Chapter 290: Previous Life Extra 2
When Liang Jinghe came down the mountain carrying Jiang Muyu's body, it was already dark. Shi Nanye was still sitting there waiting for him, but the people he brought had disappeared completely.
He was puzzled and asked, "Uncle Shi, where did all the people I brought go?"
Heather was holding a wine bottle in her hand. Upon hearing this, she raised her eyelids and glanced at him lazily, saying, "They all went back."
He frowned slightly: "Then how can I return to Beijing?"
"Go back. My cart can only accommodate one person. I am waiting for you to come and scold you."
Liang Jinghe was puzzled when he spat in his face.
Heather gnashed her teeth and cursed, "Beast!"
He was stunned for a moment, thinking that Heather had drunk too much, but then he was greeted with a barrage of scolding.
Heather listed his crimes word for word, saying that he disregarded blood ties for the sake of love, that he was disloyal, unfilial, unkind and unjust, and that he was unworthy of being a son and a minister.
"You blame her for being selfish, but you don't ask what forced her to become like this. She was once the daughter of the Marquis of Jing'an, and was forced to separate from her lover when she was young. Later, she experienced her husband's death in battle, her daughter's early death, changes in her natal family, and she spent half her life wandering."
"You blame her for being too harsh on you, you blame her for not understanding you, you blame her for cruelly framing your wife. But you don't care at all about the kindness she has shown you over the years, or the pain she has suffered from losing her husband and daughter! Liang Jinghe, from beginning to end, you are the most selfish person!"
Liang Jinghe turned pale after hearing what he said. Looking at the already cold body in his arms, he couldn't help but tremble all over and almost lost his balance.
Heather smiled sarcastically, looked at him and said, "You better hold her tightly. Look carefully. This is your mother who gave birth to you and raised you. If you bump into something and her body is disfigured, I'm afraid she will appear at the bedside of you and your wife every night."
Liang Jinghe swallowed his saliva, clenched his hands, and said, "Uncle Shi said this, but he never stood in my position to consider for me. For many years, I have been tolerant, but in return she has become more aggressive, even at the cost of..."
Heather impatiently interrupted his nonsense and said, "Even at the cost of what? At the cost of killing Shen Qingxi's child? Do you think Shen Qingxi is a good person? Did she really kill the child? Did you investigate it yourself? Or did you just believe Shen Qingxi's one-sided words and sentenced her?"
He was silent for a moment.
Heather didn't care what he was going to say, and continued, "You walk back to Beijing from here, look at her all the way, think carefully about how she has treated you over the years, and think carefully about your sister and your father who died young, and clear your shit-mudden mind."
Having said that, Heather spat again and drove the ox cart past him.
Liang Jinghe looked around and saw that it was deserted and even more desolate at night. Without any means of transportation, he could only hold Jiang Muyu's cold body and walk towards the capital step by step.
As he walked, he recalled what Heather had said, and every moment of his time with his family flashed through his mind like a projector.
He recalled how when he was young, his mother would always wait for him to eat, measure him for new clothes, and would be hesitant yet want to be intimate with him when she saw him.
He recalled how his father had personally taught him martial arts, taught him calligraphy, and analyzed the court situation for him, allowing him to have a long-term vision.
He recalled how Tangtang hugged his legs and called him brother softly when she was young. Tangtang was the only one in the mansion who remembered his birthday and gave him birthday gifts on time every year...
They were all his flesh and blood, the people closest to him in this world. But from then on, he no longer had any relatives.
The grief hidden deep in his heart suddenly surged out as if a gate had been opened. As he walked, his legs felt as if they were filled with lead and became heavier and heavier.
Suddenly, he knelt down and gently placed Jiang Muyu's body on the ground. Looking at her peaceful face as if she was sleeping, he stretched out his trembling fingers to touch her, but retracted his fingers halfway.
"Mother, I was wrong. I know I was wrong..."
