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Jiang Xinyue walked out of the Xu residence without any sign of abnormality and boarded a carriage, escorted by the Xu family’s men back to the Marquis of Huaiyuan’s manor.

She acted just like any normal person throughout the journey. After all, there were outsiders watching; if she had left the Xu residence in tears, it would have surely invited endless speculation.

The journey back to the manor was peaceful. Upon arriving at Fufang Courtyard, Qingfei and Qingcui were already waiting at the entrance. Seeing her return, Qingfei let out a long sigh of relief. "Miss, why have you only just returned? Old Madam sent Liuqin to look for you this morning to ask why you weren't around. It gave us quite a scare."

"What did she want with me?"

"I'm not sure. Liuqin didn't say; she just said that if you weren't here today, she would come back tomorrow." Qingfei asked, "Should we go to the Old Madam’s side now to report back?"

Jiang Xinyue was silent for a moment. "Forget it. Since she said she would come tomorrow, we will deal with it then. Go and have someone prepare some hot water; I want to change my clothes."

Qingfei acknowledged the order immediately and hurried off toward the small kitchen.

Once Jiang Xinyue entered the inner chamber, Qingcui followed to help remove her cloak. Seeing the small embroidered character "Xu" on the cloak, Qingcui pursed her lips and smiled. "Miss, did you go to see the Young Master of the Xu family?"

"What does this have to do with him?"

"I just thought you went to ask for the Young Master's help." Qingcui folded the cloak and placed it on the wooden rack. "The Young Master has always been kind to you. If he knew about the troubles here, he would certainly stand up for you."

"Is that so?"

Qingcui, unaware of the situation at the Xu house, continued, "Actually, it would be best if you could be with the Young Master. He is a good man with great learning, and his future is boundless. If you were truly together, you already have feelings for one another. In my eyes, there could be no better match."

Jiang Xinyue lowered her eyes. As she bowed her head, her delicate profile seemed veiled in a layer of mist, making it difficult to discern her expression.

After a long while, she finally found her voice.

"My relationship with Cousin Xu is the most normal of brother-sister bonds. Do not say such things in the future; I do not like to hear them."

Her tone was unusually stern, which took Qingcui by surprise. Seeing Qingcui apologize in a flustered manner, Jiang Xinyue said no more and went to the side room.

The wooden tub was already filled with hot water. She unfastened her clothes, revealing her smooth, fair skin. On her chest, two or three red marks looked particularly jarring. If one looked closely, faint, greenish, bruised fingerprints could be seen at the edges of the pale, tender skin.

Seeing these marks, she could almost still feel the sensation of the man’s rough palms lingering on her—proof that during these absurd days she wished she could forget, she had indeed engaged in an incredibly intimate relationship with another man.

What stood between her and Xu Yanli was not just the so-called difference in family background, but this very past.

Therefore, they were people who were never meant to be together.

Jiang Xinyue understood this clearly; she had understood it better than anyone else from the very first day the incident occurred.

Yet, as she sat in the tub, the rising steam was so thick it stung her eyes, blurring her vision once more. She slumped limply against the edge of the tub, feeling lost and overwhelmed for the first time.

When she rose, her head spun, and her stomach churned with a persistent urge to vomit. As she tried to eat the dessert Qingfei had brought, she couldn't hold it back and threw it up.

Both maids were startled, rushing to bring a spittoon and sitting beside her to rub her back.

"What is wrong?" Qingfei asked anxiously. "Should I go get some dried fruit to settle your stomach?"

Jiang Xinyue didn't know what was happening either. She had felt nauseated often lately, but this was the first time she had actually vomited. She had been running around to several places, and having eaten little, she was only bringing up sour bile, leaving a strange, foul taste in her mouth.

Even so, at the mention of dried fruit, she felt an instinctive wave of nausea and leaned over the small table to retch again.

This symptom... why did it feel so much like—being pregnant?

As that thought took shape in her mind, Jiang Xinyue’s heart hammered against her ribs. She felt she couldn't possibly be unlucky enough for this to happen.

