Mo Lingxi rubbed Xiao Feng's head and said kindly, "Xiao Feng, your father has something he needs your help with."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng knew it was nothing good and immediately refused, "Father, I'm small and can't help you with anything. If you really need someone to help, why not find my imperial brother."
"He is the Son of Heaven, and can handle most things."
Mo Lingxi's smile deepened, "Only you can help with this matter."
Xiao Feng still refused and used his trump card, "If Father continues like this, I'm going to complain to Mother."
Mo Lingxi said coldly, "Feel free to complain to your mother. If I can't win your mother back, you'll have a stepfather."
Xiao Feng fell silent, a struggle and hesitation on his small face. He didn't want a stepfather or stepmother; he just wanted his mother and father to be well.
But his father's demeanor was clearly not well-intentioned. If he agreed to help his father, he didn't know how his father would treat him.
"No rush, you can take your time to consider today." Mo Lingxi said, then went to attend to his own affairs.
Xiao Feng slumped dejectedly onto the small table, sighing like a little adult, "I'm so miserable."
He had to think carefully about whether to help his father.
...
Sheng Lengshuang returned home and noticed that the mansion was a bit messy. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurried to Sheng夫人's courtyard.
"Mother!"
As soon as she stepped into the room, she saw Sheng夫人 and General Sheng, who were seated at the head of the table, looking at her. Her heart relaxed.
"Mother, what happened in the mansion? Why is it so messy?"
Seeing her like this, Sheng夫人 knew she had misunderstood, "The mansion is just tidying up. It happens a few times a year. There are many things that are no longer needed or need to be put away, so they must be tidied up early."
Sheng Lengshuang was relieved, "Mother, what were you and Father talking about?"
Sheng夫人 smiled, "We were talking about your marriage. Your father and I don't mind whether you get married or not; it's mainly up to you. If you want to marry, then marry; if you don't, then don't."
Sheng Lengshuang thought of Mo Lingxi and pinched her brow, "Mother, my marriage is not urgent, and besides, I don't really want to get married. Once married, there will always be constraints, unlike the comfort and freedom I have at home."
Sheng夫人 felt the same way, "Also, Prince Mingrui is also a troublesome matter. From his intentions, it seems he won't let you marry anyone else."
"No matter how much of a prince he is, he cannot stop my Lengshuang from marrying," General Sheng snorted heavily, displeased.
Sheng Lengshuang shrugged. Knowing Mo Lingxi, that man would do anything to prevent her from marrying someone else.
"By the way, Lengshuang, I heard that Prince Mingrui's mansion caught fire. Are you and Xiao Feng alright?" Sheng夫人 asked.
Sheng Lengshuang explained the situation in detail, emphasizing to General Sheng and his wife that they should be more careful in the future, "Puppets have no consciousness, and some are very skilled in martial arts. Either use fire attacks or crush them, otherwise, the puppets will continue to attack."
General Sheng, who had experienced countless strange things on the battlefield, waved his hand upon hearing this, "No matter how unconscious they are, as long as you finish them off, it's fine."
Sheng Lengshuang thought that it was indeed true, "Parents, please be careful. Black Hand even refined Tao Li into a puppet. They are probably trying to use Tao Li to scheme against us."
Sheng夫人 sighed with emotion and did not sympathize with Tao Li, "Tao Li's current fate is entirely her own doing. If she hadn't been so selfish and malicious, and hadn't tried to harm your life, your father and I wouldn't have treated her this way."
After all, she was their daughter whom they had raised for many years. As long as Tao Li behaved herself and didn't do anything she shouldn't, she and her husband would have given her the honor due to a young lady of the Sheng family.
Unfortunately, Tao Li wanted too much and repeatedly attacked Lengshuang, which was something she could not tolerate.
Sheng Lengshuang smiled and did not continue the topic. Tao Li was already a puppet in someone else's hands. For the rest of her life... no, it should be said, as long as someone could control the puppet Tao Li, she would continue to 'live'.
Living a life of immense pain.
For Tao Li, who had not yet completely become a puppet and still had some consciousness, this was the most agonizing torment.
"Lengshuang, how is your poison being resolved?" Sheng夫人 asked.
Sheng Lengshuang collected her thoughts and smiled, "Parents, you don't need to worry. The poison I was afflicted with has been basically completely resolved. Next, I just need to clear the residual poison and recuperate properly."
Sheng夫人 and General Sheng heard this, and their hanging hearts finally settled. They repeatedly said, "That's good, that's good."
Now that Lengshuang's poison was mostly resolved, they were truly at ease.
...
One day.
Sheng Lengshuang, as usual, went to the mountains on the outskirts to check on the planted medicinal herbs and various fruit trees. After finishing her inspection, she pondered what else to plant.
There were many empty spaces in these mountains, and it would be best to plant something there without damaging the original vegetation.
But what should she plant?
Medicinal herbs and fruit trees had already been planted, and there was no need to plant more for now. She needed to see how this batch of plantings fared before deciding whether to continue planting.
After thinking for a long time, she couldn't come up with any ideas, so she put the matter aside, planning to discuss it with her parents after returning to the mansion.
"Mother!" At this moment, Xiao Feng hopped over and eagerly pulled Sheng Lengshuang forward, "Mother, hurry and come with me, Father is sick!"
Upon hearing this, Sheng Lengshuang quickened her pace.
Suddenly, she stopped and looked at Xiao Feng curiously, "Xiao Feng, if your father is sick, shouldn't you find an imperial physician? Why are you looking for me?"
Xiao Feng said anxiously, "Father doesn't believe in the medical skills of those imperial physicians. Most importantly, Father wants to see Mother."
Sheng Lengshuang felt that something was not right. She stared at Xiao Feng, "Are you sure your father is really sick?"
Having known Mo Lingxi for so long, she had never seen the man fall ill, not even a little bit unwell.
That man was like a steel fortress.
Xiao Feng nodded vigorously, "Mother, Father is really sick. If you don't believe me, come and see."
Thus, Sheng Lengshuang followed Xiao Feng to Prince Mingrui's mansion to visit the sick Mo Lingxi.
As soon as she entered the inner room, she saw Mo Lingxi lying on the bed, his handsome face slightly pale. She walked forward in surprise and took his pulse.
"You can get sick?"
Hearing her disbelieving tone, Mo Lingxi didn't know whether to laugh or be angry, "I'm also a person, how can I not get sick?"
Sheng Lengshuang still felt that something was not right, but the pulse diagnosis indicated that Mo Lingxi was indeed sick, with a cold.
This man caught a cold?
She recalled that last year, in the dead of winter, in Shilipo Village, this man had come and gone in the freezing snow and hadn't caught a cold. Now, in such warm weather, he had caught a cold. It just didn't add up.
"How did you catch a cold?"
Mo Lingxi could see that Sheng Lengshuang suspected his illness and said calmly, "I don't know. Perhaps it was too cold sleeping alone at night."
Sheng Lengshuang crossed her arms and looked at him, with a look that said, 'Keep acting.'
Mo Lingxi curled his lips, "I'm telling the truth."