Gu Jue put his arm around her slender waist and asked, "Have you thought about who should tell Mu Ge'er?"

Chu Qianchen raised his head from his arms, his temples were a little messy because of the rubbing of ears and temples just now, and his little face was dazed and seemed a little confused.

"Aren't you going to tell Mu Ge'er?" Gu Jue asked again.

Chu Qianchen: “…”

Chu Qianchen remained silent. She had never thought about this question and had always avoided thinking about it.

She always thought that Chu Yunmu was still young, and occasionally told herself that the divorce could be delayed and could be discussed later, until today when Gu Jue revealed the truth.

Some things have to be faced eventually. They can't keep Chu Yunmu at home all the time and prevent him from contacting outsiders. Whether he is a boy or a girl, he will eventually have to face these ups and downs, as well as the gossip and pointing that follow.

Facing Gu Jue, Chu Qianchen certainly would not give him a perfunctory answer and said frankly, "I don't know what to say."

She didn't even try to test Chu Yunmu to see if Shen had mentioned it to him. Seeing how heartless this little brat was every day, he probably hadn't said it yet.

Chu Qianchen felt sorry for Chu Yunyi. In her previous life, when she was kicked out of the house at the age of fourteen, she would ask herself:

Why did her relatives treat her like this? Why was she born in the Chu family?

Why can other concubines live a peaceful life, but she has fallen to that state...

…

At that time, she only knew how to complain about herself. It was not until later, after experiencing a lot and seeing a lot, that she learned to let go and let go.

In the final analysis, it was because she had something more worth cherishing at that time that she became strong enough, strong enough to look down on her former family.

But Chu Yunmu was only six years old. He was still too young to understand many things. He probably didn't necessarily understand why his parents wanted to divorce, and why he couldn't have a harmonious family like other children and inherit the family title when he grew up...

Growth comes at a price! She is like this, Gu Jue is like this, Chu Yunyi is like this... Chu Yunmu will also be like this.

Chu Qianchen rubbed her forehead against his shoulder again, thinking that she was so lucky to have met him in both past and present lives, and to have him accompany her.

Gu Jue kissed her on the top of her head lovingly and said, "Let me tell you."

Chu Qianchen raised his head again, opened his eyes slightly, was startled at first, then smiled happily and nodded: "Okay, leave it to the prince!"

She is most confident in the prince's work.

She did not hesitate to make fun of herself: "I only know how to eat, drink and have fun, but the prince knows how to talk and teach people."

A moment ago, she was still worried about Chu Yunmu, but now, she felt that it was no big deal. This bad boy Chu Yunmu was lucky enough. Not everyone could have a sister like her and a brother-in-law like the prince!

Gu Jue was amused by her and couldn't help but say, "Isn't it amazing enough to be able to eat, drink and have fun?"

"Great!" Chu Qianchen nodded seriously and smiled, "Everyone has his own strengths."

"Go ahead, I'll make you something delicious!"

Chu Qianchen acted coquettishly and obediently, and also offered bribes, which coaxed Gu Jue away.

In Prince Chen's Mansion, Chu Lingxiao's imprisonment did not cause much ripples, but this news was like a stone that caused a thousand waves in Yongding Marquis Mansion. The old lady finally learned the news that Chu Lingxiao was locked up, and she was stunned.

During this period, Chu Lingxiao was traveling outside to look for the marrow fragrance, and he often did not return to the mansion for several days. Therefore, he did not come back to sleep last night, and the lady did not care about it. She did not expect that Chu Lingxiao would be imprisoned again.

The lady was panic-stricken and wanted to find someone to inquire about something. However, she sent invitations to several mansions over several days, but the other party always found excuses to refuse her visit.

The old lady couldn't help but think of the year when she first married into the Chu family. That was when the Chu family was still glorious. At that time, if she went out, not everyone would flatter her, but at least they would not avoid her.

Even though the Chu family declined later, they still had the Duke Mu's Mansion as their in-laws, and the Madam was respectfully addressed as "Old Madam" by others outside. But now other families were avoiding the Chu family as much as possible.

The lady knew it in her heart. It was probably because Shen had moved away all her dowry that the other families believed that Shen wanted to divorce Chu Lingxiao and that was why they completely ignored her family.

The old lady blamed both Shen and the Duke Mu's Mansion, but she was just a woman and her second son was still seriously injured. She really had no other way but to go to the Duke's Mansion to ask for help. However, it was a wasted trip as Shen did not see her.

