Ji Huai didn't say a word, just looked at her with an extremely cold look.
"Cousin." She tried her best to maintain her expression and squeezed out two words, but her voice and body were already trembling.
"You knew that she was weak, took care of the fetus, and took medicine every day, but you are so vicious-hearted. You really lured the wolf into the house." His face was as calm as water, but upon closer inspection, there was a rare anger.
"Cousin." Du Xiang opened his mouth in panic, but found that all the explanations seemed so weak, and a wave of cold air surged up from the soles of his feet, like falling into an ice cellar.
He found out, and she didn't even have a chance to defend herself.
"Send her to the government." Ji Huai said calmly, turned and left without mercy.
"No, cousin, I—" Du Xiang's eyes showed fear and panic, and he ran over to stop him regardless of his appearance.
"Miss Cousin." The boy stopped her.
"Let me go, let me go!" Du Xiang struggled, his eyes filled with pleading, and tears kept pouring out. Fear spread from the bottom of his heart and covered his whole body.
Ji Huai didn't stop walking and soon disappeared from the sight of the two of them.
The news quickly reached the ears of the old lady. She came to stop him on crutches and refused to let him go.
The youngest daughter was her most beloved child. She had a bad fate. Her husband died and she couldn't remarry as she wished. Only this granddaughter could be by her side.
No one in this old house kissed her.
"You want to send her to the official, you are going to destroy her." The old lady kept emphasizing, looking at Du Xiang being dragged by the servant, she said sternly, "Let go, let her go!"
"Grandma, Xiang'er knows that she is wrong." Du Xiang's face turned pale and tears fell like rain. "Xiang'er will never marry, but will stay with my grandmother and take care of her until she is old. Xiang'er has no regrets and will never see you again." Ask for nothing.”
"Whoever sends her away will take my life!" The old lady looked at Ji Huai, beat her chest angrily, and asked, "If there is anything that cannot be solved at home, you have to send your cousin to the government. Mr. Hou , do you really want to be so selfless?!"
Ji Huai was unmoved, his sharp gaze fell on Du Xiang, his thin lips slightly parted: "During the time when the Marquis took her in, her food and clothing expenses were comparable to those of the young lady in the mansion. If she is ungrateful, I will also We should just turn a blind eye and think about my sister-in-law's ill-fated fate, so there is no harm in protecting her for the rest of her life."
"She is ungrateful and has the audacity to ignore other people's lives. She is ignorant, fearless, shameless and has no conscience. I will never tolerate her!"
…
The old lady was out of breath. Seeing that the boy was about to send him away again, Du Xiang cried and begged. She looked at Ji Huai again: "Although she had thoughts, they did not cause serious consequences. In the future..."
"Don't send him away yet!" Ji Huai tensed his jaw and looked at the boy to order.
Du Xiang was so frightened that his face turned black and his lips turned white. He kept struggling and wanted to kneel down to beg for mercy, but he was pulled up by the boy forcefully. Several people dragged her away from the door, and she cried uncontrollably. Then she screamed and burst into lungs, looking completely different from the soft and frail person she used to be.
Watching Du Xiang being sent away, the old lady's bones were weak and she almost collapsed to the ground. She turned to look at Ji Huai. His brows were cold, and he looked away and turned around. The old man closed his eyes and endured it.
Her grandson seemed to be kind, but he really touched the bottom line and there was no room for redemption.
From that day on, the old lady became seriously ill and moved to Zhuangzi in the suburbs with her old servant.
It took several days for Zhao Qingyue to learn about this from Qiulan.
"Du Xiang was beaten thirty times in battle?" Her eyes widened, "Isn't that -"
"That is the old lady's business. If something like this happens, even if she is released, she will probably have to live with her tail between her legs in the future, which will be extremely humiliating." When Qiulan said this, she clenched her teeth with hatred.
Zhao Qingyue took a sip of sour plum juice, thought for a while, and then slowly said: "Well, since this is the case, forget it."
"It's not that Madam is kind-hearted. If it were anyone else, she wouldn't know what kind of end she would end up with!" Qiulan still felt that she was being advantaged. "The people in the Duke's Mansion want to know the inside story and are designated to seek justice for the young lady!"
"Qiulan." Zhao Qingyue called her.
Qiulan shut up immediately.
"Not a word about it," she emphasized again.
"I understand, miss." Qiulan lowered her head, still reluctant, shrugged her head, and went to the kitchen to bring pastries.
Zhao Qingyue continued to drink the sour plum soup without showing any other expression.
