The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 284: Unveiling the Mastermind

Chapter 284: Unveiling the Mastermind

Xiao Wanyi reassured, "I’ll be fine by tomorrow. No need to worry." As the wife of the Chu family’s eldest son, even during pregnancy, she had to set an example and leave no room for criticism.

Nanli, feeling helpless, said, "Big Sister-in-law, a woman’s pregnancy is paramount. You shouldn’t worry about those rules."

She then instructed the maid not to inform anyone for now; a brief explanation could suffice tomorrow morning.

"But..." Xiao Wanyi hesitated.

"Just listen to me," Nanli asserted firmly, not allowing any refusal, and signaled for the maid to leave.

With a sigh, Xiao Wanyi said, "Sixth Sister, ever since I married into the Chu family, many have envied me. Since I became pregnant, Grandmother and Mother-in-law insisted I only visit to pay respects on the first and fifteenth of the month. Many outside have criticized me, saying I’m being arrogant and disrespectful, lacking proper etiquette."

"We’ll shut ourselves in and live our lives. Let others say what they want," Nanli suggested.

Xiao Wanyi smiled faintly, "Your words are similar to Mother-in-law’s."

"Big Sister-in-law, rest now. I’ll be leaving," Nanli said, rising to depart.

"Wait," Xiao Wanyi called out, insisting on getting out of bed to retrieve something from the cabinet. She then pulled out a prescription and handed it to Nanli. "This is... a secret recipe for conceiving. Take it."

Her eyes were sincere.

Nanli was at a loss for words. "My husband and I don’t plan on having children for the time being."

Xiao Wanyi’s initial confusion turned into understanding as she saw Nanli with Xuan Yue Sword on her back. She smiled and nodded, "I understand. Sixth Sister, forgive me for being meddlesome."

"How could I? Thank you for your concern, Big Sister-in-law," Nanli replied, looking at Xiao Wanyi’s belly with tenderness. "I actually love children very much."

The idea of nurturing new life with her beloved was romantic to her.

Xiao Wanyi insisted, "Then you must keep this prescription. It will be useful to you in the future."

Nanli had no choice but to accept it.

Back at the Prince Yu Mansion, it was almost dawn.

Nanli’s absence made Ye Siheng unable to sleep soundly. He tossed and turned in bed for a long time before finally ordering a lamp and attending to official documents.

The scribe who prepared the ink was yawning constantly, unable to keep his eyes open. However, Ye Siheng remained alert, circling and annotating documents with his brush. After a couple of hours, many documents had been processed.

But the scribe, tired from the late hour, slipped and spilled ink on his pristine white sleeve.

Startled, the scribe quickly knelt down, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. This servant deserves punishment."

This was a rare and expensive cloud brocade fabric, perfect for the summer due to its light and cooling texture. Ye Siheng was a bit displeased, but seeing that the candles on his desk were almost burnt out, he softened his expression.

"You’ve worked hard tonight. Go rest," he said.

The scribe hesitated.

Had His Highness forgiven him? Was he not going to punish him?

Soon, footsteps could be heard outside, resonating loudly in the quiet night.

Ye Siheng’s expression brightened as he immediately got up and left the study.

As expected, it was Alu who had returned.

Seeing him, Nanli was also surprised. "Why haven’t you rested yet?"

Ye Siheng didn’t beat around the bush and spoke the truth, "I can only rest when you’re back."

Warmth flooded Nanli’s heart as she smiled at him, "Your Highness seems to have become sweeter with words."

The cook had kept the hot water ready in the kitchen, and Yuanbao was waiting for Nanli to bathe. It was almost dawn by the time she finished.

Returning to the main house, she saw Ye Siheng changing his clothes. His bare upper body revealed clean, muscular lines, with one or two old scars adding a rugged charm rather than detracting from his appearance.

Nanli’s eyes widened at the sight, but as soon as he donned his loose nightwear and turned around, she averted her gaze.

His front view was even more alluring, with well-defined muscles and a couple of old scars that added a rugged charm. Even with most of it covered, his collarbones were still exposed, igniting endless imagination.

"A’Li," Ye Siheng couldn’t help but tease, "staring at me like this makes me feel like I’m some delicious dish."

He leisurely tied his belt.

Although covering most of himself, his nightwear was loose, revealing his collarbones, which only fueled Nanli’s imagination.

Nanli chuckled awkwardly, already on the bed, tired and lying on the soft bedding. "Unfortunately, I’m too tired tonight to enjoy your delicious dish."

Ye Siheng raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on his lips.

She was becoming more and more playful.

Ye Siheng sitting next to Nanli, pinched hands and feet.

"Why are you so tired? There wasn’t much activity outside," he asked.

With her eyes closed, Nanli recounted the incident of Xiao Wanyi being lured into the dream. She intentionally mentioned Sun Yaozu, and although Fan Guizong didn’t deny it, it was evident he was involved.

Ye Siheng’s hand paused. "It’s good that you’re okay. It seems Fan Guizong has arrived in the capital and become a pawn in someone else’s hands."

Fan Guizong had been in Ruyang all this time and couldn’t have understood the situation in the capital in such a short time. So there must be someone behind him, someone with enmity against the An’yang Marquis Mansion.

Even with her eyes closed, Nanli’s brows furrowed in worry.

"The Marquisate is as secure as a fortress. It’s almost impossible to send assassins, so that person had to resort to such deceitful methods. Unfortunately, they failed to deal with Fan Guizong this time."

"Even if one Fan Guizong dies, another will emerge. And there aren’t many who have enmity with your Marquisate. Rest assured, I’ll soon find out who’s behind this," Ye Siheng said, his eyes sharp.

"I just don’t know if the person who cast the spell on Big Sister-in-law is friend or foe," Nanli doubted. She wondered if this person had affection for Xiao Wanyi but didn’t want to disrupt their marital harmony, so they secretly protected her.

Ye Siheng was also clueless about this matter. "Don’t think too much about it. Let’s sleep."

The sky was already bright.

Nanli agreed. If this person intervened to protect Xiao Wanyi, they must have a request, and they would likely reveal themselves in the future. She turned over and soon drifted into a deep sleep.

Ye Siheng didn’t disturb her further. He tucked her in and lay down beside her.

The faint fragrance lingering on her body wafted to his nose. He quietly watched her delicate profile for a while before closing his eyes contentedly.

No matter what storms lay ahead, as long as she was by his side, he had nothing to fear.

But his strong constitution meant he woke up after two hours.

Nanli was still sound asleep, so he got up quietly, threw on a robe, and headed to the study.

Before long, he compiled a list of more than ten households. These households either had political disagreements with the An’yang Marquis Mansion in court or had conflicts with individuals from the Marquisate.

Since they held positions in the court, their backgrounds were not likely to be clean.

Ye Siheng handed the list to Qing Feng and blew the foam off the tea in his cup.

His voice was cold, devoid of any emotion. "Investigate each household on this list thoroughly. We must find out who the mastermind is behind this."