Watching the old man vomiting blood and fainting, Jiang Yushu was stunned and ran away.
"Father!" Guo Honglei was terrified and rushed forward to support him. The servants hurried over and carried the man into the house in a hurry.
Fortunately, the Guo family had been prosperous for over a hundred years, and there was a doctor among the family's sons. Fortunately, the imperial envoy did not confiscate the common and inexpensive medicinal materials. After the doctor used all his skills to diagnose and treat the patient, he was able to barely keep the old patriarch alive.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Marquis Jingyang didn't have much time left, and was even on his deathbed, but no one dared to show any sign of abnormality.
The room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone gathered around the bed. Wang was filled with worry, her face was wooden, her eyes were red and swollen, but she showed no tears.
Jiang Shisen hadn't left yet, his left hand behind his back, his right twirling his beard, as if lost in thought. Father and daughter were so close, Jiang Yushu's eyes drifted towards her father from time to time, her mind quietly turning.
"Would you like some water?" After his elder brother passed away, the second son became the eldest. Guo Honglei always tried his best to restrain himself and never showed any sign of dejection.
Marquis Jingyang had no feeling in his limbs. He shook his head with difficulty, his gray hair disheveled, his eyes cloudy, and he was dying. He glanced at the bedside, frowned, and asked in confusion, "Why hasn't Huilan come back yet?"
Huilan? Jiang Yushu thought: It must refer to the only legitimate daughter of the Guo family, the daughter of a marquis.
Guo Honglei's expression changed slightly, but he remained calm and replied respectfully, "My sister is pregnant and it's inconvenient for her to travel—"
Unexpectedly, the extremely disappointed Wang interrupted, "A daughter who's married off is like spilled water! When we were prosperous, the Feng family was always eager to get close to us, begging us to marry Huilan. But when we fell on hard times, our son-in-law disappeared, and even our daughter hid away!"
"Oh? Oh." Marquis Jingyang closed his eyes sadly.
Guo Honglei winked at his mother disapprovingly, but insisted, "Sister must be late because of mobility issues. She might arrive later. You should rest first. I'll ask my father-in-law to go to the study to discuss a few matters with the relatives."
"Wait." Marquis Jingyang looked pale, but his eyes gradually became clear.
Guo Honglei knelt on the footstool, bowed and asked, "What are your instructions?"
"From now on," Marquis Jingyang opened his eyes and looked at his second son, full of hope, and said word by word, "This family will be handed over to you. All major matters of the Guo family will be decided by you."
Guo Honglei accepted the order in a critical moment. He straightened his back and replied solemnly, "Father has entrusted me with this. I obey your command and will do my best to take care of my family from now on!"
"Your eldest brother is such a loser. He's squandered our family fortune and brought disaster upon the entire family. I, your father, can only teach him a lesson in my grave." After scolding his eldest son, Marquis Jingyang looked lovingly at his second son, who he was always proud of, and encouraged him, "The days ahead will surely be difficult. Lei'er, you must endure hardship and become the pillar of support to hold up the Guo family."
"I understand, kid." Guo Honglei's eyes were hot and his nose was sour.
Jiang Yushu stared intently, noticing that the light in the patient's eyes gradually dimmed, and she was helpless.
Marquis Jingyang stiffened his neck and gasped, then looked at Jiang Shisen and said apologetically, "My dear relative, I'm so sorry. Your eldest daughter just came into our family yesterday and she didn't enjoy any happiness at all, but now she has to suffer with Honglei."
"Alas." Jiang Shisen sighed and said helplessly, "There are unexpected changes in the world, and people are subject to misfortunes and blessings at any time. Who can predict it? It seems that this is also Yushu's inevitable disaster."
"After all, it was the Guo family that implicated her." Marquis Jingyang panted intermittently and glanced at his second daughter-in-law.
Jiang Yushu understood and stepped forward quickly. After a moment's hesitation, she knelt on the footrest like her husband and asked softly, "What do you want, sir?"
Marquis Jingyang had a kind face and said gently, "I'm sorry to have wronged you. Now that things have come to an end, I hope you and Honglei can live a good life and don't do anything stupid again."
Ahem, they mentioned suicide again! The young couple stood shoulder to shoulder, Jiang Yushu looking straight ahead, saying solemnly, "Please rest assured, elders. I swear: I will never commit suicide again!"
