"Azhi, what nonsense are you talking about?!" The lady's face was even uglier than Chu Lingxiao's.

No matter what Shen said was true or false, if it got out, the Yongding Marquis's Mansion would still have to save face!

The old lady glanced around quickly, and all the servants lowered their eyes.

The head maid quickly signaled the other servants to leave the room. These matters involved the Marquis and the Fourth Young Master, and they were not the servants who should hear about them. The less they knew, the better.

In the blink of an eye, only the old lady, Chu Lingxiao and Shen were left in the room.

"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, Chu Lingxiao knows it best." Shen said sarcastically, and took out a small porcelain jar with a white background and blue flowers from her sleeve. "Chu Lingxiao, you are a real man, you dare to do it, but you won't be afraid to admit it, right?"

When Chu Lingxiao saw the familiar little porcelain jar, his expression became even uglier, and his eyes flickered. Shen Shi really knew!

No one knows a son better than his mother. The lady's heart skipped a beat and she saw something from her son's expression. He was guilty!

"Axiao, you..." The lady's throat seemed to be strangled. She wanted to say something but couldn't.

Shen looked at Chu Lingxiao, the smile on her lips became even colder, "I have never seen a person like you before, even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, you are more vicious than a jackal!"

Chu Lingxiao suddenly thought of his second dream. In that dream, everyone believed that he changed the bowstring in order to murder his own son. They despised him for favoring his concubine and ignoring his wife, and angrily accused him of being inhuman.

He was so desperate in the dream. No matter what he said, no one believed him. Everyone believed that it was him...

Chu Lingxiao was even more confused. The pain in his left leg seemed to spread throughout his body. Even his head was aching. His thoughts were in a mess. He blurted out, "Shen Zhi, don't try to pin this crime on me. This bow obviously belongs to Chu Qianchen. Who asked him to use it?"

This "he" of course refers to Chu Yunmu.

Chu Lingxiao became more and more excited as he spoke. His head was buzzing. He was indignant for himself in the dream and kept chattering: "If he hadn't insisted on using that bow, how could he have been scratched on the face?!"

"He's just a boy with a little skin broken on his face, what's the big deal? You still insist on using the Perfect Ointment on him, don't you think you're making a fuss out of nothing?!"

"Shan'er hurt her foot, and you, as the mistress, held on to the ointment and refused to give it to her. You don't act like a mistress at all! What's wrong with me giving some of the ointment to Shan'er?"

As Chu Lingxiao spoke, he became almost insane, which shocked the Madam Tai. She took a step back, her legs went weak, and she staggered to sit on a chair at the back.

The lady also understood that it was Chu Lingxiao who tampered with the Jurchen bow. He wanted to target Chu Qianchen, but he hurt Chu Yunmu's face. He also secretly changed Chu Yunmu's ointment.

If these things get out, the reputation of their mansion will be ruined!

The lady's face became more and more ugly.

But Shen was as calm as before and looked at Chu Lingxiao calmly.

She had long guessed what Chu Lingxiao would say, and now she had just verified it from Chu Lingxiao himself.

Some people can be so cruel!

Shen looked at Chu Lingxiao deeply, her deep eyes seemed like the bottomless sea.

"That bow belongs to Sister Chen. If you attack her, wouldn't that be considered as a tiger eating its own cubs?" Shen said softly, and there seemed to be no joy or sadness in her calm voice.

That look again! Chu Lingxiao hated it most when Shen looked at him with such a condescending look, as if he was just dust and could not enter her eyes at all!

Chu Lingxiao felt as if something had exploded in his head. He stared at Shen with bloodshot eyes and said sternly, "If I really want her to die, do I need to go through so much trouble? She is so stubborn, I will just have her beaten to death!"

His tone revealed his dislike and contempt for Chu Qianchen without any concealment.

As he said, according to the laws of this dynasty, a father killing his son is not guilty.

There was silence in the room.

The lady felt that she could hardly breathe. She did not take Chu Lingxiao's words seriously, but just thought that Chu Lingxiao was angry with Shen.

Shen stared at Chu Lingxiao, and after two breaths of silence, she continued, "I just can't figure it out. You have been treating Jiang Minshan the same way for more than ten years, and you have been treating Brother Yi with a loving fatherly heart, but you only dislike Sister Chen."

"Isn't Sister Chen Jiang Minshan's daughter?"

A hint of disgust appeared in Chu Lingxiao's eyes, and he opened his lips slightly: "Chu..."

At this time, there was a sound of curtains being opened, accompanied by a soft and charming female voice: "Madam, Lord, Madam!"

