Demoting my wife to a concubine? After being reborn, I turned around and married into the imperial f

Upon hearing this, Chunxi looked solemn and nodded.

Chu Xunzhen smiled and said, "I've been merciful by giving my second brother's dowry to the sister he acknowledges in his heart."

The next day, Chunxi sent someone to deliver the box to the Peony Garden.

Chunxi secretly watched.

She was really curious about what was inside that box.

A moment later, Chu Wanrou's scream came from the side room.

Chunxi's heart trembled, and she stood there, staring intently at the scene inside the room.

She was so frightened that she covered her mouth.

The second young master actually tampered with the box.

"Quickly! Someone, fetch the physician!" A shrill voice rang out from the side room. "Go and call Mother! No! Call Father!"

Chu Wanrou was rambling incoherently.

Cries of pain echoed from inside the side room.

Chunxi craned her neck, wishing she could stick her head into the room to see what was wrong with Chu Wanrou.

The next moment, her waist was embraced.

Chunxi was startled and turned around to see that it was Chu Xunzhen.

"Girl, what are you doing here?"

Chu Xunzhen chuckled: "I was a little worried because you haven't been back for so long."

Chunxi was moved, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.

"Want to see what's inside?"

Chu Xunzhen chuckled, grabbed Chunxi, and with a few leaps, they were on the roof.

Although she wasn't particularly skilled in martial arts, she was certainly adept at jumping over walls and rooftops.

Chunxi was stunned.

How come her daughter is so amazing?

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the girl.

Chu Xunzhen lifted two tiles. The two looked at the scene inside.

At this moment, Chu Wanrou's right hand was black, and her whole body had a sallow complexion.

She was poisoned?

Chunxi was so surprised that she covered her mouth.

Chu Xunzhen looked at her hand.

"It's a centipede. A poisonous centipede as long as an arm."

Chu Xunzhen saw that the poisonous centipede that Chu Wanrou had smashed to death had its blood splattered all over the ground.

Chu Zhanpeng rushed over, entered the room, and asked, "Rou'er, what's wrong?"

"Father, my second brother betrayed me by sending me a poisonous centipede. If I hadn't been lucky, the centipede would have bitten my face."

Chu Wanrou lay on the table, sobbing.

The blackened hand was clearly visible.

Chu Zhanpeng roared in anger, "Tell Chu Mingli to get over here!"

The maid outside hurriedly went to fetch Chu Mingli.

The physician from the Gao family arrived first.

Chu Wanrou, through a thin veil, reached out her hand, allowing him to administer acupuncture treatment.

He spoke gently, "We only need to use acupuncture to remove the poisonous blood, and the toxins will dissipate. The Marquis and the Second Miss need not worry."

When Chu Mingli arrived at the Peony Garden, he was still completely confused.

"Father, what do you want to see me about?"

What Chu Mingli didn't ask was, "If you want to see me, why did you send me to the Peony Garden?"

Chu Zhanpeng stood with his hands behind his back, staring intently at Chu Mingli.

Chu Mingli felt uneasy under his gaze.

Chu Zhanpeng spoke, asking coldly, "Why did you harm your own sister?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Mingli immediately replied, "Naturally, it's because that bitch Chu Xunzhen dared to make things difficult for Rou'er at the hairpin banquet. I'm just giving her a minor punishment as a warning."

Chu Zhanpeng was somewhat bewildered upon hearing this.

As for the physician from the Gao family, his hand, which was performing acupuncture, suddenly paused.

"You hurt Rou'er, what does it have to do with Zhenzhen?"

Chu Xunzhen sensed that a good show was about to begin.

He immediately sent a message to Granny Hua using a Gu worm, asking her to find a way to lure Li Yi over.

Chu Mingli looked completely bewildered.

Seeing his puzzled expression, Chu Zhanpeng's eyes flashed with doubt: "You gave Rou'er a dowry gift, didn't you? Is this box yours?"

Chu Zhanpeng pointed to the box stained with centipede blood.

"This is the box I gave to Chu Xunzhen. How did it end up here?"

Chu Mingli's voice rose in disbelief.

He turned his head and saw the physician from the Gao family administering acupuncture to the woman on the bed through a light veil to remove toxins.