With no other options left, the lady sent a letter to the palace, hoping to meet Imperial Concubine Chu. However, she was again poured with a bucket of cold water. Even Imperial Concubine Chu refused to see her, and only sent her trusted confidant, Nanny Yu, to the Marquis' Mansion.

"Greetings, Madam." Nanny Yu bowed with a forced smile.

She was a maid in the palace and had no old feelings towards the Chu family, so she didn't need to be too cautious when speaking: "The Imperial Concubine has had a hard time recently, and she didn't ask the Chu family for any help."

This sentence was like a slap in the face of the lady, and it was almost like saying directly that the Chu family's actions were causing trouble for the imperial concubine.

This is indeed what Concubine Chu meant. She often complained to Nanny Yu that her parents' family could not help her at all and only caused trouble for her.

Nanny Yu sighed and said, "Madam, I know you are kind-hearted, but the Imperial Concubine is also your daughter, and the Second Prince is your grandson. Please take care of them."

The in-laws of other princes can all help their grandchildren, except the Chu family. It was not enough that Chu Lingxiao was exiled and stripped of his title once, now he was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison by the emperor. How can the second prince hold his head up when he goes out, and how can he compete for the throne!

Madam: “…”

The lady was speechless. When she heard that Nanny Yu was coming, she was thinking of asking her to pass a message to the imperial concubine, asking her to help Chu Lingxiao. But now she couldn't say anything and her face turned pale and blue.

Nanny Yu naturally noticed the change in the lady's expression, and thought to herself: It's fine if she knows about propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame, but I'm afraid that she will disregard everything for her son and is willing to risk her life. If the matter gets out of hand, it will affect the reputation of the imperial concubine and the second prince.

Nanny Yu pondered for a moment, then dropped her sarcastic tone and said seriously, "Madam, it's not that the Imperial Concubine doesn't want to help. It's just that the Imperial Concubine and the Second Prince are in a really difficult situation."

"The Emperor has been ill recently, and his health is deteriorating. The Emperor doesn't like the Crown Prince now. The sicker he gets, the more he fears the Crown Prince will usurp the throne. This was supposed to be the Second Prince's best opportunity. Over the past two months, the Imperial Concubine has been very careful, cautious in her words and actions, and not daring to make mistakes, fearing that she would do something wrong and displease the Emperor, and also afraid that the Empress would trip her up. Unexpectedly, Master Chu ruined the plan, and the Emperor even took his anger out on the Second Prince for this."

Concubine Chu was really furious this time, and she even expressed it bitterly in front of Nanny Yu, saying that Chu Lingxiao deserved to die, and that his death would give herself and the Second Prince one less handle against him.

As for these words, Nanny Yu was not in a position to say them, otherwise if Concubine Chu reconciled with the mother and daughter of the Madame Dowager in the future, she would be the one in trouble.

After Madam Yu hit the Madam a few times, she began to offer sweet things: "Madam, the Imperial Concubine can't help you with anything else, but if you want to see Master Chu, the Imperial Concubine can help you arrange it..."

Now that things have come to this, the Madam has no other choice. She really has no one to rely on. Shen Shi refuses to see him, the second son is injured, and the two concubines are pretending to be dead. Concubine Chu is her last resort.

Seeing that the old lady cooperated, Nanny Yu was relieved and immediately accompanied the old lady to the Ministry of Justice's Tianlao.

The lady met Chu Lingxiao as she wished.

This is also the second time that the lady has come to the Heavenly Prison.

The air here was as dark and damp as last year, and was filled with an unspeakable smell that made the lady want to vomit, and she felt sorry for her eldest son's suffering.

Chu Lingxiao was locked up alone in a cell. The cell was extremely cold in February and he shivered with cold.

He had been caned, his hair and clothes were disheveled, and the weight he had put on had gone back in just a few days. At this moment, he lay weakly on the worn straw mat, his hips aching.

"Mother!" When Chu Lingxiao saw the old lady, he seemed to have seen a savior. He grabbed the wooden fence of the cell, which affected the injury on his hip. He gasped in pain and his facial features twisted. "Please save me. I am innocent!"

During these days in prison, Chu Lingxiao became more and more afraid. When the prison boss brought him food, he sighed and told him to eat more of what he had now.

He also heard two jailers whispering about the matter, saying that the emperor was furious this time and he would most likely be held accountable for a serious crime.

