Shen's first child was born with difficulty, and it was like a near-death experience.

Thinking back to the past ten years ago, she felt that it was almost like something from her past life. "At that time, I thought that it was all over, and I didn't want you to worry about it in vain, so I didn't tell you."

"It is said that giving birth is like walking through the gates of life and death. At that time, I was in pain for two days and two nights before I gave birth to Sister Huang. When Sister Huang was just born, her cry was very loud. The midwife said that I gave birth to a girl. I wanted to see the baby, but I couldn't hold it anymore. I closed my eyes and fainted..."

Lady Mu opened her eyes slightly and interrupted her: "Did you faint?"

"Yes." Shen nodded and gave her mother a comforting smile. "I saw my grandmother when I was unconscious. She told me that I was not ready yet and pushed me back."

"When I opened my eyes, I realized that I had been in a coma for a whole day and night due to severe postpartum hemorrhage."

She was injured during her first pregnancy, so she took many years to recover. Only then did she become pregnant with Chu Yunmu again.

The wife of Duke Mu loved her daughter dearly, so she sent a midwife who was both knowledgeable in medicine and skilled in midwifery to take care of her. The birth of her second child went very smoothly, and now, Chu Yunmu has grown up healthy and strong.

Thinking of her brother Mu, Shen couldn't help but curl her lips, and comforted Lady Mu, saying, "Mother, why are you talking about these old things? Am I not fine now?"

The wife of Duke Mu said nothing. She lowered her eyes and stared at the tea leaves floating in the teacup, as if she was lost in thought.

At first, she only knew from the third daughter Shen Wan that her eldest daughter had a difficult delivery and suffered heavy bleeding with her first child, and she almost died. But this was the first time she heard that she was in a coma for a day and a night after giving birth.

After a while, the wife of Duke Mu raised her head again and looked at Shen, seeming to be hesitant to speak, as if she was hesitating, a little entangled, and as if she was worried about something.

Lady Mu opened her lips slightly and was about to say something, but at this moment, the door curtain was lifted and a maid hurried in and said, "Madam, the Princess of Jing County is here."

The wife of Duke Mu raised her eyebrows, with a hint of surprise on her face.

She didn't know Shen Wan would come today, and she had originally planned to have a good talk with her eldest daughter.

Of course, she couldn't order the three women to leave, so she asked someone to bring Shen Wan over.

After a cup of tea, Shen Wan was led into the side room by a maid. She was wearing a lilac skirt, her hair was tied up in a simple bun, and she only wore a red gold hairpin inlaid with eight treasures. She was dressed very casually.

Her face was slightly pale and her expression was gloomy. When her eyes met her mother and elder sister, she smiled and called out, "Mother, elder sister."

Lady Mu could see that Shen Wan was worried, but she didn't rush to ask. She waved to Gu Zhiyan beside her, "Qiniang, come here quickly!"

Gu Zhiyan tightly grasped the hem of Shen Wan's skirt with one hand, clinging to Shen Wan like a little tail.

The little girl had a flawless fair face, delicate features, and looked as delicate as a porcelain doll. However, her eyes were dull and she seemed oblivious to the call from the wife of Duke Mu.

Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling heartbroken.

Shen Wan gently patted Gu Zhiyan's shoulder and said patiently, "Qiniang, your grandmother is calling you."

Gu Zhiyan remained indifferent.

In the end, it was Shen Wan who personally handed Gu Zhiyan's hand to the wife of Duke Mu.

Lady Mu said distressedly, "Awan, didn't you ask Taoist Xuanjing to perform a ritual on Qi Niang? The last time I saw Qi Niang, she was clearly much better. Why is she now..."

The last time Shen Wan brought Gu Zhiyan to the Duke's Mansion, Gu Zhiyan would clearly respond to her calls and call her grandma, but now it seems like she has returned to her previous state, dull and dazed.

Shen Wan got angry when she heard Xuan Jing's name, and pouted her lips and said, "Don't mention Taoist Xuan Jing, I think he is just a charlatan!"

Ever since Taoist Xuan Jing performed a ritual for Gu Zhiyan for the second time, Gu Zhiyan's condition not only did not improve, but instead got worse...For this reason, Shen Wan was so worried that she couldn't sleep at night.

"..." Shen stared at Gu Zhiyan blankly, as if thinking about something.

