Chapter 24
After the plague and disaster relief efforts were over, people who no longer had to live in fear and hunger returned to their usual leisure.
In their spare time, the Bai and Jiang families were most interested in how their positions had completely reversed within a month.
The once noble and prestigious Jiang family has completely collapsed, and the young master Jiaoyue has also become a treacherous villain.
The Bai family became a rising star in Shengjing, with countless people flocking to their door to ask for Lingwu's hand in marriage, but all were turned away by Song Leyuan and Bai's father.
The day Ling Wu saw Jiang Qi again was the day the Jiang family's property was confiscated.
After Song Leyuan grew tired of the Jiang family, she revealed the evidence she had collected to the world.
One of the reasons for the famine was that the Jiang family used inferior goods to make money, resulting in the government collecting mostly bad seeds that could not sprout.
In previous years, people could blame it on poor harvests, but this year, coupled with drought, most people have no harvest at all, which is why strict investigations have begun.
Countless other dirty deeds were also exposed to the public.
No matter how he tries to argue, it all falls apart in the face of the evidence.
On the day the house was ransacked, countless people threw rotten vegetable leaves and eggs at everyone in the Jiang family.
Jiang Qi, dressed in prison clothes, had a cold and indifferent face despite being fawned over by everyone.
He and Su Meier knelt together, looking at each other with mutual loathing.
But he was "praised" by everyone:
"No wonder they're a couple! One is vicious and the other is ruthless!"
Ling Wu wore a long, smoky-colored dress with wave-like patterns, the hem of which swayed gently in the breeze.
Her dark hair was pulled back, revealing a gentle face that was even more beautiful than a peony. Her eyes were as tender as water, exuding a unique charm that stirred ripples in everyone's hearts.
Although her face was somewhat pale, it did not detract from her beauty at all; on the contrary, it added a touch of fragile vulnerability that captivated the heart.
She leaned gently on Song Leyuan's shoulder, her beauty captivating everyone's hearts.
At this moment, a breeze swept by, and her long hair fluttered in the wind, like ink-stained water or the finest silk.
At this moment, her charm reached its peak, making people want to get closer to her and feel her warmth and softness.
Only then did they realize that there really were people who could stand there and smile, and countless others would follow in their footsteps, going crazy for them for their entire lives.
Jiang Qi's gaze followed her intently, deeply, as if he wanted to etch her entirely into his very bones.
Su Meier kept her head down, her face disfigured. What she feared most was seeing the same fear and disgust she had become accustomed to in Ling Wu's eyes!
Soon, the entire Jiang family was taken away and imprisoned.
Lingwu coughed softly.
Immediately afterward, Song Leyuan, who was standing beside her, asked nervously, "Now that we've seen it all, can we go home now?"
Song Leyuan felt a metallic taste in her throat. She concealed her pain and asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you still want to eat the flower cakes from my residence?"
Her voice trembled slightly, causing Lingwu to raise her eyes.
Lingwu did not answer, but still spoke softly, "Don't be sad, Your Highness."
Song Leyuan turned her head away, unwilling to let the other woman see the tears in her eyes.
She only said in a muffled voice, "I won't be sad."
"Yes, Your Highness is not sad. Then, would you please fetch this handkerchief for me?"
Song Leyuan didn't dare turn around, and groped her way to take the handkerchief.
The unique cool fragrance emanating from Ling Wu wafted through the handkerchief to her nose.
She could no longer hold back and choked out a sob.
It was that cool fragrance she smelled when she first met Wu'er.
After calming herself down, Song Leyuan persistently asked the same question she asked every day:
"Nanqing can even cure the plague, so how can he really not cure your illness?"
Lingwu shook her head. Bai Lingwu's lifespan had already ended, and this was only out of pity from the underworld. So how could a mere mortal like Nan Qing defy fate and change her destiny?
Song Leyuan lowered her eyes and remained silent until she sent Lingwu back to the Bai residence, watching Lingwu gradually move away from her.
She finally couldn't resist getting off the carriage, jogging up to hug Ling Wu from behind, burying her head in the back of Ling Wu's neck.
A warm liquid flowed down Ling Wu's neck, and Song Leyuan's sob followed:
"How about I bring you fresh flower cakes every day from now on?"
"good."
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, casting golden rays, but Song Leyuan felt a little cold.
Not far away, a figure in crimson turned and left in a dejected manner.
In prison.
The jailer was drinking, and his voice, though not loud, reached Su Meier and Jiang Qi's ears.
"Miss Bai was beautiful but short-lived; even Lord Nanqing couldn't cure her illness. Alas."
“My mother and father went to Cangshan Temple today to pray to Buddha for the princess. Good people will surely be rewarded, and the princess will definitely be safe and sound!”
"The Bai family said that as long as the princess can be cured, they will agree to any request she makes that they can provide. Are you aware of this?"
"Tsk tsk, if only I knew medicine, I could just say I wanted all the money in the Bai family, and I'd be rich!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the other jailers frowned and looked at him, their eyes filled with disgust.
"If it weren't for the Bai family, would your wife's parents still be alive? Would you still be here drinking and having fun? Are you even human?"
The jailer realized he had misspoke and quickly explained, "He's drunk, he's drunk!"
But after the other jailers left, the jailer spat.
"Pah! What nonsense! Did I ask her to save me in the first place? She's just a short-lived ghost. What if I forced myself on her?"
He was about to spit out another word when someone grabbed his neck tightly from the cell!
Jiang Qi reached through the iron bars with both hands, strangling the jailer until his eyes rolled back and he nearly suffocated.
He frantically patted the ground, his fingernails digging into Jiang Qi's arm.
The more he struggled, the tighter Jiang Qi squeezed his neck!
A hoarse voice rang in the jailer's ear, like a vengeful ghost demanding a life: "Hahahaha, short-lived ghost?" He laughed maniacally, then gritted his teeth, his tone chilling, "Let me see... how long your life can last?"
Across from her, Su Meier leaned against the railing, her terrifying face filled with excitement and malice.
"Strangle him! Strangle him!"
The jailer's pupils gradually dilated, and his struggles slowly weakened, but Jiang Qi still refused to let go!
His once clear and gentle eyes seemed to be corroded by blood, which was extremely frightening.
"Hehehehehehehe—" The laughter sounded like a demon demanding a life.
"A short-lived ghost? How could someone as kind as her die?" He uttered each word with difficulty.
Jiang Qi only slowly released his grip after the jailer fell silent.
Jiang Qi chuckled softly as he coldly observed the jailer's bulging eyes.
"She won't die, she won't." He said earnestly, as if speaking to himself.
Across from her, Su Meier chuckled softly, her face covered in terrifying scars. "Good riddance! It was too easy on him. Any beast who dares to curse her deserves to die!"
By the time the other jailers arrived, the body of the fallen jailer was already cold.
He looked at the dead jailer with complicated emotions, then glanced up at Jiang Qi.
As expected of the eldest son of the Jiang family, he managed to kill a jailer.
Inside the Bai residence, Madam Bai, whose belly was slightly protruding, had a somewhat vacant look in her eyes. Upon hearing the sound, she immediately stood up. "How is it? Has the Southern Green been made?"
Upon entering, Bai's father's eyes dimmed for a moment, but then he remembered Ling Wu's instructions and forced a smile. "Madam is indeed a prophet. Nanqing has indeed been made. However, for better efficacy, Xiao Wu needs to go to Cangshan Temple for a short stay of one year."
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