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

A few days later, a heavy rain fell.

When Chu Jinglan finished his meeting and was about to leave the mansion, the rain poured down and the sky darkened as if it were night.

Chu Shuwen was called away on an urgent matter, and the steward of the manor paced anxiously in circles under the porch, but could not find a decent oil-paper umbrella.

"Young Madam, this...you see..." The butler wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking troubled.

Jiang Yining looked at the figure in black under the eaves outside the door. He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as upright as a pine tree, quietly as if he were about to merge into the wind and rain.

"I'll deliver it."

She took a slightly worn bamboo umbrella from a servant; the ribs were a bit yellowed, but the canopy was still relatively clean. She opened the umbrella and stepped into the rain.

"Uncle."

The rain was so loud, pounding on the eaves and the ground, creating a deafening noise. She had to raise her voice.

Chu Jinglan turned around.

Rainwater soaked her skirt and hair, and a few strands of wet hair clung to her pale cheeks. In the dim light, her eyes, like obsidian washed by rain, appeared exceptionally clear.

He didn't speak, he just looked at her.

Jiang Yining held the umbrella over his head. The umbrella wasn't large, so if neither of them wanted to get wet, they had to stand very close. Close enough that she could smell his unique, cool scent, a blend of the fragrance of books and ink.

"I will escort you to the gate of the mansion."

She said in a low voice.

The two walked side by side on the bluestone path, the raindrops hitting the umbrella and making a dense "pitter-patter" sound, isolating them from everything outside.

The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and her faint, sweet fragrance.

Chu Jinglan could see her profile so close to his, her lips pursed tightly with nervousness, and a couple of playful water droplets sliding down her slender neck and disappearing into her collar.

His hand holding the book tightened unconsciously.

A stretch of road, only a few dozen steps, yet it felt like an eternity.

Upon arriving at the mansion gate, a black carriage was already waiting quietly in the rain.

"Thank you." Chu Jinglan took the umbrella from her hand, his voice low and hoarse.

"Take care, Uncle."

Jiang Yining curtsied and turned to run down the corridor to escape the suffocating atmosphere.

"etc."

He called out to her.

Jiang Yining turned around, raindrops wetting her eyelashes, and looked at him with confusion.

Chu Jinglan reached out, his fingertips, cool with the rain, gently brushing her cheek and tucking a strand of wet hair clinging to her face behind her ear.

His movements were light and slow, the calluses on his fingertips brushing against her delicate skin.

Jiang Yining's breath caught in her throat for a moment.

"Don't catch a cold."

After he finished speaking, he turned and got into the carriage.

The wheels rolled over the puddles, splashing water that quickly disappeared into the rain.

Jiang Yining stood still, raising her hand to touch the cheek that he had just touched.

There, it was scorching hot.

The following day, Ruan Linlang, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anping, came to visit.

Ruan Linlang's affection for Regent Chu Jinglan is a secret known throughout the capital.

When she saw Jiang Yining sitting beside her in the study, a hint of undisguised contempt flashed in her eyes.

A woman who was jilted at the altar was just lucky to have climbed onto the powerful Chu family.

During the banquet, Ruan Linlang frequently toasted Chu Jinglan, smiling and trying her best to please him.

Chu Jinglan merely went through the motions, slowly wiping the rim of the cup with his fingertips, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Jiang Yining, who sat quietly.

She wore a pale yellow dress today, which made her look much healthier and less sickly.

Ruan Linlang saw all of this, her fingers tightening around the wine glass, her nails almost digging into her flesh.

With a perfect smile on her face, she got up and walked towards Jiang Yining.

"I've long heard that Mrs. Chu is gentle and virtuous, and seeing her today, I can confirm it's true. I'd like to offer you a toast."

She smiled warmly, but deliberately twisted her ankle as she approached Jiang Yining.

The entire glass of deep red wine was spilled precisely onto Jiang Yining's light-colored dress, staining a large area.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" Ruan Linlang feigned panic and pulled out a handkerchief. "Look at me, I was so careless."

"It's alright." Jiang Yining stood up, her expression calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Go change your clothes quickly, don't catch a cold," Ruan Linlang urged "kindly," but a triumphant smile was hidden in her eyes.

Jiang Yining nodded and, led by the maid, walked towards the side hall.

After she left, Chu Jinglan put down his wine glass, the bottom of which made a soft sound as it hit the table.

He said to Ruan Linlang, "Is this how the Marquis's family teaches its children?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a block of ice, instantly freezing the warmth in the room.

Ruan Linlang's face turned deathly pale instantly.

On the other side, a maid brought clean clothes for Jiang Yining.

"Young Madam, I'll stay outside and keep watch. Call me if you need anything."

Jiang Yining responded and walked behind a huge screen painted with landscape paintings.

She took off her soaked outer garment, revealing only a snow-white undergarment.

Just as she was about to change into her new clothes.

With a creak.

The door to the side hall was pushed open.

Jiang Yining paused, her heart leaping into her throat.

The footsteps approached gradually, neither hurried nor slow, and finally stopped in front of the screen.

"Who?" she asked nervously, her voice trembling as she clutched the clean clothes in her hands.

There was no response from outside.

Only a man's elongated shadow, cast by the candlelight, was projected onto the screen.

Jiang Yining's heart was beating faster and faster.

Through the gap in the screen, she saw a dark-colored hem of a garment embroidered with intricate cloud patterns in gold thread.

It's Chu Jinglan's style of clothing.

How did he end up here?

Jiang Yining dared not utter a sound, not even dared to breathe, her whole body frozen in place.

On the other side of the screen, Chu Jinglan stood there, motionless.

He followed her, intending to see if Ruan Linlang had any other tricks up her sleeve.

He couldn't see the scene behind the screen clearly; he could only see a blurry, graceful silhouette.

He saw her loosen her sash, raise her slender arms, and let her dark hair cascade down like a waterfall.

I heard the soft rustling of clothes falling to the ground.

The air was filled with her unique, unsettling fragrance, mingled with the sweet scent of alcohol.

His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

He should turn around and leave immediately.

Reason is clamoring for change.

But his feet seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move.

It was a feeling of being out of control that he had never experienced before.

A dark desire to tear apart this thin screen and completely possess that figure rose from the deepest part of his heart.

His knuckles turned white from gripping the book so tightly that deep creases appeared on the edges.

Just then, Ruan Linlang's shrill voice broke the eerie silence.

"Thief! Someone stole my jade pendant!"

Chu Jinglan's eyes darkened.

He heard a jumble of footsteps rushing towards him from outside.

The scheme has been launched.

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped over the screen.

A blanket of snow came into view.

In Jiang Yining's horrified gaze, he grabbed the coat she had just taken off and wrapped it tightly around her without saying a word.

Immediately following was a flurry of footsteps, and the door to the side hall was suddenly kicked open.

Ruan Linlang rushed in with a group of servants and immediately spotted the faintly visible white figure behind the screen.

As if she had seized upon some enormous incriminating evidence, she pointed behind the screen and shouted sharply:

"You, Jiang Yining! How dare you steal, and do such a despicable thing here!"

"Guards! Seize this shameless slut!"