After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The Xie family, who wield significant military power, is already a source of suspicion for the Emperor. If the letter falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, regardless of its veracity or whether it was written by Xie Chaoyun, the Emperor will seize the opportunity to suppress or even eliminate the Xie family.

His legs went weak, and he sat down, holding onto the corner of the table. Looking at the letter in his hand, he muttered to himself, "Who on earth would use such a vicious scheme to frame the Xie family!"

Lu Zhiyuan leaned closer: "Who does Mother think it is?"

Their eyes met, and Xie Chaoyun subconsciously shook her head. She didn't want to think about the Lu family or that person.

Lu Zhiyuan exposed him without any mercy.

"To imitate one's mother's handwriting, two conditions must be met. First, one must live with one's mother day and night and know her writing habits. Second, one must have one's mother's letters and study them every day in order to imitate them so well that even one's mother herself cannot tell the difference."

Avoiding Lu Zhiyuan's gaze, Xie Chaoyun gripped the letter tightly, revealing a pained expression.

Born in the capital and raised on the frontier, her writing style differed from others; she liked to use obscure words and phrases. For example, the people of the border town would say "it's getting dark" as "it's getting dark." She heard this from a young age, and when she wrote letters, she would unconsciously incorporate it.

Such letters, so full of local and personal characteristics, were hardly suitable for formal occasions. However, she came from a general's family, and her father and brothers did not expect her to become a talented woman. Therefore, they did not deliberately correct her writing habits or her choice of words.

Besides her father and brothers, the person who understands her best is her husband, Marquis Lu Huai of Pingnan! Her husband's mistress, Ji Wanwan, is best at imitating handwriting, and is therefore known as a talented woman.

The thought of her husband conspiring with his mistress to use her to frame the Xie family felt like her heart was being torn apart.

But she had no evidence.

She covered her face, letting tears fall through her fingers, and said in a trembling voice:

"Why? Why are they doing this to me? Why are they doing this to the Xie family? What good will it do them to kill the Xie family?"

Lu Zhiyuan didn't respond. She couldn't very well tell Xie Chaoyun that they did this to climb over the Xie family and pave the way for their own wealth and glory.

She feared that Xie Chaoyun would become enraged and wipe out the entire Lu family!

The Lu family members can die, and Ji Wanwan can die too, but the original owner and Xie Chaoyun cannot be implicated by the Lu family.

She wanted Xie Chaoyun to divorce Lu Huai and for the original owner of this body to sever ties with the Lu family.

“Mother, no matter who wrote this letter or what their purpose was, we must not keep it.”

Xie Chaoyun was covered in fine beads of sweat. He felt a mix of lingering fear, terror, and, more than anything,... relief.

“Yuan’er, tell your mother, do you know something?”

“Yuan’er only knows that they want to harm Yuan’er, to harm Mother, and to harm the Xie family. Yuan’er doesn’t know exactly how they want to harm them. The wet nurse and Bitao are just their pawns and tools.” Holding Xie Chaoyun’s hand, she said, “Mother, we must be careful at every step.”

"Mother knows."

Xie Chaoyun took out a tinderbox and burned the letter. Still not entirely at ease, she searched through all the letters in the box again, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that there was no second one.

A maidservant came to deliver a message, saying that the Marquis had returned to his room and was inquiring about the whereabouts of his wife. The thought of having to share a bed with that man again filled Xie Chaoyun with nausea, and she gagged several times before finally calming herself down.

At the courtyard gate, he bumped into Lu Huai. He took a step back and curtsied, saying, "My lord!"

“Mother is not feeling well, I’m going to Fulin Courtyard to check on her. Yunniang, you should rest early, don’t wait for me.” She took two steps forward, then turned around as if remembering something, her face showing guilt: “Is Yuan’er’s injury any better? I didn’t have time to comfort her earlier. I’ll go with Wanwan tomorrow. Wanwan said she’ll apologize to Yuan’er on Jinyao’s behalf.”

Xie Chaoyun said calmly, "No need. The Marquis has already punished Lu Jinyao."

