Only Shiyiniang, Dongqing, Binju, and Fengqing remained in the room.

Dongqing and Binju both felt somewhat ill at ease, but Shiyiniang alone was composed, instructing the two of them: “Go help Zhaoying tidy things up. I’m enough here.”

“But Young Master Fengqing…” Binju looked at Fengqing, who was gradually losing his strength, and hesitated greatly.

“If anything happens, I’ll call you.” Shiyiniang said lightly.

Seeing this, Dongqing and Binju had no choice but to bend their knees in acknowledgment and withdraw.

Shiyiniang paid no attention to Fengqing. She clamped his legs between hers, gripped both his hands in hers, and regardless of whether he struggled or went still, she held him firmly locked in her embrace… until he gradually lost his strength and began to pant softly.

“This is the last time I’m asking you.” Shiyiniang, who had held absolute control throughout their struggle, still spoke in her characteristically gentle voice, yet to Fengqing’s ears it was filled with authority. “If you sit quietly on my lap, I’ll let you go. If you agree, nod your head.”

Fengqing pressed his lips tightly together. After quite a while, he gave a small nod.

Shiyiniang slowly released him.

Fengqing immediately shifted.

Shiyiniang said coldly: “Fengqing, we made an agreement. You don’t move, and I let you go. Otherwise, we’ll be right back where we started.”

Fengqing hesitated for a long moment, but ultimately did not move again.

Shiyiniang gently drew him into her arms: “Fengqing is so good. I like Fengqing!” As she said this, she warmly stroked his back.

Fengqing’s small body gradually relaxed. He adjusted his position and obediently nestled against her.

Shiyiniang let out a quiet breath of relief. Looking at the scattered pastries on the bed that had not yet been tidied away, she gently asked him: “Fengqing, would you like some water?”

Fengqing hesitated for a moment, then the little head resting against her shoulder gave a small peck of a nod.

With one arm holding Fengqing, Shiyiniang poured a cup of tea with her other hand, then sat down in the nearby armchair and fed it to him.

He gulped it all down in one go, draining the entire cup. Then he gazed at Shiyiniang with longing eyes.

Shiyiniang smiled and asked him: “Would you like more?”

He nodded.

Shiyiniang poured him another half cup.

He finished that all at once too, then stretched his neck to look at the pastries on the bed.

“You want the pastries?” Shiyiniang followed his gaze.

He shook his head, then nodded.

“Do you want to put the pastries away and eat them later?” Shiyiniang guessed.

Fengqing nodded. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile, and his whole face lit up.

Shiyiniang smiled softly and called Dongqing in — Fengqing’s body immediately became somewhat stiff.

“Don’t be afraid. She’s a very kind person.” Shiyiniang stroked Fengqing’s head with compassion. “She’ll take care of you from now on.”

Fengqing nodded.

“Madam,” Dongqing entered to find Fengqing lying obediently in Shiyiniang’s arms, her face full of astonishment. “This…”

Shiyiniang simply smiled and pointed to the disheveled bed: “Put those pastries away.”

Dongqing, puzzled, gathered the pastries into the food box.

“Give it to me,” Shiyiniang instructed Dongqing to hand her the box.

Dongqing passed the food box to Shiyiniang with a bewildered look.

Fengqing immediately reached out and clutched the food box to his chest.

“Young Master Fengqing…” Dongqing’s eyes went wide.

But Fengqing thought it over, then handed the food box back to Shiyiniang — his large eyes blinking, looking up at her ingratiatingly.

Shiyiniang’s heart melted so completely it could have dripped.

For Fengqing, having enough to eat and enough warmth to wear — these were the highest ideals in life. And now, he was willing to surrender the chance to eat his fill to her. This was trust entrusted with his very life.

She shook her head and smiled: “Fengqing holds onto the food box, and when I want something to eat, I’ll ask Fengqing for it. How does that sound?”

Fengqing thought it over, then nodded, breaking into a brilliant smile.

