Chapter 25 The Dead General Returns 7
"Doctor Wang, why does my back hurt so much? I can't even get up."
"Ah, when I took the general's pulse just now, I found that he had suffered a very serious injury three years ago, which damaged his bones, but he did not recover properly."
In addition, General, you have likely been poisoned, and this poison will affect your fertility, making it difficult for you to have children in the future.
Cheng Shaowu was shocked: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! My woman gave birth to twins more than two years ago! How could it affect our ability to have children?"
"I am skilled in orthopedics, but I also have some knowledge of poisons. You were given a drug that would kill your offspring more than three years ago. It is impossible to have children after taking that kind of drug."
Moreover, the general's leg could have been healed, but I don't know why it turned out like this..."
A leg that could have been cured became a cripple, and after being given a drug that would prevent him from having children, he actually gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. So where exactly did the problem lie?
Ning Yan was also quite curious about where the two children came from. After all, her medicine was unlikely to have any side effects, and the two children didn't look the same as in her previous life.
However, these are not the main points right now.
"Imperial Physician Wang, can you cure the general's poison? And why can't the general move his back?"
Cheng Shaowu: A concubine is just a concubine. She is not as sensible as the principal wife. Of all the people in the house, only the wife still cares about his health.
Physician Wang waved his hand helplessly, "I am powerless to help the general's back. You should find someone more skilled."
Cheng Shaowu could easily understand the implication in Physician Wang's words: he might be bedridden for the rest of his life!
He was unwilling to accept it, how could he possibly accept it?! He clearly had a bright future ahead of him, but a war severely wounded him, leaving him lame. Fortunately, he still had his military merits and his official position, but now he was paralyzed!
"Go, go fetch a doctor! Bring me any doctor with even a little reputation! Go and fetch them!"
For the next two weeks, doctors frequently visited the general's residence, but none of them could cure Cheng Shaowu's injuries.
When the already partially paralyzed old lady learned that her son was also paralyzed, she took her anger out on Bai Rong'er, calling her over every day to teach her rules.
She was made to do whatever was dirty work, and every day she was so exhausted that she would fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Her two children felt sorry for their mother and secretly cursed the old lady. When her head maid heard this, the two children were also called over to be disciplined.
The children couldn't do much, so the old lady made them kneel for more than an hour. The children, who were just over two years old and not yet three, couldn't bear it. Bai Rong'er was afraid that the children would get hurt from kneeling, so she ran to Cheng Shaowu's bedside and begged him.
Previously, Cheng Shaowu was so focused on curing his own illness that he completely forgot about Bai Rong'er and her two children. Moreover, in just a few days, how did the once pretty and lively Bai Rong'er become like this, so thin she looked like a ghost!
"My husband, I beg you. You said that bringing me back would allow me to enjoy wealth and luxury, and that our children would receive the best education. You said you would cherish them and hold them in the palm of your hand."
It's one thing that you promised to ask the Emperor to grant you the title of concubine but failed to do so, but now I'm being tormented by the old lady every day. My two children are being punished by the old lady to kneel in the ancestral hall just because they said one wrong word.
They're not even three years old yet! Their legs will be ruined from kneeling! Husband, please speak up for the children, okay? I'll definitely keep a closer eye on them from now on and won't let them offend the old lady again.”
Cheng Shaowu narrowed his eyes; Bai Rong'er's crying irritated him.
But he still decided to visit his elderly mother at Rongshou Nursing Home.
When the old lady saw her son being carried away, she burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. "My son, whatever suffering you have, I, your mother, will bear it all. Why is God doing this to my son..."
After crying for a while, the old lady finally stopped. By then, Cheng Shaowu had someone help him sit up. The old lady advised him, "Son, you must not give up. You see, when I was in trouble because of you, I was so angry that I collapsed on the bed and couldn't even speak properly. But because your wife took good care of me, my condition has improved a lot."
If you persevere, your illness might get better someday.
Moreover, your wife gave birth to an outstanding son, who is the hope of our family.
Xun'er has been taken away by Grand Tutor Hu to study abroad. When you returned, your wife had already sent someone to deliver a message to the child, so he should be back soon.
Seeing him makes all your worries disappear.
So why do you still care about those illegitimate sons and daughters?
Bai Rong'er was so anxious that she wanted to interrupt several times, but she didn't get a chance.
Fortunately, Cheng Shaowu finally remembered the two children. "Mother, have someone bring the two children over."
The old lady knew he was worried about those two bastard children; after all, they were her own grandchildren. So she didn't make things difficult for him and ordered her personal maid to go and fetch them.
