Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

He was referring to the two women who were housed in the separate courtyard.

Chang Sui was responsible for secretly monitoring the two of them. He had mastered the art of turtle breathing, making him extremely adept at concealing his presence. Even when he was in the same room as someone else, it was difficult to detect his existence.

Chang Sui bowed and replied, "There's nothing unusual, except that I was eavesdropping on their conversation from the roof beam and heard them mention the word 'godfather'..."

Zong Xian paused slightly. "Godfather?"

Chang Yu, standing to the side, asked in confusion, "Who exactly is this godfather?"

It certainly couldn't be His Majesty the present. How old is the Emperor? He's several years younger than them.

Zong Xian remained silent for a moment, having already made up his mind, a cold glint flashing in his dark eyes.

Chang Sui looked up and asked, "Second Master, should we arrest and interrogate them directly?"

"No need," Zong Xian said casually, completely disregarding the two spies.

However, since the opponent has made a strategic move with the two pieces placed in front of him, he might as well play along.

Zong Xian instructed, "Keep an eye on them, but don't alert them."

Chang Sui accepted the order: "Yes."

Today, General Zhenbei returned to the capital in triumph, and the emperor ordered Zong Xian to go and welcome him. He went back to his room and changed into his court robes.

The bed curtains in the inner room were lightly drawn.

Mingyi was still asleep at this moment. She had turned over at some point, her face turned outward, and most of her slender arm was exposed outside the brocade quilt.

Zong Xian lifted the curtain and looked at her. The girl's lips were pale, and her small face was unnaturally pale. Her complexion was obviously not as good as before.

Zong Xian frowned, reached out and gently grasped her wrist that was exposed outside the brocade quilt, his fingertips steadily resting on her pulse.

A moment later, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

He didn't even need a doctor to examine her; he could tell at a glance that she was severely deficient internally.

If you think about it carefully, it's been almost two months since she returned to the manor. Since the day she came back, he has specially instructed the kitchen to prepare nourishing medicinal meals for her and has been taking good care of her every day.

Logically, her body should be getting fuller and fuller, so why is it getting worse instead?

A sense of unease welled up inside him for no apparent reason. He gently released her wrist, raised his hand to pull down the draped bed curtains, and turned to move to the outer room.

He ordered in a deep voice to Ah Qing to immediately go and invite Granny Feng over.

Ah Qing was slightly taken aback, but dared not ask any more questions, and hurriedly accepted the order and left.

Before long, Granny Feng rushed over. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Zong Xian sitting behind the desk with a cold expression and a chilling aura emanating from him, making the air in the room feel stagnant.

Granny Feng's legs suddenly went weak, and she was filled with fear. She knelt down with a thud, her voice trembling.

"This servant greets you, sir. I wonder why you summoned me so urgently?"

Zong Xian looked at the kneeling servant woman and said coldly, "I ordered you to take good care of her, and you ignored my words?"

The man's imposing presence was overwhelming. Granny Feng, an ordinary woman, could hardly withstand such a daunting aura. She pressed her forehead firmly against the ground, not even daring to look him in the eye.

"Please calm down, my lord! This servant would never dare to neglect you, young lady. I swear to heaven, I have served you diligently every day, without the slightest slackening!"

The man's eyes grew increasingly cold and sharp: "I ordered you to take care of her daily needs, so you're expected to revolve everything around her. Yet you couldn't even notice anything amiss with your mistress's health. How dare you tell me you're serving her wholeheartedly?"

As he spoke, Zong Xian rose from his chair, his face cold and stern. "Do you still think this is the old Li residence, where you, an old woman, can cheat and deceive me?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Feng was so frightened that her liver and gallbladder trembled, and she slammed her forehead against the ground.

"This servant wouldn't dare! This servant would never dare to be negligent! Since you entered the manor, Miss, your medicine and meals have never been delayed. It is truly my fault for being so blind and slow to notice your weakness earlier. I beg you, Second Master, for mercy!"

Zong Xian was too lazy to listen to the servants' excuses and said bluntly, "Go and receive twenty strokes of the cane."

Having said that, she swept her hem over Granny Feng's head and stepped out of the house.

Mingyi was feeling unwell and was sleeping soundly when the noise outside abruptly woke her up.

Seeing her sit up, Aqing, who was guarding the tent, quickly brought her clothes and went forward: "Miss is awake!"

Mingyi propped herself up on the edge of the couch, her brows furrowed tightly. "Why do I think I hear someone punishing a servant outside?"

A-Qing did not hide anything and quickly recounted how Zong Xian had reprimanded Granny Feng and ordered her to be caned.

Upon hearing that it was Granny Feng who had been punished, Mingyi immediately became restless, her eyes flashing with anxiety: "What right does he have to touch the people around me?"

She instinctively wanted to rush out to stop her, but suddenly realized that she was naked. She grabbed the clothes from A-Qing's hand and hurriedly put them on.

"Granny Feng is too old to withstand the beating! Ah Qing, go out and stop the executioners!"

A-Qing looked troubled: "Miss, this is the Second Master's order. They won't listen to me. Only if you step in can they possibly stop it."

On the other side, Chu Lianyue had arrived at Songhe Garden a quarter of an hour earlier.

She was filled with curiosity, originally wanting to see what kind of woman Zong Xian kept as a mistress looked like, but unexpectedly she stumbled upon Songhe Garden punishing its servants.

Since Zong Xian wasn't there, Chu Lian Yue didn't think about going inside and stood outside watching the commotion.

Before long, hurried footsteps came from the direction of the inner room, and a slender figure rushed out, shouting for someone to stop.

Chu Lianyue immediately composed herself and stared intently at the source of the noise.

The woman was dressed in a light, pale white dress with a long, trailing skirt. Her long, flowing hair was loose, and her delicate face was pale and frail. There was no trace of deliberate embellishment on her body.

But her innate beauty is so striking that even in simple clothes and without makeup, it cannot be overshadowed.

A phrase suddenly popped into Chu Lianyue's mind: "extreme simplicity breeds brilliance."

This sparked a desire for comparison.

However, after careful comparison, she was not satisfied with the conclusion she reached.

Despite her own elaborate makeup and meticulous efforts to enhance her appearance, she still paled in comparison to Ji Mingyi, who wore no makeup at all.

Arrogance shattered this result, and jealousy arose instantly.

Meanwhile, Ji Mingyi didn't notice Chu Lianyue at all. Seeing that the servants carrying out the punishment refused to stop, she rushed forward without regard for anything else and used her body to protect Granny Feng.

When the servants on both sides saw her rushing towards them, they immediately stopped, as they dared not hurt her.

In truth, they knew what they were doing and didn't go too far. They were just following orders from their master and waiting for Mingyi to rush in and stop them.

But even after receiving ten lashes, Granny Feng was still injured. Mingyi quickly asked Aqing to help Granny Feng down.

Granny Feng was in so much pain that she bent over, trembling, but she still comforted Ji Mingyi, "I'm fine, Miss, don't worry. I made a mistake and deserve to be punished. Please don't throw a tantrum at the adults because of this."

It is perfectly normal for servants to be punished for making mistakes.

Granny Feng harbored no resentment. In her view, she was a criminal, and as long as she wasn't kicked out of the mansion, she could accept the consequences.

Despite Granny Feng's insistence on taking the blame upon herself, Mingyi still pointed the finger at the high and mighty man.

Later that evening, Zong Xian returned from the palace, bringing with him a royal physician.

I was somewhat surprised to learn that Mingyi was still at Songhe Garden.