Qi Jinshan felt reason and impulse tearing at each other within him, faintly radiating a suppressed, sharp majesty of wrath.
Seeing him sit there motionless, Xie Mingyue calmed down somewhat.
"Here, while it's hot."
She held the spoon, scooped up a spoonful of medicine, and even dripped a drop onto the back of her hand to test the temperature.
Watching her gentle, downcast expression, the lingering hostility deep within Qi Jinshan's heart suddenly melted away significantly.
"I'll do it myself."
He took the bowl of medicine, paying no heed to its bitterness or scalding heat, and gulped it right down.
Having lived a pampered life in the Xie Family, Xie Mingyue had never witnessed such bovine-like gulping and couldn't help saying, "You can't do that. The medicinal broth is too scalding; watch out for your throat."
The bitterness spread across Qi Jinshan's mouth as bloodshot veins surfaced in his eyes, and he fixed a deep, heavy gaze on her.
Her scalp tingling under his stare, Xie Mingyue explained, "You got so drunk, I naturally had to come check on you. What's so strange about that, that you have to keep staring at me?"
Qi Jinshan sneered, "In the past, when I drank to the point of vomiting blood, I never caught sight of your shadow."
Xie Mingyue widened her eyes in astonishment.
How could anyone dare push Qi Jinshan to drink until he vomited blood?
"Surprised?" He lowered his brow and gaze. "I wasn't born an official."
He had only returned to the estate in his teens, climbing from a mere concubine's son to his present position, enduring countless hardships and trials along the way.
Thinking of this, a trace of pity welled up in Xie Mingyue.
They were husband and wife after all; their fortunes were bound together, and so were their losses. Even if only to ensure she wouldn't become a widow, she had to urge him to take good care of himself.
"Before your next social engagement, drink a bowl of hangover soup first, and it won't be so hard to bear."
Walking quietly over to Qi Jinshan, and remembering that he hadn't truly harmed her, she couldn't help explaining, "Your movements were too rough just now, and I was frightened for a moment. Don't do that next time."
A flash of surprise crossed Qi Jinshan's eyes as he reached out toward her.
"Next time?" Seeing that she had truly and obediently extended her hand, he immediately took it in a gentle grasp, though he no longer pulled on her with force. "I won't do it now, either."
In a daze, Xie Mingyue was once again pulled close to Qi Jinshan's side.
Calculating the time and keeping her mind set on extracting information, she let him hold her hand and struggled to change the subject.
"You..."
The moment she spoke, Qi Jinshan's figure swayed slightly. In the blink of an eye, Xie Mingyue saw him frown and support his forehead with a look of extreme distress.
"What's wrong with you?"
She hurriedly withdrew her hand, leaving Qi Jinshan's palm empty and a cold void spreading in his heart.
"Is your head aching from the wine? You must rest immediately."
Seeing the bloodshot veins spreading in the corners of his eyes, Xie Mingyue felt a pang of pity.
Official social engagements were exhausting. She momentarily regretted including Qi Jinshan in her plans; after all, he had already tried a backyard farce for her today, and dealing with Madam Yun was something she could handle entirely on her own.
"Come, I'll help you to the bed to lie down."
As Xie Mingyue reached out to support his back, Qi Jinshan instead pulled her into his embrace, pressing heavily against her shoulder.
"Trouble Madam to carry me over."
The man's slightly drunken voice brushed against her ear, melting Xie Mingyue's resistance, and half against her better judgment, she supported him as they walked toward the inner chamber.
She had clearly come to pry for information; how was it that she ended up waiting on him hand and foot?
Pressing her lips together, she asked, "Qi Jinshan, why did you back then..."
Just as she began, Wutong's voice rang out from outside the door.
"Madam, Nanny Li and Nanny Huang are acting up."
Startled, Xie Mingyue knew this meant the person she had ordered Wutong to watch was making a move.
"Quickly go lie on the bed, I have matters in my courtyard to deal with." Hoping to brush Qi Jinshan off onto the bed, she was caught off guard when his gaze instantly cleared somewhat.
"What mischief are they up to?"
Discarding his drunken facade, he stood up and straightened his robes, his posture as graceful as a crane.
"You weren't drunk?"
Xie Mingyue was stunned, then immediately realized that all his behavior just now had been an act!
And to think she had foolishly supported him for so long; all the way through the room, he had pressed his weight entirely upon her, likely taking every possible advantage.
"You actually lied to me!"
She glared at Qi Jinshan through clenched teeth, thinking that her momentary softness toward him had become a complete joke. Tonight, she would definitely make him work hard to make up for it as retribution for his deception.
"I was drunk, but the moment I heard something happened in Madam's courtyard, I was already eighty percent sober."
