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

Shen Qinghe wasn't afraid of Ye Shu's questions at all. Even if she was lying, she could easily find out by asking any experienced nanny.

Shen Qinghe simply answered directly, "It was a little over two months ago. If I remember correctly, that was Miss Hao's wedding banquet!"

Shen Qinghe looked at Ye Shu in front of her with a smile, her face showing a hint of amusement, but her expression remained completely unreadable.

Ye Shu wasn't stupid or blind; she had long noticed that Shen Qinghe's face bore a striking resemblance to her own.

Ye Shu's words were clearly barbed, but Shen Qinghe, having been reborn, had long since become shrewd and unpredictable. Unfazed by the barbs, she smiled and replied, "Yes, that night the Marquis kept calling out 'Shu'er, Shu'er.' Ah..."

At this point, Shen Qinghe feigned a sudden realization and looked at Ye Shu with some shock: "That seems to be Miss Cousin's name!"

Ye Shu was caught off guard by Shen Qinghe's reaction. "So, sister-in-law... you won my cousin's favor just because of your face?"

The implication is that Shen Qinghe is favored because she looks like Ye Shu, not because of who she is. If Shen Qinghe didn't have that face, Lu Jihan would no longer favor her.

Shen Qinghe didn't care about any of that. When she was first reborn, she deliberately found a dress similar to that of her cousin and changed into it. She also pretended to be Ye Shu when Lu Jihan was infatuated, thus gaining his favor.

From that moment on, Shen Qinghe had already made all the necessary mental preparations. She dared to learn, and she didn't care what others said.

Don't look at what others say, look at what Shen Qinghe has actually gained.

Shen Qinghe smiled instead, "Yes, Miss is right. Who can blame me when Miss is the one the Marquis loves, and who can blame me when I have such a face that looks just like Miss? It must be fate."

Shen Qinghe's reaction and expression were completely beyond Ye Shu's expectations.

Ye Shu smiled and said, "How long can you rely on your looks to please others? Your face will grow old someday, and what if you no longer look like me? Have you ever thought that your cousin might leave you?"

"Miss Biao is from a wealthy family, so naturally she thinks more. Using one's looks to please others may only bring benefits for a short time, but at least one can get benefits. As long as it starts well, how long and how good it gets depends on the individual's abilities."

Shen Qinghe was not hurt by Ye Shu at all, but she didn't care because she had been mentally prepared from the beginning.

However, this does not mean that Shen Qinghe will tolerate others' provocations time and time again.

Shen Qinghe faced Ye Shu with an unchanged smile, her tone light as she spoke words as sharp as knives: "But why does Miss Ye care so much about my husband and me? Didn't you dislike military officers? Didn't you think military officers had no future, and thus coldly rejected my Marquis from the very beginning? So what is it that Miss Ye cares about now?"

Shen Qinghe's words were even more impactful than Ye Shu's long speech.

Ye Shu harbored unspeakable bitterness in her heart. After she married into the family, her mother-in-law immediately handed over the management of the household affairs to her.

At that time, Ye Shu was very happy, feeling that she had really chosen the right person. However, after only two and a half months, she discovered that the Prince's Mansion was just a gilded exterior but a rotten core, and that even its wealth had been emptied out, to an unknown extent.

Her husband only knows how to compose poems and write couplets every day, and he doesn't care about the livelihood and finances of the household at all. Now, a large part of the money used in the household is subsidized from her dowry.

Seeing how much Lu Jihan dotes on Shen Qinghe, Ye Shu's heart is naturally filled with unease.

If she hadn't chosen the heir apparent and had instead chosen her cousin, at the very least, she would never have lacked gold and silver treasures, and she wouldn't have had to worry about money.

But now that things have come to this, there is no way to turn back. Ye Shu knew this in her heart, but when she saw Shen Qinghe being favored by Lu Jihan because she looked like her, she couldn't help but feel jealous and regretful.

Seeing that Ye Shu didn't speak, Shen Qinghe felt she had achieved her goal and subtly stabbed Ye Shu in the heart: "This servant takes her leave."

Without giving Ye Shu a chance to speak, Shen Qinghe turned around and left in another direction.

But they hadn't gone far when they encountered another uninvited guest.

Cao Xiaoniang looked at Shen Qinghe in front of her, smiled and gave her a curtsy: "This servant greets Shen Xiaoniang."

Originally, Shen Qinghe and Cao Xiaoniang were equals, both being noble concubines.

Even before she became a concubine, Shen Qinghe would always bow to Cao Xiaoniang and Wu Xiaoniang whenever they met.

Now the tables have turned, and it's Cao Xiaoniang's turn to respectfully bow to Shen Qinghe.

If Chen Xiaoniang were still alive at this time, the person being punished to kneel in the sun would be Chen Shi, not Shen Qinghe.

Shen Qinghe and Cao Xiaoniang had only exchanged a few words when they saw Shen Yun'er walking over from not far away.

Cao Xiaoniang was already in the courtyard and overheard what she wanted to hear, so she didn't try to keep her any longer. She smiled and reminded her, "Shen Xiaoniang, it seems that Sister Yun'er has arrived. I'll take my leave now so as not to disturb your conversation."

