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

"A letter of divorce?"

Despite the soreness in her knees, Old Madam Chu grabbed Jiang Yining's wrist.

"No! Absolutely not!"

Old Madam Chu wept uncontrollably, completely abandoning her composure as the matriarch of the household: "Ningning, if you leave, this old woman won't live either! You're carrying...you're carrying the Chu family's child!"

Chu Jinglan's hand, which was about to reach out to support his mother, froze in mid-air.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Jiang Yining's flat stomach as if he had been burned.

"Mother... what did you say?"

Chu Sikong gently stroked the mandarin duck sachet with his fingertips, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Didn't you hear me, brother?"

"My wife is pregnant with my child."

He emphasized the word "mine".

Chu Jinglan's pupils contracted sharply as he turned to look at his younger brother.

That face, which bore some resemblance to his own, was flushed with a sickly eccentricity and radiated undisguised arrogance.

Chu Jinglan felt a metallic taste in his throat.

Get rid of her? How?

But if we stay...

This bright green hat is about to take root and sprout on Chu Jinglan's head, growing into a towering tree.

Chu Jinglan finally slammed his fist hard on the rosewood table next to him.

"Bang!"

The corner of the table was chipped.

"Great, excellent!"

Chu Jinglan gritted his teeth, each word like shards of broken glass: "If it's for the sake of the Chu family line, then... we'll keep them!"

Chu Sikong smiled, his eyebrows curving upwards: "I'll be keeping my wife company tonight so she can have a safe pregnancy. Please make yourself at home, elder brother."

Chu Jinglan clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

But he ultimately didn't swing it.

That night, the Chu residence was eerily quiet.

……

The next day.

Before dawn, a shocking piece of news spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.

"Have you heard? General Chu is back, only to find he's been cuckolded!"

"Hey, it's not just green, I heard that Madam Chu is a vixen, she's got my uncle all mad at her, and he's even pregnant!"

"That's not all, I've heard that the Grand Secretary and General Bai are also frequent visitors..."

"Not only that, I've heard that the Miss Liu that General Chu brought back is the real treasure in his palm..."

"It's so messy? Explain in detail..."

Rumors and gossip are like knives that kill without drawing blood.

Liu Xueru stood on the teahouse at the street corner, listening to the discussions downstairs, a smug smirk curling at the corner of her lips.

Since she can't become the principal wife.

Then let's muddy the waters.

When Chu Jinglan divorces that slut for the sake of his reputation, she will naturally have a chance to rise to power.

However, she clearly underestimated the intelligence networks of several other men in the capital.

Chu Mansion.

Chu Jinglan sat in his study, surrounded by piles of visiting cards.

They were all powerful and influential people from the capital who came under the guise of "visiting the sick" to watch the spectacle unfold.

"General."

Butler Zhao Bo entered: "The Grand Secretary has arrived!"

Chu Jinglan frowned.

Before he could even get up, a purple figure had already stepped into the study.

Ji Lingxiao is not wearing his official robes today.

Wearing a dark brocade robe with subtle patterns, and a white jade belt around her waist, she looked even slimmer.

Noble, aloof, and unapproachable.

"General Chu."

Ji Lingxiao did not bow, but walked straight to the main seat and sat down, his movements as natural as if he were in the Prime Minister's residence.

"I have heard that things have been rather unsettled in your household recently."

Ji Lingxiao went straight to the guest seat next to the main seat and sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea as if he were the guest in charge.

"I've heard that the Prime Minister's wife suffered some injustice here?"

The Prime Minister's wife.

Ji Lingxiao emphasized these four words heavily, with an arrogant air of asserting his dominance.

Chu Jinglan's face darkened: "Lord Ji, watch your words! This is a matter for my Chu family, and Ningning is my wife!"

"Your wife?"

Ji Lingxiao chuckled, put down his teacup, and the porcelain cup collided with the table, making a crisp sound.

"If she is your wife, why is it that the whole capital is spreading rumors that you are going to divorce her and marry someone else?"

"Chu Jinglan, if you can't protect her, I wouldn't mind taking over."

Ji Lingxiao stood up and approached step by step, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "After all, the backyard of the Prime Minister's residence is much cleaner than your drafty General's mansion."

"No!"

Bai Ze strode in, exuding a menacing aura.

"You old scoundrel Ji, stop pretending to be all high and mighty!"

Bai Ze strode forward and stood directly between Ji Lingxiao and Chu Jinglan.

He slammed the knife into the ground, and the bluestone bricks immediately cracked all over.

"Ningning belongs to me!"

Bai Ze glared angrily, pointing his finger at Chu Jinglan's nose and cursing, "You bastard Chu, if you dare to lay a finger on her, I'll tear this General's Mansion down and burn it for firewood!"

Chu Jinglan's temples throbbed as he looked at the two menacing men in front of him.

"presumptuous!"

Chu Jinglan slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his warrior spirit ignited.

"This is the Chu residence! Jiang Yining is my Chu family's legal wife, listed in the family genealogy! You high-ranking officials, coming to someone else's backyard to snatch her away, have you no shame?!"

"Get out of here, all of you!"

Chu Jinglan drew his sword, the tip pointing directly at the two of them.

Ji Lingxiao sneered, about to retort.

The sound of a wheelchair rolling over the ground slowly drifted over.

Chu Sikong was pushed by Jiang Yining and slowly walked out.

Today he wore a scarlet robe that perfectly complemented his complexion, with a fox fur blanket covering his knees, making him look both alluring and handsome.

"You all seem to be in high spirits."

Chu Sikong looked up, his gaze sweeping over the three men who were on the verge of drawing their swords.

"Sister-in-law, look, they all want to tear our house down."

Jiang Yining had a headache.

Looking at the four men who had formed a mahjong table, she felt as if the flesh inside her stomach was twitching.

"Shut up, all of you."

Jiang Yining pressed her temples, instantly silencing the room.

She walked to the head seat and sat down, her eyes sweeping over the room with a cool and aloof expression.

"If you want to argue, go outside and argue."

Chu Jinglan looked sharply at Ji Lingxiao and Bai Ze.

"Yi Ning is pregnant with the Chu family's child, so it's impossible for her to leave the Chu family."

As soon as those words were spoken...

The atmosphere, which had been tense, suddenly turned eerie.

"General Chu."

Ji Lingxiao suddenly laughed.

The smile was somewhat strange, carrying three parts mockery and seven parts amusement.

"Are you sure that's a member of the 'Chu family'?"

Chu Jinglan was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"It means..."

Bai Ze scratched his head, his fierce expression vanishing, and a strange blush appeared on his face.

He chuckled, revealing a set of bright white teeth: "Back then... I also stayed in the mansion for half a month."

boom--!

Chu Jinglan felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him on the head.

He stiffly turned his head to look at his younger brother, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

Feeling guilty, Chu Sikong turned his head away: "Brother, I'm sorry."

Chu Jinglan's mind completely exploded.

He pointed at them, his fingers trembling violently, a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat, unable to be spat out or swallowed.

"Shameless! Vulgar!"

If before it was just wearing a green hat.

Now, Chu Jinglan felt as if he were in a vibrant grassland, where the wind blew the grass low and revealed cattle and sheep.

This child...

Whose is it?!