Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

Consciousness was like sinking into a bottomless deep sea, only to be suddenly pulled back by a force.

Jiang Yining opened her eyes.

The first thing I saw was an unfamiliar bed curtain, a shimmering mermaid-style gauze embroidered with intricate twin lotus flowers.

A cool, pungent scent of ambergris wafted in the air, mingled with the waxy smell of burnt-out red candles.

This is where?

She propped herself up and sat up, covered with a bright red brocade quilt.

The silky fabric slid off her shoulders, revealing her smooth skin and delicate collarbones.

She looked down and saw that she was wearing a bright red silk nightgown.

My head hurts a lot.

My mind went blank, as if someone had forcefully erased all my past memories.

who am I?

"Hungry……"

A childish voice suddenly rang in her mind.

The voice was familiar, carrying a sense of innate dependence.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Yining asked in her heart.

"I'm hungry...I want...I want his blood..."

The sound was intermittent, yet it conveyed fragmented images.

A handsome man in a brocade robe looked at her with disgust.

"Chu Shuwen... your husband... he will kill you..."

The scene changes.

A handsome and refined man dressed in a moon-white robe was looking at her with a smile.

That smile was gentle, yet it sent chills down your spine.

"Chu Jinglan... his uncle... get close to him... and live..."

The voice in my mind, filled with intense longing, echoed repeatedly.

Jiang Yining's heart tightened.

She remembered nothing, but her body's instincts told her that the voice hadn't lied to her.

live.

That was her only thought at that moment.

"Squeak—"

The door was pushed open.

A maid dressed in a light blue dress came in carrying a basin of water. When she saw that she was awake, her face lit up with joy.

"Young Madam, you're awake."

"Young Master went to court early this morning and specifically instructed that you should sleep a little longer."

As the maid spoke, she poured hot water into the basin.

Jiang Yining didn't speak, but just looked at the unfamiliar face in the mirror.

She was pretty, pale, with a bright red mole between her eyebrows.

Is this me?

Jiang Yining walked around the mansion. Three hours later, Chu Shuwen, dressed in a dark purple official robe, returned from court.

He had a handsome face, but there was an unyielding aloofness between his brows.

Chu Shuwen glanced at Jiang Yining, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before shifting away.

That look in his eyes didn't seem like he was looking at his wife; it was more like he was looking at an object displayed in the room.

"woke up."

He spoke, his voice flat.

Jiang Yining lowered her eyes and, following the guidance of the voice in her mind, acted as a newlywed wife should.

"My husband."

She stood up, intending to take off his official robe.

Chu Shuwen took a half step back, avoiding her touch.

"No need."

He went straight to the head seat and sat down, taking off his cloak.

The atmosphere inside the room became somewhat frozen because of his action.

Jiang Yining's hand froze in mid-air before slowly retracting it.

My uncle will be coming today.

Chu Shuwen picked up his teacup, blew away the foam on top, and spoke as if he were giving an official order.

"Get ready, so as not to be impolite."

Uncle.

Chu Jinglan.

Jiang Yining's heart skipped a beat.

The man emphasized by the voice in my mind.

Noon.

A black carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate.

Chu Jinglan, dressed in a black casual suit, stepped out of the car.

His expression was gentle, and his gait was unhurried.

When the servants in the mansion saw him, they all bowed and greeted him, their expressions a mixture of respect and fear.

He was the regent of the reigning emperor, wielding immense power. Even the emperor addressed him as "Imperial Uncle."

Chu Shuwen was waiting at the door early, and when he saw him, he immediately went to greet him.

"Uncle."

"Um."

Chu Jinglan responded, then looked past him and towards what was behind him.

Jiang Yining stood there quietly, wearing an elegant lake-blue dress.

She lowered her head, revealing a section of her snow-white neck, like a delicate flower that could not withstand the wind.

Chu Jinglan paused for a moment.

This woman...

He had no memory of her whatsoever.

