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

Chu Jinglan stood at the door, feeling like an unwanted outsider.

He suddenly felt that the scene was somewhat familiar.

Chu Jinglan held his head, suddenly feeling that something was wrong with what was happening in front of him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

"Cough." He coughed heavily.

The four people inside the room looked up at the same time.

"Good morning, brother." Chu Sikong was the first to greet him, but he didn't seem to be getting up.

Ji Lingxiao nodded slightly as a greeting, without even moving his buttocks.

Bai Ze didn't even raise his head, muttering indistinctly, "Getting up so early, aren't you afraid of dying from overwork?"

Chu Jinglan took a deep breath, suppressing the inexplicable anger rising in his heart.

He told himself that both of them were important officials in the court, and he had to be patient.

Chu Jinglan walked to the empty seat next to Jiang Yining and sat down.

"Good morning, my wife."

Chu Jinglan tried to regain the feeling of being the head of the family.

Good morning, my husband.

Jiang Yining picked up a piece of cucumber for him with her chopsticks, then turned to the maid next to her and gave her instructions.

"Serve the general some porridge."

Chu Jinglan felt a warmth in his heart.

However, the next second.

With a "snap," a pair of serving chopsticks reached over and took a piece of pickled cucumber from the plate in front of him.

"This cucumber is too salty. You just got back, and your stomach hasn't adjusted yet. Eat less of it."

Ji Lingxiao said casually, naturally putting the cucumber into his own bowl.

Chu Jinglan was stunned.

When did you become so concerned about his stomach, Chief Minister Ji?

Moreover, the tone was so familiar, as if he had eaten eight hundred meals at this kind of table.

Immediately afterward, Bai Ze pushed a basket of freshly cooked crystal shrimp dumplings in front of Jiang Yining: "They're fresh out of the pot, eat them while they're hot. Don't bother with all that work, don't you have hands?"

Chu Jinglan looked at this scene and felt that the scene before him was extremely absurd.

This is clearly his home, and his wife's home.

However, the tacit understanding and atmosphere that flowed between the three people was like an invisible wall, completely keeping him out.

Just then, Liu Xueru walked in timidly.

She changed into a light pink dress, with a simple white magnolia in her hair, and carried a tray in her hand.

"General, sister, esteemed lords, good morning."

Liu Xueru's voice was soft and gentle, and she blushed before she even spoke: "Xueru got up early to prepare some food."

When the dishes were served, Liu Xueru quickly picked up a piece of braised pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, glistening with oil, and placed it in Jiang Yining's bowl.

"Sister, please try some."

Jiang Yining looked at the trembling piece of fatty meat in the bowl, its greasy sheen gleaming in the sunlight.

A wave of nausea and vomiting surged up from my stomach instantly.

"vomit--"

She quickly covered her mouth, her face turning deathly pale, unable to suppress the urge to vomit.

Chu Jinglan was startled, dropping his chopsticks in shock: "Yining, what's wrong? Did you eat something bad?"

Liu Xueru also looked completely innocent: "What's wrong, sister? Are you unhappy with the food your younger sister served?"

The sound of three chairs being pushed away at the same time.

Ji Lingxiao flashed to Jiang Yining's left, a cup of warm water appearing in his hand: "Drink some water."

Bai Ze dropped the steamed bun in his hand, rushed to Jiang Yining's right side, and slapped her on the back: "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the meat? I'll kill this woman!"

Although Chu Sikong was in a wheelchair, he reacted quickly, already holding a sour plum in his hand and offering it to Jiang Yining's lips: "Sister-in-law, suck on it to calm down."

This series of movements was fluid and perfectly coordinated, as if they had been rehearsed countless times.

Chu Jinglan's hand holding the chopsticks froze in mid-air, completely dumbfounded.

He looked at his wife, who was surrounded by three men, who were showing her concern and care, and his mind was buzzing.

What... what's going on here?

Liu Xueru looked at the chaotic scene with a look of horror.

With a sour plum in her mouth, Jiang Yining finally suppressed the nausea.

She looked up at Chu Jinglan, who had a completely bewildered expression, and her heart skipped a beat.

