Chapter 102, The Grand Finale (Part 1)
How could she not be anxious? Because of her carelessness, she not only injured herself, but also caused a lot of trouble.
"Help me up." Zhao Xian couldn't lie still, so Jiang Liangxu helped her sit up slowly.
Jiang Shuxiu sensibly moved down a bit to make room for her grandfather.
"Xiao Langyue is the one I stabbed... cough cough..."
Zhao Xian spoke rather hastily, and before she could finish, she couldn't help but cough.
Upon hearing the name 'Xiao Langyue', Jiang Liangxu immediately connected the parts that had seemed off before, but he didn't have time to think about it further and quickly patted Zhao Xian's back.
Just then, Peony came into the room carrying a food box. Seeing Jiang Shuxiu standing on tiptoe to get the teapot, she put down the food box and went to pour water. "Sister Xiu, be careful, I'll do it."
After pouring the water, he carried Jiang Shuxiu back to bed and handed her a teacup, saying, "My lady, warm water."
Jiang Liangxu took the cup and fed it to Zhao Xian only after her cough had subsided.
"Madam, there's no need to worry, she's already dead."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian thought of that bloodied and malicious face.
Peony took out the contents of the food box: a bowl of very soft and nourishing porridge and ginseng chicken soup. These days, the lady had been unconscious and could only swallow these things, and she couldn't eat much. She had lost a lot of weight.
"Madam has just woken up. The physician said that she should eat these easily digestible foods first, and then slowly eat other foods tomorrow."
Zhao Xian really felt hungry, so Jiang Liangxu took the bowl of porridge and fed her spoonful by spoonful.
She couldn't eat anymore after finishing a bowl of porridge. She waved her hand, remembering what they had talked about earlier, "What happened to those mad beasts during the autumn hunt? Is it related to Xiao Langyue? Is His Majesty alright? Which prince... has gained favor?"
Zhao Xian asked a series of questions at once, and after she finished, her chest heaved and she coughed violently.
Jiang Liangxu patted her back as he said, "Your Majesty is alright. The reason those wild beasts went berserk during the autumn hunt was because they were drugged. They have all been killed. Before knowing her identity, her new identity was related to the last imperial examination. Her targeting of you was intentional."
However, once you know his true identity, that deliberately arranged identity becomes superfluous.
Zhao Xian knew that "she" referred to Xiao Langyue. "What did Lin Nianzang say?"
Even if they investigate afterward, they'll probably only look at the identities the mother and daughter had arranged beforehand, but Zhao Xian still wants to find out the truth.
"The mother of a failed candidate in the imperial examination was implicated because of the change in the rules of the last imperial examination. It is said that she overheard the Princess's conversation and learned that the imperial examination was related to Jiang Wei. This time, the eldest son did not go to the autumn hunt, so she held a grudge against you, her mother."
Zhao Xian pursed her lips. "With this explanation, Lin Nianzang is absolving himself of responsibility?"
"The Lin family has been sentenced to exile." Under Zhao Xian's astonished gaze, Jiang Liangxu continued to make a shocking statement: "The Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, the Eldest Princess, and others have been demoted to commoners, and the Lin family, the Qian family... have been sentenced to exile."
"Ahem... Could all of this be related to the wild beast rebellion during the autumn hunt? Ahem... Are they planning a rebellion?"
Zhao Xian thought of the plot in the book. Could it be that the emperor's accident in the book was related to these people?
Jiang Liangxu placed a soft pillow under Zhao Xian's lower back. "Actually, there are some who escaped from the border town. They are hiding deep inside and have connections with the palace."
Zhao Xian immediately realized the key point: "Did His Majesty go on the autumn hunt on purpose?"
What do you call this? Knowing there's danger, yet still choosing to go and die?
"The autumn hunt was planned long ago, with His Majesty intending to select the Crown Prince. Knowing the danger, how could he not take precautions? Therefore, the deployment of troops for military exercises during this autumn hunt was not part of the original plan."
It seems like they were deliberately trying to fish for him.
From what Jiang Liangxu told her, Zhao Xian compared it with the plot in the book. The culprit behind the autumn hunt was related to the border town, and the princes and the eldest princess took this opportunity to stir things up.
The plot is truly full of twists and turns. The emperor in the book did not arrange military exercises, so he was injured during the autumn hunt and died not long after returning to the palace. Then a new emperor ascended the throne. Jiang Wei, as the male protagonist of the tragic novel, became a powerful minister on one hand, serving as the new emperor's weapon, and on the other hand, he was entangled with the tragic female protagonist and the vicious female supporting character in the inner palace.
