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

"Does the master want to know the reason?"

Shen Qinghe looked at him, her face unusually devoid of a smile.

Lu Jihan also noticed her difference, so he let go of her hand, picked up the tea from the side, and looked at her.

He wanted to see what this little girl could say.

Shen Qinghe stood up, straightened her back, and stood in front of Lu Jihan, clearing her throat as if it were a serious matter.

It was as if one person was playing multiple roles, sometimes brushing aside non-existent strands of hair from beside their cheek, and then suddenly draping their arm over his leg and clinging to him.

Lu Jihan's body trembled as he looked at Shen Qinghe in front of him, finding her demeanor quite unfamiliar.

Mango, though sometimes quirky and sometimes a little heavy and delicate, always wins over Grape with her culinary skills or by begging him directly.

She had never learned any seductive tricks, yet she clung to him like this.

That expression does resemble that... Chen Xiaoniang.

Shen Qinghe, using a affected, high-pitched voice, said, "Master!! Look at Shen Qinghe! She's only been in the Bamboo Garden for a short time, yet she dares to act arrogantly and bully me! I only wanted to teach her some manners and let her know the rules of the Bamboo Garden, but who knew she would hold a grudge? Just because she can cook a couple of dishes, she dares to badmouth me to you!"

"Waaaaah, Master, I'm innocent!! I've been in the Bamboo Garden for years, don't you understand me? Whatever I've done, it's all because I love you so much! Love breeds fear, love breeds jealousy, my heart and eyes are full of you, I can't control my jealousy, Master... please understand my heart!"

As she spoke, Shen Qinghe imitated Chen Xiaoniang's flirtatious manner, reaching out and circling her hands around Lu Jihan's chest, touching him from here to there, and then from there back to here.

Touching Lu Jihan's chest made her very itchy. His face hardened, his earlobes turned slightly red, and he grabbed her wrist: "Don't just follow those people and learn bad things, don't you learn something good!"

"Alright, I'll learn something good right away."

Shen Qinghe quickly composed herself, appearing very dignified and composed, and walked step by step to Lu Jihan, her movements extremely steady.

"My lord, Sister Chen is a veteran of Bamboo Garden. I doubt she would act so rashly. Besides, even though Sister Chen has been a bit domineering in the past, she has never done anything like this. Bamboo Garden has always been peaceful and harmonious. How come Sister Shen has changed so much since she arrived..."

Shen Qinghe blinked as she spoke, "So, Master, that's why I didn't tell you."

Lu Jihan watched as she rapidly changed her expression, mimicking it perfectly, and smiled with a rare frown: "How did you know they would say that?"

"I am a person with eyes, I can see for myself."

Shen Qinghe stared intently at him with her large eyes and said earnestly, "Perhaps when I told the Marquis, he might have been in a good mood that day, or perhaps for some other reason, he might have sought justice for me. But what about afterward?"

"In this secluded mansion, there's no shortage of scheming and backstabbing. Surely the Marquis is aware of all the intrigue and backstabbing. Once or twice, the Marquis might stand up for his servant, but what about after that? Even if the Marquis were busy with official duties, wouldn't he become increasingly annoyed after a while?"

Shen Qinghe spoke, her words a mix of truth and falsehood: "Besides, if I don't tell the Marquis about this, I'll only suffer a temporary injustice. Perhaps they'll see that I'm easygoing and stop tormenting me."

As she spoke, her eyes grew redder and redder, brimming with tears, as she looked at him with a pitiful expression: "But if you tell my lord, my reputation in the entire Bamboo Garden will be ruined. Either people will say I'm arrogant because of your favor, or they'll say why my arrival has caused such a commotion in the Bamboo Garden?"

"Perhaps when you first heard this, Your Excellency thought it was nonsense, but if you hear it many times, and everyone around you says the same thing, can you guarantee that you will still believe me as before?"

Lu Jihan hadn't expected this at all, and was momentarily speechless when Shen Qinghe asked him this question.

Yes, he had to admit it.

Every sentence makes sense.

Lu Jihan frowned even more, not expecting that this girl was so sensible.

As he was thinking this, Shen Qinghe looked at him gently, her voice trembling slightly: "So I would rather not tell the young marquis than gamble on those uncertain futures."

Shen Qinghe, with her slender figure, stood right in front of him, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the lively little maid who had just imitated Chen Xiaoniang and Qin Shi.

Her face showed a stubborn expression, and her bright eyes were slightly red and brimming with tears, yet also filled with tenderness.

Standing there in front of him, for some reason, Lu Jihan couldn't bring himself to say the words of reprimand he had originally intended.

He was speechless under the gaze of her eyes: "Alright, I'll forgive you. You should get some rest; I have official business to attend to."

After saying that, Lu Jihan decisively strode out.

Upon reaching the study door, she looked at Yun Chen and asked, "Do you remember which courtyard Tao Yao, that little maid, originally belonged to?"

"Young Marquis, I'm not quite clear on these matters. Linfeng, who frequents the Bamboo Garden, is more familiar with what happens in the Marquis's residence," Yun Chen replied honestly, scratching the back of his head somewhat embarrassed.

"...Go and call Lin Feng over here," Lu Jihan said irritably.

When Lin Feng was summoned, he had just been pulled out of the military camp. He was overjoyed, for the young marquis had finally agreed to let him leave the camp!

Presumably, you're not angry anymore?

"Master."

Lu Jihan glanced at him, feeling a strange mix of anger, not at Lin Feng, but at the same time. "Fine, where did that little maid Tao Yao originally serve? Was she in one of the concubines' courtyards? Or in the madam's?"

"Reporting to Master, if I remember the zodiac sign correctly, I should have originally served in Wu Xiaoniang's courtyard."

Lin Feng answered quickly and asked another question.

Tao Yao and Zi Su, who were originally serving Wu Xiao Niang, started fighting.

Ah, so that's what you were planning.

Lu Jihan immediately understood: "Go and deliver the message."