Chapter 759 Not in Control of One's Own Fate
"It looks like those people are about to bare their fangs."
Wei Jia anxiously flipped through the two invitations in her hand, "Mother, how do you plan to return to the Marquis of Enping's mansion and the Duke of Jin's mansion?"
Qiao Qinghe did not answer Wei Jia's question.
She pondered for a moment, then looked up at Wei Jia: "How have things been with A Qi and Manager Wu these past few days?"
Wei Jia's expression was somewhat strange.
Qiao Qinghe frowned slightly. "What happened?"
Wei Jia hesitated and said, "Every day, A Qi goes to Uncle Wu's courtyard under the pretext of fulfilling his filial duty to his wife, keeping him company and taking care of him."
"Everything is going exactly as we envisioned."
“Whenever Aqi talks about Rongrong and Xuge’er, Uncle Wu is very moved.”
“From initial resistance and rejection, to struggle and pain, Uncle Wu can now calmly listen to Aqi recount everything about the Marquis of Enping’s mansion.”
"Yesterday, Wu Bo even took the initiative to ask a lot of questions about the relationship between Marquis Enping and Rongrong and her son, which is unprecedented for him."
"I think we should be able to achieve our goal smoothly."
"only……"
"Just what?" Qiao Qinghe looked at Wei Jia, feeling that Wei Jia was holding back something.
Wei Jia sighed, "However, Uncle Wu's health is getting worse and worse. In the past few days, he has visibly lost weight."
"Haven't we been trying to help him recover?" Qiao Qinghe asked, puzzled. "Not only is his health not improving, but it's getting worse."
Have you seen a doctor?
Wei Jia nodded: "Yes, the doctor said that Uncle Wu has a death wish and is torturing himself."
Qiao Qinghe sighed, "Living is indeed a torment for him."
Wei Jia hesitated and asked, "Should we continue with our previous plan?"
"Now, Uncle Wu is in unbearable pain."
"Wouldn't it be asking too much of him to try to clear the name of Marquis Enping again?"
“I’m afraid that if we really let him do that, he really won’t be able to survive.”
"If he dies, what will happen to Rongrong..."
Thinking of Su Rongrong, Wei Jia felt a pang of guilt.
Qiao Qinghe remained silent for a long time before finally steeling her resolve and saying, "The plan remains unchanged."
"Since Manager Wu wants to die, we won't stop him this time."
"However, let him clear Yan Jin's name before he dies."
It is said that a person's words are good when they are about to die.
“His last words made Rongrong believe him even more.”
Wei Jia felt heavy-hearted, wanting to refute, yet unable to find a way to do so.
After a long pause, she slowly nodded: "Then when should we tell Uncle Wu?"
Qiao Qinghe glanced at the invitation. "This matter is urgent. Send someone to check on Manager Wu's situation now. If he is calm, I will personally talk to him about it today."
If we can persuade Steward Wu today, and invite Su Rongrong to perform a play tomorrow, then Yan Jin will be able to attend the banquet without any worries the day after tomorrow.
After another period of silence, Wei Jia got up and went out to give instructions.
Before long, the maid who had gone to inquire about the situation returned and said that Miss Aqi was chatting and sunbathing with Uncle Wu, and Uncle Wu seemed to be in a very good mood.
After dismissing the maid, Qiao Qinghe changed her clothes and took Weijia to the courtyard where Uncle Wu lived.
"Madam, First Madam."
Aqi was the first to notice their arrival and quickly went to greet them.
As the group entered the courtyard, Uncle Wu also shakily stood up from the recliner.
"Madam, First Madam."
Uncle Wu had become skin and bones, with high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and a pair of grayish-white, cloudy eyes devoid of any spirit.
Qiao Qinghe felt a pang of reluctance, but for the sake of the bigger picture, she had no choice but to take this step.
"Please sit down. We're all family here, no need for formalities."
Aqi quickly went over and helped the person sit down.
At this moment, a clever maid brought out two chairs and placed them behind Qiao Qinghe and Wei Jia.
After the two sat down, A-Shuang gestured for all the servants in the courtyard to leave.
Aqi hesitated for a moment, then followed A Shuang out.
Only Uncle Wu, Qiao Qinghe, and Wei Jia remained in the courtyard.
Qiao Qinghe originally wanted to exchange a few pleasantries, but before she could speak, Uncle Wu broke the silence first.
"The old lady came to see me because she has something to tell me, right?"
Seeing that Uncle Wu had gotten straight to the point, Qiao Qinghe didn't beat around the bush either, and said directly, "I do have a request that I hope Manager Wu can grant."
Uncle Wu gave a wry smile. "Is it because of that incident back then?"
Qiao Qinghe nodded: "Yes."
Uncle Wu asked, "What does the old lady want me to do?"
Qiao Qinghe felt a little guilty, but still said firmly, "I hope you can tell Rongrong yourself that what happened back then had nothing to do with Marquis Enping, and tell her never to listen to outsiders' instigation or doubt Marquis Enping."
Uncle Wu froze, and his already unpleasant expression turned even more so.
He stammered, his lips trembling, "Madam, this is... this is asking the impossible."
Besides Su Rongrong's entire family, his whole family also died that year!
As the steward of the Su family, his wife, son, and grandson, along with their entire extended family, were all servants of the Su family and worked for the family.
As the butler, he also had his own courtyard in the Su family.
And his whole family lived in his yard.
In that calamity, his entire family, along with the other servants, perished alongside their master, the Su family.
In that disaster, he and Su Rongrong were the only two survivors.
Therefore, he chose to ignore all the dead and focus all his attention and energy on Su Rongrong.
However, ignoring them doesn't mean they never existed!
For the sake of Su Rongrong's survival, he could choose not to expose Yan Jin's hypocritical mask.
For the sake of Su Rongrong's survival, he could endure the pain of losing his family and bury everything deep in his heart.
For the sake of Su Rongrong's survival, he could force himself to live a life worse than death.
But now, does he really have to force himself to lie for Yan Jin, that heinous executioner, just to keep Su Rongrong alive?
If he really did that, how would he face his deceased family and the masters of the Su family after he died?
"Madam..."
"...Please don't force me."
"I can't do it! I can't do it!"
Uncle Wu covered his face and wept, each sob a tear of blood.
Seeing Uncle Wu break down in tears, overwhelmed with grief, Wei Jia also shed tears.
She never mentioned that when she first met Uncle Wu and Su Rongrong, her hands were tied up, and she was linked with other women who had been sold into slavery, escorted by slave traders and guards to be sold in the capital.
When she was parched with thirst, it was Uncle Wu, who was lame, and Su Rongrong, who was blind at the time, who brought the water pouch to her mouth.
They were old, young, lame, and blind.
Even when they themselves were in such dire straits, they were still willing to share their water and dry food with her.
Their act of kindness even led to others stealing their water and food.
Yet they never resented her.
Later, it was through her clever scheme that the three of them managed to reach the capital alive.
Later, if it weren't for the chance that the old lady bought them back, she had considered using the two of them to redeem herself.
So many years have passed, but those events are still vivid in my mind.
They have already overcome hardship, they are already rich and well-off, so why do they still have to face so many things beyond their control?
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