Noble Families Still Sighing from the Unending Cold

"Heaven bless us! Heaven bless us! We really escaped by the skin of our teeth!"

Jiang Shouyi panted as he ran to the city gate, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.

He thought he was dead for sure and had even taken out the copper bell, ready to fight to the death. To think he had miraculously survived?

What exactly was this copper bell? It was clearly a sealed, useless dumbbell, yet it rang when he faced that woman...

Jiang Shouyi vaguely guessed it must be an immortal artifact, but he didn't understand it and didn't care. As long as he was alive, that was all that mattered.

He looked at Yan Nu in his arms. The kid had somehow broken free from the cloth strips again and was sucking on a medicine bottle.

"You little brat, you're hungry, aren't you? You don't even know what this medicine is, and you're shoving it in your mouth..." Jiang Shouyi chuckled, but didn't stop him.

He knew this child was extraordinary. Eating medicine was like drinking milk... Wait, wait?

"Cough, cough, cough! Wooooah!"

Yan Nu swallowed the entire bottle of medicine and choked, coughing and crying loudly.

This wasn't right! Couldn't this child eat anything? Why did he suddenly stop being able to? Could this particular bottle of medicine be special?

Jiang Shouyi quickly snatched the medicine bottle away. He saw it was indeed a bottle of powdered medicine he hadn't seen before. Could it be that this medicine was particularly potent, something even monsters couldn't handle?

He panicked and quickly patted Yan Nu's back, urging him to cough the medicine out.

However, even after spitting it out, Yan Nu's lips turned blue, his body convulsed, and his eyes were glazed as if poisoned!

Jiang Shouyi took a small taste. It was indeed pungent, with a metallic smell. Although he didn't know what the medicine was, all medicine had some toxicity. How could an infant eat it indiscriminately?

He couldn't help but regret not stopping him immediately. He never imagined that a miraculous infant, who had survived being cut in half, could be poisoned by a bottle of medicine?

He had been fine after taking several other bottles, so why was he having trouble now?

Had his monstrous ability failed? No, the wounds on his head and stomach were still there. If his ability had failed, Yan Nu would be dead by now!

Jiang Shouyi anxiously took the child to find a doctor, but halfway there, he felt helpless again.

He thought about the child's condition. What doctor could handle this?

Forget about detoxifying him, if a doctor saw the child's intestines hanging out, they'd probably faint from shock!

Then the government would find out, and they might consider Yan Nu a monster and cremate him directly.

"What do I do? What do I do?"

Seeing Yan Nu's continuous convulsions and pained whimpers, Jiang Shouyi was beside himself with worry.

But he still held onto a sliver of hope. After all, Yan Nu was too miraculous; perhaps he could still pull through.

He first bought some steamed buns and fed them to the child. Little Yan Nu's small mouth moved, and he ate them all.

This made Jiang Shouyi breathe a sigh of relief: That's right, he's still a monster!

It's good that he's a monster!

Infants couldn't eat dry rations, but Yan Nu just ate them. For the past two days, he had survived by eating the steamed buns from Chen Hu's body, which proved he was still miraculous.

"So, he should be able to get through this poison, he can get through it..." Jiang Shouyi held the child, huddled in an alley, praying for divine intervention.

Then, every so often, he would feed Yan Nu a bit of steamed bun. The remaining buns were quickly gone.

However, an hour passed, and Yan Nu's poisoning symptoms didn't improve; they only worsened!

His body was swollen and bruised, as if the poison had spread throughout.

Jiang Shouyi didn't know what else he could do. Coincidentally, a powerful clan was giving out porridge, so he hurried to get a bowl for Yan Nu to drink.

But this time, it made things worse. Yan Nu couldn't drink it. The rice porridge got stuck in his throat, scaring him into desperately patting and digging at his throat until Yan Nu could breathe smoothly again.

"He can eat steamed buns, but he can't drink rice porridge? What's going on! Yan Nu! Yan Nu!" Jiang Shouyi sobbed, feeling utterly helpless.

He couldn't bear the pain of his grandson dying in his hands again. He felt like a jinx right now.

Was he going to let even such a miraculous, heaven-sent infant die under his care?

Fortunately, Jiang Shouyi still had money. He quickly bought the same steamed buns as before, and sure enough, Yan Nu ate them.

He scratched his head frantically. Yan Nu's condition was too bizarre; he couldn't understand it!

But he realized that Yan Nu could eat things he had eaten before.

When did Yan Nu stop being able to digest other foods?

"Could it be... Xue'er?"

Jiang Shouyi slowly sorted through his thoughts and suddenly realized that everything had happened after he sent Xue'er away.

