Chapter 111
Another day passed, and Wang Shuhuai returned to the cabinet. When faced with questions from his subordinates, he still had one word:
"check!"
Prince Xin still had some old subordinates in Xiaoguan, so Wang Shuhuai sent two trusted men to Xiaoguan to take over Prince Xin's troops and search for Prince Xin's whereabouts.
Still nothing.
When Gao Zhan and others came in, they saw him sitting silently in an armchair. He had taken off his official uniform and changed into a moon-white wide-sleeved shirt. His chest was half exposed and there were some water droplets that had not been wiped off. He sat there in a daze, looking like an old monk in his twilight years, but his spirit was like a wandering soul.
Several people saw this and were very sad.
People came into the government office one after another, including Qin Xin, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Gao Zhan, the commander of the Yulin Guard, Li Chengji, the deputy governor of the Southern Army, Leng Shan, and Qi Wei, who was barely rescued from serious injuries.
In their opinion, Wang Shuhuai was doing useless work.
He just refused to accept the fact that Xie Yunchu was gone.
If the investigation continues like this, the imperial court will be in chaos.
The country was founded by Wang Shuhuai, and he still has to make decisions on many matters.
Although he had found time to decide on the candidates for the officials in various departments in his busy schedule these days, the new dynasty had just been established and there were still too many things waiting to be taken care of. The new emperor, remembering Xie Yunchu's outstanding contributions and for Wang Shuhuai's sake, had postponed the coronation ceremony as a tribute to the Prime Minister's wife, but it could not be delayed any longer.
Gao Zhan had the most seniority here and could be considered half of Wang Shuhuai's elder. Everyone winked at Gao Zhan, encouraging him to persuade Wang Shuhuai.
Gao Zhan stroked his forehead and said with gritted teeth,
"Shu Huai, we all know that you are sad, and we feel the same way, but I asked Yining the night she came back, and she didn't think Yun Chu was still alive..."
After hearing this, Li Chengji continued,
"That's right. Chen Yi also told me that she was walking in front and heard it most clearly. Madam Wang's scream came from above the water in the air, not from the shore. She told me with certainty that Madam Wang fell into the water and died..."
After hearing this, Wang Shuhuai did not react at all. His arms rested weakly on the armrests, his neck seemed unable to support his head, and his entire face tilted to one side, looking completely different from the young and vigorous elder in the past.
Seeing that he was indifferent, Gao Zhan continued, "If it was really Prince Xin who did it, there should be some clues in these days. He can't just fly away."
"You've been investigating for so many days, but there's no clue at all, right?"
This was what Wang Shuhuai couldn't figure out no matter how hard he thought. He slowly covered his head, which was tense to the extreme, buried his face in his palms, and let out a very low bitter laugh.
Gao Zhan realized that this man would not give up until he saw the body.
He turned around and walked to the threshold, asking the guards waiting outside,
"Any news from the ferry?"
The search at the ferry has not been stopped these days. It rained in the past two days and the water was turbulent. Mrs. Ming and others were finally persuaded to go back. It has been sunny in the past two days, and the search efforts have been intensified.
The guard shook his head.
Gao Zhan sighed inwardly and was about to turn around when a figure happened to run in from the hall outside. The man had several flags on his back. He was a scout in the city. Gao Zhan saw that his face looked strange and stood at the door waiting for him.
The scout crossed the stone path in front of the gate in one breath, jumped onto the ledge, and came to Gao Zhan, panting unevenly.
"General Gao, we found it on the bank of the river downstream near Tongzhou... we found the young lady's..." The scout was terrified and trembling, not daring to say the rest. Gao Zhan grabbed his collar and asked sternly, "Tell me, what did you find!"
"The young mistress's hand..."
As soon as these words fell, the room suddenly became very quiet.
Gao Zhan was covered in cold sweat. He turned around with difficulty and went to look at Wang Shuhuai.
The man behind the case suddenly sat up straight, his hoarse voice unusually calm,
"Where?"
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, send... send it to the palace."
Wang Shuhuai closed his eyes tightly, as if a hard lump was hurting him. The light in front of his eyes flickered, and his brain seemed to be rusted and he could not react at all. He stood up instinctively, holding the table, and slowly walked out. This time he did not have the energy of yesterday. His steps were light and his steps were unsteady. Lengshan wanted to help him, but he pushed him away.