The journey from chasing after his wife to the crematorium, and finally to a happy reunion, is all about what happens next. Other things are unimportant, or they are just a stepping stone. Once the progress is made and the goal is achieved, the mission is accomplished.
Having learned too much all at once, Zhao Xian felt dizzy. She had just woken up and was still not fully alert, showing signs of fatigue on her face.
She had many questions she wanted to ask, but her mind felt increasingly heavy.
Jiang Liangxu picked up Jiang Shuxiu and said, "Grandmother needs to rest now. Xiu'er will come to see Grandmother again tomorrow."
Jiang Shuxiu lowered her voice, "Then can I bring my younger brother to visit Grandma tomorrow?"
Jiang Liangxu nodded, "That's certainly possible, but my younger brother is still small and my grandmother has just woken up, so we can wait a few more days."
The two spoke in hushed tones so as not to disturb Zhao Xian's rest.
Jiang Shuxiu waved to Zhao Xian. She hadn't gone on the autumn hunt and didn't know the details of what her grandparents were talking about; she had just listened.
As for comparing it to her previous life, it's incomparable. No one ever told her about the things that happened at her age, and she doesn't have much of an impression of them.
But she remembered that her grandmother had never been seriously injured. This time, she didn't know what happened, but her grandmother fell into a coma after being carried back, which scared her mother so much that she went into premature labor.
Jiang Shuxiu had also secretly wondered if it was related to the changes in her parents and the fact that her grandfather had not disappeared.
But she didn't dare to say it.
After handing Xiu'er over to the wet nurse, Jiang Liangxu brought in the prepared medicine and said, "A-Xian, drink your medicine before you sleep."
After Zhao Xian took her medicine, Jiang Liangxu removed the soft pillow from behind her and helped her lie down. "Go to sleep, it's all over now."
Zhao Xian's sleep was short. When she woke up, the sky was getting dark, and Cui Tingyue and Lu Zhaoying were by her bedside.
"mother!"
"Mother, you're awake."
The two of them leaned over the bed, looking at Zhao Xian nervously, their eyes full of worry.
Seeing the worry in their eyes, Zhao Xian forced a smile and said, "I'm sorry to have made you worry."
"It's our fault for being useless and failing to protect Mother." The two women shook their heads repeatedly. They had gone on the autumn hunt with her, but they had failed to protect their mother-in-law (adoptive mother), and they felt very guilty.
"Nonsense, what does it have to do with you... cough cough... If someone wants to harm me, even if you follow me every step of the way, the villain will still find an opportunity." Zhao Xian raised her right hand and gently touched the two faces. "Don't look so sad. You two beautiful ladies have both become haggard. It breaks my heart."
The two were amused by her lighthearted words, raising their hands to wipe away their tears while laughing.
"Come on, help me up."
After lying down for a long time, Zhao Xian felt like all the bones in her body were falling apart.
She sat up and stared at Cui Tingyue's face for a long time before asking, "Have you entered the palace yet?"
Cui Tingyue shook her head and explained, "Mother, don't worry. I pleaded with Her Majesty the Empress, and she has allowed me to stay at home to serve her."
"I'm already awake. When do you think we should go to the palace to pay our respects to the Empress?" No matter who the new emperor is, as long as he didn't usurp the throne, the Empress will be the future Empress Dowager. Staying by the Empress Dowager's side is the only guarantee for Cui Tingyue's future security.
"good."
The two women looked fine, but Li Lianniang was nowhere to be seen. Zhao Xian remembered what Xiu'er had said, "Ahem... How is Lianniang? When did she give birth?"
Cui Tingyue and Lu Zhaoying exchanged glances, and it was Cui Tingyue who spoke first: "My sister-in-law was born on September 19th, and her life is peaceful."
Zhao Xian quickly calculated the date and knew how much earlier it had been. "How could it be so much earlier?"
Lu Zhaoying and Cui Tingyue exchanged a glance, and the former cautiously spoke, "When Mother was injured, we were all in a panic and completely forgot to keep it from my sister-in-law, which caused her to have a miscarriage the moment she found out."
Zhao Xian opened her mouth, "Is Lianniang really alright?"