Aunt Jiang, wearing a light green floral jacket, walked in gracefully, like a willow swaying in the wind. She stopped a few steps away, as quiet as a beautiful flower reflected in the water, and I felt pity for her.

As soon as she came, it seemed that even the air here had undergone a subtle change, with a faint fragrance that was refreshing.

Chu Lingxiao on the couch also calmed down, sweating profusely, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

His eyes flashed, avoiding Shen's eyes, his thin lips curled into a mocking arc, and said disdainfully: "Chu Qianchen is just a concubine's daughter!"

"What's the use of a concubine's daughter?"

He acted like a man who favored boys over girls, and especially emphasized that Chu Qianchen was just a "bastard daughter".

Chu Lingxiao's words sounded reasonable. For many families, concubine's daughters were of no value except for marriage. Unlike concubine's sons, they could rely on their own talents to gain a position in the court and bring more help to the family.

However, what he said can only deceive outsiders.

Shen had been married to him for more than ten years, and she could not hide the slightest changes in his expression.

Originally, Shen was just speaking casually, but now she felt like there was something stuck in her throat, as if a thorn had pierced her throat all the way to her heart: What exactly did Chu Lingxiao want to say just now?

Shen looked at Aunt Jiang beside the couch calmly. She was still as weak and timid as ever, and she regarded her husband as her heaven.

"My Lord, what do you feel?" Aunt Jiang rushed to the couch and looked at Chu Lingxiao's twisted injured leg with heartache. Her eyes were filled with tears and her eyes turned red.

That tearful look was like an apricot blossom swaying in the wind and rain, as white as snow and very charming.

Shen stroked her sleeves gracefully and said calmly, "Since Aunt Jiang is here, just serve her well here."

She gave the order as a matter of course, as if she was giving orders to a maidservant below her.

"Yes, madam, I will take good care of the marquis." Aunt Jiang's eyes were full of tears. Those eyes seemed to be able to speak, hiding infinite grievances and tenderness towards Chu Lingxiao.

Chu Lingxiao looked at Aunt Jiang with heartache, feeling that it was unfair for his Shan'er to be humiliated by Shen in this way.

Shen was too lazy to pay attention to the couple and turned to leave. But just as she turned around, there was another noise outside the house. Nanny Wang, who had just gone to Jishidi Hall, finally came back. She walked up to the Madam with a stiff expression and said in embarrassment, "Madam, Jishidi Hall said the miracle doctor is not here."

The lady felt a chill in her heart. Shen refused to help because of Chu Yunmu's problem, so if she wanted to invite the imperial physician, she could only wait for news from Concubine Chu.

A sneer appeared on Shen's lips, and she thought: Chu Lingxiao looks down on Chu Qianchen so much, how could he have thought that Chu Qianchen is the miracle doctor of Jishidiang.

Aunt Jiang looked at Shen and said, "Madam, please ask the imperial physician to see the Marquis."

She fell to her knees with a plop, her clear eyes filled with pleading and tenderness, so weak and so sincere.

However, Shen did not waver at all, and said indifferently and distantly: "Whatever happened to his legs, he deserved it!"

"From now on, I will only be the wife of the Marquis of Yongding."

There was almost no emotion in her two sentences, which was tantamount to a complete break between the two.

From then on, the couple went their separate ways.

She would fulfill her duties as the wife of Marquis Yongding, and that was all.

"Shen Zhi!" Chu Lingxiao felt like he was slapped in the face, and sat up from the couch in anger. He pulled at the wound on his broken leg again, and let out a shrill scream.

Shen didn't even bother to look at Chu Lingxiao again, and strode out of the inner room.

The inner room at the back was very lively, with Chu Lingxiao's screams, Aunt Jiang's sobbing, and the lady's distressed cries mixed together.

Shen pretended not to hear anything and just kept walking forward, at an unhurried and graceful pace.

She was even extremely disappointed with Chu Lingxiao.

Without hope, there will naturally be no disappointment.

In this mansion, she is just the wife of Marquis Yongding, and she just needs to live her own life well.

Nanny Chen followed behind Shen, looking at her as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Shen suddenly stopped and spoke first, "Just now, was Chu Lingxiao's appearance not right?"

Just now, she casually questioned whether Chu Qianchen was the son of Aunt Jiang. Chu Lingxiao's expression was out of control for a moment. He seemed to be about to say something...

The master and servant stood in a winding corridor, with no one else around except them.

