WBSGVS Chapter 149 V2

Now that they were alone, Qiyue finally spoke. “Madam, are you doing this because of the Fifth Miss?”

After Madam Mu’s visit, Qingli had changed. At first, Qiyue hadn’t noticed it completely, but after what happened with Doctor Zhang, she started suspecting something.

And today’s visit to the brothel confirmed it.

Arranging concubines for her husband? That was something the old Qingli would never have done.

But why?

And just now, she had seemed completely indifferent to Mu Lan’er’s condition.

The Xie household had just welcomed five concubines, and suddenly, Mu Lan’er had fainted. When Qiyue connected the dots, a realization struck her.

The smile disappeared from Qingli’s face. She met Qiyue’s gaze and asked, “You’ve figured it out?”

Qiyue bit her lip before carefully probing, “Is it because the Fifth Miss… has feelings for the master?”

Qingli nodded and lowered her gaze. “It’s not just that she has feelings for Xie Rongyun—he feels the same way about her. And here I am, the villain who’s stopping this pair of tragic lovers.”

“No!” Qiyue immediately shook her head, frowning. “You are not a villain, Madam. You are the rightful mistress of the Xie household!”

This maid was deeply loyal. Having grown up with the original Qingli, she wasn’t just naive or simple-minded. She had been trained by Madam Mu to help manage the household.

Qingli couldn’t afford to make drastic changes, lest Qiyue notice something was amiss and cause unnecessary trouble. But at this point, some things needed to be revealed.

With a bitter smile, Qingli said, “I didn’t want to believe it either, but the truth is right in front of us. If it were you, would you run to your brother-in-law’s house in the middle of the night, begging your sister for help, just because your father might marry you off as a concubine to his superior? Especially when news of my miscarriage had only reached the Mu household a month ago? Even if our families have split, she must have heard about it!”

Qiyue shook her head again. “I wouldn’t!”

“And every time I drank the medicine, I felt groggy and weak. That day, I wasn’t feeling well and refused to take it. Afterward, I felt better. That’s when I realized—something was wrong with the medicine,” Qingli murmured, eyes downcast.

Qiyue’s mouth fell open slightly, and she whispered, “I… I suspected it too, but Doctor Zhang said nothing was wrong.”

This kind of thing could be seen as either an accident or a deliberate act. No one could say for sure.

Naturally, she hadn’t taken it seriously at the time.

Qingli let out another bitter laugh. “I only had suspicions at first. But then, when my mother suggested taking Mu Lan’er home, Xie Rongyun immediately came in with a speech that sounded like he was doing it all for my sake. But if you think deeper about it, what was his real intention?”

“And now, the moment she heard there were new concubines in the household, she fainted. How deeply in love she must be!”

Qiyue had never seen her mistress look so despondent before. Heart aching, she knelt, grasping Qingli’s hands earnestly. “Miss, what do you plan to do? I will help you!”

Qingli’s gaze turned icy. She spoke in a low, firm voice. “I will make sure they truly become a pair of tragic lovers!”

“Understood!” Qiyue nodded decisively, her expression tense as if preparing for battle.

Qingli pressed her lips together and smiled slightly. “Qiyue, don’t worry. We’ll take our time. There’s plenty of it.”

“It’s my fault for being too impatient,” Qiyue admitted sheepishly. Though she had grown up with Qingli and had been trained by Madam Mu, she had only ever studied household politics in theory. This time, the battle wasn’t just between women—it involved men too, which made it even more complicated.

Fortunately, her mistress remained clear-headed.

That night, when Xie Rongyun left his study, he was led to Concubine Zhou’s courtyard.

The charming and seductive Concubine Zhou had long since dressed up in anticipation. As soon as he entered, she stepped forward, ready to serve him—only to be stopped by a single cold glance.

“Don’t touch me,” Xie Rongyun said indifferently.

Concubine Zhou pouted, twisting her body in frustration. Seeing that he was ignoring her, she reluctantly stepped back.

At first, she thought he was just not used to her yet. But as the night went on, he wouldn’t even let her approach to help him wash up.

Finally, when they returned to the bedroom, Xie Rongyun merely lay down on the bed.

Wide-eyed, Concubine Zhou sat on the edge of the bed. “My lord… aren’t you coming over?”

“No,” he replied coldly, pulling the blanket over himself. “Don’t disturb me.”

Concubine Zhou: “…”

She had never officially served a man before, but she had certainly never heard of one being so… proper! Wasn’t that just something made up in books to trick gullible girls?

Unwilling to accept this outcome, she stubbornly stayed awake.

Deep into the night, she drowsily heard the watchman call out that it was the third watch. Yawning, she turned her gaze to the man sleeping soundly beside her, her eyes gleaming.

The dead of night was always the best time to take bold risks. Nervously rubbing her hands together, she hesitated—this was her first time doing something like this, and she felt both shy and embarrassed.

But she was already his concubine. If she left this room untouched, wouldn’t that be humiliating?

So, she quietly slipped out of bed, not even putting on her shoes. Stealthily, she tiptoed over to the bedside and reached into his blanket—

“Oof—!”

With a sharp yelp, she found herself kicked to the ground. The impact was so hard that she rolled over in pain.

Xie Rongyun didn’t even spare her a glance. “Get lost.”

Tears welled up in Concubine Zhou’s eyes as she sniffled pitifully, but he ignored her completely. Left with no choice, she sulked back to bed, hugging her blanket in frustration.

She slept fitfully, dreaming of nothing but indignation. She wasn’t the most beautiful woman, but even the madam at the brothel had said that as long as she kept her mouth shut, no man would be able to resist her.

Yet, somehow, she had encountered the exception.

The next morning, Concubine Zhou woke up to find the bed beside her empty. Her face twisted with frustration.

Could it be…?

No, no way!

Covering her mouth in shock, her eyes widened in horror.

So that’s why the madam hasn’t had a child in three years! It’s not that she’s infertile—it’s because the lord is… incapable?!

And now, to clear his name, he had taken in concubines under the guise of producing an heir?

No way, no way!

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. Even while washing her face, she sighed in disappointment.

Such a handsome man, yet completely useless—what a waste!