Shen Wan rubbed her brows and changed the subject: "Mother, I want to go back to the Duke's Mansion to stay for a few days."

Lady Mu frowned, and her first reaction was -

"Did you have a quarrel with your son-in-law?"

Shen Wan waved her hand and said unhappily: "Don't mention it, it's just that Mei family!"

The wife of Duke Mu and Shen were both shocked.

They all knew that Mei was the concubine that Prince Jing kept before his wedding.

Prince Jing was young and frivolous. He was the second son in the family, and no one expected him to inherit the throne. When he was young, his family indulged him a little. He did a lot of ridiculous things before he was sixteen or seventeen years old, and Mei was just one of them.

Later, his father and brother died unexpectedly, and he suddenly became the heir to the title and grew up overnight.

When Prince Jing came to the Duke's Mansion to propose marriage, he promised to completely break off all ties with the Mei family. Only then did the wife of Duke Mu agree to the marriage.

Prince Jing sent Mei away as he had promised and gave her a sum of money. After marriage, he and Shen Wan loved each other deeply and did not keep concubines.

The wife of Duke Mu was originally very satisfied with her third son-in-law. However, no one expected that Mei would return to the capital a few years later and steal Gu Zhiyan away...

The wife of Duke Mu twirled the Buddhist beads in her hand and silently recited Buddhist verses in her heart.

Shen asked, "What evil has Mei done again?"

After taking a sip of tea, Shen Wan sneered, "I have never seen a mother so cruel. She abandoned a seven or eight-year-old boy in Jingzhao Prefecture, saying that he was the prince's concubine. Now all the imperial censors have heard the news and at least seven or eight memorials impeaching the prince have been sent to the imperial study in just half a day."

Speaking of the Mei family, Shen Wan's expression contained a bit of disdain, a bit of sarcasm, a bit of resentment, and a bit of anger towards Prince Jing.

Shen Wan was the legitimate daughter of the Duke's family, while Mei was just a singing girl. There was a huge difference between the two, so Shen Wan never took Mei seriously. She knew that it was impossible for Prince Jing to be open with Mei.

People have to look forward. All she needs is for Prince Jing to have her in his heart.

It was not until the Mid-Autumn Festival last year that Mei kidnapped Gu Zhiyan.

When Prince Jing's mansion looked for Gu Zhiyan, she was frightened. Not only was her face disfigured, but she also suffered from amnesia. Shen Wan hated Prince Jing for the sake of her daughter.

The couple had been in a cold war for more than half a year, until recently when Gu Zhiyan's face was healed and her amnesia showed signs of improvement, the couple began to reconcile.

Shen Wan curled her lips and said sarcastically, "Mother, elder sister, the palace is very lively now. My brothers and sisters and aunts have all come to visit and show their concern for me..."

Shen Wan knew very well that these women were here to make fun of her, and she simply didn't bother to pay any attention to them.

"If he doesn't take care of this matter, don't even think about me taking Qi Niang back!"

After she spoke to the two of them as if to vent her anger, she felt much better all over and felt a little thirsty, so she picked up a piece of melon with a toothpick and ate it.

Lady Mu: "..."

She looked at Shen Wan with a complicated expression, feeling speechless, and sighed in her heart: Her daughter, is already 25 years old, and has been married for so many years, but she still has the same explosive temper as when she was a girl... Well, it's because of the prince's spoiling her.

Lady Mu, who was thinking only of her daughter, advised softly, "Your son-in-law cares about you, but you can't really be so hands-off and get angry with him. Husbands and wives should always support and understand each other in order to move forward."

Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, knew the situation clearly and would advise Shen Wan in this way, but she would not advise Shen Zhi in the same way.

Although the third son-in-law, Prince Jing, did some inappropriate things when he was young, he still had Shen Wan in his heart, and he felt guilty towards his wife for it, so it didn't matter if Shen Wan had a little temper on a daily basis.

And Chu Lingxiao...

This person is rotten from the inside out. There is no hope for him unless he changes his core.

Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, picked up the teacup and took another sip of tea. She felt more and more that the matter of appointing a crown prince for the Marquis' Mansion should be done as soon as possible.

Shen Wan stuck out her tongue and acted coquettishly to her mother, "Mom, I'm not really leaving for this. It's just a child, I can just leave him here, the palace doesn't lack a pair of chopsticks."

