Chapter 63: Zhenniang commits suicide

Qian Zhenniang let out a desperate smile. Now that her affairs had been exposed, who in the exile group would allow someone like her to join them? They were probably just like the first wife, avoiding her like the very plague.

It seems to have been like this since I was a child.

Qian Zhenniang's parents died early, and she could no longer remember what they looked like.

Ever since she could remember, she had been living a life of wandering and relying on others. She knew that she was not liked by others, so she always lived cautiously, afraid of making any noise. She learned to be obedient, hoping that her uncle and aunt would treat her like a cat or dog on the street, and just give her some place to breathe.

She had originally thought that on such a day, as long as she got married, everything would be fine. So when her uncle told her that he had arranged a marriage for her, she counted the days until her wedding.

She always told herself that it would be good to get married. Once she got married, she wouldn't have to fear her moody aunt, and she wouldn't have to endure the contempt and bullying of the servants at home.

She had also doubted that since she had a bad fate, why would the Xu family still like her.

Maybe people don't mind.

She thought with great trepidation, yet at the same time had a little anticipation in her heart, and she only regretted that she could not treat him wholeheartedly.

Mrs. Cao was right. She had to be nice to her future husband and mother-in-law. Only if she was needed would she not be abandoned.

But why did Mrs. Cao tell her secret to others?

At this moment, she really wanted to know the answer.

Qian Zhenniang let out a wry smile as she glanced at Xu Huijia again. She then averted her gaze, wiped away her tears, and said to Xu Qingying firmly, "Thank you, Miss Xu. I'll follow you to the next town. I still have something to say to Sister Cao, so I'll be back soon..."

Xu Qingying saw that she looked a little dazed, and felt uncomfortable in her heart, so she said, "Miss Qian, you are in the prime of your life. If you don't think about yourself, think about your parents too. Their spirits in heaven will surely hope that you live the rest of your life well."

Qian Zhenniang's body stiffened, her face paled, and it took her a long time to recover. She held Xu Qingying's hand, her pupils dark and tearless, like a walking corpse. "Xu Liu, you are such a good person. If possible, I will repay you by working like a slave in my next life. Well, I still need to talk to Sister Cao... I won't waste Xu Liu's time... Feng'er, help me over."

The girl next to her said "Hey", saluted Xu Qingying, and ran over quickly.

Huang Cui'e pouted at her back, seeming extremely angry. "Pooh, pooh, pooh, this is really unlucky. Tomorrow night we have to go to the post station and find a brazier to step over... Hey, you three, go wash in the river tonight, don't let her bad luck get to us..."

Huang glared at her and said, "That's enough. The Qian family girl is pitiful enough..."

"She's pitiful?! Our Huijia is pitiful, okay? She broke off her engagement for no apparent reason, and it's even a question whether she can find her husband later. Mom, why are you sympathizing with someone else's daughter? Huijia is your eldest grandson..."

Xu Qingying felt a little uncomfortable as she watched Qian Zhenniang's disappearing back.

She started the soap business because she wanted to help Li Zhaodi. If she expanded the business, she could make more money, open a girls' school, and even help millions of women in the Zhou Dynasty.

However, she seemed unable to help Qian Zhenniang.

She would not underestimate the superstition of the ancient people. Bruno in the Middle Ages was burned to death by the church for insisting on Copernicus's sun theory. She was just a ghost who came to the Zhou Dynasty. How much could she change the course of history?

Xu Qingying could see Miao's disapproval. Although Xu Degui hadn't said it explicitly, it was clear he was also superstitious about the Eight Characters, even among those close to him. If she forced Qian Zhenniang to stay, it would undoubtedly cause dissatisfaction among the entire exile group.

But...she really couldn't let the master and servant leave like that.

At the moment, all she could do was to let the master and servant of the Qian family follow her first, and then think of a way to help them settle down after they arrived in the town.

etc……

I just heard Qian Zhenniang say that she was going to talk to Madam Cao, but my aunt said that the news about Qian Zhenniang's horoscope came from Madam Cao.

So was Qian Zhenniang going there to confront Madam Cao?

Oh no, the two of them are going to quarrel again.

Just as Xu Qingying was thinking this, she heard a scream in the distance. The scream pierced the sky and echoed in the forest. Xu Qingying looked over and saw Qian Zhenniang running towards the river with all her might, crying as she ran: "My young lady has jumped into the river, hurry... hurry... save my young lady!"

At this moment, everyone ignored the work in their hands and ran to the river.