A quarter of an hour later, everyone followed Wang Shuhuai back to the palace.
Wang Shuhuai came to the study room after being away for half a year.
A group of people were kneeling under the corridor. They were Xia An and others. For fear of disturbing the two children, the servants cried very suppressedly. Their silent and dense cries were like a spider web, which made people feel breathless. Gao Zhan and others felt uncomfortable when they heard it.
Wang Shuhuai walked to the corridor with a dull expression. There was a large brocade box on the stone table in front of the courtyard. The lid of the box was opened, and there was something inside. He walked over step by step, and the scene in the box unfolded in his sight little by little.
The first thing he saw was a white palm, so white that it looked leaden and particularly terrifying. Due to being soaked for several days, it was so swollen that it was unrecognizable. A string of red coral beads was particularly eye-catchingly wrapped around the wrist. The dazzling red instantly pierced his pupils like a silver needle, and the blood mist wrapped around his mind and invaded his limbs.
The whole sky collapsed and pressed down on his heart. The world was spinning and his tiny consciousness was sucked into the black vortex along with the bright red.
Everyone worked together to carry the unconscious Wang Shuhuai into the inner room of the study. Gao Zhan had sent someone to invite the imperial physician to prevent any accidents on the way. The imperial physician arrived in time and took his pulse. He said that the excessive grief had hurt his lungs, and he had fallen into a coma. He had not been sleeping for many days and was in danger of suffocation. He immediately used acupuncture to prick his acupoints to draw out the blood stasis in the acupoints.
While the imperial physician was busy, Gao Zhan left the room, glanced at the brocade box, and came to Xia An to ask her,
"Are you sure it's your daughter's bracelet?"
He was asking about the coral beads, but actually he was referring to the corpse.
Xia An raised her red and swollen eyes. She had gone with the ship that day and had heard the scream clearly. She knew that there was no way the girl would survive. She nodded hesitantly and said, "It was a string of coral beads that Her Royal Highness the Princess gave to my girl. The girl liked it very much and kept it in her hands..."
Xia An glanced at the hand again, closed his eyes in pain, and choked up, "My daughter is left-handed... This hand happens to be the left hand... The calluses on the palm also vaguely match..."
After saying this, he fell to the ground and burst into tears.
I only found one hand, and then I knew that the other bodies had been swallowed by the fish...
Gao Zhan's eyes stung and he took a deep breath.
The news gradually spread in the palace.
The body of the eldest princess has been moved back to the princess's mansion. The court does not allow lavish funeral arrangements. Only some in-laws and old friends come to visit. The Duan family has no one to protect them, and their past affairs are dug up. The eldest master, the eldest son and other male members are all imprisoned, and the female members are imprisoned in the mansion and are not allowed to go out. The third master and the fourth master are together in the princess's mansion to prepare for their mother's funeral.
Wang Yining was also crying in front of the coffin. When he heard that Xie Yunchu's body had been bitten to pieces by fish, he vomited blood and fainted due to the two serious injuries.
The third wife didn't eat anything that day and stayed in bed. The fourth wife was frightened and fell ill.
Zhou Min, who was pregnant, vomited several times and lay on the bed crying bitterly.
"She has been doing good deeds all her life, how could she end up like this? This shouldn't be the case, this shouldn't be the case!"
Xu Shiwei was heartbroken after hearing this. She went to Zhou Min's room and cried with her.
Seeing that everyone had collapsed, Dou Keling forced herself to do the housework.
Only in Ninghe Hall everything remains the same.
Jiang was helpless. Xie Yunchu was gone, but someone still had to take care of the child.
The children from other families were all in mourning for the eldest princess. Jiang detained all her grandchildren in the yard and explained to Sister Ke that their great-grandmother had passed away.
Sister Ke thought of another layer, her eyes reddened as she asked, "What about my mother? Why hasn't she come back yet?"
Jiang's throat choked, and as she looked at her granddaughter who had become thinner, she hugged her in her arms with a distressed look.
"Your grandfather is not well...your mother...your mother won't be back for a while..."
