walked in with light steps, a smile on her lips. When she saw Meng Jin Yao, she quickened her pace.Meng Jinyao saw her face full of joy and asked softly, "Ningdong, what's so happy"Ning Dong came befo...It is late at night, and the courtyard is quiet.

Most of the lights in the courtyard had been turned off, leaving only a few for illumination.

However, tonight is a full moon night, the moonlight is bright, even without lighting, people can be seen clearly.

The bright moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the room. It was bright enough that there was no need to light a lamp; one could move around the room with ease without bumping into things.

Meng Jin Yao was lying quietly with her back to Gu Jing Xi. A pleasant feeling surged within her, making her mind a little excited. She lay there for a while but couldn't fall asleep.

She used to guess that Gu Jingxi was interested in her based on his behavior. She liked him too, and they got along very well. But she occasionally felt a little vague and unsteady. Now that the veil has been pierced, her heart finally feels grounded.

When feelings are laid bare, it seems like everything one does comes with a newfound confidence. Before tonight, even if she wanted to act cute with her sweetheart, she lacked the confidence and even felt she didn't deserve it.

She wasn't asleep, and Gu Jingxi wasn't either. Looking at the slender figure facing away from him, he knew the little girl wasn't asleep; she must be thinking about something, so he didn't disturb her.

Moments later, Gu Jingxi saw that the little girl's body, which had been motionless, moved. She turned her body over, her eyes were still closed, but her eyelids twitched, clearly pretending to be asleep.

He felt confused, since he wasn't asleep, why was he keeping his eyes closed

After a moment, he saw the little girl turn around again, as if she was walking towards him.

Just in this instant, Gu Jingxi understood one thing. He knew why the little girl would unconsciously roll into his arms recently. Sometimes he was almost asleep, and suddenly a delicate girl rolled into his arms, making him instantly lose all sleepiness.

He hadn't noticed before, thinking the little girl was just restless in her sleep. Now he understood, she wanted him to hold her.

Gu Jingxi looked at the little girl who had turned over again, and the softest part of his heart was touched. He softened completely, so he simply reached out and hugged the little girl who was about to roll into his arms, chuckled softly, and teased: "Was Madam intentional before"

Meng Jinyáo was pulled into his arms, she was stunned for a moment, and the next moment she heard a voice in her ear. In an instant, she didn't even bother to pretend to be asleep. She suddenly opened her eyes, looked up at him, and met his gentle and smiling eyes. She stammered, "What are you trying to do"

Gu Jingxi softly said, "Intentionally rolling into your husband's arms"

As soon as these words left his lips, Meng Jinyang’s eyes widened in astonishment. She stared at Gu Jingxi with a look of disbelief, her cheeks flushing visibly red. Her heart pounded rapidly before she quickly lowered her gaze, too embarrassed to meet Gu Jingxi’s eyes.

She first pretended to be nonchalant and rolled into Gu Jingxi's arms, just to test the waters. Her subsequent actions were mixed with her own unconfessable thoughts. She enjoyed being in contact with him, but now that she had been seen through by him, she felt extremely embarrassed.

She murmured, "My husband, please don't talk nonsense. Just now it was clearly you who wanted to hug me."

Gu Jingxi heard that she didn't mention a word about before, and knowing that girls have thin skin, he didn't dwell on it any further. He smiled and said: "Well, it was my husband who took the initiative to hug. I'm used to hugging, and I can't sleep without hugging."

Meng Jin yao's lips moved, she chose to feign ignorance and remain silent. However, her mind was buzzing with questions. On their way home, he claimed not to know how to interact with girls. But now, he seemed quite at ease. Even his attitude towards her felt more intimate. And these words, never uttered by Gu Jing Xi before tonight, flowed effortlessly from him now. Could that sachet she had given him have such a powerful effect

She snuggled into Gu Jingxi's embrace, her mind racing with thoughts. After a long while, drowsiness crept in, and she unknowingly fell asleep.

Gu Jingxi heard the even breathing beside him. He lowered his head and saw the little girl had already fallen asleep, her sleeping face serene. She slept soundly in his arms. He smiled softly; Heaven must have pitied him, that's why he got a girl who didn't mind his body.

This is a test.

The following day morning.

When Gu Jingxi woke up, the person in his arms was still sleeping soundly. Their hand was still wrapped around his waist, and one leg was stretched between his legs, clinging to him like an octopus.

He smiled helplessly, gently separating the person in his arms from himself, then tucked the blanket around her. He turned and got out of bed, dressed neatly, and was about to go to the washroom when he caught sight of a sachet on the table. It was the one the little girl had given him last night.

If he didn't wear the sachet given by the little girl, wouldn't that be disregarding her kindness

He thought about it for a moment, but still hung the sachet at his waist. He didn't even consider how out of place the light blue sachet with embroidered mandarin duck patterns, symbolizing love between children, looked against his crimson official robes which radiated an air of authority.

When Qingqiu and Ning Dong served him breakfast, they noticed the sachet at his waist as he finished his meal and was about to leave. The color of the sachet differed greatly from that of his official robes, making it immediately obvious.

Both were taken aback. They recognized the sachet; it was made by Madam. Even if Madam hadn't said anything, they knew it must have been made for the Marquis. They didn't expect him to wear it right away. It was probably a gift from Madam yesterday.

After Gu Jingxi left, Ning Dong's face lit up with joy. She whispered, "Qingqiu, did you see The sachet given by Madam, the Marquis has put it on. If it were a pattern of embroidered birds or flowers, it wouldn't be a big deal. But to embroider mandarin ducks and wear it out in public, anyone could tell what it means. Yet the Marquis wears it with him, which shows how much he cares for Madam. It's so good, the Marquis and Madam have such a loving relationship. With the Marquis taking care of her, Madam will definitely live happily ever after. After suffering for so many years, she finally has found happiness."

Ning Dong said, her eyes welling up with tears. A woman's happiness before marriage relies on her parents, and after marriage, it depends on her husband. Because in a deep courtyard, there is no one to protect her, she has to fight hard for her own path, which is extremely difficult, unless she has good luck and encounters an opportunity that can change her destiny.

Like their mistress, they were also intelligent people. However, during their years at the Yongchang Marquis's residence, life was a struggle. Just surviving was difficult; living well was like reaching for the sky. Elders could find any excuse to punish them, leaving the mistress with nowhere to reason. They could only be careful and live a meager existence.

Qīngqiū gave her a glance: "Níngdōng, this is a good thing, don't cry.

Nig Dong squeezed out a smile and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, good thing, should smile."

At that moment, a bell tinkled from the inner room. They were startled and then exclaimed in unison: "The mistress has woken up."

They quickly entered the inner room and saw that their mistress had indeed woken up, sitting up in bed. They hurried to bow respectfully and then went forward to help their mistress dress. They also called Chunliu and Xiabai in to fetch water to attend to their mistress's washing.personality. If it were Xuan Ling, as long as the second sister-in-law said no, she definitely wouldn't dare to associate with men privately."Meng Jin Yao was slightly taken aback, then immediately no...