Chapter 72 The Curse Descends
"Boom..."
Thunder rumbled.
Flocks of crows flew across the sky.
"Ah—ah—ah—"
The cawing of crows seemed to foreshadow something bad to come.
People looked at each other in bewilderment, and then scattered like birds and beasts.
Someone couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "You're harming the little deity! Even the heavens can't stand it anymore!"
"What a tragedy! Let's see if they have the fate to do evil!"
"Hurry up, hurry up, don't let these heartless bastards drag us down with you..."
The audience had already dispersed far away, leaving only a group of soldiers and Li Siheng and a few others looking at each other in bewilderment.
Li Siheng hesitated. Although the benefits offered by Marquis Anping were enough to buy his life, he didn't care about dying, but his blood relatives would also be in trouble. What should he do?
I've heard that the Su family has been having bad luck lately, supposedly because they're missing someone to protect them from disaster, and that person is a girl.
She's incredibly perceptive; she can tell fortunes and seems to know everything.
It's no simple matter for someone with such supernatural powers to be cursed by her.
"Fourth brother, the auspicious time has passed. Why don't you reschedule your wedding for another day?"
The matchmaker was the first to succumb to the psychological pressure.
The men carrying the sedan chair also put it down.
"Fourth Brother, we'll come help again next time we've set an auspicious time."
After saying that, they ran away as fast as they could. The unease in their hearts made their scalps tingle. How many wicked things had they done, how many people had they bullied? When had they ever felt this kind of fear?
Li Siheng gave each of them five taels of silver, but five taels wasn't enough to make them risk their lives.
It is said that unusual celestial phenomena are either auspicious omens or ominous signs. This crow, however, seems to be a bad omen, so preserving one's life is the priority.
Li Siheng was also panicking. He wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Don't leave! I'll give you more money!"
Everyone's gone, how can he bring Qin back for the wedding ceremony?
Seeing the sedan chair bearers running very fast, the matchmaker also swayed her hips and ran as fast as she could, as if a flood or a ferocious beast was chasing them.
Li Siheng stamped his foot and said, "I've missed the auspicious time today, I'll come back to marry you later!"
Li Siheng felt extremely flustered, and after saying those words, he hurriedly ran away.
The soldiers didn't run away, but they retreated a bit further. They didn't make any rash moves, but they also wouldn't allow Qin Tianhai, Qin Yulin, and the Qin family to leave.
Holding the unconscious Qin Jin'an, Qin felt a tearing pain in her heart. She touched Qin Jin'an's face, but the child did not respond.
Her hands trembled, and she felt a little relieved when she felt Qin Jin'an's faint breathing under her nose.
"Take Yu Bao to the clinic first."
Qin Tianhai knew they wouldn't be able to go back today. He didn't know what price the children had paid to give them a chance to breathe.
Qin Yulin picked up Qin Jin'an and left. The soldiers did not stop them, but followed at a distance to ensure they were within sight.
Upon arriving at the clinic, Madam Qin knelt before the old doctor, pleading, "Old Liu, please save my daughter."
Dr. Liu sighed: "Put the child down."
He could stop his apprentice from making medicine for the Qin family, but he couldn't bear to watch a child die in his clinic.
He was startled when he touched Qin Jin'an's pulse; everything went awry.
The child was already very weak, and his pulse was almost a sign of impending death. Old Liu said nothing, took out silver needles, and began to administer acupuncture.
First, calm the child's disordered heart and mind; the rest is up to the child's fate.
An hour passed quickly. Old Liu put away his needles and looked at Madam Qin, saying, "I have done my best. The rest is up to fate."
He got up and left.
Qin Shi watched over the unconscious Qin Jin'an, constantly shedding tears and calling out to him.
"My darling, Mommy can't live without you, wake up..."
"My sweet baby, you're the best. Open your eyes and look at Mommy..."
Each plea was heartbreaking to hear.
Qin Yulin clenched his fists tightly, feeling pained by his own powerlessness.
Qin Tianhai remained calm as he walked outside the clinic, where soldiers had already surrounded the area.
The dark clouds in the sky have dispersed, as if nothing had happened.
The luxurious carriage had been parked there for an unknown amount of time. When he came out, the servants beside the carriage whispered something to him. Soon the carriage curtain was lifted, and Su Changsheng and Su Changshui, dressed in rich clothes, stepped out.
As the saying goes, clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse. The two brothers, who used to be timid and submissive, are now riding high and strutting around.
Having eaten their fill, the two brothers raised their chins and looked at Qin Tianhai with disdain. Su Changsheng sneered and said, "Uncle Qin, how have you been?"
Su Changshui also cupped his hands in greeting: "Uncle Qin, we've come to take our niece home. We've waited long enough."
Qin Tianhai always acted like a paragon of virtue, which his two brothers had long disliked. Finding an opportunity, they naturally wanted to ridicule him.
Qin Tianhai said calmly, "You two are joking. Qin Jin'an has already been included in my family genealogy, and there is absolutely no reason for her to return to the Su family. If she still has the surname Su, then it would be understandable for you to take her back. However, my daughter has established a female household and is the rightful head of the family. Surely Marquis Anping would not use his official position to oppress commoners!"
In any case, the child cannot go back to the Su family.
"Uncle Qin, your daughter is embroiled in lawsuits and may be in dire straits herself."
Su Changsheng narrowed his eyes. Li Siheng hadn't handled things well, but as long as he didn't give in, Qin Shi would still have to marry her in the end.
Changing Su Dai's name to Qin Jin'an is useless; she is the one who protects the Su family from disaster and must return to the Su family.
“My daughter’s matter will be settled fairly. Even if she has to give herself in return, it is within the law to take her with me when I remarry. If that Li Si cannot tolerate a young girl, how can this marriage be arranged?”
The formation of a law is subject to various conditions. Demanding a woman marry as compensation is a law, but if a woman has children and cannot tolerate them, she cannot be forced to marry as a condition of compensation.
Su Chang'an came up with such a wicked plan to harm their family, but he hadn't fully grasped the law.
No matter where the child goes, he can never return to the Su family.
If all the members of the Qin family were to perish, before they were completely gone, he would have Qin Jin'an become a nun and cultivate Taoism. She might live a difficult life and even never grow up, but she would never return to the Su family to follow their wolfish ambitions.
"You, you're just being unreasonable! That's my Su family bloodline, how can she follow my mother to remarry!"
Su Changsheng frowned and said coldly, "I didn't expect that even at this point, this old scholar would still be so stubborn and difficult to deal with!"
Su Changshui was also very angry: "Su Dai must return to the Su family. Our Su family bloodline will never be left to wander outside!"
Qin Tianhai remained calm and composed, simply clasping his hands in a gesture of respect and saying, "The Qin family are merely commoners who act in accordance with the laws of the Great Jin Dynasty. As long as our actions are legitimate, I dare not utter a single complaint."
"She's almost dead, how long can you hold out?"
"If you're charged with stealing my elder brother's warhorse, your children will be beheaded. You old fool, do you really want to regret it only when your family is destroyed?"
Su Changsheng narrowed his eyes and warned that if the plan hadn't gone wrong, he wouldn't have wanted to say another word to this old man.
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