Chapter 50 Chapter 50 "You don't want to live!"...

"Clang."

In panic, Qin accidentally knocked over the medicine bowl beside her and smashed it to pieces. She didn't even look at the ground, but asked with trembling dry lips and a face as pale as paper.

"You're going to die!"

"How dare you say such nonsense?"

Qin's voice was so low that it seemed to be forced out from her throat, and her bloodshot eyes stared at her second daughter.

"I'm not talking nonsense." Xie Qingshu was still unaware of it, her face full of stubbornness, her chin raised high.

"My eldest brother lived with the Princess at Tianchang Temple since he was young. Later, he was raised in the palace by the Empress Dowager. He was different from the rest of us, and his relationship with my second uncle was certainly not close."

"If this is really my second uncle's child, why don't you keep him in the mansion and raise him personally?"

"You...you shut up." Qin was so angry that her vision went dark, her chest kept heaving, and she coughed violently one after another, as if she wanted to cough out all the internal organs in her chest.

He suppressed his anger, his skinny hands barely supporting his shaky body. "Your elder brother entered the palace as the Crown Prince's tutor. Don't spread such nonsense."

"Mother." Xie Qingshu swallowed, somewhat frightened by Qin's reaction, but she remained unconvinced and stubbornly insisted, "On the day my eldest brother got married, Grandmother was talking to the eldest princess in Yishou Hall. I accidentally overheard it. Why don't you believe it, mother?"

"The Empress said that the Saint wanted to arrange a marriage for my eldest brother, but the Empress did not want to. She liked Sister Puzhu, so she went to the Marquis Mingde's mansion to ask for this marriage in person."

"The Empress was lying in Grandmother's arms, crying loudly. It was clearly a happy day, but she kept saying that she felt sorry for her second uncle and the Xie family."

“That’s enough!”

"Shut up!" Qin raised one hand and was about to slap her daughter's fair face, but she was seriously ill and was so angry that her weak body could not bear it.

The palm raised high in the air fell down from the sky.

Her body began to tremble violently, and she didn't know where she got the strength from. She lunged forward and covered Xie Qingshu's mouth with her hand. She used force with her palm and her nails directly scratched Xie Qingshu's delicate face.

"Mother, you hurt me." Xie Qingshu screamed and pushed Qin away.

Qin was panting, her voice hoarse. She stared at her daughter and said gloomily, "If you don't want to die, keep what I said today to yourself forever."

"It doesn't matter if you kill yourself, but don't let it affect your brothers' future."

"If you dare to say a single word outside this room, I'll have your tongue cut off."

"I……"

Xie Qingshu covered her burning cheek and felt her palm was wet. She looked down and saw a glaring red, clearly bleeding.

Only then did she feel scared. In her panic, she tripped over a chair and fell to the ground, speechless. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she covered her mouth tightly and shook her head desperately.

"What's all this fuss about?"

The door was pushed open from the outside, and Xie Juyuan walked into the inner room with a cold expression.

He looked suspiciously at the debris on the ground and a pool of dark medicine that had not yet dried, and finally fell on his wife and daughter.

Qin's face looked sick, and she leaned on Daying's pillow, as if she was having difficulty breathing. The second daughter's eyes were red and swollen from crying, with tear marks on her face. There was also a scratch on her cheek with obvious bloodstains.

"Father." Xie Qingshu raised her eyes in panic and looked at the person who came, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Who bullied you?" Xie Juyuan asked with a frown.

Xie Qingshu's lips trembled, and she was about to speak, but suddenly met Qin's cold eyes, and the words that were on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back.

"I, I..." Xie Qingshu lowered her head, not only because of fear, but also because she felt unprecedentedly wronged.

She was sobbing and sobbing, but she didn't dare to tell the truth. She could only make up the excuse of her clothes: "My daughter's new clothes were ruined by the women in the embroidery workshop. Laba Festival is coming soon, and it's too late to change new clothes."

"The daughter felt aggrieved, so she complained to her mother without considering the severity of the situation, and was... reprimanded."

Xie Qingshu's voice became smaller and smaller, and finally she stumbled and just kept crying.

Xie Juyuan looked at his wife suspiciously: "Just because of such a small matter, you made such a fuss and even hurt your cheek?"

"That's ridiculous! She doesn't look like a lady from a noble family at all."

Qin managed to stand up and squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying: "Qingshu was reckless. She was just bringing me medicine in the room and accidentally fell."