The lady felt sorry for her son and asked hurriedly, "Lingxiao, what's going on?" The eldest son had just returned from Youzhou and had just got his job, so how could he be thrown into prison? ! So, Chu Lingxiao spoke incoherently about the matter of the marrow balm and emphasized, "Mom, you must help me!"

"Mom, I am living a life worse than death here. They feed me rotten rice and beat me 30 times with sticks. They said they will beat me again during the next interrogation."

"You have to find a way to get me out, otherwise I'm afraid I'll die here..."

As he spoke, Chu Lingxiao's eyes turned red and filled with tears, and even his hands that were grasping the wooden fence were trembling slightly.

He had been beaten with the stick thirty times, and was almost half dead, especially his lame leg, which was in excruciating pain. If he was beaten with the stick thirty more times, he didn't know if he could survive it.

Looking at Chu Lingxiao's miserable appearance, the lady's heart felt as if it was being grabbed.

The saddest thing in life is to see the young die before the old, not to mention, she has always loved this eldest son the most.

The eldest son is her lifeblood! "Lingxiao, you've suffered so much." The lady choked up as she spoke, "Mother wants to help you, but when I went to ask Ah Zhi, I couldn't get into the Duke's Mansion. The imperial concubine also said she was powerless, saying that the second prince was reprimanded by the emperor for you and couldn't save himself..."

As the lady spoke, two lines of tears overflowed from her eyes and slid down from the corners of her eyes. She took a handkerchief to wipe the tears, and after she finished wiping, the tears slid down again, and she washed her face with tears.

She thought about the dramatic changes that her two biological sons had experienced in the past month, and how she had had no one to turn to in the past few days, and her heart became even more bitter: people in this world are more likely to kick someone when they are down than to help someone in need. She couldn't even count on the imperial concubine, so who else could she count on?

Chu Lingxiao's mind was also in a mess. Fear, uneasiness, anxiety, irritability, and all kinds of negative emotions were mixed together in his mind.

He felt as if his throat was almost suffocating. He didn't want to be exiled anymore. Youzhou was simply not a place for people to live, and he didn't want to lose his life in the capital.

He doesn't want to die yet, he wants to live! A good death is worse than a miserable life, living is the only hope.

He gritted his teeth, looked around cautiously, and seeing that there were no outsiders here, he suggested: "Mom, if it really doesn't work, you can go find Kang Hongda... Oh, let Brother Yi go find Kang Hongda!"

Chu Yunyi is his son. As a son, he should save his father. This is only natural!

Yes, without a father, there would be no son! The lady hesitated for a moment, then wiped her tears with a handkerchief. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Finally, she nodded: "Okay, mother will help you."

She couldn't just watch her eldest son die. Her eldest grandson would only suffer for two years, but it would save his father's life!

It's worth it.

The lady told herself in her heart. She talked to Chu Lingxiao for a while, told him to take good care of himself, and sent the boxes of snacks she brought to the cell.

Later, the jailer came impatiently to urge her, and the lady had to leave reluctantly.

An hour had passed when the lady returned to the Yongding Marquis' Mansion. She was exhausted both physically and mentally, as if all the energy had been drained away from her body.

"Fifty taels," said Nanny Wang awkwardly. Fifty taels was actually nothing.

The lady's headache was getting worse. These days, no matter how much she cut down on expenses, money was still plummeting.

She took a deep breath and said, "Go get the deed."

The lady was reluctant to sell her shop in the capital, as shops in good locations were hard to come by, so she decided to sell some good farmland first, raise some money and try to open up all the shops.

Putting aside other things, some silver must be stuffed into the Tianlao, otherwise the eldest son will have to eat rotten food every day.

Nanny Wang quickly fetched a wooden box which contained a thick stack of deed papers. She took out a few sheets of paper and then told the head maid to call the steward.

However, before the chief steward arrived, Liu and Chu Lingyu had already arrived at Rongfu Hall.

This was the first time Chu Lingyu had come to Rongfu Hall since he was paralyzed, and he was carried in on a sedan chair.

If Liu had come alone, the servants of Rongfu Hall would have dared to stop her, but when they saw Chu Lingyu was also here, no one dared to stop her.

Chu Lingyu has been lying on the bed for a month, and his lower limbs are still numb. He has consulted countless doctors and taken even more tonics, so he has gained a lot of weight.

As he gained weight, his eyes became more sinister, like a fat rat in the darkness. When he stared at someone, it was chilling.

