Did Mother Juanbai get her wish and kill her enemy in Chapter 41?

Seeing this from afar, Madam Dou guessed what was going on. She wasn't afraid, but simply instructed those around her: "Since Lady Changsun has already retrieved the hairy pill, she must have climbed this cliff before. There's no need to worry. All of you, gather at the foot of the cliff now and protect her. No shouting or commotion is allowed!"

The group did as instructed, gathered in one place, held their breath, and changed positions at the foot of the rock wall as Changsun Qingjing moved.

Changsun Qingjing finally got closer to the forked pine branch.

She gripped the protruding rock with one hand and struggled to reach the pine branch with the other. But no matter how she twisted and turned, she could only manage a hand's breadth of distance from the hairy ball. Looking down at the ground, she saw her servants had already brought a ladder. Li Shimin had also appeared at the foot of the cliff without her noticing.

She bit her lower lip, untied the red silk ribbon from her hair bun, and with a flick of her wrist, struck the hair bun and pine branch. The hair bun bounced lightly off the outside of the branch and fell to the ground.

No one dared to cheer easily; they simply kept an eye on Changsun Qingjing's descent, ensuring her safe landing.

Changsun Qingjing smiled smugly, threw away the red silk, and prepared to return to the ground to continue playing Cuju.

Her gaze was suddenly drawn to a strangely shaped clump of withered grass above the rock face. The leaves of this clump of grass were tightly curled together, forming a ball. The roots were loosely visible, seemingly clinging to the rock face rather than taking root, and a gentle breeze could blow it down.

"Selaginella! Herb of Immortality! Herb of Resurrection!" Changsun Qingjing exclaimed excitedly.

Unfortunately, the excited shouts were dissipated by the wind, and the people below the cliff watched helplessly as Changsun Qingjing moved to a higher place, all of them puzzled.

"Could it be that Lady Changsun is planning to simply climb to the top of the cliff and then find a gentle slope to descend the mountain?"

"That's not right either. I think the higher you go, the less room you have for your hands and feet..."

"Look, she looks like she's going to pick some grass?"

"May the Bodhisattva protect us, and may nothing go wrong..."

The maids whispered among themselves, not daring to speak loudly and disturb Lady Changsun.

Changsun Qingjing wasn't so lucky this time. There weren't many abrupt turns on the road leading to the resurrection plant, nor was there enough space for her to put down her entire shoe.

Sweat soaked her forehead and neck. A cold wind swept through from above, and her whole body convulsed again.

Below the cliff, all the people saw was Changsun Qingjing picking off some grayish pine cones and stuffing them into his pocket.

Suddenly, Changsun Qingjing slipped, and several pieces of pebbles fell onto the heads, shoulders, and feet of the people below the rock wall.

The timid maid was so frightened that she cried and screamed, but the elder covered her eyes and mouth.

Startled by the unexpected turn of events, Changsun Qingjing's heart sank, and she instinctively pulled her toes to the same rock. She took a deep breath, her legs weak and her knuckles pale, trying to block out the annoying low sobs from the ground.

"One, two, three, land." Changsun Qingjing silently counted in her mind, her feet landing steadily on two slightly lower rocks. Sweat had soaked through her hair and back.

They were now quite close to the ground, but the people on the ground were on high alert, fearing that she might suffer another mishap.

Changsun Qingjing smiled contemptuously, bent his knees and pushed off with all his might, his limbs leaving the rock wall, and leaped down. Amid a chorus of exclamations, he grazed Li Shimin's outstretched arms and landed steadily.

Having escaped danger on her own, the "hero," now without a chance to use his skills, was naturally somewhat embarrassed. The maids, who had expected that their mistress would collapse in her husband's arms, weeping and recounting what had happened, would embrace each other with deep emotion, their feelings for each other growing stronger.

But Lady Changsun simply brushed the dust and withered leaves off her blouse, said "thank you," and took the red silk from Li Shimin's hand, retying it onto her simple and neat bun.

Changsun Qingjing's slender figure was slightly out of step with the trendy, hip-slit shirts that deliberately accentuated broad shoulders. However, this minor flaw was cleverly concealed by her bright eyes, rosy cheeks, the withered grass in her sideburns, and even a few faint bloodstains near her nose.

"Did you drink Yu Xie wine again?" Li Shimin asked somewhat angrily.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Changsun Qingjing return to the ground unharmed. They felt that even if the mistress were to punish them, they wouldn't be seriously injured.

However, the herb that Lady Changsun painstakingly picked, which was said to have the miraculous effect of granting immortality, was actually quite vulgar and unappealing. It was nothing more than a bunch of withered grass that had been mischievously crumpled together by a naughty child.

The servants and maids escorted the young couple back to Madam Dou's side. Madam Dou was indeed displeased and blamed the maids and servants for not taking good care of Lady Changsun.