"Rou'er?"

Chu Mingli couldn't believe it.

"Second brother, it's me. Wasn't this box a gift you gave me as part of my dowry? I thought it was a gift from you, so I opened it."

Chu Wanrou paused, then continued, "Who knew a centipede would pounce on my face? Luckily, I dodged quickly, but it bit my hand. Second brother, I killed the centipede, you won't blame me, will you?"

Chu Wanrou's voice was weak, tinged with a hint of grievance.

Chu Mingli's heart melted.

"No, how could your second brother blame you? It's your second brother's fault."

Chu Mingli shook his head violently.

Chu Zhanpeng's face was cold and stern as he roared, "Chu Mingli, explain yourself! What exactly happened?"

Chu Mingli shrank back and then began to confess.

"I took the box to Chu Xunzhen's courtyard to give it to her. She refused, so I put it on the ground, thinking she would accept it. She had accepted all the junk I had given her before. Surely she would look at such a beautiful box. Who knew she would bring it here and let the poisonous centipede harm you."

Chu Zhanpeng understood.

He raised his hand and slapped Chu Mingli hard across the face.

"absurd!"

Chu Zhanpeng said coldly, "That's your sister. Whether it's Chu Xunzhen or Chu Wanrou, they are both your sisters. As the second brother, how could you frame your own sister like this? Chu Mingli, do you have any sense of responsibility as an older brother?"

Chu Mingli's expression was cold as he turned his head away without answering.

"Of course I'm the older brother, but I'm Rou'er's older brother, not Chu Xunzhen's."

Chu Zhanpeng was so angry he felt like his lungs would explode when he heard this.

"Chu Mingli, Chu Xun is truly your own sister. Your own flesh and blood. Do you understand?"

Chu Mingli, however, didn't seem to care, saying, "So what? I only acknowledge Rou'er."

"Father, don't be angry, I don't blame my brother," Chu Wanrou said.

In reality, she was emotionally devastated.

What an idiot! Absolutely incredibly stupid! Not only did he harm someone, but he also dragged her down with him! How is she supposed to get married beautifully now?

Chu Zhanpeng was furious and said coldly, "Doctor Gao, have you finished administering the acupuncture? You may leave now."

"Yes, my lord."

The physician from the Gao family left.

Chu Zhanpeng took a deep breath and said, "Listen, Li'er, Rou'er is also your sister, only your birth mothers are different. Forget about the ridiculous things that happened between you two before, okay?"

Hearing this, Chu Mingli couldn't believe it. His eyes widened as he stared intently at Chu Zhanpeng.

"Father, how could you treat Mother like this?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Zhanpeng flew into a rage: "For over ten years, I, the Marquis, have had no concubines or maids. Isn't this good enough for your mother?"

Chu Mingli was so frightened that he fell silent.

"Remember, you can't do what you did before again," Chu Zhanpeng said angrily. "Now, Li'er, stretch out your hand. I need to take some blood so it can be used as a medicinal ingredient to treat Rou'er's illness."

"Father, isn't that wrong? After all, Rou'er and I don't share the same mother. If bloodletting is necessary, it should be you who does it."

Chu Zhanpeng pondered for a moment, then said, "That's fine too."

On the rooftop, Chu Xunzhen listened to the conversation and suddenly felt nauseous.

Chu Mingli actually accepted this.

Does he still possess any sense of propriety, righteousness, integrity, or shame?

Chu Zhanpeng bled himself and collected the blood in a porcelain bottle.

Chu Mingli kept apologizing to Chu Wanrou, and Li Yi arrived at that moment.

She entered the side room, followed by Granny Li.

Granny Li was holding a large wooden box in her hands.

"Madam, you've arrived. Rou'er was accidentally bitten by a poisonous centipede, and the royal physician just drained the poisoned blood from her."

Li Yi felt a pang of heartache and went up to check on Chu Wanrou: "Rou'er, are you alright?"

Chu Zhanpeng spoke up: "By the way. This is the blood of Rou'er's relatives. The medicinal ingredient we talked about last time. We've already found Rou'er's relatives. I gave them a sum of money, enough to ensure they have enough to live on, and they won't come looking for Rou'er again. Look, is this enough?"