At this moment, the lady had this feeling and felt uneasy when Chu Lingyu looked at her.

"Mom, are you going to sell off your property?!" Chu Lingyu's voice was so cold that ice chips could almost fall out.

As soon as he saw the deeds next to them, he guessed what the lady was trying to do.

Without waiting for the lady's reply, Chu Lingyu firmly rejected the question: "No, absolutely not."

"Humph, last year my eldest brother was convicted, and the family spent 100,000 taels of silver to save him. This time when he returned to the capital, we also spent money to bribe the Jinyiwei. Now my eldest brother has been convicted again, why should we spend more money from the family?!"

"This money belongs to the Yongding Marquisate. I also have a share. It's not just my brother's!"

At this moment, Chu Lingyu was filled with hatred. He hated Chu Lingxiao and was also dissatisfied with the lady. The overwhelming anger surged up like a huge wave on the sea, about to swallow him up.

At the same time, he felt a sense of relief in his heart.

He deserves it, Chu Lingxiao deserves to go to jail!

For the sake of a job, Chu Lingxiao killed his own brother half to death. It would be best if Chu Lingxiao was also paralyzed so that he could taste the pain and experience the suffering I have endured!

Chu Lingyu felt that even if Chu Lingxiao died, it would be difficult to get rid of the hatred in his heart. After all, he had been paralyzed by him.

After inviting so many famous doctors, Chu Lingyu was almost in despair about his injury. Since his life was ruined by Chu Lingxiao, how could he allow the lady to use the money from the public treasury to save Chu Lingxiao?

The lady said kindly, "Second brother, your elder brother was wrongly accused."

"Even if we sell some of the land now, we can buy it back later."

"You are brothers connected by blood, you should help each other. Can you bear to watch your eldest brother die?"

The lady tried to appeal to Chu Lingyu's emotions, but Chu Lingyu had heard about brothers being connected by blood and brothers helping each other many times and he didn't want to hear it again.

Chu Lingyu said again: "No, I don't agree to sell the land."

Chu Lingyu sneered coldly, and the more he spoke, the more unwilling he became: "Mom, I am paralyzed and want to take some tonic medicine. You said that the government has no money and asked me to take less. Now you have money?"

"Chu Lingxiao is your son, so am I not your son? Was I picked up?!"

Chu Lingyu asked questions repeatedly. He had kept these words in his heart for a long time. His mother was partial to her eldest brother.

Mrs. Liu next to her also echoed, "That's right, mother, look, my husband is so badly injured that we don't even have enough money for medicine. How can the family afford to save my uncle?"

"Moreover, my uncle had previously stolen our family's land deeds and house deeds to sell. He is simply a prodigal son, but you didn't pursue the matter. This is too unfair!" Liu had been holding this anger in for a long time and felt that she had to make things clear this time.

The lady glared at Liu fiercely, thinking that it was Liu who was jumping around to sow discord between mother and son.

"Second son, what are you talking about!" The old lady was very upset by her second son's last words. Tears welled up in her eyes again and she sobbed, "Of course you are my son. I gave birth to you after ten months of pregnancy. But your eldest brother is also my son. You two brothers are both pieces of my flesh. I love you and your eldest brother."

"Lingyu, I just went to the prison to see your elder brother. You didn't see what he looked like. He was beaten to death..."

The old lady wanted to persuade her again, but Chu Lingyu didn't want to listen anymore and interrupted her unhappily: "Mother, you don't have to say anything more, I don't agree."

Chu Lingyu had no sympathy for Chu Lingxiao. He was just beaten with a few sticks. He wouldn't die!

Thinking of how his waist was broken by Chu Lingxiao's men, Chu Lingyu's eyes were filled with deep hatred again. The hatred that was deep in his bones seemed to stab the lady's heart.

She didn't understand why her two sons had ended up fighting to the point of death!

After that, the old lady couldn't persuade Chu Lingyu anymore. The two concubines, the third and fourth wives also came after hearing the news. Knowing that the old lady wanted to sell the good land, they all opposed it and kept talking about it.

There was a loud and noisy noise in Rongfu Hall.

The old lady became the target of public criticism. Although the younger generations did not dare to scold her directly, they all said that she was biased, that she was senile and confused, and that her selling of the ancestral property would displease the ancestors of the Chu family and so on.

Finally, Chu Lingyu said bitterly: "Mom, if you insist on your own opinion and sell your property to save my eldest brother, then we will separate. You give me a share of the second house's property, and we will have nothing to do with each other from now on."