The two children were brought over crying, their faces covered in tears and snot. The old lady turned her head away in disgust, saying, "My dear grandson wasn't this slovenly when he was this age, even though they're less than a year apart."
When Chengxun was a little over two years old, he wouldn't let the maids hold him anymore, saying that men and women shouldn't touch each other. He acted like a little adult all day long, and spoke very seriously. He could recite the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic after hearing them only once. Grand Tutor Hu liked him very much.
These two are far inferior to her grandson!
Cheng Shaowu had no interest in listening to his mother's nagging; his eyes were fixed on his two children.
"Someone, bring me a mirror."
The Great Jin Dynasty traded with various countries, and among the goods arriving from the sea were expensive glass mirrors. Only wealthy families could afford these, so the general's mansion naturally had plenty.
The maid quickly brought over a long dressing mirror, about a foot long, used by women, and placed it in front of Cheng Shaowu.
Cheng Shaowu glanced in the mirror, then at his two children, and suddenly realized that they looked nothing like him!
He has a high nose, thin lips, and almond-shaped eyes, but his two children have flat noses, thick lips, triangular eyes, and slightly droopy corners of their eyes.
Bai Rong'er had a strange, bad feeling.
"Husband, what are you looking at? Xin'er, Yuan'er, go and pay your respects to your father. Didn't you say you missed him before? What's wrong with you today?"
With a "bang," the dressing mirror in Cheng Shaowu's hand was smashed to the ground. "Bai Rong'er, you bitch, you actually cheated on me! Tell me, whose children are these two little bastards?"
"Wow~ Mommy, I'm so scared!"
"Husband, what are you saying? You've frightened the two children."
"Don't call me husband, you disgust me. Tell me, whose children are these two? If you don't tell me, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
The old lady was startled at first, then her face darkened. "I was wondering why these two children didn't seem close to me. Turns out they're not my son's children!"
"Son, she won't talk if you ask her like that. Guards, drag this wretched woman out and beat her until she tells the truth!"
Cheng Shaowu was panting heavily, but he did not object to his mother's decision. Soon, the sound of a cane being struck could be heard in the courtyard.
The two children were so frightened that they didn't even dare to cry, especially after the maid gave them a thorough fright.
Bai Rong'er couldn't hold on any longer. "I'll tell you! The child is Sun Erqiang's."
Cheng Shaowu wanted to get out of bed and hit someone, but he couldn't even move. He could only sit on the bed and curse, "You bitch!"
Then, everything went black and he fainted again.
When he woke up, six hours had passed. There was only a servant by his bedside. "General, you've finally woken up."
"Where is Madam?"
The servant hurriedly said, "The Duke of Zhenguo has returned, and the Madam is taking care of him. I will go and inform the Madam right away."
It took Cheng Shaowu a while to realize that his eldest son had inherited the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion and was now a Duke with a title. His child had finally returned, and he wanted to see what kind of good child his mother had been talking about.
Soon, footsteps came from outside the bedroom, and Ning Yan's figure soon appeared in his sight. Beside her was a young boy dressed in brocade robes, wearing a jade crown, and with a face as handsome as jade.
"You may all leave. I will be fine here."
Cheng Shaowu's eyes lit up when he saw the child. This child was extraordinary at first glance, and he immediately had the idea of testing his knowledge.
But Ning Yan didn't give him that chance at all.
“General, after you fainted yesterday, the old lady had Bai Rong’er beaten to death, and those two children were thrown out of the manor by the old lady. I advised her that no matter whether they were your biological children or not, they would still have to call you father. Why be so heartless?”
Cheng Shaowu's face darkened. "Those are two illegitimate children! Are they just meant to annoy this general? No, they should be killed outright!"
Fortunately, he still has a legitimate son, otherwise, with his body being given a drug that would prevent him from having children and paralyzed, he would really have no heir in this lifetime!
Ning Yan: "Weren't they always illegitimate children? Why does the General seem to be finding out just now!"
If a child is conceived through illicit intercourse without a matchmaker, what else could it be but an illegitimate child
Oh, no, that's not right either. They are the most wicked of all wicked children, practically the fighter jets among wicked children!
Cheng Shaowu understood the veiled sarcasm in Ning Yan's words, and his expression became extremely distorted.
Thinking of her and her mother's situation, she suppressed her anger and beckoned to her eldest son, "Xun'er, come here and let your father take a look."
Ning Yan was overjoyed to see his constantly changing expressions and decided to strike while the iron was hot!
