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  The end of the twelfth lunar month is approaching, and the cold in the mountains is even more severe. The sky also darkens especially early.

  At this time, although it was not yet dusk, the steep mountain road above had already turned into a dark ink, accompanied by the cold and sparse starlight. Inside the car, Pei Jingxuan's face was as white as snow, his expression defeated, with an incredulous yet resigned look of sorrow, which looked even more desolate in the flickering light.

  He slowly opened his mouth, his voice low and hoarse with a thick sorrow. "In the past, I always thought that Yang was the one who wanted to get rid of me the most, my father ignored me because he didn't have that paternal love for me, he had enough children, having one more or less made no difference to him."

  "My grandfather remained silent, and I thought he was optimistic about it. But until today, I realized that I was really wrong."

  Those trivial matters of making him break out in rashes, diarrhea and vomiting when he was young don't count. The only thing that is sinister and cruel enough to take his life is the poison that can be traced. If he had died without the protection of Yu Zhen Shifu, Yang would not have been able to shirk her responsibility as a stepmother even if she was protected by Yang You Cheng. Although Chu Xiang Wang is gone, the palace is still there, and there are always a few loyal old men who will seek justice for him.

  Yang's method would only make him die of illness, and absolutely wouldn't let him die from poisoning.

  To say that the Dreamless Poison was originally a secret medicine of the Western Xia imperial family, twenty years ago Yang Wulang had not yet reached this point, and Yang's weak daughter in the boudoir, even if she was fierce and cruel, where would she get this exotic poison from?

  However, Pei Xiaonan, the son of the Duke of Quzhou, was different.

  He was young and followed the great Confucian scholars in Xining, as the heir to the Duke of Town's mansion, he naturally had reliable followers by his side. Although today he is known for being a lecherous spendthrift, wandering in and out of brothels, he was also once glorious and impressive in his youth, relying on his talents to win the praise of the previous emperor.

  Such a person, if in control of the dark side, is not hard to believe. Otherwise, with his carefree and wasteful nature, even with the support of Lord Pei, how could he have safely dominated over his talented brothers for nearly thirty years and occupied the coveted position of heir to the title of Duke?

  Xining is just two cities away from Western Xia Kingdom.

  Pei Jingchen thought of the case he had investigated back then, every time he was about to get close to the truth, someone would always cut off his leads in a timely manner. He heard that the servant girl who died with two lives was brought over by his father from Xining, and he had also sent people to Xining, but nothing was found. All the leads were cleaned up cleanly as if such a person had never existed.

  No one can cover the sky with their hands in Xining where there are many celebrities.

  Perhaps Pei Xiang could, but he didn't have to do so. A concubine was nothing more than that, and for the ruthless and decisive head of the family, dealing with a few concubines was simply not worth mentioning.

  But for a man deeply in love, this hatred can last a lifetime.

  Pei Jingchen's eyes were slightly dim, revealing a deep and profound sense of confusion and sorrow. He opened his mouth to say something to Ming Xuan, but the words reached the tip of his tongue and were swallowed back again.

  He smiled wryly, the smile more bitter than tears. What could he say? To his wife, he suddenly realized that the person who had been secretly watching him all these years, wanting to harm him at every turn, might be his own father? No, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

  Ming Xuan's heart was filled with astonishment, accompanied by a faint premonition, she seemed to have guessed what Pei Jingchen wanted to say. Her slender hand tightly grasped his, discovering that even the tips of his fingers were icy cold. She gently turned his head so that he leaned against her chest and softly said, "Let's not think about those things for now. The White Cloud Temple is nearby, and Master will soon be able to clear the remaining toxins from your body. In a few more days, you'll be able to get up and move around."

  Her eyes became increasingly gentle, as if they could drip with water. "In a few more days, I'll be eighteen too, and it's time for us to have a child. Yeah, I know the timing isn't great now, but I believe in myself, and if we have a kid, we'll definitely take good care of him."

  Pei Jingxuan's dark eyes finally lit up with a hint of brightness, he raised his head and looked at Ming Xuan, his gaze deep and profound, as if wanting to absorb her entire being into his eyes. After a long time, he nodded, "When we have children, I will definitely be a father who loves him, cares for him, and takes care of him. I will definitely be a good father!"

  Baiyun An finally arrived, and Yu Zhen Shitai personally welcomed them into the medicine room upon hearing the commotion.

  With the help of Yaozhi and Baisang, Mingxuan told Hansheng that the roots of these two strange grasses could detoxify. Yuzhen Shitai easily found a way to detoxify and after a whole night of treatment without sleep or rest, by the time the sun rose on the second day, Yuzhen Shitai wiped away the sweat beads from her forehead and smiled saying: "The poison in Zhen's leg has been completely removed. Although it has just forced out the toxins, he still cannot walk for a few days. With careful nursing, he should be able to recover."

  She whispered the Buddhist scriptures, and then said with a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, it's not too late, otherwise, even if the poison is resolved, Zhen Ge's legs have been inactive for too long, and it will take a lot of effort to stand up again."

  Ming Xuan did not sleep all night, but she was excited and didn't feel tired at all. She grasped Shifu's hand tightly, with a crystal clear look in her eyes, "Great kindness from Shifu, I, Ah Xuan, am grateful."