His meaning was very clear. Not only did he want to divide the family, he even refused to recognize the Lady Dowager as his biological mother.

The people from the third and fourth rooms looked at each other, still hesitant about the division of the family. After all, they were born out of wedlock, and Chu Lingyu was the biological son of the old lady. Even if he said he didn't recognize his biological mother out of anger, there would be room for maneuver in the future. But it was different for a son born out of wedlock.

While hesitating, he heard Nanny Wang scream, "Madam!"

The lady on the Luohan bed was covering her chest with one hand in pain, her pale face was faintly tinged with a deathly blue color, and her brows were deeply furrowed.

The lady couldn't catch her breath, and her body fell backwards limply...

"Madam!" Nanny Wang shouted nervously again, and hurried to help the Madam. "Quick, go get the doctor!"

Now, everyone else panicked as well, and the room became a mess.

Because of the Dowager's coma, the Marquis' Mansion was in chaos for a few days. The Dowager was powerless to do anything, and the other members of the Chu family didn't want to care at all.

Poor Chu Lingxiao spent his days in the prison, waiting and hoping, but never received any good news from the lady.

Chu Lingxiao became more and more heartbroken and desperate day by day. He was completely disappointed with the Madam and felt that she had abandoned him.

Every day he repeatedly asked the jailer who brought him food a similar question: "Has anyone come to see me?"

"Did my family send anything?"

"Brother, is there really no one at home to visit me?"

Chu Lingxiao didn't know how many times he had asked the jailer, but this time, the jailer was obviously impatient and said unhappily, "No! Didn't I say it? Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

"Just give up. The emperor has been waiting for the elixir for a long time. Now he is furious. You might be tortured to death. Do you think your family will still cause trouble for themselves?!"

After saying this, the jailer left indifferently.

Chu Lingxiao sat on the ground in a daze, without even an appetite to eat. For the next two days, he couldn't sleep all night long, and even dreamed of himself being cut into pieces with a knife.

Chu Lingxiao was cut off from the outside world in the prison, but Chu Qianchen was well-informed and these things about the Chu family gradually reached her ears.

"Now, the news that the Chu family is going to split up has spread throughout the capital." Amber also sighed. The family hasn't even split up yet, but the matter has already caused a lot of uproar and has become a joke in the capital.

Chu Qianchen did not sympathize with the Chu family. The Chu family’s current situation was caused by their own actions.

"It may not be that easy to split up the family." Chu Qianchen said lightly.

As expected, the princess understood the Chu family. Amber nodded and continued, "After the Madam fell ill, the Second Master and the Second Madam refused to give up and insisted on dividing the family. The Third Master and the Fourth Master seemed to be watching and did not express their opinions."

"Later, the Madam invited the clan leader and elders to come to the house. The clan leader said that the family would not be divided as long as the parents were alive, so in the end, the family was not divided. However, the second master made a harsh statement, saying that the public treasury money was not allowed to be used to open up connections for the first master."

"The Madam had no choice but to use her own private money. But the Second Master said that it was the Madam's dowry and after she died, the Second House would also have a share. Why should he use his money to help the First Master? Unless the money is divided now, the Madam can use the First Master's share of the money as she pleases and spend it however she wants. The Madam was angry again."

"That day, the Marquis' Mansion invited a doctor from Huichun Hall to see the Madam, and things have been a little quieter in the past two days." Amber sighed.

Chu Qianchen didn't say anything, but was concentrating on weaving the silk ribbon. The lotus-colored ribbon slid between her slender fingers, and it shone with a pearl-like luster in the sunlight.

Amber went to pour a cup of tea for Chu Qianchen. Her eyes fell on the half-finished square silk thread between Chu Qianchen's fingers. She said hesitantly, "Miss, the young master's side..."

Chu Qianchen shook his head slowly, then lowered his eyes and continued to weave.

Chu Yunyi was only twelve years old. Chu Qianchen had wanted to protect him for a few years, but after Chu Qianhuang instigated him to protect the emperor, Chu Qianchen changed his mind. The little brat still needed to experience more hardships, so that he would not be sold out and count money for others.

Since Chu Qianchen said so, Amber didn't care.

Chu Qianchen said calmly: "At this moment, if someone told Chu Lingxiao that he could leave the prison and asked him to do anything, he would be willing to do it!"

Finally waited for it.

(End of this chapter)