The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

And most importantly, Wu Daniu has someone else outside. By the time Wu Daniu becomes a general and returns to the capital, he will already have children. Will he still care about the little bit of cuckolding his wife Du Mingwei and his brother have given him?

Ling Silang said, "Since he's courting death, let's just leave it alone. This matter can't be kept secret forever."

"We still need to tell Wen Shiyan about Du Mingwei's pretense of blindness. I just don't know if Wen Shiyan knows that the two of them are having an affair. She probably doesn't know. If she did, she definitely wouldn't be willing to marry Wu Erniu."

Ling Silang did not express his opinion. These matters were for Du Mingxian to handle and for the Wen family to worry about; it was not his place to do them.

"Alright, you can take care of these things tomorrow. Shouldn't we do something else tonight?"

"What?" Before Du Mingxian could even process what was happening, Ling Silang carried her directly to the bed, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Officials in the Great Shun Dynasty only have four days of vacation. Of course, this applies to ordinary officials. If someone has some power, it's hard to say, and they have more room to maneuver. Ling Silang only has four days of vacation.

The next morning, he went to his post early. When Du Mingxian got up and didn't see him, and seeing that the courtyard was crowded with people, she immediately sorted out the indentures and sent the ones she couldn't take with her to the Wen residence.

"You two have been with me for a while now. Do you want to continue back to the Wen family mansion, or go live outside, or find a husband? I can satisfy your needs." Wen Shiyan sent the children who were to be sent away first, but she did not send Ke'er and Lian'er away directly. Instead, she asked for their opinions.

Ke'er and Lian'er exchanged a glance, both of them becoming anxious, and immediately knelt on the ground.

Ke'er said, "Miss, is there something I did wrong? You can tell me directly, and I will correct it. Please don't let me leave."

Lian'er nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, I also, please don't send me away, Miss."

Du Mingxian sighed softly. Although Cheng Yu had sent these two people to her side, she had kept a close eye on them. Moreover, after Cheng Yu's accident, the two of them hadn't done anything to harm her. After all, they were mistress and servant, so she was willing to give them a chance to choose.

“I’m not trying to get rid of you. It’s just that I have other people coming to my side, so I don’t need you. This is also giving you a choice. If you don’t want to go back to the Wen family, I can give you indentures, and you will be free from then on. Or if you want to find a husband, I can help you find one.”

Ke'er and Lian'er were sent to Du Mingxian's side because the young lady who returned at that time was not valued. Cheng Yu wanted to send two servants there, but the servants were unwilling, so in the end, Ke'er and Lian'er, who had been sold into a life-or-death contract, were sent instead.

"I'm willing to learn, please don't send me away, Miss." Lian'er really didn't want to leave.

Kerr kept pleading with her.

Du Mingxian remained silent, just staring at the two of them. After a while, when they realized that pleading was useless, they knew that their young lady had made up her mind.

Ke'er hesitated for a moment and said, "This servant wants to... wants to leave the Wen residence."

This is an opportunity given by the young lady; if we miss this chance, we may never have another.

Lian'er blushed slightly, "This servant likes a guard in the Wen family. If he is willing to marry this servant, this servant is willing to marry him."

"Alright, I will grant your wishes. As for the guard you mentioned, Lian'er, I will also send someone to investigate him to see if there are any problems with his character."

"Thank you, Miss." The two knelt on the ground and kept thanking Du Mingxian.

Du Mingxian was a woman of action. That very afternoon, she went to the Wen residence, checked on the guard that Lian'er wanted to marry, and found no problems. She immediately told Lian'er to make preparations, and the guard agreed to the marriage proposal. She then contacted a matchmaker.

On the fourth day after Ling Silang was reinstated, he was summoned to the palace by the Emperor.

He was still somewhat nervous about meeting the Emperor. He already knew that the Emperor wanted to use him, but he was more worried. Under the laws of Da Shun, impersonation was a capital offense. Although he did not do Qi Ji's things, he was now using Qi Ji's identity, which could not withstand investigation.

At that point, executing the entire family would be the least of their worries.

As they approached the main hall, a young eunuch instructed, "Lord Qi, please wait outside for a moment."

"Yes," he replied softly.

The young eunuch went in quickly, and came out a moment later with a hint of arrogance on his face. "Lord Qi, please go in."

"Thank you, father-in-law."

After thanking him, Ling Silang stepped into the main hall.

The hall was solemn. This was not his first time here; he had come before the palace examination, but his state of mind was completely different then.

With his head slightly lowered, he did not dare to raise his head. He walked to the center of the hall, knelt down properly, and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

There was no sound from above, and the entire hall was silent. Ling Silang nodded and adjusted his breathing, but as time went on, he could only hear his own increasingly heavy breathing and the heavy beating of his heart.

After a long while, Ling Silang finally heard a voice from above asking, "Are you Qi Ji?"

This question was like a knife, severing the tension.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Then what I found is not true?" The Emperor's voice was stern.

Ling Silang bowed down again, "This humble subject deserves to die."

The Emperor sneered, "You do have some talent. I cherish talent and am reluctant to let you die. I will give you a chance to make amends. If you do well, I will forgive you this time and restore your status. If you do not do well, you will atone with your death."

This wasn't a discussion with Ling Silang; it was an order given to him.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this humble subject will obey your orders."

The Emperor was pleased with Ling Silang's tact. "Then I will tell you."

Ling Silang left the palace very late today. Du Mingxian was a little anxious when he got home. Since Ling Silang didn't come home at his usual time, she guessed that the sword hanging over her head was finally about to fall.

As soon as Ling Silang got home, Du Mingxian looked at him with concern and said, "I had them prepare hot water. Take a hot shower first."

"Alright." Inside the hall, the emperor's unpredictable mood swings had indeed startled him, and if he hadn't answered well, the body would probably be cold by now.

After Ling Silang finished his bath, Du Mingxian had already had food served. She told Ke'er and Lian'er to leave, leaving only the two of them in the room.

"Let's eat." Du Mingxian first put a piece of food on Ling Silang's plate.

Ling Silang had little appetite, but seeing Du Mingxian's worried eyes, he still ate a few bites before speaking slowly, "The Emperor summoned me to the palace, first to give me a warning, and finally to tell me that my next task is to make amends for my mistakes, and if I fail to complete the task, I will atone with my death."

The idea of ​​atonement with death is truly jarring.

"It's okay, we'll go together, we'll definitely be able to complete the mission." Although she knew the mission was extremely difficult, she had no other choice.

That's how it is in the era of imperial power; ordinary people have no choice.