Everyone ate vegetarian food together. The old marquis and Chu Lingxuan sat at one table, while Liaochen and Chen Afu and their three children sat at another table. The two tables were placed in a meditation room. It was obvious that the old marquis was very good to Liaochen, his former daughter-in-law. He was the typical person who stood on the side of his former daughter-in-law and drew a clear line between himself and his biological son.

After the vegetarian meal, the old marquis and the children went to take a nap, while Chu Lingxuan, Chen Afu and Abbot Liaochen sat in the west meditation room and talked about family matters.

The room was filled with a faint scent of agarwood. There was a hot kang and a charcoal basin. The white jade vase on the table and the half-person-high large vases with white background and blue flowers placed in the two corners were filled with blooming red plums. The room felt as bright and warm as spring.

Abbot Liaochen pulled Chen Afu to sit cross-legged on the kang, and kept holding Chen Afu's left hand in hers. Her hand was soft and delicate, not like a middle-aged woman's hand at all. Chu Lingxuan sat on the other side of the kang, talking softly about family matters.

He said that after the Third Aunt sorted out the Marquis's Mansion, she would come here to see her. His sister was doing well at her husband's house, and her son was almost a year old. When the child was older, he would come to see his mother. He also talked about some things about Luo Chen's mother's family, the Luo Mansion, how her mother's health had improved, what gifts the Luo family had given her during the New Year, and so on.

After listening to their conversation, Chen Afu also figured out some things about the Marquis' Mansion and the Luo family in the capital. Chu Lingxuan has a younger sister named Chu Hua, who is nineteen years old this year. Her husband's family is the Huguogong Mansion. During the years that Mrs. Chu was in charge of the Marquis' Mansion, the inner courtyard of the Marquis' Mansion was in deficit every year. She was embezzling money with a clear conscience, which made the old Marquis jump up and down but could not do anything. The reason was that when Mr. Chu was young, he went hunting in the mountains with a group of noble sons and encountered an emergency, and his arm was torn off by a pack of wolves. Mr. Chu could no longer enter the officialdom, and he only donated a fourth-rank official and stayed at home idle. Because he loved this son, he was quite patient with his wife... Host Liaochen's mother was still alive, but she was in poor health and had been paralyzed in bed...

At this time, Chu Lingxuan, wearing a half-worn purple cotton robe, looked like a homely man, with a gentle attitude, whispering to his mother about some trivial matters at home. Liaochen actually listened with great interest and occasionally made a few comments.

Unexpectedly, this cold and handsome man has such a side.

Chen Afu clearly felt that Chu Lingxuan's actions were intended to make Lechen think more about worldly things, and he didn't want her to completely break off her worldly ties...

With three such people and such a topic to talk about, it didn't seem like they were in a Zen room, but more like a family sitting in a house and chatting.

Afterwards, Chu Lingxuan asked Chen Afu about his visit to Master Wuzhi. Chen Afu did not dare to tell him about Master Wuzhi's comments on Dabao, but only said that he said that Wang Cheng's uncle might still be alive.

Chu Lingxuan said, "Your uncle's registered name when he joined the army was Li Gousheng, right? I will write to my third uncle and my brothers at the border when I get back and ask them to find out."

Chen Afu thanked him again.

After talking for more than an hour, the old marquis and the three children all got up, and everyone said goodbye and went home.

Liaochen sent them outside the nunnery and waved goodbye with red eyes.

Back at the gate of Tangyuan, Chen Afu carried Chu Hanyan off the carriage and handed Lord Chu's purse to Chu Lingxuan. Seeing that Chu Lingxuan obviously didn't want to take it, Chen Afu had to explain that he didn't want to get involved, but he had to take it under the circumstances.

Chu Lingxuan said hurriedly, "I'm not blaming you, I just think that, after all this, why did he do this? He dragged you in, as if he was sure that I wouldn't..." He didn't continue talking, but took the purse. Seeing Chen Ahfu's red face, he asked, "Are you sick?"

Chen Ahfu nodded and said, "Maybe. On the way back, I felt dizzy and my back was cold."

Chu Lingxuan blamed himself, "You must have been scared by that woman. It's all my fault. I should have advised you to go to Yingxue Temple first."

Chen Ahfu smiled and said, "It's not serious. Just go home, drink a bowl of ginger soup and take a nap."

Chu Lingxuan told her to take a good rest, and if she was really not feeling well, to let someone tell him and he would go get a good doctor. Then he asked the driver to take the three of them back to Lu Garden.

When she got home, she saw Chen Ye, Chen Shi and Old Lady Chen sitting and talking in the upper room. Chen Ahfu greeted them and asked Aunt Mu to make her a bowl of ginger soup. She also told Ah Lu to take Dabao to bed because she was sick. She went back to the west wing, washed up, and quickly went to bed.

After drinking the ginger and sugar water brought by Aunt Mu, he covered himself with the quilt and fell into a deep sleep.

The disease came on violently, with a high fever. She didn't know how long she had been in a coma. She vaguely heard crying, especially the crying of several children, which was very shrill. She wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy and she couldn't open them. She could occasionally feel that there were other people in the room. Wang cried and fed her medicine, but she couldn't open her mouth...

Also, Jin Yanzi glared at her and yelled at her for being stupid, asking why she didn't go into the space first...

When she came to her senses, she saw Wang sitting beside her, wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

"Mom." she cried.

When Wang saw that she had woken up, she said happily, "Ahfu, you finally woke up. You scared me to death." She stood up and called Xiaoqing, "Quick, go to the upper room and tell Uncle Chen that Ahfu has woken up. Then send someone to Tangyuan to tell the old man and Lord Chu that Ahfu has woken up."

At this time, an old doctor with a white beard came into the room. Wang said that it was Doctor Huang, who was specially invited by Lord Chu from the capital and had been an imperial physician. He felt Chen Ahfu's pulse, gave her acupuncture, and said, "Miss Chen is fine. Take medicine for another half a month and she will be cured."

Soon, the sound of Chu Lingxuan and Doctor Huang talking came from outside the house. The doctor was introducing Chen Afu's condition, and Chu Lingxuan expressed his gratitude and said that he would accompany him back to Dingzhou Prefecture tomorrow.

After drinking the medicine, Chen Afu fell asleep again.

When I woke up again, I felt much more clear-headed. It was already the morning of the twelfth day of the first lunar month.

Wang said that she slept all night and did not wake up even when she was called. Her forehead was burning hot, and her family realized something was wrong. They were terrified and quickly asked the village doctor Yu to come and diagnose her. Doctor Yu gave her acupuncture and medicine, but her condition did not improve at all.

Chen Ming went to Tangyuan to ask for help from Lord Chu. Lord Chu rode to Dingzhou City overnight to invite Doctor Huang, saying that he was the best doctor in Dingzhou Prefecture. Lord Chu did not go to the yamen on the tenth day, waiting for news from Chen Afu. After learning that Chen Afu was fine yesterday, he returned to the prefecture with Doctor Huang...

There were also a few children, Dabao, Chu Xiaonv, and Alu. When they learned that Chen Afu was sick and couldn't go into the house, they all stood outside the door and cried. Especially Dabao, he didn't eat well or sleep well these days, and he lost a few pounds. Chu Hanyan was not much better. She came to Lu Garden every day. Since she couldn't go into the west wing, she went to the east wing and sat there stupidly. She obviously didn't like to talk, and she wasn't as smart as before...