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

Xie Yun was already furious, and this provocation only made her angrier.

Without saying a word, she grabbed a piece of still-warm osmanthus cake from the food box that Granny Hua was carrying and threw it at Li Rui.

"I'll make you laugh!"

Li Rui didn't expect her to make a sudden move and was hit squarely. The osmanthus cake shattered on his sapphire blue brocade robe, and sticky crumbs covered his head and face.

"You tigress!" Li Rui cried out in a disheveled manner.

Xie Yun was still not satisfied, so she grabbed another handful and chased after him, throwing it at him. "I'll teach you to talk nonsense! I'll teach you to spout rubbish!"

On Zhuque Street, the eldest daughter of the Yongning Marquis's family chased after the second young master of the Anyuan Earl's family, beating him with osmanthus cakes until he ran away with his head in his hands. For a moment, it was even more lively than the kidnapping in the street earlier.

Changsong couldn't bear to watch. He silently directed the remaining people to clean up the mess, with only one thought in his mind: not a single word of what happened today could reach Lady Hou's ears.

Otherwise, the Marquis's mansion would truly collapse.

Back at the Marquis's residence, Xie Xun carried Afu into the Pillow Stream Pavilion, where she still seemed lost in thought.

Xie Xun, with a sullen face and without saying a word, carried Afu straight into the inner room.

"Bai Zhi," he called out to the door, "go and fetch Doctor Lu."

The person in bed finally reacted.

Afu's eyes flickered, and she slowly turned to look at him. Her voice was soft and slightly hoarse, as if it were drifting from a great distance.

"Your Highness, I'm fine." She paused, then added, "You should go and get back to work."

Her tone was calm, eerily calm.

There was no panic, no lingering fear, and not even a hint of relief at being rescued.

Xie Xun stared at her lifeless appearance, and his anger flared up instantly.

"Nothing wrong?" He sneered. "I told you to rest properly in the courtyard. Who gave you permission to go out and fool around with Xie Yun?"

These words were extremely serious. Afu was clearly taken aback for a moment, then looked up, her eyes filled with surprise.

She opened her mouth, wanting to ask: Didn't you tell the young lady yourself that "it's up to you"?

But she swallowed those words back down.

What good would it do to say it? It would make it seem like she's being ungrateful and complaining about the young lady.

She lowered her eyes, concealing all her emotions, and her voice returned to its usual gentleness, even more submissive than before.

"This servant knows she was wrong," she said softly. "This servant will never cause trouble for the young master again."

She didn't argue or defend herself; she simply admitted her mistake.

This complete submission felt like a wad of cotton, making Xie Xun feel suffocated and unable to move.

All the scolding he had prepared was shut down by her casual "I know I was wrong."

Looking at her meek and submissive appearance, he felt even more annoyed than when she cried and resisted.

"You should reflect on your own actions!"

Xie Xun held back for a long time, and finally managed to squeeze out this sentence through gritted teeth.

He abruptly flicked his sleeve, turned around, and strode out of the house, heading towards the courtyard without looking back.

"Sir, where are you going?" Changsong hurriedly followed.

"Dali Temple".

Xie Xun left, and the room instantly fell silent.

Yunxi and Baizhi cautiously walked in and were startled when they saw the bloodstains on Afu's neck and her pale face.

"Miss Afu, how are you?" Yunxi came over with a basin of water, her voice trembling with tears. "Quickly, let me wipe you down first."

Bai Zhi then quickly went to search for wound medicine.

Afu let them do as they pleased, like a mindless puppet. The warm cloth touched the wound on her neck, causing a sharp pain, but she only frowned slightly and didn't make a sound.

The wound wasn't large; it was just a cut from a dagger, and the bleeding had stopped. Yunxi quickly bandaged it with a clean cloth.

"Miss, why don't you lie down and rest for a while?" Bai Zhi helped her up, trying to get her to lie down.

Afu shook her head, slowly got off the bed, and stood up straight.

"I'm fine."

She walked to the soft couch by the window and sat down, which was where she usually sat when checking the account books.

Yunxi and Baizhi exchanged a glance, neither daring to offer any further advice.

They had heard the young master's furious outburst clearly from outside the door. They knew Miss Afu was in a bad mood, so they didn't dare say anything and could only quietly tidy up the mess in the room.

A moment later, Xie Yun burst in.

As soon as she entered, she exclaimed, "Afu, how are you?"

She saw Afu sitting quietly on the soft couch, a white cloth wrapped around her neck, her face still pale. She quickly walked over and sat down beside her.

"I heard about it as soon as I got back. My brother scolded you?" Xie Yun said angrily, pulling her hand. "Why don't you blame it on me? I wanted to take you out for a walk, and now look what happened, you got scolded by my brother!"

Seeing her standing up for her, Afu felt a crack appear in the ice that had been frozen in her heart.

She gently shook her head: "It's not your fault. I should thank you for taking me out. I feel much better now."

"Young Miss," Afu suddenly said softly, "thank you for your help on the street today."

If Xie Yun hadn't offered to be her hostage, delaying things for a moment, perhaps... the ending would have been different.

"Hey, don't be so polite with me." Xie Yun waved her hand. "You're one of my people, isn't it only right that I protect you?"

After she finished speaking, she leaned closer and lowered her voice, "But seriously, the way my brother carried you away today was really...tsk tsk, I've never seen him touch a woman before. Afu, tell me honestly, what kind of spell did you cast on my brother?"

Afu lowered her eyes and remained silent.

A love potion? If she really had such a thing, things wouldn't be like this.

Afu got up very early.

The wound on her neck didn't hurt as much anymore, only leaving a red mark. She asked Bai Zhi to find her a high-necked dress to change into, covering the mark.

As usual, she began to attend to the household chores in the courtyard. She checked the ledgers, assigned tasks to the servants, and inspected the storeroom inventory. She did everything meticulously, as if nothing had happened yesterday.

In the afternoon, she was organizing Xie Xun's books in the small study when Changsong walked in from outside.

"Miss Afu," Changsong addressed her, his attitude more respectful than ever before.

"Is there something you need, Manager Changsong?" Afu put down the book in her hand.

"The young master sent me to deliver a message." Changsong took out a small white jade porcelain bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table. "This is a top-quality scar removal cream, newly made by the Imperial Medical Academy. The young master instructed that you apply it three times a day without fail."

Afu stared at the exquisite porcelain vase without moving.

Changsong added, "The young master also said that from today onwards, you no longer need to worry about the miscellaneous affairs in the courtyard. He will entrust these matters to the new head maid. You only need to rest and recuperate in the courtyard until... your wounds heal."

Afu's heart sank suddenly.

Should we take back her power as housekeeper?