He could eat steamed buns, but couldn't drink rice porridge. It had been two hours, and the accidentally ingested poison still hadn't been neutralized.

"Heaven sent you both into the world as a pair, so you can't be separated?"

"Once separated, this child's miraculousness... would disappear? Or rather... stagnate?"

He hadn't expected that the pair of children he found would have such a connection.

But it made sense. They were discovered as a pair, so they should both be extraordinary, though the female infant seemed too normal.

"What do I do now..." Jiang Shouyi bit his lip hard. The person had already been sent away, and that noblewoman was probably about to give birth.

He would be seeking death if he went back now, and besides, he couldn't afford to raise the child.

"No... as long as I can get through this poison, just one meeting... I just want to take the child to see them once... Isn't it fine if Yan Nu grows up as an ordinary person afterwards?"

Jiang Shouyi hardened his heart and immediately ran back to the back door of the Zhu mansion!

Whether it was useful or not, he had to try anything, even if it meant death! Even if he returned, he would surely die!

As dusk approached, he knocked on the back door of the Zhu mansion. A new gatekeeper, young but still arrogant, came out.

He said humbly, "This old man begs to see Miss Xiangyun."

"What kind of trash are you!" the gatekeeper sneered, seeing his subservient demeanor.

"There's a big celebration in the mansion, Miss Xiangyun is busy!"

Jiang Shouyi lied directly, "Miss Xiangyun sent this old man..."

He spoke vaguely, not mentioning too much, lest he ruin the affairs of Xiangyun and her madam.

If he ruined things, his death would be inconsequential, but Xue'er's chance at a good life as a noble daughter would be gone.

Jiang Shouyi understood, knowing that he now shared a secret with those two. Therefore, his return trip didn't require him to say anything explicit; as long as he came, they would see him... even if it meant killing him.

"Hmm? Wait! If the madam scolds me, I'll make you pay!" Although the gatekeeper was arrogant, relaying messages was his job, and he didn't dare to be truly negligent.

Jiang Shouyi squatted outside the door, waiting, watching Yan Nu'er grow weaker, twitching unconsciously, his heart filled with anxiety.

He was gambling with his life. The noble members of the Zhu family probably wouldn't let him see his child again.

If Xue'er had 'been born', she would likely be with the wet nurse now, or being passed around by a crowd of elders, perhaps in the hands of some noble.

He, a commoner, suddenly returning to say he wanted to see Xue'er, wouldn't Xiangyun strike him down with a sword?

In fact, his thoughts were correct. When Xiangyun heard the servant's report, she wished she could rush out and kill him immediately.

"This old man, I spared his life, and he still dares to come back?"

"It's a good thing I found out first. If it had been reported to the First Madam first... and she had noticed..."

Although Xiangyun was furious, she didn't dare to show it, standing silently to the side of the Flower Hall.

This was because a group of clan elders had gathered in the hall at that moment, and among them, an old woman was cradling Xue'er, her fingers gently stroking her.

She was searching for an Immortal Bone.

The old woman was the Family Head's principal wife and the Eldest Young Master's mother. Now that the Family Head was in court and the young master was dissolute, she was in charge of the family. With the Old Madam present, no one dared to act rashly.

"Mother! How is it? Does my child have an Immortal Bone?" Suddenly, someone burst in from outside the Flower Hall.

He wore a crimson crane cloak lined with white fox fur, his skin fair, his face powdered with gold, his hair disheveled, and his sash loose. It was Zhu Xiazhi.

"Xiazhi, where have you been? You don't even know it's a girl?" a handsome, bearded elder said, stroking his beard.

Zhu Xiazhi's eyes were hazy, and his body radiated heat, as if he were drunk. "Qin'er suddenly went into labor, I rushed here as fast as I could... I was just taking medicine with my clan brothers..."

Though over thirty, he was still unrestrained, even more carefree than in his youth.

Third Uncle couldn't help but reprimand him, "You already have two children, can't you be more steady? How will you manage the family in the future?"

Zhu Xiazhi chuckled, "The future will take care of itself. Today isn't over yet, what's the point of talking about the future!"

Seeing his nonsensical words, Third Uncle was so angry he couldn't speak!

However, Zhu Xiazhi's mother, standing nearby, scolded, "Insolent! Xiazhi, you are too rude!"

Seeing his mother angry, Zhu Xiazhi quickly bowed and admitted his mistake, "Your son knows he was wrong."

The Old Madam said with a stern face, "Still not apologizing to your Third Uncle?"

Zhu Xiazhi pouted, "Your nephew is unconventional and has this temperament, please forgive me, Third Uncle."

What an unconventional spirit! Third Uncle felt stifled and worried about the future of the Zhu family.

