Arc 2: Part 8
During the Early Winter in Da Liang Dynasty.
In the capital city, at Marquis Xiao's residence.
As Xiao Lingchen stayed up all night to finish reading the newly delivered official documents, the night sky began to fade outside the window while a cold draft filled the air. The eastern sky turned to a fish-belly white.
"Morning has come."
He slightly furrowed his brows, closed his eyes, and massaged his temples. Even his handsome appearance showed a rare sign of exhaustion.
Xiao Lingchen hadn't eaten anything in a day and a half.
Nevertheless, he was not hungry, as he had always been a picky eater. With his eyes closed, he casually instructed, "I will rest today and not attend court. I need to rest for a while; wake me up in an hour."
His trusted subordinate, Little Thirteen, agreed, but still looked worriedly at Xiao Lingchen's tired face.
The lord was too demanding of himself!
Having stayed up all night, he only allowed himself to rest for an hour, but could his body withstand it?
Little Thirteen quickly tidied up the documents on the table and tentatively suggested, "My lord, shall I send someone to inform Eldest Miss and have her prepare something for you to eat?"
Xiao Lingchen didn't comment, but Little Thirteen, afraid that he might change his mind, quickly left the main house to send someone to inform Eldest Miss Xiao Qingwan.
A few days ago, the second daughter Xiao Bai Zhu made a significant mistake and was sent to the country by him. Who would have thought that Xiao Qingwan would be upset?
She complained about having no one to assist her, making it hard for her to cook. However, she continually procrastinated and refused to help prepare meals. Although the lord didn't seem to mind, Little Thirteen was incredibly annoyed.
If spoken kindly, she could be referred to as a sister-in-law, but in harsh terms, she was a stranger without blood ties. What right did she have to act so freely in the Marquis's house?
Especially the always restless Xiao Qingwan, Little Thirteen found her particularly distasteful. If not for the lord's ability to only eat dishes prepared by her, Little Thirteen wouldn't have even wanted to show her a good face.
Though Danzhu Court, where Xiao Qingwan resided, wasn't close to the study, the person Little Thirteen had sent arrived quickly, due to his hurried steps. Upon arriving, he had the maids call out for Xiao Qingwan.
"Who could possibly be waking me early in the morning?"
Xiao Qingwan was interrupted from her sleep, her face gloomy. However, upon hearing her maid's frightened report about Little Thirteen's messenger, most of her sleepiness disappeared.
She hurriedly got up, changed her clothes, and left her room. Little Thirteen had already left by then, and, cursing under her breath about having her sweet dream disturbed, Xiao Qingwan kicked at Xiao Bai Zhu's door out of irritation.
"Bai Zhu, are you up yet? It's this late, how are you still asleep? Hurry up and get up, your sister wants to eat the snacks you make. Please help me make something delicious."
In order to prevent any information leak, Xiao Qingwan kept the true identity of the person eating the meals a secret, always deceiving Xiao Bai Zhu by saying that the food was for herself.
There was no response from inside the room. Annoyed, Xiao Qingwan kicked open the door and entered, her face cold as she shouted, "Didn't you hear me talking?"
Pulling open the curtains beside the bed, she found no one there. Puzzled, she turned and searched the room, only to see someone casually walking out of the partition.
"Eldest sister, I came back from the countryside late last night and have not had a good rest. I'm not in the mood to cook."
The young girl had been awake for quite a while, her face lovely and fair in the morning light, and she lazily combed her hair as she walked over. Her simple white innerwear made her look even more slender and fragile.
Xiao Qingwan hesitated for a moment, then her face darkened. After closing the door and making sure there were no other people in the room, she stepped forward, staring at Xiao Bai Zhu who was still combing her hair, and scolded harshly.
"Bai Zhu, you are disobeying me again! You just promised me that you would listen to your sister obediently, yet it turns out that was all just empty talk, you never took it seriously?!"
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