, her hand slipping under Lu Jihan's belt.

"The desire in your body doesn't necessarily mean you have to consummate the marriage; I have plenty of ways to do it."

It was as if a ball of fire suddenly ignited from his lower abdomen. The moment Shen Qinghe touched him, the flames of desire blazed fiercely, completely engulfing Lu Jihan.

Soon, Shen Qinghe walked up to Lu Jihan, took off the belt from Lu Jihan's waist with her fingertips, and was about to kneel down on one knee in front of Lu Jihan.

Lu Jihan held Shen Qinghe in his arms, his desire already uncontrollable, and his gaze swept over her feet.

They discovered that Shen Qinghe was barefoot on the ground. She was already soaked, and now her round and delicate little feet were red.

Snow-white toes, round and plump with a hint of red, so cute that you just want to bite them.

"Who told you to get out of bed without permission?" Lu Jihan asked her in a cold voice.

Shen Qinghe felt something completely different; the hot, hard touch still lingered in her palm. She looked at him with affection in her eyes and said, "Master, you're poking me."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe clearly saw an indelible blush rise on the man's bronze skin, and Lu Jihan's brow twitched.

He gritted his teeth. This little girl, even at a time like this, still dared to provoke him!

The next moment, Shen Qinghe was thrown onto the soft bedding.

He leaned closer, his gaze fixed intently on the lovely young girl before him, his voice growing deeper: "Tell me, how do we put out the fire?"

Shen Qinghe smiled, reached out and pushed Lu Jihan's shoulder away, looking at Lu Jihan as he leaned against the headboard.

Lu Jihan's clothes came undone, revealing his full and muscular chest and waist.

Shen Qinghe smiled charmingly as she sat prostrate in front of him, her head bowed.

Lu Jihan was about to go crazy. The urge surged to the top of his head, making his vision blur.

Much later.

Lu Jihan then walked out of the room.

Qing'er came in with her head down to deliver clothes to Shen Qinghe. Looking at the scattered clothes on the ground, a blush rose on her pretty face, and she dared not look around anymore.

Only when they reached the bedside did Qing'er dare to slightly raise her head and look at Shen Qinghe: "Sister, the clothes are here. Let me help you change!"

Shen Qinghe nodded, letting Qing'er lower the curtains on both sides and come in to help her change her clothes.

Lu Jihan turned his head and saw that the curtain completely blocked Shen Qinghe's figure behind him, and the lingering feelings in his heart still remained.

absurd…

It's ridiculous.

He actually allowed a girl to act so recklessly, and this was in broad daylight.

But the sensation was irresistible to him, and he couldn't push her away.

It was like a poison that gnawed at his bones, something he couldn't quit, and he even felt a lingering sense of insatiable desire for more.

Just then, Lin Feng knocked on the door. He saw Qing'er enter with her clothes on, and he could guess what she wanted to do.

Lin Feng didn't come in to report. "Master, news came from Fuhua Hall that the Madam gave the Second Young Master a hundred lashes and two years' worth of monthly allowance, and ordered him to stay in the Duke's mansion for a month. After those hundred lashes, the Second Young Master didn't even have the strength to speak, and he fainted from the pain."

"She still has some sense of propriety; she didn't let it go easily because of her own selfishness," Lu Jihan said, his gaze icy. "Where is Grandmother?"

Lin Feng immediately said, "The old lady has just sent someone to invite you over for a talk."

Lu Jihan didn't return to Linfeng. Instead, he turned slightly and spoke to Shen Qinghe behind the curtain: "Did you hear what I said just now? Will Qin Linfeng's punishment appease your anger? As for Madam, you don't need to worry too much. First, she is a sensible person. Second, I was the one who made the decision for her today, so she wouldn't dare to punish you."

Shen Qinghe struggled to move her aching lips behind the curtain, and only after feeling that her mouth had finally returned to normal did she speak, "Your Highness, I have no objection."

"That's good. I'll go to my grandmother and explain the situation. After all, they're people from the Duke of Qin's mansion, so they should give me an explanation."