But what could he do? The Family Head only had two legitimate sons, and the younger son, Zhu Yuanzhi, had gone into the mountains to cultivate, having long since 'severed ties with the mortal world'. As for the Eldest Young Master, Zhu Xiazhi, he had no Immortal Bone, so he would surely be the one to lead the family in the future.

"Hmm, let me have a good look at your daughter... Her appearance is indeed excellent." The Old Madam had finished feeling her bones and, with a slight shake of her head, handed Xue'er to Zhu Xiazhi.

She didn't say it explicitly, but everyone knew that she had no Immortal Bone.

Zhu Xiazhi examined his daughter, his face beaming with joy, "Heh! So what if she has no Immortal Bone? My daughter's skin is like congealed fat, smooth and lustrous as jade. Even as a newborn, she already shows signs of unparalleled beauty. She might even become an empress in the future!"

The Old Madam smiled faintly. The daughter was indeed beautiful. Empress might be a stretch, but a marriage alliance with a top noble family was highly probable!

So, she glanced at Zhu Xiazhi's principal wife, who stood respectfully and silently nearby, as a subtle warning, and then gracefully departed.

"Mother, walk slowly!" Zhu Xiazhi swayed as he saw her off.

As the Old Madam reached the doorway, she suddenly turned back and reminded him, "Xiazhi, now that the child is born, you must make time to go to the Yamen. The court has appointed you the Anqiu County Magistrate, you should take it seriously..."

"The snow this year has been too heavy. You are in charge of a region's common people; you can't let the staff officers do everything."

Zhu Xiazhi was looking down, playfully teasing his beautiful daughter. Hearing about the heavy snow, he suddenly laughed.

He held up his jade-doll-like daughter, "How can one bear to part with beauty when facing the snow? Don't be surprised that spring is late; it's still better than the cold not having ended!"

"I've got it! My daughter will be named Zhu Yanxue!"

Third Uncle gasped... His precious daughter was too beautiful, how could he have the mind to look at the heavy snow outside? Don't be surprised that spring is late; it's still better than the cold not having ended!

The poem that spilled from his lips left Third Uncle of the Zhu family stunned. While he was accustomed to his nephew's unconventional ways, this time it was truly too much.

This year, a great snow had blanketed the Six Northern Prefectures! In Qingzhou alone, fifty thousand people had perished from hunger and cold!

In Donglai Commandery, refugees had impersonated immortals and started a rebellion. The situation in Anqiu was slightly better, but it had also become a gathering point for a large number of refugees... Outside many other cities, frozen corpses had blocked the city gates.

As the parent official of a region, he actually felt this cold spell wasn't intense enough? He actually said, "It's still better than not having enough cold"?

Third Uncle's face darkened, and just as he was about to reprimand him, the Old Madam spoke first.

"If I tell you to go, you go! The Langya Prefect is advanced in age. You've been building your reputation for twenty years, and your father is the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. In the future... in short, you need to start preparing. How can you be prepared if you've never been to a yamen?"

The unspoken meaning behind the Old Madam's words was that once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, Zhu Xiazhi would become the Langya Prefect.

Seeing that the conversation had drifted so far, Third Uncle could only swallow the reprimand he had intended to give.

So this was the heir of the Zhu family, who had never been to a yamen, and would become the Langya Prefect...

And this had essentially been decided years ago, unless the one ascending the throne wasn't the Crown Prince.

In such a situation, how could he discuss the responsibilities of a county magistrate with him?

"Mother, your son understands. I'll go to the yamen immediately after I see Qin'er!" Zhu Xiazhi quickly replied respectfully.

He understood his mother too well. She didn't care about his dissolute behavior as long as he was respectful and obedient to her at crucial moments, showing her that he valued her words above all else. Then, there would be no problem.

As expected, the Old Madam nodded with satisfaction. "Alright, let's not disturb them anymore."

With that, she left directly. The other elders couldn't stay either, and Third Uncle could only follow, helpless.

From beginning to end, they had no intention of entering the inner room to see Le Qin, who was still acting on her sickbed.

Le Qin was terrified of being exposed and was very anxious, but there was no doubt that her worries were in vain.

Throughout the entire mansion, not many people cared about her. Besides the servants, only Zhu Xiazhi would come to this side courtyard.

"Husband, have the Old Madam and the others left?"

"They have, but I have to go to the yamen, so I can only come back to accompany you later."

Le Qin breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the most difficult hurdle had been passed.

"It's fine, official business is important. Xue'er has a wet nurse to take care of her, and I have Xiangyun..."

At this point, Le Qin was startled. She had let it slip! She had actually said the name that old man had given.