The reaction was too strong.

"fine……"

Jiang Yining waved her hand weakly, her mind racing: "It might be... I caught a chill last night, and my stomach is a little upset."

"Your stomach isn't feeling well?" Chu Jinglan frowned. "That's perfect. Xue Ru made some fish soup; it's quite delicious. Have some..."

"Take it!"

The three men spoke in unison once again.

Ji Lingxiao's icy gaze swept over the fish soup in Liu Xueru's hand: "Drinking such fishy stuff first thing in the morning, are you trying to make her vomit to death?"

Bai Ze was even more blunt: "Take it away! It smells fishy!"

Chu Sikong gently added, "Miss Liu, my sister-in-law has a weak stomach and can't handle these unorthodox methods. In the future, let the elders in the manor handle these kinds of things."

Liu Xueru's face turned deathly pale instantly, tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked at Chu Jinglan with a wronged expression.

Chu Jinglan was caught in the middle, torn between two options.

He didn't understand why everyone was reacting so strongly to a bowl of fish soup.

and……

He looked at the plate of pickled plums in front of Jiang Yining, and then at the nervous expressions of the three men beside him.

A very strange feeling welled up inside me.

The Grand Secretary and the General... are they that free?

Also, why does Bai Ze know that Ning Ning likes to eat sour food now?

"My lords..." Chu Jinglan was about to speak.

Ji Lingxiao glanced at him indifferently, as if he were looking at an annoying decoration.

"Now that General Chu has returned, His Majesty intends to reinstate you to the position of Protector General of the Nation."

Ji Lingxiao said in a businesslike tone, "Although the war in the northern frontier has ended, border defenses cannot be relaxed. If General Chu has nothing else to do, please report to the Ministry of War tomorrow."

The subtext is: Get to work and stop getting in the way.

Upon hearing that it was a matter of state, Chu Jinglan immediately stood at attention and said, "This humble general obeys! However..."

He glanced at Jiang Yining, then at the strange arrangement at the table.

Something just doesn't feel right.

Jiang Yining didn't care what he thought; her only thought right now was to go back to her room and catch up on her sleep.

The three men had really worn her out, and the little one in her belly was no pushover either, frantically draining her energy.

Just as I reached the corner of the corridor, a beautiful figure blocked my way.

Liu Xueru changed into a simple white dress and stood there frailly, with tear stains still on her eyes from the fright she had caused during breakfast.

"elder sister."

Liu Xueru bowed gracefully, her posture very humble, but her eyes held a hidden glint.

"What's up?" Jiang Yining yawned without even lifting her eyelids.

"My younger sister has some things on her mind that she wants to tell her older sister."

Liu Xueru stepped forward, lowered her voice, and her tone suddenly became somewhat arrogant.

"Actually, I am not an orphan. I am a princess of the Tatar tribe in northern Xinjiang."

Jiang Yining raised an eyebrow.

Oh, so she's a princess from another land. No wonder she smells like she hasn't washed off properly.

"The general saved me, and I saved the general in return." Liu Xueru looked up at Jiang Yining's eyes. "According to the customs of the grasslands, I am obligated to repay him with my body."

Even if I can only be a concubine in the Great Chu, I will still marry him.

She stared intently at Jiang Yining, trying to see anger, jealousy, or panic on the face of this legal wife.

After all, what woman could tolerate her husband bringing home a "benefactor" of high status to steal her position?

However, Jiang Yining simply gave a faint "oh".

She even gave Liu Xueru a kind smile and patted her shoulder.

"That's a good thing."

Jiang Yining's tone was so sincere it was outrageous: "For the general to win the princess's favor is truly a stroke of good luck for the Chu family."

"I'll have someone clean up the west courtyard later, pick an auspicious day, and carry you in."

She should hurry up and take over that man who only causes trouble; then she can free up her hands to deal with these three "debts" in the family.

Liu Xueru was stunned.

This script is wrong!

All the lines she had prepared for the power struggles within the household were now stuck in her throat.

"You...you don't care?" Liu Xueru asked incredulously. "You don't love the general?"