The temperamental white moonlight is back, and the entire Marquis's family obediently calls him

The deputy general, Wu Chenghao, saw this scene through the window in the study and also heard the soft sigh carried by the autumn wind.

When he first arrived at the commander's side, he always saw the two of them together, and he thought that Chu Yuan'er must be the commander's wife.

As a result, the first time he called her Madam Chu, he was severely reprimanded by a senior veteran.

"Call her Miss Chu. Our Lady of the Marquis is in the capital."

Wu Chenghao then learned the whole story.

But as time went by, he felt increasingly indignant for this Miss Chu.

She was the one who stayed by the Marquis's side, the one who took care of the Marquis, and the one who stayed at the border to wholeheartedly protect the Marquis.

But the Marquis refused to give her any official title, reserving the position of the dignified Marquis's wife for that woman in the capital who was known for her madness and unpredictability.

Not to mention, Chu Yuan'er treated these soldiers with great kindness, always using her own money to buy meat and wine to reward them.

Although no one said it, everyone already regarded Chu Yuan'er as the real Lady of the Marquis in their hearts.

This time, Chu Yuan'er returned to the capital with the Marquis, and Wu Chenghao thought she had a chance.

But it's still the same.

Looking at Chu Yuan'er's slender back, Wu Chenghao felt that this young woman had endured far too much.

Suddenly, their eyes met.

Chu Yuan'er's eyes held sadness, loss, and helplessness.

Wu Chenghao quickly lowered his head and avoided eye contact.

When she looked up again, Chu Yuan'er had already turned and left.

Wu Chenghao's heart stirred, and a thought popped into his head—if only he could help Miss Chu.

.

"Father."

The moment Zhou Shili stepped into the room, he smelled blood and guessed that his father had just changed his dressing and would not want anyone to see his sickly state, so he stood in the outer hall of the study, separated by a screen.

"Don't worry about me," came Zhou Ningchuan's slightly hoarse voice from behind the screen.

How could Zhou Shili not be worried?

Three days ago, he rushed out of Beijing to meet his father. On the way, he considered all sorts of possible scenarios, but when he saw his father's injuries, he couldn't help but shed tears.

My father was shot in the side by a poisoned arrow. The skin around the wound turned purple and black, and it was showing signs of ulceration and spreading.

Even more tragically, this poison is rare, and there is currently no antidote.

The emperor has sent people everywhere to search, but no one knows when they will be found.

These days, the imperial physicians can only use the most basic detoxifying powder and change the dressing every hour to try to slow down the spread of the ulcer.

Zhou Shili couldn't help but recall the note from the Imperial Observatory.

Could it be... that my mother and father are really incompatible?

"Why didn't she come?" Zhou Ningchuan rarely mentioned that woman, his tone sarcastic.

In his final years, Zhou Ningchuan completely broke ties with that woman, refusing to let her use Lu Mingzhao's body for her own purposes any longer.

The woman went even crazier, and cursing and hitting each other became commonplace whenever they met.

Now that he's injured, women should be happy.

However, he was also somewhat relieved to know that it wasn't Lu Mingzhao who was injured.

If Zhaozhao knew that he had been hit by a poisoned arrow and was so badly injured, she would be heartbroken.

He didn't want Zhaozhao to be sad.

"Mother...she doesn't know about your injury yet."

Zhou Ningchuan frowned slightly: "Why?"

Zhou Shili lowered his head: "If Mother knew, she would be very worried..."

"Enough!" Zhou Ningchuan slammed his hand on the table and stood up, interrupting his eldest son.

His movements aggravated the wound, but his anger overwhelmed the pain.

"Li'er, I've told you many times, she is not your mother."

"Why are you still so stubborn? How exactly did she bewitch you? It's one thing for Xu'er and An'an not to know the details, but why are you so confused?"

He was unconscious for most of the three days on his way back.

During the occasional moments when he was awake, Zhou Shili told him, "Mother has returned."

But how could he possibly believe it?

That woman has deceived them countless times over the years, always managing to fool them completely.

Seven years ago, he dared to travel to the Northwest only after seeing that his eldest son had developed the ability to discern right from wrong.

In retrospect, the eldest son was also a fool.

Zhou Shili immediately knelt down: "Father, please calm your anger!"

"But what if Father has seen it..."

"Timely etiquette".

Chu Yuan'er's voice rang out behind him. Zhou Shili turned around and saw her walking towards him with a gentle smile in her eyes.

"Why are you kneeling? Get up!"

Zhou Shili pursed his lips: "Aunt Chu, I have something I want to say to Father alone."

"Coincidentally, I also have something to tell you. Do you want to listen?"

Chu Yuan'er looked at him calmly, her tone sincere.

After a long pause, Zhou Shili took a deep breath and stood up.

Chu Yuan'er led Zhou Shili out the door, then whispered, "Have you received the divination from the Imperial Observatory?"

Zhou Shili paused: "Aunt Chu, you received it too?"

Chu Yuan'er nodded gently.

"Both the Marquis and I saw the divination, but at the time we just found it laughable and didn't take it seriously."

"But now... Shili, don't you really think something's a little strange?"

"The Marquis has spent seven years at the border, fighting countless battles, yet he only bears a few shallow scars. Now, on his way back to the capital, he has been wounded by a mere bandit. Isn't that truly strange?"

"To be honest, after returning to the manor this morning, the Marquis's injuries worsened, and he still has a high fever. He's only managing to talk to you because he's forcing himself to."

Zhou Shili frowned: "What Aunt Chu means is..."

Chu Yuan'er took a few steps to the side, wringing a handkerchief in her hand, her expression worried: "I shouldn't have said these things to you, but as you know, since I came to the Marquis's mansion, I have no one else in my heart, and I only think about the Marquis and you all."

"If you insist on convincing the Marquis that 'the old lady has returned,' whether the Marquis believes you or not is secondary; in a fit of anger, he will definitely want to see my sister."

"While that divination was absurd, the Marquis's current condition is far from good. If we were to actually meet him and the divination's warnings were confirmed, what would our Zhongjing Marquis's mansion do?"

"You and the Marquis entered the palace together this morning. As you probably know, the Emperor values ​​the Marquis highly and would certainly not want the Marquis's family to disregard divination or rashly put the Marquis in danger. Our entire Marquis's family is also counting on your father."

"Just consider it an act of helping me, your father, and your younger siblings. Try to believe it for now, okay?"

Zhou Shili closed his eyes.

Chu Yuan'er is right.

Regardless of Chu Yuan'er's intentions in saying these words, her father's injury was indeed strange, and her mother's sudden fainting was even more peculiar.

When it comes to something so mysterious and elusive, it's better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't.

If he really persuaded his father to meet his mother, would the two of them perish again?

This decision rested on Zhou Shili's shoulders.

Now he can ignore the divination, go inside and argue with his father, making his father believe that his mother has returned.

but……

He dared not gamble.

After seeing Zhou Shili off, Chu Yuan'er re-entered the study, walked around the screen, and served Zhou Ningchuan a fresh cup of hot tea.

Zhou Ningchuan put down the documents, looked up at her, and asked, "What did you say to Li'er?"