"Qiniang hasn't been feeling well lately. I was upset, so I took her back to her parents' home to relax."

Gu Zhiyan sat next to the wife of Duke Mu and played with her Buddhist beads, twisting them one by one, as if she could do this single action forever.

If you don’t know, others will just think that this is a quiet and elegant girl.

My daughter will definitely get better. Shen Wan said to herself in her heart, and her mood improved a little. She turned her eyes to Shen who was sitting on the other side and teased, "Big sister, why are you here today? Are you coming to stay for a while too?"

She had just said it casually, but after she really said it, there was a hint of hope in her expression. If only her elder sister agreed to stay at the Duke's Mansion for a few days, they could lie on the same couch and chat until dawn like they did in the boudoir.

Shen Shi saw what Shen Wan was thinking at a glance, and laughed, "I brought Sister Chen here to pay her respects to mother."

As she spoke, she glanced at the kettle on the table and said, "Mother, it's getting late. We should go back. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will come to propose marriage tomorrow."

Shen then ordered a maid to call Chu Qianchen back.

"Big sister, you just came here not long ago, why are you leaving now?" Shen Wan said tenderly, "Isn't it just a betrothal? Anyway, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Rites will take care of it."

Shen Wan felt that her elder sister was too kind to this concubine's daughter. Never mind, she was just a concubine's daughter, and it was her good fortune to be able to make her elder sister happy.

Shen Wan diligently took a piece of melon and fed it to Shen, looking at her with a smile.

Shen swallowed the melon and slowly wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. Then she teased her sister in a joking tone, "Third sister, when Sister Chen comes, should she call you Third Aunt or Cousin-in-law?"

Shen Wan: “…”

Shen Wan opened her mouth slightly, speechless.

She actually started to think about this question: Yes, will Chu Qianchen be her sister-in-law or niece in the future?

Before she could figure out what was going on, Miss Shen came back with Chu Qianchen.

When Shen Wan saw the cousins ​​enter the house, she suddenly had an idea and said to Shen with a smile: "Don't worry, wait until she gets married!"

Anyway, Chu Qianchen is not the Princess of Chen yet, so she should call herself Third Aunt.

At this moment, Gu Zhiyan, who was originally sitting peacefully on the Arhat bed, suddenly jumped up and pounced towards Chu Qianchen like a nimble puppy, and an unusually bright light bloomed in those dull and lifeless eyes.

"elder sister!"

Gu Zhiyan crossed her arms and hugged Chu Qianchen's slender waist. She rubbed her little face against Chu Qianchen, as if leaving her scent, and then raised her little face to look at Chu Qianchen.

Lady Mu: "..."

Shen Wan: “…”

Miss Shen: “…”

Everyone was shocked and stared at the scene in amazement.

"County Lady." Chu Qianchen rubbed the soft top of Gu Zhiyan's head and allowed Shen Wan to look at her gracefully.

Gu Zhiyan responded by rubbing Chu Qianchen's waist affectionately with her cheek again.

Shen Wan could hardly bear to watch this scene. She couldn't tell whether she was ashamed or surprised. Perhaps, she was also a little jealous. Qi Niang was not so intimate to her as a mother!

Chu Qianchen extended his right hand to Gu Zhiyan and said concisely: "Give me your hand!"

Gu Zhiyan obediently handed his left hand to her, and then held it tightly.

The big and the small walked hand in hand to the wife of Duke Mu.

“Grandmother.” Chu Qianchen knelt down and bowed to the wife of Duke Mu.

So, Gu Zhiyan also bowed like her, "Grandma." Her small and soft right hand was still holding Chu Qianchen's hand.

The wife of Duke Mu came back to her senses at this moment, and her mood became even more complicated. She smiled lovingly and said, "Good children, they are all good children!"

She couldn't help but look at Shen next to her, and then she noticed that Shen was not surprised at all, as if she had known for a long time that Gu Zhiyan liked Chu Qianchen.

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Shen Wan felt relieved when she saw her daughter coming back to life. She then had the mood to take a look at Chu Qianchen and discovered that her phoenix eyes were somewhat similar to those of her elder sister.

"Third aunt." Chu Qianchen naturally saw Shen Wan as well and greeted her.

