Chapter 109: Fallen Ill

"Does anyone else know about this?"

Chen Delin gripped Yu'an's shoulders, staring hard at him.

Seeing that he hadn't instinctively dismissed what she'd just said as a child's nonsense, nor doubted its truth, An Luo gave a small nod of approval.

Actually, Chen Old Master is pretty good too.

"No, Yu'an only told Grandfather Chen."

He hadn't even told Yi Jiang's daddy.

Hmph!

He remembered very clearly — Uncle Chen had said earlier that he'd already sent that woman away, and only then did Yi Jiang agree to come home.

But now, that woman is still here, and she even wants to harm people!

Sure enough, this must be what Yi Jiang meant — once there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather, right?

"It's just a chill and cold; one dose of medicine will do."

Seeing my state, Ni Yi visibly panicked and hurriedly poured me a cup of water.

"Someone come!"

"Now, before others, you can only call him your adoptive father; you can only live in the shadows, able to appear behind people in the dark!"

"Slap!"

Gu Shang walked in.

The Pingnan Marquis raised his hand and cut me off.

Why me?

"Just because I'm a girl, he can let others plant a spy right beside him?!"

Before slapping me, the Pingnan Marquis looked at his trembling hand, then clutched his chest and staggered, collapsing into the chair, gasping in short breaths.

"Could it be that the food was off?"

After personally feeding Chen Ying her medicine and watching over her for a while, seeing Ni Yi break out in a slight sweat, Yi Jiang only then left, still worried.

Chen Delin had always been upright and forthright, never one to curry favor or form factions for private gain; among those in the Imperial Court who had no grudge against the Cheng Family, how few were there?

"Goodbye, Grandfather Chen!"

"Go get the medicine slowly!"

"Does this one have any orders?"

Suddenly, I jerked my head up.

The family doctor was so out of breath he couldn't catch it; after taking the pulse, he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Wasn't she perfectly fine at lunch? How did she suddenly feel unwell?"

Yi Jiang's face brightened, and she whispered something in my ear.

The Pingnan Marquis took a sip of water, steadied himself, his tone calm, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at me was full of disappointment.

At that moment, the family doctor was dragged in by a servant, half-pulled, half-hauled.

I took a roundabout path toward the Backyard, and on the way ran into a servant hurrying along.

"Father, Father, are you all right?"

Ni Yi frowned.

After watching the Horse Carriage ride off into the distance, the Pingnan Marquis went through the small gate; the moment he turned around, his face went cold.

Yu'an nodded, half-understanding.

"You actually knew — all these years, that's what he was thinking."

"I've checked. Sir, I don't think it's the cake's fault. The eldest young master ate it last time and was fine, and didn't the other guests eat it too?"

"This one always likes to cut the grass and dig up the roots — why did he alone leave you behind?"

Planting a spy by my side, I could pretend I knew nothing — but they actually hurt Chen Ying in the crossfire!

Hearing this, Gu Shang first gave me a surprised glance, then nodded.

"Yes, this one has been watching over the eldest young master the whole time."

I looked over warily, my left hand finding the Dagger hidden at my waist.

The servant nodded.

"Understood. Go find the doctor quickly."

"Chen Ying is ill. Would you like to go see her?"

"Father, it was my fault."

"But I didn't listen back then — I was arrogant, complacent, wrongly trusted others, and as a result brought the Chen Family to the brink of annihilation, and nearly dragged down Chen Delin's household too, causing the Cheng Family's vitality to be severely wounded."

Just as I pushed open the door to the Study, I suddenly sensed another breath in the room.

"Yu'an, during this time, if Yi Jiang wants to come play with you, I'll have him go outside the city to find you. If anyone sends word asking you to come over, don't believe them. Understand?"

"Could the eldest young master have caught a chill?"

"Father, I…"

Yi Jiang's eyes dimmed.

"Yu'an's a girl — how does that get in his way?!"

Yi Jiang kept her head lowered and said nothing.

Wiping his face roughly, he went on.

And why should it be me?

Actually, the more Yi Jiang said, the less convinced she herself became.

Walking closer, he saw a few letters laid out on the desk, and his steps halted abruptly; his voice caught in his throat, as if jammed.

"Before Chen Delin secretly swapped you out from outside the Heavenly Prison, that was when you learned that I had used the Immunity Gold Medal to save his life."

"What happened?"

Yi Jiang widened her eyes in disbelief, looking at me and shaking her head.

"Yes!"

"Wait a moment!"

