Chapter 39: Poppy

  Zhou Huai Xuan left home at 15 years old and returned five years later as a 20-year-old.

  It goes without saying that the curse of "not living beyond 18 years old" is self-evident.

  General Zhou's wife, Madame Feng, even held a grand banquet in the capital to celebrate her son's recovery after Zhou Huai-xuan returned home.

  At that time, the high-ranking monk who had been deceived was also dragged out of the temple by Zhou Huai-xuan and beaten lame with a stick, then handed over to the Dalisi Temple for trial.

  Later, under the intervention of the Dalin Temple, it was found that this so-called "high monk" was actually a fake who had been deceiving people. He would only make up some nonsense about good or bad luck after receiving money from them.

  The Temple of Dali investigated the private matters of many official families in the capital, and was so frightened that it did not dare to continue the investigation. A severe beating directly killed the "high monk" and closed the case.

  When Zhou Huai Xuan had just recovered from his illness and returned home, the people at home still looked down on him.

  Because he was weak and sickly since childhood, he grew up in a medicine bottle.

  The old master of the Divine Mansion, Zhou, has three sons. The eldest son, Zhou Chengzong, and the third son, Zhou Sizong, are legitimate sons, while the second son, Zhou Jizong, is a bastard son.

  Everyone in Shenjiang Fu knows that Zhou Huairi, the eldest son of Zhou Sizong, the third master of the three houses, is the true heir to Shenjiang Fu.

  Zhou Huairui is the fourth among his cousins in the Zhou family and is usually called Fourth Master Zhou. He has three older brothers above him.

  Zhou Huai Xuan is the eldest son of Zhou Cheng Zong, also known as General Shen's legitimate eldest son, Master Zhou.

  Second Master Zhou Jizong had two sons, Zhou Huairén and Zhou Huaìyì, both older than Zhou Huaìlǐ. However, since Second Master Zhou Jizong was a concubine's son, his sons were not in the line of succession. In other words, with the presence of legitimate sons and grandsons, Second Master Zhou Jizong's sons had no way to inherit the position of the Divine General Manor.

  So although Zhou Huaixuan was the eldest grandson of the first wife, due to physical reasons, he had almost been deprived of his inheritance rights very early on.

  At that time, in the eyes of his mother, Madame Feng, as long as he could grow up safely, it was enough, and she never thought about whether he could inherit the title or not.

  But now Zhou Huai Xuan has recovered and returned, he looks more mature and stable than the fourth brother Zhou Hua Li. So everyone in Shen Jiang Fu is secretly guessing.

  At first, everyone was still watching and waiting.

  But when Zhou Huai Xuan single-handedly dragged out the "high monk" who had given him a hard time in his childhood, beat him to a pulp, and then sent him to the Dalu Temple, causing a shocking case, no one in the Shenjiang Fu dared to look down on him again.

  Even the old Mr. Zhou, who had long been idle and spent his days practicing alchemy and cultivating Taoism, looked at him with different eyes and often called him to the quiet courtyard to chat.

  But according to the small stone in Old Man Zhou's courtyard, Da Gongzi went to Old Man Zhou's place and just sat there listening to Old Man Zhou talk, never uttering a word.

  Is this really the young master Zhou who regained his status in the God's Palace, and yet he fell ill again last night?

  Spring thought about it on one side, and secretly took down the two hairpins that she had worn on her head.

  As soon as he entered the inner room, Chunfen's eyes darkened.

  She seemed to have entered a dark and gloomy room, where she couldn't see her fingers when she stretched out her hand.

  Chunfen was shocked and grabbed Xiangxiang's sleeve: "What's going on? It's daytime, why is the house so dark?"

  Chen Xiang hastily said, "Don't worry, Chunfen sister. Our young master is ill and was restless all night yesterday. He only felt a bit better this morning and just fell asleep. We've decided to cover the windows with thick black cloth so that our young master can sleep for a while longer."

  Chunfen patted her chest and said with a sigh, "I'm really scared to death." She then scolded, "Since the young master is sleeping, what did you let me in for?"

  Chen Xiang covered his sleeve and smiled: "Isn't this letting Spring Separation sister see it with her own eyes, so she can go back and report?"

  Chunfen stayed in the house for a while, and her eyes gradually adapted to the darkness inside. Along with the faint light, her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the bedhead where hung a smooth, pearl-like gauze curtain.

  She vaguely saw that on the other side of the gauze curtain, a man who seemed to be a heavenly being was sleeping. His black hair was shiny, which made his profile even whiter, pale to the point of having no blood color, but with a fatal temptation, like opium that can make people addicted, just one glance, and you can't quit for a lifetime...

  When Chunfen walked out of Master's courtyard, she was still a bit dazed.

  "Spring Festival sister! Spring Festival sister!" The little maid from the second gate came running to call her, "The Empress Dowager has an edict, summoning General to enter the palace."

  Spring returned to her senses, using her hand to shade her eyes from the bright light in front of her, as if she was not adapted to it. She furrowed her brow and said: "The general is outside, what message do you bring to the inner courtyard?"

  That little maid hastily said: "Just now the old lady sent General into the inner courtyard. I saw with my own eyes that General came in. You, sir, please help me pass on a message. I can't enter the old lady's courtyard!"

  Chunfen nodded, "Oh, I see. Then I'll go. You wait here." After a moment's thought, he asked again, "Who was it that brought the imperial edict?"

  "It's us, we're in charge here."

  "Is it him?" Chunfen quickened her pace and returned to Old Lady Zhou's courtyard.

  As she walked up the stairs, all she saw was people standing and sitting in the house, saying something.

  General Zhou's face was gloomy, with a hint of helplessness between his eyebrows.

  ……