Wang Shuhuai's sword was still stuck in the main hall, and even the Duke did not say a word. Jiang and the second master were terrified and did not dare to tell the child a single word.
As for Xie Hui, he is really no good.
Mrs. Ming fell ill after returning home. Xie Hui, thinking of his wife's hard work, went to visit her with a cane. However, when he walked to a flower corridor, he heard an old woman crying inside. When she mentioned the incident of Xie Yunchu and his sister falling off a cliff, Xie Hui was frightened and hurried back to the study to call the housekeeper to ask about it. The housekeeper knelt in front of him and stammered and told him the truth. Xie Hui spat out a mouthful of blood three feet away and fainted and never woke up again.
After Wang Shuhuai returned to Beijing, the court rehabilitated Xie Hui and conferred him the title of Marquis of Zhongwu. Prince Zhaode was also Xie Hui's student, and he immediately sent the imperial physician to the mansion to treat him. However, after two days of treatment, there was still no improvement. Today at noon, news came that the Xie family was preparing for the funeral.
When Ke Jie heard this, she burst into tears and pulled Jiang out, shouting that she had to go to her grandparents' house to visit her grandfather. Jiang tried to coax her and persuade her for half a day before she finally stopped.
Although some corpses were found, no one in the palace dared to mention holding a funeral for Xie Yunchu. They just waited for Wang Shuhuai to wake up and let him make his own decision. The second master was so angry that he fell ill. Jiang was also disheartened by her son's behavior. After all, they were his biological parents, and his wife was gone, which was not something anyone wanted to see. However, he went crazy and took his anger out on his parents.
But I can only think about this in my heart.
Wang Shuhuai was heartbroken more than death, and the Duke could only defend him in the court. Hearing that several ladies in the mansion were sick and only Jiang was still well, he asked her to be the housekeeper.
Jiang had to take care of the children's affairs and sit in the meeting room as the boss. This was the first time in eight hundred years. Just looking at all the accounts made her dizzy.
At the end of the day, Jiang didn't even have time to drink a cup of tea. She tasted the hardships of the Third and Fourth Madams and felt more sympathetic towards Xie Yunchu.
"When it comes to being capable, Huai's daughter-in-law is the best... With such a big family and so many businesses outside, I don't know how she can take care of it all by herself."
Only then did I feel the same way and shed tears of true love.
This is the seventh day since Xie Yunchu arrived at Cheng Xuan’s former residence.
Xie Yunyou has been concentrating on finding a way out these days, or occasionally creating some trouble for Prince Xin.
Xie Yunchu read a lot of books when he was young. Under the guidance of Xie Hui, he learned some knowledge of astronomy and geography. Through the direction of sunlight and the types of trees here, he judged that they might be located south of the capital and north of the Yangtze River.
I also saw a statue of Zhuge Kongming in Kong Wei's mechanical attic, and I suspected that this was in Nanyang or Xiangyang.
After figuring out the direction, I had a general idea of what was going on.
On this day, Xie Yunyou went to the back mountain to challenge the enemy, while Xie Yunchu sat outside Kong Wei's yard in a daze.
With every day that passed, she became more worried about the safety of her children and parents at home.
Listening to Kong Wei banging away inside, an idea suddenly popped into his mind.
Why was she so easily held hostage by Prince Xin this time?
Isn't it because she has no self-defense skills? It is unlikely for her to practice kung fu at this moment, but she can learn some hidden weapons to protect herself.
Although Kong Wei was focused and acted like a fool most of the time, he was Prince Xin's man after all, so it was impossible for him to be taught how to fish so as to prevent Xie Yunchu from escaping.
Xie Yunchu sat on the small stool behind him and tried to persuade him.
Kong Wei's attic has three floors. The third floor is Mr. Cheng Xuan's study, the second floor is the living area, and the bottom floor displays various weapons and hidden weapons as well as the prototypes of Kongming lanterns.
On this day, Kong Wei was adjusting a mechanism under the Kongming lantern stand. The mechanism was very sophisticated and could be used to control the retraction of the lamp curtain, thereby controlling the speed and height of the lantern. However, the mechanism was very small and had a two-way wheel. Kong Wei had tried several times but failed to adjust it properly.
