Chapter 225: Dead
Li Tian is dead.
After returning to Beijing, he went straight to the Li family home and stayed with Old Madam Li for five days. Five days later, Old Madam Li came out to inform Jiang Wuyu to prepare for Li Tian's funeral, and everyone learned of Li Tian's death.
Li Tian drank the poisoned wine himself. Hui Rong said that he gave him the poisoned wine, saying that if he hadn't wanted to see Old Madam Li one last time before he died, he would never have left Nanshan Village.
When Old Madam Li gave her instructions to Jiang Wuyu, her face showed neither joy nor sorrow. Jiang Wuyu felt something was amiss and planned to keep watch over her day and night. However, Old Madam Li still died two hours later, passing away peacefully.
The old lady drank the bottle of poisoned wine that Li Tian hadn't finished. She drank it when she came out to inform Jiang Wuyu. It would take effect in two hours. Because the poison would take effect when the person was dreaming, their face wouldn't change much and they would look like they were asleep. It was Jiang Wuyu who later noticed that her complexion was off.
But it was too late; Old Mrs. Li had already passed away. She had a thin piece of paper with a note that read: "Ah Jiao, Xiao Wu, I'm sorry."
The letter slipped from her fingers. Zhou Mujiao sat there, looking dazed and exuding a low aura.
Zhao Yunjing came in from outside, picked up the letter and glanced at it. His heart sank. He put his arms around Zhou Mujiao and patted her back gently, without saying a word.
It took Zhou Mujiao a long time to recover: "I want to go back to the capital."
Regardless of Li Tian's character, her relationship with Old Madam Li was genuine. Although Old Madam Li often looked at others through her eyes and frequently showed regret and sadness, the care and love Old Madam Li gave her was real.
Love cannot be measured or compared; love is love. What she receives, she will naturally give back in return.
Moreover, since neither she nor Zhao Yunjing were home, Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao would naturally come to keep them company. However, emotionally speaking, Xiao Wu and Xiao Jiu trusted her the most. It's easy to imagine how helpless the two children would feel without her.
Most importantly, she cannot bear the stigma of being 'unfilial'. She doesn't care about it herself, but Xiao Wu and Xiao Jiu cannot be affected by it.
Deep down, Zhou Mujiao harbored some resentment towards the elderly couple from the Li family. They had met, their lives were complete, and then they died, ending everything. But she hadn't considered the impact their death in this way would have on her and her two siblings.
Ultimately, the three siblings didn't grow up in their parents' presence; no matter how close they were, there was still a generation gap.
With this in mind, Zhou Mujiao could no longer feel sad.
Zhao Yunjing raised his hand, tucked the hair from her forehead behind her ear, and gently kissed her.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Yunjing finally helped her tidy up her clothes and said in a hoarse voice, "Pray an incense stick for my maternal grandparents. After I complete my mission, I will go to their graves to apologize."
Zhou Mujiao pounced on him, kissing and nibbling him, as if she wanted to devour Zhao Yunjing whole.
They separated shortly after their marriage, and their journey together had not been easy. They had originally planned to spend more time together while helping with the reconstruction of Nanjiang City, but unexpectedly, a family tragedy occurred just a few days later.
"Wait for me to come back!"
Zhou Mujiao set off overnight without stopping along the way. She wore out three horses in the process. Finally, she stayed overnight in Qili Village, but she didn't rest. She went to the village to re-examine and change the prescriptions of several seriously ill patients. When the villagers knew she was back, they came to her for treatment without hesitation. If Jinling hadn't lost her temper, Zhou Mujiao probably wouldn't have had a moment's rest.
After rushing around, Zhou Mujiao returned to the capital eight days later.
White silk was tied above the Li family's gate, and two servants, also dressed in white, were sweeping the entrance. When they saw Zhou Mujiao in the distance, they both rubbed their eyes simultaneously: "Miss? Is that the young lady? Master, eldest young master! young master! The young lady is back!"
The eldest young master refers to Xiao Wu, and the youngest young master is naturally Xiao Jiu.
No sooner had the servants’ exclamations subsided than two young men rushed out of the house. They were Xiao Wu and Xiao Jiu, followed by Jiang Wuyu and Zhu Yan. Even Wei Ming, the heir of the Duke of Wei’s mansion, was there.
The two boys, one thirteen and the other nine, were already showing signs of adolescence. In particular, Xiao Wu was only one head shorter than Jiang Wuyu. He was still young and slender, but when he grew up, he would surely become a towering and majestic general!
However, the future great general was anything but majestic at this moment. His eyes were red, and he clutched the hem of his sister's robe, whispering, "Sister." Little Jiu, standing beside him, couldn't help but burst into tears: "Sister, Grandmother is gone, waaaah..."
Zhou Mujiao still remembers the scene when she saw Xiao Jiu outside the crowd that day.
At that time, Xiao Jiu was only four years old. He was covered in wounds and was starving. He stubbornly refused to shed tears. It was this stubbornness that made Zhou Mujiao decide to take him back and raise him. However, she did not expect that raising him would make him spoiled.
Zhou Mujiao grabbed one of them with each hand: "It's alright, I'm back."
The funeral for the elderly couple, the Li family, was scheduled for three days later. Jiang Wuyu had carefully calculated this time. He knew that Zhou Mujiao would definitely return after receiving the letter and would definitely rush back within that time. However, he did not expect her to return three days earlier.
It goes without saying how much hardship she endured along the way.
Jiang Wuyu said in a deep voice, "Go inside first. Xiao Wu and Xiao Jiu, let your older sister go wash up and rest first. We can talk about it after she has rested."
Just as Zhou Mujiao had guessed, Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao moved into the Li family home to help with the funeral arrangements for the Li couple. By the time Zhou Mujiao returned, they had already sorted everything out. With the addition of Wei Ming and several officials from the Ministry of Rites who had come to assist on the Emperor's orders, the funeral of the Li couple was quite grand.
It wasn't until the funeral was over and only their own family members were left at home that Jiang Wuyu had a chance to tell her about what had happened in the capital these past few days and the Emperor's attitude towards Li Tian.
The Emperor's attitude towards Li Tian was self-evident; it was evident from the attitude of the officials from the Ministry of Rites who came to assist him. Li Tian's choice not to go to the palace to see the Emperor but to end his life at home demonstrated his own stance.
He was already dead, and the Emperor had already exonerated the Li family. There was no need for him to live and cause trouble for the Emperor. Naturally, the Emperor would not hold a grudge against a dead man. The imperial edict had been issued, and the decree of self-reproach had spread throughout the seven kingdoms. His reputation as a wise and benevolent ruler had already spread far and wide. In fact, whether Li Tian lived or died made no difference to him.
If Li Tian were alive, it would only add another flower to his reputation for benevolence. If Li Tian were dead, there would be no more barriers between him and Zhou Zhaoyunjing and Zhou Mujiao, and they could cooperate happily in the future.
Yes, even the Emperor has started using the word 'cooperation'. This shows how much influence Zhou Mujiao had on the palace servants during her time there, and even the Emperor, the supreme ruler, was indirectly affected.
"His Majesty's exact words were that you don't need to go to the palace, you can do whatever you want, and you can manage Jinling as you please. If Jinling doesn't obey, you can directly ask for family discipline."
At this point, Jiang Wuyu's lips twitched, and she couldn't help but complain, "The Emperor really has the audacity to order the Li family to bring out the Li family's family rules."
Zhou Mujiao laughed along with her.
"There is one more thing."
Jiang Wuyu regained his seriousness: "We have already investigated Chen Liangjin's background."
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