After saying that, Cao Xiaoniang left, and at this moment Shen Yun'er also arrived in front of Shen Qinghe.

Shen Yun'er looked at Shen Qinghe, her heart filled with jealousy, but she could only restrain herself. She tried her best to soften her tone and hugged Shen Qinghe's arm: "Sister, I want to see Father and Mother. Can you please invite them over for me?"

Shen Qinghe looked at Shen Yun'er in front of her, completely disregarding her feigned sisterly affection. She directly shook off Shen Yun'er's hand: "Now you know how to pretend to be my sister? Have you completely forgotten how you framed me?"

Shen Qinghe took a step back, looking at her coldly: "Also, in this Marquis's mansion, we will still address each other by our rank from now on. Now, you should be the one paying your respects to me."

"You!!" Shen Yun'er never expected Shen Qinghe to dare speak to her like that. Her jealousy and anger surged uncontrollably: "Shen Qinghe, don't think I'm afraid of you just because you've been promoted several ranks!"

"Is that so? You're just a maidservant, what right do you have to talk to me like that? Because you're malicious, because you're shameless?"

As Shen Qinghe was speaking, two servants happened to pass by. Upon seeing Shen Qinghe, they bowed respectfully to her.

The scene made Shen Yun'er's face turn pale and then red. Even her personal maid, Hongdou, had to say, "Master, she... she's right. She's a concubine now, several ranks higher than you. Even if you make a big scene, you won't have any reason to argue."

Shen Yun'er was furious at Hongdou's words. Meeting Shen Qinghe's eyes, she remembered how hard she had finally been released from confinement and recovered, and could finally come out. Even though she was angry, she could only keep a low profile: "Fine...fine, Shen Qinghe is so heartless now. This servant, Shen Yun'er, greets Madam Shen and wishes you a good day!"

Shen Qinghe merely raised an eyebrow, too lazy to speak to Shen Yun'er, glanced down at her condescendingly, and then strode away.

From behind came Shen Yun'er's resentful voice: "Just you wait! Li Shi bullied me, and now even that lowly servant Shen Qinghe is bullying me! Once I become the Grand Secretary's wife, I'll make sure you all regret it!"

The Prime Minister's wife? Shen Qinghe couldn't help but sneer. Keep dreaming!

-

Whether or not Shen Qinghe's words came true, Ye Shu developed a high fever that very night.

I heard that Doctor Lin went to the Marquis's residence overnight, and the old lady also went there with concern.

Resting in the courtyard until evening, a cool autumn breeze blew by, and Shen Qinghe opened her eyes and suddenly had an idea. Looking at Qing'er and Fang Yu beside her, she said, "I've got it! Go and prepare some things. We're having hot pot tonight."

"Hot pot mutton??" Qing'er hesitated upon hearing this, "Sister, aren't we waiting for the Marquis?"

Shen Qinghe clicked her tongue upon hearing this and waved her hand: "Didn't you just bring back the news that Ye Shu is sick, caught a cold, and is currently running a high fever? The old lady was so worried that she went to see her and even brought Doctor Lin back overnight. Obviously, it won't end early tonight. The Marquis won't be coming, don't worry. We can eat even more casually!"

Shen Qinghe knew very well that Lu Jihan's unattainable white moonlight!

In his previous life, Lu Jihan remained chaste for Ye Shu, thus remaining childless for life, which shows how important Ye Shu was to him.

Now that his beloved is sick, with a cold and a persistent high fever, how could Lu Jihan possibly have the mind to come here?

Shen Qinghe spoke with confidence and ease, and Qing'er and Fang Yu immediately did as Shen Qinghe said.

Soon, the fresh ingredients were prepared, neatly arranged on a plate, and served by the two people.

In the center of the table was a large copper hot pot. The circular part in the middle of the hot pot was raised so that heated charcoal could be put in through the circular hole, and hot mutton soup was simmering on both sides.

Shen Qinghe specially prepared mutton and radish soup stewed with ice, and also made a simple dipping sauce with scallions, ginger, garlic, chili oil, and sesame peanut sauce. Each of the three servants had a small dish.

The gate to the courtyard was closed long ago, and the doors to the houses were also tightly shut, with only a few windows open for ventilation.

The aroma of mutton wafted from the copper hot pot, bubbling and steaming, quickly filling the entire room.

Shen Qinghe cooked a small plate of fresh mutton, dipped it in her own dipping sauce, and put a piece of mutton in her mouth. The aroma made her feel dizzy.

Qing'er, still uneasy as she ate, asked, "Sister, are you sure the Marquis isn't coming today? He's shown up unexpectedly several times before."

"No, no, don't worry, you can eat it."

Shen Qinghe was very confident. She thought that the last two times it was Qin Shi, but this time it was someone else's white moonlight, so it would definitely be completely different.

As she cooked the mutton, she said, "When your sweetheart is sick, that scoundrel won't even think of me!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Qing'er and Fang Yu stood up immediately, their faces pale as they looked behind Shen Qinghe and ran away as if fleeing.

Shen Qinghe paused in her chopping motion, turned around, and saw that Lu Jihan was standing behind her without her noticing.

Lu Jihan's face darkened as he stared at her: "What did Ahe just call me? Say it again?"