I relied on a system to prolong my life in ancient times.

Chapter 414 Heading to the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion

The two siblings boarded a carriage and headed towards the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. Along the way, Xiao Siyu gave them many instructions.

They did not send a visiting card in advance, but when they arrived at the door they asked the doorman to announce their arrival. Soon after, someone came out to greet them.

This was Xiao Siyue's first visit to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. She had been invited by Madam Lu San once before, but it was Lin Qin who came instead.

Once inside, they were greeted by Madam Lu.

Madam Lu's eyes were red, clearly from crying. She forced a smile when she saw them: "Siyu, Yue'er, you two are here. Please sit down."

"Aunt Rou, Yue'er and I came to see Zhi Jin. How is Zhi Jin?" Knowing that her sister was anxious, Xiao Siyu didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.

Upon hearing about her son, Madam Lu first glanced at Xiao Siyue before saying, "He hasn't woken up yet. His Majesty has sent several imperial physicians to examine him, and they say his injuries are too severe, and he's also been poisoned. They haven't been able to figure out what's wrong, so they're unsure when he'll wake up."

Madam Lu was heartbroken, and tears welled up in her eyes again, but remembering that there were still guests, she quickly wiped them away with a handkerchief.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Siyue became even more worried and unconsciously reached out to tug at Xiao Siyu's sleeve.

Xiao Siyu glanced at his younger sister silently, signaling her not to rush.

"Aunt Rou, don't be sad. Zhi Jin is a lucky person, and he will surely wake up soon. Don't cry and ruin your health," Xiao Siyu comforted her, thinking to herself that Zhi Jin's injuries must be quite serious, and she was also a little worried.

"Yes, Aunt Rou, don't be sad. Brother Lu will definitely be alright," Xiao Siyue quickly comforted her.

"Yes, thank you for your comfort." Madam Lu nodded, but she was still very sad. Since her husband passed away, she only had one son, Zhi Jin. Zhi Jin was her life. Although he would sometimes make her angry, he was the son she cared about the most.

Xiao Siyue knew that her sister wouldn't feel at ease until she saw Lu Zhijin with her own eyes, so she could only tentatively ask, "Aunt Rou, may we go and see Zhijin?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Lu's eyes lit up, and she immediately nodded, "Yes, of course." But as soon as she finished speaking, she realized that she had been too excited and quickly added, "You are Zhi Jin's good friends. Zhi Jin would be very happy if he knew that you had come to see him."

It wasn't that she was too excited. In fact, two hours earlier, she had wanted to go find Xiao Siyue because when she was taking care of her son, she accidentally heard him muttering something. At that time, she thought her son was about to wake up and was very happy. She called out to him several times, but her son did not wake up. He just kept muttering something.

She put her ear close to her son's mouth and finally heard him say the same name over and over again: "A-Yue".

At first, she didn't know what it was, until later she realized that the "A-Yue" her son was talking about was Xiao Siyue, the little girl from the Xiao family.

She recognized it immediately after seeing one of her son's paintings in his study by chance.

She had teased Zhi Jin before, saying that she had mentioned to him several times that she wanted Xiao Siyue to be her daughter-in-law, but he hadn't said a word about it. She thought her son didn't like her, but she didn't expect that he had already had some feelings for her and had been keeping it from her.

However, she was happy to see this happen. After Xiao Siyue came of age, she proposed to her son, but he refused, saying that he had not yet won the heart of the one he loved and that she should wait. She listened to her son, but who knew that this wait would lead to the news that her son was going to war.

He went on this mission a year ago, full of vigor and high spirits, but returned in a coma. Even now, though his son is in a coma, he still thinks about Xiao Siyue.

She felt both regret and relief.

She regretted listening to her son and not arranging a marriage beforehand; otherwise, she could go and invite Xiao Siyue over now, and maybe her son would wake up when he heard her voice.

Fortunately, she listened to her son and didn't arrange the marriage. If her son hadn't survived this time, what would have happened to Yue'er? Wouldn't that have delayed someone else's child?

Her husband had also died on the battlefield, so she understood how painful it was for a woman without a man.

Gossip is a minor matter, but the loneliness of those days and nights, the feeling of longing filling her heart, is something not everyone can bear. She also had a child to support her; if it weren't for the child, she probably would have left long ago.

So she was glad, glad she hadn't gotten engaged.

Now that Xiao Siyue has come to see Zhijin in person, she is naturally very excited.

"Follow me," said Madam Lu, leading the way.

Although Xiao Siyue didn't know why Madam Lu was so excited, she quickly followed when she heard that she could go see Lu Zhijin.

Xiao Siyu lowered his eyes slightly, a hint of understanding flashing in them. He already understood, but he didn't say anything and just followed along.

The Lu family held a prestigious position, being dukes, and their mansion was even larger than the Xiao family's. However, the Lu family's population was relatively small. Apart from the old duke and his wife, the entire mansion consisted of three daughters-in-law, three grandsons, two granddaughters-in-law, and one granddaughter who had already married out.

Duke Lu originally had four sons and one daughter, but due to the war, all four sons died in battle. The first three had married and left behind their own bloodlines, while the fourth son was only in his early twenties before he died and had not yet married.

The three grandsons in the mansion now belong to the first three branches of the family.

Because she lost her son in middle age, Madam Lu did not allow her grandsons to learn martial arts. However, Lu Zhijin was still an infant at that time. After a while, he showed extraordinary talent in martial arts. The old Duke Lu could not bear to let his talent go to waste, so he discussed it with his wife for a long time before agreeing to let Lu Zhijin learn martial arts, but he would not let him go to the battlefield and would focus on his studies.

In the end, the old Duke Lu compromised. Lu Zhijin lived up to expectations, excelling in both civil and military affairs, even surpassing those who focused on only one. However, Lu Zhijin had grown up listening to his family's stories and was filled with longing to go to the battlefield, and he also wanted to avenge his father.

So, during the war between the Jin and Dayong dynasties a few years ago, he persuaded the old lady to go to the battlefield and even became famous in one battle.

It left behind many fascinating rumors throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Now that Lu Zhijin has been seriously injured in the war, the atmosphere in the Lu family has fallen into a gloom.

Madam Lu regretted her decision earlier; otherwise, her grandson wouldn't be lying so quietly in bed.

When Xiao Siyue and the others arrived at Lu Zhijin's room, both the old Duke Lu and his wife were there.