"Okay, that's good." Marquis Jingyang nodded with satisfaction.
Jiang Shisen lectured him unhappily, "Remember what you just said! Your body and hair are given by your parents, so you are not allowed to act recklessly!"
"My daughter remembers it."
Marquis Jingyang slowly exhaled, finally looking towards his wife. Patiently, he spoke earnestly, "Honglei is the head of the family, but a man's ambition lies in his future. You should be the one to teach Ah Zhe, Xuan'er, and Yu'er. Remember, 'If jade is not polished, it will become a useful object.' Raising Hongyao has already brought hardship to the entire family. Don't let another prodigal son come along."
Just as Jiang Yushu was curiously wondering who "Azhe" was, her mother-in-law, Mrs. Wang, became furious and demanded, "Even now, Lord Marquis is still blaming me? That unworthy bastard Yao'er is still lying in Tingsong Tower. If you're so angry, how about I go and beat him up?"
"You, you--" Marquis Jingyang was so angry that his eyes widened and bulged. He stiffened his neck and raised his chin, then his head suddenly hit the pillow. He died and his soul returned to the west.
"Father!"
"My Lord?"
"Someone, call the doctor!"
…
Moments later, wails erupted from the bedside, and upon hearing the tragic news, servants and relatives wept for the old master. The Jingyang Marquisate, already plagued by confiscations, was enveloped in a cloud of mourning, a scene of profound desolation.
At night, a coffin appeared in the mourning hall of Tingsong Tower.
Faced with a huge change, everyone cried and cried until their throats were dry and their eyes were swollen and they could no longer cry.
Several concubines were mourning and sobbing, some from the Marquis of Jingyang and some from the Crown Prince.
The younger generations knelt around two gold ingot basins, some sobbing and some remaining silent. Everyone held a stack of paper money and kept filling the basins with it to burn. The hall was filled with smoke and the strong, turbid smell of incense and candles was pungent.
"Cough, cough, cough."
"Ahem—ahem—ahem!"
The coughing sound continued, but it did not come from Jiang Yushu, but from a thin young man.
"Third brother, I see you look rather unwell. Why don't you go back to your room and rest for a while?" Jiang Yushu kindly advised. She had observed him for a long time and made inquiries, confirming that Guo Hongzhe, the third son of the Guo family, was born with a heart condition.
Guo Hongzhe was fair and handsome, frail and timid, his lips and fingertips a pale purple, clearly suffering from an attack. Upon hearing this, he quickly shook his head, subconsciously glancing at his stepmother, and replied politely, "Thank you, second sister-in-law, for your concern, but I can still hold on. I don't need to rest."
"Hmph!" Wang sat cross-legged on the low couch, originally beating a wooden fish to chant sutras. After hearing the concubine's reply, the wooden fish's "knock knock knock" suddenly changed to "dong". She shouted angrily: "Even if you can't hold on, you have to hold on! Since you were born, you have been ill every winter and spring. I don't know how many precious medicinal herbs the mansion has painstakingly searched for, and the Marquis has even sought out famous doctors. But when the family was in great turmoil, you hid in the room all day and didn't even make it in time to see the Marquis for the last time. Hongzhe, tell me yourself, a son like you, what kind of son are you?"
"My child, my child..." Guo Hongzhe's eyes instantly filled with tears. He felt ashamed and regretful, his lips turning increasingly purple. He choked back his tears and replied, "My child is unfilial. I deserve to die. Please punish me, mother."
Jiang Yushu couldn't bear to see this and opened her mouth to persuade him, but someone else spoke first:
"Mom! Third brother is in poor health and has been ill for half a month. It's not like he is hiding on purpose." Guo Hongxuan is the youngest son and has never been afraid of his mother.
"Who asked you a question?" Wang turned her head and gently scolded her youngest son, "Focus on burning paper and don't talk too much."
Guo Hongxuan responded dejectedly with an "Oh".
The eldest daughter-in-law, Wang Qiaozhen, had a blank expression on her face and ignored everyone as she threw piles of paper money into the basin. When Jiang Yushu saw this, she silently used a chopping board to pick out and shake out the paper money.
