Chapter 8 Affection: I Will Marry You.

Chapter 8: Tenderness and Affection. I will marry you.

After that, Qi Yuan stayed at the Bo Mansion for about five or six more days.

Since Qi Hao had made the decision to keep him there, even Feng Shi couldn't say much despite her dislike for Qi Yuan, and besides, keeping him longer was for other matters.

The more time passed, the greater the chance that Jiang Yueyi would become pregnant.

But even though Qi Hao treated Qi Yuan well in every way and always urged him to stay a few more days, Qi Yuan still had to leave eventually.

He had been demoted to a local post; his return to the capital was originally on leave, and he could not delay any longer. There were still many backlogged cases awaiting investigation, as well as previously resolved cases that needed his re-verification. Even though he was demoted, this was the duty of the Judicial Review Office.

Since the late emperor established the Judicial Review Office, it had gradually come to rival the Grand Court (Dali Si) in influence.

Qi Yuan's demotion was partly because the emperor wanted him to secretly investigate the accumulation of unresolved and unjust cases in the localities, get a sense of the situation, and then return.

This was an important matter; Qi Yuan could not delay.

Having lingered at the mansion for nearly half a month, he could delay no longer.

After bidding farewell to Qi Hao, Qi Yuan had his attendants begin packing, planning to leave early the next morning.

He lived a more frugal life than Qi Hao. When he left the mansion, he only took a personal attendant who had grown up with him, named Xing De, and another man he had purchased outside, called A Mao—only two people to serve him.

Qi Yuan had Xing De pack here while he called A Mao aside and said, "Go back first."

A Mao was puzzled and asked, "Second Master, what's the matter?"

Qi Yuan replied, "Go back and immediately find a suitable house for me. It doesn't need to be very large; a three-courtyard layout will do."

Since being demoted to a local post, Qi Yuan had been living in the government office and had not made an effort to rent or buy a place to stay. He was alone, with at most two attendants, so he never needed to go to much trouble. Even when in the capital, he had temporarily lived in a villa owned by an old friend of his late father.

After A Mao left, Xing De asked Qi Yuan, "Second Master, is this for Miss Yaoyao?"

Qi Yuan nodded without saying much.

He had been thinking these past few days: since he was leaving, he had to take Yaoyao with him. There was no way he could leave her behind alone. Some families, after taking a maidservant to bed, would let her marry as she pleased. Feng Shi's intentions were still unclear, but Qi Yuan could not bring himself to abandon Yaoyao.

But if she followed him, aside from the long distance, he currently had no suitable place to settle her. The place he lived now was fine for him, but inconvenient for a woman, and not spacious enough. He needed to first find a dwelling where Yaoyao could be settled.

Originally, Qi Yuan planned to take Yaoyao with him when he left, but after careful thought, he decided to let Yaoyao wait a bit longer. Once everything was arranged there, he would send someone to bring her back.

That night, Qi Yuan and Jiang Yueyi naturally met again. Because parting was imminent, their intimacy grew even more passionate, continuing until the late hours before they rested.

As their breathing gradually slowed and calmed, Jiang Yueyi's long-held anxiety finally eased.

This was the last day. After today, she and Qi Yuan should have no further connection.

Qi Yuan never lived in the mansion anyway. Even when she married Qi Hao, he did not return for the ceremony. Opportunities to meet were few, and on top of that, there were rumors in the mansion that Qi Yuan had already told Qi Hao: after this ancestral rite, unless something major happened at the mansion, he would likely never return.

Feng Shi had always disliked Qi Yuan; he would never be comfortable in the mansion. Although the division of the family property had not yet been mentioned, with Qi Yuan leaving and specifically informing Qi Hao, it was essentially a complete split. This also saved Feng Shi from having to give him a share.

Jiang Yueyi listened to this as interesting gossip, but she was also a little puzzled. Why was Qi Yuan so easily bullied? Leaving so meekly, young, with little money, and demoted—how would he ever marry and establish himself? Feng Shi had not even arranged a marriage for him.

Still, his never returning was actually a good thing for Jiang Yueyi.

As Jiang Yueyi's mind wandered, she stared blankly at a magpie embroidered on a branch of magnolia flowers on the bed canopy, momentarily ignoring Qi Yuan calling her.

"Yaoyao." Only when Qi Yuan called a third time did Jiang Yueyi snap out of it and casually respond.

Qi Yuan thought she was tired, so he did not take it to heart. Thinking about leaving tomorrow, he felt even more tender toward the person beside him.

He had never known what love felt like in his life and did not fully understand it. Yet these past few nights, the person at his side was real.

