Quick, female general, I traveled through time to save my father

Chapter 362: The Mother of the Bomen Raises Her Stepson 29

Shen Junyao wiped away his tears:

"My uncle wanted Shen Junbao to come to Beijing with me. If it were someone else, they would definitely agree to please my father." Shen Junyao raised his tearful eyes, "But she refused."

"She said, 'Jun Yao is my child. It doesn't matter if Jun Bao is sent to the military camp or you stay at home. You can't leave him there and cause trouble for my son.'"

These words were like a blunt knife, slowly and heavily piercing Shen Shigen's heart.

Shen Shigen suddenly remembered the long letter he received many years ago.

He had just won a battle and was celebrating with his fellow soldiers. When his personal guard presented him with a letter from home, he thought it was just a casual greeting. But when he unfolded it, he found it covered in Sirong's powerful handwriting, so powerful it could be seen through the paper.

"Jun Yao had seventeen whip wounds on his back, a burn scar on his left arm from boiling water, and he often woke up at night from pain from an old leg injury..."

At the end of the letter, the seemingly weak woman wrote: "My Lord, Jun Yao is your flesh and blood. If you don't care, I will."

What was he thinking at that time?

"That's just a woman's opinion. It's normal for boys to get bumps and bruises, but she's making such a fuss about it."

"I think Junbao is a good kid, perfect for keeping Junyao company."

Shen Shigen's throat tightened.

How had he treated Shen Junbao over the years? He taught him marksmanship, personally selected his armor, and even specially recorded his military achievements.

However, his own son was at his uncle's house thousands of miles away, being whipped all over by his "nephew" whom he had carefully cultivated.

"How dare they?!!!"

Shen Shigen suddenly discovered that his hands, which never trembled when holding a knife, were now shaking so much that he couldn't even hold the teacup.

After a long talk that night, Shen Shigen went to the ancestral hall alone and knelt until dawn.

Before the ancestral tablets, he seriously examined his own arbitrary decisions for the first time. He had thought Sirong was making a big deal out of nothing, had assumed Shen Junbao was a good kid, and had even trusted his eldest brother's family's instigation...

"My Lord," the old butler whispered outside the door, "it's time to go to court."

When Shen Shigen stood up, he found his son kneeling beside him. The morning light filtered through the window, blending the shadows of father and son together, making them indistinguishable.

So, when she heard Madam Minghua pretending to be worried and saying, "Jun Yao went to Tingyunju again? This child, why doesn't he know how to avoid suspicion..."

Although Shen Shigen felt bitter in his heart, he would also say lightly: "Sirong treats Junyao more wholeheartedly than the rest of us."

The next day, as soon as Shen Junyao returned home, he was called to the martial arts training ground.

Shen Shigen stood with his hands behind his back and threw a spear to him: "Let me see your kung fu."

Shen Junyao was stunned for a moment, then he gripped the gun tightly and moved as fast as the wind.

The father and son exchanged blows, their guns clashing. Suddenly, Shen Shigen asked, "Do you often go to Tingyunju?"

"Is everything okay over there?"

"Everything is fine."

Shen Shen Shigen paused, and the tip of the gun deviated half an inch.

Shen Junyao took the opportunity to pry away his weapon, and the tip of the gun stopped steadily three inches in front of Shen Shigen's throat.

The two looked at each other, and Shen Shigen suddenly smiled: "Good boy, you have made progress."

He raised his hand and patted his son's shoulder, whispering, "If you want to go in the future, go ahead."

Shen Junyao's eyes were slightly hot, and he whispered: "...Thank you, father."

During this period, the Wuwei Marquis' Mansion maintained a superficial calm.

Shen Junbao was placed by Shen Shigen in a military camp outside Beijing, far away from the mansion.

Aunt Liu still stayed obediently in the West Courtyard. Even though Madam Minghua secretly withheld the expenses of her courtyard, she always kept her head down and never complained.

Shen Junyao did not relax his vigilance against her. All the servants around Aunt Liu were arranged by Shen Junyao.

Sirong is busy running her own business and is discussing with Shen Tang about adding a braised meat stall to her restaurant.

The only one who had problems was Shen Junyao, who had been having minor health problems recently.

He recently caught a cold and often had a low-grade fever. Even his martial arts, which he was best at, seemed to be beyond his ability.

The servants in the mansion thought it was just due to the changing seasons, but no one knew that Shen Junyao and Shen Tang's health had been taken care of by Sirong herself since they were young.

The two children were much weaker than ordinary people because they were abused.

Even after proper recuperation, Sirong still maintained the habit of checking their pulses once a month. Now Shen Junyao's abnormality immediately aroused her vigilance.

In Tingyunju, Sirong placed her fingertips on Shen Junyao's wrist, her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

"The pulse is weak and the Qi and blood are both deficient. It doesn't seem like a common cold." She withdrew her hand, her eyes sharp. "Have you eaten anything special recently?"

Shen Junyao shook his head: "The food sent by the kitchen in the mansion is the same as usual."

Shen Tang was rubbing his hands anxiously: "Mom, my brother's illness is strange. A few days ago, he could still draw a three-stone bow, but now he can't even hold a sword steadily."

Sirong was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Has Madam Minghua ever sent you food?"

"No, when Madam Minghua first came into the mansion, she did send two snacks, but I had them dumped out unopened, not even letting the servants on duty in the courtyard touch them.

I even had someone spread the news, and she never sent anything to my hospital again.

Sirong nodded slightly. She knew better than anyone that the people in Shen Junyao's courtyard were all carefully selected confidants. Without his tacit approval, not even a fallen leaf could float beyond the courtyard walls.

But the current symptoms are really strange. On the surface, they seem to be just minor illnesses such as cold and fever, but the pulse shows that the internal organs have been damaged.

It's neither an acute poison nor a slow poison...

"From today on," Sirong said solemnly, "have the servant beside you write down everything you eat and drink every day, including fruits and snacks. Be sure to send it to me in every detail!"

Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, "Have you tried mutton with tea recently? Or crab and persimmons?"

Shen Junyao was stunned: "We did have a mutton hotpot the day before yesterday, and we also drank Rainforest Longjing tea during the meal..."

Sirong's eyes suddenly changed. Mutton is warm, Longjing tea is cold; the two conflicting is particularly damaging to the stomach. If other incompatible ingredients are added...it's clear someone has tampered with the food combination!

Sirong found a repair pill from the space and gave it to Shen Junyao to take.

This pill has a mild medicinal property and was reconfigured by Sirong based on the physical conditions of the two children after coming to this world.

There was no way, the two little guys were in very poor health at the time.

They simply couldn't handle the pills in Sirong's space.

Shen Junyao was not unfamiliar with this kind of pill. He often ate it when he was a child. Sirong gave it to him and he put it directly in his mouth, chewed it and swallowed it.

The bitter aroma of medicine spread between his lips and teeth, yet it made him feel strangely at ease. It was the most familiar taste in his memory, one of the few moments of warmth during those dark years.

"Don't eat the food in the Earl's Mansion's dining hall for now. If you get hungry, find a way yourself."

"Mother?"

Sirong looked at him helplessly. "It's not that you can't eat it. There shouldn't be any poison in the food. It's the law of food interaction. If you're afraid of suspicion, just pick one dish and eat it. There shouldn't be any problem."

As for the other dishes given to the servants, inform them as well and let each of them eat one."