Xu Ruyun's father was Grand Tutor Xu, a first-rank minister of the court. He was highly respected and a senior minister of great influence.

The eldest and second eldest sons brought snacks and gifts to the Grand Tutor's mansion to announce the good news.

"Our mother gave birth to a little sister for us."

"My sister is very fair-skinned and beautiful. My maternal grandparents will definitely like her very much."

Grand Tutor Xu and his wife happily took the hands of their two grandsons and nodded.

"Great! That's wonderful! Where are your father and Zhou'er? Why aren't they here?"

"They are at home taking care of their mother."

"Alright! We'll visit your mother tomorrow!"

Qi Junlin: "Grandfather, Grandmother, we would like to go to the Buddhist hall to pray for my mother and sister!"

Grand Tutor Xu: "The children are so sensible. Go quickly!"

The eldest and second eldest brothers ran to the Buddhist hall as fast as they could.

They closed the doors and windows tightly.

The eldest brother was very skilled in light-footed movements; he leaped and grabbed the brocade box from the roof beam.

Upon opening the brocade box, the two indeed found the puppet that Qiuqiu had described as cursing the emperor.

The second child screamed in fright.

The eldest brother quickly covered his mouth.

The eldest son promptly destroyed the puppet and, as instructed by his mother, replaced it with scriptures and golden prayer characters.

After finishing their business, the two brothers pretended that nothing had happened and said goodbye to their maternal grandparents.

Xu Ruyun was pacing anxiously in the room.

Such a big matter, I wonder if the two brothers have handled it properly.

If there is even the slightest mistake along the way, it will be utterly disastrous!

[My two older brothers are amazing! They got it done so quickly! With the puppets destroyed, the Xu family is spared from annihilation.]

Xu Ruyun breathed a sigh of relief.

For some reason, she trusted Chuchu implicitly.

Not long after, the two sons returned to report that the matter had been taken care of.

Compared to love and marriage, the lives of hundreds of people in the Xu family are more important.

Just then, a rooster crowed outside.

Chirp's third brother is chasing after a beautiful chicken and has declared that he's going to stew it tonight.

Qi Junzhou: "I've never seen this chicken before! It's so beautiful! I'm going to pluck its feathers to make a calligraphy brush. Then I'll kill it and eat chicken legs for dinner."

"No! That's my mount, a phoenix, not a chicken! It's a divine beast! You absolutely can't kill it!"

Xu Ruyun almost cried when she heard the chirping sound. She felt that this was no joke, so she scolded the third brother.

Xu Ruyun: "Zhou'er, come back quickly!"

The third brother ran into the house.

"Mother, what do you need me for?"

"Zhou'er, stop chasing that chicken! Go study!"

Qi Junzhou: "Mom, I just want to eat chicken, I just want to eat this chicken!"

Xu Ruyun: "This chicken ran into our house when Qiuqiu was born. It's my little sister's lucky charm, so we can't just kill it!"

[Mom is amazing! Third brother is so cute.]

Qi Junzhou felt very pleased to hear this.

[He's a bit silly. Third Brother is incredibly intelligent, but he's been deliberately led astray into indulging in pleasure, destined to achieve nothing, be exploited, and die a cruel death!]

Qi Junzhou touched his heart, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

If my third brother had studied hard, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

Xu Ruyun, as always, patiently and earnestly persuaded him.

Xu Ruyun: "Zhou'er, it's not that your mother is nagging. Only by studying hard can you understand things and have a future..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qi Junzhou ran off, muttering to himself as he went.

“I will listen to my mother, I will go to school, I will go to school right now.”

Xu Ruyun shook her head and sighed.

"Sigh, the third brother is probably out playing again."

This time, Qi Junzhou really didn't play.

His sister's words kept echoing in his mind. He tried hard not to think about it and shook his head desperately.

"No, I don't want to be used by others, I want to study hard!"

Qi Junshu picked up a book and began to read it seriously.

As Xu Ruyun looked at her daughter beside her in the room, she thought of her husband.

"Little Deer, has the master returned? Has the person I sent to follow him come back? What did he say?"

Little Deer: "Madam, Master went to that baby's house again. The people who were following him have returned; they said Master goes there every day after court..."

Xu Ruyun couldn't listen anymore and waved her hand.

"Keep it a secret from those who know the truth."

Little Deer: "Yes, Madam!"

Xu Ruyun shed two streams of tears.

[Don't cry, Mommy. Mommy still has Qiuqiu, and Second Brother, and Third Brother. Qiuqiu loves Mommy.]

Hearing this, Xu Ruyun felt much more relieved.

Little Deer: "Madam, there's no need to be sad. At least you still have three very good children."

Xu Ruyun wiped away her tears and nodded.

At this moment, Qiuqiu's father, Qi Jiating, was holding another baby girl, beaming with joy.

"My daughter is so beautiful."

Xiao Qinqin: "Your name sounds better, Jinlan, Qi Jinlan."

Qi Jiating hugged Xiao Qinqin and said, "Qinqin, I'm so sorry you've suffered! In the future, I will make sure you walk into the Qi family with dignity!"

Xiao Qinqin leaned into Qi Jiating's arms.

"cousin--"

Xiao Qinqin is Qi Jiating's cousin and also his ideal woman. The two grew up together as childhood sweethearts and were deeply in love.

However, unfortunately, after Qi Jiating's father died, the Qi family fell into decline. In order to revitalize the Qi family, Qi Jiating had no choice but to marry into a more powerful family.

Although Qi Jiating and Xu Ruyun had been together for so many years, he was just pretending.

Now, thanks to the Xu family's good fortune, the Qi family is growing stronger and stronger. As a result, Qi Jiating has become somewhat indifferent to Xu Ruyun.

Xiao Qinqin: "Cousin, are you coming to our daughter's one-month celebration?"

Qi Jiating: "Come! Of course I'll come! Those ten shops in the western suburbs will be given to our daughter Jinlan as a gift for her full moon celebration!"

Xiao Qinqin: "Cousin, you're so kind!"

After saying that, Xiao Qinqin kissed Qi Jiating on the cheek.

At this moment, Qi Jiating's mother, Old Mrs. Qi, was praying for blessings at the temple.

Old Madam Qi cast lots to divine the future.

A red bamboo skewer fell to the ground.

Madam Qi's maid picked up the bamboo stick and handed it to the abbot.

The abbot was horrified after just one glance.

Madam Qi looked at the host with trepidation.

The abbot here remained calm and composed, and for no reason, he never let anyone see any emotion on his face.

But upon receiving the results of his divination, he was greatly alarmed. Clearly, the matter was no ordinary one.

Madam Qi: "How is it, Abbot? Is my divination result bad?"