She finally made a compromise. "Alright, maybe I had heard wrongly, but I don't know where the smell of the medicine is coming from either. It could be from that street that I walked through when I was out buying items… What's the name of the street again? I forgot, but anyway, there are several drugstores on that street."
She only hoped Lord Fourth would believe her.
"There is indeed a block of drugstores situated at Nan Bian Street and they give off a far-reaching scent. You could whiff the scent of medicine from that street from miles away," uttered Lord Fourth absent-mindedly.
"Yes, yes, yes. It's probably that," Ruoyin said, agreeing with Lord Fourth's words.
Luckily, Lord Fourth did not continue drilling her on this topic and said with indifference, "Alright, you can have the snacks for the time being. There are still some accounts I have yet to audit."
"Yes, my Lord," Ruoyin humbly replied, feeling that she absolutely ought not to be a hindrance to Lord Fourth.
However, she still felt pangs of guilt deep inside with regards to Lord Fourth, for he really wanted a son.
Lord Fourth went to the palace to visit his elders, and they were scrutinizing him and hoping for him to have a son.
In the end, she had gone out to buy some contraceptive soup as a last resort.
She still kept to her decision of dining with Lord Fourth later and did not distract Lord Fourth with the delicious snacks.
She took out a book called The Classic of Mountains and Seas from the bookcase standing at the side. There was no other option. Lord Fourth did not possess books akin to The Tyrannical Emperor Fell in Love with Me; everything was serious reading.
Hehe… Lucky for her, however, she had bought a dozen books of vernacular folklore from the capital today. That should be sufficient for her to while away the time.
For a moment, Lord Fourth was evaluating the documents while Ruoyin was reading The Classic of Mountains and Seas, both conscientious in their undertakings.
Lord Fourth was done with official work. He turned his head and saw a woman who was reclining on the round-backed chair, fast asleep while holding on to a book.
He could not help but chuckle; he was at his wit's end on how to even scold her.
He got up, walked to Ruoyin's side, and set aside The Classic of Mountains and Seas book that was in her hands. Then, he picked her up, planning to let her rest on the couch.
The slumbering Ruoyin quickly realized she was suspended in the air. Alarmed, she opened her eyes immediately, feeling awash with reverie.
She held on to Lord Fourth tightly out of panic. Without any sense of decorum, one hand of hers was hooked on Lord Fourth's neck while another was clawing into the flesh of Lord Fourth's chest.
Lord Fourth's body jolted at once. He gasped; his cheeks puffed up. He then lowered his head and said with a deep voice, "Let go!"
Ruoyin at first thought she was going to fall, but she then heard there was something not right in Lord Fourth's voice and turned her attention to her own hands.
In the end, after staring at the hand that was clawing into Lord Fourth's rugged muscles, she hurriedly let go.
After that, she used her one hand to beat her other hand that was carelessly teasing Lord Fourth; how dare it take advantage of Lord Fourth!
Lord Fourth could not restrain a smile upon seeing this; it was adorable indeed.
However, still in a very matter-of-fact tone, he stated, "If you're restless again, I will take care of you before the meal."
Ruoyin immediately behaved. She was completely stationary, except for her dark, round eyes that were still darting around playfully.
Lord Fourth lowered his gaze onto Ruoyin in his embrace—she looked lovely in her state of ease; there was really nothing he could do about her.
Immediately after, Lord Fourth instructed the kitchen to prepare their meals.
Ruoyin asked Nanny Liu to plate the chopped beggar's chicken and the rose cakes.
After the meal, Lord Fourth took Ruoyin on a walk around the residence, just to aid digestion.
Their conversation was filled with topics of everyday life and intimate secrets until Lord Fourth mentioned Consort De. "I went to Mother's today and she mentioned you. Do you want to guess what she said?"
Ruoyin was in deep thought for a moment. She had only just recently been allowed contact with Consort De. How could she know?
However, she did not feel that she had done anything wrong today so she dared to ask, "I don't know. Would my Lord be so kind as to let me know?"
Lord Fourth held her hand tight and replied, "Mother said you're doing great. Your appetite has improved from before, which makes you more suitable for carrying children."
The corner of Ruoyin's lips twitched. As it turned out, that was actually a big merit point, but she clearly possessed other merits too.
However, she decided to play along. "I know. Mother wishes me to give birth to a male heir as soon as possible…"
"There is no need to act with undue haste on this matter. A lot of things are determined by fate: not just the relationships between humans, but also the matter of giving birth," Lord Fourth said to console her.
Ruoyin understood Lord Fourth did not wish for there to be pressure upon her. "Thank you for your consolation, my Lord, but I believe the day will come when I would be able to birth a child for my Lord."
Her words touched the softest reach of his heart.
He paused for a moment and caressed her nose. "Wasn't that embarrassing, hm?" he said in a deep voice.
Ruoyin only wanted to set Lord Fourth's heart at peace initially, but who knew Lord Fourth would crack such a joke?
She seemed to be a little embarrassed. She tugged at Lord Fourth's arm and shook it. "My Lord, you're mean for making fun of me! I really speak the truth and nothing else."
It seemed that Lord Fourth had become addicted to taking liberties with her. The more her face expressed bashfulness, the more he enjoyed teasing her.
He turned and darted a glance at the subordinates by their sides, startling them. One by one, they turned their bodies and bowed their heads really low.
Then, Lord Fourth reached out and bunched together the fine black hair cascading down the side of her face. He grinned cheekily and whispered into her ear, "Are you thinking about having children? You just need to beg me and I'll gladly help you."
He looked at her, calm and unruffled, wondering how she would react.
How else could she react? Her head was buzzing; how frustrating!
Her eyes were wide open and she stared at Lord Fourth with a look of incredulity. "Having children is not an individual affair; how could my Lord say such words!"
"It is precisely because it is not an individual affair that you should keep me in touch with your needs. I cannot go about doing it blindly. If not, you would blame me should you ever get pregnant," Lord Fourth said, matter-of-factly.
Lord Fourth had only meant it as a joke, but it startled Ruoyin because she felt guilty; how did Lord Fourth manage to convey her inner thoughts out loud?
To avoid looking guilty, she fawned over him by pulling his hand and tickled his palm with her fingertips. "Then, Lord Fourth, I shall beg something of you, alright?"
"What are you begging for?" Lord Fourth tightly grabbed her hand that was up to no good.
Ruoyin bit her lips—was he trying to force her hand?
On top of that, she raised her head only to see his arrogant, come-beg-for-me expression; how despicable!
She inhaled deeply, seemingly mustering up a very strong determination, and said softly, "I'm begging for Lord Fourth to help me. I want to give my Lord a baby, please, please…"
Lord Fourth looked at the blushing, bashful lady in front of him. The light inside the palace gently shed light on her exquisite cheeks.
Not to mention, he could see the fine hair on her snow-white skin. He suddenly lowered his head. His mysterious, dark eyes were enthralled for a split second, and he felt his garment down under stretch taut.
Lord Fourth usually kept a cool head and rarely lost restraint, so in front of all the subordinates, he picked Ruoyin up and immediately walked toward the front courtyard.
Ruoyin yelped softly. Thanks to the subordinates standing on both sides, she only cared about burying her head into Lord Fourth's chest.
She waved her small fists and lightly hammered Lord Fourth's chest. "My Lord, how embarrassing. There are so many people staring."
"Pay no attention to them," Lord Fourth said tyrannically before pointing out, "You only need to care about how to serve me."