Madam Xie watched helplessly as General Xie's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.
She seemed to have aged several years in an instant, and all the anger on her face vanished.
He sat back down in his chair and let out a long sigh.
"Shi Yan, your resentment towards your father has never disappeared..."
Xie Shiyan looked out the door and replied:
"Didn't Grandmother try to dissuade me just now because she, like me, thought that Liu Baoxuan's death was not a pity?"
“You know perfectly well that I’m not talking about Liu Baoxuan.”
Xie Shiyan turned around at this moment, his eyes like sharp blades, shooting towards Old Madam Xie in front of him.
“Grandmother, even General Xie is unwilling to admit his mistakes, so why should I be so kind as to resolve my resentment towards him?”
Madam Xie sighed again, "How can you stop resenting him?"
Xie Shiyan said calmly, "He's dead, so the resentment will naturally end."
After saying that, he took Gu Jiangli's hand, intending to leave.
“Grandmother, instead of hoping that I will let General Xie go, why don’t you let him go to my mother’s grave and kowtow to admit his mistake first?”
“If my mother appears in my dream and tells me that she no longer hates General Xie, I will grant her wish.”
"We'll take our leave now."
Gu Jiangli sensibly placed her hand on his palm before respectfully leaving.
The room became quiet again.
An old woman stepped forward, bent down, and asked Madam Xie:
"Madam, should we intervene?"
Madam Xie tightened her grip on her cane, then shook her head and said, "No, let Yongshan suffer on his own."
————
After leaving the tense room, Gu Jiangli became particularly interested in the conversation between Old Madam Xie and Xie Shiyan.
Xie Shiyan's expression was cold and stern, and his murderous aura was very obvious.
The maids and servants passing by all consciously avoided them.
Gu Jiangli knew the matter was related to his mother, so he didn't mince words and asked directly:
"Shi Yan, was your mother's death related to General Xie?"
Xie Shiyan's demeanor grew even colder. "At that time, my mother's health was deteriorating every day, and she always wanted to see General Xie one more time."
"General Xie brought a bowl of soup to see my mother, and my mother drank the soup he brought."
"Then, no sooner had he left than my mother died. By the time the doctor arrived, it was too late."
"The doctor examined the soup and told me that although the soup was not poisonous, it contained potent tonics."
"For my mother's body, that bowl of soup was no different from poison."
After hearing this, Gu Jiangli's disdain for General Xie reached a new level.
I originally thought he was just an incompetent man who favored his concubine over his wife, but now it seems he is an even more ruthless and vicious husband.
“Shi Yan, he truly deserves to die,” Gu Jiangli concluded, then added, “However, the method you gave him today is enough to make him suffer greatly.”
Xie Shiyan finally smiled.
However, that smile concealed an immense amount of ferocity.
To what extent do you think he will achieve this?
Gu Jiangli answered without hesitation:
"I suspect that the message he initially released was that Princess Jinghe was having an affair with Liu Baoxuan."
“Perhaps it will be even more direct,” Xie Shiyan said. “Xie Yongshan is arrogant and conceited, and he might directly say that Princess Jinghe had feelings for Liu Baoxuan long ago, which is why she willingly gave herself to him.”
Gu Jiangli smiled contemptuously: "If that's the case, the princess and the emperor will only hate Liu Baoxuan even more."
"Liu Baoxuan will die even faster."
The two, like two foxes plotting in the dark, exchanged sly smiles.
————
Rumors spread much more easily than touching stories.
Through word of mouth, Princess Jinghe's reputation has plummeted.
In just over a month, even the servants of the Xie family were whispering about Liu Baoxuan and the princess.
An imperial edict shattered the Xie family's peace.
Just as Gu Jiangli and Xie Shiyan had guessed.
To silence public opinion, the emperor had no choice but to grant the two a marriage.
Liu Baoxuan had no parents, and his only sister was already married.
Therefore, he bestowed a large mansion upon Liu Baoxuan, allowing him to establish his own household.
At the same time, he was also given a minor official position of the seventh rank.
Liu Baoxuan rose to prominence overnight.
The imperial edict also mentioned that because the residence bestowed upon Liu Baoxuan was still under renovation, Liu Baoxuan and Princess Jinghe were to temporarily reside at the General's Mansion.
The Xie family then hosted a wedding banquet for the princess and Liu Baoxuan as members of Liu Baoxuan's family.
Faced with this imperial edict, the Xie family had no right to refuse.
The only two people who were happy were General Xie and Lady Liu.
Firstly, Liu's younger brother committed a serious crime but was spared death; secondly, Liu Baoxuan escaped death and even managed to gain access to the imperial family.
Marrying a princess means you'll be part of the royal family.
This is a blessing that could only be earned by one's ancestors emitting auspicious smoke.
Mrs. Liu couldn't stop smiling.
Now that her younger brother has become successful, she no longer has to be subservient to the Xie family as before.
She's the prince consort's own older sister!
However, Liu Baoxuan seemed somewhat unhappy.
The Xie family has been busy preparing for the wedding these past few days, while Liu Baoxuan has been loitering around the mansion every day, looking carefree and gloomy.
As Gu Jiangli was feeding the fish by the river, she saw Liu Baoxuan walking towards her with a dejected look on his face.
Although she had never had direct contact with Liu Baoxuan, she could tell his identity from the way the maids around him bowed and greeted him.
"The Prince Consort is about to get married, why does he still look so listless?" Gu Jiangli asked him.
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