Jiang He's mother was just a small official. Although his family treated him well, the situation was there after all, and he was a man who had never seen the world.
What he loved most in his life was fancy jewelry. He didn't have the conditions before he got married, but after he married into the Eastern Palace, he begged the Princess Crown to give him many precious ornaments, the best of which he treasured in this small box.
The rosewood box had two layers. Jiang He carefully took out the top layer and placed it on the table. Looking down, he saw the second layer filled with neatly arranged small gold nuggets. Roughly counting, there were about thirty or forty of them, each about half the length of a finger.
Jiang He's eyes were almost glued to the gold nuggets. After an unknown amount of time, he revealed a smile that was uglier than crying, and finally gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
There was a half-filled kettle of boiled water on the table. Jiang He picked up the kettle and poured it on his feet. The water hit the wound on his ankle, and the intense pain made it almost impossible for him to hold the kettle steady.
After a while, the kettle was empty, and the pus and blood stuck to Jiang He's feet were washed away.
With trembling hands, he picked up a gold nugget and stuffed it forcefully into his mouth.
Swallowing gold to commit suicide was the most honorable way he could think of to die. His grandfather had died by swallowing gold. The gold, which cannot be digested in the stomach and intestines, would cause a painful death as the intestines melted and the stomach rotted. But his grandfather still chose that way to die.
My mother said that if someone died from swallowing gold, the gold nuggets in their stomach could be taken to the underworld, where they could bribe the underworld officials to ensure a safe rebirth. The pain of swallowing gold to commit suicide was worth it for a better life in the next life.
Jiang He hadn't eaten anything in the first place, and his stomach couldn't be emptier. Now he swallowed several gold nuggets in succession. His face turned pale, and he didn't even have the strength to put the gold nuggets in his hand into his mouth.
At this moment, a noisy voice came from outside the door, and it seemed that someone mentioned "Her Royal Highness." Jiang He's hand was unsteady, and the gold nugget hit the ground with a "bang". A wry smile played on his lips. Even at this time, he was still hallucinating.
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