Blooming flowers and red leaves, swallows chirping—this should have been a wonderful scene. On the treetops, two orioles were intimately preening each other’s feathers, yet inside the room, the two people who should have been most intimate were facing each other wordlessly, leaving only awkward silence.

Xiao Du looked at her coldly, the hand holding the book page trembling slightly. He was waiting for her explanation—whether she said it was a misunderstanding or that someone had deliberately framed her, as long as she was willing to speak, he would rather believe her. But she offered no explanation. She was panicking, helpless, and afraid of him! Yes, she had never been good at lying, much less skilled at deception, so all of this was true—not even allowing him to find half an excuse for her.

He then laughed bitterly in extreme anger, understanding how greatly he had been mocked. Chancellor Xia had deliberately chosen a daughter to send to the marquis residence as his legitimate wife. Though he couldn’t fathom the hidden intentions, he knew how to guard against them. But she was different from what he had imagined—or rather, she was different from any woman he had ever met. Her thoughts were strange and peculiar, yet always brought him pleasant surprises. She wasn’t skilled at conversation or socializing, yet never pretended or put on airs. She appeared so gentle and easily bullied on the surface, yet harbored unyielding resilience in her bones. Whenever he met those clear eyes of hers and heard her soft, sweet voice, he couldn’t help telling himself—why not try? Even though he so detested Chancellor Xia, he was still willing to try accepting his daughter. But he had never hated her honesty as much as now, allowing him to see through at a glance that his heart held no place in hers.

Yuanxi stared blankly at his angry expression, truly not understanding how this book had been discovered by him, much less knowing how to explain. She understood all too clearly in her heart that those youthful past events she had struggled to bury, once exposed to sunlight, would make him feel disgusted and suspicious no matter how she explained. And once the seeds of suspicion took root, they would only grow deeper until they carved out a chasm no one could cross. She moved her lips and finally spoke with difficulty, “Things are not as you imagine. These matters are long past. Between the young tutor and me, everything was pure and innocent—there was absolutely nothing improper.”

Xiao Du laughed coldly, “Really over? Then why did he desperately recommend himself to enter the residence as soon as you married in, claiming to offer me strategies when it was really to see you?”

Confusion appeared in Yuanxi’s eyes, then she shook her head firmly, “The young tutor is definitely not that kind of person!”

Xiao Du’s anger intensified as he threw the paper violently to the ground, “You understand him well? Then why didn’t you leave with him originally? Why did you wrongly endure becoming this marquis residence’s wife?” He paused, suddenly enlightened, “Was it Chancellor Xia? Your father’s idea? To make you approach me—then what role is Luo Yuan playing?”

Yuanxi hadn’t expected him to say such things. She bit her lip desperately to prevent tears from flowing, looking at him stubbornly, “Since entering the marquis residence, Yuanxi has never deceived you in the slightest, never done anything to wrong you. If we don’t even have this much trust between us, why continue as husband and wife?”

“Really? Absolutely no deception?” Xiao Du took out a brocade handkerchief from his bosom, saying coldly, “Then let me ask you again—before I found you in that old house that day, did you see Luo Yuan?”

Yuanxi stared fixedly at the handkerchief, finding it somewhat familiar. She only remembered this seemed to be practice embroidery from long ago when she was learning needlework, feeling somewhat confused about why this handkerchief was in his hands. Seeing her expression, Xiao Du felt increasingly bitter, “Can’t remember? Let me remind you. When I went to rescue you that day, I happened to see this handkerchief placed at the door. Recognizing it as your belonging, I suspected it was a trap and didn’t immediately rush in with men. I didn’t think much of it then, until seeing what he wrote on this paper that I suddenly understood—this handkerchief probably wasn’t placed by the kidnapper.” He took a deep breath and finally asked, “This handkerchief was embroidered when you were unmarried, wasn’t it? And then you gave it to Luo Yuan?”

Yuanxi’s eyes widened as she finally remembered. One day when the young tutor entered the schoolroom after being caught in rain, she had casually taken out a handkerchief for him to dry his face, but she never imagined he would keep it until now. Feeling somewhat panicked, she quickly explained, “That day the young tutor did find me first, but he never entered…”

“Very good,” Xiao Du coldly interrupted, the pain in his eyes deepening, “How much longer do you plan to deceive me together?”

Yuanxi felt anxious and confused, not knowing what to do, only staring at him blankly when she suddenly realized he was heartbroken. She had never seen him look so heartbroken—shouldn’t he always smile carelessly, not taking anything to heart? In that moment, she suddenly awakened, understanding the feelings hidden in that hibiscus cake and bowl of ice cream that she had never comprehended. She suddenly felt afraid—would that version of him never return? Tears thus flowed uncontrollably as she quickly said loudly, “No, I never thought of deceiving you. That incident was a frame-up!”

Xiao Du looked at her glistening tearful eyes. His already hardened heart wavered for an instant at these tears, so he said, “How many more books like this do you have in your room? If you’re willing to throw them all away, I’ll believe you.”

Yuanxi was startled and instinctively said, “No, those books aren’t what you think…” Before she could finish, she saw the deep disappointment in Xiao Du’s eyes and understood she had lost even her last chance.

Xiao Du slowly sat down, his eyes no longer showing any warmth, only saying flatly, “Very good, I understand. Rest assured, you will always be the marquis residence’s wife, but I don’t wish to see you again.” Yuanxi suddenly stepped back, her mind buzzing as if hearing something shatter before her.

