The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

As the sound faded, deathly silence descended.

Could it be that... there was another hidden story behind the disappearance of the Gu family's daughter?

Everyone speculated, but dared not ask aloud, which only made them more anxious. All eyes were fixed on Prince Zhou Xuan.

To be precise, it was on his legs.

In recent years, Zhou Xuan has frequently gone out.

She walks fairly steadily, so much so that many people have forgotten that Zhou Xuan once fell from a high-rise building while drunk, breaking half of her leg and leaving it bloody and mangled.

At that time, the Duke of Zhou was so angry that he said the Grand Tutor was behind it.

The Grand Tutor asked him to produce evidence.

I can't get it out.

The Grand Tutor said coldly.

"We're all colleagues. It's not right for Duke Zhou to repeatedly accuse me. When your brother died, you were still angry and blamed me. Now that your son is in trouble, you blame me again. From now on, if anyone in your Zhou family dies, just say it was my fault."

Yes, everyone thinks that Duke Zhou is being unreasonable.

The matter was eventually dropped.

Unexpectedly... there were other loopholes?
Others dared not ask, but Shen Zhiyi did.

She was about to open her mouth.

Yu Tingwan spoke first: "Zhou Xuan's left leg is gone, isn't it? Before I came, I thought he would either be in a wheelchair or use crutches, or be too ashamed to show his face. How come he walks like a normal person?"

Shen Zhiyi: "The Duke of Zhou's mansion spent a lot of money to hire people from Miao territory to make a prosthetic leg made of some unknown material. It has to be taken off and washed every night before going to bed."

“I remember when he first started wearing it, he was a little uncomfortable, but he was too proud to admit it and went out to show that he was not disabled.”

"It's fortunate that he injured his leg. You really don't know how arrogant he was before the accident. He used the power of the Duke of Zhou's mansion to forcibly abduct women and even beat them half to death when the victims came to his door."

With half a leg missing, I'm afraid he won't be able to do that kind of thing properly.

"But that time, perhaps because I wasn't dressed properly, my leg broke off while I was walking on the road."

Yu Tingwan: ...

It's hard to imagine how beautiful the scene is.

Shen Zhiyi: "He also fell down and looked quite disheveled. He covered his face and sternly ordered the servant to carry him back in a hurry."

Yu Tingwan: "Where's your leg?"

You should bring it with you!
Shen Zhiyi: "I forgot about it and just left it on the street. Nobody dared to pick it up."

If you lose a jade pendant or a purse, returning it might even create a positive connection.

But it happens to be a prosthesis.

Who would dare to provoke this?
"Xiao Huaiyan picked it up in the end."

Yu Tingwan: ...

"There's no need for Shen Zhiyi to say anything," Tan Jiang said with a smile.

"Those legs didn't look like legs at all; they were as thin as bones, and their shape was very strange. Prince Xiao pretended not to know what they were or whose they were."

"It's really unethical of them to say that this might be a treasure and then send it to an auction house."

Yu Tingwan: ...

How many amazing moments she missed!!!

Yu Tingwan sat up straight: "There are experts in the auction house who can identify treasures. Even if they can't tell what it is, they won't buy it."

"Received."

Tan Jiang: "Madam is unaware that the auction house is under the General's name."

There's always a way to make things convenient for them.

Yu Tingwan: ...

Tan Jiang: "The general has always been kind, and specially sent someone to return it to the Duke of Zhou's residence. However..."

Yu Tingwan urged, "Go on, tell me."

"But the auction house is on the east side of Shangjing, and the Duke of Zhou's mansion is on the west side of Shangjing. The distance is too far, and it is impossible to ride a horse at high speed on the streets of Shangjing. It would take several hours for the people below to carry the people there on their legs."

Yu Tingwan: ...

This is not much different from Zhou Xuan taking off his clothes and running wildly, only to be seen naked.

"However... Zhou Xuan was very ungrateful and unreasonably got angry and told our people to get out."

"Our people had no choice. Seeing that he really wouldn't accept it, they carefully apologized and carried it all the way back to the auction house."

Yu Tingwan: ...

"Logically speaking, that leg should have been thrown away, but the general is kind-hearted! Knowing that the leg was not easy to make and was very expensive, and thinking of the many poor people in the world who are missing limbs, he intended to give it away."

"As soon as the news was released, a large crowd gathered outside the auction house, eagerly offering their thanks and vying to buy it."

