Ling Mohan stood on the ground, feeling rather pathetic and isolated, with nowhere to go. It seemed there was no longer a place for him in the manor.
He glanced at the mother and her two sons lying on the bed, sighing helplessly. If he had known this would happen, he would never have had these two brats. In the end, he was the one who suffered.
He decided to return to his own room and make do for another night, just like last night. But when would this makeshift life end?
Ling Mohan returned to his somewhat desolate room. Winter was approaching, yet there was no charcoal fire lit in the room. The entire room was chilly, and the bedding was both cool and hard. It was nothing like the soft bedding in Feng Jin's room.
The servants in the manor were all fair-weather friends, acting entirely according to Feng Jin's wishes. The moment they saw he wasn't resting in this room, they stopped cleaning it properly and didn't even supply the most basic charcoal for winter. He was the head of the household, yet he had fallen to such a state. It was truly pitiful.
It was already a blessing to have a place to sleep. Ling Mohan sighed, pulled back the covers, and lay down. He would have to warm the bedding himself. Fortunately, he had grown accustomed to such living conditions during his time in the army, so experiencing it again wouldn't be anything.
The next morning, when Ling Mohan appeared before Chu Chenyi for the morning court, he had two large dark circles under his eyes, which startled Chu Chenyi.
"What happened to you? Did Feng Jin beat you last night? Look at those dark circles, you must have been beaten."
Chu Chenyi mocked him loudly and shamelessly, his voice so loud that it seemed he wanted everyone to know about it.
Ling Mohan's face grew even darker. With a sly smile, he looked at Chu Chenyi. Since Chu Chenyi had already acted this way, he wouldn't be polite either.
"Yesterday, I had the good fortune to hear that His Highness Prince Jing has a hidden ailment. I wonder if it has been cured. If your health is still an issue, my wife is skilled in medicine and can examine you thoroughly."
As soon as he finished speaking, passing officials all looked at Chu Chenyi with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and mockery.
Chu Chenyi, the person in question, was stunned in place, looking at Ling Mohan in surprise. He didn't know when he had developed a hidden ailment, and how Ling Mohan knew about it.
"You... What nonsense are you talking about? How can you spread rumors and slander my reputation like this!"
Chu Chenyi, filled with anger, pointed at Ling Mohan and scolded him fiercely. His reputation could not be ruined by Ling Mohan like this. Claiming he had a hidden ailment, what kind of fabrications dared to be spread.
"Whether it's true or not, Your Highness Prince Jing knows best. If you truly feel inadequate, I, your general, can serve you. Rest assured, Your Highness Prince Jing, my wife and I are very tight-lipped."
Ling Mohan completely disregarded Chu Chenyi's anger, merely sneering with mockery in his eyes.
"You... you..."
Chu Chenyi was so enraged that his fingers trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and slowly moved in front of Ling Mohan, glaring at him with eyes full of fire. "If you dare to spread rumors again, I will never let you off."
"With Your Highness Prince Jing's physique, how many rounds can you last against me? Your Highness Prince Jing should focus on curing your hidden ailment first!"
Forcing himself to calm down, Chu Chenyi meticulously recalled what had happened the night before, especially why Lin Yuwei suddenly wanted to examine him, and why out of so many doctors in the capital, she insisted on Feng Jin examining him.
Thinking back carefully now, it was truly terrifying. Indeed, all unusual occurrences had a reason.
After understanding everything, Chu Chenyi left in a hurry, as if he hadn't heard Ling Mohan calling after him.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
The maids and servants in the manor quickly bowed and greeted Chu Chenyi upon his return.
"Greetings, Your Highness. Why have you returned from court so early today?" The steward of the manor quickly bowed to Chu Chenyi.
"Where is the Princess Consort?"
Chu Chenyi asked with a gloomy expression. He needed to see Lin Yuwei as soon as possible and get to the bottom of things.
"The Princess Consort is in the backyard..."
Before the steward could finish speaking, Chu Chenyi had already rushed towards the backyard.
He searched the backyard but could not find Lin Yuwei. Finally, he found her drinking tea in the pavilion. She was indeed living a leisurely life.
"You're back. How was the court today?"
Lin Yuwei, as usual, asked Chu Chenyi about his day with warmth, completely unaware of the frighteningly dark expression on the man's face.
"Everything is fine. I just have some things I want to discuss with you."
The man's tone was full of chilling coldness. When it fell into Lin Yuwei's ears, her shoulders involuntarily hunched back.
"What is it?" Lin Yuwei asked cautiously, her eyes constantly darting away, afraid to meet Chu Chenyi's gaze, lest he discover something.
"Why did you ask Feng Jin to examine me yesterday?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuwei's heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a calm demeanor, cleared her throat, and said, "I... I, I was also thinking of your health, which is why I wanted to have you examined..."
"Bang!" The teacup on the table was smashed to the floor, shattering into pieces.
Lin Yuwei was instantly startled and froze in place, her heart immediately in a panic. Would he already know about this? What would she say to explain?
"Don't you suspect that I have a hidden ailment, which is why you asked Feng Jin to examine me!"
Now Lin Yuwei was completely flustered. It seemed the matter could no longer be kept hidden. "I... I was also worried..."
"Worried! Worried about what? Why are you so suspicious of me? What are your intentions? Does my behavior make you think I have a hidden ailment!"
"I don't... no, it's just that we haven't had a child for so long, so I... I wanted to ask Sister Feng Jin to take a look for me, but... but she said she needed to examine you first to determine the reason..."
Lin Yuwei, filled with fear, blurted out the entire story to Chu Chenyi.
"Is that so?" The man raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze towards her filled with uncertainty. He really doubted the truthfulness of Lin Yuwei's words.
After a moment's pause, he continued to inquire, "Then what did Feng Jin say? What exactly is wrong with my body?"
Ultimately, what worried him most was whether he truly had a hidden ailment. If he did, he truly didn't know what to do.