Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I had long expected that the first thing Zhao Zhengbei would do upon returning was drive me and Li Jing away.

After all, any man with even the slightest pride would never willingly accept his younger brother’s wife and child.

But Zhao Rong’an was not dead yet, and the Marquis’s Mansion had not fallen apart. I absolutely would not leave.

I had scented myself with Love-Enchanted Flower Poison, enough to make Zhao Zhengbei’s blood surge and his body burn with desire.

Many people could not tell the difference between lust at first sight and love at first sight.

As long as Zhao Zhengbei mistakenly believed he had feelings for me, many things would become much easier.

I pretended not to hear the commotion outside.

Draping an outer robe over my shoulders, I walked to Zhao Zhengbei’s side and said softly, “Husband, you’ve traveled all night. Go wash up and rest early.”

Unfortunately, Xinyu chose that exact moment to walk in.

She looked at me apologetically and said, “Madam, this servant will see you out.”

The room fell silent.

I saw that Li Jing had also been woken and was standing outside the door.

Lowering my eyes, I said, “All these years, I raised Jing’er alone. I never intended to find his father, but I truly…”

As I spoke, my tears fell like pearls from a broken string.

I lifted my head and gazed at Zhao Zhengbei, choking out, “Husband, there are some things I only wish to say to you. Could you dismiss everyone else and leave me a little dignity?”

I knew very well how moving I looked when I cried.

Zhao Zhengbei’s hand twitched slightly at his side, as if he wanted to comfort me.

But the hand he had raised dropped back down. He clenched it into a fist, blue veins bulging across the back of it.

Clearly, the Love-Enchanted Flower Poison was already taking effect.

Next, all I needed was to put on one more act, and that would be enough to break down his willpower.

I turned my head and blinked lightly at Li Jing.

He immediately rushed in and cried in grievance, “Mother! Let’s go! I’ll just pretend I never had this father! No matter how bitter or hard these years were, didn’t we survive them together?”

Mother and son, we held each other. I turned slightly, revealing just a sliver of my profile to Zhao Zhengbei.

At a moment like this, one had to cry with a tragic, delicate beauty.

I had practiced in front of the mirror at home for a very long time.

Nanny Zhang could no longer bear it and came in to persuade him. “Eldest Young Master, Madam is absolutely not the sort of person who covets wealth and status or harbors ulterior motives. Besides, the young master is exceptionally gifted. Even the great scholars at the academy said he is sure to become a prodigy, and the Marquis has read his essays as well. For the young master’s future, you need only settle Madam here and let this old servant take care of her.”

Forcing a smile through my tears, I said, “Nanny, there is no need to make things difficult for my husband. Ours was nothing more than a fleeting romance. A country woman like me is not worthy of him.”

If one only kept crying endlessly, it would cheapen the performance.

At a time like this, one had to retreat in order to advance.

I took Li Jing by the hand and made to leave.

As I passed Zhao Zhengbei, my body went weak, and I fainted.

Zhao Zhengbei caught me almost instantly and held me tightly in his arms.

In a low voice, Zhao Zhengbei said, “Go summon a physician at once.”

Yet he did not place me on the bed. Instead, he kept holding me the entire time.

I felt his rough fingers gently stroke my cheek and found it rather surprising.

This was the first time I had used the Love-Enchanted Flower Poison since cultivating it. Did it take effect this quickly?

Xinyu asked tentatively, “Eldest Young Master, Chimo has already called for the carriage to wait by the side gate. Are we still sending Madam away?”

But Zhao Zhengbei replied, “When did I ever say I was sending her away?”

I cursed inwardly. Then why had you been standing there like a mute gourd just now, without saying a word?

After a moment of silence, Zhao Zhengbei said, “Just now, I was only thinking… If she learns the man she was intimate with was my second brother, would she regret calling me her husband so earnestly? If I keep her here, then on the day the truth comes to light, wouldn’t I be forcing her into a sickness of the heart?”

Those words were truly beyond my expectations.

Zhao Zhengbei held me even tighter, as if he really feared I would vanish in the next moment.

Xinyu said softly, “This servant believes sincerity can be exchanged for true feeling. As long as Eldest Young Master treats Madam well, even if Madam learns the truth one day, she will not blame you.”

The news that Zhao Zhengbei had returned home late at night and summoned a doctor to treat me soon alarmed the entire Marquis’s Mansion.

Originally, I had entered the estate quietly, and not many people knew of my existence.

After such a commotion, everyone in the Marquis’s Mansion-even people throughout the capital-knew that Zhao Zhengbei had a romantic debt.

The Marchioness hurried over as well.

I pretended to remain unconscious and heard her quarrel with Zhao Zhengbei.

The Marchioness was furious. “You know perfectly well where she came from. Why must you care so much about her? You even sent someone to invite an imperial physician to the estate to diagnose her! If the truth gets out, won’t that harm your brother?”

Zhao Zhengbei said flatly, “Mother took it upon herself to make her my wife. Is it not only right that I cherish her? If anyone is to be blamed, it should be you for pushing my younger brother’s debt onto me.”

Ignoring the Marchioness’s anger, he said forcefully, “From now on, this courtyard is hers to manage. If Mother has no business here, there is no need for you to come. If I learn that Mother has done anything behind the scenes to harm her, I will not let it go.”

As Zhao Zhengbei said this, he gently stroked the hair at my temple.

For a moment, I felt that my skill in cultivating flower poisons had truly reached another level.

Just a little Love-Enchanted Flower Poison had produced such an effect.

If I increased the dosage, would Zhao Zhengbei be bewitched into an idiot by me?

Only after a long while did the Marchioness say, “You still hate me for making you drink that cup of poisoned wine in your brother’s place back then.”

Zhao Zhengbei said mockingly, “Mother, Zhao Rong’an injured the Third Prince, and Consort Gui refused to let the matter go. She set out two cups of wine and demanded that Zhao Rong’an and I drink them together. You knew full well which cup was poisoned, yet you still gave it to me. But you failed to realize that what Consort Gui wanted was for mother and son to turn against each other. She knew I was close to the Fifth Prince, so she wanted to ruin me and rob the Fifth Prince of one of his arms. And yet you fell right into her trap. No… perhaps you were eager for me to be ruined so Zhao Rong’an could inherit the title.”

I had not expected that by feigning unconsciousness, I would overhear such a secret.

No wonder Zhao Zhengbei’s courtyard was so remote and dilapidated, and no wonder he had followed the Fifth Prince to the northwest at such a young age.

Having her past exposed, the Marchioness flew into a humiliated rage and left.

Then I felt Zhao Zhengbei suddenly slap me hard on the forehead.

Me: “…”

He couldn’t have known I was pretending to faint, could he?