"Not only Lord Cheng, but other gentlemen have also arrived," the servant reported again after glancing outside a few times.

Wen Yanche smiled and said to Lu Shiyi, "They must have come to visit you."

The servants were instructed to "Please come in, all of you."

Then, apart from Gu Nanshu, the other young men walked in one after another, all with smiles on their faces. Surprisingly, Chi Yan also came.

When Lu Shiyi saw Meng Xu, his expression darkened.

The husbands came over to offer their congratulations: "Congratulations to Lady Lu on the successful birth of the spirit pearl."

One doesn't hit a smiling face. Seeing everyone's congratulatory smiles, Lu Shiyi also put on a smile and invited everyone: "Thank you all, please have a seat."

She turned to look at Chi Yan and saw that he had a faint smile on his face and no malice whatsoever.

Chi Yan noticed his confusion, put down the gift, and said, "After the Lord and Consort gave birth, I went to see them. So naturally, I have to come and congratulate you on your birth."

I see.

"Thank you, Young Master Chi," Lu Shiyi said politely.

Chi Yan nodded slightly and sat down without saying anything more.

Vice Minister Ke initiated the conversation, "How is Your Excellency feeling? I heard you vomited blood before giving birth? How could that be?"

Hearing his question, Lu Shiyi glanced at his husbands, his gaze sweeping over the two vice ministers before turning to Chi Yan and finally settling on Meng Xu.

He suppressed his anger and said, "I've only heard some bad rumors. I don't know who I've offended that would make them spread such rumors about me."

Her words were light and casual, but her eyes were fixed on Meng Xu.

Upon hearing this, everyone except Meng Xu understood the situation.

Meng Xu felt his body stiffen, and immediately forced an unnatural smile, asking him politely, "What do you mean by this, Lord Lu? Who was saying something behind my back? I didn't hear anything."

Seeing that he denied it, Lu Shiyi questioned, "Did you really not hear me?" Too lazy to beat around the bush, he was too tired and weak to have the energy to argue or test him.

Who else could it be among those present!

These words have reached the main courtyard of Hehuan Pavilion, and who knows how they've spread outside.

"What did you hear?" Meng Xu asked, puzzled.

Lu Shiyi's eyes darkened instantly, and he was forced to recall the words of the servants: "The servants are all saying that I am the culprit who killed Consort Gu's eldest daughter. Others have already condemned me."

These words did not surprise the husbands, as they had obviously all heard about it to some extent, but since their lord had forbidden it from being spread, they simply pretended not to have heard it.

When Yuanshan told Chiyan, he was scolded, told that such things were baseless rumors, and ordered Yuanshan not to follow the crowd. He was told that everything would be investigated when Leng Qingning returned. He also stated that he didn't like gossip and forbade the servants of Tingfeng Pavilion from mentioning the matter again.

Meng Xu, on the other hand, looked completely bewildered. His lord had not yet convicted him, and he himself was in doubt. Who had convicted Lu Shiyi?

He immediately denied it, saying, "I have never heard such words!"

Upon hearing the word "never," Lu Shiyi's anger flared up and he could no longer suppress it. Even now, he was still pretending to be ignorant in front of him.

I almost died just now!

Even the most patient and composed person could not contain their rage at this moment, so they called out his name to make their point clear.

“Meng Xu, you're the one who accused me of harming Gu Nanshu, aren't you? You're also the one who confronted me aggressively in my courtyard, aren't you? Even though I vehemently denied it, you didn't believe me at all. Now that things have come to this, you still won't admit it! The entire Langya Prefecture is slandering me, Lu Shiyi, behind my back, and you're still pretending you know nothing?”

"What did you say?" Meng Xu was about to explode when he heard this.

His words made Meng Xu lose his composure, teetering on the edge of frustration and anger.

Seeing that Lu Shiyi's emotions were fluctuating too much, Wen Yanche was worried that he would hurt himself, so he comforted him: "Shiyi, talk things out, don't get agitated."

The other two husbands looked embarrassed; they couldn't afford to be so angry right after the birth.

They all advised him, "Serving the emperor, take care of your health and don't be impatient."

Lu Shiyi and Meng Xu's eyes met in a furious exchange. Ignoring the advice of others, Lu Shiyi grew increasingly angry, his eyes practically spitting fire. He finally broke the ice and sneered at Meng Xu: "Meng Xu, stop pretending. Those who spread rumors pretend not to know. Do you think everyone else is stupid?"

Meng Xu was suddenly called out, and he laughed in anger. He hadn't heard any gossip in his courtyard, at most people said that Lu Shiyi went to Wangyue Pavilion that day and left, and didn't visit Gu Nanshu afterward.

How could I possibly accept this dirty water!

"Ha, so you mean? It was I who convicted you? It was I who instructed the servants to frame you for murdering your eldest daughter? That's why you vomited blood before giving birth, and it's all my fault?"

"Otherwise what?" Lu Shiyi sneered.

"You..." Meng Xu was speechless.

Seeing that Meng Xu was getting angry, Wen Yanche quickly reminded him, "Lord Cheng, he has just given birth and his body is still weak. You'd better control your emotions and think carefully before you speak."

He added, "He just went through a life-or-death ordeal, so it's understandable that he's feeling upset. How can you hold a grudge against him?"

“My lord…” Meng Xu was awakened by Wen Yanche’s words, and the anger in his heart subsided in an instant. With a wronged expression on his face, he told the other party, “My lord, he framed me. I… I did not say anything bad about him!”

To his surprise, Lu Shiyi chuckled and said, "Wasn't it you who went to the Lord's side to spread rumors that I had sneaked away?"

This time, Meng Xu didn't argue back. When it came to this, he admitted that he was the one who had informed on him.

At this moment, Lu Shiyi's face was still pale. Meng Xu looked up at Lingzhu and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She pursed her lips, unwilling to argue with him any further.

Seeing this, the two husbands quickly tried to smooth things over. Zhi Xian advised, "My lord, it's good to talk things out. Since Cheng Shijun said it wasn't him, please don't be angry anymore."

Vice Minister Ke chimed in, “Yes, we have too many servants in our mansion. Out of more than 100,000 people, 70,000 to 80,000 are male servants. With so many servants gathered together, it’s inevitable that they will gossip. What do servants know? They just spread rumors and believe whatever they hear. They’re all just empty talk without any evidence. You’ve just given birth to Lingzhu, so you need to take good care of yourself. We don’t believe any of that. Don’t overthink it.”

Hearing what the two said, Lu Shiyi felt a little better. "I understand. Thank you both."

The atmosphere eased, and Chi Yan moved his stiff back. Hearing the other men arguing made him feel uncomfortable and restless. He stretched his back and walked towards the spirit pearl to observe it carefully.

A hint of curiosity and longing unconsciously crept into his eyes.

Meng Xu glanced at Chi Yan. Normally, he would have said something sarcastic, but he didn't have the energy to argue with him today.

Wen Yanche glanced over, and Meng Xu immediately looked away and sat up obediently, his expression clearly saying: I didn't want to cause trouble.

Wen Yanche shifted his gaze to Chi Yan, his deep eyes filled with inquiry.