Chu Lingxiao suddenly stopped walking. The maid behind him didn't understand what was going on and called out in a low voice, "My Lord?"

Could it be that he had caught a cold? Chu Lingxiao rubbed his brows again and ordered, "Go and tell Aunt Jiang that I have a headache and will not be coming today." This would prevent Shan'er from passing the illness on.

The head maid quickly responded, a trace of envy flashed across her eyes, and she secretly said: The Marquis is really devoted to Concubine Jiang. People in the Marquis's mansion said that if the Marquis's wife hadn't appeared halfway, Concubine Jiang and the Marquis would have grown up together and might have been the current Marquis's wife.

The head maid went towards Qinghui Courtyard. Chu Lingxiao turned his head and glanced towards the main courtyard. The image of Chu Yunmu's scratched right face flashed through his mind, and his eyes were deep.

He also didn't expect that the injured person would be Chu Yunmu.

He knew that Chu Qianchen had been practicing archery with Chu Yunmu in the martial arts field recently, so he had someone secretly replace the bowstring of the Jurchen bow with an old bowstring that would break after being used three or four times.

The Jurchen bow was used by Chu Qianchen, so the person who was injured should have been Chu Qianchen.

As a result, he didn't expect that Chu Yunmu was accidentally scratched on the face by the broken bowstring.

After all, it was all Chu Qianchen's fault. She had given her own bow to Chu Yunmu for no reason, which led to Chu Yunmu suffering this unexpected disaster.

Chu Yunmu was still young, and he was frightened this time, so it was inevitable that the evil wind would enter his body easily. He caught a cold and suffered in vain!

The same goes for Shen. She was clearly present when the archery was being shot, but she didn't know how to stop Chu Yunmu when he used Chu Qianchen's big bow!

Fortunately, Chu Yunmu only had a small cut on his face, which would heal in a few days without leaving any scar.

But Shen was so surprised afterwards that she had to hold on to the bottle of Shiquan ointment. Otherwise, why would he...

While thinking, Chu Lingxiao returned to the outer study.

His head felt even more dizzy, so he asked the maid to light some calming incense and went to bed early.

That night, Chu Lingxiao slept uneasily and had a dream.

He dreamed of that time when Chu Yunmu fell from the rockery and could not be saved. After that, Shen became more and more distant from him. He requested to confer the title of crown prince on his eldest son, but the petition was rejected by the emperor, who said, "If there is no son, the country will be abolished."

The title of their Yongding Marquisate ended in his generation.

Chu Lingxiao opened his eyes in horror, breathing heavily from his mouth and nose, and only then did he realize that he had just been dreaming.

The maid who was on night watch heard the noise and came in to pour him a cup of warm tea.

After drinking the tea, Chu Lingxiao fell asleep again. After closing his eyes, he began to dream again.

He dreamed that Chu Yunmu accidentally had his blood vessels cut by the broken bowstring the day before, and blood gushed out like a fountain. He was also in the martial arts arena, trying hard to cover the wound on Chu Yunmu's neck with his hands, but he couldn't stop the surging blood...

Rivers of blood flowed.

He dreamed that Shen reported to the Jingzhao Prefecture, saying that someone in the Marquis' Mansion was plotting to murder Chu Yunmu.

Due to pressure from Duke Mu's Mansion, Jingzhao Prefecture accepted the case, but it turned out that someone had replaced the bowstring of the Jurchen bow. The servant could not withstand the pressure and gave him away.

As a result, people all over the world accused him of favoring his concubine and ignoring his wife, and of murdering his legitimate son for the sake of his concubine, saying that he had no humanity.

The emperor issued an edict to deprive the title of Yongding Marquis!

Chu Lingxiao opened his eyes again and sat up from the couch, sweating profusely.

Sweat soaked his temples and undershirt.

He wanted to get the tea by the bed, but his hand shook and the teacup slipped from his hand. It fell to the ground beside the bed and broke into pieces. The sound was particularly loud in the silent midnight.

The noise once again alarmed the head maid.

"My Lord!"

The head maid called out worriedly, feeling that something was wrong with the Marquis.

She thought about the headache the Marquis had mentioned before, so she wanted to ask if she wanted to see a doctor. However, Chu Lingxiao had already casually put on a robe and strode past her, leaving only one sentence:

"I'm going out for a walk!"

Chu Lingxiao went to the martial arts arena.

He felt a tightness in his heart, and scenes from his dream flashed back in his mind in a chaotic manner, making him upset.