"The general did not claim credit, saying he wanted to thank the heir of the Duke of Zhou. He was merely using someone else's talent to curry favor."

Yu Tingwan: ...

Who has as many tricks up their sleeve as him?

Xiao Huaiyan practically had the word "deliberate" written all over his face, directly trying to disgust Zhou Xuan.

Wei Zhao, on the other hand, did disgusting things but gained a good reputation.

"So what is Zhou Xuan using now..."

"Reporting to Madam, it was redone later."

"It took a full year to make. I've never seen it myself, but I've heard it's incredibly realistic."

Yu Tingwan: ...Well, since she's already here, we should meet her.

Zhou Xuan hates it most when people look at him strangely, reminding him that he is a cripple.

Although he walks normally, he cannot run, jump, ride a horse, or play polo or cuju.

He couldn't stand the thought. Just as he was about to explode in anger, the Duke of Zhou held his hand down.

"You're a father now, you should be more mature."

Duke Zhou was also somewhat flustered.

After all, those evil deeds were committed by him.

When the emperor ascended the throne, his father-in-law was granted the title of Duke. How could he not be overjoyed?

He was just bullying people by taking advantage of his power.

But who could have imagined that Gu Fuju, who came from a poor background, would rise to this position more than a decade later?

His son broke his leg again.

It's hateful that he couldn't deal with Gu Fuju.

He panicked the moment Yu Tingwan, who should have died in the fire, appeared in Beijing.

In particular, the heads of Gu Fuju's bribed confidants suddenly appeared in his study.

His anxiety reached its peak at that time.

We've been thinking of solutions.

But Gu Fuju did not come to his door again.

He... also developed a sense of wishful thinking.

Who would have thought that Gu Fuju, who was so calm and collected, was waiting here!

He couldn't even guess what Gu Fujiu would do next.

But can he afford it?

"This……"

He showed no sign of panic: "I have no idea what Fu Ju is saying."

He vehemently denied it: "I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding. After all, it's my granddaughter's full-month celebration. Why don't we discuss it privately later..."

Gu Fuju sneered, unwilling to waste any more words with Duke Zhou. He helped Jia Shan to sit down in the women's section before going to the men's section opposite.

As soon as he arrived, the officials and scions of prominent families there all offered him their seats.

The situation was about to plummet into an abyss.

"Master! Madam!"

Just then, the steward of the Duke of Zhou's mansion strode over from a distance, his face beaming with undisguised joy.

"Someone from the palace has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Duke Zhou suddenly felt more confident.

Yes.

His grandson is now registered under the name of the former crown prince.

If he becomes emperor in the future, the whole world will belong to the Zhou family. What is Gu Fuju compared to that?
Duke Zhou straightened his back and said, "Please come in quickly."

Soon, the nanny who served the Empress entered.

The old woman greeted Duke Zhou and his wife and explained her purpose.

"Your Majesty is busy with palace affairs and cannot leave home, but she still thinks of home. She specially sent this old servant to deliver the gifts prepared early this morning."

Duke Zhou looked at Zhou Xuan: "Why hasn't your wife come over with the child yet? Go and urge her."

The old woman was very easy to talk to: "No rush. It's the same if the young master accepts it on his behalf."

She held the box in her hands and opened it.

"This is a longevity lock prepared for the young mistress of the manor. It was originally worn by the Crown Prince before his death. Now it is given to the young mistress in the hope that she will be blessed with good fortune."

This is a big deal.

Those present were filled with envy, and even Shen Zhiyi craned her neck to look.

But she noticed that Yu Tingwan's reaction was indifferent.

Shen Zhiyi: "Don't you know the origin of this longevity lock? It was bestowed by the late emperor, and there are words on it, carved by the late emperor himself!"

Yu Tingwan: "Oh."

She wasn't interested.

Shen Zhiyi: "Oh?"

Yu Tingwan noticed that Jia Shan was looking at her. She hesitated for a moment, then smiled slightly as a greeting.

Any more and it will be gone.

Even so, Jiashan was pleasantly surprised and delighted.

Yu Tingwan then replied, "The world regards emperors as gods and reveres them, which is clearly an exaggeration."

And what about longevity locks?

"That prince still died young."

Shen Zhiyi: ...

You either remain silent, give perfunctory answers, or are sharp-tongued.

(End of this chapter)