Chapter 21 I'm starving
Tao Tao's face turned pale, and she curled up on the ground, clutching her stomach.
She only just realized that she had a stomach problem, and that her stomach would hurt if she didn't eat on time.
She's been eating whenever she's hungry since she arrived here, or she'll carry some pastries or something in her pocket. This time she was in such a hurry that she didn't bring anything, and this damn guy won't even give her any food.
Hearing footsteps, Tao Tao slowly raised her head, her face looking very pale.
Zhao Li's pupils contracted slightly, a hint of doubt and confusion appearing in his eyes: "Have you been starving for days? It can't be like this."
She bit her lower lip, glared at him, and thought to herself that this man was really talking without any sense of the situation.
She raised her hand, revealing a white-blue jade ring carved with an animal head. She smiled and said, "Big brother, could you give me some food?"
He leaned down to examine the jade pendant more closely, his brow furrowing: "Where did you find this?"
"What do you mean 'found'?! This was given to me personally by Lord Duan Gan! I am the chief funeral director of the Privy Council, it's not unreasonable for him to give me some food, is it?"
I managed to finish speaking in one breath, but then my stomach started acting up again. I felt my stomach contracting, and I felt like I needed to go to the toilet, but I didn't.
Zhao Li's lips twitched slightly, and he waved his hand, signaling someone to prepare food.
………
The Qiu residence.
The old matriarch, with her gray hair, sat in a high position leaning on a cane, with Qiu Yanwen and Qiu Yanshu sitting on either side. The housekeeper of the Qiu family was an old nanny surnamed Lü, who, despite her age, was in good health and had excellent skills.
He assisted the matriarch in managing the Qiu family, and even the members of the first, second, and third branches of the household had to give him some leeway.
At this moment, she stood beside Old Madam Qiu and said, "Old Madam, the Chen family's steward has been waiting outside for quite some time. Should we let him in?"
Old Madam Qiu snorted coldly: "The Chen family is already a mess, what is he doing here at this time?"
Qiu Yanshu looked at her with a hint of smugness on his face and said, "Mother! With Chen Youhui dead, we have lost a great help in the court. For the sake of the prosperity of the poor families, this position is vacant. Can I take it?"
She scolded him without any politeness, pounding the ground: "How could I possibly trust someone as stupid and clumsy as you?!"
In an instant, Qiu Yanshu's face turned pale. "Mother! Why am I dying?!"
Qiu Yanwen looked up and said in a deep voice, "Alright."
Old Madam Qiu turned to look at him: "Yan Wen, your brother has been brutally murdered. For the sake of the Qiu family, you have no choice but to take on this important responsibility."
"Mother, nothing is certain yet. At this critical juncture, the Qiu family should be even more careful."
The fact that they rushed to vie for the position so soon after Chen Youhui's death makes it hard not to suspect that the Qiu family was involved in Chen Youhui's death.
Moreover, the Duan family and Duan Gan are currently enjoying great power. But prosperity is bound to decline. Although the emperor's mind is unpredictable, he will not allow any one family to become dominant.
Perhaps His Majesty has already made his decision and is just waiting for the right opportunity, so the best course of action for the Qiu family is to wait and see.
After pondering for a long time, Old Madam Qiu concluded that what he said made sense.
Without Chen Youhui, the Chen residence is nothing more than the Chen residence to them.
"not see!"
She said it with absolute certainty.
Granny Lü nodded and said, "Yes, this old servant knows what to do."
"etc!"
Qiu Yanwen stood up and called out to her.
"I'll write a letter in a bit, and you can personally deliver it to Qiu Zhaolan in the Dali Temple prison."
"Yes, sir."
...
Dali Temple prison.
Granny Lü arrived carrying a food box and smiled at the guards: "Sir, I am the steward of the Qiu family. I've come to see the First Madam of the Chen family."
"You say you are the steward of the Qiu family, so why are you here to see the First Madam of the Chen family?"
The officers and soldiers looked at her suspiciously, their brows furrowed.
“She is our matriarch’s cousin. She came all the way from Zhao County to marry into this family. We should take good care of her.”
As she spoke, she slipped some silver into his sleeve and squinted her eyes ingratiatingly.
The officer hesitated for a moment, exchanged a glance with the officer opposite him, and nodded in agreement: "Alright, hurry up, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices should be here soon."
"Yes, yes, thank you, sir."
The corridor was cold and damp, with flickering candlelight; it didn't look like a place fit for human habitation.
Granny Lü walked quickly and soon found Qiu Zhaolan's location.
"Miss Cousin! Miss Cousin!"
Leaning against Granny Wang, Qiu Zhaolan vaguely heard someone calling her.
Granny Wang gently patted her shoulder: "Madam, the Qiu family has arrived."
These words instantly snapped her to attention. She stood up abruptly and turned to look at the source of the sound.
"Are they from the Qiu family?"
Qiu Zhaolan gripped the wooden pole with great joy, and upon seeing the person in front of her, she immediately smiled: "Granny Lü, it's you!"
She knew the Qiu family would never abandon her. Even though Chen Youhui was dead, she was still the head wife of the Chen family and still managed the household, which was still helpful to them.
Granny Lü remained calm as she waited for the jailer to open the door before going inside.
"Come, Miss, let's have a meal."
As she served the dishes, she kept an eye on what was happening behind her. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she quickly took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Qiu Zhaolan.
Qiu Zhaolan took the letter and, under the cover of the two men, read it.
Granny Lü smiled slightly on her expressionless face and said to Granny Wang, "Come on, eat too. You'll have the strength to protect Miss Biao when you're full."
Granny Wang hesitated and looked at Qiu Zhaolan beside her. She hadn't eaten or drunk anything since yesterday, after all this commotion.
It's all thanks to that last breath that we've made it this far.
Only after seeing Qiu Zhaolan nod did she pick up a steamed bun and start eating.
Qiu Zhaolan watched her eat, her expression indifferent, even her joy had faded considerably, and she calmed down, her eyes revealing unspoken words.
Granny Lü looked up at her, and the two met eyes, everything understood without a word.
"Madam, please sit down and have something to eat."
Qiu Zhaolan smiled faintly, no longer showing any displeasure, and sat down to quietly eat her meal.
After using it, Granny Lü left without saying a word.
She watched Granny Lü's retreating figure and sighed.
Cut off one arm to save everything.
The sentence from the letter came to her mind.
"Granny Wang, how long have you been following me?"
Granny Wang looked at her in surprise and asked cautiously, "Madam, it has been fifteen years."
She exclaimed with emotion, "It's been so long already."
From my youth to now being married, fifteen years have passed.
"I remember you volunteered to join the household back then, to support your younger siblings, right?"
"Yes, madam."
"Your younger siblings are all married and have started their own families, but you've always stayed by my side. Do you ever feel regretful?"
“Miss, this old servant has no regrets. If it weren’t for you taking me in back then, I’m afraid my younger siblings wouldn’t be alive.”
That year, a major flood struck Zhao County, causing countless deaths and injuries. Many people were left homeless, and many more starved to death.
She always remembered this kindness.
"Granny Wang, you were so careless about poisoning me. What am I supposed to do if someone sees it?"
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