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

"A bloody smell." Xie Xun's gaze followed her arm down, finally settling on her right hand, which was tucked into her sleeve. His voice deepened. "Hold out your hand."

Afu didn't move.

Xie Xun's patience had clearly run out. He stood up, grabbed her wrist, and forcefully pulled her hand out of her sleeve.

A small patch of bright red blood stood out starkly against the white sleeve.

Xie Xun's pupils contracted sharply. Without saying a word, he rolled up her sleeve, exposing the newly reopened wound to the air. Blood was still seeping out, making her originally fair arm look shocking.

His breathing seemed to stop for a moment.

Afu felt a little pain from his grip and couldn't help but try to pull her hand back.

Xie Xun gripped her tighter, staring at the wound, then suddenly looked up at her, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Are you stupid? You didn't even notice your arm was bleeding?"

He didn't let go, but grabbed her wrist and dragged her to a rosewood armchair next to the desk, pressing her shoulders and forcibly pushing her down.

Afu slumped into the chair, and before she could get up, Xie Xun had already turned around and strode to the inside of the rosewood display cabinet.

"Sit still and don't move." Xie Xun said coldly, then turned and strode to the display cabinet behind the desk.

He reached out and pressed on the carved wooden pattern on the top shelf of the display cabinet. With a soft sound, a hidden compartment popped open. He took out a small, palm-sized celadon bottle from the compartment, turned around, and walked back.

Afu sat in the chair, her gaze falling on the porcelain vase. The glaze on the vase was warm and lustrous, and a dark gold character for "Imperial" was prominently printed on the belly of the vase, gleaming faintly in the light. This was something from the Imperial Palace.

Xie Xun walked up to her, his slender fingers prying open the cinnabar seal, and a cool, rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the study.

He glanced at Afu and, seeing that she was staring at the porcelain vase, softened his tone slightly.

"This is a secret imperial ointment for healing wounds; it can remove necrotic tissue and promote tissue regeneration."

He pulled Afu's injured arm, and although the movement wasn't gentle, the strength with which he supported her elbow was very steady.

"No matter how deep the wound, it will leave no scar after healing."

Hearing this, Afu was happy. If she had the means, she naturally wouldn't want to have a scar.

But as a maidservant, she couldn't just take it for granted; she had to express her gratitude.

She feigned surprise and delight, saying, "Thank you for the gift, Your Highness." She paused, her tone carrying just the right amount of fear and concern, "But isn't it a bit too extravagant to give such good medicine to a servant like me?"

Afu's expression was very earnest, as if she was truly considering his well-being. "This sacred medicine from the imperial palace should be reserved for the young master's emergency use."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xun paused for a moment.

He looked up at Afu and saw her serious expression, so he couldn't help but chuckle softly.

That girl is really straightforward.

He ignored her refusal and tilted the porcelain bottle, evenly sprinkling the fine white powder onto the cracked wound.

"How could I be easily injured? Use it if I tell you to."

The powder stung the wound, causing Afu to gasp and furrow her brow in pain.

Xie Xun took a clean, fine cotton gauze, wrapped it around her arm, and carefully bandaged it up, his movements were very meticulous.

But as he finished tying the knot and his fingers gripped her wrist bone, his brow furrowed involuntarily.

That thin wrist, with its prominent wrist bones, was completely devoid of flesh, a stark contrast to its previous appearance.

"Why does your wrist feel so bony?" Xie Xun stared at her wrist, his voice turning cold. "Is the Marquis's mansion short of food or drink?"

Upon hearing this, Afu thought to herself that her chance had come.

Lately, she's been subjected to a lot of humiliation from the way the people in the small kitchen treat her, with them favoring her based on her status.

She took a deep breath and quickly composed herself.

When she looked up again, her eyes were already slightly red.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at Xie Xun with a wronged yet restrained gaze.

Afu chose this angle, tears welling up in her eyes, which fell just as she looked up.

Xie Xun paused when she looked at him, and the movements of his hands stopped instantly.

"What's wrong? Did the medicine hurt you because it was too strong?"

He softened his tying motion, and even his voice unconsciously slowed down a bit.

Just as Afu was about to start complaining, her stomach started growling loudly.

A series of loud gurgling sounds stood out starkly in the quiet study.

Xie Xun asked, "Isn't it just past noon? Haven't you eaten yet?"

She thought to herself: I did eat it, but I only took one bite.

It's frustrating, really. At least I could swallow the bowl of plain porridge in the morning, but the food delivered at noon was completely spoiled.

When I was a personal maid, the food was a bit rough, but at least it was fresh and hot.

Now that she's become a concubine, her rations are being cut by the sycophantic maids and servants below her.

Xie Xun's face darkened completely when he saw her clutching her stomach, looking like she wanted to say something but didn't dare to.

He turned and said in a deep voice towards the door, "Changsong, come in."

Xie Xun pointed at Afu and said coldly, "Go and find out what she ate for lunch."

Changsong turned and quickly left, and the study fell silent once more.

Xie Xun didn't say anything more, but sat back down in the armchair behind his desk. He flipped through the official documents expressionlessly, but his aura was quite terrifying.

Afu sat on the chair next to her, not daring to make a sound and disturb them.

She looked down at her bandaged arm, feeling a cool sensation from the wound. The secret imperial ointment was indeed miraculous; the excruciating pain from before had completely disappeared.

She secretly glanced at Xie Xun behind the desk.

Although he flipped through the documents with a blank expression, the speed at which he turned the pages was noticeably slower than usual.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Changsong hurriedly returned.

His expression was rather unpleasant, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

He walked to the desk and respectfully bowed his head to reply.

"Your Highness, Miss Afu's lunch was leftovers that the small kitchen was going to throw away."

Xie Xun stopped flipping through the official documents and looked up at Changsong.

"Furthermore, I also discovered that Miss Afu's meals have been being rationed by the small kitchen these past few days."

Changsong reported everything he had found out.

Changsong's voice was somewhat hesitant, "The maids are gossiping behind my back, saying that Miss Afu is now in poor health and can be easily appeased with some leftovers."

Xie Xun slammed his hand on the rosewood desk. "You're incredibly audacious."

Xie Xun's eyes held a chilling aura.

"My Shian Courtyard is now filled with such treacherous servants who dare to bully their masters."

He looked at Changsong and said in an unquestionable tone, "Tie up all those girls in the small kitchen who were involved in this and sell them off immediately."

Changsong immediately bowed and accepted the order.

After Changsong left, Xie Xun turned to look at Afu, who was sitting in a chair.

Seeing her submissive appearance, Xie Xun's anger not only didn't subside, but burned even more fiercely.