Chapter 154: The Messenger

The news from Song Yichun soon reached Song Mo's ears.

"Mr. Tao?" Song Mo smiled with a hint of sarcasm and told Xia Lian, "Send someone to deliver these letters."

Some were given to the third princess, some to the Lu family, and some to Zhang Xuming, the third master of the Jingguo Mansion, Ma Youming, the deputy general of the Shenji Camp, and others.

Xia Lian responded and left.

Song Han was accompanied by Li Bai to pay his respects to Song Mo.

"Brother, you stay at home and recover," he said sensibly, "I will go to keep vigil for mother."

Song Mo pondered and said, "There are still three days left, and it will be the 37th day of mother's death, right?"

Song Han nodded.

The funeral period is seven days, and sacrifices must be held on the seventh day.

Song Mo is the eldest son, so he should be the main priest.

If he was really beaten and unable to move as his father wished, and his mother was very sad, as he was the eldest son and was not present, what would his relatives and friends think?

Song Mo sneered and asked Song Han in a gentle voice: "Have you had breakfast?"

"I have." Song Han said obediently, "I had stir-fried vegetables, pickled eggplant, vegetarian buns, and a big bowl of noodles for breakfast."

This is what he would answer whenever Jiang asked him.

Song Mo was about to cry when he heard this.

He sent Li Bai away and whispered to Song Han, "I was not at home when mother died. Can you tell me about her?" He looked full of admiration.

Song Han did not doubt him, wiped his eyes and choked up, "Not long after you left, mother fell ill. At first, she was just weak, and gradually she couldn't get out of bed. Father invited Yang Xiushan to treat mother, but after taking several doses of his medicine, there was no improvement, so father changed to Huang Zhongli, and mother's illness became worse. It happened that the queen came to visit mother and recommended Ren Suming. Mother changed to Ren Suming's prescription, but it didn't work, so father decided to change to Yang Xiushan..."

Huang Zhongli and Ren Chongming are both world-famous doctors. One is used to treating the emperor, and the other is used to treating the empress. Huang Zhongli is also the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau. If there was any problem with Yang Xiushan's prescription, it is impossible for the two of them to be unaware of it. It is also impossible for his father to let three imperial doctors prescribe medicine according to his will at the same time.

In other words, my mother is really sick...

Song Mo pondered and asked Song Han: "My mother is sick, who is taking care of her by her bed?"

"It's me." Song Han said, "Zhu Jun and Qing Li took turns to help mother boil medicine, and I served by the bed." At this point, he smiled as if he remembered something interesting, "It turns out that mother is afraid of bitterness just like me. Every time she takes medicine, if she doesn't add a lot of rock sugar, she will eat maltose." As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears, "Every year during the Spring Festival, mother would make new clothes for me by hand, and give me gold beans as New Year's money..."

He cried out "Wow".

Song Mo's eyes also became moist.

He used a handkerchief to wipe his brother's tears: "Okay, Tian'en, don't cry! From now on, I will give you gold beans as New Year's money, and let..." Who can make new clothes for Song Han instead of his mother? He is not married yet... The image of Dou Zhao squatting in the flower field digging chrysanthemums suddenly appeared in my mind.

Generous, natural, not surprised by honor or disgrace... If it were her, how would she comfort her brother?

Before Song Mo had time to think about it, the thought flashed through his mind.

He coaxed Song Han: "Brother, let Li Bai make new clothes for you, okay?"

"I don't want new clothes!" Song Han sobbed, "I want my mother... I want my mother..."

Song Mo looked gloomy and wiped Song Han's tears silently.

Song Han cried for a while, and then he calmed down. He said to Song Mo, "Brother, I don't want new clothes or gold beans anymore."

These few words made Song Mo feel even more sad.

He patted his brother's hand gently.

The two brothers looked at each other in silence for a while, and then Song Mo asked softly: "Did mother tell you anything before she died?"

Song Han shook his head: "Before my mother died, she couldn't speak anymore!"

Song Mo was stunned.

My mother was a strong person throughout her life. Even if she couldn't speak before her death and was bedridden before that, there should have been arrangements made. It was impossible for the two brothers to just leave like that without saying anything to them.

"What's going on?" He couldn't help but get furious. Even though he knew he shouldn't lose his temper in front of his brother and tried his best to suppress this emotion deep in his heart, the anger in his eyes still scared Song Han.

"That day, the weather was good. Aunt Xie brought the maids and made a lot of osmanthus cakes..." He stammered, "Dad accompanied mother to sit under the veranda to appreciate the chrysanthemums. I ran to help Aunt Xie serve the osmanthus cakes. When we came back, Dad and mother had stern faces and didn't speak. Mother reluctantly ate a bite of osmanthus cake and said that the weather was a bit cold, so she asked Li Bai to take me back to change clothes... I knew they must have something to say and didn't want me to hear. I walked halfway and turned back... Aunt Xie and the servants around mother were standing in the yard... I ran to the veranda when Aunt Xie was not paying attention... Mother and Dad were arguing... It was so fierce! Before I could hear clearly, Aunt Xie hugged me under the grape trellis... Aunt Xie also told me that no one could tell about the quarrel between mother and father..." When he said this, he looked at Song Mo in horror, "Brother, I didn't tell anyone!"