Nanny Chen recalled the scenes that just happened in the inner room and said hesitantly, "I also think that something is wrong with the Marquis." The Marquis looked like... as if he was hiding some secret.

Moreover, this secret might be related to the second girl, Chu Qianchen.

But what exactly happened?

It's impossible that Chu Qianchen was adopted by Aunt Jiang, but when Aunt Jiang became pregnant and gave birth to a child, everyone in the mansion saw it, so it must be true.

Fifteen years ago, not long after Shen got married, Chu Lingxiao wanted to take his cousin Jiang Minshan as his concubine.

This was extremely unruly in the mansion of a nobleman, and it also made Shen, who had just married into the mansion and still had dreams of marriage, feel cold towards Chu Lingxiao. Since she had felt cold towards him, Shen no longer cared who he wanted to marry.

Anyway, the court has clear laws that illegitimate sons cannot inherit the title.

Nanny Chen hesitated for a moment before continuing, "If the second young lady wasn't born to Aunt Jiang, then who else could it be?"

Chu Qianchen is more or less similar to the young masters and ladies in the mansion. She must have the blood of the Chu family. It can't be that the marquis has a mistress and brought the mistress's daughter back home, right?

Shen: “…”

Shen pursed her lips and remained silent.

The rising sun shone obliquely into the corridor, illuminating Shen's face in half light and half dark. Half of her face was as white as jade, and the other half was shrouded in shadow. Her eyes were as deep as a pool.

The corridor was quiet, and the warm summer breeze gently brushed people's faces, making them intoxicated.

It was unknown how long it had been before Shen said, "I always feel that Chu Lingxiao and Aunt Jiang's attitude towards Sister Chen is not right..."

"It's not like treating my daughter, but more like..."

Slave.

That’s right, Chu Lingxiao treated Chu Qianchen like a disliked slave, who could be trampled on and abandoned at will!

Logically speaking, you shouldn't do that.

Aunt Jiang didn't have a difficult delivery, so it's impossible for her to vent her anger on him because of it.

The Yongding Marquis' Mansion is not the kind of family that would drown a girl just waiting for her.

The more Shen thought about it, the more confused he felt.

She said softly, "It seems that some things need to be checked."

She seemed to be talking to herself, but also seemed to be talking to Nanny Chen.

The master and servant continued to walk towards the main courtyard.

Shen is a man of her words. If she says she won’t care about Chu Lingxiao, then she won’t care about him.

The lady couldn't lower her pride to ask Shen again, so she could only go to the palace in person and ask her daughter, Concubine Chu, to appoint an imperial physician. She really had no other choice. Unlike the previous dynasty, the emperor rarely appointed imperial physicians to his ministers.

In the afternoon, Doctor Zhou, who was good at orthopedics, finally came to the Marquis' Mansion.

This morning, the Marquis' Mansion invited almost all of the orthopedic doctors in the capital to come to the mansion, but the results were not ideal.

Imperial Doctor Zhou was almost Chu Lingxiao's last hope. However, the results he gave once again poured a bucket of cold water on Chu Lingxiao and the first lady.

"Madam, the Marquis's left leg is too badly injured. I'm afraid the bone cannot be set."

"I can only use acupuncture to relieve the pain for you, and then prescribe a prescription for you."

Doctor Zhou gave Chu Lingxiao acupuncture, prescribed some medicine, and then left.

However, the effect of acupuncture was very short-lived. Only half an hour later, Chu Lingxiao's injured leg began to hurt again.

The pain was piercing, as if thousands of needles were piercing his left leg.

The pain made it difficult for him to fall asleep. When he finally fell asleep, he would start having nightmares as soon as he closed his eyes. Sometimes it was the two nightmares from last night, and sometimes it was a new nightmare.

He dreamed that when he was five years old, he picked up the Jurchen bow, the bowstring broke, and his face was injured and left with a scar.

People with scars on their faces cannot become crown princes, so he failed to become the crown prince of Yongding Marquis. When he was thirteen years old, his second brother Chu Lingyu was named crown prince.

He became an extremely awkward existence in the Marquis's Mansion; he was the eldest son, but not the crown prince.

Everyone looked at him with sympathy and pity.

He really couldn't stand it. He wanted to make great achievements and let the people in the Marquis' Mansion and the people of the world know that he, Chu Lingxiao, was a truly capable person.

He entered the military camp and went to the battlefield.

The battlefield was littered with corpses and blood flowed like a sea.

He was so panicked that he couldn't even lift the knife in his hand. He could only watch helplessly as the enemy's butcher knife swung towards his head...

Chu Lingxiao woke up with a scream, and after waking up, he felt his left leg hurt even more.

