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

The maidservant stepped forward and was about to lift Afu up and take her out of the corridor to be punished.

Twenty strokes of the cane would probably ruin a person.

Lady Hou frowned slightly and tried to dissuade her, saying, "Yun'er, Afu just saved Lin'er, she has done a good deed, so let's balance out the good and bad deeds."

Xie Yun's face was tense, her resentment barely contained: "If it weren't for her carelessness, how could my son have suffered such a calamity? Does she mean that after her daughter gets married, she doesn't even have the right to deal with a concubine in the Marquis's mansion?"

Having said that, he shouted sternly, "Guards, drag Afu away!"

The maidservant beside her immediately stepped forward, about to grab Afu's sleeve.

Afu's expression changed slightly. Was she not even given a chance to explain?

Just as she was being dragged to the door, a clear, deep voice suddenly rang out from the entrance hall: "Stop."

Everyone turned their heads at the sound. Xie Xun, dressed in dark blue casual clothes, stood under the corridor, his eyebrows and eyes covered with a cold look, and his aura was heavy. All the servants in the room hurriedly knelt down.

When Xie Yun saw Xie Xun enter, the raging anger in Xie Yun's heart inexplicably subsided by half.

Her brother was always cold and taciturn, with a very deep mind. He had some affection for his younger sister when they were young, but as they grew older, they became more and more distant.

Although she now realized that directly punishing the people in her brother's room was inappropriate, the grievance of her beloved daughter almost being in danger was still stuck in her chest.

She forced herself to raise her voice and said, "What? This girl made a mistake that almost cost my child his life. Am I, as her mother, not even allowed to punish a servant?"

Xie Xun's gaze never fell on Afu in the corner. He walked straight past the kneeling servants and went to Xie Yun's side to check on Lin'er, who was still sobbing in shock.

His tone was calm and even, showing no sign of favoritism: "Of course, wrongdoing should be punished, but punishment must be based on the facts and the severity of the offense, and cannot be determined arbitrarily based on momentary anger."

Afu quietly clenched her sleeve.

Xie Yun frowned, displeased, and said, "She personally prepared the desserts, and the inclusion of pitted plums was a genuine mistake that almost caused a disaster. Is a few lashes too much?"

Xie Xun lowered his head and teased his nephew. When the little guy's crying subsided, he slowly said, "The green plum with the pit was an accidental oversight. Afu's act of saving Lin'er was a genuine act of saving his life. The merits and demerits are put side by side, so there's no need for punishment."

"Furthermore, regarding the matter of Lin'er accidentally ingesting the food, the wet nurses and nannies who are close to him should be punished even more. If they are so careless in taking care of the young master, it is hard to guarantee that there will be other oversights in the future."

In a single sentence, he effortlessly absolved himself of most of the blame.

Seeing this, Lady Hou intervened to smooth things over, saying, "Xun'er is right. Since the merits and demerits cancel each other out, let's just let this matter drop."

Xie Yun finally grasped the key point in her brother's words. She looked at the wet nurse and nanny who were taking care of the child with a fierce gaze and stopped mentioning the idea of ​​punishing Afu with a cane.

Xie Xun then glanced indifferently at Afu in the corner, his tone devoid of warmth: "Go back to the small Buddhist hall, kneel down and reflect on your actions, and take this as a warning."

.

At dusk, the full moon shone brightly.

The windows of Luo Qiyuan were half open.

Tao Yao lay on Granny Wen's lap, not very happy, and said indignantly, "That girl Afu is really lucky. She just happened to run into the young master when he came back. Otherwise, she would have been in serious trouble."

Granny Wen said, "This has taught her a lesson, and she'll have other opportunities in the future."

Tao Yao suddenly laughed, seemingly lost in thought. "Xie Yun has been married for many years, but he's still as clueless as ever. He always uses her as a pawn, and she never realizes it."

"It's best to be cautious," said Granny Wen.

Tao Yao didn't take it seriously: "It wasn't our arrangement for her child to choke. Even the wet nurse she found is so unreliable. What kind of brain does she have?"

She looked up at the window and saw the full moon high in the sky. She sat up with a start. "Mother, is today the fifteenth?"