Xu Qingying ran over quickly and saw a head rising and falling in the middle of the river, and it was about to be submerged.

"Oh, oh, Miss Qian jumped into the river!"

"Hurry, hurry, get a pole!"

"Oh my God, the Qian family girl is about to sink!"

It's too late.

The river water in early autumn was freezing cold, and the exiles lacked medical care and medicine. Even if there were people who knew how to swim, the golden time for rescue would have passed if they had hesitated.

Everyone was in chaos and screaming, but then they saw a figure fully clothed and jumping into the icy river water.

Miao hurriedly shouted: "Qingying!!"

But there was no time to stop her.

Xu Qingying was seen as a fish leaping into the water, extremely agile, and the black shadow moved quickly and swam to Qian Zhenniang's side.

Xu Qingying was freezing cold. She felt the river water rushing towards her from all directions, and every muscle in her body was pulled and painful. She could only rely on her willpower to hold on. She leaned over from behind, picked up Qian Zhenniang with one hand, and dragged her to the shore.

Miao had already rushed over, almost stamping her feet anxiously, "Qingying! Here——"

Fortunately, Xu Degui quickly grabbed a stick and handed it over, pulling the two of them up before Xu Qingying cramped up. Xu Qingying used the force to push Qian Zhenniang up first, and then everyone pulled her up to shore.

Xu Qingying was so cold that her face turned pale and she kept shivering. When she got ashore and the wind blew, she was so cold that she curled up into a ball and could not move.

Huang hurriedly called out, "Hurry, hurry, light the fire, bring some thick clothes, and Fourth Brother, go make some ginger soup and chop up some more ginger. If you don't have any, borrow some or buy some on credit. Put it all in my name!"

Some people were already trying to pull Qian Zhenniang away.

But Qian Zhenniang's face turned blue, her eyes were closed, and she was unconscious.

Her maid pushed her away and rushed over, crying, "Miss! Wake up, I'm Feng'er... Don't leave me alone—"

Someone checked her breathing, then sat down in fear, turned around and said to everyone, "She's dead... no breath... dead..."

Everyone subconsciously took half a step back.

Mrs. Cao was standing in the front, holding her son. Upon hearing this, she quickly backed away and said, "This is none of my business. She jumped into the river on her own. I didn't do anything—"

Zhao Bantou rushed over and ordered his men to arrest Madam Cao. He then checked Qian Zhenniang's breath himself, then frowned and looked at Xu Qingying, "She's dead."

This is trouble.

Qian Zhenniang's status was sensitive; she wasn't an exiled criminal, but a legitimate citizen. Logically, while their positions were minor, they were still government officials, and when faced with a murder case like this, they should at least notify the local county government to handle it.

But if this happens, their soap business will be exposed.

Xu Qingying gritted her teeth and used all her strength to push away the crying Feng'er. She said in a trembling voice, "If you don't want your young lady to die, get out of the way!"

Feng'er stopped crying. Xu Qingying's clothes were soaked and her teeth were chattering. She really didn't have the energy to comfort Feng'er. She just shouted sternly, "Get out of the way!"

"Mother, Fourth Aunt, help Miss Qian sit up and pick out the mud and weeds from her mouth and nose."

Upon hearing this, Miao and Zhao immediately took action, one picking her mouth and the other picking her nose. Seeing that Qian Zhenniang didn't react, Miao became anxious, "Qingying, look at me, am I doing this right? Why is there still no air..."

"Lay her flat! I'll do it--" Xu Zhenying endured the cramps in his legs and let Qian Zhenniang lie face down. He then placed his abdomen on her right thigh, turning her head downwards, and pressed on her back, forcing the water to flow out of her trachea and mouth.

The onlookers made "tsk tsk tsk" sounds, with a mixture of curiosity and fear. Some people even poked their heads out to persuade him, "Miss Xu, don't waste your energy. The person is already dead—"

"Even the Great Immortal can't save me now..."

"Why would such a perfectly good person commit suicide by jumping into a lake? Sister Cao, I remember Miss Qian was with you before she died. What did you say to her that pushed her to commit suicide?"

Some gossipers have already started to exaggerate, saying, "Hey, you don't know yet. Miss Qian and the eldest wife of the Xu family just had such a fierce quarrel... They said that Miss Qian has a bad fate, will bring bad luck to her parents, and is also a fraudulent marriage. Sister Cao found out and told the eldest wife of the Xu family, so they want to kick her out..."

"Ah!" The onlookers exclaimed.