He simply took a horse and wanted to ride it in the racecourse next to the martial arts field to get some fresh air.

It was the fourth watch of the night, the night was deep and everything was silent.

There was only this man and this horse in the racecourse. Chu Lingxiao, feeling uneasy, whipped the brown horse under him with a whip.

“Snap! Snap! Snap!”

The brown horse was breathing heavily from its nose, running faster and faster...

Even when turning, the horse did not slow down. Chu Lingxiao bent down, but unexpectedly, one of the brown horse's front hooves was tripped by a stone.

The brown horse neighed in fear, raised its legs high up, and its body almost stood upright, throwing Chu Lingxiao off its back.

All this happened in a flash. Chu Lingxiao was caught off guard and fell to the ground before he could even break the momentum.

“Crack.”

The sound of breaking bones and his cry of pain broke the silence of the night.

Then, another round of screams rang out.

Everyone in the marquis's mansion was alarmed.

The news was immediately transmitted to the main courtyard.

"Madam, the Marquis fell off his horse at the racecourse and accidentally broke his leg. Later, the horse stepped on his broken leg..." Nanny Chen reported.

She also knew about Chu Lingxiao's change of medicine. When she heard the news, she couldn't help but sigh that there was karma and retribution.

Shen knew a little more than Nanny Chen, and couldn't help but think of the look Chu Qianchen gave her. She looked in the direction of the green gauze cabinet with a complicated expression.

Chu Qianchen was afraid that Chu Yunmu would behave again at night, so he stayed in Shen's green gauze cupboard tonight.

The rustling noises in the green gauze cupboard told Shen that Chu Qianchen should have woken up as well.

Chu Qianchen was indeed awake and heard what Nanny Chen reported.

Chu Qianchen stood up slowly and put on a lilac cloak. He had a calm expression and his movements were neither hurried nor slow. He looked indescribably elegant and handsome.

The cup of scented tea that she brewed for Chu Lingxiao this evening was drugged by her, and the drug was a kind of sandalwood.

When the drug effect is triggered, the person will experience in a dream the things that he fears and dreads the most in his heart.

She mentioned the matter of Nanyang Palace to Chu Lingxiao deliberately to plant a seed in his heart, and used sandalwood to stimulate the effect of the medicine at the right time.

What Chu Lingxiao cares about most is the title of Marquis. In the next three days, he will experience the things he fears most over and over again in various ways in his dreams, and they will be extremely real, as if he is actually there.

Three consecutive days of nightmares would make Chu Lingxiao mentally exhausted.

Once a person becomes mentally weak and anxious all day long, it is hard to predict what will happen in the end...

Chu Qianchen tied the straps of his cloak and walked out of the green gauze cabinet.

Children cannot choose their own parents. Chu Lingxiao is her biological father, just like Aunt Jiang. The blood relationship cannot be denied. Although she has long cut off all feelings for her biological father and mother after experiencing what happened in her previous life, she will not do anything to them.

At most, it's indifference.

However, Chu Lingxiao went too far this time.

For his own selfish reasons, he secretly replaced the ointment used by Chu Yunmu. Such behavior was extremely despicable.

Chu Qianchen opened the Xiangfei curtain and walked out of the green gauze cabinet, her eyes meeting Shen's as she looked at her.

There were only Shen and Nanny Chen in the room.

Chu Qianchen said calmly, "It's 'Nightmare Three Nights'."

"After taking 'Three Nights of Nightmare', one will have nightmares one after another for three full nights, each night becoming more and more unbearable."

Being trapped in nightmares for three consecutive nights is enough to drive a person to exhaustion and mental collapse.

"Maybe this nightmare is too real."

It was so real that it made him feel guilty, uneasy, and so disturbed that he fell off his horse.

Chu Qianchen's eyes were clear, and he had no intention of hiding anything from Shen.

Nanny Chen was shocked when she heard this. She never expected that the Second Young Lady would go to such lengths for the Fourth Young Master. It was as if the Fourth Young Master was more important to her than anything else in this Marquisate.

Shen had mixed feelings, she was touched, surprised, happy, but most of all she felt sorry for Chu Qianchen.

Shen Shi couldn't swallow the way Chu Lingxiao treated Chu Yunmu. How to teach Chu Lingxiao a lesson should have been something she, as a mother, should have considered, but Chu Qianchen did it for her.