This was Mr. Cheng Xuan's last work. Kong Wei wanted to remove the mechanism according to the drawings, but unfortunately the two gears were embedded in each other. In order to open them, he had to apply force on both sides at the same time, and the force had to be even and in opposite directions. Kong Wei held a pair of pliers in each hand and always failed when trying to move the gears at the same time.
Xie Yunchu watched for a long time, then asked with a smile,
"How about I give it a try?"
Kong Wei turned around and looked at her in confusion.
"How could you possibly?"
Xie Yunchu raised the corner of his lips, "Why can't I do it? We women are good at needlework, more dexterous than you, and I'm left-handed, maybe I can help you."
When Kong Wei heard that she was left-handed, his expression brightened and he quickly made way.
"Okay, okay, then Miss Xie, come and try it."
Xie Yunchu sat still, "If I can successfully help you remove the mechanism, can you teach me hidden weapons?"
"It's a deal!" Kong Wei said generously.
For the sake of the Kongming lantern, he decisively betrayed Prince Xin.
Kong Wei first demonstrated several times and told Xie Yunchu how to operate it. Xie Yunchu tried several times, and finally helped him to pry open the mechanism smoothly on the fifth time. Kong Wei cried with joy, looking at her with eyes full of eagerness and admiration.
"Girl, you have nothing to do in this farm anyway, how about helping me with the chores every day?"
Xie Yunchu readily agreed. It was wishful thinking to try to persuade Prince Xin to release the people. Xie Yunchu didn't intend to waste her energy on that. Kong Wei became her target. If she could learn some mechanical skills from him, she might be able to get out of Zhuangzi's Five Elements and Eight Diagrams Formation.
Kong Wei kept his word and gave Xie Yunchu a small gourd-like bamboo sculpture.
"Hang this small gourd around your waist. If you encounter danger, you can press the mechanism on the top with your thumb, and silver needles will shoot forward. This is the most practical hidden weapon for women to defend themselves."
Xie Yunchu took it and asked, "Is the silver needle poisonous?"
"Of course they are poisonous. Our villa makes a living by selling these weapons. I only sell one every year, and it is enough for us to eat and drink for a year."
Xie Yunchu: “…” He had the urge to win Kong Wei over.
He excitedly took the hidden weapon out and went to the yard to experiment.
After struggling for a while, he heard steady footsteps behind him. Without saying a word, he turned around and pressed the mechanism.
A large number of silver needles rushed towards Prince Xin. Seeing this, Prince Xin's eyes flashed and he quickly retreated. He waved his wide sleeves to take the silver needles, but some of them still pierced his arms, and his arms soon felt numb. Prince Xin looked at Xie Yunchu helplessly, gritted his teeth and ordered Granny Shen,
"Go get the antidote."
Granny Shen quickly went to Kong Wei to get the antidote. When Kong Wei learned that Prince Xin had been infected, he scratched the back of his head and laughed.
Although Kong Wei obeyed Prince Xin's orders, he was not controlled by Prince Xin.
Prince Xin drank the antidote and felt better.
Xie Yunchu never let him get close to her, and Prince Xin could not force her. This was a lifelong matter, and as long as she was here, she could slowly get used to it. Xie Yunchu sat on a boulder with her back to him, gazing into the distance, and occasionally lowered her head to play with the mechanism, and never said a word to Prince Xin.
Prince Xin found a brocade stool and sat down a few steps away from her. When he left that day, he forcibly took off the coral beads on Xie Yunchu's left wrist. Although he failed in his bid for the throne, he still had some confidants in the capital. That day, he gave the coral beads to his confidants and asked them to help create the illusion of Xie Yunchu's death. Wang Shuhuai was very cunning and it was impossible for him not to connect Yunchu's disappearance with him. In this case, let him look for it first. If he can't find it, then give him a powerful blow and crush Wang Shuhuai's beliefs bit by bit.
With Wang Shuhuai's personality, as long as he confirmed that his wife was dead, he would accept the fact, hold the funeral, and remarry.
After getting better these few days, Prince Xin found some Hetian jade from his private collection and polished a string of beads for Xie Yunchu. Today, the beads have been polished.
