Xiao Jingyi was settled in Shun Yuan within the estate, the courtyard where he had previously resided.
Jiang Lingzhi steeled herself and followed Madam Xiao into the main room, where she saw a man lying on the bed dressed in white robes, his eyes closed. Even in this state, one could discern his deep-set, handsome, and sharply defined features.
He was the renowned God of War in Da Yong—proud, stern, and decisive, a figure who struck fear into the hearts of enemy troops on the battlefield.
Even now, unconscious, he seemed too formidable to look upon directly.
Jiang Lingzhi’s emotions were tangled as she struggled to accept the reality that her supposedly deceased husband had suddenly returned to life.
A weak yet agitated voice broke the silence in the room: “Wasn’t it said that Jingyi had returned? Why is he still lying in bed?”
It was Duke Xiao, gravely ill and confined to his sickbed, who had insisted on being carried over on a soft sedan chair despite his condition.
“Yes,” Doctor Mu from Medicine King Valley replied gravely, “the truth is, the general’s injuries are extremely severe. Medicine King Valley has done everything possible to mend his broken bones, but his head suffered a critical blow. I fear there may be blood clots in his brain, which is why he remains unconscious.”
Tears immediately streamed down Madam Xiao’s face. “How could my son be injured so badly? Doctor Mu, you must save Jingyi, you must make sure he recovers completely!”
Doctor Mu shook his head with a sorrowful expression. “Medicine King Valley holds the general in high esteem. We’ve exhausted every method at our disposal, yet there has been no improvement. That is why we decided to send him back—Guogong Fu has broader connections and may be able to seek other physicians for further consultation.”
Medicine King Valley was a lineage renowned for its medical expertise, having produced several master physicians. For them to speak in such terms indicated they had truly reached the limits of their abilities.
Duke Xiao gazed from afar at his son lying motionless on the bed, as still as a plant, and felt the dull ache in his chest intensify.
He asked with difficulty, “Jingyi… how much time does he have left?”
“If he does not fully awaken within three months, then…” Doctor Mu sighed and added only, “But the general is, after all, a man blessed with profound fortune.”
He did not state it outright, yet everyone in the room understood: if he did not wake within three months, he would be gone for good.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
To regain something only to face losing it again was like being stabbed with the same knife in a wound that had not yet healed.
It was Madam Xiao who ultimately suppressed her grief, instructing the estate steward to escort Doctor Mu to his accommodations.
While everyone in the room wore expressions of sorrow and gravity, Xiao Yan’s eyes darted about, and he ventured a desperate suggestion:
“Grandfather, Grandmother, since… since Uncle has returned, it shows that Lingzhi and Uncle are fated by heaven! Why don’t we announce to the public that today, Uncle is marrying Lingzhi, and I am marrying Ling Yuan? That way, fewer people will gossip about today’s events…”
Duke Xiao was instantly enraged, gasping for breath. Madam Xiao hurried to his side to soothe him while scolding furiously, “How did Guogong Fu raise such a disgraceful scoundrel? Have you no shame? I’m embarrassed for you! Get out! Go kneel in the ancestral hall!”
“Yes…” Xiao Yan muttered sheepishly, not daring to say more, and left with his head bowed.
Though his words were disgraceful, they sparked an idea in Madam Xiao’s mind.
After all, that girl Lingzhi did seem to have a knack for bringing fortune to her husband.
She had married Jing Yi through a wife swap, and Jing Yi had returned from the dead… If she could consummate the marriage with Jing Yi and conceive a child, perhaps he would wake up completely.
Maybe this was just an unrealistic assumption.
But a parent’s love for their child is such that even a slim chance is worth pursuing, like trying every possible cure for a hopeless case.
Even if Jing Yi ultimately didn’t wake up, perhaps he could still leave behind an heir.
The more Madam Xiao thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Disregarding the crowd in the room, she grabbed Jiang Lingzhi’s hands with tear-filled eyes and was about to kneel before her. “Lingzhi, I beg you as a mother…”
Jiang Lingzhi hurriedly supported her in alarm. “Madam, you mustn’t! Please, just say what you need to say!”
Having come this far, Madam Xiao cast aside all dignity and pleaded: “Lingzhi, you heard what the physician said just now. If Jing Yi doesn’t wake up, then he’ll… I know this is difficult for you, but I must ask. Since you’re already his bride, could you bear him an heir to continue his line?”
Jiang Lingzhi’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson.
She had said earlier that she was willing to adopt an heir for him, but she meant through formal adoption from the clan.
Now they wanted her, an untouched maiden, to take the initiative to consummate the marriage with an unconscious man… Just the thought made her feel utterly ashamed and unacceptable.
But Madam Xiao wasn’t wrong.
She was now his wife. Serving him and continuing his bloodline were precisely her inescapable duties and responsibilities.
She found herself in a difficult position.
Madam Xiao knew this was truly asking too much of a young girl.
So she straightforwardly offered benefits: “Lingzhi, if you’re willing to consummate the marriage with Jing Yi, I’ll go to the palace tomorrow to petition the Emperor to grant you the title of First-Rank Imperial Noblewoman.”
“If you bear Jing Yi a child, regardless of gender, you’ll receive a share of the family assets,” Duke Xiao added slowly. “If you give birth to a son, I’ll give you an additional two hundred thousand taels from my private treasury, along with a hundred shops and a thousand acres of fertile land for you and your child’s security.”
The expressions of everyone in the room immediately changed, though no one dared to voice opposition.
These promises made Jiang Lingzhi’s heart race.
Having grown up haphazardly in the countryside where even a full meal was a luxury, the temptation of a carefree, comfortable life instantly overcame her meager sense of shame.
Just by consummating the marriage and bearing a child, she could completely change her destiny!
Without further hesitation, she readily agreed: “Very well.”