"It would have been fine if the medicine had spilled, but it just happened to scratch my cheek."

"I'm coaxing her right now. If you come and scold her a few times, she'll start crying again. The child is still young and not as steady as her older sisters at home."

At this point, Qin forced a twitch of her lips: "It's just a piece of clothing. There's no need to make a fuss. I've scolded her before."

"Cough, cough, cough..." Qin said a lot of words in one breath, her voice was hoarse, and she kept coughing while covering her lips with a handkerchief.

Xie Juyuan walked forward and poured her some water himself: "Drink some water first."

Qin was stunned and flattered to take it. He hadn't done this for many years.

Normally there were maids serving him in the house, and even if there weren't, she would be the one running errands for him. In a month, the two of them would meet no more than three times.

Xie Juyuan didn't look at Qin, but turned around and stared at his second daughter seriously.

He was taller and more imposing, "Since you've made a mistake, stay home and reflect on it."

"So Qingshu doesn't have to go with the winter hunt at the Royal Villa on Laba Festival."

Xie Juyuan's voice was cold, without any hint of pleading, which startled Xie Qingshu so much that she looked up suddenly.

Her pupils suddenly shrank and her lips trembled as she opened them, wanting to ask "Why!"

But when he met his father's stern gaze, it was so harsh, without a trace of tenderness.

"Go back to your yard now and reflect on your actions!"

"If you do it again, you'll go kneel in the ancestral hall!"

Xie Juyuan didn't even raise his eyelids, but just gave the order coldly.

"Woo..." Xie Qingshu could no longer control her emotions. She covered her eyes and ran out crying.

"Are you too harsh on Qingshu?"

"She made a scene inappropriately, which was wrong of hers, but she didn't have to be confined to the mansion for the entire Laba Festival. She didn't go on the winter hunt last year, and she's been looking forward to it for a long time this year."

Qin struggled to sit up straight and looked at her husband and asked cautiously.

"Do you think I'm punishing her just because of the winter clothes?"

Xie Juyuan paused slightly, but finally he lifted up his official robe and sat down in front of the couch.

"A few days later, during the Laba Festival, the sage will be selecting a concubine for the crown prince during the winter hunt."

"Selecting a concubine?" Qin was shocked.

"Hush, don't panic." Xie Juyuan held down his wife's trembling hand, his eyes dark. "Qingshu isn't very shrewd, and her temperament isn't calm enough. She's really not a suitable candidate for the Crown Princess."

He carefully observed Qin's expression, clearly trying to test her: "Would Madam feel sorry for this?"

"I came here today to talk about this. Qingshu happened to be making a fuss, so I took this opportunity to ground her for a few days, to prevent her from making a fuss about going on the winter hunt after she knew about it."

Qin nodded, and her tense spirit relaxed.

She had been married to the Xie family for more than 20 years. Although the couple was not close, they did not have to compete for favor and were not as disgusted as concubines. Naturally, she did not want her daughter to compete for favor with others for her husband's love.

"It's best if you think this way, my dear."

"It's just that Qingshu has been interested in the Crown Prince for many years. To be honest, I don't want to do that in my heart."

"The Saint is worried about his offspring. As the Crown Princess, you have to take turns serving His Royal Highness with a group of women in the palace. Why should a family like ours compete for honor and favor in the palace? As long as Qingshu lives a comfortable life, she can find a family with a clean family tradition and no concubines. After all, a happy marriage is the right thing to do."

Xie Juyuan stared into his wife's eyes and didn't speak for a long time.

It wasn't until Qin couldn't help coughing again that he seemed to come to his senses and patted her on the back: "The matter of the Crown Princess is over. Although Qingshu has reached the age of marriage, you don't have to worry about her marriage for now. I will arrange it for her."

"During the winter hunting days, find a few more maids to keep an eye on her to prevent her from sneaking out."

"I know."

Qin's voice suddenly paused, as she thought of something. "Our Qingshu won't be going to the winter hunt, but the Saint is selecting a princess for the Crown Prince, so it's impossible for the Xie family to be without a girl in the running. Which of your children do you have in mind?"

Xie Juyuan smiled and said, "I think Lingyi is very good."

Xie Lingyi is seventeen years old this year. She started discussing marriage after she came of age, but for some unknown reason, it never came to fruition.

