The whole family is reborn, and their five-year-old child becomes the darling of the entire capital.

For some time now, the Mu family has been in chaos and turmoil because of her marriage.

Especially since the An family's status is not what it used to be, the marriage arrangement made by her deceased grandfather before his death was also ruthlessly canceled by the other party.

Just as she was happily preparing for her wedding, her fiancé brazenly began philandering and behaving recklessly, even going so far as to visit a brothel. She happened to be there to buy some gold jewelry and caught him in the act.

So she couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks. Although the other party did not respond at the time, the letter of annulment was delivered to the Mu residence that very night, and the person who received the letter was none other than her aunt.

When her aunt learned of this, she was furious and insisted on finding her another suitable husband. She went on to meet more than twenty wealthy young men before finally settling on the Ning General's Mansion, whose status and position were worthy of her and who would never let her suffer any grievances.

Actually, she didn't have much affection for General Ning, but her aunt told her that he was a good person and quite prestigious in the capital.

Moreover, the matriarch of the Ning family was very kind and amiable, and strongly approved of the marriage. It was also said that the future sister-in-law was an easy person to get along with.

She thought this marriage might not be bad, after all, it was extremely rare for a man of such an age not to have a maidservant.

However, as expected, things are not as they seem. He was a clean person who didn't even have a concubine, yet he managed to get an unmarried girl pregnant.

How perfectly clean!

An Lan chuckled softly and said calmly, "Aunt, this matter can't be rushed, so you don't need to worry about me. Let's go and discuss the Third Miss's marriage with the Ning family first. It's still early in the pregnancy, so it's not very noticeable yet, but if we wait until her belly gets bigger, I'm afraid outsiders will start gossiping again."

The Duchess looked at her niece and shook her head helplessly, sighing, "Why is it so difficult for you?"

An Lan simply smiled and shook her head, not feeling that she was having a particularly difficult time. Now, she lived in the Mu family, receiving care from her aunt. The old lady was also a very easy-going person, and even others treated her differently because of her aunt.

She felt incredibly comfortable living like this. If she were to marry into another family, not to mention the complicated interpersonal relationships, just dealing with her husband and mother-in-law would probably be enough to exhaust her.

"Get up quickly, stop kneeling, sit down first." The Duchess looked at Mu Siliao's stubborn face, her heart breaking with anger.

She simply couldn't understand how a perfectly normal girl could do something like getting pregnant out of wedlock.

Musiliao, however, did not dare to stand up at all. She remained kneeling on the ground, her face as pale as a sheet of paper, devoid of any color.

Seeing this, the Duchess couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. She looked at the child who was still kneeling on the ground and refused to get up, her brows furrowed slightly, and her expression revealed a hint of displeasure. "What are you doing? Why are you still kneeling here? Don't you trust me? Don't worry, I will discuss this matter with Madam Ning."

However, Mu Siliao was not swayed by the Duchess's words. Instead, she began to kowtow forcefully on the ground, saying as she did so, "General Ning was unaware of this matter; it is entirely Siliao's fault!"

Seeing this, the Duchess felt an even greater headache coming on.

She subconsciously rubbed her temples, seemingly already guessing what had happened. She sighed and asked helplessly, "Could he have been drugged?"

In fact, some time ago, the Imperial Medical Academy had mentioned that someone in the Dali Temple had been drugged with aphrodisiacs while handling a case.

At that time, the Xie family's child was in the Imperial Hospital, where he had to endure being immersed in icy cold water for a full day and night to barely withstand the strong effects of the medicine.

It is said that this incident involved business dealings in the capital's black market; they were ambushed and given a special aphrodisiac from another country. Faced with such a rare and potent drug, the Imperial Medical Academy was almost helpless for a time.

The Xie family boy was covered in scratches and gruesome scars, but he resolutely refused to touch any girl to alleviate the effects of the drug. In the end, with astonishing willpower, he endured all the drug's effects all by himself.

This matter caused quite a stir in Beijing.

It seems General Ning was indeed transferred to the Dali Temple two months ago to provide military support. He must have been poisoned as well, but he wasn't as ruthless as that Xie family child towards himself.

"Yes, I tried asking him later, but the general had no memory of that day at all." Musiliao lowered her head, her face full of fear.

Seeing her so frightened, the Duchess shook her head helplessly and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll handle this properly. Get up now."

The Duchess turned to look at her niece Anlan, who was intently picking fish bones from Xiaoyuxi's head, and suddenly thought of the Xie family's child.

Although the Xie family now holds a high position, and An Lan marrying him would be considered a step up for her, the Xie and Mu families have always maintained a close relationship. Perhaps if both sides seriously discuss the matter, it's not entirely impossible.

After all, that child was of good character and could even resist aphrodisiacs. He also seemed to have never married in his previous life, making him an excellent marriage prospect.

The Duchess secretly made up her mind, ignored Mu Siliao kneeling on the ground, and returned to her seat with a light laugh. "Don't worry about her, Changshang. Eat more of these ribs. They're all the flavors you loved when you were little."

Mu Yunshang nodded with a smile, looking quite pleased with herself.

Musiliao sat in her seat with a pale face, watching An Lan speaking softly to Xiao Yuxi. Tears welled up in her eyes but did not fall.

She had truly given up on General Ning and had changed her mind, but when she saw him kneeling in the alley that day, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She wanted to help him up, but she simply didn't have the strength to resist.

Mu Siliao clutched her sleeves. She had entered the Ning family pregnant. Madam Ning probably wanted to skin her alive.

-

After Mu Yunshang and Mu Yunchao finished discussing Yan Hou's matter, they gently pushed the door open.

Yun Chao's courtyard was rather deserted. There were no maids serving him, only a few guards standing watch at a distance, and the entrance was indeed empty.

So Yunshang didn't think too much when she went out. As soon as she opened the door, she bumped into someone. Because it happened so suddenly, she didn't have time to react and fell straight forward into the person's arms.