I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 75 The Crown Prince catches his wife bathing

Qin Jiuwei received a summons from the old lady. Although she didn't know why, she still came to Yi'an Courtyard with her maid.

She straightened her skirt and walked steadily into the center.

"Jiuwei," the old lady beckoned, "come and sit down next to me."

Qin Jiuwei stepped forward as instructed, "Grandmother, did you call your granddaughter-in-law here because of something urgent?"

The old lady gently patted Qin Jiuwei's hand, "It's nothing important, but as you know, the Marquis's family is very large and powerful, and Yanli will inherit the title in the future."

She sighed softly, "Those three children are good, but they are ultimately not Yanli's children..."

Qin Jiuwei had a bad feeling. Sure enough, the next second the old lady spoke up: "So I was thinking of adding another person to Yanli's room."

"You know this person too. She is Miss Qiu who came to our mansion the other day. You must have gotten to know her character these past two days. She is very easy to get along with."

The old lady looked up at her and asked, "What do you think?"

"This is not something Jiuwei can decide on her own," Qin Jiuwei said with a smile.

She looked up at the old lady, her expression gentle and virtuous, "As long as my husband agrees, Jiuwei will naturally have no objections."

Qin Jiuwei naturally didn't want new people to join Qinglan Academy, as it would cause a lot of trouble.

But she also knew that it was common for men to have multiple wives and concubines, so she couldn't directly refuse the old lady.

It would be better to pass the matter on to Xie Yanli and let him handle it.

Because she knew that Xie Yanli would definitely not agree.

The old lady nodded with great satisfaction upon hearing this, "Alright, when Yanli returns to the manor tonight, I will call him over and ask him about it."

She had always known that Qin Jiuwei was gentle and virtuous, but she never expected that she would not be displeased at all upon hearing this.

"Zhang Mama," the old lady instructed, "go and bring me that box of pearls from my table."

"Yes." Granny Zhang nodded and quickly brought out the pearl and handed it to the old lady.

The old lady took Qin Jiuwei's hand, placed the box in her hand, and said gently, "Good child, I'm sorry you had to go through this. You can keep this pearl; it's excellent for making headdresses and jewelry."

Qin Jiuwei did not refuse again and accepted it directly, saying, "Thank you, Grandmother."

Lady Hou frowned deeply; she had originally come to see Qin Jiuxiao and chat.

I wanted to see her face turn extremely ugly when she heard about taking a concubine.

I never expected her to pass by so easily! And she even received a reward from the old lady!

The old lady's maternal family was originally a Duke's mansion, and the dowry she received was of the highest quality, which she rarely gave away.

But Qin Jiuwei had only been in the manor for a short time, yet she had already received two rewards from the old lady!

Lady Hou gripped her handkerchief tightly, gritting her teeth in anger.

Qin Jiuwei naturally noticed the unfriendly look in the Lady Hou's eyes.

She never expected that Qiu Yueli would be willing to become a concubine.

It seems she was helpless against Xie Yanli, yet she simply couldn't let him go.

Qin Jiuwei couldn't help but sigh softly; the men in her family were just too eye-catching.

First, a princess used aphrodisiacs, and now a talented woman is willing to become her concubine.

Being the legal wife is really tough for her; she's like a sitting duck.

However, she was not afraid of anything, even if it meant facing whatever came her way.

The Imperial Palace, Qingwu Palace.

Qin Le'an sat pale-faced on the couch, his eyes filled with exhaustion and pain.

Her right hand, which was hanging on the chair, trembled slightly. Her once fair knuckles were now red and swollen, all because she had been forced by Consort Xian to copy scriptures for days.

The maid Donglian carefully brought over a basin of hot water, then gently lifted one of Qin Le'an's hands and slowly applied a hot towel to it.

"My lady, please bear with it for a moment. This hot compress will make you feel better," Donglian said softly.

Qin Le'an bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes burning with anger and resentment, and she cursed sharply.