"Sister Chen," Shen took Chu Qianchen's hand and pulled her to sit next to her, "With me here, you don't need to live such a hard life."

Chu Qianchen was stunned.

No one had ever said this to her, not even the prince.

In the previous life, the prince knew that he would not live long, so he always tried his best to teach her.

He told her that no one can protect another person for a lifetime, and that people must ultimately rely on themselves and eventually die alone.

Even if she was not reborn, after avenging the prince, she would live well until the end of her life, so as not to let the prince down.

Chu Qianchen's eyes flickered slightly, and he exuded a kind of strong yet fragile loneliness. Seeing this in Shen's eyes, she felt as if her heart was stabbed.

Shen gently put her arm around Chu Qianchen's shoulders and let her lean on them.

The room was silent for a moment, and the sound of some servants' discussions could be faintly heard outside, with words like "Marquis", "horse falling", and "doctor".

Nanny Chen pursed her lips hesitantly and asked, "Madam, do you want to go and see..." the Marquis?

"No need." Shen refused without hesitation.

After this incident, Shen was extremely disappointed with Chu Lingxiao and she didn't even want to give him the slightest bit of face.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!"

The loud crowing of a rooster was heard outside the house, announcing the beginning of a new day.

The sky brightened.

Shen didn't go to see Chu Lingxiao, but when the lady found out, she rushed over as soon as possible.

Doctor He from Baicaotang has arrived and is in the inner room.

Chu Lingxiao was lying on the couch against the wall, his face was pale without a trace of blood, the hair at his temples was soaked with cold sweat, the trouser leg on his left leg had been randomly cut open by scissors, and his left leg was twisted at a strange angle.

Just by looking at it, the lady felt that she was feeling the same pain and it was excruciating.

Chu Lingxiao groaned in unbearable pain and his body began to squirm and twitch.

Doctor He was anxious when he saw this, and hurriedly said, "Quick! Hold him down and don't let him move. If he moves his injured leg again, the broken bones will get even more messy."

The servants and maids around were also frightened and quickly held down Chu Lingxiao's limbs.

"Doctor He, how is the Marquis's leg?" the lady asked nervously.

Doctor He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Madam Chu, the Marquis only had a broken left leg when he fell off the horse, but then the injured leg was stepped on by the horse, and the bones were completely broken, and there were at least four fractures."

What?! The lady gasped and leaned back, almost fainting from fright.

The two maids beside her quickly supported her and helped her to calm down.

The lady took a breath and asked again, "Doctor He, how could the Marquis be... so seriously injured?"

Doctor He was also afraid that the Madam might get sick from being scared, but Chu Lingxiao's injuries were too severe, so he had to say those ugly words in advance. Otherwise, if he couldn't be cured, the Yongding Marquis' Mansion would just go and smash their Baicaotang like they smashed Jishiditang.

Their Baicaotang is not like Jishidiang which has the support of Prince Chen.

Doctor He gritted his teeth and finished his words: "Besides, even if the Marquis's leg injury heals, I'm afraid he will be left with a disability, at best a limp, at worst unable to walk."

Doctor He's words were quite tactful. What he meant was that Marquis Yongding would probably have to rely on crutches to walk in the future.

For the lady, this news was like a bolt from the blue.

She held her breath in her chest and almost couldn't breathe. Her face turned pale and she felt like her heart was about to stop.

In just one night, her eldest son was about to become disabled.

Chu Lingxiao also heard what Doctor He said and angrily scolded: "Quack, what a quack!"

He spoke these seven short words with great difficulty, sweat pouring down his face.

Doctor He's face looked unhappy, but he did not dare to confront Chu Lingxiao head-on. After all, the people should not fight against the officials.

He frowned in embarrassment and said in a hard voice, "Madam, I really can't do anything. Everyone has their own specialties in medicine, and I am not good at orthopedics."

"The Imperial Hospital has Doctor Zhou who is good at orthopedics, or..."

He paused, as if he was about to say something.

Nanny Wang quickly asked, "Doctor He, please say something!"

"The miracle doctor at Jishidiang may be able to save us..." The reason why Doctor He hesitated was because the Yongding Marquis' Mansion had previously smashed Jishidiang, and the two sides had become enemies.

Having said that, he actually felt that there was little hope.

The broken bones were all shattered into several pieces. Unless I cut open the skin and flesh of the injured leg, put the broken bones back together, and then try to heal the broken bones...

Jishiditang. The lady's expression was stiff, and a little cold sweat oozed out of her cold head. She also remembered Chu Qianling smashing Jishiditang.

