On her fair and delicate face were a pair of eyes as black as lacquer. Below her straight and dainty nose were her red lips, neither too thick nor too thin, curving slightly upwards.
It was none other than Bai Zheng.
At this moment, Qing Lian nimbly jumped onto the carriage. Seeing Bai Zheng slumped tiredly inside, she couldn't help but step forward with concern and start massaging Bai Zheng's back. "Madam must be exhausted today, right?"
"Putting on a show for a whole day is really no easy feat," Bai Zheng said as she rubbed her shoulders. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she asked, "By the way, Qing Zhi, have you put everything in that small sachet?"
Qing Lian, or rather Qing Zhi, who was massaging Bai Zheng's back, looked up, a sly glint in her eyes. "Madam, rest assured. This servant added quite a lot of good stuff. It'll be quite a surprise for that Young Master Zhao."
A smile gradually spread across Bai Zheng's face. "I wonder how our so - called infatuated Concubine Ru will react when she finds out that there's musk, which can cause infertility, in the jade - pendant sachet she always wears?"
"The deeper the love, the deeper the hatred," Qing Zhi sneered as she thought of He Qing. "Back then, she and her good - for - nothing father betrayed the Marquis Mansion and the Changping Army for their own glory and wealth. Did they ever think they'd get their just deserts today?"
Bai Zheng nodded and sighed. "No matter what happens to this father - daughter pair, the lives of the old marquis and those one hundred thousand soldiers can never be brought back."
Qing Zhi paused in her movements and fell silent.
Seeing this, Bai Zheng knew she had touched on Qing Zhi's sore spot, so she quickly changed the subject. "However, we were forced into this scheme. In the end, we're being a bit unfair to Zhao Yujin."
After all, secretly stuffing musk into the sachet under the jade pendant was no different from unjustly accusing someone.
Unexpectedly, Qing Zhi shook her head and disagreed. "Madam doesn't understand medicine, so you may not know. This servant carefully observed Concubine He's face today. Her eye sockets are extremely dark, her voice lacks strength, her forehead is bluish, and her eyes are cloudy. It's obvious that she's been suffering from qi and blood deficiency for a long time and hasn't received timely treatment.
As Concubine Ru of Young Master Zhao, in the grand residence of the Grand Tutor, it shouldn't be difficult for her to find a doctor to diagnose and treat her condition. But when we were dining at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant just now, this servant noticed that she didn't have any taboos at all. She even ate a lot of green pears, which she shouldn't have.
It's clear that she has no idea there's something wrong with her body. There's only one obvious possibility—"
Qing Zhi narrowed her eyes slightly.
Zhao Yujin must have intended to make her infertile. In fact, he might have already given her infertility drugs.
"It seems that Zhao Yujin is even more ruthless than we thought!"
A cold glint flashed in Bai Zheng's eyes, and her voice was as cold as ice.
"Indeed. He took in He Qing back then for the sake of his own interests. The fact that she hasn't had a child in all these years means he must have been planning to marry the princess from the start."
Saying this, Bai Zheng lowered her eyes slightly and sneered.
Now that the Fourth Prince is seriously ill, Concubine Zhao has fallen out of favor, and the General's Mansion is in decline. Under these three heavy blows, the residence of the Grand Tutor is naturally in a precarious situation.
As the eldest legitimate son, Zhao Yujin couldn't sit still any longer and had to step forward to propose marriage to the Fifth Princess.
But once he marries the Fifth Princess, how could He Qing, his concubine, be willing to let it go?
Moreover, if He Qing, who has always longed for a child, finds out that the man she loves has been drugging her to prevent her from getting pregnant...
What crazy things would a woman do when she has no parents, no children, and no love from her husband?
It's really something to look forward to.
When Bai Zheng walked into the room leisurely, massaging her back, Feng Linyuan was already sitting on the edge of the bed with a straight face.
Bai Zheng knew something was wrong the moment she saw him. She stopped massaging and quickly forced a smile. "Why are you back so early today? I thought you'd be busy for a while longer."
Feng Linyuan raised his calm eyes and stared directly at Bai Zheng. His thin lips parted slightly as he uttered three words, "It's the Xin hour."
The smile on Bai Zheng's face froze.
Leaving her husband on the second day of their marriage and not coming back until nine o'clock at night was indeed a bit too much.
She quickly stepped forward nervously, picked up the teapot from the table, poured a cup of warm tea into a fine white porcelain cup, and held it out to Feng Linyuan. Then she explained in a soft voice.
"The show had started, and I had to finish it before I could leave. We have to be professional even when we're deceiving people. I thought you'd be busy here for a long time. If I had known you were waiting, I would have come back as fast as I could."
Feng Linyuan didn't say a word. He looked at the clear cup of tea in front of him but didn't reach out to take it.
Bai Zheng pouted and nudged his arm. "Okay, okay. I was wrong, alright?"
Then she leaned closer to Feng Linyuan and grinned. "You can tell me how you want me to make it up to you. We can discuss it."
Looking at the smiling woman in front of him, Feng Linyuan only noticed now that her originally clear eyes were bloodshot, clearly showing how exhausted she was.
He also remembered that Bai Zheng had been massaging her back when she walked in.
"Are you tired?" he suddenly asked.
Bai Zheng was taken aback. She wanted to lie at first but then remembered that Qing Zhi, Feng Linyuan's spy, had seen her in the carriage. So she had to answer honestly.
"I'm okay. I'm just a bit stiff after putting on a show for a whole day."
Hearing this, Feng Linyuan felt a pang in his heart for no reason. He put down the tea in Bai Zheng's hand and pulled her onto the bed.
"We'll settle the score tomorrow. You're tired. Go to bed early."
Bai Zheng was caught off guard by his action and couldn't help but let out a surprised cry. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already fallen onto the soft red bedding.
"Go to sleep now? But... but I haven't changed my clothes yet," Bai Zheng said, blushing with embarrassment and annoyance.
Feng Linyuan grabbed Bai Zheng's struggling hand with one big hand and wrapped his other arm around her wriggling body. His voice was muffled. "I'll help you change."
"..."
In the blink of an eye, it was time to return to the bride's natal family.
It seemed that Feng Linyuan really felt sorry for Bai Zheng, who had been running around all day yesterday. He just held her and slept peacefully all night without doing anything to trouble her.
She had a really good sleep. When she woke up in the morning, Bai Zheng was full of energy.
Before getting on the carriage, Feng Linyuan looked at Bai Zheng's eyes again. They were clear, moist, and black - and - white distinct. Only then was he satisfied and took her back to the Bai Mansion.
As the only daughter was coming back after marriage, almost the entire Bai Mansion turned out to welcome them at the gate.
As soon as Bai Zheng got off the carriage, Bai Nianming rushed up first and chirped like a little bird.
"Sister, you're back! Did you eat well and sleep well in the Marquis Mansion these two days? Does the marquis treat you well? Has he ever bullied you?"
After all, he was the youngest brother, so he spoke without restraint.