Chapter 215 My God, what kind of bewitching porridge is this?

Shen Chu was so startled that she almost dropped the scallion chicken in her hand.

"Why did you suddenly have this idea, Aunt?"

Aunt Qiao pulled Chen Chu to sit down, her smile as bright as that of a young girl experiencing her first love.

Excited and shy, yet unable to resist the gentle caress of spring.

"Ah Chu, the Marquis said he wants to find an auspicious day to officially recognize me as his wife, and from now on you will be the eldest son of the Marquis's family."

Ah, no, she's the eldest daughter now.

To promote someone to the top position?

Shen Chu frowned slightly, "You and the Marquis..."

Aunt Qiao blushed and covered her face with her hands, her joy barely concealed.

"Yes, Lord Marquis and I have reconciled."

Shen Chu was surprised.

"Doesn't Auntie find him dirty?"

"Oh dear, that incident was all Chen's fault. The Marquis was drugged and had no choice but to comply."

The Marquis was extremely remorseful about this matter.

Aunt Qiao was like a lovestruck young girl who had just fallen in love, eager to share her joy with her family.

"During your time in Changsha, the Marquis saw that I was worried about you and couldn't eat or drink all day, so he took me out for a walk to clear my head."

We traveled to many places near the capital, and along the way, we saw mountains, rivers, stars, and the moon.

The Marquis told me historical anecdotes, poems, and philosophical stories; it felt like we were back to when we first met many years ago.

Chen Chu rubbed her temples. "And then? Auntie forgot everything that happened before?"

Aunt Qiao shook her head, but her voice lowered, clearly lacking confidence.

"How could that be? I remember what you told me, Ah Chu."

But on the day I passed through Tongzhou, I suddenly fell ill and had a high fever for two whole days, almost dying.

The Marquis stayed by my side day and night, never leaving my side, taking care of me.

On the third night, my fever finally broke, and I suddenly felt very hungry and wanted to eat something.

The Marquis personally cooked me a bowl of plain porridge, leaving him covered in soot and looking utterly disheveled.

Shen Chu was utterly speechless. "Just because of a bowl of plain porridge? A bowl of plain porridge without a single shred of meat, fish, or shrimp?"

Good heavens, what kind of magic potion is this? It moved my aunt, who is used to eating delicacies, to such a state.

"With so much silver in your hands, you could easily throw some away and find someone willing to cook you porridge, even if it's the middle of the night or a snowstorm with knives falling."

Aunt Qiao frowned, clearly disagreeing with Shen Chu's words.

"He's a marquis who's been pampered since childhood. When has he ever done this kind of servant work?"

Not only does he not know how much water to add to a certain amount of rice, he has never even been inside a kitchen.

He was willing to do all these things for me.

You say those who used silver to buy their way in are only after my money; how can that compare to the Marquis's true feelings for me?

Shen Chu chuckled, "How do you know the Marquis isn't after your money?"

Aunt Qiao was a little annoyed. "You shouldn't always be so suspicious of the Marquis. He's not that kind of person."

"Our trip here, with all the food, drinks, and entertainment, was paid for by the Marquis; he didn't spend a penny of my money."

Shen Chu raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"That's even more suspicious. Where did he get the money? Could it be from some shady means?"

Aunt Qiao reached out and patted Chen Chu.

"What nonsense are you talking about? It was all the savings that the old lady had accumulated over the years that she gave to the Marquis."

Shen Chu chuckled, "So it was the old lady's money. Tsk tsk, the Marquis has had a really easy life."

He either spends his wife's money or his parents' money. What do you want from a man like that, Auntie?

Or are you after his inability to support a family, or his cunning and treacherous nature?

Aunt Qiao was a little angry.

"No one is perfect, and even if the Marquis made mistakes before, I believe he has genuinely changed now."

Besides, we're family. He treats me sincerely, so I can't keep dwelling on what happened before, can I?

He is, after all, your father, Chu. Let's forget the unpleasant past and live happily ever after, won't we?"

Shen Chu felt a headache coming on.

I've heard that you can see a man's true colors best when you travel.

Aunt Qiao, on the other hand, returned after being away for half a month with only Marquis Changning on her mind.

"Does the concubine want to live with the Marquis, so she wants to tell him about my disguise as a man?"

Aunt Qiao nodded, "There was no other way but to have you dress as a man back then. At that time, the Marquis had no sons, and I was afraid that Chen would take away his favor."

Now that Lady Chen is gone, and the Marquis wants to elevate me to the position of legitimate wife, I really can't bear to keep this matter a secret from him any longer.

Shen Chu looked suspicious. "Has Auntie already hinted at this to him?"

Aunt Qiao's eyes flickered slightly.

"No...no, this is a big deal. I haven't even discussed it with you yet. How can I tell him first?"

Chen Chu's heart sank slightly. "Auntie, this matter is of great importance. I want to hear the truth."

Aunt Qiao quickly waved her hand, "I really didn't..."

Under Shen Chu's calm gaze, her voice grew softer and softer.

"On the day the Marquis cooked porridge for me, I was moved and reconciled with him."

Later, the Marquis expressed his feelings to me, saying that he would make me his official wife when he returned to the capital, and that he would live with me alone from then on.

Ah Chu, you know, when I first fell in love, I only liked Lord Hou.

Over the years, all I've thought about and longed for is him; all I want is to spend my life with him, as one and only.

Now that my wish has finally come true, I am naturally extremely excited and only want to be completely honest with the Marquis, with no secrets between us.”

Chen Chu's heart sank to the bottom. "So what?"

Aunt Shen quickly waved her hand and whispered:

"But don't worry, I know what's important, and I didn't directly say that you were dressed as a man."

I only mentioned that I had something important to tell him about you in a few days, and that I wanted him to prepare himself mentally.

Shen Chu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that you didn't say it directly.

She grasped Aunt Qiao's hand and said solemnly:

“Aunt, listen to me, don’t tell the Marquis about this for now.”

Aunt Qiao frowned. "The Marquis is now treating me with all his heart. How can I continue to hide it from him?"

She looked at Shen Chushang's flat stomach and said, "I'm doing this for your own good. The baby in your belly is almost three months along."

Three months later, the child grew very fast. Although the loose court robes could cover it up, I estimated that it could only be concealed for six or seven months at most.

If it's discovered that you're a woman disguised as a man entering the court, we'll all lose our heads.

"Why not take advantage of the early stages of pregnancy and be honest with the Marquis, then ask him to help us find a way to cover it up? What do you say?"

Shen Chu firmly disagreed, but she also knew that Aunt Qiao's mind was completely occupied with the Marquis of Changning, so there was no way to reason with her.

At this moment, Hongxiu called out from outside, "Young master, the Marquis has sent someone to ask you to go to his study to see him."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Chen Chu held Aunt Qiao's hand and said, "Aunt, now is not a good time to talk about this. I'll tell you the details when I get back."

Remember this: without my permission, you must never reveal my identity to anyone, including the Marquis, understand?

Aunt Qiao pursed her lips, her expression hesitant.

"Alright, I understand. Go to the study to find the Marquis first, don't let it interfere with important matters."

Oh, and bring the scallion oil chicken with you; the Marquis loves it too.

Shen Chu went to the study to see Marquis Changning.

The two hadn't seen each other for many days, and she thought he would first talk about Aunt Qiao's promotion to the rank of official wife. However, the first thing Marquis Changning said was so shocking that Shen Chu almost threw the scallion chicken in her hand at his face.