Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

The mother and daughter slept in the same bed and talked for a long time before gradually falling asleep.

The two had just fallen asleep when a small figure entered carrying a pillow.

The little girl stood by the bed, staring wide-eyed at her sleeping mother and sister, her expression one of utter shock.

Her mother and older sister were secretly sleeping together, without her!

The little girl was extremely upset, and large tears began to fall from her eyes.

She couldn't sleep at night and felt very uncomfortable. She called for Chengxin, her wet nurse, and Granny Shen, but no one paid any attention to her. In the end, only Que'er accompanied her to Ginkgo Garden to find her sister.

When they went to their sister's Ginkgo Garden, they found that their sister was not there.

Que'er accompanied her to her mother's Autumn Water Garden again.

Unexpectedly, Mother secretly slept with my older sister!

The little girl felt increasingly aggrieved. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the two people on the bed. She took off her cloak, stuffed a pillow between them, and began to climb onto the bed on all fours.

She didn't care; she wanted to sleep between her mother and sister tonight.

Shangguan Tang and Ying Yufu were soon awakened by the noise the little girl was making.

"Tan'er?"

Shangguan Tang looked shocked. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"Mother, I feel unwell."

Ying Yutan said, her voice trembling with tears, her breathing slightly rapid.

Shangguan Tang's expression changed immediately. She quickly reached out to touch her daughter's forehead and found it burning hot.

"Tan'er, you have a fever. Where are Chengxin and Granny Shen? Why didn't they call the physician?" Shangguan Tang's voice trembled.

"I kept calling them, but they seemed to be asleep and ignored me." Ying Yutan went to her mother and sister's side, and with the fever, her grievances were magnified infinitely, and the little girl cried very sadly.

Shangguan Tang's eyes were filled with rage. "How dare they be so careless? Someone, quickly call the imperial physician!"

Outside, someone responded and hurried away.

Ying Yufu squeezed her younger sister's little hand, and it was indeed burning hot. Looking at her little face, which was flushed from the fever, and thinking of her sister's death in her dream, she felt a pang of sadness.

"I'm afraid it wasn't carelessness, but rather deliberate," Ying Yufu said coldly.

Shangguan Tang understood instantly.

She didn't ask any more questions. Fortunately, the imperial physician arrived quickly. However, the physician was actually a poet and a scholar.

"Where's Shiqi?" Shangguan Tang asked. "Isn't she on night watch tonight?"

Shihua said, "Madam, Shiqi is asleep. No matter how I call her, she won't wake up. Shishu and I were afraid that you would worry, so we went to call the physician."

Poetry and painting, poetry and calligraphy exchanged a glance; lately, poetry and chess have been too lazy.

A cold glint flashed in Shangguan Tang's eyes. "It seems I really have been too good to their family."

The Shen family were all servants of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Shiqi was Shen's biological daughter, and Tan'er's wet nurse, Chengxin, was also Shen's daughter-in-law.

She trusted this whole family, which is why she left Granny Shen and her daughter-in-law in Tan'er Courtyard to take care of her.

Unexpectedly, this family gave her a huge surprise at such a crucial moment.

"Mother, people's hearts are fickle," Ying Yufu said softly.

The poets and calligraphers standing nearby were terrified. The poet and chess family was probably doomed.

"Doctor Zhang, how is Tan'er's health?" Shangguan Tang asked Ying Yutan with concern.

The physician from the Zhang family said, "The Third Miss caught a cold, which is why she has a fever. I just gave her acupuncture. Madam, please make her a bowl of herbal soup. After a good night's sleep, she should be fine."

"Alright, thank you for your hard work, Physician Zhang," Shangguan Tang said gently.

Shi Shu stepped forward, took the prescription from the physician Zhang, and prepared to brew the medicine.

Shihua went outside with her, and Shishu whispered, "Sister Shihua, should we wake Shiqi up?"

Shi Hua said, "We were shaking and shouting in her ear just now, do you really think she wasn't awake?"

Shi Shu was taken aback: "Sister Shi Hua, are you saying she's pretending to be asleep?"

Shi Hua sneered: "Shi Shu, some people are just asking for death, and we can't stop them."

Over the years, Madam has treated us like her own sisters, but it is precisely because Madam has treated us so well that some people have become arrogant.

Shiqi only changed her mind because she saw the trouble at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. She may be ungrateful, but we cannot.

Shi Shu nodded, and the two quickened their pace to go to the small kitchen to brew the medicine.

After being tossed and turned until late at night, Ying Yutan took her medicine and nestled in her mother's arms, drifting off to sleep.

Poetry and painting, along with poetry and books, remained by her side, still worried. Ying Yufu called for Que'er to inquire about the situation at Ying Yutan Courtyard that evening.

Que'er said, "The Third Miss felt unwell just after 9 PM. I went to see Aunt Chengxin, and she said that the Third Miss would be fine after a nap."

But in the middle of the night, the third young lady suddenly developed a fever. When I went to find Aunt Chengxin and Granny Shen again, I couldn't wake them up no matter what I did.