Shiyiniang smiled and ruffled his head, saying: “Let’s move somewhere else to sit — you’ve broken the Marquis’s bed, and we need to get it repaired quickly.”

Fengqing nodded. Just as Shiyiniang rose with him in her arms, Binju came in: “Madam, the Marquis has arrived!”

Her words had barely fallen when Xu Lingyi strode in with great steps. Behind him followed Hupo and Linbo.

Seeing Shiyiniang holding Fengqing, he was momentarily startled, then took in the chaos all over the bed, his eyes growing even wider: “What happened here?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Shiyiniang smiled. “The bed boards fell by accident.” She then gave a brief, casual account of what had occurred.

Throughout this, Fengqing kept his large phoenix eyes fixed steadily on Xu Lingyi. Unfortunately, Xu Lingyi was busy listening to Shiyiniang and paid him no attention at all. When he heard that the child had been sleeping hidden on top of the bed canopy, he looked at Fengqing, then at Shiyiniang, opening his mouth as if to speak but stopping himself.

He had just been through the anxiety of disclosing the truth to his mother, then the agitation of learning the child had gone missing, then the bewilderment at suddenly hearing the child was found, then the shock of hearing how the child had been located… And now, looking at Fengqing lying obediently in Shiyiniang’s arms, he felt that this brief half hour had been an upheaval of the world, leaving him both worried and relieved, not knowing what to say.

Shiyiniang, however, was more concerned about the Dowager Marchioness.

She smiled and invited Xu Lingyi to sit in the study: “…Let Zhaoying help get the bed sorted out.”

Xu Lingyi nodded.

Shiyiniang moved to hand Fengqing to Dongqing.

But Fengqing clung tightly to her neck and refused to let go.

Shiyiniang could only say gently: “I need to speak with the Marquis about something. You stay in the hall and play with Sister Dongqing.” She repeated this several times before Fengqing reluctantly loosened his grip.

Xu Lingyi watched, looking at Shiyiniang in surprise.

She seemed to have a remarkable way with children — Zhen Jie’er was like this, Zhun Ge was like this, and even this Fengqing, prickly as a hedgehog, was the same. In just a short half hour, his attitude toward Shiyiniang seemed to have transformed entirely.

He pondered this as he walked into the study.

Though Shiyiniang did not want to delay, she was even less willing to ruin the good relationship she had so painstakingly built with Fengqing. So rather than following immediately, she spent a while more comforting Fengqing, and only once she saw him gradually settle did she enter the inner room.

Zhaoying had already welcomed Xu Lingyi to the large kang by the window. Seeing Shiyiniang come in, she quietly and carefully brewed another cup of tea, then set down the half-tidied items and withdrew.

“Did you tell Mother?” Having engaged in that tussle with Fengqing, Shiyiniang had worked up a light sweat. A sip of hot tea was deeply soothing.

“I did.” Xu Lingyi took a sip of tea and gave a bitter smile. “At first she was completely stunned, and didn’t speak for a long while. I could see something was wrong, so I quickly went forward to help her breathe, and she grabbed my hand and kept asking, ‘Is it true? Is it true?’…” He sighed. “I didn’t know what to say.”

Shiyiniang could imagine the Dowager Marchioness’s disappointment. Like all mothers who spoil their children, even knowing they have been too indulgent, they always believe their own child is different from others — perhaps a little pampered, perhaps a little weak-willed, but surely not capable of doing anything truly outrageous. When something truly does happen, the clarity of it makes the pain all the more acute. They either choose not to believe it, or are forced to face reality.

“And then, what did she say?”

“What could she say.” Xu Lingyi let out a long sigh. “She blamed herself for being too indulgent with Fifth Brother.”

“You should comfort her as well.” What was done was done — regret served no purpose. The important thing was to use this as a lesson and correct the mistakes. Shiyiniang said thoughtfully, “As the saying goes, misfortune is where fortune hides, and fortune is where misfortune lurks. What Fifth Young Master did was certainly wrong, but it has also given him a lesson. The important thing is that he not repeat it.”

