Chapter 281 Unable to resist the urge to sleep
They returned to the Marquis's residence.
After stepping over the brazier and washing up thoroughly, it was already late afternoon when I came out for lunch.
Some of the servants from the Marquis's mansion left, leaving behind those who had nowhere to go or those who were servants of the Marquis's mansion and could not leave.
During the days that Qingling was away from the Marquis's residence, Madam You temporarily took charge of things. Before Qingling returned to the residence, Madam You instructed them to clean the entire residence thoroughly and prepare a sumptuous meal.
For this lunch, the master and servants ate together. Qingling sat at one table with her third uncle and aunt, while the other servants ate at their own separate tables.
Everyone crowded into the flower hall to eat, so at least there were more people.
Lady You glanced at the people at the table, then at the remaining servants, and felt a sense of desolation.
When she first returned to the Marquis's residence, the courtyard was full of people. The Marquis Zhongyong seemed to be in poor health, but he always acted like the boss with a stern face; Concubine Zhao was young and beautiful, and she was arrogant and considered herself the Marquis's wife; Madam Lu was a quiet person who spent all her time taking care of the children; and Yao Qingxu was hiding in his room and never appeared...
But now, all of these people have vanished.
"...I wonder if it has turned into a spirit and is floating up there watching us."
Although the seventh day after Madam Ma and Yao Qingqi's death has passed, the sudden incident at the Marquis's residence has left the house in chaos, and no one has the mind to care about anything else. The funeral supplies have not yet been removed.
The maids at the table huddled together in fear upon hearing Madam You's words.
A timid maidservant asked in a tearful voice, "Are there really ghosts?"
He looked around suspiciously, but dared not look into the dark corners, as if a ghost were hiding there.
Yao Laosan glared at his wife: "Why did you bring that up out of the blue?"
However, although the eldest brother's family was not decent, they were still brothers born of the same mother.
Yao Laosan looked at Qingling, but his tone softened: "Qingling, the bodies of the eldest brother and his wife, as well as that Aunt Zhao, have been thrown into the mass grave. Should we go and collect their remains tonight?"
Qingling ate her meal expressionlessly and said calmly, "The Marquis's family is upright and honest. Even if we were to collect their remains, it would have to be done under the watchful eye of others. They are criminals now, and the Emperor wants to use them to deter others. If people find out that we collected their remains and buried them, it would be against the Emperor's will and would bring disaster upon the Marquis's family."
Yao Laosan nodded: "What you said makes sense..."
We cannot go against the Emperor's will. Yao Qingling has just been released, and there are plenty of people who are jealous and will try to make trouble for her. Yao Laosan is unwilling to ruin the Marquis's mansion again over such a matter.
Qingling added, "Knowing the location of their remains, once things have calmed down, we'll ask the Emperor for his opinion. If he agrees, we'll collect them and bury them somewhere, but they can't be buried in the ancestral graveyard."
She didn't want people like Yao Ying to be buried with her parents; they didn't deserve it.
“You’re right.” Yao Laosan understood what she was thinking and felt it was unnecessary.
One was a loyal martyr praised by the people, and the other was a corrupt official despised by everyone. Burying them together would be an insult to them.
Yao Laosan wanted to bury Yao Ying, but it was only to fulfill his brotherly duty.
Now it can only be said that the eldest son's family was too greedy. Inheriting the Marquis's mansion meant that even if they simply became marquises, they would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives. But they wanted too much, and ended up losing their lives, their reputation, and even dragging down their descendants.
Who can we blame?
They stole the boss's glory and took all his benefits, yet they refused to treat Qingling well.
Yao Laosan thought that perhaps there really are souls in this world.
Given the tempers of the second brother and sister-in-law, they couldn't stand seeing their daughter being bullied like this, which is why they sought revenge.
And then there's the old lady, who clearly sees everything but always sides with the eldest son, always thinking that he'll take care of her in her old age.
Now they've really started providing for her in her old age.
Speaking of which, after the Yao family's case was settled, Old Madam Yao was also implicated and exiled due to her poor discipline. However, she died the day before Qingling was released from prison.
He may have died from excessive grief upon learning of his eldest son's death, or he may have died of fright upon learning of his impending exile.
In short, she no longer had to suffer the pain of exile.
When Yao Laosan received the news from the prison, he immediately brought back the old lady's body and temporarily placed it in the Yao family's ancestral hall. The timing and scale of the burial were discussed with Qingling at the dinner table.
Qingling meant that although the old lady didn't directly interfere in Yao Ying's affairs, she indirectly benefited from Yao Ying's corruption. She spent her days chanting Buddhist prayers in seclusion at Cangbo Courtyard, but her Buddhist beads were collected by Yao Ying from eminent monks as a gift to her.
The old lady was locked in her room chanting scriptures. Was she chanting to atone for her sins, or to bless Yao Ying with great wealth and prosperity? Who knows?
Qingling didn't want to be high-profile, nor did she want to get involved with these people again.
"His Majesty is merciful and did not order my mother-in-law to be thrown into a mass grave like my elder brother and his wife, so don't expect a grand funeral. In my opinion, we should find a place to bury her. When my elder brother's remains are found in the future, we can bury them together with his mother and son. It will be more convenient to visit their graves during Qingming Festival."
Doesn't she like the eldest brother?
When we go to the underworld, let those two serve us too.
Yu spoke casually.
After all, she was a daughter-in-law, not a daughter. Madam You had always been dissatisfied with her mother-in-law's favoritism towards the eldest son's family. If her mother-in-law were still alive, she would have no choice but to serve her. But since her mother-in-law was dead, and in a rather unseemly way, she shouldn't pretend to be virtuous for others.
The old lady won't protect them even after she dies.
Qingling glanced at Madam You, trying to suppress the slight upturn of her lips, and nodded, saying, "Third Aunt is right, let's do as Third Aunt says."
Yao Laosan looked up at the two of them and swallowed his words.
With the matter roughly settled, everyone ate a few bites of food absentmindedly. Suddenly, Madam You sighed, "Poor Madam Lu, Qingxu is insane, and Madam Lu has to take care of him and Bang'er on the way to exile."
She glanced at Qingling, as if she wanted to say something, but Qingling didn't look at her and just ate quietly.
The third brother glanced at Qingling: "What do you think?"
Qingling put down her chopsticks and wiped her lips: "Third Uncle, I can't interfere in their affairs. Besides, the exile won't start right now. We have to wait until a batch is full before the officials lead the people away."
"However, the major cases are almost solved now, and there should be many people to be exiled. But it's the first month of the lunar calendar now, so they can't set off until after the first month."
“What I mean is, we should prepare some money and clothes for them. The money will make their journey easier, but it should be sewn into their collars so that no one can see it. Third Aunt, if you have time, please do these things.”
"Eh." Madam You nodded, opened her mouth as if to say something, but seeing that Qingling still had things to do, she swallowed her words.
After finishing her meal, Qingling returned to Mulan Courtyard.
Although she had nothing to do all day in prison, she couldn't sleep well there. Her head felt heavy and uncomfortable, so she went back to her room and took a nap.
She slept very soundly, and when she woke up, it was already completely dark.
She was leaning against Lin Shiyuan's chest, being held by him.
His head rested on her shoulder, and he held a book in his hand.
It seems he was holding her while reading, but couldn't resist the urge to fall asleep.
Qingling's pursed lips curved slightly, and she gently flicked his nose.
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