"That Consort Xian is simply a ruthless and vicious woman! She confines me to a side hall every day to copy scriptures; my hands are almost broken from the pain! You vile woman! You vile woman! You'll die a horrible death sooner or later!"

Qin Le'an cursed loudly, his hands clenching unconsciously, but he gasped in pain.

Donglian immediately said, "Please don't be angry, my lady. Your hand is still injured."

She reapplied the hot towel to Qin Le'an's right hand.

"Fortunately, tomorrow is the beginning of autumn, and the eldest princess will hold an autumn banquet in the imperial garden. All the concubines and relatives of officials of the third rank and above will attend. You can take a break and don't have to copy scriptures anymore."

A cold glint flashed in Qin Le'an's eyes. Did that mean Qin Jiuwei would also be entering the palace tomorrow?

A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips. No matter how miserable her life was in the palace, she was still a concubine, and ultimately a grade higher than Qin Jiuwei!

Just wait and see how she deals with Qin Jiuwei tomorrow!

The Marquis's Residence, Qinglan Courtyard.

"Young Madam, the clothes and headdress for tomorrow's autumn banquet have been prepared," the maid said respectfully.

Qin Jiuwei nodded slightly. "Is the hot water ready?"

Xiaohe said gently, "It's all ready. We've also prepared fresh rose juice to make you smell wonderful after your bath, so you can amaze everyone tomorrow."

Although the young master is already married, there are still quite a few women outside who are fond of him.

Tomorrow I must let them see the beauty of her young lady, so that they will back down!

Qin Jiu chuckled softly, then reached out and tapped Xiao He's forehead with a helpless smile, saying, "You..."

At the same time, Xie Yanli also returned to his residence by carriage.

He had just stepped into the mansion and hadn't even had a chance to go back to his room to rest when a servant told him that the old lady had invited him.

Although he had some doubts, he still followed the attendant to Yi'an Courtyard.

Upon entering the room, one sees the old lady sitting upright in the main seat.

Xie Yanli stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Greetings to Grandmother."

"Yanli," the old lady said with a loving expression, raising her eyes slightly. "You have always been the most sensible child in the family, and your grandmother is very at ease with you. However, you should also put more effort into having children."

"Although you are already married, you have no concubines or maids in your household, so you are still too few people around you. Therefore, I am thinking of taking you another concubine."

Xie Yanli's face immediately turned cold. "Grandmother, I have no intention of taking a concubine."

The old lady frowned. "You're already married, so what's wrong with taking a concubine? Besides, Jiuwei has already agreed to let you take a concubine."

"You mean, Qin Jiuwei agreed to let me take a concubine?" Xie Yanli's dark eyes suddenly widened, as cold as a bottomless abyss.

The old lady was startled by his gaze, and pursed her lips, forcing herself to say, "Yes, she agreed."

Qin Jiuwei said that as long as Yanli agreed, she would have no objection.

It wouldn't be wrong to say that she agreed.

Upon hearing this, Xie Yanli's anger flared up instantly.

He said in a cold, hard voice, "Grandmother, I will not take a concubine."

After saying that, he ignored the old lady's reaction and strode straight toward Qinglan Courtyard.

Qinglan Courtyard.

Xie Yanli was as cold as ice, emanating a chill from his entire body, and walked straight toward the main house.

The room was filled with steam and moisture, and the huge bathtub was filled with fragrant rose petals.

Qin Jiuwei sat in the bathtub, the warm water and flower petals surrounding her skin, which was as smooth as mutton fat jade.

The maidservant stood by, carefully scooping up water with a wooden ladle and gently pouring it onto her shoulders and back.

Warm water flowed slowly down her curves and dripped into the bathtub.

At this moment, Xie Yanli was furious. He pushed open the door of the main house and a wave of heat mixed with the rich fragrance of roses rushed out.

Qin Jiuwei heard the door open and assumed it was Xiao He returning.

She stood up from the bathtub and turned to look at the person who had come in, but unexpectedly, she met Xie Yanli's cold and dark eyes.