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

Chu Jinglan felt like a thief.

A ridiculous thief who broke into someone else's house only to find that everything inside had nothing to do with him.

He practically fled from the corridor, having spent the entire night without sleep, his eyes bloodshot.

As dawn broke, Chu Jinglan, who had been thinking all night, realized that the reason he was an outsider was because he wasn't "considerate" enough.

As a husband, he wanted to do something for his pregnant wife.

This thought made his heart burn.

Chu Jinglan made a special trip to the small kitchen and carefully prepared a bowl of medicine to help prevent miscarriage.

He stopped in his tracks as he carried the lacquer tray to the door of the main house.

He saw the arrogant Grand Secretary Ji Lingxiao holding a jade bowl in one hand.

He channeled his inner strength into his palm, solely to prevent the bowl of medicine from cooling down even slightly.

And Bai Ze, the mad dog general known as the "human butcher," was squatting by the bed.

Holding a string of bright red candied hawthorns in his hand, his voice sounded like that of a eunuch.

"Ningning, take a sip, take a sip of medicine, then lick a piece of candy, it won't be bitter."

Chu Jinglan looked down at the bowl of dark, murky medicine in his hand.

Then look at Ji Lingxiao's bowl of nourishing soup, which is clear in color and at a suitable temperature.

Chu Jinglan felt a burning pain on his face.

I gritted my teeth and went inside anyway.

"cough."

Chu Jinglan coughed lightly, successfully attracting the attention of the three people.

Bai Ze immediately stood up, staring at him warily like a wolfhound guarding its food.

Ji Lingxiao withdrew his inner force and glanced at him indifferently. The sarcasm in his eyes was more hurtful than a knife.

"General, you're up very early." Ji Lingxiao's tone was unreadable.

"I'm here... to deliver medicine to the lady."

Chu Jinglan's voice was somewhat hoarse, and he felt weak and powerless as he spoke.

Jiang Yining had already gotten up. She was wearing a plain-colored nightgown, and her long hair was loosely tied up. Perhaps because of her pregnancy, her pretty face showed some weariness.

When she saw Chu Jinglan holding the medicine bowl, her eyes flickered, and she subconsciously took half a step back.

It was this half-step evasive reaction that stabbed Chu Jinglan in the heart.

She... was avoiding him.

"What if my wife gets burned, brother?"

Chu Sikong emerged from behind the screen at some point.

Holding a warm handkerchief, he slowly and deliberately wiped Jiang Yining's fingers.

Chu Jinglan felt a lump in his throat, unable to swallow it.

Fortunately, an urgent imperial edict suddenly arrived from the palace, saying it was an urgent report from the border, and summoned away Ji Lingxiao and Bai Ze, those two troublesome fellows.

Chu Jinglan handed over the medicine bowl.

Jiang Yining drank the bowl of bitter medicine in one gulp.

"Tonight, I will stay in the main house."

The air froze instantly upon hearing this.

Chu Sikong's face turned cold: "Brother, my wife needs to rest."

Chu Jinglan laughed in exasperation: "I'm her husband! Taking care of my pregnant wife is my duty!"

Chu Sikong was about to speak when Jiang Yining stopped him, saying, "Alright, Sikong, you don't get enough rest every day you come here. Just rest tonight."

As night fell, the rain intensified.

Jiang Yining leaned against the soft couch, reading a book. The candlelight flickered, casting a soft shadow on her profile.

Chu Jinglan sat on a grand chair not far away, holding a scroll of military strategy in his hand, but he didn't read a single word of it.

Just as he was lost in thought, a suppressed cry of pain suddenly came from the inner room.

"Well……"

Jiang Yining suddenly frowned, and the book in her hand slipped to the ground.

She curled up, gripping her calves tightly, and a layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.

"What's wrong?!"

Chu Jinglan threw down the military treatise and rushed over.

"My leg...I'm cramping..." Jiang Yining's voice trembled with pain, her toes curling up in agony.

Chu Jinglan immediately panicked.

"Cramp? Which...which leg? What...what should I do?"

