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

late at night.

Lu Jihan didn't know how he ended up at the entrance of this courtyard after leaving Fuhua Hall.

Just like Lu Jihan doesn't understand now, the one who clearly said she wanted to sleep was Shen Qinghe, and the one who clearly said she knew a lot and could quell her anger was also Shen Qinghe.

How come I was kicked down as soon as the fire died down?

The little girl pushed him with both hands and pushed him to the door. Shen Qinghe looked at Lu Jihan in front of her, who was still wearing that snow-white undergarment.

Under the moonlight, the little girl's already full lips appeared even more vibrant red and slightly swollen after the kiss.

At this moment, her clear, large eyes still held a shy smile, her brows and eyes exuded an unconscious charm, and her cheeks were flushed.

It's not just Shen Qinghe's face; it's so alluring that it makes people's minds wander.

Unfortunately, Shen Qinghe was standing at the doorway, holding Lu Jihan's outer robe in her arms, and stuffing the robe into his embrace.

That gesture looks like they want to kick him out.

Lu Jihan had never been driven away before. In the vast Marquis's mansion of China, who would dare to treat him like this?

For a moment, Lu Jihan thought he had guessed wrong and misunderstood, and frowned, asking, "What are you doing?"

Shen Qinghe curled her lips into a wide smile: "Didn't you go to someone else's room, Master?"

"Um?"

Lu Jihan snorted coldly, clutching the outer robe in his arms, and hastily draped it over his shoulders, dismissing it as insignificant: "So what?"

"Since you've gone to someone else's room, don't even think about coming to my place again!" Shen Qinghe's smile grew brighter and brighter, but her words became increasingly ruthless.

Before Lu Jihan could react, Shen Qinghe pouted, glared at him, and gave him a heavy snort before slamming the door shut without any hesitation.

Lu Jihan was left standing silently in the wind, his brows furrowing unconsciously as he stared at the door of the room, wondering if the little girl was playing a joke on him.

But after waiting for a while, there was no sign that the door would open.

After waiting a moment, Lu Jihan decided not to wait any longer and strode in, only to find that the little girl had rolled over and was fast asleep on the bed!

Lu Jihan frowned even more deeply. Who was serving whom here?

Why did he feel like he was the one who served the person well and then left?

The more Lu Jihan looked at the little girl's peaceful sleeping face, the more he couldn't help but have some wicked thoughts.

Just as Lu Jihan was about to tease her, the little girl on the bed rolled over, her hands constantly searching until she touched his sleeve and then placed her hand on his palm.

Lu Jihan was amused and annoyed, but looking at that face, he really couldn't bring himself to hit her. So he simply placed the girl's hand on the bed, turned around and left the room, returning to his study alone to spend the night.

-

The next day.

It was another day after court. As soon as he stepped out of the palace gates and before he could even mount his horse, a carriage blocked his way.

Soon, a slender, fair hand lifted the carriage curtain, revealing Chu Xingge's gentle and refined face.

Their eyes met in mid-air for a fleeting moment. Lu Jihan raised an eyebrow, one hand tucked into his sleeve and placed behind his back, the civil and military sleeves on his body making him appear even taller and more slender.

Lu Jihan remained silent.

Chu Xingge pursed his lips and cut to the chase: "Yesterday I asked the Marquis to go horse-riding with me, but the Marquis refused without exchanging a single word. How about I invite the Marquis to the training ground for a duel today?"

Lu Jihan frowned slightly, clearly not expecting that Chu Xingge would want to compete with him in martial arts.

Lu Jihan seemed to have heard some outrageous joke. He reached out and dusted off the sleeves of his official robe, saying casually, "Lu Jihan never bullies the weak. If you want to compete, let's choose something else."

Seeing Lu Jihan's arrogant demeanor, Chu Xingge curled his lips: "As expected, the rumors were true. Although you are a military general, and your style is sometimes unrestrained and unconventional, you are truly a high-and-mighty figure, a moon in the clouds, which is why you firmly believe I will lose. If you are so proud, then let's not compete in martial arts, how about we compete in archery and horsemanship?"

As if afraid that Lu Jihan would not agree, Chu Xingge added, "Even civil officials in our dynasty are required to take exams in riding and archery, so you can rest assured, my lord. I will not use my weaknesses to attack your strengths."

Chu Xingge has already said all that; if Lu Jihan still doesn't agree, then he would truly be arrogant.

Besides, Lu Jihan was already angry, so since Chu Xingge wanted him to be the scapegoat, he naturally agreed.

Lu Jihan mounted his horse and rode his prized Akhal-Teke steed straight to the outskirts archery range that Chu Xingge had mentioned.

Chu Xingge, however, also went in a carriage.

Archery range.

Most of these archery and horseback riding training grounds are located in the suburbs, because the suburbs are mostly sparsely populated, and those who are not good at archery and horseback riding are unlikely to injure others easily.

From this spot, you can still see the mountain peaks and Xiangguo Temple in the distance.

The vegetation on the mountain and the ground was sparse, with the grass turning yellow and then withering, adding to the desolate and majestic atmosphere of this square expanse of yellow earth.

Lin Feng, as Lu Jihan's personal attendant, also went along.