When things got to this point, Du Xiang was considered half-finished. Although it was Ji Huai who came forward, Du Xiang was a relative after all. If he cared too much, what benefits could she gain
In the current situation, what kind of disturbance can the other party cause? If she cares about it, the Ji family will be in trouble.
This big house was very clean. She wouldn't know it if she didn't find it for herself. She had to keep her face in everything.
As expected, the more she didn't say anything, the more guilty Ji Huai felt. Knowing that she liked jewelry, he went to find some exquisite jewelry to give to her. He stayed with her when nothing happened and tried his best to do it himself.
Since that incident, not to mention taking concubines, even the maids in the kitchen have to go through layers of selection.
Zhao Qingyue just pretended that she didn't know anything about it, and was filled with joy after receiving the jewelry he gave her. She smiled and thanked him: "Thank you, sir~"
"Did you drink today's medicine?" Ji Huai asked her.
Hearing this, Zhao Qingyue's smile suddenly disappeared: "You can say something unhappy, but after drinking it for so long, I feel uncomfortable hearing it. It's really uncomfortable."
"The doctor said that you have taken good care of your health, so you can't give up halfway." Ji Huai said, and asked Qiulan to bring the medicine. "Last time you said you wanted to swing, I had someone do it in the backyard. After you drink the medicine, you can go Play."
She has a restless temper, and she was probably depressed during this period.
"Is what the Marquis said true or false?" Her eyes really lit up.
Seeing her happy look, Ji Huai couldn't help but smile: "Why are you acting like a child? Only children aged three or five can play with that stuff."
"Who said that? When I was a girl, I often played with my cousin." Zhao Qingyue retorted, walked to him, picked up the soup, pinched her nose, and drank it in one gulp with her eyes closed.
The soup this time was bitter. As soon as she finished drinking it, her whole face wrinkled. As soon as she opened her eyes, he stuffed a prune into her mouth.
The sweet and sour prunes immediately relieved the bitterness in her mouth, and the sour taste also stimulated the tip of her tongue, making her frown again and half-squint her eyes.
Ji Huai looked at her like this and chuckled, feeling happy.
Zhao Qingyue held prunes in her mouth and glared at him arrogantly: "You are laughing at me, I will ignore you." After saying this, she turned and walked out the door.
He was not in a hurry and followed behind.
Zhao Qingyue went all the way to the backyard, saw the swing, and her steps became lighter.
After marrying into the Marquis's house, she was restrained everywhere. She had to be dignified and virtuous at all times, and the old lady was pressing her down, which made her even more depressed. It was really boring.
She walked to the swing and was about to sit on it when she stopped and looked at Ji Huai: "I'm pregnant, can I play?"
As a mother, she can't just care about herself.
"Okay. There's no danger. Just play with confidence." Ji Huai replied.
She smiled again and slowly sat on it, holding it tightly with her hands and shaking it gently.
Ji Huai stood beside her and stretched out his hand to push her.
As soon as he pushed, Zhao Qingyue raised her feet and let him push.
The weather was getting warmer, and the flowers in the backyard were gradually blooming. The clear and sweet sounds of birds came from time to time. Zhao Qingyue turned to look at him beside her, pursed her lips and curled the corners of her mouth.
The sun was high in the sky, and her mood was just like the weather, feeling physically and mentally refreshed.
"What are you thinking about again?" he asked.
She tilted her head and said in a soft voice, "I think a lot. The future is worth looking forward to and thinking about."
Ji Huai couldn't keep up with her whims, so he pushed slowly and stayed with her. Zhao Qingyue felt that he had been pushing for a long time, so she asked him to stop and waved to him: "Master Hou, stand in front of me. Come."
He didn't hesitate and walked towards her. As soon as he stood in front of her, she put her arms around his waist.
Qiulan was coming from the other side. When she looked at her, her eyes widened. She quickly retracted her steps and turned around to run away.
Zhao Qingyue thought Ji Huai would be restrained and uncomfortable, but she didn't expect him to be very natural now. He reached out to hug her back and said warmly: "Are you sleepy? Or tired?"
"No. I just want to hug me." She said and tried again, "I can't use my legs and feet. How about the Marquis carrying me and walking away?"
I haven't seen him shy and reserved for a long time, and I miss him.
Ji Huai: "Don't you want to swing anymore?"
She shook her head and hugged him tightly again, her voice dragging: "Master Marquis, just carry me and the child back to the house, okay?"
He didn't reply, but stretched out his hand to pull her hand away. She seized the opportunity to look at his expression, but he leaned over and picked her up by the waist.
Zhao Qingyue took a breath and quickly put her arms around his neck.