Lu Jihan quickly straightened his clothes and said, "You should rest well. Have Qing'er fetch the Zhuang family physician to check your pulse and make sure you don't catch a cold."

After saying that, Lu Jihan strode out of the room.

Shen Qinghe, having changed her clothes, peeked out from behind the curtain and looked at Qing'er: "I'm hungry..."

"Sister, take this to tide you over. I'll go to the kitchen to get some food." Qing'er said, handing her purse filled with salted green plums to Shen Qinghe.

Seeing Shen Qinghe open her mouth wide, as if she were moving her lips, Qing'er asked with some concern, "Sister, what's wrong? Is your mouth uncomfortable?"

"No, it's just that I held one position for a bit too long. So it's a little sore. But don't worry, the Marquis's hand should be sore too right now."

Shen Qinghe put a small green plum into her mouth and mumbled something indistinctly.

How could she let Lu Jihan enjoy it all by himself? Of course, it should be mutual.

He's using his fingers now, but she'll have to make him use something else eventually!

Qing'er had never experienced anything between men and women, nor had she been taught about that aspect since childhood. Although she knew a little, she still scratched her head in confusion.

Shen Qinghe recalled Lu Jihan's words earlier: "Don't rush the food. First, invite the Zhuang family physician over and tell him it's the Marquis's idea."

Qing'er agreed and went immediately, returning quickly with the Zhuang family physician.

It is still necessary to perform pulse diagnosis and examination (inspection, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation) every day.

After watching the physician pack up his medicine chest after taking her pulse, Shen Qinghe asked calmly, "Thank you for troubling me, physician. But how am I feeling today? Am I pregnant?"

"Replying to your question, Madam, I have already prescribed medicine for you to regulate your body, and you should be pregnant soon, but there is no sign of pregnancy at the moment."

The physician looked at her, his deeply lined face revealing no other emotion: "As for the young lady just getting wet, I'll prescribe some medicine to prevent a cold. After she drinks it and gets a warm nap, she'll be fine."

"Thank you very much then." Shen Qinghe looked at him, but still couldn't find anything wrong with him.

Ever since the day the Zhuang family physician came to take her pulse, Shen Qinghe first had Qing'er inquire about him, then followed him, and even checked the remaining medicinal dregs, finding that the physician was indeed not strange at all.

Normally, the Zhuang family doctor would either stay in his own small courtyard or go out of the mansion to collect herbs in the mountains. The dregs he collected were all normal medicinal materials, without anything like safflower or musk that could cause miscarriage.

Fortunately, regardless of whether she drank it or not, Shen Qinghe never drank a single bowl.

However, Shen Qinghe always felt that something had been overlooked.

Shen Qinghe pondered for a moment and suddenly remembered that throughout the whole incident in the garden today, she seemed to have overlooked one person.

That was the servant who splashed water.

Shen Qinghe asked Qing'er beside her, "The punishment Lin Feng mentioned just now was only the eldest young mistress's punishment of Qin Linfeng, right?"

"Yes!" Qing'er answered affirmatively, then said angrily, "But I think that servant who splashed water on you should also be punished! Splashing water is not allowed in that garden, and that servant suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Judging from his appearance, it was obvious that he deliberately wanted to splash water on you, sister. Maybe it was all planned in advance!"

As soon as Qing'er said this, Shen Qinghe realized something was wrong.

Given Qin Linfeng's personality and mindset, it's precisely because Qin Linfeng is a lawless playboy that it explains why there was no need to splash water if Qin Linfeng was the one who did it.

Qin Linfeng only needed to wait in the garden, wait for her to pass by, and then pop out to pull her inside.

Moreover, Shen Qinghe originally did not need to pass through the garden when returning from Qin's place, and the normal route would not pass through the garden.

At the time, Shen Qinghe was preoccupied with thinking about what birthday gift to give to her roommates, so she went to the garden to clear her head and find some good ideas.

How did Qin Linfeng know she would pass by there?

Moreover, Shen Qinghe remembered that when Qin Linfeng appeared, he had no attendants with him.

