Chapter 26: The Maid Wants to Rise in Status

Because he had spent many years in the military, the Marquis of Chengming had always eaten in a simple and rough manner. He wasn’t picky—he ate whatever was given to him.

He and his son were complete opposites.

After wolfing down half a bowl of noodles, the Marquis of Chengming belatedly realized that his tongue felt unusually salty. He pressed his lips together and noticed an undissolved lump of salt at the corner of his mouth. He couldn’t help but frown and grumble,
“Chef Shen, your cooking seems to have declined recently.”

Upon hearing the marquis’s critique of the noodles, Chef Shen carefully replied,
“Marquis, actually… these noodles were made by the Young Heir.”

The marquis was still savoring the aftertaste of the noodles when he suddenly shivered.

“Who? Who made them?!”

“The Young Heir,” Chef Shen repeated.

When he realized that the noodles he had just eaten were made by his own son, the Marquis of Chengming’s first reaction wasn’t joy—it was fear.

No one knew their son better than a father.

Every time he said something that displeased that precious boy, he would end up with a mysterious stomachache, or he’d trip while walking. At this point, the marquis didn’t dare provoke Xie Yixing even a little, afraid he might embarrass himself in public again.

So he quickly racked his brain: had he offended that little ancestor recently? After confirming that everything seemed safe, he suddenly grabbed Chef Shen’s arms tightly and yanked him forward.
“There’s no poison in that bowl, right?!”

Only then did Chef Shen realize what the marquis was worried about. He gave a knowing smile and reassured him,
“No poison, no poison, Marquis, don’t worry. That bowl of longevity noodles was actually made by the Young Heir for Miss Yaoyao—it’s her birthday today.”

Yaoyao’s birthday?

The Marquis of Chengming suddenly felt like he was living in a different courtyard from everyone else.

Even Chef Shen knew—and yet he was the last to find out.

He had just eaten Yaoyao’s leftover noodles.

For some reason, his nose tingled, and he suddenly felt a wave of sadness. Just as he was about to walk away with his hands behind his back, a familiar voice called from a short distance away:

“Marquis? Why are you here?”

It was Wei-shi.

The Marquis of Chengming was feeling wronged but didn’t want to show it. He let out a cold snort and said,
“There’s no food prepared in the front courtyard.”

Wei-shi slapped her forehead in sudden realization—she had been so focused on organizing Yaoyao’s birthday that she had completely forgotten to arrange dinner for the front courtyard.

“Marquis, that’s my fault. But you have money in your pouch, don’t you? Why don’t you go out and get something to eat?”

The Marquis had originally wanted to throw a little tantrum so his wife would coax him to stay.

But instead of picking up on his hint, she told him to go out and eat!

Infuriated, the Marquis of Chengming stormed off. Zhao Momo (the senior maid) watched him leave and expressed concern:

“Madam, it’s clear the marquis wanted to stay. Why did you tell him to leave?”

Wei-shi sighed in frustration,
“You know how stubborn those two are. The father and son are both as mule-headed as they come—especially Xing’er. He doesn’t even treat the marquis like a father. How many times has the marquis stumbled trying to connect with him?”

“Today is Yaoyao’s birthday. Making the little girl happy is what matters most. Where are the pastries I asked you to prepare?”

Zhao Momo nodded and lifted a food box.
“I had everything arranged early this morning. There’s a girl named Xinghua in our courtyard who makes the best pastries. She knows Miss Yaoyao likes sweets, so I had her add two extra spoonfuls of sugar.”

Wei-shi smiled gently.
“Yaoyao’s still young and doesn’t know how to control herself when it comes to food. We’ll let it go this time, but next time, don’t add so much sugar. Too much will ruin her teeth.”

Zhao Momo took the advice to heart and answered obediently, “Yes, Madam.”

Although Wei-shi had told the marquis to find his own dinner, the truth was that he had no appetite. Maybe it was because of that half bowl of noodles, or maybe he was just too angry. Either way, he threw himself onto the bed in the front courtyard, deciding to go on a hunger strike in protest.