Regardless of what the child was called before, she was now a noble lady of the Zhu family, and her name would definitely have to be changed.

However, Zhu Xiazhi smiled. "Oh? Qin'er has such sharp ears, you heard that? Yes... Zhu Yanxue, Xue'er. You think this name is good too, don't you?"

"Whatever my husband chooses is naturally excellent." Le Qin smiled. It turned out the name also contained the character 'Xue,' which felt like fate.

The two didn't linger for long. Zhu Xiazhi felt the effects of the medicine wear off, and dejectedly changed his clothes before heading to the yamen.

Only then did Xiangyun finally have a chance to speak. "That old man has come again. I'll go kill him!"

Le Qin, who had been lying down feeling lighthearted, sat up in agitation upon hearing this, filled with rage.

"Why has he come again? Is he trying to control me?" Le Qin feared this situation. She had spared the old man's life, but if it led to exposure, it would have been better to have killed him from the start.

She immediately wanted to get out of bed, but remembering that the wet nurse was in the outer room, she had to lie back down.

"Bring him in!"

Xiangyun said, "Bring him here? Isn't that inappropriate? Let this servant get rid of him."

Le Qin shook her head. "It's fine, he's just an old man. Later, I'll say I arranged for him to bring a male infant for good luck, but he arrived too late, and so on."

"I need to know who he's been in contact with. This old man wouldn't come back for no reason!"

Not long after, Xiangyun led Jiang Shouyi in.

Even before reaching the door, Jiang Shouyi heard Xue'er's crying. To his surprise, Yan Nu's convulsions instantly stopped, and with a coo, he opened his eyes again.

"Hearing her cry is enough? What kind of logic is that?" Jiang Shouyi muttered to himself.

But everything was finally as he wished. Yan Nu's poison was cured! He was getting better!

It was truly because of Xue'er! In just this moment, the poison that couldn't be cured for over two hours before was suddenly gone.

However, since he was already here, leaving wouldn't be so simple. Xiangyun led him into the main hall.

This was Le Qin's sleeping quarters. Even though Jiang Shouyi had come, he could only kneel outside the warm curtain in the anteroom.

"Xue'er is awake again. You can take her to feed her. I don't need you here." This was Le Qin speaking to the wet nurse.

Jiang Shouyi heard the wet nurse leave the warm curtain and Xue'er's crying, but he didn't dare to look up.

"I told you, don't come back again!" At this moment, Le Qin walked out from behind the curtain, looking down at him coldly.

Jiang Shouyi sighed inwardly and kowtowed. "It is this humble one's fault, but this child was poisoned, and I was truly helpless."

"Poisoned?" Le Qin glanced and saw that Yan Nu's body was indeed purplish and swollen, but the symptoms were very mild and almost disappearing.

"It was the medicine bottle from that Heavenly Tiger. My grandson accidentally ingested it." Jiang Shouyi took out the medicine bottle.

Xiangyun stepped forward to take it and frowned slightly after a gentle sniff. "Five-Stone Powder?"

Le Qin was shocked. "For such a young child, if they don't have an Immortal Bone, they shouldn't even touch it!"

Jiang Shouyi had no idea what an "Immortal Bone" was. He just kept going along with it. "This humble servant wasn't paying attention for a moment, and Yan Nu just touched it a little... This humble servant knows he shouldn't have returned, but there was truly no other way..."

Xiangyun said angrily, "Can't you just find a doctor? I told you to leave and stay far away, but you dared to come back. What if someone in the mansion with ulterior motives notices... I might as well kill you now!"

However, Le Qin stopped Xiangyun and said with a hint of guilt, "Ah... it was my oversight. I forgot to give you some money..."

She just remembered. He was here to sell his grandchild. This old man was a disaster victim and likely had no money left. She had taken in his granddaughter but hadn't given him a single coin or a single grain of food!

She had told him to leave and go far away, but how far could he go? It would be better to just kill him.

And with that thought, Le Qin felt relieved... The idea of holding something over him or extorting him was just angry talk.

Even if you gave this old man ten thousand guts, he wouldn't dare to come back and extort her for knowing this secret.

Come to think of it, anyone with a normal mind would know that coming back was suicidal.

But this old man had returned without hesitation. It was only because his grandson had been poisoned and there was no other option that he came back for help. It was as if he wanted to trade his own life for his grandson's. He was indeed a man who valued relationships and wasn't afraid of death.

This was very important, because it meant that even for Xue'er's sake, Jiang Shouyi would defend this secret to the death.

"Xiangyun, give him five hundred guan."

"Listen, Jiang Shouyi, this is the last time. I don't want to see you again."

"From now on, her name is Zhu Yanxue, and she is my daughter!"

p.s: Sorry.