After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

"They're asking where you went and when you came back."

Bai Zhi leaned closer, sniffed, and suddenly frowned. "Sister, what's that smell on you? It's so sweet...like pickled plums."

Afu was taken aback and lowered her head to smell her cuffs.

It was the bag of green plums that Jiang Chenghuai insisted on giving her when he saw her off. She originally intended to eat one on the way to relieve her fatigue, but then she forgot about it and kept it in her sleeve pocket.

Just as she was about to take out the oil paper package, she saw Changsong come over: "Miss Afu, the young master wants to see you."

Afu nodded, straightened her clothes, and made sure her hair was neat and her skirt was clean before walking towards the main room.

Afu pushed open the door and went in.

The floor was clear and bright, having just been wiped with mugwort water. There was no incense burning in the Boshan incense burner, only a few pieces of rosin, giving it a simple and clean scent.

These were all rules she had cultivated over three years. Only someone like her, who had been a seasoned beast of burden in her past life, could handle Xie Xun's obsession with cleanliness and pickiness.

Xie Xun sat on the couch by the window, wearing a light blue outer robe. His hair was loosely tied up with a jade hairpin, and the weariness on his face had not yet faded. His brows were furrowed, and he seemed cold and unapproachable.

There was a cup of tea in front of him, but he didn't touch it much.

Afu picked up the teacup, touched the inside of the cup, and noticed the temperature was off.

She poured out the tea, rinsed the cups again with boiling water from the copper kettle, and then brewed tea again.

As the water level dropped, the tea leaves churned. She skimmed off the foam with the lid and placed the cup beside him.

"Young Master, please have some tea to refresh yourself."

Xie Xun looked down at the fingers that handed him the teacup, but another image flashed through his mind: the way those hands gripped the bed railing with white knuckles.

He picked up the teacup, the tea soup entered his mouth, and the temperature was just right.

She is the only person who can brew tea to this perfect degree.

But she carries more than just the scent of tea.

He looked up and saw that Afu was wearing plain clothes today, with her collar buttoned up tightly and her hair neatly combed.

But then a sweet, cloying scent wafted into his nostrils.

"Come here." Xie Xun frowned.

Afu did as she was told and approached.

He suddenly leaned closer, and after a moment his voice turned cold: "What do you smell like?"

Afu was taken aback, then explained, "They're candied plums. I put them in my sleeve when I came back and they got a bit of the flavor."

Xie Xun frowned at her and only uttered two words: "Don't eat unclean food from outside. Throw it away."

Afu paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes." She turned and went out, taking the packet of green plums from her sleeve and tossing it into the winnowing basket under the eaves.

She watched the bag of candied plums fall into the winnowing basket, feeling a little regretful, and put it into the basket without tasting it.

But she didn't linger, afraid that Xie Xun would find fault with her again once she went inside.

She must tell Xie Xun about leaving the manor as soon as possible today; every day she delays, the more uncertainties arise.

Afu returned to the house and stopped a few steps away. She looked up and saw Xie Xun leaning against the wall, looking at her with a dark gaze.

Afu stopped in front of him, her hands hanging down, and regulated her breathing.

"Young Master," she began, her voice calm and gentle, with a hint of probing, "you're much better now. I've noticed you haven't taken any medicine for two days."

Xie Xun held his teacup without responding, seemingly waiting for her to finish speaking.

Afu slightly raised her eyes, not looking directly at him, and continued, "A few days ago, the young master promised to let me leave the manor, but I was delayed for a while due to his busy official duties. Now that the young master has returned to the manor, I think it's time for me to set off."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.

Xie Xun paused, holding the teacup, and then slowly put it down on the low table in front of him with a soft "tap," a sound that was light and crisp, yet carried a certain weight that could not be ignored.

"Leave the residence?"

He repeated the two words, his tone rising slightly at the end, as if he had heard something unexpected.

Afu's heart tightened slightly, but she didn't show it on her face: "Yes."

Xie Xun leaned against the back of the couch, his gaze fixed on her, his eyes appearing particularly deep in the candlelight.

"Didn't Mother already arrange for you to be my concubine?" he asked, his tone unhurried.

"Since this is a favor from her, you shall obediently serve as my concubine. You will not be shortchanged in terms of the respect due to you. During the day, you shall continue to serve her as before."

Just as Afu was about to speak, Xie Xun's gaze fell on her face, and his voice deepened: "Just one thing, don't have any other thoughts. You know, I like it most when you follow the rules."

Afu looked up at Xie Xun's cold face and almost thought she had misheard.

Has this person lost their memory? Just a couple of days ago, they were trying to get rid of her as soon as possible.

Afu lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment. When she looked up again, her eyes had changed.

"Your Highness," her voice softened, "the doctor said that I have damaged my health and I may have difficulty conceiving again in the future."

She paused for a moment, then said, "How can someone who cannot bear children be worthy of being a concubine? I am doing this for the sake of the young master and for the sake of the Marquis's family's reputation."

Afu lowered her head. "Let me go."

Xie Xun remained silent.

He looked at her downcast eyes and her somewhat translucent lips. She stood there, her whole being as thin as a sheet of paper.

Even after suffering such a great injustice, she was still thinking of him. This girl really doesn't care about herself at all.

"Stay in the Marquis's residence," he said, his voice lower than before, "I will arrange for a renowned physician to treat you. If you leave, who will care for you?"

Afu raised her head: "But this servant..."

"No buts," Xie Xun interrupted her. "You injured yourself at the Marquis's residence, so the Marquis's residence should naturally help you recover."

Afu paused for a moment, opened her mouth, and the words "So you should let me go" circled in her throat before she swallowed them back down.

She realized she had overacted; instead of pushing him away, she gripped him even tighter.

She clenched her fingers in her sleeve and changed her words: "Since that's the case, the young master promised me a favor that night. I have no other request, I only want the young master to fulfill his promise and let me leave the manor."

Xie Xun suddenly realized that this girl was quite honest and straightforward.

He could only ask with a stern face, "What did I say back then?"

Afu looked up at him.

She certainly remembered, "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, as long as your request is reasonable and does not violate morality, you can come to me at any time."

Xie Xun leaned back on the couch, looking troubled: "Do you think what you're asking for today is reasonable?"

"The Marquis's wife bestowed upon you the title of concubine according to the rules of the Marquis's household. Are you now asking me to disobey the moral obligations between mother and son?"

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was crucial: "Ah Fu, the grace I promised you was 'within reasonable limits.' You call that reasonable?"

Afu was completely stumped by his words.

"I'm tired." Xie Xun withdrew his gaze, his tone becoming somewhat indifferent. "You can go now."

Afu stood there, motionless.

Xie Xun turned his head to look at her: "Is there anything else?"

Afu slowly rose, bowed to him, and spoke respectfully, but with a hint of barely perceptible resentment: "That's all, this servant takes her leave."

She turned and walked out, her steps neither fast nor slow, her back ramrod straight.