Marrying Wife and Concubine Together: After Rebirth, I Remarried the Scumbag's Father on the Sp

She affectionately took Zhan Mu's arm and said, "We haven't seen each other for a long time. Brother Mu, why don't you stay and have a meal with me?"

“Okay!” Zhan Mu immediately agreed.

Meanwhile, Lin Yiwan, who was at the Marquis of Zhanyi's residence, was restless and had even lost her appetite.

Zhan Miao was very worried about her and couldn't help but ask, "Mother, why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell? Should we ask Aunt Xiaoruan to come and take a look at you?"

Lin Yiwan quickly refused, "No need, she's busy at the pharmacy. Please don't bother her unless it's important!"

Zhan Miao hugged her arm tenderly, "But I'm worried about you. Such a sumptuous meal is laid out in front of you, but you won't eat a single bite!"

Lin Yiwan sighed helplessly: "I'm worried about your eldest brother. There's still no news of him from the palace today, and now Rong Zhiyu is missing again. I'm afraid she'll go and bother him again!"

Zhan Miao's brow twitched. She secretly thought Rong Zhiyu was quite good, but she didn't understand why her mother didn't like her.

She tentatively asked, "Mother, why are you so determined to oppose my eldest brother's relationship with Rong Zhiyu? Is it because she disguised herself as a man and deceived him? She had no choice but to do it!"

Lin Yiwan's face immediately darkened. She thought Rong Zhiyu had bewitched Zhan Mu, but she didn't expect that even her own daughter would speak up for her.

It seems she needs to explain the reasons to Zhan Miao.

Otherwise, this naive little guy would also be deceived.

She said softly, "At first, I also thought Miss Rong was indeed very good. She was incredibly talented, gentle, and sensible. There was nothing wrong with her at all!"

Zhan Miao couldn't help but tilt his head: "Isn't this good? My outstanding brother deserves a perfect girl!"

Lin Yiwan asked calmly, "Meow? How did an orphan achieve such perfection?"

Just one sentence stunned Zhan Miao. Yes, even someone as pampered as her parents and elders has many flaws.

What's more, she's an orphan who has been without parents since childhood!

Unless, she was raised with strict discipline from a young age, and all traces of her background were erased when she grew up.

She couldn't help but ask, "Mother, did you see through Rong Zhiyu's identity as a spy?"

Lin Yiwan shook her head: "I can't see through her for now. She's hiding it too well. Even if Zi'er tries her best, she can only find out the superficial things. However, Miao'er, I can't afford to gamble, because I can't let your brother be in danger!"

Zhan Miao's eyes reddened slightly; she felt deep regret for having wrongly accused her mother.

She threw herself into Lin Yiwan's arms and said remorsefully, "I'm sorry, I was narrow-minded, I didn't understand my mother's good intentions!"

Lin Yiwan reached out and patted her shoulder; "I hope your brother understands too!"

Zhan Miao's heart sank immediately. She knew that her brother probably wouldn't understand.

As dusk settled, leaden-gray clouds pressed down heavily, enveloping the entire Marquis of Zhanyi's residence in a damp and chilly atmosphere.

As the lanterns were lit, the snowflakes finally began to fall softly, pattering on the green tiles and soon forming a thin layer of white frost.

This is the first snow of early winter, and it came exceptionally early.

Lin Yiwan was sitting in the warm pavilion looking through the pharmacy ledger that Xiao Ruan had brought over when Zi'er came in carrying a bowl of freshly stewed ginger soup and said softly, "Madam, the snow is falling heavily. Drink this while it's hot to warm yourself up."

Lin Yiwan put down the account book in her hand, her fingertips already a little cold. She looked at the swirling snowflakes outside the window, her brows furrowing slightly: "The young master hasn't returned yet?"

"A message just came that they've arrived at the city gate and should be heading into the manor by now." Zi'er had barely finished speaking when a series of chaotic footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate, mixed with the howling of wind and snow.

Lin Yiwan put down the ginger soup, got up and walked to the window.

In the dim glow of the lanterns, a tall and slender figure strode through the snow.

Zhan Mu wore a dark cloak, his black hair was covered with snowflakes, and even his eyelashes were covered with fine white frost. He was travel-worn, but his stubbornness was still evident in his brows.

The door to the warm room was pushed open, and a blast of cold air, carrying snowflakes, rushed in.

Zhan Mu took off his cloak, revealing a blue brocade robe underneath. He walked straight to Lin Yiwan, bent his knees, and knelt down on the cold blue brick floor with a thud.

His voice was hoarse, carrying the weariness of a long journey, but every word was clear: "Mother, I beg you to grant my request to marry Yu."

Lin Yiwan looked at her son kneeling on the ground, her heart sinking. She didn't help him up, but instead looked down at the unmelted snowflakes at his temples, and slowly said, "Do you know why I wouldn't allow it?"

Zhan Mu raised his head, his handsome face full of determination: "I know you are worried about Zhiyu's background. But although she is an orphan, she is of pure character and outstanding in learning. I believe she is by no means a wicked person."

Lin Yiwan frowned, turned around and walked to the desk, picked up the secret letter that Zi'er had investigated earlier, and threw it in front of him: "This is the result of Zi'er's investigation, take a look for yourself! Rong Zhiyu grew up in a nunnery in Jiangnan since she can remember, but that nunnery was abandoned ten years ago, and the old nun in the nunnery died three years ago! The mentor she mentioned does not exist! Her skills, such as playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and even riding and archery, are all things that an orphan girl could easily learn?"

Zhan Mu picked up the Xuan paper from the ground, his fingers trembling slightly.

He quickly scanned the contents, his face growing paler by the minute, but he gripped the secret letter tightly, still refusing to divulge anything: "Even if there are hidden secrets about her background, she may not be a bad person. Perhaps she just doesn't want to talk about the past."

Lin Yiwan's voice suddenly rose, her eyes filled with heartache, "Zhan Mu! You are the heir of the Marquis of Zhanyi! You carry on your shoulders the century-old reputation of the Marquis's mansion, the glory of the Zhan family's ancestors! You are not marrying an ordinary woman, but to become the heir's wife of the Marquis's mansion, to step into this treacherous inner court, to stand by your side and face the court's turmoil with you! Do you know how many secrets Rong Zhiyu hides behind him? I can't afford to gamble, and neither can you!"

Zhan Mu's Adam's apple bobbed. He lowered his head, pressing his forehead against the cold blue bricks, his voice tinged with pleading: "Mother, I know you're doing this for my own good, for the good of the Marquis's mansion. But I've already fallen for Zhiyu and am determined to marry no one else. She's a woman, all alone in the capital, with no one to rely on. If I don't protect her, how will she survive?"

Lin Yiwan walked up to him, bent down to look at him, and the disappointment in her eyes was almost overflowing.

She asked in a hoarse voice, "Amu, are you really going to defy me like this for her sake?"

Before Zhan Mu could say anything, he saw Zhan Miao rushing over through the snow.

She said anxiously, "Brother, please don't be like this, let's talk this out!"

A wave of sadness washed over Zhan Mu. He squeezed his eyes shut and said, "Miao'er, you don't understand how important Zhiyu is to me. I can't let her suffer even the slightest injustice."