She was even scolded by Sister Biliu who was waiting outside. She said that the servant was ignorant and that Granny Shen was old and that she had disturbed Granny Shen's rest.

"I had no choice. The Third Miss wanted to find the Second Miss, so I took her to the Second Miss's courtyard. Sister Chong'er said the Second Miss was in the Madam's courtyard, so I brought the Third Miss here."

Que'er is only eight years old this year, the same age as Tan'er, both are still little children.

Looking at Que'er's dark circles, Ying Yufu said, "Que'er, go and rest in the side room. We don't need you here anymore."

Que'er glanced at Ying Yutan with concern.

Ying Yufu softened her tone, "Tan'er is alright now, she'll be fine by tomorrow morning."

Que'er then bowed and left.

The room quieted down, and Shangguan Tang had also heard what Que'er had said.

"Fu'er, if Tan'er hadn't come here tonight, would things have turned out like in the dream...?"

Ying Yufu said, "Given my sister's frail health, yes."

Shangguan Tang shuddered with fear and hugged Ying Yutan even tighter in his arms.

Ying Yufu stood up. "Mother, are the indentures for the Shen family here with you?"

Shangguan Tang nodded. "Fu'er, go to sleep first. Leave this matter to your mother."

Knowing that her mother had a plan in mind, Ying Yufu said no more.

The next morning, Ying Nanyao couldn't wait to send someone to urge Shangguan Tang to go to the training ground.

Shangguan Tang sat on the edge of the bed and touched Ying Yutan's forehead.

It's not as hot as it was last night, but it's still slightly warm.

Worry flashed in Shangguan Tang's eyes.

Tan'er's body was really too weak. It was all her mother's fault. She accidentally fell during her pregnancy, which caused her to be born prematurely. Of the twins in her womb, only Tan'er survived, and Tan'er was left with a congenital weakness.

"Mother, no matter what happens, we must eat first. Only when we are full will we have the strength to do other things."

Ying Yufu spoke from the side.

A resolute glint flashed in Shangguan Tang's eyes; now was the time for her not to fall.

Lin Zhong stood outside the curtain and could vaguely see the mother and daughter eating leisurely inside.

He frowned, his tone somewhat impatient, "Madam, the Marquis has been waiting at the training ground for quite some time. The Marquis is very busy with official duties, so please do not delay him."

Both Shihua and Shishu's faces flashed with anger. Shishu said angrily, "Guard Lin, although you are the Marquis's personal attendant, you are still a servant. Your master is eating. Are you trying to be disrespectful by urging him like this?"

Lin Zhong remained expressionless: "I didn't mean that. It's just that the Marquis is indeed pressed for time. Please understand, Madam."

He continued to put pressure on Shangguan Tang.

"I heard that His Majesty granted Father a three-day leave of absence. I wonder what official business Father has to be so busy with? He can't even wait for Mother to have a meal."

A girl's surprised voice came from inside the curtain.

"Ah, I see. Father isn't busy going to the palace to ask Aunt for an imperial title, is he?"

If that's the case, then Father should prioritize Aunt's needs first, and Mother can go to the training ground another day, right, Mother?

The girl's voice was sweet, but her words caused Lin Zhong's face to darken instantly.

Then Shangguan Tang said in a doting tone, "Fu'er is right."

Then, his tone changed, becoming cold: "Guard Lin, it just so happens that the Third Miss has a fever, and I need to take care of her. If the Marquis can't wait, you should go and report back to him, and let him go ahead with his work. I'll go to the training ground another day."

Lin Zhong then realized that things were serious; he never expected the mother and daughter inside to react this way.

In the past, whenever the Marquis was involved, the Lady would put aside everything else and prioritize his well-being.

This is the first time we've seen a situation like this.

A hint of disdain flashed in Lin Zhong's eyes. Sure enough, he was unhappy knowing that the Marquis wanted to request an imperial title for the First Madam.

He sneered, "Madam, absolutely not! If I delay the Marquis's affairs, I will not be able to explain myself. I hope you will understand."

I thought that since he had said all that, Shangguan Tang would finally give in, right?

Unexpectedly, the next moment, an empty bowl suddenly flew out from behind the bamboo curtain.

"Hurry up, hurry up, are you trying to kill me?! Can't you see that the master is eating?"

"What, these days even masters have to watch their servants' faces before eating? Does not watching your servants' faces mean you're not being considerate?"

Although Lin Zhong was skilled in martial arts and had extraordinary combat power, he really did not expect this.

By the time he realized something was wrong, the bowl had already smashed into his forehead.

Instantly, a stream of warm blood flowed down his forehead, the bowl fell to the ground and shattered into pieces with a crack, and the forest was filled with a crimson glow.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully proven someone wrong. The system rewards you with 2 points.]

Ying Yufu heard Xiao Dian's voice: There's a reward for hitting someone!

Is this the origin of the "face-slapping system"?

Although I don't know what those 2 points are for, they're still good.