Chapter 431 The Death of Ajiu
Just as Madam Min Qiao had decided on her choice and returned to the inner courtyard, Old Woodcutter came looking for her.
"Aunt." The old woodcutter knelt down in front of Madam Min with a thud.
Min Qiao reached out to help the old woodcutter up, but he shook his head and stubbornly remained kneeling.
Min Qiaoshi stopped insisting and slumped into a chair, saying in a hoarse voice, "It's my fault for being useless and unable to protect your brother's life."
The old woodcutter shook his head. "This is not my aunt's fault. She could not disobey the Crown Prince's orders."
"I only ask that my aunt tell the Crown Prince that I was the one who actually killed him. Please let me go and bring my elder brother back."
“If Your Highness wants to restore Da Xi’s reputation, then you should kill me, the real murderer.”
"Please grant my request, Aunt."
Min Qiao shook her head, looking at the old woodcutter with a complicated expression.
The old woodcutter thought she disagreed, so he quickly persuaded her, "Aunt, my elder brother has sacrificed so much for me, my mother, and my sister over the years. I can't let him die in my place!"
Madam Min sighed and explained with a wry smile, "You're wrong. Your elder brother didn't die in your place. He was already destined to die!"
"If the two countries negotiate peace, all the spies sent by Dayan will die!"
"And your elder brother's stance is ambiguous. Neither the Great Yan nor the Great Yi will let him live!"
"This is also why the Crown Prince never investigated whether your elder brother was the real culprit from beginning to end, but simply concluded that your elder brother was bound to die."
The old woodcutter lowered his head, his expression pained. After a long while, he finally asked, unwillingly, "Aunt, is there really no other way?"
"If there were a way, I wouldn't have sent Weijia to her death."
Min Qiao leaned back in her chair and covered her eyes with her hands.
The old woodcutter had quietly slipped away at some unknown time.
Min Qiao didn't know how long she had been sitting, and in a daze, she seemed to have fallen asleep.
But in her half-awake state, she suddenly remembered something and woke up with a start.
Got it!
She has a solution!
She has a way to save Wei Jia and Jing Yuan!
Madam Min was overjoyed and was about to call Zhen Huan to bring Wei Jia over, but she found that Zhen Huan was not by her side.
Not only is it true, but she is now completely alone.
Moreover, it was already dark.
How long has she been asleep?
Just then, a cry of alarm suddenly came from outside the courtyard: "Something terrible has happened! Miss Ajiu is in trouble!"
Min Qiao was startled and got up to go to A Jiu's side. However, as soon as she stood up, she found that her whole body ached, especially her neck, which was so painful that she could hardly bend her head down.
She had only taken one step when she felt a blur before her eyes, a dizziness, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Ah Jiu... really... not well..."
She called out the names of several people, but no one appeared for a long time.
At this moment, loneliness, helplessness, death, and panic overwhelmed my mind.
She didn't know how much time had passed before the dizziness gradually subsided. She struggled to get up from the ground, holding onto a chair, a door frame, and a courtyard wall, and slowly moved towards where Ajiu lived.
After a long while, she finally moved to her new spot.
But they found that a lot of people had gathered in the courtyard to watch the spectacle.
"Grandma." "Grandma." Everyone greeted her.
Someone came up to help her, "Would you like to go in and see Miss Ajiu?"
"Manager Cao is inside keeping watch."
Min Qiao was helped towards the house.
Min Qiao felt a pang of pain in her heart. She shook off the hand of the maid who was supporting her, and stepped into the house alone, leaning against the door frame.
"Didn't you hear me say 'Get out'?"
Wei Jia raised her head with bloodshot eyes and glared at the door, only to see Min Qiao Shi leaning against the door frame, looking disheveled.
"Madam, Ajiu has committed suicide!"
When Wei Jia saw that the person who came was Min Qiaoshi, she instantly broke down.
"Waaaaah... Madam, Ah Jiu, Ah Jiu, she's dead, she's dead..."
"Waaaaah... She hanged herself on the edge of the bed!"
“I said she was useless, I said she couldn’t walk, couldn’t raise her arms…”
"So she used her mouth to tie the belt to the edge of the bed and hanged herself!"
"It's all my fault... It's all because of what I said that Ah Jiu committed suicide!"
"It's all my fault!"
"..."
With heavy steps, Min Qiao moved slowly to the bedside, to Wei Jia's side, and to A Jiu, who was being held in Wei Jia's arms. She then knelt down with difficulty...
Whether it was because of her incorrect squatting posture or because her legs wouldn't obey her commands, she suddenly fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ah, Ah Jiu!"
She reached out her trembling hand, wanting to check Ah Jiu's breath, but found that her hand was trembling so badly that no matter how she tried to control it, she couldn't get her outstretched finger under Ah Jiu's nose.
So she opened her hand and gently stroked Ah Jiu's ashen cheek.
However, when her fingers felt the cold, lifeless temperature of A-Jiu's cheek, Min Qiaoshi finally couldn't suppress the overwhelming grief in her heart, and fainted again before she could catch her breath.
Before she lost consciousness, she heard Wei Jia exclaim, "Madam!"
***
Just as Min Qiaoshi was overwhelmed with grief over Ajiu's death and fell into a coma, Zhen Huan also appeared alone at the Crown Prince's residence.
Upon hearing the report from the guard at the door, Xia Linyuan received Zhen Huan with great interest.
"The fourth young lady of the Dayan Yongning Marquis's mansion, I heard you want to see me?"
He then curtsied and said respectfully, "I apologize for my abrupt request to see you, Your Highness."
"Speak, what brings you to see me?" Xia Linyuan didn't like beating around the bush and asked directly.
He was quite direct, asking expressionlessly, "Your Highness, among the three of us, must one of us die? Is it possible to avoid dying?"
Xia Linyuan scoffed, "If that's what you're talking about, then please leave. I never go back on my word."
"This is punishment for those who dare to provoke the Great Heir and this Crown Prince."
Otherwise, wouldn't anyone be able to step on his turf?
“I understand.” He took a deep breath, nodded, and said slowly, “I have something to give to His Highness the Crown Prince. I believe that once His Highness sees this, he will make a decision.”
Xia Linyuan frowned. What was that? What decision? Why was this little girl's speech so incoherent?
Just as Xia Linyuan was wondering, Zhen Huan slowly approached him.
No sooner said than done, just as she was getting close to Xia Linyuan, she pulled out a dagger from her bosom and stabbed it straight at him.
However, Xia Linyuan was already on guard against him, and she didn't really want to assassinate Xia Linyuan, so before the dagger even got close, Xia Linyuan turned sideways and grabbed her wrist.
"Is this what the Fourth Miss wanted to show me?"
Xia Linyuan snatched the dagger from Zhen Huan's hand and threw him to the ground. "You wanted to assassinate me?"
She glared fiercely at Xia Linyuan, "You deserve to die for forcing us like this!"
"Oh, so I deserve to die? Then isn't your assassination attempt a bit too childish?"
Xia Linyuan, expressionless, exposed his lie: "Your intentions are obvious, your movements are slow, and you didn't even put any poison on the dagger. You're not really trying to assassinate me, are you?"
Don't go too far, remain silent.
She came to assassinate him only to make Xia Linyuan list her as a kill target. That way, Wei Jia and A Jiu wouldn't die, and the old lady wouldn't be in a difficult position.
It wasn't that I really wanted to hurt Xia Linyuan, nor did I ever intend to kill him.
If something were to happen to Xia Linyuan at this time, how could the old lady and the others possibly leave?
Ha, she's not stupid.
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