Wang was still angry and stared at the sickly illegitimate son with a sharp gaze.
The sickly young man was trembling with fear, not daring to breathe.
Jiang Yushu watched for a moment, but couldn't bear it anymore. She stood up, poured a cup of tea, and brought it forward, saying:
"You've been chanting for a long time, you must be thirsty, would you like a cup of tea to moisten your throat?"
Wang held her head high with dignity, reaching out to take the tea. Her mood calmed down a bit, and she drank half a cup. She changed her previous attitude of constantly saying, "You're a troublemaker, get out of the Guo family!" and slowly asked, "Jiang, I'm afraid you despise the Guo family now that it's in such decline. Isn't that right?"
Jiang Yushu was stunned, shook her head, and thought to herself: I just arrived and haven't seen the whole appearance of the Marquis' Mansion, but it has been confiscated by the court... Glory and wealth are like a dream. Before I can take it seriously, I was awakened by the imperial edict.
Wang warned coldly, "Whether you dislike me or not, you married Hong Lei yesterday. You are his in life and his in death. Don't even think about escaping!"
"When did I escape?" Jiang Yushu was confused.
Wang replied in disgust, "If you hang yourself again, it will be considered escaping with death!"
Jiang Yushu suddenly realized and said calmly: "I have already sworn that I will live well."
At this time, Guo Honglei returned from seeing off the guests and saw his wife standing beside his mother, who looked furious. He glanced again and saw his frail third brother kneeling, burning paper, and wiping his tears with his sleeves.
He immediately frowned, strode into the mourning hall, and announced loudly, "Mother, I have already discussed it with the relatives. Due to the emergency, we are forced to keep everything simple. We have decided to hold the wake tomorrow and the funeral the day after tomorrow. Then we will pack up and set off north to Xicang."
"Alas." Wang was exhausted. She waved her hand and said tiredly, "The Marquis asked you to take charge of the family before he died. I really don't have the energy to take care of these things. You should discuss it with your relatives."
"Yes." Guo Honglei urged, "The funeral will be held the day after tomorrow. I will be on guard tonight. You all go back and rest, and we will continue the guard tomorrow night."
Wang shook her head in dissatisfaction. "How can this be? The funeral is already extremely simple and unconventional. We should observe it as long as possible."
Guo Honglei explained, "We'll be exiled in three days. What will become of this roomful of old, weak, women, and children if they become ill? In my opinion, filial piety and grief are both in the heart. My father and eldest brother's spirits in heaven will surely understand our family's difficulties."
"this……"
"Besides," Jiang Yushu stepped forward and helped persuade: "Yu'er was frightened today and really needs your and sister-in-law's company. Go and comfort him."
Guo Honglei glanced at his wife with appreciation.
"That's right. Yu'er is just a little kid, he must be terribly frightened." Wang was worried about her grandson, so she called her eldest daughter-in-law and said, "In that case, Qiaozhen, let's go and see Yu'er."
Wang Qiaozhen said nothing and just threw paper money into the basin.
Guo Honglei ordered, "Come here, help the old lady and the eldest young lady back to their rooms."
"yes."
In a blink of an eye, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were taken away.
As soon as her mother-in-law left, Jiang Yushu immediately said to the patient, "Third brother, you should go back to your room and rest!"
"Azhe, didn't I tell you not to keep watch?" Guo Honglei, tall and strong, picked up one of his brothers with one hand, "I'll guard here, you two can rest for a while."
Guo Hongzhe's eyes were red, his lips were blue and purple, he covered his chest and stammered, "I'm not tired, I'll stay with my second brother."
"I'm not tired either." The chubby Guo Hongxuan yawned continuously.
Guo Honglei said without hesitation: "Alright, no more words, go back to your room!"
The two young men looked at each other, and finally obeyed, bowing and saying goodbye: "Well, second brother, second sister-in-law, we will go down first."
Jiang Yushu waved to her brother-in-law.
The next moment, Xiao Tao arrived with a large food box, "Young Madam, it's time to take your medicine."
"Ah? Ouch, I forgot." Jiang Yushu was exhausted. She sat down on the low couch and pounded her legs which were numb from kneeling.
"Are you tired?" Xiao Tao opened the food box and handed over the warm medicine.
