The Marquis's line has ended? The pregnant maid is pregnant again!

Shen Qinghe shook her head, not going into details, but instead answering Lu Jihan's earlier question: "Replying to your question, sir, this is not just a simple bowl of beef noodle soup."

"I'm asking you, what happened to your face?"

Lu Jihan stared sharply at her, and seeing the slap mark on her face, he felt an indescribable irritation.

Shen Qinghe simply looked at him and said, "Please let me finish speaking, sir."

"Fine. Tell me, I'm listening. How can you try to justify yourself with a bowl of beef noodle soup?"

Lu Jihan gave a cold snort.

Shen Qinghe asked with a smile, "Sir, look closely, what's in this bowl of beef noodle soup?"

She clearly had handprints on her face, obviously indicating that she had been bullied, yet she was still forcing a smile and trying to argue with him.

Lu Jihan was both angry and helpless, his tone soft with a hint of resignation, as if teasing a child: "It's just beef, bamboo shoots, dried shrimp, and such things, isn't it?"

"Yes, Your Majesty's eyesight is indeed sharp. This bowl of beef noodle soup contains nine ingredients. If you eat two ingredients together, that makes nine dishes. I won't say there are eighty-one dishes, but there are at least several dozen."

As Shen Qinghe spoke, she felt increasingly uneasy, but on the surface she appeared very resolute:

"So, this should count as the Manchu Han Imperial Feast that Master requested, right?"

"Oh!"

Lu Jihan was so angry at her self-righteous attitude that he couldn't help but laugh. Only this little girl could come up with such a ridiculous argument!

And they're so self-righteous about it.

"Fine, I'll assume you've gotten away with this today." Lu Jihan took a deep breath. "So, what's wrong with your face? And what's with my Manchu Han Imperial Feast? What could have driven you to spout such nonsense?"

Shen Qinghe lowered her eyes and replied meekly, "I...I accidentally injured my face while cooking in the kitchen, but it's nothing serious."

"Sister! Someone is clearly framing us on purpose!"

Upon hearing Shen Qinghe's words, Qing'er immediately couldn't help but explain, "Replying to the young marquis, my sister doesn't want to trouble you, it's just that I can't control that much."

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Qinghe saw that Qing'er had said everything she needed to say and immediately spoke up: "Qing'er! Don't talk nonsense!"

"Sister, this servant!" Qing'er was furious, but could only shut up in frustration.

"A deliberate frame-up?" Lu Jihan narrowed his eyes, glanced at Shen Qinghe, and then fixed his gaze on Qing'er: "I'm telling you to continue!"

Seeing this, Qing'er continued, "Reporting to Master, this afternoon my sister was originally going to the kitchen to cook for you, but halfway through, her maid Tao Yao got into a conflict with Wu Xiao Niang's personal maid Zi Su, and the two of them started fighting, which caused a huge commotion in the kitchen."

Shen Qinghe spoke up at the opportune moment: "It was my fault... for failing to manage my subordinates properly. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

"Sister, what are you saying? Tao Yao was clearly just sent from elsewhere today to be a maid on duty in the courtyard. What relationship does she have with you? She's most likely being instructed by someone with ulterior motives!"

Lu Jihan frowned, his gaze towards Qing'er growing increasingly cold and sharp: "Do you have any evidence to support your claim?"

"No, this servant did not! But ever since my sister entered the Bamboo Garden and won the master's favor with her cooking skills, she always encounters some kind of accident whenever she goes to the kitchen."

Qing'er spoke as if she were furious, looking at Shen Qinghe beside her with worried eyes: "The clay pot that was perfectly fine suddenly exploded, burning my sister's hand. Last time, the ingredients that my sister had asked Mama Li to prepare suddenly spoiled. My sister used most of her monthly salary to replace them with fresh ingredients. Now, my sister has only just entered the kitchen, and that newly assigned maid started fighting with the other maids. Not only did they disobey my sister's orders during the fight, but they also injured my sister and almost caused the kitchen to burn down!"

Qing'er's eyes were filled with certainty, "This servant has no evidence, but it's always the same, and every time it's the older sister who gets hurt. What a coincidence!"

Upon hearing Qing'er's words, Lu Jihan suddenly remembered something; the girl had indeed injured her hand before.

He was busy with government affairs at the time and only asked a question without investigating further. Now it seems there may be more to the story.

Having grown up under the old lady's care, how could he not understand the intricacies of the inner quarters? He grasped the key points in an instant.

Lu Jihan chuckled, "You're quite loyal to your master, stirring up trouble without any evidence. Aren't you afraid of what I'll do to you?"

"I'm afraid, but I'm even more afraid that my sister will be bullied!" Qing'er said, her face pale with fright, her eyes filled with tears, but her tone remained unwavering.

"I used to work in the kitchen, the work was heavy, and I had little experience. It was only through your hard work, sister, that I was able to get transferred to serve you. What I hate most is seeing you being bullied. If I can repay you and protect you, I would gladly die!"

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. Qing'er sobbed and wiped her tears with her sleeve, saying, "Even if I die, I will become a thousand-year-old tortoise and carry my sister to become a fairy!"

Originally, it was just agreed that Lu Jihan would put on a show, but Shen Qinghe never expected that this little girl couldn't act, so she decided to go for a real performance!

Watching Qing'er cry, Shen Qinghe was reminded of how she rushed into the fire without hesitation in her previous life. She was like a delicate and light butterfly, who plunged into the fire in the blink of an eye.

Shen Qinghe couldn't help but feel envious and said to Lu Jihan, "If Qing'er is guilty, please punish me, Your Highness!"

Her eyes were glistening with tears, her eye sockets were red, and her cheeks were swollen. Lu Jihan couldn't bring himself to say anything more about blaming her.

"Alright. Do you think I'm the kind of person who holds grudges?" Lu Jihan said irritably. "You can leave now."

Qing'er wiped away her tears and left, leaving only Shen Qinghe in front of him.

Lu Jihan picked up the silver chopsticks beside him, took a bite of noodles, and put it in his mouth. The delicious and rich flavor filled his mouth.

After finishing a bowl of soup noodles, Lu Jihan raised an eyebrow, his mood improving considerably.

Lu Jihan put down his silver chopsticks, wiped his fingers with a handkerchief, and said slowly and calmly, "Her crime is forgiven, but what about yours? What do you plan to do?"

Shen Qinghe: ?

Shen Qinghe thought for a moment, then forced herself to say, "Forgive my stupidity, but apart from not being able to prepare a Manchu Han Imperial Feast for you today, I really can't think of any crime I've committed."

As she spoke, she lowered her head and murmured, "Besides, you said it was up to you even though we didn't make a Manchu Han Imperial Feast. You wouldn't be so petty as to hold a grudge later, would you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, her cheek was pinched, and her mouth squeezed out uncontrollably.

"You little brat. You dare talk about me to my face, who knows what you'll say about me behind my back!"

Lu Jihan deliberately made a fierce face to scare her.

Shen Qinghe pouted, speaking with some difficulty: "Master misheard... How could I dare..."

"Then tell me, when you hurt your hand that day, why did you say you hurt it while cooking?"

Lu Jihan didn't let her continue her unreasonable argument. "You're incredibly smart; you must know that wasn't a coincidence. It was clearly a setup. Why didn't you tell me? Instead, you're spouting lies."

"Even if I did speak up, would you stand up for me, Master?" Shen Qinghe stared straight at him, her tone unusually serious.

Lu Jihan didn't hesitate and decisively said, "Of course, I'll back you up."