Chen Delin saw the little one off all the way to the door and into the Horse Carriage.

He smiled and waved at Yu'an, who was leaning half her small body out of the carriage window.

With a soft "fwoosh," the Fire Folder flared to life.

The manservant hurriedly replied.

"Naturally because I had long wanted to deal with the Cheng Family, and wanted to use you — killing with a borrowed blade!"

"What happened?!"

The sky was growing dark.

Pingnan Marquis had just been about to turn around to go check on Chen Ying, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks, and I called the manservant to a halt again.

"Before knowing Yu'an was a girl."

"Bastard!"

"Tell me! When did he start colluding with me?!"

"Hmph!"

Ni Yi waved her hand.

"Father!"

"The Cheng Family owes you so much, and you still took them in, willing to help — haven't you done more than enough!"

"Then, how could it have turned out like that?"

Beans, splashed water?

"Was he fine after lunch? How did he suddenly fall ill? How were they attending to him?!"

All the maids and manservants in Chen Ying's courtyard knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.

Ni Yi's thin lips moved slightly.

"Eldest Young Master, I, am guilty!"

"Master, please calm your wrath. The eldest young master was by my side the whole day today, and then he was fine, but somehow, in the time it took to eat a meal, he ended up like that."

"Enough, it's getting late, hurry home."

"Y-yes."

Yi Jiang covered her face and crouched on the ground, silent for a long while.

Hearing me say that, the furrow between Ni Yi's brows eased slightly.

"But there are some things you must tell me."

"If you hadn't come, how could you have known that he had, behind your back, done such a terrible thing?!"

Pingnan Marquis gave a self-mocking laugh.

"I'll remember that."

Meeting my gaze, a sudden, enormous panic rose in Yi Jiang's heart.

Ni Yi looked at her son — his face flushed red, eyes tightly shut, crying out in pain — and a terrifying storm brewed in the depths of her eyes.

Yi Jiang softly interrupted me.

"That's good then."

……

"All of that is what the Shen clan royalty and the Cheng Family owe you!"

"How could he be so foolish? Has lard clouded his mind?!"

Chen Old Master nodded, but then, as if thinking of something, his expression turned unusually grave.

"You……"

"The Cheng Family people brought the food — didn't they even bother to check it?"

Pingnan Marquis sighed, about to say something, when he suddenly heard the steward's panicked voice.

Has Father given up on me?

"What water?"

"This matter, I'll leave it to Grandfather Chen to handle."

"And Chen Ying……"

"Enough, I don't want to hear what he has to say anymore."

Meanwhile, outside Chen Ying's room, Yi Jiang was furiously berating the maids and manservants.

He absolutely won't tell Lord Chen!

The manservant hurriedly reported the matter of beans being scattered at the corner, and a basin of water being splashed under the corridor.

In the strong light, Yi Jiang clearly saw the person sitting at the desk.

"Old Master, the eldest young master suddenly felt unwell, so I had the young one go fetch the physician."

Hearing those words, Pingnan Marquis was first stunned, then stood up and pointed at me, cursing furiously.

"So what if you want to be emperor? You want you and Chen Ying to stand openly and honorably before the world — what's wrong with that?!"

"For the Cheng Family's Rebellion we gave our people and our strength, for you we braved the greatest of dangers — was it all just to make you a wedding gown?!"

"If it weren't for the Cheng Family back then, how would we have ended up bearing such baseless charges and come to such an end?!"

"Is it because the Shunhe Emperor, taking into account the Chen Family's past military merits, spared your life?"

"Old Master, this servant, something's happened!"

I certainly knew those grand moves were aimed at Ni Yi.

"Good, goodbye."

"Ni Yi isn't even seven years old, and I've never even set foot outside that vast Beihuang City!"

"Letting others carry out those grand moves right under his nose?!"

Before the manservant left, I hesitated a moment, then finally walked slowly toward Ni Yi's Study.

"Seven years later, after your Chen Family was framed — and even earlier — Chen Delin had already warned you to be careful of those around you."

"Could it be this basin of water?"

"Take a few fewer people with him to the Backyard…"

The manservant nodded.

Pingnan Marquis snorted coldly, slamming the table heavily — *bang bang bang*.

Pingnan Marquis laughed coldly.

"Those people, are they also here at Chen Ying's place?"

Chen Delin forced out a smile and gently patted his little head.

"Father, why have you come?"

My tense body relaxed, and I tucked the Dagger back into my clothes.

"Who?!"