Minister Lü was utterly incredulous upon hearing this. What was wrong with Lü Simian? Wasn't he supposed to be looking for a birthday gift for his grandmother?

Why did he bring his half-brother out of the house? Just to drop him off for fun?

Without a second thought, he quickly cupped his hands in greeting to Qi Yong.

"Thank you for the reminder, General. I will definitely teach him well when I get back, and I will prepare a generous gift to thank you for saving my son's life later!"

Qi Yong waved his hand at him.

"No need for formalities. My two cousins ​​and your young master hit it off immediately! They're planning to become sworn brothers, which is why they wrote to inform me of this wonderful news!"

They were all seasoned veterans of officialdom; how could they not hear the hidden meaning in his words?

"General, please rest assured, I will treat everyone equally from now on!"

Seeing that he had made a promise, Qi Yong didn't say anything more, exchanged a few polite words, and then returned to his own carriage.

Although Minister Lü spoke kindly, he didn't really take it seriously.

Nearly two months later, the news spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

It is said that a man was punished by heaven in Xingyang County. His father, surnamed Lü, was an official in the Ministry of Rites.

When Minister Lü heard this, he was furious. He was the only person in the entire Ministry of Rites with the surname Lü; wasn't this an insult directed at him?

Just as he was getting angry, Madam Lü, who had intercepted the letter from Lü Siqing and her servant...

He also stormed in from outside, looking furious.

"Master, you must stand up for Mian'er! Some malicious people are spreading rumors that Mian'er is being punished by heaven. That's utter nonsense! My Mian'er has been gentle, kind, respectful, and frugal since childhood. How could he be punished by heaven? Someone must be trying to harm him!"

Upon hearing this, Minister Lü almost fainted. How could it be even more outrageous than what he had heard before!

He looked at Madam Lü, his tone furious.

"How did the rumors spread? Tell me the whole story from beginning to end!"

Madam Lü, who had originally intended to turn the tables on him, dared not add fuel to the fire when she saw how angry he was.

"Hey, that's all nonsense, sir, you absolutely mustn't believe it!"

Lord Lü ignored her and pointed to the servant beside him.

"you say!"

The servant glanced at Madam Lü, who waved her hand, and then stammered that he couldn't explain it clearly.

With a crash, Lord Lü smashed the teacup beside him at his feet.

"If you can't explain it, just take him away and sell him!"

The servant was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, then recounted the rumors word for word.

When Minister Lü heard that Lü Simian had killed countless people and committed numerous evil deeds, he was struck by lightning while targeting children!

His heart felt as if struck by lightning, and his face was filled with despair.

The servant then recounted how Lü Siqing remained devoted to Lü Simian, disregarding everyone's objections to save her brother.

His heart seemed to come alive again; in just a few words, he had made his choice.

But a single sentence from Madam Lü made him temporarily abandon the idea.

"Sir, this is just a rumor; you mustn't believe it!"

Minister Lü pondered for a moment

"Understood, we'll discuss everything when Mian'er and Qing'er return!"

Madam Lü panicked the moment she heard him address her.

She sent him away nearly ten years ago, citing Lü Siqing as an unlucky omen.

Mian'er is so foolish! Why did she go looking for him when everything was fine?

If you've found him, you could have killed him! Why leave him at the city gate? Sigh! Mian'er is still too kind!

She didn't know if what was written in the letter was true or false, although the things described in it were indeed done by Lü Simian.

But she felt that someone was deliberately framing her, and at that moment she was extremely frightened.

Right now, I have no time to think about killing those two servants or Lü Siqing.

He only hoped that Lü Simian would come back soon so that those gossiping people would shut up!

Because matters of divine punishment are no joke; rumors are one thing, but...

If that's true, then their good days are over...

More than half a month later, Lü Siqing and Lü Simian finally arrived in the capital.

Lu Simian never received treatment after being electrocuted by Tengteng.

Not only did he develop a speech impediment and a stutter, but he also bore the marks of being struck by lightning, and walked with a limp.

Just as the two arrived at the gate of the Lü residence, the carriage from the Marquis of Anding's residence also arrived.

Lu Siqing was completely dumbfounded when she saw the luxurious four-horse carriage in front of her.

Upon seeing the insignia of the Marquis of Anding's residence, Lü Simian immediately asked Lü Siqing to help him down.

The two got out of the carriage and bowed to the carriage in front of them.

Mu Xiao and Mu Feng lifted the carriage curtain, and Mu Xiuyu stepped out of the carriage.

He jumped off the carriage and helped Lü Siqing up.

"Brother, no need to be so polite, we're all brothers!"

Lü Siqing straightened up and smiled at him.

"My brother told me about you!"

"Brother!"

Just as Mu Xiuyu was about to ask a question, Mu Feng whispered a few words in his ear.

He then remembered Qin Luo's attire when she went out.

"Yes, yes, you must come visit me more often! I'm so bored in the capital, you can tell me about your brother!"

"Okay, I'll definitely go!"

The two were chatting enthusiastically, while Lü Simian, who was still bowing deeply, was practically breaking his back.

When Minister Lü and his wife came out, they saw that the young marquis was chatting happily with Lü Siqing, while Lü Simian was still standing there dumbfounded!

Minister Lü immediately walked towards Mu Xiuyu.

"I was unaware of the young marquis's arrival and have failed to greet you properly; I am truly sorry!"

Mu Xiuyu took Lü Siqing's hand, appearing very close.

"Why are you being so polite, Minister Lü? Siqing is a brother my elder brother recognized, so he's my brother too. We're family, no need for such formalities!"

Minister Lü was greatly surprised upon hearing this. No wonder he had made a special trip to the Marquis of Anding's residence to deliver gifts when Qi Yong returned last time.

It turns out they had secretly formed a connection long ago.

"Haha, the young lord is right!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!