The whole thing didn't seem like a scheme Qin Linfeng could have orchestrated. Instead, it seemed like someone deliberately told Qin Linfeng her location and sent a servant to splash water on her, forcing her to hide behind the artificial hill, which led her to run into Qin Linfeng.

The servant who splashed water was probably not ordered by him, but by someone else.

There's someone else behind it all!

If Qin Linfeng succeeds today, Shen Qinghe will naturally lose her innocence. The Marquis of Congguo's mansion will never want someone who has lost her innocence. Even if Shen Qinghe has children in the future, they will suspect whose child it is.

If Qin Linfeng hadn't succeeded, and if Shen Qinghe hadn't handled the matter well, and if the maids and servants around the garden hadn't found out about it, then even if Shen Qinghe hadn't spoken out, she wouldn't have been able to clear her name.

In this way, whether this matter is good or bad, even if Qin Linfeng is punished, there are other possibilities that could cause Shen Qinghe to fall out of favor.

"What a vicious and meticulous scheme!" Shen Qinghe frowned, slammed her hand on the table, and looked at Qing'er, who was standing to the side with concern, and said, "Qing'er, go and get some paper and pen. I want to draw that servant's face."

-

the other side.

Lu Jihan had just come out of the courtyard and was heading towards Yuhe Hall when he bumped into a number of maids and servants talking on the way.

His martial arts skills were superb, and his hearing was naturally better than most. He could hear clearly what the maids and servants were saying when he got close.

"Hey, have you heard? Lord Chu came yesterday! He's the top scholar who passed the imperial examination three years ago, and apparently even caught the eye of the princess. He's now the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Chu."

"Yes, yes, I've heard about it too, but I seem to remember that Lord Chu and the young marquis have always been at odds. Why would he suddenly come to the marquis's residence to speak with the marquis?"

"You're all out of touch! You all think Lord Chu came to discuss state affairs with the Marquis? I asked the gatekeeper carefully, and Lord Chu didn't come specifically to discuss state affairs at all. I heard from the gatekeeper that he came to our residence specifically to see Consort Shen!"

"Oh dear, you can't say things like that! Lord Chu is such a virtuous and upright person, how could he possibly have an improper relationship with our Marquis's concubine, Lady Shen?"

The servant who had just been sharing news with everyone was indignant at being questioned: "What do you know? I heard the gatekeeper say with my own ears that when Lord Chu came to our manor that day, he initially said he wanted to see Consort Shen. Later, it seemed that Consort Shen said she didn't want to see him, and only then did Lord Chu say he was there to see the Marquis!"

The maids and servants spoke with great detail and conviction.

Do Chu Xingge and Shen Qinghe know each other?

He specifically asked to see Shen Qinghe by name?

Lu Jihan became suspicious because Chu Xingge's arrival that day was indeed strange; everyone in the court knew that Lu Jihan and Chu Xingge were at odds.

While they wouldn't completely cut off contact, they hadn't reached the point where he would personally visit her.

Lu Jihan then recalled that when Shen Qinghe entered the study and saw him and Chu Xingge, her expression seemed a little off.

He came to the conclusion almost instantly: the two of them did indeed know each other.

Seeing his lord's furrowed brows and barely concealed emotions, Lin Feng tentatively asked, "My lord..."

Lu Jihan's expression was icy as he raised his hand: "Do I need to teach you this kind of thing?"

Lin Feng immediately understood, stepped forward, and coldly rebuked, "Isn't anyone doing anything??? Do you think you can just gossip about this woman??? If you don't get out of here, all you do is gossip, or I'll rip your tongues out and deduct a month's pay from your pay!"

When the maids and servants turned around, they realized that Lu Jihan was right behind them. They were so frightened that they dared not speak and immediately knelt down, trembling.

Lu Jihan's expression was icy, and his tone was merciless: "Those who spread gossip will be fined half a month's wages; those who discuss Shen Xiaoniang in private will be given thirty strokes of the cane and fined a month's wages for a year."

Lu Jihan simply moved his mouth and casually increased the punishment Lin Feng was to receive according to the manor rules by more than two or three times.