Granny Wen nodded. "Tomorrow is the fifteenth, don't worry. I've already instructed Granny Wang to collect Afu's blood from the Buddhist hall tonight, so it won't delay tomorrow's medicine."

Tao Yao was relieved and lay down, hugging Granny Wen's waist. "Thank goodness for Mother."

Granny Wen stroked her daughter's back, her eyes full of tenderness. "Let's not cut the wound this time. We'll just wrap it in gauze, and no one will be able to see it."

Tao Yao hesitated for a moment, "I know Mother loves me dearly, but if we're going to put on an act, we have to set a trap."

.

The small Buddhist hall at the far west of the Marquis's residence is perpetually dark and cold, like a deep well.

Afu knelt on the cold bluestone bricks, on only a thin, old cushion. Her knees were numb, and all that remained was a pricking pain.

Before her sat a foot-tall wooden basin filled with a mixture of red and green beans. Beside it were two empty bowls, and a dim oil lamp was the only source of light.

This was the way the Marquis's household punished the mistress of the house; it didn't involve physical torture, but it was the most agonizing. Afu never imagined that she, a mere concubine, would deserve such "decency."

The flickering lamplight cast her shadow on the indistinct Buddha statue behind her, its silhouette appearing as if it might vanish at any moment.

She had been kneeling for three hours, from sunset to late at night. Her eyes were so tired from picking them that the round beans in the bowl appeared as blurry patches of color, and she had to blink hard to refocus.

"Gurgle—"

My stomach growled at an inopportune moment, its sound particularly clear in the quiet Buddhist hall.

Granny Wang, who was guarding the door, lifted her eyelids and glanced inside. A sarcastic smile appeared on her lips. She didn't say anything and closed her eyes again.

This old woman was very close to Granny Wen at Shi'an Courtyard and was in charge of watching over her, so naturally she wouldn't give her a friendly look.

Afu was so hungry she was dizzy and her vision was blurring; her hands slowed down as she separated the beans. But she wouldn't be leaving this room until she finished separating all the beans.

Just when she felt she was about to give up, a very light footstep came from outside the door, followed by Bai Zhi’s low voice.

"Granny Wang, you've worked hard."

Granny Wang opened her eyes impatiently: "What is it?"

"Granny, this is some pork rib soup that my mother just made. I brought you a bowl to try." Bai Zhi's voice was filled with a flattering smile. "It's so late, you must be tired from keeping watch here. Have something hot to warm yourself up."

Granny Wang remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing her options.

"I'm just worried. I want to go in and take a quick look, say a few words to her, and then leave. It won't take up any of your time. Look, it's so cold and dewy here..."

Then came a rustling sound, mixed with Granny Wang's half-hearted grumbling.

Afu heard Baizhi slip something to her again, followed by Wang Pozi's reluctant words, "Just for a little while, hurry back."

The door creaked open a crack, and Bai Zhi slipped in, quickly closing the door and bolting it from the inside.

As soon as she turned around, she saw Afu kneeling on the ground, her face pale, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"elder sister!"

She walked over quickly, not even bothering to bow, and pulled out two things wrapped in oil paper from her bosom, stuffing them into Afu's hands.

They were warm to the touch, with a slightly soft and elastic texture. Afu looked down and saw that they were two plump, white steamed buns.

Her nose tingled, and a surge of heat welled up in her stomach, which was extremely hungry.

"Eat quickly!" Bai Zhi urged, while listening alertly to the sounds outside the door.

Afu didn't care about manners at all, grabbed a steamed bun and stuffed it into her mouth. The aroma of the dough instantly filled her mouth, and she could even taste a hint of maltose sweetness.

After eating a steamed bun, the burning hunger in my stomach was finally suppressed, and the symptoms of blurred vision also improved a lot.

"Sister, eat slowly, don't choke." Bai Zhi patted her back while taking off two cloth bags from behind her back and untying them.

There were two bags of beans, one pile red and one pile green.

Afu was munching on her second steamed bun when she saw this scene. She stopped what she was doing and looked at Baizhi in surprise. When did this honest girl become so resourceful?