Chapter 57 Her brother is going crazy.

"If you still want to live, then stay in bed! Now you know what pain is? Do you know what your mother and I have been through these past few days?"

"Chuan'er, you are our only legitimate son!! Your only son!"

"Isn't this also taking the lives of me and your mother?"

"But what's done is done, it's all a fait accompli. You're probably not going to be the young general of the Dongqi Camp anymore. I'll have to go to His Majesty and beg him to forgive your death sentence with the reward for your military merits!"

"Chuan'er, stop going crazy because of Zhu'er's death, stop going insane because of her!"

After saying this, Li Chaojing turned and strode away.

Madam Qu held Li Kechuan tightly and pleaded, "Please, don't move! Your wound is bleeding again... Chuan'er, all I want now is for you to live, to survive!"

Li Kechuan finally lay quietly, staring blankly at the top of the tent, his eyes filled with endless desolation and emptiness.

The loss of his leg would undoubtedly be a fatal blow to Li Kechuan.

He was a promising young general with a bright future ahead of him, full of vigor and high spirits.

Overnight, he became a cripple from which he could never recover.

ha……

Ha ha ha ha……

How ridiculous!

How ridiculous!

Li Qingluo came to Lancang Courtyard today partly to make a show of it, and partly to see just how much of a useless person Li Kechuan had become.

When she followed Qu into Li Kechuan's room, she indeed saw a surge of furious anger and humiliation in Li Kechuan's eyes.

"Why let her come? What good intentions could she possibly have? She's the one in this family who'd love for me to become such a despicable person! Get her out, get her out—"

Li Kechuan picked up the jade artifacts from beside the bed and threw them towards the door.

Qu cried out in surprise and quickly dodged, her hand instinctively reaching out to block Li Qingluo.

Li Qingluo only glanced at her before naturally avoiding her with Que'er.

The jade artifact crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Li Kechuan continued to grab whatever he could reach, tear it off, and throw it towards the door.

Qu had no choice but to call out to Chuan'er while dodging away.

"Luo'er has come to see you today with genuine sincerity. Calm down, Chuan'er—ah!"

Qu Shi was caught in the crossfire and could only cover her forehead as Qing Yi protected her as they hurriedly left the room.

After Li Qingluo and Qu Shi left, she and Que'er hid for a few more moments.

Seeing that Li Kechuan had nothing left to grab or throw, she smiled slightly at him.

“You’re right, brother.”

"Look at you, tsk tsk. What a waste."

"It seems that's all you're capable of. All you can do is lie in bed and bully all the people in this house who take such good care of you."

"What kind of gentleman are you?"

She rolled her eyes dramatically, and under Li Kechuan's shocked and furious gaze, she and Que'er turned and strode away.

Li Kechuan was naturally furious.

"From this day forward, Lancang Academy forbids Li Qingluo from ever setting foot here again!!!"

"Get out, all of you get out—!!!"

Li Qinglu was in a good mood.

Before leaving, she bowed slightly to Madam Qu, making sure to observe proper etiquette before departing.

Madam Qu stared longingly at her departing figure, her gaze lingering: "Why is my life so miserable? To have given birth to two such wretched children!!"

Back at Chunzaitang, Qingyi held up the box in her hands and asked Madam Qu, "Madam, should I put away the things the Second Miss sent?"

Mrs. Qu rubbed her temples, only then remembering the matter.

She waved her hand, intending to let her leave it anywhere, but then Li Qingluo's appearance today suddenly flashed through her mind.

She is well-educated, poised, and has a striking appearance.

Qu paused for a moment, then raised her hand and said, "Then let's open it and see what's inside."

However, she knew in her heart that Li Qingluo would not send anything good, so Qu Shi had no expectations.

Qingyi exclaimed in surprise after opening it, "Madam, it looks like a handwritten sutra!"

Ms. Qu was taken aback: "What did you say?"

She took it herself and opened it with a strange look: "Isn't she someone who has never been to school and can't write?"

Although the handwriting on it is not beautiful or smooth, every stroke is extremely careful and meticulous.

Moreover, the brushstrokes also conceal a certain sharpness.

Qingyi: "But I heard that a female teacher recently came to Hongfeng Pavilion. And I heard that since the Second Miss came back, she has been practicing calligraphy every day without rest."

"If you can write like this in such a short time, the second young lady is truly talented."

Qu stared blankly at the stack of scriptures in her hands. It was the "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra". Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva achieved enlightenment through filial piety, so if she had personally copied it and given it to her, it was indeed quite thoughtful.

The complex emotions swirling in Qu's heart seemed to be growing stronger.

It felt like a fire was burning in her chest, scorching her and making it hard to breathe.

Just then, Li Chaojing walked in.

After all the servants in the room paid their respects, he waved them away.

After a long day of running around, Li Chaojing was also exhausted.

After he sat down, Madam Qu personally served him a cup of hot tea and gently massaged his head.

"My lord, you've had a hard time these past few days. Has His Majesty... reprimanded you again?"

On the fifteenth, Li Chaojing stayed by Li Kechuan's bedside all night.

He held Li Kechuan's severed leg, watching the blood seeping from his bare leg, and seeing the flesh about to rot. He felt grief, pain, and an uncontrollable nausea.

That was his son... He had only one hope in his entire life!

So that night, half of his once black hair turned white from staying up all night.

Although the eldest son is now disabled, we cannot let him lose his life, nor can we let him implicate the entire Li family.

Therefore, Li Chaojing has been going to the palace for the past few days to kneel before the emperor and beg for forgiveness.

Although the Emperor said that nothing had happened to Prince Yun, and Prince Yun himself said that it was all a misunderstanding, Li Kechuan lost a leg, which was considered his punishment.

The emperor knew that the Li family had lost more than just one leg; they had lost the very hope of the entire General's Mansion.

Therefore, they still remembered the Li family's past contributions and did not really criticize them too much.

The matter was thus settled, and there was no need to mention it to the Emperor again. The Li family could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, even though it was Chuan'er who had broken a leg, Li Chaojing still had to be grateful and prostrate himself in thanks, swallowing his anger in pain.

Exhausted, Li Chaojing waved his hand, "Let's not mention this matter again. By the way, has the Cui family sent any message?"

Although Cui Jiuniang was in Fujian, many members of the Cui family were still in the capital, especially her father and uncle, who were both officials in the court.

Li Kechuan lost a leg, which sealed his fate and ended his career in government.

Therefore, Li Chaojing was worried that the Cui family would break off the engagement because of this.

After all, who would want their daughter, especially the eldest daughter of the Cui family, to marry a cripple with no future?