But not long after he lay down, the door to his room was pushed open.

A young maid in a light green dress walked in, carrying a steaming bowl of noodle soup.

At first, the Marquis didn’t clearly see who it was. He thought Wei-shi had cooked the noodles herself to apologize. But as he sat up and saw the maid was Xinghua from Wei-shi’s courtyard, his expression instantly darkened.
“Did your mistress send you?”

The Marquis was bitter. He felt that Wei-shi had grown too indifferent toward him. In the past, she only had eyes for their son. Now, she was completely focused on Yaoyao too, and he no longer had any place in her heart.

At the very least, she used to come and apologize in person. Now she was just sending a maid to brush him off?

But Xinghua shook her head.
“No, Madam didn’t send me. I came of my own accord.”

“You came on your own?” The marquis, being a straightforward man, didn’t immediately catch her meaning.
“Why?”

Xinghua smiled sweetly.
“Marquis, you know why. I came because I care about you.”

“You… care about me?”

The marquis furrowed his brow. Since when did he need a maid’s sympathy?

Xinghua nodded demurely.
“I feel bad seeing you work so hard for this family, and yet you couldn’t even get a hot meal. So I made some noodles for you. I also make excellent pastries—would you like to try one?”

Before the marquis could respond, Xinghua boldly began untying her belt.

When he turned his head and saw what she was doing, he was so startled he slapped the table with a loud bang. The sudden noise made Xinghua’s shoulders flinch.

“Marquis, are you that excited?” she teased coyly.

Only then did the Marquis realize what she was implying.

So she was seducing him!

Over the years, he had spent little time in the residence and seldom interacted with the maids in the inner courtyard.

His relationship with Wei-shi had been stable. He had never felt the need for concubines and had never entertained the idea of taking a maid as one. So he always kept a respectful distance from the servants.

But this wasn’t the first time he’d been seduced.

Shortly after marrying Wei-shi, a maid had tried to sneak into his bed. She was caught red-handed by Zhao Momo. He’d threatened to beat her to death as a warning to others, but Wei-shi had a kind heart and simply had the girl sent to the country estate.

Since then, no one had dared try again.

Especially after Xie Yixing was born, everyone in the household focused on staying far away from that intimidating son of his. No one even thought about getting close to the marquis.

Xinghua was the first in years—and she looked at him like a starving wolf eyeing a piece of meat.

Terrified, the marquis took two big steps back and growled,
“Get out.”

But Xinghua, as if possessed, refused to leave. She became even bolder, leaning closer to him.
“Marquis, there’s only one child in this household—the Young Heir. It’s too lonely. Let me give you another child.”

“I don’t need that.”

Though he did feel some regret about not having more children—most of his peers had children filling their homes—he wasn’t the kind of man to be so casual, and he would never let his wife’s maid bear him a child.

Seeing that Xinghua wouldn’t give up, the Marquis of Chengming picked up the teapot on the table and dumped its contents on her.

But just as the hot tea splashed, the door was flung open.

Zhao Momo supported Wei-shi as they stepped over the threshold—only to see the chaos inside the room.

The Marquis was cornered against the wall by Xinghua, looking utterly alarmed and, oddly enough, a bit guilty.

Xinghua’s clothes were disheveled.

Wei-shi gasped and clutched her chest, staggering backward in shock. If not for Zhao Momo’s firm grip, she would have collapsed.

Before the marquis could explain himself, Xinghua suddenly dropped to her knees before Wei-shi and kowtowed loudly.
“Madam, please grant me and the Marquis your blessing! All these years, you’ve monopolized him and only given him one child—the Young Heir. The Marquis’s rear courtyard is far too quiet. Let me bear him another child!”

“What nonsense are you spouting?!” the Marquis roared, now completely panicked that his reputation might be ruined.

The room descended into chaos.

Just then, Yaoyao peeked out her little head from behind Zhao Momo.

She blinked at Xinghua kneeling on the floor, then turned her head and looked at Xie Yixing, who stood frozen outside the courtyard, refusing to come in.

Her small brows furrowed deeply.