Gu Zhiyan saluted in unison with her, "Mother."

This scene made Lady Mu and Shen laugh out loud, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became cheerful.

"Qiniang, come here." Shen Wan waved at Gu Zhiyan with a smile.

However, she was responded with silence.

Gu Zhiyan just looked up at Chu Qianchen, as if he didn't hear anything.

Seeing this, Aunt Rong stepped forward, leaned over and took Gu Zhiyan's right hand, and said softly: "County Lady, the second Miss Chu is going back to the Marquis' Mansion with your aunt..."

Madam Rong wanted to persuade Gu Zhiyan to let go of Chu Qianchen's hand. However, her words were like stepping on a cat's tail. Gu Zhiyan, who had been calm, suddenly became furious.

"Sister won't leave!" Gu Zhiyan forcefully pulled her hand out of Rong Mama's hand, turned around, hugged Chu Qianchen's waist, and buried her little face in her.

"Sister won't leave! Sister won't leave!"

Gu Zhiyan repeated these four words over and over again, becoming more and more excited, and his voice becoming more and more shrill.

"Qiniang..." Shen Wan was frightened and quickly stood up.

Chu Qianchen was afraid that Gu Zhiyan would hurt him, so he touched her head and comforted her, "Okay, I won't leave."

Gu Zhiyan finally fell silent.

She buried her face in Chu Qianchen for a while before slowly raising her head and staring at Chu Qianchen. Her uneasy expression was like that of a little animal that was afraid of being abandoned.

Shen Wan also walked to Gu Zhiyan's side, squatted down, and said to her softly: "Qiniang, your cousin Chen wants to go home, let her go, and give me your hand."

Gu Zhiyan simply looked away, as if by not looking at Shen Wan he could pretend that he hadn't heard anything.

Shen Wan: “…”

Shen Wan had mixed feelings. On the one hand, she felt helpless that Gu Zhiyan refused to listen to her. On the other hand, she was happy: her daughter at least started to respond again.

It's better for my daughter to act like a spoiled brat towards me than to just be stupid and dull!

Seeing this, Shen smiled and suggested, "Mother, do you mind having two more pairs of chopsticks for lunch?"

The implication was that she and Chu Qianchen wanted to stay for lunch.

Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, was overjoyed and immediately ordered the maid to serve the meal.

After a while, the maids set up a table with a sumptuous meal in the west room.

Lady Mu, the Duke's wife, invited several younger generations to sit around the table. Gu Zhiyan still held Chu Qianchen's right hand and refused to let go.

Madam Rong felt embarrassed and wondered if she should ask the county lady to change her position and hold Miss Chu's left hand instead, so that Miss Chu would have her right hand free to eat.

"county……"

She choked as soon as she said the word "county". Amber naturally handed the chopsticks to Chu Qianchen's left hand, and Chu Qianchen also skillfully used the chopsticks with his left hand with an elegant posture.

It turns out Chu Qianchen is left-handed. Lady Mu and Shen Wan were a little surprised, but they didn't care much at first, until Shen said, "Sister Chen, Brother Mu said you can also shoot arrows with your left hand, and he wants to learn from you. I thought he was childish and joking, but it turns out that your left hand is so flexible."

Chu Qianchen smiled and said, "I have practiced it."

In her previous life, she had practiced with the prince's left hand, and it was the prince who taught her the tricks, but the prince practiced with his left hand only for martial arts, while she practiced for medicine. If she wanted to save the prince, her hands had to be steady and fast, and her left hand had to be as flexible as her right hand!

Chu Qianchen smiled with her eyes curved, and Gu Zhiyan looked at her and smiled too.

This full banquet includes three cold dishes, nine hot dishes, one soup and one broth. Each dish is delicious and fragrant.

The lunch was a great success for both the host and the guests.

Gu Zhiyan stayed by Chu Qianchen's side from beginning to end. She ate whatever Chu Qianchen ate.

It was not until the snacks and fruits were served after the meal that Gu Zhiyan finally let go of Chu Qianchen's hand and followed her example, grabbing a piece of cake with a handkerchief and eating it happily.

Shen Wan breathed a sigh of relief and planned to slowly divert her daughter's attention, feeding her fruit and honey water.

Everything went smoothly at first, but when Chu Qianchen was about to get up and leave, Gu Zhiyan immediately chased after Chu Qianchen like a frightened little animal.