"Hey, I'll give you a string of beads."
Xie Yunchu didn't look at him, but his peripheral vision inadvertently caught a glimpse of that warm light.
Suddenly she remembered that Wang Shuhuai had carved a jade hairpin for her.
The color and quality of the jade hairpin were almost exactly the same as Prince Xin's string of beads.
Xie Yunchu couldn't help but move his gaze over there, his dark eyes fixed on the bead in trance.
Thinking back to the day when he gave her the jade hairpin, Qingjun's eyes were clearly filled with anticipation. What did she say at the time? "Second Master is so thoughtful..."
He returned the favor by giving back what he had said.
I felt relieved at the time, but now I think it was a bit childish.
Tears slid down her cheeks unknowingly. Xie Yunchu wiped them away and turned her face away.
Prince Xin looked at her like this, and there was nothing he didn't understand.
"Miss him?" His taut jaw twitched slightly, and the corners of his lips raised in mockery.
"He may not miss you..."
"In his eyes, you are just his wife, not Xie Yunchu, but I am different. Yunchu, I want you as a person..."
"Yeah?"
At this time, a cold snort with a hint of hostility came from behind Prince Xin. Xie Yunyou came over sweating profusely, snatched the string of beads unhappily, and threw it into the bushes beside him. He came to sit on the stone bench under the boulder, glaring at Prince Xin with cold eyes.
"What you want is nothing more than what you have been unable to obtain. You are just picking up the regret of giving up my sister for power."
"No, it's not a regret..." The young new censor wiped the sweat off his forehead, his clear and handsome face covered with a sneer, "It's cowardice, cowardice that can't resist."
"Zhu Yun, you should have had the chance to be with my sister, but you gave up on your own. No one will always wait for you. Why should others accompany you when you want to make up for your regrets?"
All the light in Prince Xin's eyes dimmed.
Wang Shuhuai was heartbroken. He collapsed completely and was in a coma for three days and three nights before waking up. When he opened his eyes, there was a layer of hazy light in his vision. He thought it was late at night and he had just woken up from a serious illness. His body seemed to be stuck in a quagmire and he had no strength to muster. He stared blankly at the void in front of him and his consciousness gradually came back to him.
He subconsciously reached out his slender arm to his side, but found nothing. There was no sign of Xie Yunchu. His breathing suddenly became rapid, and sweat broke out from his pores.
Turning around, I touched a low bed rail.
His body suddenly shook. This was not the bed he was familiar with, but his study.
Before long, the most familiar study room had made him feel uneasy. He was eager to return to Chunjingtang, to the place where she was...
The person just fell off the bed.
Hearing the noise, people outside rushed in.
Lengshan and Minggui quickly helped him up from both sides.
Wang Shuhuai was half-sitting on the bed when he saw a ball of white light flickering in the direction of the window.
"What time is it?"
The voice was like torn silk, hoarse and sticky.
Minggui looked at his emaciated face and choked up, "At noon..."
Wang Shuhuai’s forehead exploded.
He couldn't see clearly...
He stared at the light dully, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.
Never mind, it doesn’t matter if I can’t see clearly.
It's better than not being able to find her.
Minggui heard his voice was too heavy and handed him a glass of water.
Seeing that Wang Shuhuai had no reaction, Lengshan took the food and passed it to his mouth.
"Master, please drink some ginseng soup."
Wang Shuhuai swallowed a mouthful of the warm ginseng soup along the edge of the cup. His cold internal organs were soothed. He slowly exhaled and said weakly, "Help me go to Chunjing Hall."
Minggui thought he wanted to see the child, and hurriedly said, "Madame Lin has been ill these days, Chunqi and Xia An are not feeling well either, and the Second Madam is worried, so she took the children to Ninghe Hall. If you want to see your brother and sister, you have to go there."
Only then did Wang Shuhuai remember his two children.
These past few days, he had been feeling very tense, with Xie Yunchu all on his mind. He hadn't even thought of his two children. Guilt and sadness were mixed together, and bloodshot eyes were flashing.
Leng Shan saw that his eyes were covered with bloodshot and his pupils were lifeless, and he felt something was wrong.
