Young widow in her boudoir

Because they were so close, his warm breath brushed against her ear.

Even though their intimate contact is now legitimate, she has already sworn an oath to her deceased husband and passed the test of the Shen family ancestors.

However, when faced with a man's touch, Xie Rutang would still stiffen slightly and feel uncomfortable. She tried to relax and slowly learned to accept it.

You'll have to get used to it eventually...

Xie Rutang's clenched fist gradually loosened.

She and Pei Zhiheng will have many more intimate encounters until she becomes pregnant, and that will not end.

She couldn't see at night, so Pei Zhiheng had to carry her back to the hospital.

So she lowered her eyes and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, Second Master."

Pei Zhiheng noticed that she was particularly polite, after all, the two were not familiar with each other yet, and her voice was soft and gentle, as soft as a mosquito's buzz, which was especially pitiful.

As she spoke, his tall figure was reflected in her beautiful, hazy eyes, like a Persian cat unable to take care of itself. Perhaps it was in this manner that she seduced Shen Yuan.

She reached out and gently tugged at a corner of his clothes.

The next moment, the man picked her up again, his clothes brushing lightly against her waist, and walked towards the door, letting Xie Rutang's rain-soaked skirt gradually wet his robe.

In the dead of night, Pei Zhiheng walked in the backyard and carried her back to Cuiwu Courtyard.

Such a meticulous, almost harsh person as he had already given prior instructions to clear away all the servants on the road back to Cuiwu Courtyard.

She had thought he would stay overnight at Cuiwu Courtyard, but Pei Zhiheng left after carrying her back.

Xie Rutang, on the contrary, breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, it was only the first day, and she wasn't fully prepared.

Besides, he was the second master of the household and her deceased husband's brother and friend. She had to prepare herself mentally in order to share a room with him without any burden.

Back at Cuiwu Courtyard, Xie Rutang, having been caught in the rain, just wanted to take a bath as soon as possible; her body still carried the man's cool fragrance.

The sandalwood scent was so strong it was almost pungent, just like his personality—extremely oppressive.

Xie Rutang's scent didn't completely dissipate until he had washed himself in the bathtub.

Because of what happened today, Jin Yue often stared at her with red eyes.

As soon as Xie Rutang stepped out of the bathtub, Jin Yue gasped and her face flushed red.

She stammered, "Madam, your back..."

The voices grew softer and softer, leading people to believe that Pei Zhiheng was bullying the lady severely in the ancestral hall.

Xie Rutang looked down upon hearing this.

As a man who was neither married nor had any concubines, Pei Zhiheng, unaware of the gravity of his actions, pressed her against his chest and kissed her deeply, leaving several rosy pinch marks on her slender waist with his palms—ambiguous yet shocking.

She has sensitive skin, making her more prone to marks than others.

Xie Rutang didn't take it to heart and smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

She borrowed a child from Pei Zhiheng to preserve her deceased husband's property and land. Once the child was born, she would have a place in the Shen family, and she wouldn't have to serve her husband anymore. She could stay at home, tending her own courtyard and painting in peace. That would be good enough for her. For her, it was the best possible outcome.

Xie Rutang was ultimately a widow, and wherever she went, she faced numerous difficulties. Even if she were to remarry in the future, as a remarried woman, she would still suffer from the coldness and harsh treatment of her mother-in-law in her new home, and face all sorts of hardships, simply because she was a second-time bride.

Weighing the options, it would be better to stay in the Shen family mansion and live under the title of her deceased husband. The Shen family was a prestigious family in the capital, and although she had lost her husband, she still received a monthly allowance and would not be destitute, receiving the care of the Shen family.

Xie Rutang knew all too well that ordinary couples, after a long time together, were prone to developing rifts and gradually growing to dislike each other, without exception. Her parents were no exception. They had once been affectionate in their youth, but later they quarreled all the time until their love was completely worn away, and her mother died with resentment in her heart.

Her husband, Shen Yuan, died young, and their relationship remained at its most beautiful moment. If Shen Yuan hadn't died in battle, he might have found fault with her later, thinking she was old and faded, and that she was too rigid and dull for a lady of high birth. Naturally, he would have sought other women outside the household and brought several concubines into the mansion.

After bathing, Xie Rutang lay on the bed fully clothed, lost in thought. She recalled Pei Zhiheng's almost predatory deep kiss in the ancestral hall that night, how he wished he could devour her whole. Her heart felt like it had been scalded, and she couldn't calm down.

She was so frightened by her night blindness that she needed to light all the candles on the lampstand in her room to feel at ease.

She lay there for almost half an hour before finally falling asleep.

……

Zhu Lan is waiting for Second Master to return to the mansion tonight.

She was originally intended to be Pei Zhiheng's concubine, and Old Madam Pei instructed her to serve Pei Zhiheng tonight.

Zhu Lan's heart rate was faster than usual, and her cheeks were already flushed with a shy blush without even needing to apply rouge.

She understood the old lady's intentions better than anyone else. The second master was getting old and had not yet officially married a wife. The old lady hoped that before he and Miss Su got married, there would be a maidservant to teach him about bedroom matters.

If she really did serve the Second Master in bed, her status would rise accordingly, and she could be promoted to a concubine. From then on, she would be half a master of the Pei family and the Second Master's first woman.

Hongyao sat in front of the bronze mirror, carefully tidying her hair and loosely tying it into a bun, her eyes revealing a bewitching affection.

An announcement came from outside: Second Master had returned to the courtyard.

Zhu Lan's heart skipped a beat, and she went to greet him herself, having dismissed the other maids. She had specially changed into a light red dress today. "Second Master is back."

Pei Zhiheng's gaze swept lightly over the furnishings in the room before finally settling on her.

Zhu Lan's eyes were wet with tears, and she dared not look him in the eye.

But the man seemed not to notice any difference between her clothes today and her usual green shirt and pink skirt, and went straight past her into the room.

Zhu Lan hurriedly followed him into the room, her voice soft and charming, "The old lady instructed me to serve the second master here tonight and instruct him on matters of propriety..."

After saying that, she reached to untie the jade belt around his waist, intending to press her ample breasts against her master. However, the moment her fingertips touched the belt, Pei Zhiheng's cold and aloof gaze fell upon her. He frowned and instantly said in a cold voice, "Get out."

Zhu Lan froze, unable to understand what he meant.

She stood there, frozen, unwilling to leave, knowing this was her only chance.

Pei Zhiheng reached out and untied the jade belt at his waist, casually handing it to the clothes rack beside him. "I'm tired from official duties tonight, and I need to rest and read by myself. You may leave."

"You don't need to waste your time and effort on me from now on."

Thinking that she was forced by Madam Pei, Pei Zhiheng frowned again, "I will speak to my mother myself."

Zhu Lan's faint hope was frozen in place.

Now that she was close by, she could smell a faint orchid fragrance emanating from the man. It was not the scent of rouge or powder, but she was certain that bamboo orchid was a woman's fragrance!

Zhu Lan was stunned.

Why does Second Master smell like a woman?

She couldn't possibly be mistaken.

By the candlelight in the room, she looked closely and realized that the Second Master's robes were soaked and wrinkled, with the creases on the hem resembling those of a woman's fingers...

Zhu Lan felt a stab to her heart and dug her palms deeply.

She was stunned. Second Master was engaged to Su Yao, so where did this woman come from?