Chapter 35: Death or Life
"Go call the doctor!"
Qiu Xuan yelled to the person outside the door.
Zhemei hurried into the house and screamed when she saw the tragic scene inside.
"Come and help!"
Qiu Xuan's words calmed Zhemei down quickly. She hurried over and helped Qiu Xuan straighten the old lady's body to prevent her from choking on blood.
"Madam, Madam," Zhemei cried, "You can't die. What will we do if you die?"
Nangong Shao glanced at her and held Qiu Xuan's hand tightly again.
The blood stained Qiuxuan's clothes, leaving shocking marks.
"You can't leave this mess of the Marquis' Mansion to me." Qiu said immediately.
Once the old lady dies, the Yunyang Marquis Mansion will become the anchor of the game between Wu Zhuang and the eldest princess, and the battle for the crown prince will begin from then on.
Gan Tang walked quickly. As soon as the old lady caught her breath, she brought Lu Dongfeng and Youzhen in.
"Mom! What did you do to me?"
Jing Youan saw Qiuxuan covered in blood and shouted angrily, "It's you!"
His eyes were red and he rushed towards Qiu Xuan like a mad bull.
"You killed my mother!"
Qiu Xuan supported Nangong Shao and had no way to escape, so she simply gave up hiding or avoiding.
Unexpectedly, Jing Youzhen stood in front of her and slapped her brother in the face.
“Bang!”
Jing Youan was knocked to the ground, but he still got up and threw himself into Jing Youzhen's arms.
"Why don't you send him out and stop him from making trouble here."
Jing Youzhen sternly ordered the servant who was peeking outside the door.
The servants then came in and coaxed and pulled Jing Youan.
The room was quiet. Lu Dongfeng gave the old lady an acupuncture injection, and soon the old lady's breathing became stable.
"It's hopeless. It's been poisoned. Tell me what's going on."
After Lu Dongfeng finished speaking, he gave up his seat.
Jing Youzhen threw herself into Nangong Shao's arms and burst into tears.
Qiuxuan quietly took a step back and asked Zhemei to call Jing Youan in.
He followed Lu Dongfeng and retreated behind the screen.
Lu Dongfeng looked at Qiu Xuan and raised his eyebrows.
After hearing Feifei's story about Lu Dongfeng's possible origins, Qiu Xuan noticed that her brows were furrowed.
"You killed him?"
"If you can't speak, I can tie you up, put you in a carriage and take you back to Liangzhou to learn again."
Qiu Xuan said angrily in a low voice.
"I guess it's not you." Lu Dongfeng began to search through the boxes and cabinets. "You are quite decisive in saving people. I like that."
As she spoke, she took out a small porcelain bottle from the drawer, opened the lid and shook it.
A strange sweet aroma wafted out.
"She's taking this. There's no hope."
As if to prove Lu Dongfeng's superb medical skills, Jing Youan's heart-wrenching cry was heard outside.
"Congratulations," Lu Dongfeng said softly to Qiu Xuan, "You have finally escaped from the sea of suffering."
Qiu Xuan did not respond to her.
Because Jing Youzhen came in.
Her eyes were red as she stumbled over and held Qiuxuan's hand tightly.
"Mother said she has drafted a letter and asked you to submit it as long as you promise to do what she said."
Jing Youzhen's voice was calm.
"But I know you don't want to stay in the Marquis' Mansion, so I just poured tea on the memorial, and the writing is no longer visible."
She said with a wry smile, "It's no use regretting it now."
"Youzhen." Qiu Xuan said softly, "I will help you."
Jing Youzhen shook her head: "This is the only thing I will do well on my own. I want to prove to Mother that if she expects the Fourth Brother to accomplish something, I can do it too."
Jing Youzhen did what she said, and Nangong Shao's funeral became something completely unrelated to Qiuxuan.
Jing Youzhen read the etiquette book carefully, and excluded Jing Beian from the list of Nangong Shao's biological children on the grounds that Jing Beian's adoption that year did not comply with the rules.
Jing Beian's attitude towards this matter is not even as intense as Jing Youan's.
He and Jing Youzhen seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding. He accepted Jing Youzhen's command, and Jing Youzhen also tacitly allowed him to quietly leave the Marquis' Mansion.
These are what Gan Tang told Qiu Xuan.
Qiu Xuan only showed up on the first day of the funeral and stayed in his own courtyard since then.
Feifei also only showed up once. Unlike Qiuxuan, after the first day's ceremony, the eldest princess took Feifei away on the pretext of protecting her pregnancy.
Perhaps the eldest princess is reconsidering her relationship with the Marquis's Mansion.
Without two regular visitors, Qiuxuan's yard suddenly became deserted.
After a few autumn rains, even her cat refused to run around and meow in the yard. It would just nestle in Qiuxuan's arms every day and sleep intermittently.
Qiu Xuan spends a lot of time every day thinking about Nangong Shao's death.
She used her death to avoid a conflict between Wu Zhuang and the eldest princess for the Marquis' Mansion.
Wu Zhuang spread the story of Queen Lu in order to shake the eldest princess's attitude towards the Marquis' Mansion.
Nangong Shao committed suicide as an explanation to the eldest princess.
As for the remaining people in the Marquis' Mansion, Jing Beian has been in Liangzhou and knows very little about what is happening in Dadu.
Youzhen and Youan are young, so the princess won't take her anger out on them.
Next, only Qiuxuan is left.
Qiu Xuan wondered whether the old lady had saved the Qiu family to atone for her sins or to leave a way out for the Marquis' Mansion.
Now it seems that everything has been successful.
"The one who was originally going to stay was Lao Wu."
Qiuxuan thought of her fifth sister, the quiet and gentle child.
The old lady likes such children, so there shouldn't be so much anger between them.
I just don’t know what would happen if the fifth child knew that the old lady was one of the culprits who caused the separation and death of her family.
Because Qiu Xuan didn't know either. When she heard the imperial edict, her mind went blank. After calming down, she just wanted to find out the truth.
As for how to get along with the old lady in the future, she died before she had time to think about it.
On the night of Nangong Shao's funeral, Qiuxuan's yard welcomed guests again.
Qiuxuan looked at Jing Beian and Youzhen, brother and sister, who were sitting in the flower hall drinking tea.
I can't help but think, wouldn't it be more convenient for you to just call me out?
Jing Youzhen has spent a long time with her after all.
"It was my idea. I thought since we came to ask for your opinion, it would be best if we came over."
"Sister-in-law, we are the only family. Such a big thing should be discussed in a proper place."
Although Jing Youan came, he was very dissatisfied and would complain whenever he got the chance.
"I used to go to my mother's place." Jing Youzhen retorted.
"Sister-in-law, don't listen to her." Jing Youan couldn't convince her sister, so she launched an offensive against Qiu Xuan.
"Mother has told you, the baby in my room is about to be born. When the baby is born, I will bring it to you and register it in your name."
Jing Youan quickly glanced at Jing Beian.
"When you have children in the future, it doesn't matter if you and my second brother live separately. My second brother will return to Liangzhou anyway. You can stay in the Marquis' Mansion, just like when mother was alive. The whole mansion listens to you. We are still a family and can live the carefree life as before."
Jing Youan started to cry as he spoke.
Jing Youzhen clenched her fists and glared at him several times, but was too lazy to talk nonsense with him.
Instead, he said directly to Qiu Xuan:
"I can testify that your marriage to the Marquis is invalid."
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