News that the wife was confined for seven days with no contact allowed quickly spread throughout the marquis residence. The servants immediately buzzed with discussion but could discover no details. Nanny Li paced anxiously, constantly asking people to investigate whether Xiao Du’s attitude had changed, but Yuanxi was surprisingly calm, only sitting at her desk daily reading and writing, as if returning to those simple times of the past.

On the third day, Concubine Cai suddenly came calling. Upon seeing her, her eyes immediately reddened, “What on earth happened? I told the marquis I had urgent business before he would let me in.”

Due to Xiao Zhixuan, Yuanxi felt quite favorable toward this concubine. She forced a smile and shook her head, “Nothing serious, just unable to leave my room. What urgent matter were you referring to?”

Concubine Cai frowned, “Originally I didn’t want to trouble you, but there’s been an incident with the workers at Qixia Courtyard. I thought I should come inform you.”

Yuanxi’s heart jumped as she quickly asked, “What happened?”

Concubine Cai sighed, “Yesterday, the flower vine scaffolding collapsed right after being erected, injuring a worker. The others took the opportunity to strike together, saying the residence allocated insufficient silver, forcing them to use inferior pine wood, causing the accident. They also said our marquis residence mistreats servants, and if we don’t increase payment, they absolutely won’t continue working!”

Yuanxi was shocked, “How could this be? The allocated silver was all discussed with Steward Zhou. I also checked previous account books—how could it be insufficient?”

Concubine Cai shook her head and sighed, “Now we don’t know where the problem lies, but don’t worry—I’ve already pacified everyone, though it means spending more silver. But we must resume work quickly. If this reaches Princess Qing’s ears and she thinks our marquis residence deliberately slighted her to save money, that would be troublesome.” She paused, then said with some difficulty, “However, Steward Zhou says he doesn’t dare make decisions about using treasury silver lightly, so he had me come ask you.”

Yuanxi thought it over and took out a token from her cabinet, handing it to her, “I can’t leave my room now, so please handle these matters for me, saying it’s my instruction.”

Concubine Cai quickly took the token, looked at her again, and sighed leisurely, “Sometimes if you can admit fault, go admit it. What overnight grudges exist between spouses? In my opinion, the marquis has always held you dear to his heart.”

Yuanxi’s eyes inexplicably reddened: Held dear to his heart? Probably never again would he tightly grasp her hand from worry for her safety, never again hold her saying “I will trust you.” Some things seemed ordinary at the time, but only when they could no longer be found or returned to did one can’t help repeatedly recalling them until the heart ached.

Yuanxi slept very restlessly that night. Before her eyes appeared sometimes Xiao Du’s slightly teasing smile, sometimes his disappointed gaze, sometimes the gradually distant figure of the young tutor. She jolted awake, discovering her whole body was hot with sweat. She tried to call An’he for water but couldn’t make a sound. Supporting herself on the bed curtains to rise, she suddenly saw black and fainted.

“She’s really ill?” Xiao Du sat on the beauty couch, staring at a book, asking seemingly casually.

The servant beside him quickly nodded, “According to the maids in Madam’s room, I’m afraid she’s quite seriously ill.”

Xiao Du only made a light sound of acknowledgment and ignored him further, as if the matter had nothing to do with him. The servant stole a glance at him and couldn’t help complaining inwardly: If you really don’t care, why send me daily to mingle with those maids, chatting and extracting information, then requiring me to report everything back to you? Isn’t it just because you want to secretly inquire about Madam’s situation? Poor me, enduring those gossip sessions with the maids daily—several already suspect I’m interested in them and have been sending me flirtatious glances. Thinking of this, the servant felt quite troubled. If the marquis continued being so contrary, he would sooner or later be devoured by those little maids. So he very kindly suggested, “Madam is so seriously ill—shouldn’t the marquis go see her?”

Xiao Du didn’t even lift his eyelids, “Since I said confined for seven days with no entry or exit, and it’s only been three days, how can I visit? I am the dignified Marquis Xuanyuan—can my words be treated as child’s play?”

The servant secretly pursed his lips but still diligently urged, “Though this is so, Madam’s health is most important. If something happens to Madam in our residence, it would be difficult to explain to the chancellor’s residence. Actually,” he glanced at Xiao Du’s expression and continued suggesting, “if the marquis feels it’s embarrassing, ahem, you could secretly go look—no one would know.”

Before he finished speaking, a book page had already knocked his head. Xiao Du glared at him, “Do I need to sneak around in my own residence? What would people say if word got out!” He thought seriously again, “But you make sense. If something happens to her, it would indeed be difficult to explain to Chancellor Xia.”

The servant rubbed his head, grinning at him but feeling increasingly dissatisfied: You just want to go yourself, yet make me find all these reasons for you—isn’t that exhausting?

That night, the tall apricot tree swayed gently in the wind outside the window as a figure climbed through the window, tiptoeing to the bedside. He looked at Yuanxi sleeping soundly in bed, seeing her brow furrowed, her originally rosy face showing some haggardness, his heart aching. Just as he was about to reach out and touch her cheek, he suddenly noticed the book at her bedside. He grabbed it and by moonlight saw rows of familiar handwriting inside. His expression changed dramatically as he flicked his sleeve and left the room without looking back.