"Second Master, are your eyes uncomfortable? Can you see clearly?"
Wang Shuhuai shook his head and said, "Help me go to Ninghe Hall."
Fearing that his current appearance would scare the two children, he paused and said, "Bring me a bowl of porridge."
Minggui cried with joy and ran to the kitchen.
The imperial physician had already asked Nanny Gui to prepare medicinal food. Now that Wang Shuhuai was willing to eat, he immediately scooped out a bowl of food and put it in a food box and handed it to Minggui. Minggui carried the food box and returned to the study room at a brisk pace. Inside the room, Imperial Physician Fan, who had heard the news, was already checking Wang Shuhuai's pulse. When he heard that he was blind, he sighed,
"You've overworked yourself. Besides, you're so impatient that your liver is so angry that you won't get better in a short time. I'll prescribe some heat-clearing and detoxifying medicine for you to wash your eyes with, and then try taking a few cups of medicine."
Wang Shuhuai didn't take it seriously. After drinking the medicinal porridge, he got up and went to the backyard.
Minggui naturally served him and blindfolded Wang Shuhuai to prevent the strong light from irritating his eyes.
I supported him all the way to Ninghe Hall,
Xie Yunchu's remains were found, and it was reasonable to hold a funeral. Since Wang Shuhuai didn't speak, no one dared to ask.
Minggui sighed in his heart and didn't dare to say a word.
Wang Shuhuai walked for a while and suddenly stopped, "Where is the half of the skeleton?"
Minggui hurriedly replied, "In the wing room of Chunjing Hall," and then he said carefully, "They are all waiting for your instructions..."
Wang Shuhuai stood under the corridor without moving, looking in the direction of Chunjing Hall based on his memory. The hot midday sun poured down, but it could not dispel the gloomy aura around him. There was a breeze blowing, and he seemed to hear her silver bell-like laughter coming over the wall.
It has been half a year since he and her last saw each other.
We agreed that we would live in peace and prosperity in the future, but she is gone.
The ghost-crafted ball he had carved and the Shu brocade he had personally selected for her would never be given to her again.
A line of blood and tears slid down from the gauze.
Wang Shuhuai raised his head, sneered, and swallowed back his tears.
So what if it’s just a piece of hand bone?
Can't prove it was her.
The more perfectly something is done, the more suspicious it is.
Why was it exactly the left hand? Everyone knew that she was left-handed. If Prince Xin wanted to make him give up, he might make a fuss about it.
He didn't know whether it was because he had always been strong-willed and never accepted his fate easily, or if there was some mysterious feeling, but even though everyone told him that Yun Chu was gone... he still didn't believe it. He would keep looking for her in this life. As long as he was alive, she would be alive, forever and ever.
When he died, the couple held the funeral together.
His bony cheek tilted to the side, and the fir tree immediately jumped down from the tree trunk and came to his side.
"What do you want, Master?"
Wang Shuhuai said indifferently, "Bring all the documents and reports related to Prince Xin here. I want to read them one by one."
"Including his close associates, their origins, hometowns, resumes, and their ethnic groups. Don't make any mistakes or omissions."
"I understand." Leng Shan bowed.
"Remove all checkpoints and stop surface search and rescue."
Since you have decided not to hold a funeral, you have to give an explanation.
Wang Shuhuai thought about it and said,
"It was announced to the public that the lady and the young uncle were found. At that time, the young uncle was protecting the lady on a small boat. The thieves threw rocks at the boat. The lady was hit and screamed. As for the young uncle, he was poisoned and unconscious. Two days later, the boat was washed up the mountain river by the waves and was found by a young lady from a hunter's family. The lady hit her head on a rock and became blind. She needs to rest well and should not see outsiders."
This speech not only explained why the brother and sister had not been found for many days, but also foreshadowed that it would be inappropriate for people to visit them later. As for the so-called bones found, he refused to acknowledge them at all.
Minggui stared at him blankly, his chest beating, unable to utter a word.
Forget it, doesn’t the Second Master just want a hope now? With such a hope, maybe he can get better soon.
Fir did as he was told.