The maids and servants who had been chatting in a circle just moments before immediately accepted their punishment and ran away without looking back.

Lu Jihan's brows were furrowed, his fingertips rubbing the purse hanging from his belt, his expression unreadable.

Lin Feng always sided with Shen Qinghe, and this time was no exception: "Master, those maids and servants have nothing better to do than spread rumors behind people's backs, and most of what they say is false."

"What are you worried about?" Lu Jihan chuckled, his expression calm. "So what if we know each other? It's not like we've had any history. Grandmother is waiting!"

-

Fu Hua Tang.

As soon as Lu Jihan led Lin Feng inside, they heard voices coming from inside. They saw that it was the old lady and Granny Kang.

Lu Jihan first told the old lady about what had happened in the garden that day.

The old lady nodded with a hint of disgust in her expression: "You did a good job in this matter. Although we are related to the Duke's family by marriage, this matter concerns the reputation of the Duke's family, so it should naturally be handled by your wife. Otherwise, if word gets out, it will make things look bad for the Duke's family, and we will also lose face."

Speaking of this, the old lady thought of Shen Qinghe: "By the way, how is that girl? Was she frightened? Now that Qin Linfeng has been punished, it can be considered that Shen Qinghe has been given an explanation, and it has also served as a warning to those ill-intentioned servants in the courtyard."

"She's fine." Lu Jihan nodded with a smile, then asked, "What were Grandmother and Granny Kang talking about just now?"

"Grandmother, I was just talking to Granny Kang about the birthday banquet we're going to hold for your wife in a couple of days."

As the old lady spoke, she took a booklet from Kang Mama's hand: "This year's birthday celebration must be done properly. I have been concerned about Qinghe and her offspring. I know that your wife must be feeling uncomfortable, so I want to make a good arrangement for my granddaughter-in-law."

Adding to today's events, although my grandson Xi is sensible and knows when to be soft-hearted and when to be hard-hearted, Qin Linfeng is still my granddaughter-in-law's brother, and she must be feeling bad about it. Therefore, we must hold a grand and proper birthday banquet and absolutely not underestimate my granddaughter-in-law."

"Grandmother is right. I'm sorry to trouble you with the birthday banquet arrangements," Lu Jihan replied.

"That's alright. The guest list has already been prepared. Please check if there are any changes needed."

The old lady had Kang Mama hand the guest list to Lu Jihan. While Lu Jihan was looking at the list, she brought up another matter: "By the way, Jihan. I'm always worried about Qinghe's health. I'm wondering if it's because of special circumstances or because the time is too short to detect her bloodline."

I've also heard that there's a renowned gynecologist in Chang'an who specializes in treating women. Many ladies from wealthy and powerful families in Chang'an speak highly of her skills. So I thought that if I could invite that gynecologist back to examine Qinghe's pulse again, perhaps I'd get a different answer.

Hearing this, Lu Jihan nodded: "Grandmother's considerations are thorough, let's do as Grandmother says."

"I've already asked Granny Kang to invite her, but the divine physician said she won't be able to come to the manor until three days later. I thought that by then my granddaughter-in-law's birthday banquet would be over, so I'll invite the divine physician back to check Qinghe's pulse again, and also to check Qin Shi's health."

Lu Jihan readily agreed, and there weren't any major problems with the guest list.

The old lady then said, "Then send the guest list to Fuhua Hall for my granddaughter-in-law to see."

Fu Hua Tang.

Looking at the guest list in front of her, Qin glanced at Wu Xiaoniang and asked, "Sister Wu, do you have any thoughts? Feel free to speak your mind."

Wu Xiaoniang was just worried about how to get Chu Xingge and Shen Qinghe together when she heard Qin Shi say this. She took the list, looked at it, and said with a smile:

"Madam, I heard that a distinguished person visited our residence a few days ago, but he's not on this list. That doesn't seem right, does it?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Qin realized what was happening and smiled, "My sister is right, Lord Chu?"

Wu Xiaoniang's eyes lit up: "Yes!"

Madam Qin smiled and patted Wu Xiaoniang's hand: "Then let's add it! My sister is so thoughtful."