Chapter 122 Die with Eyes Open
When Lady Yongyi heard this address, she looked slightly dazed and was about to say something when she saw Runiang sitting by the bed, holding a bowl. She touched the bowl with the back of her hand to test its temperature, as if she was still worried about it, afraid of burning herself. Then she took a spoon and scooped a little nectar water and dripped it on the back of her hand to test the temperature.
Not only that, Runiang also lowered her head and licked the nectar water off the back of her hand.
The wife of the Earl of Yongyi curled her lips and said, "When our Earl is safe and sound, I will reward you with a jar of nectar and transfer your son back to the mansion to be a steward."
Then she sighed and said, "You are old now, it is better for your son to be around."
The wife of the Earl of Yongyi owned several shops and arranged for Runiang's son to help out at the counter. The mother and son rarely saw each other throughout the year.
Hearing this, Runiang tightened her grip on the spoon.
The next moment, the porcelain bowl was taken away by a hand.
Runiang's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up suddenly, and saw the wife of the Earl of Yongyi drinking the nectar water.
"Miss...Miss..."
Ru Niang's throat was blocked and she couldn't say anything.
Lady Yongyi handed the bowl to Runiang and saw that her eyes were red and she was almost about to cry.
"What's wrong with you?" asked Lady Yongyi. "Are you missing your child?"
Runiang stared at the slightly concerned eyes of the wife of the Yongyi Earl, her hands holding the bowl were shaking, and her lips were trembling as she wanted to say something.
Suddenly, her head felt a little dizzy and her chest felt a little stuffy.
Ru Niang paused and whispered, "I haven't seen Lin'er in two months. When he left last time, he said the next time we met would be on my birthday. He secretly saved up a lot of money and wanted to buy me a pair of lilac earrings. He also said that his father passed away early, and I raised him single-handedly, enduring a lot of hardships. Now that he has grown up, he can enjoy the happiness of his mother."
At the end of her speech, Runiang's voice choked with sobs.
Hearing this, Lady Yongyi thought of Runiang's difficulties, and then thought that her own life had been relatively smooth, so why did her life end up like this?
"Runiang, you two have always done your duty and never had any extravagant ambitions. Life is hard, but the more time passes, the more hope there is."
The wife of the Earl of Yongyi said quietly, "Although my family is poor, my father and brother are upright men. I haven't had great wealth in this life, but I have been able to live a peaceful and healthy life."
"I have ambition, but lack wisdom and ability. Since I was a child, I have been blinded by the wealth of various families and confused my mind. I have always wanted to marry into a wealthy family and no longer want to live in poverty."
The wife of the Marquis of Yongyi smiled bitterly. "I worked so hard to marry into the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion, thinking I had finally gotten what I wanted. But in the end, my life was no different from when I was at my parents' house. I had to budget every day."
At this point, her eyes welled up. "I can't accept this. I don't want to be laughed at and go astray. Although I don't have to live a life of pinching pennies, there's no turning back."
Runiang lowered her head and listened to the chattering words of the wife of the Earl of Yongyi. She couldn't help but think of the hardships that the master and servant had gone through along the way. Her heart was filled with pain and tears fell down.
Seeing her crying so hard, Lady Yongyi said, "Fortunately, you've been with me all this way." She pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and said, "Now that you've accompanied me through this difficult time, I won't think about wealth and glory anymore."
She smiled and handed the handkerchief to Runiang to wipe her tears, but her lower abdomen suddenly ached.
Ru Niang's heart was pierced by the words of the Yongyi Marquis' wife, and her hands trembled even more violently. She wanted to say something, but she saw the Yongyi Marquis' wife slumped on the bed, her hands pressed against her abdomen, her face pale with pain.
Runiang was so frightened that her face turned pale. She stood up suddenly and the porcelain bowl fell to the ground and broke with a "pop".
The wife of the Earl of Yongyi noticed that something was wrong with Runiang. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt nauseous and hurriedly lay down on the edge of the bed to vomit. However, she only dry heaved a few times and couldn't vomit anything.
Her chest felt tight and she gradually couldn't breathe.
Lady Yongyi opened her mouth and gasped. The pain in her abdomen became more and more severe, and her limbs became numb.
She lay weakly on the edge of the bed, trying to open her eyes wide and look at Runiang.
It was not until this moment that she realized that Runiang was not crying because she wanted her son to cry, nor was she moved by her words, but because she had betrayed her and was crying out of guilt because of her guilty conscience.
"You...it's actually you..." Lady Yongyi's tongue was stiff and her words were a little unclear: "Why...why?"
She was on guard against everyone except Runiang, but it was Runiang who betrayed her!
When Runiang called her "Miss", she felt something was strange, but when she saw Runiang drinking nectar water, she never suspected that Runiang would poison her.
Ru Niang knelt on the ground, watching the wife of the Yongyi Marquis take effect from the poison. She was overwhelmed by panic and spoke incoherently, "Miss, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I have no choice but to do this... The Marquis's crime is punishable by the execution of his entire family. I'm not afraid of death, but my Lin'er's life has just begun. I want to find a way for him to live."
She had been loyal all her life, but in the end she had to betray her master. She suffered, struggled, and guilt tortured her again and again, but in the end, reason overwhelmed everything.
"Before the master passed away, he told me to take good care of Lin'er. I am your servant, but I am also your mother. Ultimately, I couldn't overcome my own selfish desires and became disloyal and unrighteous."
Ru Niang burst into tears, almost unable to speak, and knelt on the ground: "The evidence of the uncle's guilt is irrefutable. No one can save him. No one in the mansion can escape... I'm sorry, young lady. I will give you my worthless life as compensation and atone for your sins in the underworld."
The wife of the Earl of Yongyi made a "uh" sound in her throat and there was no more movement.
Runiang seemed to be aware of something and her body froze.
After a long while, she looked up stiffly and saw that the wife of the Earl of Yongyi was foaming at the mouth, her eyes still wide open looking at her.
It was as if he wanted to open his eyes wide and see the people around him clearly, but also as if he could not bear the betrayal by the people closest to him and died with his eyes open.
When Runiang really poisoned the wife of the Earl of Yongyi, her mind went blank. She stared at her blankly, unable to make a sound. She just tried to close her eyes with trembling hands, but she couldn't do it.
Her abdomen suddenly ached, and Runiang fell on the footrest, staring at the wife of the Earl of Yongyi with dilated pupils, as if she heard the voice of the young lady who was still in seclusion.
"Runiang, it's cold in winter. Don't sleep on the footstool. Come to the bed and warm the quilt for me."
"My lady, I will not sleep in the bed tonight. Tomorrow is your wedding day, and perhaps this will be the last night I lie on the footstool to keep vigil for you."
Runiang did not take out the thing from her sleeve. Guilt was tearing at her soul. She curled up in pain, coughed up blood, and gradually died.
The setting sun shone into the corner of the inner room through the lattice window. Runiang was lying on the footstool, watching over her, just like the wife of the Earl of Yongyi before she got married.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
