Chapter 120: Breathing
The moment he stepped into Qu Heng's yard, Qu Ling frowned at the foul smell that hit him in the face.
It was the smell of rotting flesh and blood, mixed with the bitterness of medicinal herbs, fermented by the sweltering summer heat, making it nauseating.
"Princess." The old woman guarding the door had a sallow complexion. It was obvious that they had been tortured by the scorching summer that had just passed.
"I'm afraid the eldest master only has a short while left."
Qu Ling nodded slightly and stepped over the threshold.
The yard was unusually quiet.
Several maids hid in the corridor, covering their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs.
On the day Qu Yi died, Qu Heng's leg was broken.
Later, Song Guang stepped in and invited the director of the Imperial Hospital to come to the Marquis' Mansion to amputate Qu Heng's necrotic leg.
It's summer.
Despite being extremely careful, the wound still festered, and Qu Heng continued to have a high fever.
All the windows in the inner room were thrown open to dissipate the smell.
Qu Ling walked in and saw the emaciated man lying on the bed, his face as pale as earth.
He was sitting hunched over in front of the bed, his back hunched, sobbing and crying.
He blamed his eldest son in his heart for killing his younger son.
Even though he knew his eldest son was also injured, he did nothing about it.
He indulged in alcohol and sex in order to forget the pain that pierced his heart.
Escape for a while.
Qu Ling saw Qu Lianzhi standing in the corner, with an expressionless face and empty eyes, like a walking corpse with its soul taken away.
"Big sister." Qu Lianzhi also saw her and called out numbly.
Qu Heng on the bed suddenly opened his sunken eyes and stared straight in Qu Ling's direction, "Ghost, there's a ghost."
"Don't come over here!"
Qu Qi hurriedly held his son down, "There's no ghost, Ah Heng, there's no ghost."
He reached out and stroked Qu Heng's skinny face, tears streaming down his face, "Your mother is here to pick you up."
Before he could finish his words, he choked up and couldn't speak.
"When you see your brother, remember to say sorry to him."
However, Qu Heng seemed not to hear his father's words and continued to stare at Qu Ling in horror.
His fingers clutched the blanket, as if trying to escape from something terrifying.
Qu Ling stood there, expressionless, without a trace of pity in his heart.
"He was fine, how could he suddenly get so bad?" Qu Ling asked, "Have you checked the medicine? I hope it's not Second Uncle's doing."
"Why don't you say it was you who did it?" Qu Lianzhi stared at her blankly.
Qu Ling said calmly, "It won't do me any good if he dies."
Of course there is no harm in that.
"Without an heir to the eldest branch, the second uncle will benefit the most."
Qu Xin was heartbroken, and Qu Ling's words might not be nonsense.
His ambitious brother certainly had plenty of motivation.
The atmosphere in the house was solemn. A voice came from outside the yard, "How is Ah Heng?"
Qu Yu strode in.
After not seeing him for a while, he had dark circles under his eyes and his steps were unsteady, obviously he had been indulging in excessive sexual activities.
There was no worry in his tone, and there was even a hint of joy.
Qu Qi was furious. "You're just hoping for Ah Heng's death so your son can get the title, right?"
Qu Yu's expression changed as he was struck by the truth. "Brother, what are you talking about? I heard that my nephew was seriously ill, so I came all the way here."
"Get out!" Qu Yu suddenly jumped up and grabbed Qu Yu's face with the hand that was equipped with the artificial palm. "You killed my son. It must be you."
Qu Yu was caught off guard and his face was scratched and covered in blood.
He was also annoyed, "Are you crazy? Your two sons killed each other, and now you want to blame me?"
Qu Qi was deeply hurt and rushed forward again with a roar.
The two men wrestled with each other.
Qu Lianzhi still stood in the corner, ignoring the chaos before him.
In the chaos, Qu Heng's eyes gradually lost focus.
His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end no sound came out.
His hand slipped from the covers and hung on the edge of the bed, motionless.
Tears fell from Qu Lianzhi's lifeless eyes. She slowly walked to the bed, reached out to check Qu Heng's breath, and then said calmly, "Ah Heng is gone."
The two brothers stopped fighting at the same time, and flew to the bedside, "Ah Heng?"
He let out a heart-wrenching wail, "Child—"
Qu Yu was also stunned. He wiped the blood off his face, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, with the greatest amount of it being joy.
Qu Lianzhi suddenly forced a smile, "It would be better if they died. It would be better if they all died completely."
As she turned to leave, she glanced at Qu Ling.
There was no resentment, nor joy or anger in his eyes.
Qu Ling followed her out, leaving all the mess behind.
The two sisters walked side by side in the corridor, neither of them made a sound, and the maids and servants followed behind them from a distance.
"When will I die?" Qu Lianzhi spoke first.
She turned her head, and Qu Ling could not see any emotion in her eyes.
"When are you going to kill me?" Qu Lianzhi asked again.
Qu Ling asked back, "Do you want to live or die?"
Both of them spoke in calm tones, as if they were just discussing which rouge was richer.
"I want to live," Qu Lianzhi said seriously, "Are you willing to give me a chance to live?"
Qu Ling smiled. "Your life is in your own hands. What does it have to do with me?"
A chill gathered in the air.
"I don't want to die." Qu Lianzhi cried silently.
She was crying for herself and for the dead.
Qu Ling watched her cry in silence.
"Sister, you are my sister," Qu Lianzhi cried for a long time, her words incoherent. "Have we sisters really come to this?"
No matter how many grudges there are, they should be resolved.
All her loved ones have left her.
"Let me go." Qu Lianzhi covered her face with her hands, tears streaming down her face.
She couldn't stay in this mansion for a moment longer.
Qu Ling shook his head. "You're still going to marry Wang Yan. It's an imperial marriage. Lian Zhi, you can't go anywhere."
After saying this, Qu Ling left first, leaving Qu Lianzhi in extreme despair.
Qu Ling had just returned to Nuanshanju when the eldest princess sent someone to pick her up.
"Let's go, mother is waiting."
Pei Jingming's appearance really made Qu Ling stunned.
"Everyone who has some connection to the Song family is almost dead. Mother is worried that Song Guang will take advantage of this funeral to enter the mansion and kill you."
Pei Jingming sighed.
Mother always considered every possible danger for Qu Ling.
He forced someone to go to Pei's house and drag him off the bed and bring him to the princess's mansion.
"If Yuan Rong was in the capital, I wouldn't let you go." The eldest princess said through the gauze curtain.
With just one sentence, Pei Jingming surrendered. "I'll go to the Marquis' Mansion to pick her up immediately."
"The Song family wouldn't storm into the mansion and kill people," Qu Ling said, "I'm not that important to Song Guang."
Pei Jingming laughed, "Something very interesting happened during the Autumn Hunt. Song Guang hated his mother to death. When you died, your mother was sad, and he was happy."
Qu Ling became interested in Qiu Shou, "In that case, let's go now."
Qu Ling only took Tingqin out of the princess's mansion, and then instructed Su Shang, "You know where the servants and guards in the mansion come from. Don't be afraid. Guard the door of Nuanshanju. If anyone makes trouble, I will come back to save you."
"The princess is very thoughtful," Su Shang said. "With the princess outside, there's no need to worry about someone suddenly besieging the mansion and leaving her with nowhere to turn for help."
"Sister Princess, let's go." Pei Jingming made a gesture of invitation.
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