He kowtowed to Jiang Muyu several times, crying so hard that his shoulders shook, but he couldn't wake her up at all.
She would never again raise her hand to touch his head and gently call him "He'er" as she did in the past.
…
Liang Jinghe did not return to Prince Rui's Palace until daybreak.
The servants at the gate of the mansion were all stunned when they saw him. They saw that he was holding a gray corpse, his shoes, pants and legs were all covered in mud, his hair was disheveled, and he looked extremely rabid.
Shen Qingxi waited all night and was shocked when she saw him. "Husband, what's wrong with you?"
Liang Jinghe didn't even look at her. He walked into the mansion carrying Jiang Muyu's body and ordered the funeral.
The Rui Wang Mansion was holding a funeral, so naturally there was an endless stream of people coming to pay their respects.
Liang Jinghe had just taken a sip of water and sat down. He looked exhausted after not sleeping all night, and his face seemed paler than the mourning clothes he was wearing.
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister's wife is here to offer condolences!"
"Your Majesty, Madam Mu from the General's Mansion is here to offer her condolences!"
"Your Majesty, the wife of the Duke of Qi is here to offer condolences!"
"My Lord, the wife of Marquis Xuanping is here to offer condolences!"
…
After a while, guests came one after another, and servants came one after another to deliver messages, which really made Liang Jinghe feel indescribably irritated.
"You don't need to reply to me about this matter. Just let someone tell Madam Zhu."
The housekeeper who just walked in heard what he said and advised: "Your Highness, this is probably not appropriate. All the people here are imperial wives. Although Nanny Zhu is honored, she is just a servant in the mansion after all. I'm afraid we have to ask the princess to come forward."
Liang Jinghe rubbed his forehead and realized that what he said was inappropriate. Which family would let servants greet distinguished guests?
"Send someone to invite the princess, and let Nanny Zhu accompany the madam."
However, what he didn't expect was that because there were too many guests and Nanny Zhu had to take care of the affairs of the inner house, she really had no time to accompany Shen Qingxi to meet the guests.
Shen Qingxi has been focusing on learning how to dress, play the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting over the years and has never dealt with such trivial matters. How could she have any experience in dealing with them?
In addition, without any capable people around to give advice, I felt like I was in a fog. Apart from being able to entertain guests in the hall properly, I had no idea how to take care of other things.
Liang Jinghe had even more things to do. Even though he had a capable manager, he was the master who had to take care of all the internal and external affairs, and he was unable to do anything. For a while, the Rui Palace, which had always been well-ordered, gradually showed signs of chaos.
Sometimes there was a shortage of teacups here, and sometimes there was a lack of hosts to accompany the guests in the hall over there. The servants couldn't find the housekeeper, Madam Zhu, so they had no choice but to go look for Liang Jinghe, which made him even more annoyed.
He took a deep breath and suppressed his anger: "Find someone to go to the Shen Mansion to invite Aunt Nine... Forget it, I'll go myself."
Jiang Muqing's ability is well-known in the capital. Now that the Jing'an Marquis Mansion has declined, the only respectable relative left in the capital is her ninth aunt who married into the Shen family.
However, after learning his purpose, Jiang Muqing didn't look happy: "The generations between you and me are a bit messed up. Although I am your aunt, I am still Qingxi's sister-in-law. If I, a woman from the Shen family, go to your Ruiwang Mansion to take charge of things, it will inevitably be criticized if I tell others about it."
"Qingxi's health has not been good since she gave birth. Now she can only barely muster the energy to take care of the guests, but she can't spare the time to take care of other things." Liang Jinghe explained in a humble manner.
Jiang Muqing originally wanted to continue to deliberately make things difficult for him, but she changed her mind when Shen Mofeng shook his head at her. She thought that although she was dissatisfied with Liang Jinghe's actions, her husband felt guilty towards the Rui Palace, so she might as well be a good person for once.