Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Dead End

The once bustling Xu mansion is no more, and with only Xu's mother remaining in the mansion now, it appears even more desolate and bleak.

Yu'an waited in the carriage for a long time, and it took several announcements before Xu's mother finally called her in.

Given how things turned out before, and how they now dislike each other, Yu-an can understand.

The stove in the hall was burning brightly, and Yu An, wrapped tightly in her mink coat, did not take it off, showing no sign of staying any longer.

Since she insisted on staying, Xu's mother treated her with courtesy and served tea as usual.

Yu An, not wanting to beat around the bush, directly explained the general outline of the matter.

"You may have heard some rumors that Ji Jinghe has been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail, along with General Xin, who was sent to guard the northern frontier. He was also a close disciple of Chief Minister Xu."

"I came here today to ask you to go to the Lu residence to see your daughter. I suspect that her condition is not good. If possible, I would like to ask you to ask her some questions for me."

"Bang"--

The teacup landed heavily on the wooden table, making a loud thud.

A cold gaze slowly fell upon her; this was the first time she had looked up at her that day.

Madam Xu said dismissively, "Why is Madam Chu meddling in other people's business? This is none of your concern."

“You and Ji Jinghe are already divorced, so you have nothing to do with the Ji family. Besides, my Jingshu is also married. Where did you get the letter from? Now that something has happened, you want to drag my Jingshu into it?”

"What is the reason for this?"

She pressed on relentlessly, showing absolutely no concern for the matter.

Yu An remembered that before this, Ji Jinghe and the Ji family had helped them a lot.

Thinking that she might have misspoke, Yu'an patiently explained, "Madam, you misunderstand. I'm not trying to pin anything on anyone. I just feel that something is amiss. You can go to the Lu residence to visit your daughter. When I was chatting with her, she told me that you haven't seen her in a long time."

Xu's mother scoffed, "That's utter nonsense. Why would my Jing Shu chat with you?"

Yuan:......

Xu's mother said, "Their life and death are for His Majesty to decide. It's not your business to worry about them. I also don't want to involve Jingshu. Yunshu is gaining momentum, so it's not appropriate to get involved."

Yu An: "Madam, this letter might very well have been sent by Lu Yunshu. This matter is now inextricably linked to them..."

"see a visitor out."

After being told to leave, the old woman outside the door came in.

Yu An stood up. "Madam, if I were to say that Lu Yunshu has sided with the Yan faction, and even knowing that the Yan family harmed Chief Minister Xu, would you still sit idly by?"

"Nonsense!" Xu's mother slammed her hand on the table, her face full of anger.

"Hurry up and leave. How dare you act so recklessly here?"

Yu An raised her hand to shove her away and looked directly at her, saying, "If you don't believe me, you can go to the Lu residence right now. Whether it's true or false, you need to know the whole story, right?"

"Have your daughter explain to you clearly what happened."

Xu's mother stood there without saying anything more. Yu'an then said, "Your daughter is pregnant now, and you should know how she is doing."

Moved by what she saw, she said nothing more and turned to leave.

Madam Xu sat down, but felt uneasy. After hesitating for a while, she took a carriage to the Lu residence.

Lu Yunshu was not at the wealthy merchant's house. When the servant at the door saw that it was her, he hesitated whether to let her in. However, after Xu's mother coldly and sternly questioned him a few times, he went in.

When she arrived, the bed curtains in the bedroom were tightly closed, and the maid looked at her with a worried expression, without saying a word.

When Xu's mother lifted the curtain, she noticed Xu Jingshu's pale and weak face.

"The lady has been on a hunger strike for three days and hasn't even drunk a drop of water."

Madam Xu frowned and scolded, "Aren't you going to tell the kitchen to prepare some food? Can you take responsibility if something happens to the master?!"

The maidservant hurriedly ran down to prepare, while Madam Xu gently patted her to wake her up.

"Jingshu, Mother is here."

The person on the bed slowly opened their eyes, too weak to speak.

Unlike ordinary people, she was six months pregnant and hadn't eaten or drunk anything for three days. It must have been difficult for both the mother and the baby.

Xu's mother couldn't help but get annoyed. "You're such a grown-up, and you can't even tell what's important? No matter how important Ji Jinghe is, can he be more important than yourself and your child?"

At first she didn't believe it, but after a few words with the gatekeeper at the entrance of the mansion, she knew the truth.

Xu Jingshu's face was lifeless as she said in a hoarse voice, "Lu Yunshu is in cahoots with the enemy who harmed my father, and now she has also harmed my friend. As his wife, I failed to fulfill my duty to admonish him, so I should be punished for this."

"Nonsense!" Xu's mother cursed fiercely.

Nothing is more important than your own body.

Xu's mother held the food in her hands to feed her, but she still waved her hand.

"I won't eat it until this matter is resolved..."

Xu's mother said helplessly, "Xu Jingshu, I've told you since you were little that nothing in this world can harm your body. Why do you care so much about other people's affairs?" "You must eat this meal today, even if not for yourself, but for the children."

Xu Jingshu: "I won't eat."

Xu's mother: "Eat! Today I'm not only going to scold you, but when Lu Yunshu comes back later, I'm going to explain things to him clearly. Does he want to leave you here to starve to death?"