“That’s exactly what I think!” Xu Lingyi nodded. “Besides, I’ll be home from now on, so I’ll have time to keep an eye on him.”

Shiyiniang smiled and gave a nod of agreement.

Xu Lingyi thought of how skillfully she had held the child just now, and a flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes.

Shiyiniang noticed it clearly. She wondered inwardly — had the Dowager Marchioness said something to him? Had something changed about the situation with Fengqing? With Xu Lingyi’s temperament, it was only when he felt he had wronged her that such an expression would cross his face…

With that thought, she could not help pressing: “What is it?”

Xu Lingyi hesitated: “When you were at your family home, did you help look after your younger sisters?”

Shiyiniang was quite surprised.

Xu Lingyi was already smiling: “Oh — I just watched you holding that child, and you really had the knack for it!”

Shiyiniang smiled with closed lips.

In divorce cases, as long as there were no disputes over child custody or property, they were generally resolved quite easily. But once those issues arose — especially custody — things dragged on endlessly in every conceivable way. As a lawyer, she would sometimes privately ask the children for their opinions and relay them to the parties involved, doing her best to honor the children’s wishes. Over time, she had developed considerable experience in how to relate to children.

“I simply love children very much.”

That was the truth.

She thought every child was an angel.

There were no purer souls than theirs.

Perhaps precisely for that reason, she had never dared to enter marriage lightly — afraid she would not be able to raise a child well.

Xu Lingyi raised an eyebrow, the corners of his eyes and the lines of his brow softening into a faint smile.

Shiyiniang felt a wave of embarrassment.

That answer of hers was far too ambiguous…

She quickly changed the subject: “About Fengqing — what does Mother think?”

At the mention of Fengqing, the smile gradually faded from Xu Lingyi’s face: “Mother thinks it would be fine to let Xiangyi help raise him. As they say, you become like the company you keep. Xiangyi is honest and steady by nature, and if Fengqing grows up alongside him, he’ll surely become a reliable and upright person.”

Was this not what was expected of a concubine’s son?

Not to reach great heights — only to be honest and dutiful.

“Only, today is already past Little New Year, and this year’s snow has been heavy with few travelers on the roads. For one thing, rushing him back to the ancestral home at a time like this would draw people’s attention. For another, there’s no one suitable to escort him there right now… We’ll have to wait until after the Lantern Festival market opens on the eighth day of the first month.”

Once the market reopened, merchants from all over would begin traveling, the roads would be mixed with all manner of people, and it would be far less conspicuous.

“Not until the eighth day of the first month…” Shiyiniang calculated — that was still more than ten days away. “That’s quite a long time!”

During the New Year, the household would have many visitors, and there was no guarantee someone wouldn’t wander off course, or even slip in deliberately…

“That’s why I discussed it with Mother at length, and we’ve decided to send him to Second Sister-in-law’s place for the time being!”

“West Mountain!” Shiyiniang said in astonishment.

Xu Lingyi nodded, with a helpless expression: “It seems that for now, there’s no other way. We’ll use the excuse of sending things to West Mountain to bring the child along.”

That would be fine — it was no one else’s responsibility.

And Shiyiniang had a vague sense that Second Madam, for the sake of the Xu family, would certainly agree to take on this troublesome burden.

“It’s just a lot to ask of Second Sister-in-law,” she said. “We should speak to her properly.”

“Indeed!” said Xu Lingyi. “First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll send Steward Bai personally to West Mountain.” As he said this, he gazed steadily at Shiyiniang. “But there is one thing that may put you out a little, I’m afraid.”

Shiyiniang’s heart tightened at that.

But Xu Lingyi had already said as much as he had, and she had no choice but to take things one step at a time.

“There is nothing to be put out about — the Marquis need only give his instructions,” she said with a slight smile.

“The fewer people who know about Fengqing’s situation, the better. I’d like to have Dongqing accompany the child to West Mountain for a few days.”

—