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

Cao Xiaoniang always had a smile on her face, as if the things she was talking about had nothing to do with her.

Cao Xiaoniang glanced at Qin Shi beside her, noticing the great satisfaction on Qin Shi's face. She merely raised an eyebrow and continued with a smile, "Old Madam, this just proves how much the Marquis dotes on Sister Shen. Even now that Sister Shen is pregnant, he can't bear to go to anyone else's room. He'd rather endure it all to stay with Sister Shen!"

At this point, Cao Xiaoniang sighed with a sense of loss, "It's all my fault. I have no ability or means. Otherwise, I should have helped the Marquis to ease the situation. Unfortunately, the Marquis never enters my courtyard. It's because I'm powerless."

Cao Xiaoniang's words are a classic example of the speaker having an ulterior motive and the listener taking them to heart.

It was obvious that Qin Shi's expression was not right, and the last trace of a smile on her face disappeared.

Qin Shi will never forget that the day before yesterday, her husband had come to her courtyard for a meal and even went to bed with her, but he was still seduced back by that vixen Shen Qinghe.

For Qin Shi, this was an utter disgrace. This incident alone had become the talk of the town among the maids and servants for the past two days.

When has the Qin family ever suffered such humiliation?

The old lady didn't have a particularly special impression of Cao Xiaoniang. She only remembered that Cao Xiaoniang was usually quiet and reserved, and didn't interfere in the affairs of the inner quarters. In contrast, Wu Xiaoniang and Chen Xiaoniang were both very restless.

But Cao Xiaoniang in front of her did not. Instead, she sensibly said that it was her own fault. The old lady had a better impression of her. Just as she was about to speak, a maid hurriedly came to report the news.

It was said that Lin Feng had arrived with a message from Lu Jihan.

However, the practice of maids and servants gossiping about their masters behind their backs is unacceptable. Otherwise, it will set a bad example, turning the entire Marquis's mansion into a marketplace, and the inner quarters into a chaotic mess. The Marquis said they must be severely punished. If any maids or servants are caught gossiping and spreading rumors about Miss Qinghe again, they will be given one hundred strokes of the cane and immediately sold off.

Hearing this, Qin's heart clenched. The Marquis knew that the maids and servants in the mansion were gossiping, and he knew that they loved to spread rumors about their masters, but when he punished them, he only forbade the maids and servants from discussing anything related to Shen Qinghe.

My lord, are you protecting her like this?

You can't even bear to let her hear a few casual words?

And what about her?

Is she completely unimportant?

The more Qin felt a pang of pain and resentment, the more she could no longer maintain her previous posture of sitting on the sidelines and watching the tigers fight. She could no longer comfort herself that Shen Qinghe was just a passing fancy of the Marquis.

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiaoniang remained silent, only glancing at Qin Shi's reaction.

The old lady nodded in agreement: "Jihan did the right thing. Such a trend should not be encouraged. To silence public opinion, he must be severely punished. Kang Mama, go and do it immediately."

At this moment, Lin Feng spoke again: "Madam, please wait, the Marquis has something else to say. The Marquis said that Miss Qinghe is too tired from her pregnancy, and these days she has been hearing too much gossip from the maids and servants, which has greatly affected her mood. In order to ensure the safety of the young lady and the safe birth of her child, he has specially promoted her to a concubine to appease her."

This time, even the old lady was surprised. For the first time, she truly felt her grandson's affection for Shen Qinghe.

Is it because I like Shen Qinghe too much?

But this concern only lasted a moment and was quickly ignored.

The old lady thought of something else: the more Ji Han liked Qing He, the greater the chance that she would bear children for Ji Han and their second branch of the family.

Then the old lady no longer needs to worry about having offspring.

If Ji Han still loves Qing He so much after the child is born, and Qing He remains so sensible and well-behaved, then after having another great-grandchild, we can consider promoting Shen Qing He to a secondary wife.

In this way, the children born to Shen Qinghe would be legitimate heirs of the Marquis's family, and the children would not have to worry about their mother's background when they grow up, nor would their future be affected by Qinghe's background.

It is indeed a long-term plan.

Upon hearing this, Qin, who was standing nearby, gripped her chopsticks tightly, completely unable to believe what she had just heard.

Even Cao Xiaoniang was shocked. She could have guessed that the Marquis would protect Shen Qinghe, and she could even talk about the Marquis's favoritism and affection, but she could not have imagined that the Marquis would love Shen Qinghe to this extent.

It's absolutely outrageous.

The old lady nodded, which meant she accepted Lu Jihan's idea.

After finishing their meal, Madam Qin and Madam Cao both left the courtyard.

Before they had gone far from Yuhe Hall, Cao Xiaoniang took the initiative to approach Shen Qinghe and strike up a conversation: "Young Madam, what do you think?"

