In reality, Qingying wasn't as nonchalant as she appeared. Seeing the two of them so close, she wanted nothing more than to kill Liu Shushu immediately.
How could the man who promised her a lifetime of commitment now question, doubt, or even deny her because of another woman?
Seeing her trembling with anger, Yu Yue said worriedly, "Miss, just let it all out. Don't bottle it up and hurt yourself."
"I just feel so resentful. Just because she was born a legitimate daughter, she can easily take away everything I've been carefully protecting. Why should she? I can let the rest of the Liu family go, but Wei Huaixu was the one who provoked me first. How can he just abandon me like this now?"
She had been avoiding the issue for some time, but today, seeing their intimate relationship with her own eyes, she couldn't deny that the scene felt like a dagger had been plunged into her heart, causing deep and painful pain.
It was a pain that spread throughout the body.
How could she possibly not care?
It's just a pretense to maintain that ridiculous sense of self-esteem in front of them.
But she really didn't know what to do; at that moment, it seemed that she couldn't change anything.
Grief, indignation, helplessness, and pain enveloped her deeply...
Two days later, Granny Zhang came to the door.
Ever since Liu Shushu specifically asked Zhang Mama to leave, although they still lived in the same mansion, they hadn't seen each other even once.
Seeing it again now feels like a lifetime ago.
"Granny, why are you back?" Qingying greeted her.
“Miss has lost weight again.” Zhang Mama looked at her with loving eyes, reached out and stroked her cheek, and said with heartache, “Miss must not have been eating properly lately, and there are dark circles under her eyes, it looks like she hasn’t been resting well.”
Qingying gently rubbed her rough, calloused palm like a child, and said coquettishly, "Without Granny by my side, I miss her day and night and can't eat or sleep."
Tongxia said with dissatisfaction, "Miss is only thinking about Granny Zhang and doesn't care about the people around her."
"Oh~ Is our little Tongxia jealous of me?" Granny Zhang teased with a smile.
Yu Yue also smiled and said, "She's trying to win the young lady's favor."
Qingying scolded, "It's as if I've mistreated you. Tongxia, you've been with me all day. Although there are few people in the courtyard lately and you have a lot of work to do, I've still received double the salary this month in addition to what the public funds give me."
Tongxia awkwardly touched her nose, "I just wanted to make my presence known because I saw that Granny Zhang had come back and immediately attracted your attention."
"You clever little devil, you're impossible to ignore even if you don't show it off," said Granny Zhang.
The four sat in the courtyard, chatting intimately. They didn't seem like masters and servants at all, but rather like old friends reuniting, joking and laughing together.
Qingying hadn't had such a relaxed and joyful moment in a long time.
Yu Yue went to the kitchen and prepared a table full of delicious dishes. The four of them, master and servants, closed the courtyard gate and sat down together to eat.
As evening approached, after dinner, Granny Zhang pulled Qingying aside for a short talk.
“I see your current situation in the manor, and it pains me to see it. How could they treat you like this…”
“Granny, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She lowered her eyelashes.
"Girl, things won't stop happening just because you run away from them."
"But what can I do? Kill Liu Shushu?"
"It's not impossible."
Upon hearing this, Qingying was stunned. Meeting Zhang Mama's serious and sharp eyes, she opened her mouth but couldn't say a word for a moment.
She knew that Granny Zhang was not joking at this moment.
“Miss, I am willing to be the sharp blade in your hand.”
"But……"
"Miss!" Granny Zhang suddenly interrupted her hesitant words, slowly lifting her sleeve in front of her to reveal the large and small, crisscrossing marks on her arm.
Qingying stared in astonishment, her fingers trembling as she reached out to touch her, but then hesitated, afraid of hurting her. Her voice trembled with anger: "How could she..."
“I didn’t want you to worry about me, but I don’t have many days left to live, so I want to do one last thing for you before I die.”
"What does 'not having many days left to live' mean?" She tried hard to understand, but still couldn't grasp its meaning.
Granny Zhang lowered her sleeves and sighed heavily, “I have been sick for a long time. Last year, Doctor Qin said that if I took good care of myself, I could live for another three to five years. But lately I have been tormented and my medicine has been cut off. Now I am almost at my last gasp.”
"Granny, why didn't you tell me sooner..." No wonder she felt something was off when she saw Granny Zhang today, but she was too happy to investigate further.
Qingying sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks like broken beads.
“Telling you would only cause you more trouble. Originally, I was thinking of spending a couple more years with you, and then finding a suitable opportunity to ask you to let me go back to my hometown to enjoy my old age. But things are unpredictable…” She raised her hand to wipe away Qingying’s tears, her voice choked with emotion: “Don’t cry. You are a noble phoenix. How can you shed tears for me?”
Qingying shook her head, choked with sobs and unable to speak.
Granny Zhang took a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve and placed it in her hand, gently instructing, "I will poison her tea. This is the antidote. Hide it well, young lady, and make sure no one finds it."
"No..." She was unwilling to accept it, so Zhang Mama grabbed her hand and forced it into hers, saying earnestly, "This servant's mind is made up, please don't let me down, young lady."
After saying this, Granny Zhang stood up, turned her back to her and hastily wiped away the tears that had overflowed, then turned around, knelt down and kowtowed deeply, saying in a choked voice, "This servant bids farewell to you, young lady. I hope you will have a peaceful, joyful, healthy, and long life."
Qingying was already sobbing uncontrollably. Just as she was about to go over to help her, she stood up and resolutely left.
Yu Yue and Tong Xia were in the courtyard when they saw Zhang Mama leave in a hurry without saying a word. Just as they were wondering what was going on, they suddenly heard the sound of cups and saucers breaking inside the house. They rushed into the house.
Upon entering the room, they saw Qingying with her back to them, and she gave a slightly deep order, "Clean up and then leave."
"Yes." They didn't dare ask any more questions, squatted down to pick up the broken pieces on the floor, and obediently left, closing the door behind them.
That night, the General's Mansion was as quiet as ever.
The next morning, a piercing scream shattered the morning mist—Liu Shushu had been poisoned and was vomiting blood, her life hanging by a thread.
The entire government was thrown into chaos.
When Qingying heard the news, she was calmly having breakfast at the table, eating plain porridge with eggs and tofu. She ate slowly and gracefully, showing no sign of being disturbed by the matter.
Until a loud "bang" was heard, the courtyard gate was kicked open from the outside, and the originally sturdy wooden door was now teetering on the verge of collapse.
Despite being mentally prepared, she was still startled by the commotion.
"Liu Qingying, come out!" The man's angry roar echoed throughout the courtyard, extremely penetrating.
This was the first time she had heard him call her by her first name.
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