Chapter 193 - Musk

There was still an ambiguous atmosphere in the room after lovemaking. The lamp’s faint yellow glow shone on the two people lying cuddling with each other. The glow made Shen Ziqiao’s skin appear even more smooth and fair. Her slender neck had obvious hickeys like blooming flowers. Qi Zheng’s rough fingers made circles on her flat tummy.

Shen Ziqiao trembled because of his movement. “Take your hand away!”

“Jiao Jiao, I want a daughter.” Qi Zheng bit her earlobes and said in a hoarse voice.

“Why are you suddenly saying this?” Shen Ziqiao froze before glaring at him with a red face. He had been so intense early because...he wanted a daughter?

Qi Zheng laughed softly, his palm making its way up her skin as he held her globes. “I want a daughter that looks like you. I’ll pamper her to the point she won’t be scared to do anything.”

His daughter must get to live unrestrained and free of worry. She should be happy like Jiao Jiao. He wouldn’t be like his father and betray his wife, and then abandon his children. He didn’t hate Qi Bi but seeing her stubbornness to live a better life, he lamented with feelings.

Therefore, his daughter must grow up to his pampering.

Shen Ziqiao felt her body warming up with the teasing of his fingers. Her clit still hurt a bit. However, her body and brain didn’t react at the same time. As he gently rubbed and kissed her, she felt her clit becoming wet again. She seemed to be eager for him to enter her.

“You’ve done it twice already…” Shen Ziqiao’s voice was faint. He captured her lips head and the intense kiss made her lose the last of her reason.

He entered her body violently and he entered her deeply each time. Shen Ziqiao hugged him tightly as if she’d drown in this ball of desire if she didn’t.

“Slow...down…” She begged, feeling as if he was going to break her.

Qi Zheng panted. Her wetness enveloped his swollen erection. He couldn’t stop or slow down. It seemed as if he couldn’t have enough of her. He wanted to merge her into him.

His hand was in between the two’s private parts. Shen Ziqiao cried out loud.

He had become one with her. He was inside her and she enveloped him.

“Jiao Jiao...Jiao Jiao…” He kissed her face and then lifted her legs high up, thrusting even harder.

Shen Ziqiao couldn’t form any words now. He felt like his length had grown inside her.

“Qi Zheng!” Shen Ziqiao bit on his shoulders and he was unable to control himself anymore. She just wanted to hug him.

He felt her squeezing him and he almost released.

He pulled the blanket over to cushion her waist, revealing her even more in front of him.

Shen Ziqiao felt limp like a puddle of water. After Qi Zheng released, she didn’t even have the energy to lift a single finger anymore.

After Qi Zheng had enough of her, he glanced at Shen Ziqiao tenderly as she fell into deep slumber. He personally went to wet a towel and helped her wipe her body. By the time the two cleaned up and went to sleep, it was nearly morning.

Shen Ziqiao slept until the afternoon. By the time she woke up, Qi Zheng wasn’t by her side anymore.

Hong Yu carried a bowl of water in to help Shen Ziqiao freshen up. She could still feel the ambiguous atmosphere in the room. Shen Ziqiao had Hong Ying open the window with a red face.

He really...now everyone knew why she woke up late.

“Where’s the eldest master?” Shen Ziqiao suppressed her bashfulness and pretended to ask her maid naturally.

Hong Yu replied, “The eldest master went to the palace early in the morning. He ordered us maids to not disturb you.”

Shen Ziqiao was speechless. “Prepare some edible bird’s nest and fish maw. I’m going to visit Qin’er.”

“First Madam, this...Concubine Qin had just bled a bit. How about we go visit her another day?” When Mo Zhu heard that Shen Ziqiao wanted to visit Gu Daiqin, she couldn’t help but overstep her boundaries and advise.

“It’s because of that that I need to visit her.” Shen Ziqiao said. Gu Daiqin was the cutest and most innocent in the entire family. Shen Ziqiao liked her a lot.

Mo Zhu and Hong Yu exchanged gazes. “First Madam, Concubine Qin is the madam’s niece.”

“What does that mean?” Of course she knew that Gu Daiqin was Xiao Gu’s niece but what did this have to do with her visiting her?

Within the blink of an eye, Shen Ziqiao knew what Mo Zhu was talking about.

“What caused Qin’er’s bleeding?” Shen Ziqiao wore a serious expression. Gu Daiqin had been living in the Old Madam’s place. Her people watched over the food Qin’er ate. Xiao Gu managed the household as of current. If she wanted to protect Gu Daiqin, others would have no opportunity nor would they have the courage to.

Unless it was Xiao Gu, herself!

“She was okay but then after coming back from a walk in the garden, she suddenly had a tummy ache. I heard that maid say that Concubine Qin seemed to have encountered the second master and then he bought her a bag of pickled plum.” Mo Zhu said.

Qi Feng? Shen Ziqiao was a bit shocked. She recalled the time where Old Madam encountered Qi Feng and Gu Daiqin. Although Qi Feng disliked how she was a fool, he wasn’t truly disgusted with her. It seemed more like he was purposely doing this for Xiao Gu to see.

