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

The door was closed by Chu Sikong with a soft slam.

There were no lights on in the room, only the faint moonlight filtering through the window paper, barely outlining the furnishings.

Jiang Yining's back was pressed against the door panel, and in front of her was that magnified pale and handsome face.

Chu Sikong couldn't see, so he was very close to Jiang Yining, close enough that she could smell the constant scent of herbs on him, mixed with a faint fragrance of ink.

The hand covering her mouth was also cold and trembling slightly.

"Second brother..."

Jiang Yining tried to remove his hand.

"Shhh."

Chu Sikong raised his finger and pressed it gently against her lips.

He tilted his head slightly, his ears twitching as if listening to what was happening outside.

Only after confirming that the wind was still blowing in the courtyard and no footsteps were approaching did his tense shoulders relax a little.

But instead of backing away, he took a half-step forward.

With nowhere to retreat, Jiang Yining could only press herself tightly against the door frame, her breathing becoming somewhat rapid.

"What are you doing?"

She lowered her voice, a hint of annoyance in it: "If people see this, what will become of the General's Mansion's reputation?"

"reputation?"

Chu Sikong chuckled softly, his eyes, covered by a white cloth, fixed in her direction.

"The entire Chu family is about to be executed, what use is this reputation to me?"

His voice held a certain viscous quality that was hard to describe.

Chu Sikong removed his hand from Jiang Yining's lips, but did not withdraw it.

Instead, it slowly slid down along the contours of her cheek.

His fingertips traced Jiang Yining's jawline, finally stopping at her neck.

Jiang Yining instinctively flinched.

"Don't move."

Chu Sikong rubbed it and found that there was indeed something unusual there.

His fingers lingered on the scar, gently stroking it with his fingertips.

"How did you get hurt?"

Jiang Yining hadn't expected Chu Sikong to be so perceptive; he hadn't been fooled by her at all.

The wound that Ye Wuhen had created with the dagger had only stopped bleeding and still had a slight protrusion.

Jiang Yining turned her head away: "It's nothing, the collar of my clothes is a bit stiff, it's chafed."

"lie."

Chu Sikong suddenly leaned closer, his nose almost touching her neck.

He took a deep breath on the side of her neck, like a small animal with a keen sense of smell.

"The smell of blood hasn't dissipated much yet, so it's probably because the injury happened recently. How could such a severe wound have been abraded on the collar?"

Chu Sikong's fingers tightened suddenly, but he didn't dare to use force. He just loosely gripped Jiang Yining's throat.

"Did that tyrant hurt you?"

Although it is a question, it is spoken with certainty.

Jiang Yining sighed inwardly, knowing she couldn't hide it from her brother-in-law, who was more cunning than a lotus root.

"External injury".

She reached out and pushed against his chest: "You know he's a tyrant, serving him is like walking on thin ice."

Chu Sikong remained completely still.

He looked so thin and frail, and he would pant after walking just a few steps, but at this moment he was like a wall, trapping her in a small space.

"He wants you."

Chu Sikong suddenly spoke.

These four words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the narrow space between the two.

Jiang Yining suddenly clenched her sleeves.

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"I'm not lying."

Chu Sikong's fingers left her neck.

"Sister-in-law."

Chu Sikong lowered his head slightly, and the white cloth swayed gently with his movement.

"Your ambergris is too strong."

"So strong... it completely overwhelms your original flavor."

His voice carried a hint of barely perceptible grievance and jealousy.

"What did that tyrant do to you? Did he hug you? Or kiss you?"

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap rang out.

Jiang Yining's hand was still suspended in mid-air, her palm burning with pain.

No, why did she resort to violence? She clearly wanted to have a proper discussion with him.

Chu Sikong's face was turned to the side by the slap.

But he wasn't angry.

He slowly turned his head and raised his hand to touch his cheek where he had been slapped.

"Well done, sister-in-law."

Chu Sikong pursed his lips and said, "I misspoke."

Jiang Yining's chest heaved violently as she looked at her brother-in-law, who was both familiar and unfamiliar to her.

"Lord Chu, I am your sister-in-law!"