Jiang Yushu thanked him and took it, drinking it all in one gulp. She said sincerely, "Thank you for your hard work. The house is a mess, and I have to trouble you to boil the medicine on time."
Xiao Tao skillfully prepared some porridge and side dishes, glancing at Guo Honglei, who was kneeling on the ground burning paper. "This is the Second Young Master's order. I only need to serve you food and medicine. It's not hard work."
Jiang Yushu couldn't help but feel warm in her heart, "Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten. Thank goodness the people who raided our house didn't touch the kitchen, otherwise everyone would have starved."
Jiang Yushu turned sideways and asked her husband, "How about you? Have you had dinner yet?"
Guo Honglei was concentrating on burning paper, immersed in sorrow and unable to extricate himself.
"Second Young Master," Xiao Tao took the opportunity to step closer, pursed her lips, and said softly, "Young Madam asked if you had dinner yet?"
Guo Honglei turned and looked at his wife.
"If you haven't used it yet, come and eat something. Don't starve yourself." Jiang Yushu handed the chopsticks to the other party, "Hurry up."
Guo Honglei had been busy since yesterday, his hungry stomach filled with worry. But when the young couple's eyes met, he involuntarily stood up. When he came to his senses, he was already seated, with a pair of chopsticks pressed into his hand.
Jiang Yushu was so hungry that she blurted out, "Eat, don't be polite," and then drank the porridge mouthful after mouthful.
I'm in my own home, why should I be so polite? Guo Honglei was speechless and didn't respond, just quietly eating.
Not long after, when Jiang Yushu had eaten and drunk her fill and was sipping tea, she realized that Xiaotao was serving Guo Honglei personally: serving porridge, soup, picking up dishes, passing handkerchiefs...she was attentive to him in every possible way.
She suddenly remembered that when they first met, Xiaotao claimed that she "came to serve on the orders of the old lady."
Take care of me? What about before me?
Of course, it is to serve the second young master.
Not only Xiaotao, but also Juaner and Biyue are in my memory.
Are these three ordinary maids? Or maids who only serve in one's bedroom?
Jiang Yushu pondered for a moment, then asked calmly, "Where's my father?"
"He's gone back to the Jiang Mansion. He has to go to court tomorrow morning." Guo Honglei put down his chopsticks, took the wet towel to wipe his hands, then took the tea to rinse his mouth. He behaved calmly, as if he was used to it.
Xiaotao quickly cleared the dishes and knelt to take her leave.
Jiang Yushu remained calm and asked again, "When will my father come again?"
"My father-in-law has taken the initiative to ask for help in reporting the news of our father's death. He will let me know as soon as he gets a reply."
Jiang Yushu thought for a moment and asked nervously, "Will it be dangerous to do that?"
"Don't worry, we've discussed this beforehand." Guo Honglei looked closely at the bruise on his wife's throat. "You're injured. Go back to your room and rest. Regain your strength."
Jiang Yushu nodded, "Well, I'll sit for a while and digest the food."
"It's up to you." After saying that, Guo Honglei knelt down and burned paper, deciding to stay awake all night to show his filial piety.
After a busy day, Jiang Yushu was exhausted, tears welling up in her eyes. She closed her eyes, leaning against the pillow, and asked softly, "Third and fourth brothers, how old are you?"
"We are both fourteen years old, but my third brother is two months older."
Jiang Yushu was half asleep and half awake when she spoke bluntly, "I think Third Brother's body is really weak."
Guo Honglei sighed, "It's natural. Azhe inherited his illness from his aunt."
"Auntie?" Jiang Yushu struggled to open her eyelids. "Which auntie?"
Guo Honglei replied in a low voice: "Auntie Li has been dead for ten years."
"Alas, poor thing, it's probably a hereditary heart disease," Jiang Yushu sighed with pity. She curled up in a corner of the low couch, her consciousness gradually fading as she muttered, "The Marquis's family lives a life of luxury, and Azhe is often ill. How could he have walked three thousand miles? He definitely can't hold on. We must, we must find a way."
"Do you have a solution? Tell me about it." Guo Honglei waited for a while, turned his head and saw that his wife had fallen into a deep sleep, looking very cute in her sleep.
Guo Honglei stared for a while, then involuntarily stood up and walked towards the couch again.
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