Xu Jingshu: ...

Seeing that she was still stiff, Xu's mother said coldly, "This is your last chance. If you don't eat, I'm leaving now."

After a brief standoff, Xu Jingshu remained unmoved.

As Xu's mother got up to leave, her sleeve was pulled.

"I'll eat it."

She had grown up like this since she was a child. She knew Xu's mother's ways and knew that this was her last chance.

Even as Xu Jingshu finished a large bowl of rice, Xu's mother's brow did not relax much.

Xu Jingshu put down her chopsticks and recounted everything in detail. When she begged her mother to take her away, her mother didn't say a word.

"Don't get involved in this matter. Just stay here and do what's important."

Xu Jingshu's heart sank. "Mother..."

Whether Lu Yunshu has sided with the Yan family or not is not the point. What matters is whether he can continue on his path. If you expose this matter, it will do you no good and will affect your current life as well. If Lu Yunshu falls, who will we, mother and daughter, rely on?

Xu Jingshu was shocked: "He sided with the murderer who killed his father, and even so, all you think about is yourself?"

This is her enemy; how could she allow herself to share a bed with her enemy?

Xu Jingshu stared at the person in front of her, feeling that she had never met her and had never known her mother.

Xu's mother said, "The key person is from the Yan family. What does it have to do with Lu Yunshu? You should continue to be Mrs. Lu and focus on securing a good future for yourself."

"Besides, your father's affair has been investigated and found to be Xia Zhao's doing. He has already been brought to justice. Why do you still want to cause such a commotion before you are satisfied?"

"What about Ji Jinghe? When the Xu family was in trouble, he helped us so much, and we..."

"You two are now married, what connection do you have that makes it so difficult for you to treat your husband like this?"

Xu's mother sighed, "Jingshu, you need to think this through. You are now a member of the Lu family. You need to think about your husband. Do you really want to live a life where you are bullied by others?"

"You don't need to worry about this, and you don't need to listen to Chu Yu'an. Just focus on your pregnancy. I won't get involved, and you're not allowed to either."

Xu Jingshu's heart tightened, sensing something amiss, and she asked anxiously, "Did Chu Yu'an come to see you? What did he say to you?"

Xu's mother remained silent, but Xu pressed her for more information.

“…Jingshu, you should listen to me.”

"You've always told me to be obedient since I was little, but how many times have I actually done things my own way? Even my marriage was arranged by you. You always say you're doing it for my own good, but what kind of life am I living now?"

"I always thought you were afraid I would repeat the same mistakes and suffer the same hardships as after the Xu family's downfall, but now it seems you're only doing it for yourself..."

Xu Jingshu felt weak all over, especially after hearing what her mother said to her; she felt utterly heartbroken.

How could she have encountered such a mother...

Xu's mother remained unmoved: "In time, you'll naturally understand who you're doing this for. In short, I won't help you with this matter, so give up on that idea. And let me tell you, stay away from Chu Yu'an; she's a jinx."

Silence fell between the mother and daughter. Xu's mother stood up, gave a few instructions to the maid, and then prepared to leave.

“I won’t listen to you, even if it costs me my life,” Xu Jingshu said.

Xu's mother looked at her, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and disappointment, but her patience had already run out, and she couldn't say another word. She opened the door and left.

A sturdy door slammed shut, and faint sobs came from the bedside. A maid stepped forward to comfort her, but Xu Jingshu clung tightly to her, trying her best to suppress her sobs.

She was Xu Jingshu's maid for many years. Although there were often disagreements between the mother and daughter, and Xu's mother often imposed her will on Xu Jingshu, such situations were rare.

The last time she cried like this was when Xu's mother cut off her mistress's contact with Cui Hu of Jiuwan Mountain.

At that time, he relentlessly pressured Xu Jingshu to sever her relationship with Cui Hu and urged her to get closer to Ji Jinghe until she became the young mistress of the Ji family.

Now that the Ji family is showing signs of decline, they want her to marry Lu Yunshu, who has just begun to show interest in competing with them.

Xu's mother meticulously planned every step of the way, but never considered Xu Jingshu's feelings.

The maid raised her hand and gently stroked her back, taking in the sorrow of the person on her shoulder.

...

As soon as Madam Xu returned to the mansion, the servant boy arrived at the gate.

She had a sharp eye and guessed that it was someone sent by the Chu family, so she immediately ordered someone to kick them out.

"Go back and spread the word that from now on, the Xu family will not welcome members of the Chu family. No matter what their reasons are, I have nothing to say and I cannot entertain them. If they continue to cause trouble, I will report them to the authorities."

Yunxiu received the news and went back to inform Yu'an.

Yu An: "Stubborn and unyielding."

Yunxiu: "I have sent people to find out that all the gates of the Lu family compound are under guard, and Madam Lu has no right to leave."

She couldn't even leave the house, so how could she receive any messages from her? Xu's mother went there, but she probably only comforted her daughter and kept everything else from her.

Yu An sighed, put down her needlework, and felt an indescribable irritation.

If Xu Jingshu doesn't come out, then it will be a dead end. Without any evidence, how can we explain that Ji Jinghe was framed?

Only one day later, Ji Shu sent someone to deliver a message—

Ji's mother has passed away.