I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 77 I'm simply... a beast

Qin Jiuwei frowned slightly, "The reason is really hard to say..."

She looked up and met Xie Yanli's gaze. "Husband, have you ever heard of a woman dying in childbirth?"

Xie Yanli was taken aback, not expecting her to bring this up.

Qin Jiu lowered her eyes and said softly, "My nanny told me that if a woman marries too young, she should wait a few years before she is most suitable to give birth. The younger she is, the greater the risks during childbirth..."

She cautiously raised her eyes. "Anyway, I don't want to."

She paused after speaking, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly, "Husband, do you think I'm a coward?"

No matter how difficult life was in the palace in her past life, she would do everything in her power to survive.

Now she also wants to live as long as possible.

She didn't think she was wrong to think that way, but she was worried that Xie Yanli wouldn't be able to accept it.

"No." Xie Yanli's thick eyelashes fluttered as he quietly looked at her.

Qin Jiuwei was taken aback. "Really? But other people don't seem to think that way."

So she always felt that she was cowardly and selfish.

"Others are others, and you are you. You don't need to compare yourself to others." A voice as clear as pearls and bamboo chimes rang in my ears.

Qin Jiuwei's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up to meet his deep black eyes.

She pursed her lips. "Husband, do you really think so?"

"Yes." Xie Yanli paused, "Because my mother died in childbirth. I survived, but she passed away..."

He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering slightly. "I just hadn't thought of that before."

"We're not in a rush about the child," Xie Yanli said gently.

The thought that Qin Jiuwei might die from complications during childbirth made Xie Yanli feel as if he were suffocating...

Qin Jiuwei breathed a sigh of relief; the matter was finally cleared up.

The last time they consummated their marriage was because she was drugged with aphrodisiacs, and Xie Yanli probably won't touch her again.

However, this was the first time I had heard that Xie Yanli's mother had died during childbirth.

The relationship between the two seems to be getting closer and closer.

Dinner in the main courtyard.

"Grandmother." Xie Yanli put down his jade chopsticks and said in a cold voice, "We haven't cleared up what happened this evening. Today, I'll make it clear that I have no intention of taking a concubine, and I will never take one in this lifetime."

Since Qin Jiuwei was hesitant to speak, he would do it instead.

His voice was cold, but his words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.

The old lady's face stiffened, and then she slammed down her chopsticks with a sharp "snap".

Qiu Yueli was having her meal with an elegant posture when she heard this, and the chopsticks in her hand trembled violently, almost falling to the ground.

Her face turned deathly pale instantly. No wonder she hadn't received any news from the Lady of the Marquis; it turned out that Xie Yanli simply didn't want to take her as a concubine.

She lowered herself to this extent, and he still wouldn't accept it. Does he hate her that much?

Qiu Yueli's eyes quickly reddened, and tears welled up in them.

He also said... and that he would never take a concubine in his life.

What's so great about Qin Jiuwei? She can neither cook nor dance.

Is he really content to spend his whole life with only her?!

Qiu Yueli's fingertips dug fiercely into her palm.

She refused to accept it! She refused to accept it!

Upon hearing this, Xie Jingchun raised an eyebrow at his two younger brothers with a smug look on his face.

What he said last night was all true. His father loves his mother, and now he's publicly saying that there will only be his mother in the backyard.

Xie Jue was still young and had no idea what taking a concubine meant.

But he still vaguely understood that this meant he would never have another mother.

"Great!" Xie Jue was in a great mood and picked up the bowl of rice porridge in front of him and gulped it down.

Xie Jing's expression remained unchanged.

But when she turned her head and saw that her younger brother was celebrating by drinking porridge in big gulps, she rolled her eyes inwardly.

Upon hearing this, Lord Xie frowned, his gaze lingering on Xie Yanli for a moment before he sighed helplessly and said, "Never mind, this is your matter, and ultimately you have to make your own decision."

After saying that, Lord Xie turned to look at the old lady and said respectfully, "Mother, Yanli is now a man with his own opinions. As for taking a concubine, let's just let him have his way."

Now Yanli has grown up and his wings have become stronger. He is no longer the little boy who could be controlled by him.

Madam Xie sighed softly and ultimately said nothing more.

Qin Jiuwei remained silent throughout, until she called out to Xie Yanli in the corridor that evening.

"Husband." Hearing that familiar voice, Xie Yanli paused slightly as he walked towards the study, turning to look at her.

Qin Jiu smiled slightly and said gently, "Thank you for dinner tonight."

He knew she couldn't bring herself to say it, so he brought it up himself in public.

From now on, the old lady will probably not make things difficult for her with this matter anymore.

"It's alright, I never intended to take a concubine anyway," Xie Yanli said calmly.

As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily fell on her.

Tonight, Qin Jiuwei is wearing a lilac purple silk dress. The dress is made of a soft, light fabric that clings to her body like smoke and mist.

A ribbon was tied around her waist, hanging down with tiny jade fragments at the end.

The dress was beautiful, but Xie Yanli couldn't help but recall that fleeting glimpse he had seen that evening.

This is what she looks like without this dress...

The moment the thought crossed Xie Yanli's mind, he immediately turned his head away, his ear tips turning slightly red.

I'm simply... a beast.

He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly. "It's late, I'll go back to my study to rest now."

After saying this, he strode towards the study without waiting for Qin Jiuwei's reply.

Qin Jiuwei was a little confused by his sudden change.

We were just saying that, why did he suddenly leave? This man is really strange.

It was late at night in the study.

Xie Yanli fell into a deep sleep, his consciousness gradually sinking into a chaotic dream.

He found himself deep in a forest, surrounded by ancient trees with lush, intertwined branches and leaves.

In the center of the forest, a hot spring is steaming with wisps of heat.

At this moment, Qin Jiuwei, dressed in a white gauze dress as thin as a cicada's wing, slowly stepped into the hot spring. The gauze dress gradually became soaked and clung tightly to her exquisite curves.

Xie Yanli's eyes darkened instantly, and he involuntarily walked towards the hot spring and stepped into the water.

Soon, the hot spring water began to splash.

The beauty's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were hazy, her allure swaying like a bewitching flower in the mist.

The rising mist draped a soft veil over her snow-white body.

Her fair arms wrapped around the man's neck like soft vines.

The beautiful woman's lovely peach blossom eyes filled with tears, and she cried out in a pleading tone, "Husband..."

Just then, a cold wind suddenly swept in from nowhere, like an icy hand, unexpectedly severing the threads of the dream.

Xie Yanli suddenly opened his eyes, his phoenix eyes still showing a hint of confusion and bewilderment.