Chapter 31: The Marquis’s Lady of the House

As they were speaking, Madam Bai hurried over, lifting the hem of her skirt.

Sheng Yukun was furious, but with Sheng Yi present, he dared not give vent to his anger. He could only grit his teeth in frustration.

He set Sheng Yi down and ordered the servants to take him away. Only after the boy had gone some distance did he slam his fist heavily against the table, unable to contain himself any longer.

“If Yi’er hadn’t stopped me, I truly would have divorced that woman!”

Sheng Yunqing gently exhaled. “Uncle, Aunt must have some unavoidable reason for placing such importance on Bai Jinxiu.”

Sheng Yukun frowned. Considering all the strange things she had done lately, he could not help growing suspicious as well. “What reason could she possibly have?”

Sheng Yunqing arched her lovely brows. “The matter is serious. I will uncover the truth and tell you everything in due time. But before then, I hope you will not alert the enemy.”

At this, Sheng Yukun’s expression grew solemn. The woman who had shared his bed and stayed by his side all these years was actually hiding a secret?

After a long while, he nodded slowly. “Your uncle trusts you.”

A moment later, he waved his hand, and the elderly steward came over carrying a thick ledger.

“First Miss, this is the household ledger for the current year. The ledgers from previous years will be delivered to your chambers shortly.”

Sheng Yunqing raised a brow. “The household ledger? Uncle, what do you mean by this?”

Sheng Yukun looked at her earnestly. “Qing’er, I have thought it through. From now on, you shall take charge of all household affairs. Every expense and account of the estate will pass through your hands. I want you to become the mistress of the Sheng household.”

Sheng Yunqing lifted her eyes, a trace of surprise in their depths. Although the marquisate was now under the care of her uncle’s family, Sheng Yukun had always treated her with great consideration out of his sense of indebtedness toward her father, Sheng Yuting.

Yet she had never expected that he truly did not regard her as an outsider.

“Originally, these duties belonged to your aunt. But she has squandered the marquisate’s trust in her. Qiuyao is timid, and Yueying is still young. I would feel most at ease entrusting this matter to you.”

At his words, a faint smile touched Sheng Yunqing’s lips, and she nodded. “Rest assured, Uncle. I will do my very best.”

A short while later, Sheng Yunqing returned to her chambers with the ledger and sat before the writing desk, slowly turning through its pages.

Su Lan smiled brightly beside her. “Fairy Sister, the Marquis really is good to you. He has even given you the authority of the household mistress.”

Sheng Yunqing’s lips curved upward. “Indeed. Bai must be furious by now.”

“Hmph! She deserves it! Let her spend the rest of her life guarding that impostor!” Su Lan said indignantly.

Chunrui entered from outside. “Miss, Prince Ye has arrived. He is waiting outside.”

At the mention of him, Sheng Yunqing’s brows drew together slightly. She waved her hand. “I’m not seeing him. No, absolutely not.”

Su Lan raised her brows in confusion. “Did Prince Ye make Fairy Sister angry again?”

Sheng Yunqing snorted. “The Empress Dowager nearly made me lose face today. I refuse to see him so easily. Chunrui, tell him I have fallen ill and am not fit to receive guests.”

“Yes.”

Chunrui nodded and hurried out.

“If you do not wish to see him, then you need not see him. No one can bully our Fairy Sister!” Su Lan declared, clenching her fists protectively.

Before another word could be spoken, Ye Jichen burst in with great force. “Who dares bully you?!”

Sheng Yunqing frowned. “Have you no manners?”

Chunrui, who had followed close behind him, lowered her head and said pitifully, “Miss, this servant could not stop him.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Jichen turned and shot her a glare, frightening her into silence.

He walked straight up to Sheng Yunqing, raised a hand to feel her forehead, stroked her cheek, then took both her hands and examined them.

“What part of you is ill? You fall sick and refuse to see me?”

“Go away, go away.” Sheng Yunqing pulled free of him. “Do not use visiting the sick as an excuse to lay your hands on me.”

Ye Jichen’s expression darkened. “I conduct myself with honor. If I wished to touch you, I would not need the excuse of visiting a sickbed.”

Sheng Yunqing was rendered speechless. He was overbearing, and yet he still had the nerve to claim he was in the right.

She cast Su Lan a glance, signaling for her to leave with the maidservants.

Then she sighed softly and turned her face away in annoyance. “I am not ill, all right?”

Ye Jichen took an object from his sleeve. Lifting her wrist, he placed it in her palm.

Sheng Yunqing picked it up and examined it carefully. It was a delicate glazed forehead ornament, crystalline and translucent beneath the sunlight.

Why was Ye Jichen so careless whenever he gave gifts? Had he never given one to a woman before?

He could at least have placed it properly in an exquisite box!

Still, she liked the ornament.

She lifted the corners of her lips and said, “I accept the gift. You may leave.”

With that, she waved him away without the slightest courtesy.

Ye Jichen seized her hand, slipped an arm around her waist, and pressed his forehead against hers. His voice was deep and husky, his brows knit together.

“Did the Empress Dowager make things difficult for you?”

Sheng Yunqing bit her lip, her exquisite almond-shaped eyes filled with grievance. “Yes. The Empress Dowager dislikes me. She disliked me the very first moment she saw me!”

Ye Jichen rubbed the palm of her hand. “The Empress Dowager is sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. Her words have always been harsh. Do not take them to heart.”

Sheng Yunqing pouted and gave a soft snort. His intimate gesture had flushed her cheeks, and she lightly nipped at her lip.

Ye Jichen gazed into her eyes and said seriously, “Even if she dislikes you, I will still marry you.”

Sheng Yunqing concealed the smile in her eyes and stubbornly replied, “Who said I would marry you?”

Ye Jichen took the forehead ornament from her hand and personally fastened it across her brow.

“I have reserved a table at Spring Full Pavilion tomorrow at noon. A carriage will come to fetch you.”

Sheng Yunqing raised the corners of her lips. “We shall see how I feel. If I happen to be in a good mood, perhaps I will do you the honor of going.”

Ye Jichen lifted her chin and kissed her gently.

“If you refuse to go, I will tie you up and take you there.”

“You!”

Ye Jichen raised a hand to cover her lips. “Everything being served is something you like to eat.”

“You know what I like?”

“You told me when we were children. I still remember.”

Night fell. Candlelight swayed gently as Sheng Yunqing read through the ledgers. Her slender fingers, as delicate as spring onions, slowly traced the writing until they stopped at a particular entry. She raised a hand to touch her chin, deep in thought, her brows furrowing.

Seeing her expression, Su Lan raised her brows in confusion. “What is it?”

Sheng Yunqing studied Bai Jinxiu’s recent expenses. “I have seen the medicine Bai Jinxiu gives Yi’er. The medicinal ingredients she purchased are expensive, but the pills contain more than these alone. The estate has none of the other ingredients, and she did not use the marquisate’s money to purchase them. Then where did those pills come from?”

Su Lan scratched her head. “That is true. She has neither power nor influence. Whom could she possibly rely on?”

Sheng Yunqing narrowed her eyes slightly. “There is certainly something suspicious here. Investigate in secret and find out what happened to Yi’er’s leg.”

Su Lan nodded. “I will uncover the truth for you, Fairy Sister.”

Sheng Yunqing seemed to remember something. Raising her hand, she added, “And investigate Zhi Xing thoroughly as well.”

“Yes.”