As soon as he woke up, Aunt Jiang, who was guarding the bed, quickly grabbed one of his hands and wiped his sweat with a handkerchief with the other hand, and said softly, "My Lord, did you have a nightmare?"

"Would you like me to have someone make a cup of calming tea for you, Lord?"

“Bang!”

Chu Lingxiao was in pain and raised his hand to slap Aunt Jiang's hand away.

Aunt Jiang's eyes turned red and tears welled up in her eyes again, looking delicate and weak.

Normally, Chu Lingxiao would have held Aunt Jiang in his arms and comforted her, but today he had no time to do so.

The pain occupied most of his consciousness, and the nightmare that was so real as if it were reality made Chu Lingxiao anxious.

The other servants didn't dare to approach Chu Lingxiao casually. After all, even Aunt Jiang was angered by Chu Lingxiao, let alone them. The head maid quietly went to boil the pain-relieving medicine and calming tea.

Chu Qianchen didn't care about these. She didn't even let Amber to inquire about the news. She acted as if it was none of her business. At this moment, Chu Qianchen left the house again and visited Prince Chen's Mansion again.

Of course, she came to see Qin Yao for a follow-up visit. This time she chose the right time, and Gu Jue was also in the palace.

Chu Qianchen was extremely happy, she finally met the prince.

She was not in a hurry to greet Gu Jue and went to check on Qin Yao first.

Qin Yao's leg injury recovered as well as she expected. The wound showed obvious improvement in just two days. He still had a fever and it was recurring a little, but it was no longer a high fever.

This time, the ointment Chu Qianchen applied to Qin Yao was replaced with Jiuxu ointment.

"Is this the Jiuxu Ointment?" Yunzhan recognized it at a glance. After all, he had been applying the Jiuxu Ointment for quite some time to treat the scars on his neck.

Yunzhan subconsciously raised his hand and touched the scar on his neck. The scar was still clearly visible on his neck.

To be honest, every time he recalled the process of Chu Qianchen treating Qin Yao, Yun Zhan felt that his injuries seemed to be minor.

Chu Qianchen said "hmm". She not only changed the ointment for Qin Yao's wound, but also changed the prescription. Only the aged mustard greens marinade remained unchanged. She asked him to continue drinking the same amount as yesterday.

Doctor Miao agreed and hurried downstairs to get the medicine.

Qin Yao was in better spirits. If it weren't for his legs covered in ointment, he wouldn't look like a wounded person at all.

"Miss Chu, can I eat noodles now?" Qin Yao asked anxiously.

He's been eating porridge for two days straight, and it almost made him faint.

Chu Qianchen nodded.

She let Qin Yao eat porridge for the first two days because he had been in a coma for several days and had not eaten for a long time, so she let him eat some liquid food that was easy to digest first.

Seeing this, Qin Yao was delighted and quickly ordered Yunzhan: "Yunzhan, go and make me a bowl of noodles. I don't want noodles with pickled vegetables. I want noodles with mushrooms and shredded chicken!"

Chu Qianchen didn’t care what kind of noodles Qin Yao wanted to eat. He turned and walked towards Gu Jue who was sitting by the window.

"Your Highness, his injuries have stabilized. I estimate that the fever should be completely gone within three days." Chu Qianchen looked at Gu Jue with a smile, his eyes curved into a pair of crescents outside the veil, and there seemed to be starlight flowing in his eyes.

The golden sunlight shone gently through the window onto her face, making her already stunning appearance even more charming.

Not to mention Gu Jue, even Qin Yao on the couch could see a few words written on Chu Qianchen's face: Praise me, praise me quickly.

A smile rippled in Gu Jue's narrow eyes, and the corners of his lips seemed to bend slightly.

That faint smile was like the morning light that broke through the darkness of the night, dazzling people. His usually cold temperament became less aloof and more warm.

Gu Jue praised her as she wished: "Miss Chu, your medical skills are really superb!"

That smile was fleeting, so fast that it seemed like Chu Qianchen's illusion.

Chu Qianchen stared at the corner of Gu Jue's lips, stunned for a moment. The little bird in his heart flapped its wings happily, and he became even happier.

The prince just laughed and praised her.

Qin Yao watched this scene from the side and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Sure enough, the feeling he had that night was not an illusion caused by his high fever. This little girl was indeed like the Persian cat that Brother Jiu used to raise, and was particularly attentive to Brother Jiu!

Well, what’s the name of that Persian cat...Anyway, it just meows to Brother Jiu, but it won’t even look at other people and will scratch them with its claws at any time!