She chuckled softly, "Father? Doesn't he even know what kind of person he is? How could he possibly have given birth to such an outstanding child as Xun'er?"
"Ning family, what do you mean?"
"Isn't what I said clear enough? Xun'er isn't your child, but don't worry, in the eyes of outsiders he is your legitimate son. Xun'er's existence has been a great help to you, otherwise people would be laughing at you!"
Of course, they've been laughing quite a bit lately.
What happened in the manor has spread far and wide. Now everyone's saying that you, General Cheng, are a fool!
Of course, she was the one who sent these messages out. Anyway, she wasn't the one who would be embarrassed, so she didn't feel guilty at all.
Cheng Shaowu was so angry his eyes turned black, and he almost fainted again. "You bitch!"
"Slap!" A loud slap landed on Cheng Shaowu's face, followed by another. Ning Yan's hands didn't stop; she didn't want to hurt her own hands at all. No one knew when she had taken out a paddle specifically for slapping people's faces, and she slapped them loudly with each "slap, slap, slap!"
She only stopped when she had had her fill of hitting. "You still have the nerve to curse? You promised me that you would never take a concubine after marrying me, and that you would be with me for life. But you turned around and brought in a concubine instead. I did all this because of you!"
"You slut! Who is that adulterer? I'll tear him to pieces!"
"Xun'er, today your mother will teach you another lesson: never make threats when you don't know who your opponent is, or you'll be proven wrong!"
"You...you're afraid to speak? No problem, this general will find out soon enough!"
Ning Yan: "That's too much trouble. I'll just tell you. Xun'er's father is named Yuan Jingchen. Go and tear him to pieces!"
She had told Chengxun about this long ago. Although it was not a good thing to say about his background, his father was the emperor, so who would dare to say anything?
"Very well, this general will immediately send men to arrest him! Yuan..." Yuan Jingchen? Isn't that the name of the current emperor?
Looking at the child in front of me, I hadn't noticed before, but now I see that he looks five or six parts like the emperor.
Cheng Shaowu coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted again.
Ning Yan took her son's hand without changing her expression. "Xun'er, go back to your room and rest first. Be sure to go to the Grand Tutor's mansion for class on time tomorrow. We can't stay in this shabby general's mansion for much longer."
"Xun'er remembers, Mother should rest early too."
The young boy bowed and then left. Xiangluan, who was outside the door, followed him and escorted him back to his own courtyard before returning herself.
Just then, Su Yang returned from Rongshou Courtyard. "Miss, the old lady has already informed us that the doctor said she has at most another year to live."
She looks alright on the outside, but if she eats a variety of rich and varied dishes every day, and if she gets too much stimulation, she might just die of a heart attack.
“A year is too long. She’s feeling stifled living in this shabby general’s mansion. Let’s increase her food intake.”
It was perfectly reasonable for Cheng Shaowu to follow the old lady in grief after her death.
Oh, right, I haven't told the old lady yet that her beloved eldest grandson is the emperor's own son. The emperor's son has been calling her grandmother for several years. What an honor that is! She must be overjoyed!
arrange!
Now the entire general's mansion is under her control, and she holds all the servants' indentures. Even if someone dares to speak ill of her, no one outside will believe them.
After all, her public image had been firmly established over the past four years. Even if she had an affair, had a child with him, made her mother-in-law sick, and tried to kill her husband, she was still the most virtuous and filial daughter-in-law in the capital of Jin.
It has to be said, that scoundrel is incredibly resilient. He was so angry that he vomited blood, and they didn't even give him any medicine. Yet, Cheng Shaowu miraculously recovered after just one night and was even able to speak again.
Upon waking up, she immediately started demanding to see Ning Yan.
Ning Yan wouldn't pay him any attention; she just went about her business.
The Emperor arrived that very night.
"Why do you have to humiliate yourself like this? He even had the nerve to say he wanted to marry a concubine before. I was so angry that I almost had him torn apart by five horses."
"He's done enough foolish things already, so just divorce him. I promise no one will criticize you."
Ning Yan sat motionless in her chair, casually glancing at the man. "After the divorce? Will I marry you? I'm not going to go to the palace to suffer that kind of treatment."
Yuan Jingchen felt his blood rush to his head again, and his head was buzzing!
This woman has a really hard heart. He gave her plenty of good things, humbled himself before her, and even offered her the position of a concubine. But when he asked her to divorce him, she turned her back on him!
The name Xue Zhenzhen was misspelled earlier; it has now been changed to Bai Rong'er.
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(End of this chapter)
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