But deep within my heart, a strange throbbing sensation arose.

"Is this Shuwen's bride?"

He spoke, his voice gentle and warm.

Chu Shuwen looked somewhat awkward as he stepped aside and introduced, "Yes, Uncle. This is Jiang Yining."

"Yining, come and greet your uncle."

Jiang Yining stepped forward, curtsied, and spoke in a voice as soft as a feather.

"Madam Jiang greets her younger brother."

Chu Jinglan looked at her.

The eyes behind the glasses were unfathomable.

He didn't tell her to get up immediately, he just watched her.

An invisible pressure descended.

Jiang Yining remained in the bowing posture, her body trembling slightly, her face drained of color.

She wasn't faking it.

This man has such a strong presence.

It was the oppressive power of someone who had long held a superior position and had the authority to decide life and death.

Even when he's just standing there calmly, he's suffocating.

"Get closer to him..."

The voice in my head is urging me on again.

Jiang Yining bit her lower lip, forcing herself to calm down.

Chu Shuwen, who was standing to the side, saw that Chu Jinglan remained silent for a long time, and cold sweat had already seeped out of his forehead.

"Uncle?"

Chu Jinglan seemed to come to his senses at that moment.

His lips twitched, but the smile lacked warmth.

Get up.

He stepped forward, reached out his hand, and offered her a helping hand.

His fingertips gently touched her arm through her sleeve.

Jiang Yining's body stiffened involuntarily.

A massive and terrifying surge of life essence rushed in from that point of contact.

Jiang Yining's breathing became erratic.

She quickly straightened up, took half a step back, and increased the distance between herself and him.

"Thank you, Uncle Xie."

Chu Jinglan withdrew his hand, his fingertips still seemingly retaining the soft touch of the woman's arm and the slender bones beneath her clothes.

He pushed up his glasses, revealing a dark and unfathomable gaze behind the lenses.

Seeing her frightened, deer-like appearance, the strange flutter in my heart grew even stronger.

It's a feeling of being out of control.

He disliked it very much.

"Go inside, all of you. What kind of behavior is it to stand at the door?"

Chu Jinglan spoke calmly and stepped into the mansion gate first.

Inside the living room, the three sat down according to their status as host and guest.

Chu Jinglan and Chu Shuwen discussed matters of the court, while Jiang Yining, like a proper background figure, sat quietly to the side, serving tea to everyone.

She carried the teapot and walked to Chu Jinglan's side.

A delicate, subtle fragrance wafted over.

Chu Jinglan paused for a moment while he was speaking.

He turned his head and looked at the woman who was so close to him.

She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath them.

The hand holding the teapot was slender and fair, with a jade bracelet of excellent quality on her wrist, making her fair wrist appear even more lustrous and snow-white.

His gaze slowly moved up from her hand and landed on her slightly open neckline.

You can see a small patch of delicate skin and that exquisite collarbone.

His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

"Uncle?"

Seeing that he suddenly stopped talking, Chu Shuwen asked in confusion.

Chu Jinglan snapped out of his daze and casually picked up his teacup.

"It's nothing."

He took a sip of tea, but his gaze, through the rising steam, fell once again on Jiang Yining.

"Is your niece-in-law settling in well after her marriage?"

Jiang Yining was startled by his sudden voice, and the hand holding the teapot trembled slightly.

A few drops of scalding hot tea splashed onto the back of her hand.

"ah."

She let out a soft cry.

The back of my hand immediately turned red.

How could you be so careless!

Chu Shuwen frowned and reprimanded him.

Before Jiang Yining could speak, a slender hand reached out and grasped her wrist.

It is Chu Jinglan.

His fingers were slightly cool, calloused from years of holding a pen, as they rested on her warm skin.

"You got burned."

Chu Jinglan frowned slightly as he looked at the glaring red mark on the back of her hand.

Go and fetch some ice.

He gave instructions to the servants beside him, only to realize that he was holding Jiang Yining's hand and suddenly let go.