Qin reached out and pushed the loose hair on her temples behind her ears. She didn't care who the Crown Princess was, as long as it wasn't her Qingshu.

After finishing what he needed to say, Xie Juyuan stared at his wife, feeling bored. However, due to the rules, he stayed in the room for another quarter of an hour before getting up and leaving.

As soon as Xie Juyuan left, Qin could no longer hold on and fell on the bed.

"Madam." When Nanny Wang heard the voice, she ran in and was immediately startled.

"I will go and get the doctor right away."

"Don't." Qin reached out and tightly grasped Nanny Wang's wrist, her voice weak, "Go get some ginseng slices, I'll just hold them in my mouth."

Nanny Wang's hands were shaking. "But, Madam, you're coughing up blood."

Qin shook her head: "I can't go now."

"After tonight is over, tomorrow morning, you can go and get a doctor on the pretext that I have caught a cold."

"This...what should I do?"

"But did the Second Lady make you angry again just now?" Nanny Wang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Qin shook her head reluctantly. She couldn't tell anyone what her second daughter had said, so she had to keep it to herself.

It doesn't matter whose child Xie Zhiyan is now. Whether it's true or false, she can't say it.

"No, I'm just tired. I just need to rest."

"I know my body well. If I take good care of it, I can recover."

Compared to the chaos in the Qin family courtyard, the Yunyu Hall can only be described as warm and cozy.

The sun was shining brightly, and there were fresh branches of flowers in the house. Sheng Puzhu sat under the warm sunlight and had lunch.

Madam Du returned shortly after leaving: "Madam, I just went to Madam Qingshu to deliver the clothes booklet, but I couldn't find her."

Sheng Puzhu was stunned: "?"

Matron Du whispered, "Two burly maids are guarding the front and back of the courtyard. They say the eldest lady has issued a house arrest order."

"Just grounded for no reason?"

"Because of what?"

Aunt Du sighed, somewhat bewildered, and said, "It seems it's all about the winter clothes. They're confined until after Laba Festival."

"But this old servant finds it strange. Considering how much the Madam dotes on Madam Qingshu, she would have said a few mild words at most. Why would she have to go to the extent of grounding her?"

Sheng Puzhu raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and stirred the spoon gently with his fingertips.

Isn’t Laba the winter hunting season? In that case, the house arrest is probably false. The real meaning is that the eldest wife doesn’t want her daughter to get involved in the mess of the Crown Princess.

"Then have someone send the clothing catalog to my aunt and tell her that Qingshu's clothes can be ready before Laba Festival."

"Hey, I'll go right away." Nanny Du quickly turned around and went out.

Sheng Puzhu stared at the table full of food and suddenly lost his appetite.

The first wife knew that she loved her daughter and was reluctant to send her precious daughter into the palace. So did that mean Xie Lingyi deserved to be sacrificed by them?

In today's world, the Xiao family is the most prominent, but the Xiao royal family has always had more women than men. In the generation of the saint's descendants, there is only one prince who survived to adulthood, and that is the crown prince.

When the Crown Prince marries a concubine, it is natural that he must fill the Eastern Palace and give birth to his eldest son early.

Sheng Puzhu had something on his mind. He slowly put down his spoon and was about to get up.

"I eat too little."

"Madam, your mind was wandering just now. What were you thinking about?"

Xie Zhiyan had stood behind her at some point, and pressed her shoulder lightly with his palm, neither light nor heavy: "Use more?"

"My dear, I can't eat anymore." Sheng Puzhu looked up, but saw that he looked exhausted.

It was winter, and he was not wearing a cloak, but there was sweat on his face. He smelled of grass and leather, as if he had come a long way. His chest was heaving, and she could hear his strong heartbeat if she just turned slightly to the side.

This feeling, without the constraints of the usual rules, was different from anything she had ever experienced before, and it was even more tempting.

Sheng Puzhu was enveloped by his aura, as if trapped in a cloud, unable to move. She swallowed uncontrollably, her eyes flickering as she asked, "My dear, have you had any food?"

“No.”

Xie Zhiyan raised his hand, as if wanting to stroke her fair cheek, but finally held back.

"I'll take a shower first."

"Will Madam accompany me to eat some later?"

"Okay?"

He looked at her calmly, his eyes deepening, but he emphasized the word "eat" with extra emphasis.

A strange feeling spread across his body. Sheng Puzhu tensed his back, pretending to be calm and smiling at him, "Okay."