Chapter 74: Will Not Survive Tonight
Qu Ling thought that there was not a single innocent soul killed by her knife.
The only thing missing is the Song family.
Qu Ling took the lotus pastry from Tingqin's hand and gently placed it in front of Song.
"Where is my mother's dowry that you replaced?"
Song's eyes seemed to be recalling something through the lotus pastry.
She reached out and picked up a piece, took a bite, and the sweet taste melted on her tongue, but it made her eyes sore.
She laughed and cried, "I won't tell you. After I die, if the replacement of the dowry is exposed, the eldest princess will naturally find a way to let the Song family make it up to you."
"Let the Song family pay off my debt for me."
The Song family owed her too much.
Qu Ling was not surprised. He just looked at her quietly and asked, "Do you have anything to say to the Marquis?"
Song paused slightly in her chewing.
She thought back to her wedding day.
She sat on the wedding bed wearing a phoenix crown and a red bridal robe, feeling very unwilling.
She was born in the Song family and could have married into a higher-class family, but due to an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager, she was forced to marry into the Dingxiang Marquis's mansion as his second wife.
But when the veil was lifted, her reluctance faded a lot.
Qu Xi was wearing a red robe, the top scholar of that year, with an outstanding demeanor.
He smiled at her and called softly, "Madam."
Her heart skipped a beat.
Over the years, although their love was not as deep as the sea, they treated each other with respect and dignity.
It was not until Qu Ling returned to Beijing that there was a new concubine in the mansion.
In fact, she didn't care that much about Concubine Miao.
But why should he marry a woman who looks so similar to Xu Zhaoyue?
He regrets it, doesn't he?
He regretted it, but what was the point of all his efforts over the years?
Song swallowed the lotus cake in her mouth and smiled bitterly, "I don't have anything to say to him."
Suddenly, he changed the subject and said, "Tell him I'm waiting for him downstairs."
Qu Ling asked again, "What about the Crown Prince? Madam, who do you want to make the Crown Prince?"
Song frowned and said firmly, "Ah Heng is the eldest son, so it's naturally him."
Qu Ling said no more, turned around and told Ting Qin, "Help the second young lady and go find a doctor."
He nodded to Chi Yuan again, "Sir, let's go."
Chi Yuan nodded, and the group was about to leave when Song's voice came from behind, "Qu Ling."
Qu Ling turned around.
Song said, "You and Xu Zhaoyue really don't look alike at all."
She was not familiar with Xu Zhaoyue, and her impression of her was that she was a gentle woman.
She always smiles when she sees people and speaks softly. She doesn't have the briskness of the girls from Beijing, but she has the gracefulness of the girls from the south of the Yangtze River.
Such an innocent person happens to be liked by the eldest princess.
He takes her with him wherever he goes.
Otherwise, how could Qu Yu, the top scholar, marry an orphan?
Her daughter, who is nothing like her, eats people.
"Sparing your life back then was the worst thing I ever did."
Qu Ling said calmly, "You spared my life not out of kindness, but because you feared the princess. If you kill me, the princess will kill you too. You know that."
Song's heart grew colder and colder.
"No matter how many times you go back to those days and weigh the pros and cons, you won't kill me," Qu Ling said, "so you can never defeat me in this lifetime."
There was a doctor in the Dali Temple who examined Qu Lianzhi's injuries. Taking advantage of this gap, Chi Yuan took Qu Ling to the hall.
"I checked the files. Doctor Jiang also died three months after your mother." Chi Yuan handed Qu Ling a file. "Initially, the Jiang family reported him missing."
Qu Ling opened the file and read it bit by bit.
Old Doctor Jiang went up the mountain to collect herbs and did not return for three days. The Jiang family reported the matter to the authorities, and on the fourth day his body was found on the mountain, half of it eaten by a tiger.
"The inquest concluded that he fell and died."
"It can be considered as being buried with my mother." Qu Ling placed the file on the table.
She murmured, "Sixteen years ago, Jiang Shu should have been... around five years old."
"Do you want to check further?" Chi Yuan asked.
The Dingxiang Marquisate was also involved in Madam Xu's death.
Chi Yuan felt that Qu Ling would not give up.
But how could a weak woman like her shake such a huge mansion?
"I won't check anymore," Qu Ling smiled. "If my mother knew about this, she would want me to live well."
Chi Yuan did not feel relieved.
He felt that Qu Ling's words were just perfunctory.
"Then are we still going to Hedong?" he asked.
Qu Ling was slightly startled and shook his head. "No, sir, I've figured it out. My mother is dead, and I don't want to disturb her peace."
The Song family and the Dingxiang Marquis Mansion are both murderers.
She wanted to kill everyone and make them confess to her mother in the underworld.
"Girl, let's go back. It will be dark if we go any later."
Tingqin supported Qu Lianzhi and stood outside the door.
Qu Lianzhi had a white cloth wrapped around his forehead, and his eyes were red and swollen with water, looking both pitiful and funny.
"Please find us a carriage, sir." Qu Ling said.
Qu Lianzhi couldn't ride a horse in this state.
Chi Yuan nodded and told the officer to do it.
Then they were sent outside the Dali Temple.
"Sir, my mother did something wrong, but she has her own government to decide the case. I hope you won't let her die in vain." Qu Lianzhi saluted Chi Yuan.
Chi Yuan did not accept her gift and stepped aside.
He didn't say yes or no, "You two girls, please go back home quickly."
Qu Lianzhi lowered his head and suppressed his anger in his heart.
Why can Qu Ling always get help from others easily, but she can't?
In the carriage, Qu Ling and Qu Lianzhi sat at each end, with a great distance between them.
Qu Lianzhi raised his hand and lightly touched the wound on his forehead, shuddering with pain.
She stole a glance at Qu Ling and deliberately softened her voice, "Sister, do you have a way to kill Song Yuzhen?"
In all these years, she had never called Qu Ling "Sister", but today, she had called her several times.
Qu Ling glanced at her sideways, his eyes cold, "Do you really want to be the Crown Princess?"
Qu Lianzhi didn't hide anything. "I told you, if you help me save my mother's life, I'll help you deal with the Song family."
"If you want to deal with the Song family, you must first kill Song Yuzhen."
"Lianzhi," Qu Ling smiled, "Didn't you understand what your mother said just now at the Dali Temple? The Song family will never kill your mother."
Qu Lianzhi was stunned.
"They will only force her to commit suicide." Qu Ling's voice was as light as the wind.
"It saves the Song family's dignity without dirtying their hands."
Qu Lianzhi's heart ached and he shook his head, "No, grandma wouldn't treat mother like this."
"Why not?" Qu Ling sneered, "Your mother knows too many secrets. The Song family won't let her say too much in the Dali Temple."
Qu Lianzhi understood this truth, she just didn't want to believe it.
Being exposed nakedly by Qu Ling, she couldn't bear it and started crying with her hands covering her face.
Qu Ling let her cry until her sobs gradually faded, then he spoke again, "You think you can deal with the Song family with your pig brain? You were crushed to death by Song Yuzhen before you could even make a move."
"I brought you to the Dali Temple so you can see your mother for the last time. She won't survive this night."
Qu Lianzhi's mood, which had just calmed down, was disturbed again, and there was a buzzing sound in his ears.
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