Chapter 14 Young Master, it's not like you're indispensable.

Although Liu had felt humiliated and ashamed ever since she married Shi Qingchen, she also knew that husband and wife were one, sharing both glory and loss.

So she quickly stepped into the house, first giving a curtsy to the chief minister, and then speaking with concern, she advised, "Father, please don't get angry, lest you harm your health. Your daughter-in-law will certainly persuade you properly."

When the Grand Secretary saw Madam Liu enter, he suppressed his anger and admonished her with a hint of admonition: "Do you know that the person in the household who is most worried about you these past few days while you have been in a coma is your wife?"

She takes care of you all day long. If you have any conscience, you should know who you should care about.

As your father, I have high hopes for you, but you must understand that you are not my only son, and the family will not stop moving forward just because you are upset.

"How can someone destined for great things be so preoccupied with romantic entanglements? Think this through carefully. If I see you like this again, you're no longer fit to be the young master of the family."

On Shi Qingchen's handsome, pale face, a deep sense of regret seemed to rise because of the Prime Minister's words. He replied weakly and feebly, "Yes, Father, your son will heed your teachings and will certainly pull himself together as soon as possible."

The Prime Minister, mindful of his recent recovery from a serious illness, did not criticize him further. He simply gave a heavy snort and left in a huff.

Standing to the side, Madam Liu noticed Shi Qingchen's gaze and took the medicine bowl from the maid behind her. She quickly walked to his bedside, sat down, scooped up a spoonful of medicine, blew on it to cool it, and prepared to feed it to him.

Shi Qingchen weakly turned his head to avoid it, actually to hide the disgust in his eyes. He had been unconscious for the past few days, not dead.

Therefore, he knew perfectly well how Liu had ordered her people to treat him roughly and to hurl insults and curses at his bedside while he was unconscious. Looking at her hypocritical act now, he only felt disgusted.

But his father was right. A family needs strong kinship ties to prosper. Moreover, this marriage alliance was secured at the cost of his most beloved person's life; it couldn't be wasted like this.

He had to get more benefits from Liu Shi, otherwise he would be letting Yunxi down for her sacrifice.

Seeing that he wouldn't give her face, a hint of resentment flashed in Liu's eyes, but she quickly composed herself and gently advised, "Husband, you should take your medicine properly, otherwise when will you ever recover?"

Shi Qingchen seemed genuinely moved by Liu's words. He turned around and said with gratitude in his eyes, "I'm so grateful to you, Madam. Now that I'm awake, I'll take the medicine myself. Please take good care of yourself, Madam."

After speaking, he took the medicine bowl from Madam Liu's hand, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. Then he instructed Que'er, who was standing beside him, "You see Madam out for me, and then have someone prepare hot water. I want to take a bath and wash up."

After Yunxi's death, Shi Qingchen immediately transferred Que'er and Fengxun, Yunxi's two most capable subordinates, to his side to keep them in service.

It was both to protect Yunxi and to offer some solace to herself. As long as she saw the two of them by her side, it felt as if Yunxi hadn't gone far.

Thinking of Yunxi, an overwhelming bitterness spread through his chest. Shi Qingchen took out the diary from under his pillow and continued to read it.

Last time, he only read ten pages before he felt his blood surging in his chest, vomited blood, and fainted.

But even if Yunxi's diary was the Book of Life and Death that Yama, the King of Hell, used to take away souls, it still held endless attraction for him. It turned out that Yunxi had so many feelings for him that she never had the chance to express to him.

"Today, Shi Qingchen suddenly returned home at noon. He discovered that I never ate lunch when he was at the academy."

He tenderly embraced me, vowing never to betray me in this lifetime.

I was overjoyed and believed his promise, believing that he would never let me down in this lifetime…

Shi Qingchen looked at the familiar handwriting, and through the lines, he sensed the feelings Yunxi had never expressed before. So Yunxi had liked him from such a young age?

His thoughts followed his memories back to that dilapidated ancestral home. At that time, he was just an insignificant illegitimate son, living alone in the run-down house, guarding the ancestral hall and fulfilling his filial duty to his father.

He still vividly remembers encountering a woman dressed in strange clothes on his way home that night.

Although her face was slightly dirty, her eyes shone with confidence and composure. She asked if she could stay in the house, saying she would pay rent…

As Shi Qingchen pondered, his expression softened, his eyes gazing blankly ahead, as if he had returned to the past, and a pleasant smile unconsciously curved his lips.

But the scene before her suddenly changed, and Yunxi's clear eyes turned into a look of despair and resentment in the sea of ​​fire.

Shi Qingchen felt his blood surging again in his chest. He quickly closed the diary, not daring to continue reading.

If only life could be like our first meeting... But now it's too late, everything is too late...

Shi Qingchen repeatedly pressed the corners of his eyes with his thumb, trying to force back the surging, bitter tears. He forced himself to cheer up.

He understood perfectly well the meaning behind the merciless resolve in his father's eyes today. Moreover, he was determined to live a life of glory and honor; otherwise, he would be letting down the future Yunxi had planned for him.

Yunxi helped him go from being a concubine's son to a legitimate son, and finally, among all the young men of the Shi family, he was chosen to be the young master of the family. How could he easily let Yunxi's joint efforts go to waste?

From now on, every day he lives will be for Yunxi, and he believes Yunxi also hopes that he will live well...

Yongwang Mansion

Gu Nanxiao looked at Yunxi, who had fainted again on the bed, and with a satisfied expression, he brushed the sweaty stray hairs from her forehead, picked her up, and walked towards the bathtub.

He held Yunxi in his arms, sitting in the warm bathtub, his eyes closed in contentment. He was thinking that on his day off, he would take the little girl to the hot spring resort at the Prince's mansion for a couple of days.

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted in the courtyard. A woman, blocked outside the door, shouted loudly into the study:

"Cousin, it's me, Jiaojiao. Have your people let me in. My great-aunt sent me to your mansion to find you."

Upon hearing that it was Shen Jiaojiao, Gu Nanxiao immediately frowned. He had clearly rejected her, so why had she still come all the way to his residence?

It must have been at the Empress Dowager's behest. Gu Nanxiao had a headache, because he knew very well that once his grandmother made a decision, she would never back down until she achieved her goal.

He knew that Mo Yu would never let anyone in, so he wasn't in a hurry. He carried Yunxi out of the bathtub, slowly dried the moisture off both of them, and then carried Yunxi back to the newly changed quilt.

At this moment, Yunxi woke up slowly like a lazy cat, but only frowned before turning over and falling back asleep.

Seeing this, Gu Nanxiao smiled indulgently and continued to dress himself. After he finished tying his jade belt, he pushed open the study door and went out.

Seeing that Gu Nanxiao had finally come out, Shen Jiaojiao immediately suppressed her impatience, took small steps closer to him, and called out softly in a drawn-out voice, "Cousin~"