It was as if a huge wave hit Song Mo and chilled him to the bone.

He knew that his brother needed comfort at this time, but he really couldn't laugh.

He patted Song Han's head hastily and asked in a deep voice, "What happened next?"

"Later, Li Bai took me back to the house," Song Han hung his head, tears falling on his green bat-toe shoes, "Later, Qing Li came to call me and said that my mother was dying and asked me to go quickly... When I ran over, I saw my mother spitting out large mouthfuls of blood..." He leaned on the head of Song Mo's bed, sobbing uncontrollably, "My father went forward, but was pushed away by my mother..."

Song Mo's eyes were blurred.

It turned out that the mother died of vomiting blood after quarreling with my father!

What caused such a big rift between mother and father?

Could it be related to my uncles?

He thought about it carefully and rejected the idea.

The matter of the uncles has been settled and has not harmed the interests of the Song family. My mother is an understanding person. Even if my father did not try his best to help or even acted perfunctorily when my uncles were in trouble, my mother would not blame him for it - my father represents the Duke of England's Mansion, and the Duke of England's Mansion has always followed the Emperor's lead. My mother knows this very well, and it is impossible for her to be so angry that she vomits blood and dies because of this matter.

Does this incident have anything to do with being framed?

What could make a father murder his eldest son whom he had carefully raised?

If only I knew why my mother and father quarreled?

Now that Nanny Xie is gone, those senior maids have become the key!

Although they were standing in the yard when their mother and father were arguing, Song Han said that their mother and father were arguing so fiercely that they should have been able to hear some of the conversation. It was also these maids who framed her and forced her to rape. If you say there is no connection between the two, I'm afraid no one will believe it!

Now he acted as if he was going to fight to the death and wrote several letters to the Third Princess and others, asking them to help him smooth out the relationship and meet the Emperor as soon as possible. If his father did not have a solid reason, he might not be able to pass the test in front of the Emperor. I believe my father is also very clear about this. Otherwise, his father would not have hurriedly summoned Tao Qizhong to go back when forcing him failed.

Once my father decides to compromise, in order to avoid being caught, he will definitely silence those "witnesses" who have come to him in order to frame him or have been bribed by him.

At that time, he only needs to send people to keep a close eye on his father's men, and he will be able to find the whereabouts of those maids.

Thinking of this, Song Mo felt it necessary to give his subordinates a few more words of advice.

After comforting Song Han, he called a few guards to escort Song Han and Li Bai to the mourning hall, then called Xia Lian in and told him to send someone to find the maids around Jiang.

Xia Lian replied respectfully, "Yes." A guard came in and said, "Mr. Tao wants to see you!"

Song Mo didn't even raise his eyelids and said lightly, "No see."

Tao Qizhong outside the house seemed to have known the answer long ago. Before the guard turned around, he shouted, "My Lord, there are no parents who are not right in the world. You can kill those guards, but you should calm down. In a few days, it will be the 37th day after the death of Madam. The dead are the most important. You can't let Madam be uneasy after death, right? This time, I am here on the order of the Duke to discuss the 37th day after the death of Madam with you. No matter how angry or resentful you are, for the sake of Madam, you should let it go for a few days. What do you think?"

Song Mo felt a heart-wrenching pain when he heard this.

Even now, his father is still taking advantage of his respect for his mother...

He took a few deep breaths to steady his voice so that it wouldn't go out of tune.

"Come in!" Song Mo said calmly to the figure outside the window.

Tao Qizhong hurriedly and respectfully bowed towards Song Mo's inner room before walking in.

"Mr. Tao, please take a seat!" Song Mo had regained his usual calm demeanor. He asked the guards to serve tea to Mr. Tao and said, "The maids in Yizhi Hall are all injured, so I have to excuse you, Mr. Tao."

"No, no!" Tao Qizhong bowed hurriedly and said respectfully, "To be honest, this matter was all caused by a villain. The Duke was deceived, and you were also wronged..."

"So, father already feels that he was wrong?" Song Mo interrupted Tao Qizhong's words calmly, staring at Tao Qizhong's eyes with burning eyes.

Tao Qizhong didn't expect Song Mo to be so sharp, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

If he admitted that the Duke of England was wrong, they would have to cede land and pay compensation to Song Mo. But if he did not admit that the Duke of England was wrong... He thought of the sentries every five steps and every ten steps that he had seen on the way here, the letters that Song Mo had sent out, the corpses piled in the middle of the yard yesterday, and the guards who surrounded Song Han...

He coughed lightly, somewhat uncomfortably, and could only mutter "yes" in response.

"In that case," Song Mo looked at Tao Qizhong with a half-smile, "then please, father, protect my dignity as the prince and cut off the heads of those villains as a warning to others!"