"elder sister!"

The little girl ran so fast that she didn't notice that she bumped into the table.

As a result, the honey water, fruit plate and teacup on the table fell halfway over with this impact, and the sounds of bang, snap and boom came one after another.

Tea and teacups were scattered all over the floor, and fruits and vegetables were rolling around on the ground...

The culprit who caused this mess seemed to be completely unaware. She tightly grasped Chu Qianchen's skirt with one hand and called out in a stubborn tone: "Sister!"

As long as she smelled Chu Qianchen's scent and stayed by her side, Gu Zhiyan felt at ease.

Looking at this quiet little girl and then looking at the mess on the ground, everyone was silent.

Shen had been struggling for a while. At this moment, she finally made a decision and said, "Third sister, I think it would be better if we let Qi Niang stay with us in the Marquis' Mansion for a few days."

The reason why Shen made this suggestion was, on the one hand, because Gu Zhiyan was unwilling to let go of Chu Qianchen, and on the other hand, because Chu Qianchen said that Gu Zhiyan's absence disorder could be cured.

She had to help Chu Qianchen keep the secret of the miracle doctor, so she couldn't tell Shen Wan directly and could only take this euphemistic approach.

How could that be possible! Shen Wan's first reaction was to object. Ever since Qi Niang was found, she had never left her side.

"Awan, I think this is a good idea." Lady of Duke Mu nodded before Shen Wan could object.

She also thinks this is a good idea.

Lady Mu, the Duke of Mu, had noticed that Shen Wan had become like a frightened bird because of Qinnan's illness. Keeping a close eye on Qinnan was not necessarily good for her, and similarly, it was not good for herself either.

It would be better for Qi Niang to leave her for two days to let her relax. After all, she is at her aunt's house and nothing will happen.

"..." Shen Wan looked at her daughter's back and bit her lower lip reluctantly.

It is reasonable for Gu Zhiyan, as a niece, to stay at the Chu family for two days. However, as a sister-in-law, she can go back to her parents' home for a short stay, but it is not appropriate for her to live with her brother-in-law.

Shen Wan hesitated for a long time without saying anything, and then Lady Mu said, "Madam Rong, you should go with Qi Niang as well."

Now that things have come to this, Shen Wan could only agree.

To be honest, she would rather let Chu Qianchen stay in the Duke's Mansion for a while than let her daughter leave her sight. However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will go to the Chu family to present the betrothal gifts tomorrow, and Chu Qianchen, as the future Princess Chen, will definitely have to be present.

This is courtesy.

Shen Wan reluctantly agreed and warned, "Qiniang, you go stay at your aunt's house for a while, and you must be good."

Gu Zhiyan pursed her lips and smiled.

In less than an hour, this was the second time Shen Wan saw her daughter smile.

In the past year, she had never seen her daughter smile. Shen Wan began to feel jealous again, as if her daughter had been seduced away by some bad boy from another family.

As a result, Chu Qianchen inexplicably received an envious look.

After Shen Wan gave them many instructions, Shen took Chu Qianchen and Gu Zhiyan and left, and the number of people leaving increased by half.

"Big sister..." Shen Wan still couldn't let it go and wanted to see Shen off, but was pulled back by the wife of Duke Mu.

"Okay, Qi Niang will just stay with your sister for two or three days," Lady Mu, holding her daughter's hand, comforted her, "nothing will happen."

Shen Wan bit her lower lip slightly and muttered, "I don't know what's wrong. Qi Niang likes that girl Chu Qianchen so much, but I've never seen her cling to me so much."

The wife of Duke Mu did not say anything. She tightened her grip on her daughter's hand and was also thinking about Chu Qianchen.

Why--

The wife of Duke Mu sighed silently, a gleam of light flashed across her eyes, and she couldn't let go of this matter in her heart: Some things always make people feel that they are too coincidental. Why would the eldest daughter be born prematurely, and in a temple?

This way, there are more places where we can make changes...

As she thought about it, she suddenly shuddered and looked a little dazed.

Why did she think of "making some changes"?

Lady Mu, the Duke of Mu, looked out through the glazed window at the cloudless blue sky. From her current perspective, she could no longer see Shen and Chu Qianchen and their group.

(End of this chapter)