Chu Xingge naturally brought his pageboy Xingyun with him.

"Today's archery competition is nothing fancy or fancy. I wonder if the Marquis enjoys pomegranates?"

Chu Xingge took two pomegranates from Xingyun's hands. They were bright red and looked ripe and plump.

"I don't like to eat it, but..." Lu Jihan glanced at him.

Chu Xingge said slowly, "Then let's use this pomegranate as the target, place it on our heads, and stand 150 paces apart. We'll take turns shooting arrows and see who has the better aim. My lord, are you afraid?"

Lu Jihan snorted coldly upon hearing this, his snort filled with contempt and sarcasm towards Chu Xingge's words: "Fine, win it back for her, she loves it."

It goes without saying who she is referring to.

It was placed on top of my head. Although the pomegranate was big enough, it still seemed too small for a distance of 150 steps.

Xingyun and Linfeng, who were standing nearby, wanted to persuade them, but their masters were already determined.

He picked up a pomegranate and put it on his head. Who is Lu Jihan?

His archery skills must be excellent; he would rank among the top three in the army, in the entire city of Chang'an, and even in the whole country.

Although Chu Xingge was a civil official, the laws of this dynasty stipulated that civil officials were also required to take the imperial examinations in horsemanship and archery, and Chu Xingge was quite good at both.

After several arrows, the two remained locked in a stalemate, each shooting off the pomegranate from the other's head, unable to determine a winner for the time being.

Upon seeing this, the two decided to start sparring with swords and spears. Both of them wielded longswords and were determined to win. As they fought, their moves became increasingly serious.

Chu Xingge's martial arts skills were no match for Lu Jihan's. When Lu Jihan got serious, Chu Xingge's longsword was knocked away in less than three moves.

Seeing that Chu Xingge was still unwilling to give up, Lu Jihan casually twirled his sword and sheathed it. "It's no use. You won't last three moves against me."

The man's deep voice carried a hint of haughty arrogance and mockery.

Chu Xingge turned to look at Lu Jihan, "Your martial arts are indeed stronger than mine, but you may not be stronger in the future. If one day you become my defeated opponent, I will definitely take Ahe away from you!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng's eyes widened in disbelief. He never expected that someone could find such a precise way to provoke the Marquis with just one sentence.

as predicted.

The moment Chu Xingge finished speaking, the cold longsword that Lu Jihan had just sheathed was already pressed against Chu Xingge's neck.

Chu Xingge was not afraid, staring straight at Lu Jihan: "If it weren't for the accident back then, and the wasted years, the Marquis's Lady Shen would be my wife now."

Lu Jihan sneered, his eyes and smile filled with anger: "A mere maidservant is worthy of Lord Chu's attention!"

The murderous intent in his eyes as he stared at Chu Xingge was intense and impossible to conceal.

Lu Jihan pursed his lips and glared angrily: "This matter has nothing to do with you."

Chu Xingge didn't care what Lu Jihan said and directly pointed out: "If the Marquis really only regards Ahe as a maid, a concubine, or a dispensable concubine, then why is the Marquis so angry now? Why is he jealous?"

Is he angry because of a concubine? But the Marquis seems to have had three concubines before. Let alone being angry because of those three concubines, I doubt the Marquis has ever even entered their chambers.

Lu Jihan was furious: "Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?"

"How could Your Excellency not dare? The old Marquis was unworthy to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Marquis's mansion already possesses two imperial edicts bestowed by the late Emperor. If Your Excellency were truly determined to kill me, you certainly could. It's just... I never expected Your Excellency to be such a coward." Chu Xingge sneered.

"It's utterly shameful for a civil servant like myself!"

Lu Jihan's voice was icy cold as his longsword pressed harder against Chu Xingge's neck, the sharp blade leaving a bloody mark on her skin: "I'll give you one more chance to speak."

"Even if you ask me a thousand times, my answer will be the same. Such cowardice, such an inability to face my own heart, such a refusal to confront my own emotions—what else is that but cowardice?"

Chu Xingge looked at him with a smile in her eyes. Instead of backing down, she leaned her neck forward and said, "How much do you care about Ahe? Have you thought about it yourself? With your abilities, it wouldn't be a problem for you to find out the whole story between me and Ahe. I'm sure you've already found out."

In the end, all this time you've been cold to Ahe and angry with yourself, it all boils down to that childhood betrothal arranged on that piece of parchment. Just because of a childhood betrothal, and when Ahe and I put our fingerprints on it, we were both no more than eighteen years old combined.

Anyone with a modicum of sense should know that such arranged marriages are completely invalid. What can two children do? Play in the mud together? You probably don't need me to tell you these simple truths.

But it's precisely this simple truth that you understand yet can't convince yourself of. The Marquis has been cold and aloof these days, indifferent to those around him, simply because he's jealous of you—jealous of only two children.

As Chu Xingge spoke, she pressed her neck forward, ignoring Lu Jihan's reaction, and continued: "The reason you're jealous is because you care about Ahe. The more you care, the more you hate that you weren't involved in her past, that you didn't see her past! I was the one who accompanied her through that period, so you're jealous. But in this process, Ahe didn't do anything wrong."

"It's all because you fell in love with Ahe!"