Wang Shuhuai came to Ninghe Hall in a daze. He vaguely heard a child crying and his heart twitched. He dragged his stiff steps through the hall. At this moment, a harsh voice came from inside the room that was particularly harsh.
"Don't cry, second sister-in-law. She's gone. I don't think she was very filial to you. Now that she's gone, wait a year and then you can pick a good and docile wife for Huai'er to marry, and you can enjoy a peaceful life..."
The person who spoke was Liu from the Nan Mansion. Some time ago, her wife Jin passed away and her son was beaten half to death. She had a lot of resentment towards Xie Yunchu in her heart. When she heard that Xie Yunchu fell off the cliff, she cursed him inwardly, saying that he deserved it, and then she came to Jiang to show her courtesy.
After hearing this, Jiang wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and sighed.
"Hey, let's not talk about this now. He will definitely remarry. Let's talk about it in a year at least. He is injured now and even refuses to hold a funeral. The Duke dare not say a word, let alone us. A son is no longer under the control of his mother. Let him be."
In addition to Liu, there were several other relatives sitting in the room.
In the past few days, people came to the palace from time to time to inquire about the news. Some of them were sincerely sad for Xie Yunchu, and some heard that the position of the Prime Minister's wife was vacant, so they came to show their faces in front of Jiang, to get close to her, and to please her.
Jiang knew it very well.
As soon as Xie Yunchu died, some of the aristocratic families in the capital heard the news and set their sights on the Prime Minister's wife, who was a popular commodity.
Liu then said, "Even so, you still have to prepare in advance, consider their character and temperament beforehand, and let them get close to Sister Ke and Brother Yu, so that you won't have to worry about them later."
Jiang was so busy with household chores these days that she was overwhelmed. She waved her hand and said, "Let's talk about it later. There's no rush. Take your time..."
Wang Shuhuai felt as if thousands of arrows pierced his heart when he heard these words.
Remarry?
Get a woman to take her place?
Let Sister Ke and Brother Wei call that person mother?
absurd!
He doesn't want anyone else, he only wants Xie Yunchu. Even if it's just a piece of bones or a strand of hair, it can only be Xie Yunchu!
Wang Shuhuai's chest was boiling with anger. He waved away Minggui's hand and tore off the gauze covering his eyes. A thick and hazy light appeared in front of his eyes.
He was an expert in Kung Fu, and could tell the direction even if he couldn't see clearly. He strode through the door with all his strength, and looked up. There was a group of beautiful women gathered in the room. He couldn't see their faces clearly, nor could he recognize who they were. He only vaguely saw a figure standing beside his mother Jiang, with his sleeves rolled up, smiling and muttering non-stop.
Wang Shuhuai rushed over with a cold face and grabbed her throat.
"Hmm..." All of Liu's voice was cut off in an instant. She was lifted up by him like a puppet. Her eyes suddenly widened, her pupils turned white, and she fluttered in the air with her teeth and claws bared.
“Mmmm…” She looked at Wang Shuhuai in horror, shaking her head hard with her swollen face, pleading. Wang Shuhuai fixed his gaze in the direction of Jiang and threw her hard.
Liu's body was thrown to the ground like a rag, foaming at the mouth and fainting.
All the women present were so frightened by this scene that their souls left their bodies.
Jiang looked at her gloomy son as if she was looking at a devil returning from hell. Her slender body slid halfway down from the armchair.
"Huai'er, you...how did you become like this?"
These days, she heard that Wang Shuhuai was ill, and wanted to go and take care of her son in person, but was stopped outside the study. This was the first time she saw her son in half a year. His face was haggard and his eyes were like bloody holes. Only then did she realize how much of a blow Xie Yunchu's death had been to him.
Wang Shuhuai's face was grim and terrifying.
"Why do you associate with such a person?"
Jiang shivered and shook her head, "No, Huai'er, I didn't mean that..."
Wang Shuhuai smiled lightly. Over the years, he had repeatedly advised his parents to behave themselves and shoulder the responsibility of the family. However, they only sought enjoyment, did things without thinking, and made friends with people who were not up to par.
Never mind. There is no point in saying more.
Wang Shuhuai said woodenly,
"Madame Ming, pack your bags and send the master and his wife back to their hometown in Qingzhou today to enjoy their old age."
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