Most maidservants came from bitter backgrounds and would face hardships in the future. Yaoyao had been pushed onto him by Feng Shi; how could she make any decisions for herself? Now that she was his, her future would depend entirely on him.

His birth mother, Concubine Qin, had once been his father's close companion. She had even become pregnant at the same time as Feng Shi, which sparked Feng Shi's endless jealousy. Feng Shi was a capable mistress of the household, but on the matter of Concubine Qin, she refused to budge an inch. She stopped managing household affairs and stopped paying attention to her husband, using this to force him to cut ties with his beloved concubine. In the end, she succeeded.

Soon, neglected and bullied in the mansion, Concubine Qin died from despair, her life ending messily, leaving Qi Yuan alone in the world. Later, the old Earl of Chengping took many more concubines, but Feng Shi treated them all kindly and generously. As a child, Qi Yuan did not understand why, until after his father died, he saw the coldness barely concealed in Feng Shi's tear-filled eyes. Only then did he suddenly understand.

It wasn't that Feng Shi hated Concubine Qin; it was that Concubine Qin happened to be that person.

But how was his mother innocent?

Thinking of his mother, Qi Yuan turned to look at the person lying beside him.

Yaoyao's background was similar to Concubine Qin's. He did not want to see Concubine Qin's tragedy repeat, and he certainly did not want to be the one who caused it.

Jiang Yueyi had responded to Qi Yuan, but when he did not speak, she nudged him with her elbow. Qi Yuan composed himself and said, "I won't be coming back in the future."

Jiang Yueyi had already heard this, so it was no surprise. But coming from Qi Yuan's mouth, it confirmed the truth.

Not knowing what to say, she thought of something she had pondered before and asked, "Second Master, aren't you going to take anything?"

"No," Qi Yuan replied without hesitation. "The mansion raised me; I shouldn't take more than I deserve."

If staying together made everyone unhappy, it was better to part amicably.

Jiang Yueyi did not fully understand his meaning, but Qi Yuan was merely Qi Hao's half-brother. She had no reason to force him to take something, so she said no more. Yet another thought arose, and she asked almost impulsively, "What if… the eldest master dies? Would you still not come back, Second Master?"

Qi Yuan turned his head to look at her. Her black hair lay messily and lazily to one side, obscuring her face. He said, "Don't say such things. First, speaking of things that haven't happened could be seen as a curse. Second, if others hear, it won't be good for you."

"Alright, I won't say it then." Jiang Yueyi laughed lightly. Qi Yuan seemed even more concerned about Qi Hao's life than she was. She had heard Qi Yuan was not favored in the mansion, but apparently the brothers were quite close.

Just as she was about to turn over and sleep, Qi Yuan suddenly continued, "After I return, I'll send someone to come and take you away."

These words nearly scared Jiang Yueyi out of her wits, chasing away all drowsiness.

In families like theirs, it was normal to use a maidservant or two. Jiang Yueyi had seen it since childhood: sweet together at first, but once apart, it ended. Who would take it seriously?

Perhaps Qi Yuan was just saying this now.

Jiang Yueyi asked, "Oh? So, Second Master, have you mentioned this to the old lady?"

"Not yet," Qi Yuan said. "I'm leaving tomorrow; I'll bring it up when I go to bid her farewell."

Jiang Yueyi quickly said, "Second Master, it's better not to say anything to the old lady."

Feng Shi naturally had countermeasures; she would never let Qi Yuan take Jiang Yueyi. But Jiang Yueyi also did not want Qi Yuan to mention it to Feng Shi. In Feng Shi's eyes, the shallower the connection between her and Qi Yuan, the better; otherwise, a thorn might remain in Feng Shi's heart.

"Why?"

"The old lady has never liked you, Second Master. As you said, you'll come for me later. That means I'll still be in front of the old lady for a while. If you mention it now, won't that make things hard for me?" Jiang Yueyi said softly. "So it's better not to mention it. I'll wait for you, Second Master."

Fortunately, Qi Yuan had not proposed taking her directly; otherwise, she would have had to devise more schemes, and it would have inevitably involved Feng Shi's mediation, making things even more troublesome.

Her reasoning made some sense. Qi Yuan thought it over—he could simply ask Feng Shi directly for her when the time came. After all, Feng Shi had already given her to him; she wouldn't cause trouble. Keeping her around served no purpose.

Qi Yuan agreed and added, "I'm now in Qing County. It's not as good as the capital; life will naturally be more austere. I'll acquire some property after I return, so you'll have a place to settle as soon as you arrive."

"I will marry you."