Warm medicine emits fragrance

Yanling's mother was named Yuan'er, and everyone called her Madam Yuan.

She was already twenty-four years old when she accompanied Yan Qi's first wife to the Yan family as part of her dowry.

She wasn't supposed to be part of the dowry; she would be free to leave the mansion in a year, and her family had already found her a husband.

She was the illegitimate son of a moderately wealthy family in the area. She married into the family and became their principal wife. Although her background was not as good as that of the Yan family, being the principal wife of a moderately wealthy family was still better than being a maidservant in a wealthy family.

What role does a dowry maid play? She is someone the first wife uses to warm the master's bed when she is unwell.

By becoming a maidservant in her dowry, her dream of becoming a wife was completely shattered.

Even if Yan Qi didn't touch her, who would believe it if word got out?

If you're lucky enough to give birth to a son or daughter and become a concubine, that's fine. But if you're unlucky, you'll only be able to serve your master and mistress as a maid for the rest of your life, or you can marry a servant boy when you reach a certain age and that would be considered a good match.

Madam Yuan was beautiful, even more so than the first wife. Such a face was the last thing anyone would want to do as a dowry maid.

Unfortunately, the first wife chose Lady Yuan because she did not want to share a room with Yan Qi. From the beginning, she planned to have Lady Yuan serve Yan Qi.

Even if she was unwilling, Madam Yuan had no choice but to accept the arrangement. She was just a maid, so what could she do if she was unwilling?

As she accompanied the first wife to the Yan family, upon seeing the handsome and extraordinary Yan Qi, Madam Yuan also developed some feelings for him.

But Yan Qi didn't even glance at her, treating her as if she were nothing.

Madam Yuan was unwilling. She was already twenty-four years old and didn't have many years of youth left to waste. She needed to consummate her marriage with Yan Qi as soon as possible and hopefully conceive a child so that she could become Yan Qi's legitimate concubine.

Therefore, she went to great lengths to seduce Yan Qi in order to attract his attention.

Unfortunately, Yan Qi didn't even give her a second glance.

Madam Yuan felt disheartened, her heart filled with resentment and bitterness.

Just then, one of Yan Qi's subordinates took a liking to Madam Yuan and secretly made frequent advances toward her, even promising to ask Yan Qi for her.

At this moment, Madam Yuan was somewhat disheartened with Yan Qi. She thought that if she couldn't win Yan Qi's heart, it would be good to become a proper wife with one of his subordinates.

And so, he was coaxed into having an affair by one of his subordinates.

Before any of her subordinates could ask Yan Qi for her, Yan Qi, drunk that day, actually went into her room.

Madam Yuan naturally dared not refuse Yan Qi, and so she had sexual relations with him.

The drunken Yan Qi did not realize that she was no longer a virgin, and when he woke up the next day, he promised to give her a proper status.

Less than half a month later, Madam Yuan was found to be pregnant, and the day after the diagnosis, she was made a concubine.

The affair between her and that subordinate remained a closely guarded secret between them, and neither dared to mention it again.

As for whose child Yanling is, even Lady Yuan herself can't say for sure.

After hearing this story, Fan Liuer was surprised by how audacious this Lady Yuan was, but also somewhat worried.

"Could General Yan possibly guess that you were behind this? If he finds out, will he hold you responsible?"

No man would be unangry if he was cheated on, even if he didn't like the woman.

Moreover, Yan Qi is the future ruler of a country.

It was already a huge disaster for Li Chenbi to find out about this, but he also schemed against him, making Yan Qi lose face. If Yan Qi found out, he would probably want to kill him.

"Of course he could guess. He knew all too well that Yanqiu and Yanling were irreconcilable enemies. Yanling's affairs were exposed at this critical juncture. Who else but me could be behind this?"

Li Chenbi spoke casually, but Fan Liuer was terrified. "What should we do? Will he blame you?"

Seeing her nervous expression, Li Chenbi smiled, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her on the cheek.

Fan Liuer was extremely anxious and had no time to flirt with him. "What exactly are you plotting? You have to tell me, or I won't feel at ease."

Seeing that she was truly frightened, Li Chenbi stopped teasing her and gently reassured her, "Don't worry, I'm useful to him now, he won't do anything to me."

"Not now, but what about later?" Fan Liuer couldn't be as relaxed as Li Chenbi. The last time Li Chenbi had an accident, it really scared her to the point of being heartbroken.

"What will happen when the war is over, when you're no longer of any use to him, and he settles scores with you later?"

Li Chenbi reached out and gently patted her face, then leaned close to her ear and spoke in a low voice, so that only the two of them could hear.

"I still have one card to play."

Fan Liuer thought for a moment, "You mean the Second Young Master?"

Li Chenbi laughed, "You're getting smarter and smarter. It seems the saying 'one is influenced by one's company' is really true."

Fan Liuer didn't argue with him, but pondered Li Chenbi's words.

Yan Qi has two sons. Now that Yan Ling has lost the chance to compete for that position, Yan Qiu is Yan Qi's only heir.

Yanqiu valued Li Chenbi more than Yanqi.

"Can he protect you?" Fan Liuer was worried; Yan Qiu didn't seem very reliable.

"I naturally have ways to ensure that he can protect me, so that as long as Yan Qi is alive, he will not dare to easily touch me."

Li Chenbi's words were too definitive, and Fan Liuer couldn't help but have an absurd thought.

She covered her mouth and whispered, "You didn't poison the Second Young Master, did you? And are you using the antidote to control him?"

Li Chenbi was amused by Fan Liuer's guess, and laughed so hard he leaned on her shoulder, his shoulder shaking uncontrollably.

Fan Liuer was extremely anxious. "Stop laughing! Tell me quickly, I'm so worried!"

Li Chenbi laughed for a while before stopping, then pinched her, "My wife is really audacious, just like me."

Fan Liuer glared at him.

Li Chenbi then slowly spoke up: "Yan Qi is in his prime; who can guarantee he won't have other children in the future?"

Fan Liuer has learned a lot from Li Chenbi during the time she has spent with him, and they have also developed a great deal of understanding with each other.

Fan Liuer understood his words immediately.

It wasn't that Li Chenbi wanted to manipulate Yanqiu to protect him, but rather that Yanqiu had to protect him.

If Yanqiu wants to inherit that position smoothly, he cannot allow anything to happen to Li Chenbi.

Although I still felt uneasy, I felt much better than before.

Fan Liuer breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Li Chenbi, and said earnestly, "Don't be afraid. Even if Yanqiu can't protect you, we still have the Imperial Seal in our hands. I'll use it to exchange for your life."

She had planned to take Li Chenbi back to Xingzhou after the battle, but now it seems that won't be easy.

Li Chenbi has been drawn into this vortex and can no longer easily escape.

Since that's the case, she can only fully support him, stay by his side, and get through this mess with him.

Li Chenbi looked at Fan Liuer and smiled again, but this time his smile was more restrained. He pinched Fan Liuer's cheek and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

He spoke softly, "Very well, then my life is in my hands, my wife."