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

Madam Qin and the old lady sat upright in the hall, as did Madam Li, Lu Huai'an's principal wife.

Looking at Shen Yun'er's panicked and pleading appearance, Li Shi wore a nonchalant smile, showing no emotion whatsoever regarding Shen Yun'er's life or death.

Li had disliked Shen Yun'er for a long time, and ever since Shen Yun'er entered the room, this maidservant had been restless.

Fortunately, Shen Yun'er's rank was not high, and her husband, Lu Huai'an, was a womanizer. Although he was a playboy, the good thing was that he wouldn't be in love with one person for too long.

As the legal wife, Madam Li could easily suppress Shen Yun'er.

Therefore, Li Shi didn't feel much emotion towards Shen Yun'er, but her gaze fell on Shen Qinghe beside her, and an ambiguous meaning flashed in her eyes.

Everyone looked in the direction Shen Yun'er pointed and saw Shen Qinghe, who had just arrived.

Before anyone could react, Shen Yun'er knelt and approached the old lady, pleading, "Old Madam, please believe me! That embroidery needle was truly not something I intentionally left behind!"

The maidservant beside Madam Li chuckled, her tone rather sarcastic, "Miss Yun'er, no one here said you deliberately left the embroidery needle on the Buddha statue. Whether you did it intentionally or not, that needle undeniably pricked Her Majesty the Empress's hand. Do you know that if it weren't for Her Majesty the Empress's kindness, our entire Zhenguo Marquis's mansion would have been punished along with you, Miss Yun'er!"

"No, it wasn't me!" Shen Yun'er immediately recognized Shen Qinghe and exclaimed, "Madam! It was her! That Buddha statue was embroidered by Shen Qinghe! Not me!"

All eyes immediately fell on Shen Qinghe.

Then came the tall man who stood in front of her.

Lu Jihan's face was like that of a murderer, his gaze fixed on Shen Yun'er's face, his killing intent almost tangible.

He said nothing, nor did he need to say anything. He simply shielded Shen Qinghe, and everyone's expression froze.

Shen Yun'er shrank back at his fierce aura, feeling both resentful and incredulous.

Lu Jihan is actually protecting Shen Qinghe?!

In her past life, when Shen Yun'er was harassed, Lu Jihan not only remained unmoved but also enforced the law ruthlessly, doing everything according to the rules and refusing to let anything slip by.

Now, in such a serious matter, Lu Jihan protects her without even asking any questions?

Recalling her past life, filled with resentment, Shen Yun'er looked up at Lu Jihan: "Young Marquis, it was Shen Qinghe who embroidered the Buddha image. She deliberately left the needle on the image. Why do you believe her and not me?"

Even Shen Qinghe was surprised by the question and raised an eyebrow.

Lu Jihan looked at Shen Yun'er as if she were something completely incomprehensible, and said coldly, "She is my mother, so of course I trust her. Then how did her Buddha statue end up in your hands? Unless, you're a thief."

These words, coupled with Lu Jihan's constant protective stance of standing half a step in front of Shen Qinghe, infuriated Qin Shi, who gripped the armrest tightly and forced a smile through gritted teeth.

The old lady was furious, and her movements as she fiddled with her prayer beads quickened considerably: "Qinghe, you tell me."

"Yes."

Shen Qinghe stepped forward. "Sister, although I don't know why you're framing me like this, yesterday when you handed over the Buddha statue, you personally insisted that you embroidered it yourself. Granny Kang and the eldest young mistress both saw and heard it. You said those words yourself, so how could I be making things up?"

"you…"

Shen Yun'er looked up and met the indifferent expressions of the old lady and Granny Kang. She felt as if all her strength had been drained, and collapsed to the ground: "You deliberately harmed me..."

Shen Qinghe looked at her innocently and said, "That's a Buddha image embroidered by my sister. What does it have to do with me?"

The old lady looked coldly at Shen Yun'er, fully aware of the intricacies of the situation. She glared at her several times with exasperation, saying, "You've become like this because I didn't teach you well. The time I had you cultivate your character in the ancestral hall wasn't enough. Come here, drag her out and give her a hundred strokes of the cane! If she doesn't die, we'll take her back to nurse her; if she dies, then it'll all be over!"

One hundred strokes of the cane is a truly severe punishment for an ordinary woman.

Shen Yun'er turned pale with fright and was dragged out by the servants.

Before long, Shen Yun'er's screams rang out in the courtyard outside.

"Qinghe, come here." The old lady beckoned to her.

Shen Qinghe walked up.

The old lady held her hand and gently patted the back of it: "I don't know when your sister became like this. You were wronged yesterday. I saw that Buddha statue; your needlework is truly impeccable. Did you even use strands of hair in the embroidery?"

Shen Qinghe nodded and knelt on the ground, replying, "Yes, Madam. This servant thought that since it was bearing the name of the Marquis of Zhenguo's mansion, the Buddha statue must be of high quality and extraordinary. Unfortunately..."

"It's no pity, no pity." The old lady finally smiled slightly. "Actually, I only told half of it just now. Although the embroidery needle pricked the Empress's hand, the Empress praised your Buddha statue highly. In this way, the merits and demerits can be offset, and my Marquis's Mansion can be spared punishment."

"These days, you've worked hard taking care of Jihan, attending to his every need perfectly. I've seen it all. You even had to painstakingly embroider a Buddha statue, only to have it stolen, almost taking credit for your work."

I was thinking of rewarding you with something. But then Granny Kang reminded me, "You grew up by my side, and now that you're Lu Jihan's concubine, you're starting to manage things."

As she spoke, the old lady smiled contentedly and looked at Qin Shi beside her: "Granddaughter-in-law, what do you think?"

Qin's smile froze for a moment, her heart filled with resentment. She had suffered so much injustice before her grandmother finally agreed to let her manage the bamboo garden.

Now, before she's even had a chance to enjoy it, she's already going to give it to Shen Qinghe, that lowly maid who climbed into her bed?!

Although Grandmother was smiling, her tone was full of unquestionable certainty.

Madam Qin gripped the Buddhist prayer beads in her hands until her fingertips turned white, suppressing her anger as she replied, "Grandmother, in my opinion, since Sister Qinghe is so skilled at needlework, why don't we entrust the needlework shop to her?"

"Very well, very well." The old lady was very satisfied with Qin's magnanimity and tolerance; this was the demeanor of the principal wife of their Marquis's mansion.

The old lady looked at Shen Qinghe and said, "You can manage the sewing shop for now. Once you're skilled, you can gradually take on other tasks. That way, your granddaughter-in-law won't have to work so hard."

Shen Qinghe immediately knelt down to express her gratitude, her fine, thick eyelashes trembling like raven feathers, her posture devout: "This servant thanks the old lady and the young mistress for their kindness."

"Alright, get up now. You just finished kneeling in the ancestral hall, do you want me to carry you back?"

Despite his apparent disdain, Lu Jihan quickly and steadily lifted Shen Qinghe up with his large hand, even faster than Qing'er beside him.

Shen Qinghe glanced at him shyly and said, "This servant understands."

Seeing that her grandson really liked Shen Qinghe, the old lady's smile grew wider and wider, and she became more and more satisfied.

No one noticed Qin's expression.