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

"My mistress said that as long as you obediently do things for her, your son will be safe and sound."

Zi Lan, her face cold, sneered, "Who told you to be old and incompetent, yet have a son who killed someone while drunk? If it weren't for my mistress covering for your son, according to the laws of our dynasty, he would have been executed three times over."

"Yes, yes, I will do my best to serve you, young lady." The old doctor's eyes were filled with tears and regret. What could he do but have such a son!

On the other end.

Having just received the definite news, Wu Xiaoniang paced anxiously in the ancestral hall. She had to come up with a solution as soon as possible: either get rid of the child in Shen Qinghe's belly, or get rid of Shen Qinghe as well!

Fangfei, who was standing nearby, comforted her, "Young lady, you need to calm down."

Wu Xiaoniang snapped out of her daze and looked up at Fangfei. "Is Shen Qinghe really a flawless egg? Doesn't she have any leverage over her? If only she had some leverage over her right now!"

Fangfei said, "Then I'll try to get close to her maid, Qing'er. Qing'er serves her every day, so she must know a lot."

"She's by her side every day?" Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaoniang immediately had a plan: "You may not be able to get close to Qing'er, but I can get close to someone else who is familiar with her. We just did someone a favor, so it's time to reciprocate."

Wu Xiaoniang stood up: "Fangfei, prepare some things, let's go see Sister Yun'er."

Ronggui Hall.

Shen Yun'er finally woke up from her deep sleep and heard Hongdou say that Wu Xiaoniang had arrived.

"Sister Yun'er! How are you, sister?" Wu Xiaoniang approached Shen Yun'er with concern, noticing her pale face.

"My sister, my sister is so pitiful. If it weren't for Shen Qinghe's deliberate scheme, how could my sister have been harmed like this? I don't know what's wrong with her, the young marquis dotes on her so much."

"Sister, only you believe that Shen Qinghe plotted against me." Shen Yun'er was immediately moved to tears.

"It's no use just believing in her, sister," Wu Xiaoniang sighed. "How come Shen Qinghe is so attractive to men?"

"Pah! She's not universally loved. She used to follow Brother Chu around like a shadow, and Brother Ziyi still loathed her but favored me the most!"

Shen Yun'er snorted disdainfully, she disliked Shen Qinghe very much, especially after this Buddhist scripture incident.

Wu Xiaoniang's eyes lit up, and she immediately grasped the key point she wanted to know: "Did Shen Qinghe really have an affair with someone else?"

-

study.

"Don't disturb me while I'm working," Lu Jihan whispered a reminder.

Shen Qinghe nodded, becoming even more obedient and quiet: "Don't worry, Master, I will quietly grind the ink for you."

Lu Jihan glanced at her sideways and said, "I'll take your word for it."

His position in the imperial court was too special. Although he was a fourth-rank official, he might not be considered the head of the military.

However, Lu Jihan wielded far more real power than most military generals. The Black Feather Army, which guarded Chang'an, was not only a large force but also the emperor's personal guard.

He was the commander of the Black Feather Army.

The greater the real power, the greater the corresponding responsibilities. Lu Jihan was several times busier than an ordinary fourth-rank military officer.

It seemed like there was never enough official business to handle, and with the Thousand Buddhas Festival these past two days, he spent almost all his time patrolling and guarding the city, causing all the official business to pile up.

Even Shen Qinghe was momentarily shocked when she saw the mountain of papers piled on the desk: "You... have so much official business, even if you don't sleep tonight, I'm afraid you won't be able to finish it all. Why not deal with it tomorrow?"

"Those in positions of power should fulfill their responsibilities." Lu Jihan's gaze fell on the folded document, then he looked up at her: "Do you know how many people this folded document goes through before it finally reaches the Emperor? If it involves a critical matter concerning the people, the waiting time is already excessively long."

As Lu Jihan spoke, he picked up a writing brush: "If I delay for even one day, the Emperor will see it a day later, and if he delays in handling it for even one day, the people will have to wait another day."

Soon, Lu Jihan entered office mode and became a ruthless office worker.

Shen Qinghe watched from the side, feeling truly moved. In her previous life, she had spent her entire life urging him on, but even after Lu Huai'an came to his senses, he was not as diligent and conscientious as Lu Jihan in serving the country and its people.

Sure enough, there's a reason why some people succeed.

Shen Qinghe quietly ground the ink, and when she got tired, she would sit down and rest.

When I first started serving Lu Jihan, I thought he was very strict, but as time went on, I found that he was sometimes more tolerant than most masters.

As long as Shen Qinghe doesn't bother him or disturb him, he can do whatever he wants in the study.

I don't know how much time passed, but I do know that the candle on the table, which was as long as the child's arm, burned down to only a small half.

Lu Jihan had barely managed to rest for a while when he turned his head and noticed that the night outside the window had become much darker.

The study was very quiet.

What about that girl?

Lu Jihan glanced up and saw Shen Qinghe leaning back in her chair, fast asleep.

That sleeping posture was hardly elegant.

Lu Jihan walked over and shook his head helplessly: "He said he was protecting Master, but he fell asleep first. I wonder who's protecting whom, Da Mei?"

After saying that, he slipped one hand under her knees and the other around her waist, gently lifting her up and placing her on the bed behind a screen.

Lu Jihan pulled the blanket over her before turning back to continue working.

He rubbed his temples, his eyes looking tired. He leaned back in his chair to rest for a moment, hearing the steady breathing coming from beside him.

Lu Jihan looked over.

The flickering, dim candlelight shone through the screen, faintly revealing the woman's serene and beautiful face.

Her red lips were full, her sleeping face was innocent and adorable, her legs were rolled up and pressed on the blanket, and her hands unconsciously hugged the blanket tightly.

This sleeping posture had absolutely nothing to do with being beautiful, yet it inexplicably calmed Lu Jihan's emotions, as if he could feel the tranquility of her sleep.

Lu Jihan couldn't help but recall that last night, when she was ill, she had also hugged him tightly as if he were a blanket.

A concerned voice came from outside the door:

"Sir, it's past midnight. You should rest. If you stay up until dawn, you won't be able to finish reading all those commemorative papers in one day."

"Keep your voice down!" Lu Jihan frowned and subconsciously looked at the sleeping Shen Qinghe.

"Huh? What did you say, sir?" Lin Feng asked, not understanding what he had heard.

Before Lu Jihan could speak, Shen Qinghe, who was sleeping beside him, was startled awake. Seemingly still wanting to sleep, she sat up abruptly and looked around.

Shen Qinghe groggily got up: "Yes, Master, you should sleep... I'm so sleepy too..."

As she spoke, Shen Qinghe walked unsteadily, and before she could catch her breath, she fell into the arms of Lu Jihan, who had just strode over.

Lu Jihan embraced the warm, soft woman tightly.