Qin Yao touched his chin, his thoughts wandering away inadvertently.

Chu Qianchen continued happily, "Prince Qin's injury needs to be healed. He can't move around for the time being. If he wants to go out, he can get a wheelchair."

"His wounds are deep, especially his right leg, which has injured the bones. He needs to be carefully healed for a month, and then he can slowly exercise. Don't be impatient..."

"Although his leg has been saved, it will take at least half a year for him to fully recover and be able to run and jump again."

Gu Jue nodded slightly and said to Qin Yao, "Take good care of her. I'll take care of that matter."

Qin Yao finally came back to his senses and responded without any worry at all.

Since Brother Nine said so, he must have known what was going on.

Qin Yao clenched his fists, and a strange light flashed across his eyes.

The emperor was worried about what to do with his ninth brother. This time, the emperor must be using himself as a handle to negotiate terms with his ninth brother.

He became a bargaining chip used by the emperor to contain the ninth brother, unless he could completely clear the charges against him...

"Ninth brother..." Qin Yao clenched his fists tighter and looked at Gu Jue again.

What he wanted to say was interrupted by Chu Qianchen's surprised voice.

"Is this for me?" Chu Qianchen took a scroll from Gu Jue, her eyes sparkling and her smile turning into a crescent. She happily opened the scroll.

This is a piece of calligraphy.

The handwriting on the scroll is beautiful and vigorous, with an extraordinary charm, and has a sense of "learning from the strengths of others and creating one's own style".

To Chu Qianchen, this piece of calligraphy was too familiar.

Chu Qianchen looked at the words and his eyes widened slightly.

This is Xie Wenjing's calligraphy.

"This calligraphy should have been given to you a long time ago." Gu Jue said.

Last month, he said he wanted to give her a calligraphy piece by Xie Wenjing, but when the servant found the calligraphy, he discovered that the binding was a bit moldy, so he reframed it himself.

It's only one month late.

Chu Qianchen stared at the words in a daze, with extremely complex emotions churning in his phoenix eyes, including shock, nostalgia, emotion, and joy.

Xie Wenjing had been a tutor, and the prince had several of Xie Wenjing's calligraphy and paintings.

However, what she didn't expect was that in her previous life and this life, the prince gave her the same calligraphy.

The same calligraphy unexpectedly came into her hands, just two years earlier than in the previous life.

Chu Qianchen's eyes were slightly sore. He held the calligraphy carefully and read it word by word. He felt more and more happy.

very nice!

Chu Qianchen suddenly became full of energy, as if she had taken some magic medicine, and felt that she was fine again.

She carefully rolled the scroll up again, holding it tightly here.

Gu Jue couldn't help but ask casually, "Why do you like Xie Wenjing's calligraphy so much?"

He thought that every girl liked Mrs. Wei's hairpin-shaped calligraphy.

"I like it!" Chu Qianchen nodded vigorously, as if he was afraid that Gu Jue would not believe him.

In her previous life, the prince chose Xie Wenjing's calligraphy for her. On the one hand, it was because he felt that her handwriting was weak, and on the other hand, he wanted her to learn Xie Wenjing's open-mindedness and magnanimity through practicing calligraphy.

This is the prince's hope for her, hoping that she can spread her wings like a roc and not be trapped in a small world.

At this time, Qin Yao on the couch finally ate the hot and fragrant three-mushroom and shredded chicken noodles. While eating the noodles, he looked at the two people by the window from time to time.

Ninth brother has been aloof and unsociable since he was young.

He had been clinging to Ninth Brother since he was a child, and it took him five full years to become Ninth Brother's own person.

People like Yunzhan and Mo Chen won Ninth Brother's trust only after they fought side by side with him on the battlefield.

This is the first time...

He saw that Brother Nine looked at a young girl he had just met with a different eye. Could it be that his first instinct was correct?

Qin Yao picked up the big bowl and gulped down the noodle soup.

Seeing that it was getting late, Chu Qianchen reluctantly said goodbye: "Your Majesty, I still have to go to Jishitang. I'll take my leave first."

Gu Jue put down the teacup in his hand, stood up and said, "I'll see you off."

Chu Qianchen was originally reluctant to leave, but after hearing what Gu Jue said, she smiled again, her eyes shining, and a thin veil could not hide her joy.

Her smile is so sincere and has a power that can infect people's hearts.

Just looking at her, Gu Jue felt calm, as if the spring breeze in March was gently blowing across the lake, leisurely and comfortable.

(End of this chapter)