"Sister Cao did a good deed. Who would want to take home a jinx? She can only blame herself for her bad luck."

"That's right, Miss Xu. This person killed his own parents, and maybe he will kill us too. If this kind of person dies, then it's over. Maybe she can even feel relieved—"

"How can you say that? It's a human life after all..."

"Everyone is dead, how can we save them?"

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing, Miss Xu?"

Everyone watched as Xu Qingying laid Qian Zhenniang flat on the ground and began chest compressions. She was dripping wet and shivering, her face solemn, her teeth clenched, and she kept counting. Her arms felt weak, and she couldn't muster the strength, but CPR requires strength. She began half-kneeling, then straddling Qian Zhenniang, using her body's weight to press down!

Immediately afterwards, amid the exclamations of the crowd, Xu Qingying began mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration.

"Oh my God, what are you doing? How can this be done in broad daylight—"

Someone covered his eyes, his face flushed with shame, "Shameless, really shameless——"

"What is Miss Xu doing? How could she do this to Miss Qian? It's immoral—"

Xu Deyuan saw this from a distance, his face flushed with anger. He walked over angrily and prepared to drag her away, "Xu Qingying, what are you doing?! Hurry up and get off! Aren't you ashamed—"

"Oh, Miss Xu, give up. She's already dead. Miss Qian's name has even been crossed out by the King of Hell. There's no way you can save her. This is her fate..."

"That's right, I've never seen anyone come back to life after drowning."

"Hey, hey, hey... what are these two girls doing? It's so embarrassing..."

"Why doesn't she even spare the dead?"

Li Zhaodi heard the discussion and looked at the disdainful faces of the crowd. She didn't know where she got the courage from, but suddenly shouted loudly: "Don't talk nonsense, Miss Xu is saving people!"

Li Xiucai slapped Li Zhaodi in the face, causing her to stagger. Yin Zhang, who was beside her, immediately supported her and called out worriedly, "Sister!"

Li Zhaodi covered her face and saw Li Xiucai frowning. She said in a cold voice, "Is this your place to talk? I told you to have less contact with Xu, but you refused to listen. Look at what she did... You're not afraid of humiliating your reputation by being with such a morally corrupt woman—"

Li Zhaodi's eyes flickered, and her pupils became somewhat cold. Suddenly, countless words seemed to surge in her heart. Looking at her father's disdainful eyes, Li Zhaodi clenched her fists, and felt sweat in her palms.

She didn't know where she got the courage from. While her heart was trembling with fear, she spoke word for word without hesitation or concession: "Father... Miss Xu... She is not that kind of person... She is a very good girl..."

Li Xiucai was furious. "You evil creature, you've really learned bad things from her. Now you even dare to talk back! I'll beat you to death today!"

Li Xiucai casually pulled out a cane, and Yin Zhang anxiously pulled Li Zhaodi to his knees with a plop, "Sister, apologize to father!"

Xu Lezhi, who was passing by, felt relieved at the sight of Li Zhaodi's trembling face. He couldn't help but spit out a "Pooh!" and said, "I can't believe there are people in this world who would want to be Xu Qingying's dog."

Xu Qingying turned a deaf ear to the outside sounds, and only concentrated on counting the beats, staring at Qian Zhenniang's face.

Zhao Bantou watched as everyone gathered here and discussed the situation. Listening to the increasingly outrageous and explicit words, he thought that Xu Qingying's behavior was indeed immoral. He coughed softly and said, "Miss Xu, I'm sorry."

Then he signaled the escort to come and take Xu Qingying away. However, when he met Xu Qingying, he saw Qian Zhenniang sitting up without any warning, then spit out a mouthful of water with a "wow" sound, her face turned from cyan to pale, and then she actually opened her eyes weakly.

At this moment, everyone was stunned.

Even Zhao Bantou was so shocked that he was speechless. A nearby escort jumped up and screamed, "Alive! Alive! Alive!"

"Oh my god, it's a zombie——"

Someone shouted, and everyone started running. Suddenly, some people lost their shoes, some people screamed, and some brave people took another step forward. The jungle was in chaos!

Although Zhao Bantou was also terrified, he saw that Xu Qingying, a little girl, was not afraid, so he also mustered up the courage to step forward and poke Qian Zhenniang. Seeing that she was warm and breathing, he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Why are you running away, you bastards? You are so timid, like women, running away at the slightest sign of trouble. Look, Miss Qian is still alive..."

The escort next to him exposed him, "Captain, your head is full of sweat..."