"If it continues, we should call a doctor to take a look," Qingfei suggested.

"No need."

The young woman leaned against the small table, her eyes red and filled with tears from the repeated retching. A stray lock of hair fell against her cheek, making her look all the more pitiful.

She secretly pinched her own palm, using the pain to suppress the nausea, and managed a smile. "It’s probably just because the weather turned cold last night and I caught a chill. I’ll be fine in a while."

The two maids looked at her with worry.

After Jiang Xinyue finally managed to send them away, she fell into a state of total chaos.

She recalled a dire detail: last night, she had lied to Pei San, telling him that her "monthly cycle" had arrived.

In reality, not only had it not arrived now, it had not come for the past two or three months.

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. Subconsciously, she reached out to touch her lower abdomen. Without her noticing, a soft layer of flesh had covered it, feeling soft to the touch.

She didn't know if she was just scaring herself, but the more she dwelled on it, the more convinced she became that she was pregnant.

Lethargy, weight gain, and inexplicable vomiting—every single symptom matched perfectly.

If she were truly pregnant, her life would be ruined.

She had to find a reliable doctor to check. If it were true... it wouldn't be impossible to take care of it in time.

Jiang Xinyue looked down at her stomach, her hand hovering in mid-air, but she ultimately lacked the courage to place it there.

What on earth had she gotten herself into?

Her heart was in turmoil.

—

Pei Yannian, hearing her comment, "If you were this bad before, you might as well not have done it at all," had tossed and turned all night, nearly waking his little wife to ask exactly what she meant by "so bad."

But looking at the delicate face of his wife, who was too exhausted to even open her eyes, he didn't have the heart to wake her. Instead, he reflected on what he might have done wrong.

He had little experience in such matters; most of his knowledge of married life came from the men in the military camp. Life on the bitter, cold frontier was harsh, and there was little to talk about, yet the conversation would occasionally turn to women.

Some boasted of their prowess, some of their stamina, and some of how many women couldn't forget them, often mentioning intimate details.

Pei Yannian had listened but never participated, having no experience of his own to speak of.

His friend, Gu Junheng, having learned that Pei had never been with a woman, firmly believed it was because there were no beauties in the harsh frontier. He had taken him to a pleasure boat.

"Just take a good look. There are all kinds of beauties here; you will surely find your type," Gu Junheng had said, leaning against a small table in his usual suave manner. He squinted his long, slender peach-blossom eyes at the supple dancers, saying generously, "Put all the expenses on my tab."

Pei Yannian had watched for a long time, trying to find some interest in it.

But there was none.

It seemed these women had no advantages other than being fair-skinned, and honestly, the enemy soldiers he had slain were often fairer than them.

That day on the boat, he had finished a pot of wine and left immediately, without anything untoward happening. He was teased by Gu Junheng for a long time afterward.

But Qiaoqiao was different.

From the very first night, he had felt a carnal desire for her.

At the beginning, it was purely instinctive. The young girl had whimpered in pain, begging softly, each sound more enchanting than the last.

His back felt as if it were being bitten by thousands of ants—not painful, but filled with a tingling, numbing itch. When he wasn't paying attention, all his emotions would pour out.

He had indeed not performed very well.

But later, he realized his shortcomings. He specifically bought manuals on the subject and would occasionally ask her questions about strength, gentleness, speed, and rhythm, adjusting according to her answers, doing whatever she liked.

She said she liked it, and her body seemed to like it too, so how did it turn out that he was "still so bad"?

As he thought, he remembered his little wife saying she wanted to separate from him before her escape. Could it be that she was dissatisfied because of this?

Pei Yannian thought of many reasons, then bit down viciously on his wife as she slept, gritting his teeth. "You little ingrate."

The "little ingrate" seemed to sense something; she naturally snuggled closer to him, her soft, faintly fragrant body winding around him as she murmured in her sleep, "Husband..."

Her body was impossibly soft, and as