Cui Tingyue nodded and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry, my sister-in-law and her child are safe and sound. The midwife, the female doctor, and the wet nurse are all serving you at Yunzhu Garden, just like when my sister-in-law gave birth to Xiu'er."
Lu Zhaoying chimed in, "My sister-in-law also heard that Mother has woken up and wanted to visit her, but she is still in her postpartum period and we dared not let her go out and get chilled, so we did not allow it."
"You did the right thing." Zhao Xian felt both relieved and worried. "She's had a tough time again."
The female protagonist in the angst-filled novel was already a tragic figure. In the book, she failed to give birth to her second son and was physically and mentally harmed. This time, she was pregnant and everything was going well, but instead of being hurt by the male protagonist, she went into premature labor because of her mother-in-law.
Is the Jiang family's feng shui bad?
Zhao Xian inquired in detail about the two men's families.
Because of Li Lianniang's premature birth and Zhao Xian's injury and coma, the family seemed to be at peace, but there were also considerable undercurrents. Cui Tingyue, who had previously followed Li Lianniang as the housekeeper and knew about various things, stepped forward to take charge of the household with Lu Zhaoying and stabilized the situation.
The Emperor was attacked by wild beasts in Shanglin Garden. This matter will not be easily resolved, and the court is in turmoil.
Jiang Liangxu only mentioned which princes were demoted to commoners and which families were exiled, but he did not mention those who lost their lives.
She heard a lot from Cui Tingyue and Lu Zhaoying, and learned what Jin'an had gone through during her coma. It was said that the blood of those who were beheaded and subjected to slow slicing was still not washed away.
After Jiang Heng returned from Shanglin Garden, he joined the Imperial Guards. Jiang Wei and his son Jiang Liangxu also worked from dawn till dusk.
Rumors circulated that the Jiang family father and son had gone mad with killing, dragging out everyone connected to the autumn hunt, and during that period the sky over Jin'an was almost dyed red.
Speaking of the days when Zhao Xian was in a coma, the household was in a slump. The imperial physicians were running around all day, saying that all her injuries could be healed, but she just wouldn't wake up.
"mother--"
The person hadn't even arrived yet, but their voice had already reached them.
Before long, the curtain was lifted, and two tall men walked in. One was used to having a cold face and no expression, while the other had a smile on his face as if he had blossomed into a flower.
Both men were still wearing their official robes; one was in court attire and the other in chainmail armor, one a civil official and the other a military officer.
"Mother." Jiang Wei's voice was cold, but the concern in his eyes was undeniable.
Jiang Heng was already kneeling by the bedside, nuzzling up to her like a puppy. "Mother, you're finally awake! Does your hand still hurt? I was so scared when I found you. There was such a big dagger stuck in your arm."
Zhao Xian raised her hand and gently ruffled the slightly curled strands of hair at Jiang Heng's temples, which looked like they had been pressed down by the helmet for a long time. "It doesn't hurt anymore. Are you getting used to your new post?"
"It's a habit, it's much more convenient to go home." As she spoke, she glanced at Lu Zhaoying, and the young couple looked at each other before looking away.
Zhao Xian's lips unconsciously curled up. This was a sweet romance novel; the atmosphere made the reader feel relaxed and happy.
Her gaze shifted to Jiang Wei's face, and the smile on Zhao Xian's lips slowly faded as his expression turned cold. Her voice also became more respectful, "Has Xiao Ping'an been given a name yet?"
When his son was mentioned, Jiang Wei's cold expression seemed to soften slightly, and he nodded: "He's been chosen, his formal name is Jiang Shurui, bring him to your mother tomorrow."
"Nonsense! How can you take such a small child out into the wind? Let him rest indoors. Don't disturb him."
Zhao Xian didn't react much to her grandson's name. The book only mentions Jiang Shuxiu's story, and since her grandson was not yet born, it doesn't mention his name.
Looking at the candles lit by the maid, Zhao Xian said wearily, "It's getting late, you may all go your separate ways. Wei'er, Lian Niang just gave birth, as her husband, you should take good care of her."
“My son knows.”
After the four people left, Zhao Xian felt exhausted again and could only eat a small half bowl of porridge before she couldn't eat any more.
In a half-asleep state, I seemed to sense Jiang Liangxu entering, and I thought I heard him mention something about letters and the word "old man."
When she opened her eyes again, it was the next day. The female doctor came to change the dressing on her wounds, and Zhao Xian then learned that she had broken her leg and could not stand up for the time being.
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