Seeing her son in so much pain, she felt even more distressed and hurriedly asked, "Doctor He, you see the Marquis is in so much pain, is there any way to relieve his pain first?"

"I have just prescribed a painkiller for you. As for the rest... I am really powerless. Please seek help from someone else."

Doctor He left in a hurry without waiting for the lady's consent, for fear of being stopped.

Chu Lingxiao, who was lying on the couch, was still venting his anger by cursing Doctor He, a quack doctor and incompetent. On the one hand, he despised Doctor He's medical skills, but on the other hand, he was also afraid that he would really become lame as Doctor He said.

Seeing this, the lady couldn't keep Doctor He, so she quickly ordered, "Madame Wang, quickly send someone to Jishitang to find a miracle doctor to come to the house."

"Go and ask for a few more doctors who are good at orthopedics!"

Nanny Wang went out in a hurry.

It was very lively inside and outside the house, and many servants from other rooms came to the yard to inquire about Chu Lingxiao's injuries.

The lady wiped Chu Lingxiao's sweat personally, comforted him, and told him that they could ask the imperial concubine to ask Dr. Zhou to see him...

A moment later, the maid came with the freshly boiled medicine and hurried to feed Chu Lingxiao the medicine.

The lady now had time to ask Chu Lingxiao's maid: "What's going on? Why would the Marquis go to the racecourse to ride a horse in the middle of the night?!"

The maid turned pale and looked panicked. She was afraid that the Madam would get angry at her, so she said timidly, "Madam, I don't know either."

"I noticed that the Marquis didn't sleep well last night. He seemed to be possessed by a nightmare and woke up several times."

"At midnight, the Marquis suddenly ran out alone... and then fell off his horse."

The head maid didn't realize that Chu Lingxiao had broken his leg until several servants carried him over.

Chu Lingxiao drank the medicine quickly, but the wound was still painful and there was no sign of relief.

After a while, two more doctors came. One checked Chu Lingxiao's injured leg, and the other gave him acupuncture to relieve the pain. However, the doctors all shook their heads, saying that they could not cure him and asked the Marquis' Mansion to seek help from other doctors. Then, they all left in a hurry.

Neither the medicine nor the acupuncture helped Chu Lingxiao at all. His broken leg still hurt, and his face turned three points paler due to the pain.

"Mother, please go to the palace and invite the imperial concubine..."

"I'm in so much pain."

"Mother, I can't be lame."

“…”

Chu Lingxiao was in so much pain that he was almost incoherent and sweating profusely.

The lady also wanted to go to the palace to ask for help from the imperial concubine, but she had to hand in a sign to the palace first. This back and forth would inevitably take some time. It would be good enough if she could get news from the imperial concubine in the afternoon.

It would be best to do both, to seek help from a famous doctor at Jishidiang, or...

The lady's mind moved, and she hurriedly asked, "Where's the eldest lady?"

The maid looked a little embarrassed and said awkwardly, "Madam, the first lady hasn't come yet."

The lady's face suddenly looked as if it was stained with ink, and became even uglier.

Shen is the mistress of the Marquis' Mansion. Not to mention the people from other families, Shen must have received the news that Chu Lingxiao fell off his horse, but she hasn't come yet!

The lady was so angry that she scolded, "How can Shen Zhi be a wife and a mistress? Does she think that she can ignore her husband just because she was born in the Duke's Mansion?"

These words really touched Chu Lingxiao's heart.

Yes, Shen Zhi relied on her high social status and never took her husband seriously!

The servants in the room all lowered their heads and looked submissive, wishing they didn't exist at all and didn't hear these words at all.

The old lady said angrily: "Why don't you go and call the eldest lady here!!"

The little maidservant nodded in agreement and hurried out to the main courtyard.

She didn't come back for a long time. During this time, three or four doctors came and gave the same answer in all four words: there's nothing we can do.

It was not until half an hour later that Shen finally arrived. She washed up and had breakfast before arriving, and she was dressed very decently.

Looking at her noble and graceful appearance, the lady became angry.

Her husband is so seriously injured. Any decent woman would be worried and dressed in plain clothes and a straw hairpin, right?

The lady wanted to scold him, but she held back and said stiffly, "Azhi, go and see Axiao right away. The doctor said his leg is badly injured."

"I heard that the miracle doctor at Jishidiang is not very old. I don't know if he can be trusted. I think we should ask the imperial physician to take a look..."