Shen Ziqiao didn’t believe that he would hurt Gu Daiqin and his child.

“After Concubine Qin had bled, what did the madam say?” Shen Ziqiao asked.

Mo Zhu said, “She blamed Concubine Qin for walking around and then she punished the maids by her side. Even Nanny Gu was almost kicked. Old Madam ended up getting involved for Nanny Gu to stay.”

Shen Ziqiao laughed after saying that. “Let’s go visit Qin’er.”

“First Madam!” Mo Zhu hurried over. She said all of this so that the First Madam could stay away from Concubine Qin. After all, the madam was still watching over them. Even more, they should stay away from Concubine Qin in order to avoid suspicion.

“Don’t worry.” Shen Ziqiao said. If Xiao Gu was smart, she wouldn’t do anything.

Gu Daiqin lived in Old Madam’s west room. Shen Ziqiao went to pay respects to the Old Madam before going to Gu Daiqin.

Because she had bled a bit, she had been drinking tocolytics drugs so there was a strong and bitter medicinal scent in the room. The windows were shut tightly and there was no wind at all.

“How can you close all the windows? How is there going to be fresh air? Quickly open a window.” Shen Ziqiao furrowed her brows as she entered the room. There was a bowl of charcoal burning inside the room and the door was closed. Even a healthy person would end up feeling sick.

Nanny Gu hurriedly said, “If she gets a cold…”

“It’s not like she’s going to stand by the window and in the wind. How could she possibly get a cold that easily?” Shen Ziqiao said this and sat by the low stool at the bed. Then she saw Gu Daiqin’s beautiful face losing color. Her originally clear and innocent eyes were dyed in worry. Shen Ziqiao sighed.

“Qin’er, when you recover in a few days, you can leave.” Shen Ziqiao said gently.

Gu Daiqin looked at Nanny Gu shyly. In a small voice, “Mother said that I can’t go outside.”

“I’ll take you outside.” Shen Ziqiao patted her head.

Nanny Gu wiped her tears. “First Madam, our Concubine Qin didn’t bleed because she had gone outside but...but because she ate the second master’s…”

Nanny Gu didn’t dare to say this to her because she didn’t believe that Qi Feng would hurt Daiqin either.

“Does the second master frequently buy pickled plums for Qin’er?” Shen Ziqiao asked.

“Right, ever since Concubine Qin became pregnant, she had been wanting to eat sour things. Second master would always bring a bag of pickled plum for her whenever he came back.” Nanny Gu said.

Shen Ziqiao looked deeply at her. “That’s right. How come she was okay in the past but then something happened to her that day? Nanny Gu, did you neglect something?”

Right. In the past, second master’s pickled plums were fine but how come that day...

Nanny Gu’s expression changed and she looked towards the edible bird’s nest and the flower naw Shen Ziqiao brought.

“Nanny Gu?” Shen Ziqiao called her.

“Madam…Concubine Qin’s mother had someone bring over some edible bird’s nest and flower maw. Madam had brought it to Concubine Qin.” Nanny Gu’s face paled. The two madams she was talking about were two different people. The former was Madam Gu and the latter was Xiao Gu.

Shen Ziqiao didn’t know what to say. Could there be something wrong with the edible bird’s nest? Madam Gu brought that over but it had gone through Xiao Gu’s hands before it had reached Gu Daiqin. If there was a problem, then whose problem was it? Madam Gu? Who would believe that Madam Gu would poison her own daughter? Then that was Xiao Gu.

Gu Daiqin’s child was Xiao Gu’s grandson but who would believe that she would hurt her niece and her grandson?

Even if Shen Ziqiao and Nanny Gu knew that Xiao Gu was the one behind this, they couldn’t do anything about it.

“You still have to tell Old Madam about this.” Shen Ziqiao exclaimed in a low voice, “Even if we can’t do anything, we need to be on guard.”

There were years in Nanny Gu’s eyes. It was her fault for being careless and thought that the things Madam Gu sent over were absolutely safe. Yet, she had forgotten that it went through Xiao Gu’s hands.

Shen Ziqiao and Gu Daiqin chatted for a while before she returned to Qianlin Courtyard.

Nanny Gu had a maid find the leftover edible bird’s nest and flower maw that Gu Daiqin had eaten in the past. That night, she begged Old Madam Qi to conduct an investigation.

The next day was the lunar New Year’s Eve. With the excuse that the kitchen was busy, Old Madam kicked Gu Daiqin’s personal cooking maid away. Then she had Nanny Tian be in charge of Gu Daiqin’s every meal. On the other hand, she secretly took the edible bird’s nest and flower maw that Nanny Gu brought over outside of the palace for a physician to conduct a test on.

The entire family seemed to be happily enjoying the gathering. Old Madam Qi had everyone return to their rooms and stay up all night for lunar New Year’s Eve. As for her, she leaned against the warm bed and listened to Nanny Tian.

“...Three physicians had conducted a test and got the same result. Musk was added to both the edible bird’s nest and the flower maw. People normally wouldn’t be able to detect it but obviously, they’ll get into an accident if they have too many of them.” Nanny Tian lowered her voice. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense because of her words.

Old Madam Qi’s face darkened.