A smile flashed in the depths of Qi Jinshan's eyes as he allowed Yujiang to drape a heavy cloak over his shoulders, taking the lead and walking toward the Qionghua Courtyard where she lived.
Gritting her teeth, Xie Mingyue followed closely behind.
As Wutong draped a cape over her shoulders, she asked in a low voice, "Did those two make a move?"
Wutong nodded. "This maid didn't even take the time of an incense stick to rush over, and I heard Nanny Li and Nanny Huang in your room, fishing out that bracelet and plotting to steal it. If we go over now, even if we don't catch them in the act, we'll have both the thieves and the stolen goods."
When the group arrived at Qionghua Courtyard, a rough- chores maid was peeking about at the entrance. Upon seeing them, she bolted away like a flash of lightning.
This was precisely one of the maids who had been playing cards in the small kitchen during the day.
"The Eldest Young Master and Madam are right here, where do you think you're running?"
Stepping forward with a cold shout, Wutong blocked her path, causing Qi Jinshan to raise an eyebrow in response.
"Such a lack of decorum, drag her away."
Knowing that Xie Mingyue didn't manage affairs, Qi Jinshan hadn't interfered when Madam Yun provided her with servants, but he hadn't expected the servants in her courtyard to be so utterly undisciplined.
Instantly, the fire in the depths of Qi Jinshan's heart flared up alongside the alcohol, and his expression turned three degrees colder.
At this sight, Xie Mingyue curved her lips into a faint smile.
She only hoped that when facing Madam Yun shortly, his expression would remain just as cold.
Before the maid could even begin to cry out, Yujiang and his men stepped up, gagged her, and dragged her away in silence.
Xie Mingyue walked straight toward the room, where a dim light was burning. With a flick of her chin, Wutong stepped forward and shoved the door open.
Nannies Huang and Li turned around in a fluster. Seeing Xie Mingyue standing at the entrance, they immediately let out sighs of relief.
"Where has Madam been? You didn't even send anyone to give word when you returned, giving this old servant a fright."
Nanny Li hunched her shoulders slightly, her expression unpleasantly stiff.
"Is that how you speak to Madam?"
Qi Jinshan stepped out from behind Xie Mingyue, causing the expressions of the two nannies to change drastically.
"The Eldest Young Master is here? Please take a seat, Eldest Young Master, this old servant will go pour tea right away."
"Stop right there. Are you servants of Madam's courtyard or mine?" Qi Jinshan's face was dark. "When Madam enters the door, instead of serving, you question her. The servants of the Shunqing Marquis Estate are truly this devoid of manners."
Xie Mingyue smiled faintly. "The nannies were carefully chosen by Mother, how could they lack manners? Mother only gifted me a pomegranate bracelet today, yet her people act so domineering, making me lose face in front of my husband. I might as well return both the bracelet and the servants."
She wanted Qi Jinshan to see clearly how his mother's people lorded it over her in her own courtyard and treated her with such contempt.
Sweat broke out on Nanny Li's forehead in a panic. "Madam, please calm your anger. This old servant had no intention of disrespecting Madam, I was simply startled for a moment..."
"Where is the bracelet?" Xie Mingyue interrupted.
Nanny Li's eyes darted wildly. Seeing this, Wutong stepped forward with a cold sneer, "I told you to say where the bracelet was put, is it really that hard to remember?"
Instinctively touching her chest, Nanny Li stammered, "This old servant placed it on my person, intending to put it on the multitreasure shelf just as Madam and the Eldest Young Master arrived."
Wutong stepped up, snatched the bracelet from the lapel of her blouse, and pulled it out. "I told you this afternoon to put it on the multitreasure shelf, so why is it on your person now? This is outright theft!"
With a dull thud, she dropped to her knees before Qi Jinshan.
"Eldest Young Master, please see the truth! Ever since Madam fell ill, discipline in the courtyard has inevitably grown lax. This wicked servant even dared to steal the bracelet Grand Madam gave to Madam; who knows how many acts of betrayal she has committed behind our backs? I beg the Eldest Young Master to uphold justice for our Madam."
Qi Jinshan's face had frozen to the absolute extreme, but Xie Mingyue smiled instead. "Since they are Mother's people, it wouldn't be proper for me to discipline them. It's better to send them back and leave them to Mother's discretion."
Standing with his hands clasped behind his back beside her, Qi Jinshan said in a deep voice, "As long as they are in Qionghua Courtyard, regardless of who sent them, they are Madam's people. You have the gall of dogs to be light-fingered like this. Someone, go invite Grand Madam."
Turning his gaze to Xie Mingyue, he removed his own heavy cloak. "It's chilly, Madam must not catch a cold."