“Mother, I kicked the ball myself and it landed on a pine branch on the cliff. The servants couldn’t control me, it has nothing to do with them.” Changsun Qingjing ran to Madam Dou’s side and held her cold hand. “Look at me now, I’m all right, no big deal. Don’t blame them anymore.”

She pleaded with him, and only then did Madam Dou agree not to use family discipline.

"Madam Changsun, think of a way to punish them. We can't just let them get away with this." Madam Dou was both trying to curry favor and testing her daughter-in-law.

“Then how about this: everyone here can go home and cut off a lock of hair to fill in the hair bun,” Changsun Qingjing said with a smile. “Mother, today’s divination was performed, and the gods appeared and guided me to find a herb of immortality.”

After she finished speaking, she instructed her maid to fetch a basin of water and submerge the selaginella in it.

“Vitiha is here too!” Madam Dou joked. “Look, Qingjing is having fun, I’m happy watching them play Cuju, and the servants are happy that they’re not being beaten or fined. Only you have a long face. Are you here to arrest Qingjing and me and take us back to the manor?”

"I wouldn't dare." He tried to relax his face, which had been tense with worry.

The maids gathered together, pointing and gesturing at the copper basin, their laughter filled with astonishment.

Li Shimin sat on his mother's other side, gazing at the resurrection plant in the pot that had awakened, revived, and stretched out, gaining new life. Seeing the bloodstains on Qingjing's cheek from the sharp stone, he smiled and said, "It truly is a herb of immortality. Mother is blessed. How can I thank you, Guanyinbi?"

"Ah, you're finally not angry anymore. Since I am a dragon maiden, I naturally need a matching luminous pearl." Everyone looked at Changsun Qingjing in astonishment, wondering what conditions she would offer in return.

"I have heard that the Jinyang Palace has a priceless jade dragon, which is warm, exquisite and unlike anything in the human world. You should find a way to get this jade dragon to thank me in the future."

Madam Dou and her maids burst into laughter, feeling that what Changsun Qingjing had asked for was too bizarre and beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.

Li Shimin knew that Changsun Qingjing was joking with him, so he conceded and said, "This is even more unbelievable than Nie Zheng's assassination of Han Kui, and I'm afraid it will be difficult. I will try to get this treasure from His Majesty for you after you have made military achievements. Now, do something else that I can do."

Madam Dou said, "Of course, it's a deal. Even if you forget next midsummer, I will remember to remind Erlang for you."

"Do I really have to do something so shameful?" Li Shimin felt that Changsun Qingjing was extremely mischievous. "If Wang Wude and your two nephews Li Dazhi and Li Dahui find out about catching fireflies, how can I maintain my standing among the youths of Daxing!"

Lady Dou leaned against her palanquin, watching with great interest as Changsun Qingjing acted capriciously, like a vigorous white leek, growing wildly wherever it wanted to grow.

She suddenly felt her long-cold body being infused with some youthful, burning hope, so she signaled to the maid beside her to roll up the brim of her hat.

"Erlang, how can a man be so untrustworthy?" Madam Dou chimed in, scolding her son for his shortcomings.

Changsun Qingjing hid behind the palanquin, holding the selaginella plant that had turned from withered yellow to lush green, and then from lush green to tender and vibrant green, swaying it gently. The red silk adorning her hair bun fluttered in the wind. She was like a cunning fox, flexing her muscles, determined not to give up until she achieved her goal.

"Guanyinbi, is your uncle, Xiuming Gong, the Junior Supervisor of the Palace?"

What does my uncle's official position have to do with you catching fireflies for me?

"It really has nothing to do with fireflies. Your uncle should have the blueprints of Jinyang Palace, right? Or perhaps he's qualified to borrow them. If you can get your hands on the blueprints, I might be able to get my hands on the Jade Dragon."

"I will tell you once the Jade Dragon is in your hands."

Changsun Qingjing tilted her head, seriously considering the feasibility of the joke, and then smiled brightly, "Alright, I'll believe you this time. I'll give you three years to keep your promise. No cheating allowed. Your mother is my witness!"

Lady Dou listened as the two teenagers brazenly plotted to openly or secretly seize the treasures belonging to Emperor Yang Guang, while also repeatedly prolonging their own lives as a dying woman.

She cherished this world more than ever before during any of her previous bouts of illness.

"You two are so outrageous, be careful the emperor will punish you." Madam Dou said jokingly, surrounded by her confidants, without a trace of fear.

Memories flooded back, and Madam Dou suddenly felt an urge to speak her mind: "But no matter how wicked you all are, you're still not as bad as I am. When I was nine years old, I plotted a murder..."

Amused by Madam Dou's mysterious plan, Changsun Qingjing forgot about the next game and asked Acai to bring a cushion to place beside Madam Dou's palanquin. He then knelt down and listened attentively to this legendary tale.

"And then, did Mother manage to kill her enemy as she wished?" Qingjing asked curiously.

Author's Note: This world is a mess, and young couples are bickering and teasing each other.

The last warm moments of Dou's mother before her death

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