Under the moonlight, Lu Huai's expression was gloomy. When his gaze fell on Xie Chaoyun's face, it was with a hint of annoyance: "Jin Yao didn't do it on purpose. She's just a young girl, and it's inevitable that she'll be nervous when she first arrives at the Marquis's residence. My mother told me that the confinement period can be shortened to two days. The chrysanthemum appreciation banquet in the palace is coming soon. Yuan'er is not feeling well and has been injured. In my opinion, it would be better to let Jin Yao accompany you."

Xie Chaoyun couldn't help but sneer.

"Has the Marquis forgotten the rules of the palace since he has been away from the capital for so long? Only the daughters of officials of the fourth rank or above can attend the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet hosted by the Empress, and only the legitimate daughters are eligible. Children born to concubines do not count."

Lu Huai's expression grew increasingly grim, and he said in a deep voice, "Didn't I say that I would adopt Jin Yao and Jing Yuan together under your name? Once they are registered in the family genealogy, Jin Yao will be the rightful eldest daughter of my Marquis's mansion. If you lead this chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, no one else can say anything."

“Others can’t say anything.” Xie Chaoyun straightened her back: “However, I did not agree to the Marquis’s proposal! I said that I do not lack daughters.”

"Xie Chaoyun, I am not discussing this with you."

Xie Chaoyun gave a light "Oh," and sneered, "Does the Marquis intend to force an adoption?"

In an ordinary family, forced adoption is not impossible, but this is a marquis's mansion, and a marquis's mansion has its own rules. Adoption must be approved by Xie Chaoyun herself. Without her consent, the adoption cannot be discussed.

Lu Huai was furious and stormed out. Xie Chaoyun snorted and ordered the courtyard gate to be locked.

Half asleep, Xie Chaoyun felt someone lying beside her. Before she could even open her eyes, a burning hot body embraced her. Xie Chaoyun stiffened and instinctively reached out, only to have her wrist grabbed.

"Yunniang, it's me!"

Xie Chaoyun knew it was him; he still carried Ji Wanwan's usual perfume scent. She got up, put on her robe, and poured herself a glass of water. "Why has the Marquis returned, sir?"

He sat down at the table, his expression obscure under the lamplight, as if he felt some guilt. After a moment of silence, he replied, "I was too hasty in this matter of adoption, but it was all for your sake, Yunniang. The lack of an heir for the Marquis's family is a worry for my mother. It's rare that she likes Jinyao and Jingyuan, so I thought of giving them to you as your heir. Firstly, it would ease my mother's worries, and secondly, Yuan'er would have siblings to take care of her. Yunniang, you know that everything I've done is for you, for our future."

"In that case, it is indeed unfair to the Marquis."

“It’s Wanwan who’s been wronged. She’s raised those children with so much difficulty… Yunniang, we have to be nicer to Wanwan and those two children.” Lu Huai gently hugged her, just like when they first got married: “Let Jinyao go to the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet! It’s just a palace banquet, a way to please Mother.”

Xie Chaoyun's heart was as cold as ice.

A kiss, still carrying the scent of perfume, landed. Xie Chaoyun tried to hold back, but couldn't. She pushed Lu Huai away and gagged, clutching a spittoon.

Lu Huai's expression changed. He stared intently at Xie Chaoyun and questioned, "Are you pregnant?"

"Does Your Excellency enjoy being a parent so much?" Xie Chaoyun wiped her mouth. "Your Excellency has been away from home for two years. How could I be pregnant? It's just that I've been traveling all year and my diet has been improper, which has caused me to develop a stomach ailment. If Your Excellency doesn't believe me, you can summon the imperial physician to ask. As for getting pregnant out of thin air, Your Excellency may say so, but I cannot accept it."

Lu Huai paused for a moment, then apologized, "Yunniang, you've misunderstood! I was just thinking about how you were when you were pregnant with Yuan'er. Yuan'er was naughty and kept you up for six months. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache."

"It's kind of you that you still remember, Lord Marquis." Xie Chaoyun patted her chest. "Does Lord Marquis have Chaoyun in his heart?"