Reborn as the Regent's Beloved

When the men reached the side room of Fuyin Courtyard, the revolving lantern began to spin, illuminating every corner of the room. When the dim light reached the bedside, they saw Xiao Qingyin eating.

Xiao Qingyin was weak all over, and Shen Shi fed her. When she was halfway through feeding her, she put the spoon in the bowl and looked back to see the tall and handsome Xiao Qishan and the drunken Xiao Qishan.

Upon hearing the news that Xiao Qingyin had woken up, Xiao Qishan also woke up and, supported by the Seventh Prince's servants, staggered from the corner pavilion to the Xiulou Pavilion in Fuyin Courtyard.

Although he was not fully awake yet, Xiao Qishan was still very happy to hear that his youngest daughter had woken up.

He pushed aside the Seventh Prince's two servants, staggered to the bedside, and before he could even stand properly, he said to Madam Shen, who was feeding him, and his daughter lying on the bed, "Qingyin, you're finally awake! That's wonderful. *hiccup*"

As Xiao Qishan spoke with a smile, he let out a burp, which made the two women on either side of the curtain cover their mouths, one stopping feeding him and the other stopping eating.

Madam Shen wiped Xiao Qingyin's mouth with a handkerchief, placed the rice bowl in her hand on the table, and helped Xiao Qishan, who was about to fall, up. "Master, how much wine did you drink?"

Xiao Qishan made the shape of a wine cup with his finger, his face crinkling with laughter. "Just a small cup, I only drank a small cup."

"Only a small cup?" Madam Shen looked suspiciously at the man who could barely stand, then looked helplessly at her daughter. "Believe it or not?"

Lying on the bed, Xiao Qingyin watched her father act like a rogue, and her mother shook her head helplessly, saying, "Mother, Father must be drunk. You should take him back to Jing'anzhai to rest. I can eat by myself."

"How can that be done?"

Shen's reproachful expression clearly showed that she didn't believe her frail daughter could lift a rice bowl.

To prove her strength, Xiao Qingyin picked up the rice bowl from the table.

As soon as she reached out, her wrist trembled, and the rice bowl, which wasn't too heavy to begin with, almost fell to the ground.

Xiao Qingyin didn't force it, and when she realized she couldn't lift the bowl, she put it back in its place.

"You just can't handle it!" Before Shen could speak, the drunken Xiao Qishan pointed out his daughter's boastful behavior.

He endured the smell of alcohol on her husband's breath and said to his daughter, "Qingyin, your father can see that you're weak all over, so don't try to be brave!"

Xiao Qingyin lowered her eyes gently, "I just woke up, that's why I feel weak all over, I'll be fine in a bit."

After she finished speaking, she raised her eyes and smiled charmingly, "Mother, I also have maids, Green Book, Thousand Book, and Ning Book, who can all feed me."

The mention of the name "Green Book," coupled with the sight of her daughter's obedient and docile demeanor, filled Madam Shen with a sense of grievance.

As the mother of the family, she couldn't protect her daughter, who was beaten by her mother-in-law. She also couldn't protect her daughter's maid, who was locked in the woodshed by her mother-in-law and hasn't been released to this day. What's even more terrifying is that her daughter is still kept in the dark.

Ms. Shen decided not to leave her daughter's side tonight.

As for... Shen glanced at the drunken Xiao Qishan and could only leave him to spend the night alone.

Madam Shen beckoned to the servants outside the window, signaling them to come in and help Xiao Qishan back into Jing'anzhai. Before leaving, she instructed them, "Take good care of the master, and be attentive."

As the servants helped the man away, they bowed to Madam Shen and said, "Madam, please rest assured, we will treat Master with utmost care."

Watching her father leave, Xiao Qingyin looked at her mother in confusion.

“Mother, why don’t you go back to Jing’an Zhai with Father? I can… have Green Book feed me. Alas, where is Green Book? I haven’t seen her since I woke up.”

Madam Shen pursed her lips, finding it difficult to speak. "Qingyin, there's something I haven't told you yet. Lushu... has been locked in the woodshed by the old lady."

"Green Book... was locked in the woodshed by Grandmother, why?" Xiao Qingyin repeated Shen's words in shock and grievance after hearing this.

Madam Shen gave a brief explanation, but she embellished it, and anyone who heard it would blame the old lady.

"When Lüshu went to the kitchen to brew medicine, she ran into Xuanhua, a maidservant of Xiao Fengyi. The two got into an argument. The old lady's nanny happened to pass by and saw Lüshu and Xuanhua arguing. After the argument, she locked Lüshu alone in the woodshed and let Xuanhua go. Don't you think that's biased?"

Xiao Qingyin gripped her wrist, saying resentfully, "I don't know why, but Grandmother has always favored my sister and doesn't like me at all. Since she doesn't like me, the maids and nannies under her command don't like me either. And since she doesn't like me, she naturally has complaints about my maids as well."

These aggrieved words, spoken by Xiao Qingyin, carried an even more pitiful tone, causing the man standing under the eaves gazing up at the vast starry sky to feel a pang of heartache.

Xiao Fengyi, it's her again. Not content with bullying him, she also has to bully her own sister. She really is an arrogant woman.

Shen angrily chimed in, "Your grandmother just doesn't like you, that's why she beat you so badly."

Upon hearing the word "injured," Xiao Qingyin felt the pain return. "Mother, please stop talking. I'm finally feeling a little better."

"Okay, I won't say any more."

Not wanting her daughter to feel bad, Ms. Shen stopped talking about her injury.

As Xiao Qingyin was speaking, she inadvertently noticed the man who had been standing in the corridor glancing at her.

So the Seventh Prince hadn't left after all, which made her secretly pleased.

Shen did not pay attention to her youngest daughter's behavior. Instead, she sat back down on the round stool with a waist, picked up the unfinished rice bowl and chopsticks on the table, and continued to feed the uneaten food into her daughter's mouth.

Even if Xiao Qingyin had no appetite, she had no choice but to eat a few bites when the food was fed to her.

The moment she saw the Seventh Prince, she felt she couldn't breathe, lost her appetite, and only wanted him to come into the room and say a few intimate words to her.

"Qingyin...open your mouth..."

But with her mother right in front of her, she had no choice but to open her mouth and say, "Ah..." to eat.

After eating a few bites, when she saw that the food in her bowl was almost gone, she said to Madam Shen, "Mother, I'm full. You can go back to Jing'anzhai to take care of Father."

She actually wanted Madam Shen to leave quickly so that the Seventh Prince could come into the room and talk to her.

Madam Shen refused to leave, explaining, "Qingyin, I must watch over you. What if your grandmother comes to Fuyin Courtyard in the middle of the night to beat you? As your mother, I must watch over you."

Upon hearing this reason, Xiao Qingyin stammered, "Grandmother has already hit me, so there shouldn't be any reason for her to hit me again. Mother, you should go back and rest."

She continued to persuade her, but Shen clearly still did not want to agree.

"Qingyin, I..."

Just as Madam Shen was about to speak, the servant who had escorted Xiao Qishan back returned.