Faced with Cao Xiaoniang's probing, Qin Shi wore a perfectly measured smile and appeared quite calm. Qin Shi had always known that the most unfathomable and difficult person to deal with in this inner courtyard was neither Wu Xiaoniang nor Chen Xiaoniang, but Cao Xiaoniang, who never revealed her true colors under any circumstances.

Madam Qin smiled, her voice calm and relaxed: "What? Does Sister Cao have objections to the Marquis's intentions? She's just a concubine, there's no need for you to be so shocked, nor for you to be so jealous. If you gain favor in the future, you will surely have that day too."

If one only heard these words, one would really think that Madam Qin was a reasonable and tolerant lady.

pity.

Cao Xiaoniang wasn't meeting Qin Shi for the first time. She merely raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "A concubine is indeed just a concubine. No matter what, she can't compare to the young mistress and is always a step below her. However... Shen Qinghe has only been in the Bamboo Garden as the Marquis's maid for two months, and now she has climbed all the way up to the position of concubine."

Logically speaking, even if Shen Qinghe is favored, she should only become a concubine after she has been pregnant for ten months and given birth. The fact that she has already become a concubine before even giving birth is truly something to be reckoned with.

Cao Xiaoniang spoke calmly, a smile always on her face, revealing nothing amiss: "Moreover, above the rank of concubine is a secondary wife. And above that, it's..."

At this point, Cao Xiaoniang pretended to realize something was wrong and patted her mouth with her fan in a fake manner: "Pah, pah, pah, I'm clumsy and tongue-tied and can't say anything nice. I really don't know how to speak and have only said things that make people unhappy. I'll take my leave and not disturb you any longer, Madam."

After Cao Xiaoniang finished speaking, she bowed and left.

Qin Shi, who was standing there, was expressionless, her eyes filled with cold hatred.

Hongxing, standing nearby, couldn't contain herself any longer: "Young Madam, what should we do! That lowly servant Shen Qinghe has been promoted repeatedly, even beyond her rank. We really have to be careful. Besides, in wealthy families, anyone with a bit of status has to be mindful of propriety and decorum. How can someone appoint a concubine while the principal wife is still alive? That's practically a slap in the face to the principal wife! Not to mention, once Shen Qinghe has climbed to that position, it will be much harder for the principal wife to take her child!"

"Do you think I don't know?" Madam Qin scolded her, "We've come this far, there's no point in rushing things. Shen Qinghe is only pregnant now, it's uncertain whether she can give birth. Although I'm responsible for taking care of her and the child, if it's truly her own negligence that caused the miscarriage, she won't be able to stay in her position as a concubine!"

-

Since Shen Qinghe became pregnant, Lu Jihan has been somewhat restrained, but he still can't stay still in Shen Qinghe's room every night.

They would only stop when Shen Qinghe could no longer open her eyes.

During the day, Shen Qinghe would cultivate her mind and body in the courtyard, and at night she would accompany Lu Jihan to fool around for a while.

This day.

Shen Qinghe is teaching Qing'er how to make chrysanthemum cake.

Qing'er was quick to learn and soon mastered most of it. The two of them talked as they worked together.

"Time flies! It's been over a month since my sister was promoted to a concubine. Her belly has gotten bigger and is more noticeable than before."

Qing'er sighed, "Even the Marquis was promoted to the second rank thanks to his merit in suppressing bandits. In two or three days it will be the old lady's birthday banquet. I heard that the old lady does not plan to hold a big event, but only invites relatives to the mansion for a family banquet. Fortunately, my sister has already prepared the birthday gift, otherwise, with my sister's current health, staying up all night to show off would be absolutely not possible."

Shen Qinghe smiled but didn't say anything.

Qing'er seemed to remember something and whispered, "Oh, right, sister, I saw a young lady when I went out today who looked so much like you. I almost mistook her for someone else. After asking around, I found out she was Cousin Ye Shu. Have you met her, sister?"

With a "click".

The pastry in Shen Qinghe's hand fell off, rolled off the table, and tumbled all the way to the door.

Ye Shu has arrived…

Yes, yes. She is a cousin of the Marquis's family, so naturally she must attend the old lady's birthday banquet.

"Sister, what's wrong?" Qing'er looked at Shen Qinghe with some concern.

Shen Qinghe calmed herself down. After all, Ye Shu was already married and nothing could be changed. Besides, she would only be staying in the mansion for half a month at most, so there shouldn't be any major issues.

"It's alright, hurry up and finish cooking, then come with me to deliver the food to the Marquis."

Upon hearing this, Qing'er sped up.

It was done very quickly.

Shen Qinghe took Qing'er to the study.

As soon as I reached the courtyard gate, I heard a refined and elegant female voice coming from inside:

"It's been a long time. How have you been, cousin?"

Shen Qinghe recognized the voice.

It's Ye Shu!