  Yu Zhen Shifu grasped her hand, "What nonsense are you talking about? I've watched Cheng grow up, he's just like my own child. If I can make things easier for him, that's all the hope I need. Thanking me makes me feel like an outsider."

  "All right, I haven't had a wink of sleep all night. I'll go to the house and rest for a while. When it's time to take medicine, I'll have someone call me again."

  Ming Xuan looked at Pei Jingchen, who was still asleep on the bed, nodded and shook his head, saying, "I'm not tired now, I'll just lean against the headboard and wait for him to wake up. Master, you've been tired all night, go back to your room and rest."

  Yu Zhen had no choice but to leave with her.

  When Pei Jingxuan opened his eyes, it was already noon.

  Perhaps due to his body being free from poison and feeling light, he only felt refreshed and clear-headed, with no remnants of last night's intoxication. He struggled to prop himself up, wanting to get up.

  Ming Xuan stopped him, "Everything should be done in an orderly and gradual manner. Now your legs are still weak, let's take it one step at a time. Let's wait for two more days and then try to get up and move slowly, okay?"

  Soft words and gentle speech, Pei Jingchen naturally listened.

  The medicine had not yet taken effect, and for the time being, they couldn't leave. After taking the medicine, the two of them leaned against the headboard side by side, putting their heads together to whisper idle chatter.

  Ming Xuan said, "There are only two more days before the New Year's Day. The young master's wife had sent someone to urge us to return earlier, and it was not easy to find various excuses. With grandfather blocking the way, we were able to stay in the villa until now. However, during the New Year's festival, it would be inappropriate to continue delaying. I think that when the time comes, I will still sit in a wheelchair to go back, and we won't tell anyone that my legs have recovered."

  She paused slightly, with a hint of sharpness flashing in her eyes. "With the fall of the Yang family, the future Madame of the Town Country Duke's estate will surely pay more attention to the right of inheritance. If Pei Jingxiao can become the future Town Country Duke's heir, her position will be even more stable. As they say, 'a cornered dog will jump over a wall', she was never someone who could be stabilized in the first place. I'm afraid that if she finds out about your leg being healed, she'll do something unpredictable."

  The unspoken second half of the sentence is that Pei Jingchen suspects that person in his heart, who has been trying to get rid of him for years, although he still doesn't know the reason. From the moment Han Xiu's guards arrived from Western Xia, starting from Xining, they encountered various assassinations and ambushes along the way. It seems that the obsession in that person's heart has become demonic, and he will not give up easily. So, showing weakness might be a good way to observe the changes quietly.

  Bai Jingchen, where else would he not understand?

  He nodded thoughtfully and said, "Alright."

  The title that others considered so important was just a ridiculous name to him. If one really had the ability, why would they care about those things? He never took it seriously from start to finish. Even if a title could stir up the deep desires of the people in the Town National Public House, he didn't mind coldly watching these worldly phenomena.

  Ming Xuan leaned on Pei Jingchen's shoulder, and at this moment, she felt a sense of solidity that she had never experienced before.

  By evening, Yu Zhen Shitai came over to take Bai Jingchen's pulse and smiled, saying, "Brother Chen is much better. I'll have Yuan Hui pack those medicines, one dose in the morning and one at night, and once you've finished them all, I guarantee you'll be able to walk freely."

  Baiyun An was a place for quiet cultivation, and if it weren't for the relationship between Yu Zhen Shitai and Pei Jingchen, men wouldn't be allowed to stay in the temple. Since the poison had been resolved, Ming Xuan didn't dare to linger any longer and disturb Shitai and the Bhikkhunis' quiet cultivation. The couple thanked Shitai and then took their leave.

  As soon as the two arrived at Nanguan Village, Dan Hong came out to greet them and said, "Gu Yatou from the young master's mansion came over at noon today. She said that the New Year is approaching and asked you and Master to hurry back to the mansion to celebrate the New Year. I made an excuse to put her off, just saying that we would return as soon as possible."

  Ming Xuan nodded, this was something she had expected and prepared for. She thought for a moment before asking, "Has He Gui woken up? Has he said anything?"

  The sky was already quite late, she feared that He Guizhen had already gone to bed, so she didn't plan on going to disturb them.

  "Yesterday, as soon as you and Master left, Brother woke up. He was overjoyed to know that he's going to be a father soon, but got too excited and reopened his wound. It took a while to calm him down. I wanted to ask him some questions, but seeing that he wasn't in top spirits, I didn't ask."

  Ming Xuan nodded, "Since you're back safely, there's no hurry to talk about those things later."

  She glanced at the sky, "Neither I nor my husband have eaten yet, tell the kitchen not to prepare too much, just make two bowls of plain porridge with some small dishes, let's rest early today and get up a bit earlier tomorrow, we need to return to the mansion before noon, we've already delayed for a day, can't afford to provoke Madame again."

  Dan Hong nodded and said okay, then waited for Ming Xuan and his wife to finish their dinner before going back to rest.

  She was halfway through her sleep when she suddenly heard the door creaking, and a woman's crying voice, "Sister Dan Hong, Sister Dan Hong, hurry up and help me, my mother is not well!"

  It's Xiaosu who is sleeping next door.

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