Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Yunlai Inn.

Xie Qingli leaned against the window, looking at the sparkling lake outside, waiting for Uncle Ping to go out to inquire about the news.

Xie Qingli knew very little about Song Zhaoxing. They had been nominally father and daughter for more than ten years, but they were like strangers.

Song Zhaoxing returned to the village once every one or two months and would leave after two or three days. Although the He mother and son liked to hang around Song Zhaoxing, he was extremely cold to them, even with a hint of disdain.

Thinking back, Song Zhaoxing was fraught with suspicion. If he were an ordinary servant, he could easily offer a large sum of money to treat Song Tianbao. If he were a wealthy man, why would he leave his wife and children in a remote village like Lu'er Village instead of bringing them to the capital? Each time Song Zhaoxing returned, it felt more like a formality, a task he had to complete. What secrets lay hidden within him?

After a while, Zou Ping hurried back. When he saw Han Jue's mask, he was stunned, but returned to normal in an instant.

Zou Ping immediately revealed the information he had gathered: "Sir, there is only one Ji Bao Zhai in the city. It's not big, and it's located on Taiping Street, the most prosperous street in the city. Business is decent."

"There are four or five shop assistants and a shopkeeper in the shop. The shop assistants are all seventeen or eighteen years old. The shopkeeper's surname is Song, and he's in his early thirties. He matches the person you're looking for. I followed Shopkeeper Song and found that he went to a house in the south of the city."

"That house has three entrances and three exits, and it has a plaque that reads 'Song Mansion' hanging on it. It's quite luxurious, and it doesn't look like something a small shopkeeper could afford. I waited outside the Song Mansion for an hour, but he didn't come out again."

"I wanted to go into the mansion to investigate, but there are not only many maids and servants, but also more than a dozen guards. I was afraid of alerting the enemy, so I came back to report first."

Xie Qingli was stunned. She had guessed that Song Zhaoxing might have some money, but she hadn't expected him to be this wealthy. He must be hiding a lot of secrets! Xie Qingli's dark eyes gleamed with interest, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. She wondered if she would find anything during her night visit to the Song Mansion.

……

South of the city, Song Mansion.

The servants all knew that the master doted on his mistress, and every time he came back from outside, he would have to take a bath and wash up before seeing his mistress, and would never let his mistress be contaminated by any dust from the outside world.

But only Song Zhaoxing himself knew that after each bath, he felt that he was qualified to talk and eat with Xue'er, and qualified to possess Xue'er, as if bathing washed away the shame brought about by the gap in their status.

At this moment, Song Zhaoxing changed into a comfortable silk shirt after taking a bath. He looked extremely handsome. He was not bad looking, otherwise he would not have given birth to a daughter like Xie Qingyao.

Lin Xue was already waiting in the flower hall. When she saw Song Zhaoxing coming in, she quickly winked at the maid beside her. Soon, a group of maids came in one after another carrying various meals.

Lin Xue walked forward, took Song Zhaoxing's hand, and led him to sit down at the table. Song Zhaoxing stroked Lin Xue's delicate hand, feeling very comfortable in his heart. The longing he had for the whole day was finally soothed.

Lin Xue picked up her chopsticks and wanted to serve Song Zhaoxing the food, but Song Zhaoxing quickly stopped her and said, "Xue'er, your hands are for playing the zither, composing poetry, brewing tea, and playing chess. Let me do the rough work."

Song Zhaoxing picked up a piece of fish, carefully picked out the bones, and passed it to Lin Xue's lips. Lin Xue's face was full of shyness, her red lips slightly parted, and she ate the fish gracefully. Song Zhaoxing was not tired of this, and he poured another bowl of soup and fed it to Lin Xue spoonful by spoonful.

The master often served his mistress with such attentive care at meals, and the maids had long since grown accustomed to it. They would cover their mouths and giggle, secretly envying his wife. A master so handsome, wealthy, and so gentle and considerate, it was natural for some ambitious maids to covet him. However, several maids who offered themselves to him were betrayed by the master before they could even get close. From then on, the maids kept their petty thoughts to themselves, believing that the master favored only his mistress, and his tender affection belonged solely to her.

Song Zhaoxing waited until Lin Xue was full before picking up the bowl and finishing it in a few breaths.

He had once diligently studied the etiquette and manners of the upper class, but his humble origins had ingrained certain things into his bones, a mark of his status that could never be erased. From then on, he stopped trying to disguise it; a poor attempt at concealment would only make it look out of place. But he loved watching Lin Xue elegantly dine and leisurely sip tea; every movement was a painting, a delight to his eyes.

After dinner, the two moved to the side hall, where the maids prepared fragrant tea and snacks. After a moment's silence, Song Zhaoxing spoke carefully, "Xue'er, I need to go out tomorrow and will be back in three or four days. Xue'er, stay home and eat and sleep well until I come back."

Song Zhaoxing would go on a long journey every once in a while. In the past, Lin Xue would not ask too many questions, but would just obey obediently. Song Zhaoxing liked this obedience. But today, Lin Xue lowered her head and after a long while, she whispered, "Xue'er knows. Master, take care of yourself on your journey."

Song Zhaoxing could hear Lin Xue's voice choking with sobs, and he quickly lowered his head to look at her face, only to see that she was already in tears. He hurriedly took out his handkerchief to wipe away Lin Xue's tears, but the more he wiped, the more tears fell, like beads from a broken string. These tears seemed to drip onto Song Zhaoxing's heart, burning him painfully. He quickly soothed her softly, "Okay, Xue'er, don't cry. I won't leave. I'll stay home with you."

Lin Xue shed tears and said, "No, Master, go! Actually, Xue'er knows that Master goes to Luming County every once in a while to reunite with his wife and children." She paused and said, "Those are Master's legal wife and children. It's only right that Master should be with them every day. Xue'er is favored by Master, which is already a blessing from heaven. I would never dare to stop Master from reuniting with his wife."

Song Zhaoxing was shocked. He thought he had covered up the matter perfectly, but he didn't expect Xue'er to already know. He hurriedly explained, "Xue'er, don't be angry. I only have Xue'er in my heart, not that disgusting woman." He felt helpless: "If I don't go back for a long time, I'm afraid that woman will come looking for me. I'm afraid she will hurt Xue'er."

He looked at Lin Xue affectionately and said, "I've said before, as long as Xue'er wants the position of legal wife, I can divorce that woman at any time and marry her in style."

Lin Xue's tears welled up even more, and she trembled as she said, "Master, please don't mention this again. Master, you know Xue'er's identity is not good enough for her to marry you. Moreover, your first wife hasn't committed any of the seven grounds for divorce, so how can you divorce her?" She tried to say, "How about Master, please bring her to the capital. We sisters can serve you together, and you can see the child every time. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Upon hearing this, Song Zhaoxing slammed the table and said sternly, "No!" He felt sick when he thought of He's face. Besides, this mansion was his paradise, hiding the deepest secrets in his heart. How could he let that stupid woman He get involved?

Lin Xue clutched the handkerchief tightly in her hand, her brow furrowed. What secrets were He and the two children hiding? Why had Song Zhaoxing prevented her from seeing them? What was Song Zhaoxing's secret? However, Song Zhaoxing's expression of extreme disgust towards He filled her heart with a sense of joy...