He, a general who commanded thousands of troops on the battlefield and remained unfazed even in the face of mountains of knives and seas of blood, was now like a young boy, completely at a loss.

He wanted to rub her hand, but was afraid of hurting her. He reached out, but didn't know where to place his hand.

"Press...press down..." Jiang Yining was in so much pain that she couldn't speak, and cold sweat soaked her temples.

"Where should I press? Which acupoint is it?"

Chu Jinglan was sweating profusely and grabbed her slender calves.

The force was too great, and Jiang Yining gasped in pain.

"Ouch! Be gentle!"

Chu Jinglan was covered in sweat: "Is it here? Or here?"

Jiang Yining's eyes reddened with pain, and she subconsciously called out that name.

"Master Sikong... Summon Master Sikong..."

Chu Jinglan froze instantly.

"I'll do it."

Chu Jinglan gritted his teeth, a hint of obsession flashing in his eyes.

He refused to believe that he, a dignified seven-foot-tall man, couldn't even learn this kind of servant's job!

"Take off your socks, I'll rub them for you."

Without saying a word, he started to pull off Jiang Yining's stockings.

Jiang Yining tried to pull her foot back, but his large, iron-like hand gripped her ankle tightly.

"Don't move!"

"I'll do it!"

Chu Jinglan's voice was a little hoarse: "Let me try."

Jiang Yining was startled and stopped struggling.

The white stockings were slowly pulled down.

A small foot, as delicate as mutton fat jade, was revealed, with a taut arch and a faint pink hue.

Chu Jinglan's gaze lingered on her ankle.

A red rope was tied there.

A delicate little gold bell hangs on the red string.

As Jiang Yining moved, a crisp "ding-a-ling" sound rang out.

Chu Jinglan recognized the pattern on it.

That's the Ji family crest.

Even more deadly is that on the inside of the bell is an extremely tiny character engraved – “霄”.

Ji Lingxiao's private seal.

That high-ranking Grand Secretary actually had his personal seal made into a bell and tied to his wife's ankle like a caged canary.

What does this mean?

This is to tell everyone that this woman, from head to toe, even in the most private places, bears the mark of Ji Lingxiao.

"What is this?"

Jiang Yining tried to pull her foot back, but he held it even tighter.

"It's just a bell," she said indifferently. "It was a gift from someone, who said it would bring good luck."

"To ensure safety?"

Chu Jinglan laughed, but his laughter was more like a grimace.

"Whose peace? Ji Lingxiao's?"

He suddenly became fierce and reached out to grab the red rope.

"Take it off! Take it off!"

"Chu Jinglan, are you crazy! That's a dead knot!"

"I don't care! I won't allow you to wear other men's things!"

During the argument.

The sharp edge of the golden bell cut Chu Jinglan's finger.

Fresh blood gushed out instantly, dripping onto Jiang Yining's snow-white instep.

Chu Jinglan stared blankly at the blood on his fingertips.

As if all his strength had been drained, he collapsed in despair.

"sorry……"

Chu Jinglan released his grip and, like a child who had done something wrong, knelt on the footstool, burying his head deeply.

Just then, a soft hand grasped his injured finger.

Jiang Yining sighed: "How old are you? You're still acting like a child."

She took out clean strips of cloth from a small box by the bedside, and carefully bandaged his wound with her head down.

Chu Jinglan's body trembled.

He suddenly looked up at the woman who was standing right in front of him.

Long eyelashes droop down, casting a silhouette on the eyelids.

The warm candlelight shone on her profile, outlining her soft features.

A faint, sweet fragrance lingers around the nose.

Chu Jinglan stared at her stiffly as she bandaged his wound.

This long-lost tenderness, which he almost mistook for an illusion, was like a heavy hammer, shattering all his pretense and defenses.

He suddenly stretched out his arms and pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly.

"Ningning..."

Chu Jinglan choked up, then suddenly reached out and hugged her waist.

He buried his face in her soft belly, tears silently soaking her clothes.

"If only I had come back sooner..."

His voice was hoarse, filled with endless regret and grievance.

"If I hadn't gone to the border that year, would everything... have been different?"