"I entered the palace for the sake of the Chu family! If you dare utter such frivolous words again, I'll leave right now!"

She turned around to pull the door latch.

"Don't go!"

Chu Sikong panicked, threw away the bamboo cane in his hand, wrapped his arms around Jiang Yining's waist from behind, and buried his head in her back.

"Sister-in-law, don't go..."

"I was wrong, I was really wrong."

"I'm just... just scared."

He choked up, his body trembling violently.

"My eldest brother is dead, and my mother is dying too."

"If that tyrant takes you away, I'll really have nothing left."

Tears streamed down his cheeks, quickly soaking the back of Jiang Yining's clothes.

Jiang Yining paused in her attempt to pry his fingers open.

Hearing the suppressed sobs coming from behind me, the anger in my heart seemed to be extinguished by these tears.

He was still just a boy who hadn't even reached adulthood.

It's normal to feel uneasy after experiencing such a major family upheaval and being disabled.

Jiang Yining sighed.

"Relax."

Her tone softened slightly: "I'm not leaving."

Jiang Yining patted the hand wrapped around her waist helplessly: "Let go of my hand first, what kind of manners are you acting like this?"

Chu Sikong slowly released his grip, but then knelt down again, pulling on her skirt.

Tears kept sliding down his cheeks.

"Sister-in-law, please tell me the truth. I don't want to know nothing."

"Whatever's wrong, we can analyze and face it together. I don't want to just wait around in panic anymore!"

Jiang Yining helped him up: "His Majesty only gave the Three Departments three days to investigate. If they can't find out, the Chu family will have to be punished to give an explanation to the 100,000 soldiers who died."

She still concealed the emperor's threat; how could she possibly tell her weak brother-in-law such a thing?

"real?"

"real."

Chu Sikong stood in the darkness, like a child who had done something wrong, helplessly twisting his sleeves.

Jiang Yining bent down, groped around in the moonlight for a while, picked up the bamboo cane, and stuffed it into Chu Sikong's hand.

"Here you go."

My fingertips brushed against the back of his hand unintentionally.

Chu Sikong recoiled as if he had been burned, nearly dropping his bamboo cane again.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Yining frowned.

"N-nothing."

Chu Sikong gripped his bamboo cane tightly, his ears turning so red they were almost bleeding.

Jiang Yining turned around and walked to the table, fumbling to light the candle.

The dim light spread out, and Chu Sikong stood there, his eyes covered by a white silk cloth, the finger marks on his face clearly visible. Coupled with his downtrodden appearance, he looked rather pitiful.

"Come and sit down."

Jiang Yining tugged at his bamboo cane, and Chu Sikong obediently walked over and sat down.

She went to put the towel in the basin, wet it, and wrung it out.

She returned and gently wiped Chu Sikong's face.

Before Jiang Yining went to the palace, the servants, fearing trouble, all wanted to leave, and Chu Sikong also sent away his servant.

She didn't know how he would manage without a servant, so she could only try to look after him for the time being.

Jiang Yining removed Chu Sikong's slightly damp eye bandage and gently wiped his eyes with a cloth.

The face beneath his palm was gradually burning hot. Jiang Yining had just finished wiping her eyes when he suddenly opened them.

Those clear, shallow eyes, hidden beneath long lashes, were like glass immersed in ice and snow, cool and clear, yet a mere blink could ripple with shimmering light.

"you……"

Jiang Yining then realized that Chu Sikong couldn't focus on his eyes. It wasn't until she spoke up that he tried to focus on that spot.

Chu Sikong quickly lowered his eyes: "Sister-in-law, don't look, my eyes aren't pretty."

"No, it's very beautiful. Xiaokong's eyes are gorgeous, with lots of stars inside."

Jiang Yining gently pinched his chin and continued wiping his face, which was still a little warm.

"Stretch out your hand."

Chu Sikong's ears turned red. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out his hand.

Jiang Yining gently wiped the cold sweat from his palms.

Her movements were very natural, as if she were taking care of a young, immature brother.

But Chu Sikong's body was tense.

He "looked" in Jiang Yining's direction, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Sister-in-law, do you remember the first time we met?"