Ji Huai looked uncertain. As he held her and walked aside, he said, "I'm going to see Mr. Wang in the evening to discuss some things. I'll eat dinner early. I'll eat something with you. When I get back, I'll go to the study to take care of things." If it's too late, you can go to bed first, and if it's very late, I'll rest in the study."
The maid passing by was looking at them, turned around and covered her mouth to laugh. Zhao Qingyue herself, with her cheeks flushed, responded casually without paying attention to what he said.
Qiulan had just come back from hiding in the backyard when she saw Mr. Hou coming back with his young lady in his arms. She grinned and ran away again.
Zhao Qingyue was put on the bed by Ji Huai. She was so embarrassed that she pulled up the quilt and said to him: "I'm sleepy. If the Marquis is busy, just go and get busy."
"take a good rest."
…
After he left, she hugged the quilt, still feeling embarrassed, and fell asleep thinking about it. When she woke up, the sun had already set.
Qiulan stayed outside and asked the kitchen to pass the food when she woke up. Ji Huai was away, so Zhao Qingyue was not interested in eating alone, and most of the dishes were left untouched.
During the long night, she was bored, so she asked Qiulan: "Have you not found the storybook I asked you to find last time?"
Qiulan stood aside: "Reading at night hurts your eyes. The young lady is addicted to talking, which makes the young master suffer."
"Where is it?" Zhao Qingyue denied, "I know you have found the storybook. Bring it to me quickly to relieve my boredom."
"What should I do if the Marquis comes and sees me later?" Qiulan felt that the things in the storybook were somewhat unacceptable. The Marquis often accompanied the young lady, so he was afraid that he would say something if he saw it.
She didn't want to be the culprit. The Marquis is a very serious person and very talented. What do you think when you see him
Zhao Qingyue remembered what Ji Huai said in the afternoon: "The Marquis is not coming today."
After Qiulan heard what she said, she went to her room to get her storybook.
The vixen's storybook was updated last time, and she also found a few storybooks that the other party wanted. Zhao Qingyue took a rough look at the story books she brought, and looked at her with wide eyes: "What story book is this time? That person is actually a snake? Do you want to practice dual cultivation? That snake... "
"Miss!" Qiulan stamped her feet, her neck turning red with embarrassment, "Next time, I won't help you find your storybook!"
She hasn't left the cabinet yet, how can she understand this? What the young lady likes to watch is getting more and more outrageous. It will be a disaster if she teaches the young master bad things.
Zhao Qingyue was quite interested and lowered her head to look at it with relish: "The snake's skin is cold and it turned into a snake. If it turned into a human, it would be comfortable to hold in the summer, but it would be cold in the winter. It would be nice if it could become warm in the winter."
"I will put the book away before Lord Marquis comes tomorrow." Qiulan did not dare to let Ji Huai see it.
"Yeah." Zhao Qingyue has taken a liking to it.
She first watched the vixen's next episode. She made it up last time, but she didn't expect that the vixen actually gave birth to three little foxes. They turned into human forms and looked particularly cute.
As for the story of Snake, it was written in a sadistic way, and it was thrilling to watch.
This is a fictional world, and it seems normal for the two of them to have a spiritual relationship. She felt uncomfortable sitting there, then went to the back room and lay down to watch, engrossed and extremely immersed.
After reading page after page, I was so tired that I yawned, but when it was exciting, I couldn't bear to sleep.
There were big doubts in her little head, why were there so many joys? Moreover, they are both pregnant and yet they are so bold. Is it possible that snakes are different from humans
She was so angry that she turned another page. Her eyes were already closing, so she lay down and continued reading.
Qiulan was keeping vigil in the courtyard, thinking that the lady should be asleep and put away her storybook. Before she could enter the house, she saw Ji Huai coming in from the door.
Her face turned pale with fright, and she turned around and ran away.
"What are you doing?" Ji Huai frowned.
"Hou, Lord Hou." Qiulan raised her voice and called him. For a moment, she was even more at a loss, her eyes were wandering, and she said again, "Master Hou, you are here."
The story itself is something that cannot be put on the stage, and the writing is even more ridiculous. The Marquis must not discover it.
Miss, you have to hide it.
Ji Huai glanced at her and walked faster into the house.
Qiulan stood there and stamped her feet anxiously. She followed Ji Huai into the house and found Zhao Qingyue asleep. She breathed a sigh of relief. Then she heard the person in front of her said in a low voice and said warmly: "The light in the house is not good at night. , reading hurts the eyes, I have to persuade her next time."