The lady looked at Shen with anticipation. It would take too much time to ask Concubine Chu to go to the palace and invite the imperial physician. She hoped that Shen could ask Duke Mu's Mansion to invite Imperial Physician Zhou to the mansion as soon as possible so that her son would suffer less.

Shen didn't say anything. She looked at Chu Lingxiao on the couch with deep eyes, watching him sweat profusely, watching him in pain, watching his twisted broken leg...

Shen recalled Chu Yunmu's high fever. Because Chu Lingxiao secretly changed the ointment, Chu Yunmu had a fever for two whole nights. If Chu Qianchen hadn't brought Chu Yunmu back to health, what would have happened to him? !

They have been married for many years, and a night of love should be worth a hundred nights of affection. However, the love they once had as husband and wife has almost disappeared in the past ten years.

Shen Shi could ignore how much Chu Lingxiao loved his concubine, even if he dug out his own heart for Aunt Jiang, she didn't care, but he shouldn't have put his hands on Chu Yunmu.

Her son is her Achilles' heel!

Moreover, Chu Lingxiao was so scheming against his own daughter for the sake of Aunt Jiang that he even tampered with the Jurchen bow, which made Shen feel disheartened.

Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs.

Does Chu Lingxiao still have a heart? !

Shen stared at the painful Chu Lingxiao. She felt no pity in her heart, but instead felt happy: he broke his leg today, it was his own fault, and it was retribution.

The lady didn't notice Shen's expression. She just looked at Chu Lingxiao with heartache and kept mumbling to herself, "Azhi, look at how much pain he is in. His lips are all white and he is sweating. Hurry up and wipe his sweat off..."

She felt that her eldest daughter-in-law was really unreasonable. Shouldn't she take the initiative to wipe her husband's sweat and give him water? Did she, as the mother-in-law, have to teach her such a small thing?

"Let Aunt Jiang come and serve." Shen interrupted the lady indifferently.

She turned around and directly told Nanny Chen to go to Qinghuiyuan to call someone.

Madam: “…”

The lady was shocked, but more than that, she felt unhappy and puzzled.

In the past, Shen was not like this. Although she and her eldest son Chu Lingxiao were not very affectionate, they respected each other like guests and she showed respect to Chu Lingxiao on the surface.

Five years ago, Chu Lingxiao got urticaria. The symptoms came on suddenly and he had a big reaction, including headache, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. At that time, Shen stayed by his bedside to take care of him for three days without sleep.

But now, she seemed like a changed person.

Thinking about Shen specifically mentioning Aunt Jiang, the lady thought: Is she jealous?

A lady of a noble mansion is so rude! She is so unreasonable to be jealous of a concubine!

The lady felt that she had revealed the truth. She frowned and scolded, "Azhi, what are you talking about!"

Chu Lingxiao was also unhappy, thinking that Shen was disliking him, and shouted: "Shen Zhi, what do you mean?!"

The mother and son each have a louder voice than the other.

Facing the furious mother and son, Shen remained calm, as if she was looking at two clowns.

"My Lord, don't you know how you broke your leg?" Shen asked Chu Lingxiao calmly.

Chu Lingxiao was still a little nervous because of the nightmares last night and the broken leg. When he heard what Shen said, his face changed immediately, as if a sharp knife was pressed against his vitals.

The lady was stunned. Could it be that Shen meant that there was some hidden reason behind her son's fall from the horse?

"Azhi, what do you mean?" The lady couldn't help but ask, wondering why Shen had to keep the secret in a weird way.

Shen curled her lips and smiled, raised her finger and pointed at Chu Lingxiao and said, "Ask him."

Shen's eyes were sharp and cold. She stared at Chu Lingxiao and said, "This is retribution."

"This is retribution for killing his own children!"

Shen spoke almost word by word, her voice becoming increasingly cold.

"..." Chu Lingxiao's eyes widened to their limit in an instant, unable to hide his shock.

He couldn't help but think of the two nightmares he had tonight, especially the second one in which Shen sued him to Jingzhao Prefecture, leaving him with nothing...

The more Chu Lingxiao thought about it, the more weird the dream seemed to him. At this moment, his mind was in a mess and he didn't know whether he was more panicked or in more pain.

A chill ran through his heart, and the lingering nightmare was like a maggot on his tarsal bones, clinging to him tightly.

Chu Lingxiao's face turned even paler.

(End of this chapter)