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

Chu Yuan'er was not surprised by this question.

She sighed, her tone melancholy: "In truth, the Marquis understands everything."

"If I go, I'll only get to listen to Madam's mockery."

really……

Zhou Ningchuan pursed his lips, his eyes darkening.

He seemed to remember something else and asked, "By the way, did we receive any notes on our way back?"

Chu Yuan'er was taken aback, then shook her head.

"As far as I know, I haven't received any notes, but what important thing could it be?"

Zhou Ningchuan didn't know what to say.

He can't just go out of his way to find some non-existent note just because Meng Li Zhaozhao said something.

Otherwise, if that woman finds out, she'll pretend to be Zhaozhao again to deceive him.

However, in the next instant, Chu Yuan'er took out a crumpled piece of paper from her sleeve.

"However, my lord, I did find a piece of paper with large characters written on it in the lady's courtyard today."

"I remember you said that Madam cannot write, so I secretly kept it and brought it back for you to see."

Zhou Ningchuan turned around abruptly, his gaze towards Chu Yuan'er filled with surprise.

Over the years, he has naturally come to know Chu Yuan'er's thoughts.

I thought that even if Zhaozhao came back, given Chu Yuan'er's status, she might not tell him.

Therefore, he did not intend to question only Chu Yuan'er; he originally planned to call Zhao Xianglan and a few other servants over in the afternoon to ask them questions.

But to his utter surprise, Chu Yuan'er was so thoughtful that she went there once and brought out what he wanted most right now.

In an instant, Zhou Ningchuan couldn't help but feel that he was narrow-minded and a sense of guilt arose in his heart.

Seeing Zhou Ningchuan moved, Chu Yuan'er lowered her head and said gently, "Yuan'er never thought of taking my sister's place. The Marquis's long-standing heartache is also my heartache."

"If my sister can come back, the Marquis will be happy, and then Yuan'er will be happy."

Chu Yuan'er handed over the paper with both hands.

Zhou Ningchuan quickly took it.

When Zhou Ningchuan first saw the character "安" above, he was indeed astonished.

But the more he looked, the more the light in his eyes gradually faded.

Do not……

wrong.

He taught his wife to write, and at first glance, the strokes do indeed look very similar.

But there are many parts that his wife couldn't have written.

Not to mention his wife's stubborn nature; she would complain of a headache as soon as she started reading.

Zhou Ningchuan had to beg her day and night for a long time before she agreed to learn their names.

Even if she comes back, she won't have the patience to learn new words.

These words were written by the woman who possessed the wife's body.

It seems she somehow learned Zhaozhao's handwriting and deliberately imitated it in an attempt to deceive him.

On his way back to the capital, seriously injured, he vaguely heard his eldest son mention a note while he was half-asleep, but he didn't pay it any mind because of his illness.

Now that I think about it... the eldest son was probably also fooled by the woman's forged handwriting.

No wonder the eldest son was convinced that his wife had returned, even at the cost of angering him.

"My lord, there's something I'm unsure whether I should say."

Chu Yuan'er observed Zhou Ningchuan's expression for a while before speaking slowly:

"I know that you, Lord Marquis, have always cared about my sister, otherwise you wouldn't have been deceived so many times before, but these years have passed..."

"My lord, you should also look to the future."

"Otherwise, even if my sister finds out, she will feel sorry for the Marquis."

"Besides, it's not just for my sister. For the past seven years, the three children have been left in the capital to live with that woman. My heart is the same as yours, my lord. I feel sorry for them, but I'm sure you feel even more sorry for them than I do."

"The reason I couldn't come back then was for my sister; now that you've chosen to come back and make some decisions that you might not want to make, it's also for my sister."

What do you think?

Zhou Ningchuan exhaled a deep breath.

For fourteen years, his longing for his wife had tormented him every minute and every day.

Despite his efforts, he still sees no hope.

Everything now seems to be telling him: give up, for the sake of the child, he should start a new life.

The emperor, the Imperial Observatory, his children, and even his subordinates.

Everyone is hoping he will stop indulging in fantasies and that he can be reborn.

But only Zhou Ningchuan knew that he had been dead for a long time.

The moment Zhaozhao left his life, she took his soul with her.

What remains of us now is merely a shell of a body, held together for the sake of our children.

What he wanted was never the title of Grand General, the title of Marquis of Zhongjing, or even a new life.

What he wanted from the beginning was this.

There is only his Zhaozhao.

Zhou Ningchuan stood alone by the window, taking out the only note with their names on it that Zhao Zhao had left behind before she disappeared.

The paper had long since yellowed, the edges were roughened from being touched countless times, and the writing was somewhat mottled.

As always, Zhou Ningchuan gently stroked the six characters on it.

"Zhaozhao..."

"If you could see all this, would you blame me for being so cruel to our children?"

In order to bring his wife back, he clung to that vague and unrealistic hope and went to the Northwest for seven years.

If his wife finds out, will she scold him severely?

Most definitely.

Thinking of that scene, Zhou Ningchuan smiled happily and let out a soft laugh.

As he laughed, his eyes started to sting again.

"Zhaozhao, would you want me to move forward?"

Kill his last illusions, abandon Zhao Zhao's body, and let the three children be reborn.

If Zhaozhao were here, would she want me to do this?

"Zhaozhao, what should I do..."

Zhou Ningchuan was tormented by a great inner conflict.

He was unwilling to give up the last possibility and wanted to keep all of this for his wife.

On the other hand, he also knew that he had delayed his children too much because of his so-called obsession.

A metallic sweetness rose in Zhou Ningchuan's throat.

He tried his best to suppress it, but the next second, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood.

Black and red blood splattered on the note, covering the character "昭".

"No……"

Zhou Ningchuan panicked and reached out to wipe it clean, but the more he wiped, the dirtier it became.

His vision became increasingly blurry.

Hearing a heavy thud, the guards outside rushed into the room to check and found Zhou Ningchuan lying on the ground, his clothes covered in black blood.

When Chu Yuan'er rushed in and saw this scene, even though she was mentally prepared, she almost screamed and fainted.

Coming to her senses, she hurriedly sent someone to summon the imperial physician.

Zhou Ningchuan was carried to the bed, and Chu Yuan'er busied herself for a while before Zhou Shili hurriedly arrived.

The affairs of the Marquis's residence should have been left to Zhou Shili. After giving him a brief explanation, Chu Yuan'er returned to her room, citing excessive fright as the reason.

Her heart pounded, her hands trembled, and she gritted her teeth to tear off a piece of paper. Her eyes were filled with hatred and lingering fear as she wrote a line:

"Didn't you promise me that the Marquis's life wouldn't be in danger?"