Chapter 84. Old Dreams.
Wen Qingling quickly concealed her unease and blinked repeatedly, "Mother, it's time for you to eat bird's nest porridge."
I couldn't find Madam Wen in the inner room, so I went around to the south study and learned that she was talking to her father. I vaguely heard the words about the Lin family and the Ji family through the door. I subconsciously stopped and remained silent. Who knew... that I would find out such a big thing.
Why is Ji Wanyuan not in the capital, but instead went to Youzhou?
When did you go? It couldn't have been a long time ago, when you went with your brother?
No wonder there's been no progress with the Lin family. Lin Nianxi has been repeatedly turned down; it turns out Ji Wanyuan is no longer in the capital.
No wonder my mother never went to the Ji family home; it turns out everyone in the family knew.
Regardless of whether Ji Wanyuan went to Youzhou with her two elder brothers, since they traveled together and were both in Youzhou, and Ji Wanyuan was not divorced from her brothers, her two brothers must know about her affairs in Youzhou.
Her parents, who were far away in the capital, knew the truth, but she was the only one kept in the dark. This feeling of being excluded was really unbearable.
Wen Qingling was lost in thought for a while, not even hearing her mother say several words to her until her mother kept shaking her wrist, which brought her back to her senses.
"Mother, what did you say?"
"Why do you look so pale? What's wrong? I've called you several times and you're still lost in thought." Madam Wen asked if she was tired from managing the household affairs lately, and if so, she should take a rest.
Wen Qingling quickly shook her head, "No, it's just..."
As she was racking her brains for an answer, she accidentally met her father's thoughtful gaze. Wen Qingling quickly changed the subject, saying, "I was just thinking about things at home. He wrote to me a while ago..."
The "he" that Wen Qingling spoke of was her husband.
Mentioning her son-in-law, Madam Wen sighed, "What did the letter say?"
She pulled Wen Qingling to sit down.
"He didn't say much, just asked about his daughter's recent situation, and mentioned that the plum blossoms in Linxia were about to bloom." It was her favorite flower, and in previous years, the two of them would brew plum blossom wine together.
Before Madam Wen could think of anything to say to comfort her, her father picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Qingling, you've been back in the capital for some time now. Since your husband has already sent a letter, you should go back."
Madam Wen and Wen Qingling both looked at Wen's father.
Madam Wen looked puzzled, while Wen Qingling, who was injured, spoke with a hint of resentment, "Father, are you trying to send your daughter away?"
Mr. Wen put down his teacup. "That's not what I meant."
"What did Father mean?"
The unexpected news she had just learned made her feel that she was the only one in the family who was secretly plotting against her. Now that her own father wanted to kick her out, was it because he thought she had been staying at home for too long?
"I'm afraid that if you and your husband have a long-standing rift, it will damage your relationship. Now that he has apologized, why don't you take the opportunity to apologize?"
That's certainly true.
Why couldn't he have put it more nicely? Besides, she simply didn't want to go back unless he came to the capital to pick her up. That would be a real show of respect, and only then would she accept the offer.
With her father and brothers being capable, her second brother already serving as the leader of the Imperial Guard, and her eldest brother even more so, what did she have to fear?
But Father...
Wen Qingling was the youngest child in the family and was usually spoiled. After getting married, she suffered a lot of grievances in her husband's family. She thought that she would be treated well after returning home, but her family also made her sensible and did not leave the capital to support her.
Why does Ji Wanyuan act so powerfully after marrying into their family? Not only her brother, but even her parents are on her side. She hasn't even had her child yet.
Thinking of this, Wen Qingling's eyes couldn't help but redden.
"The father no longer loves his daughter."
When Wen's mother saw that her eyes were red, she knew that she was about to cry. Unexpectedly, the tears really did flow down her cheeks, and she couldn't be comforted.
"Say less!" Mother Wen scolded Father Wen and led Wen Qingling out of the South Study.
After Wen Qingling left, remembering her past friendship with the Lin family girl, Wen's father called over the guards at the gate to inquire. Upon learning that Wen Qingling had been there for a while, Wen's father's expression turned solemn.
Since they were at home, and in the study, he didn't deliberately lower his voice when he spoke to Madam Wen, so Wen Qingling must have overheard him.
If Wen Qingling had been open and honest about what she had heard, her father wouldn't have been so preoccupied. Instead, she kept quiet and even started throwing a tantrum.
"From now on, the Third Miss is not allowed to enter the study at will. When she comes, you must announce your arrival immediately."
"Yes." The guard accepted the order.
After thinking about it, Mr. Wen still felt it was inappropriate, so he instructed his servants to invite Mrs. Wen over in a while.
The invitation lasted until evening.
After finishing his business at the Censorate, Wen's father returned to his courtyard and saw that Madam Wen was frowning. He asked her how Wen Qingling was doing.
"You know Qingling's temperament; once she starts making a fuss, it never ends," Wen's mother shook her head, saying that she was becoming more and more like a child, crying for an entire afternoon.
"Did she mention what she overheard about my wife and me discussing in the study?" Mr. Wen asked, washing his hands before sitting down.
Mrs. Wen had almost forgotten about it. "...No."
"Ling'er just kept crying and complaining that her in-laws didn't treat her well, and that they were openly and secretly cursing her for not being able to have children. Master, what do you think about this? Should I go to Linxia to stand up for her?"
Father Wen shook his head. “You know how Ling’er miscarried her previous child. Her personality has been spoiled since she was a child. She needs to be tempered. This time it was her fault. If you help her out, won’t that just embolden her?”
"Who knows what kind of trouble might arise in the future!" Father Wen urged his wife to quickly abandon the idea and not go to Linxia.
"After all, she is the child I carried for ten months and gave birth to. It always breaks my heart to see her suffer."
Wen Qingling had a smooth life for the first half of her life and had never suffered much hardship. Most of her troubles were self-inflicted. Wen's father knew this, and if he said it out loud, Wen's mother would start nagging again.
But not saying anything wasn't an option, so she picked and chose, "She knew perfectly well that the Ji family scion was a womanizer, yet she still insisted on marrying him, like a moth drawn to a flame. Now she's suffering the consequences. If you go along with her, you'll be done with this Ji family scion, but who knows how many more Ji family scions there will be in the future."
Mother Wen sighed, "Alas..."
"These three children are all stubborn at heart."
When Wen Qingling went on her trip, she met the son of the Prefect of Linxia County and was completely captivated by his sweet words. She insisted on marrying him and wouldn't listen to any advice. Now she's complaining that she regrets it. Wen's mother shook her head and said, "Fine, let's go along with what Master says."
"By the way, did she really not mention it?" Father Wen pressed on, asking about the study.
Mrs. Wen said, "I didn't mention it."
"Ling'er probably didn't hear it."
When Wen's father told Wen's mother, the guard said that Wen Qingling had been there for a while.
"We didn't deliberately avoid people, how come she didn't hear us?"
"What does the master mean?" Madam Wen asked, puzzled.
"Qingling is getting very close to that girl from the Lin family. I think we should be wary of this."
"No way?"
Madam Wen said that although Wen Qingling was spoiled, she was also clear-headed about important matters. Moreover, Wen Qiyan had deliberately warned her before leaving the capital not to interfere in his affairs with Ji Wanyuan, and she had been very obedient these days.
"That girl from the Lin family is also a cunning person. Qingling is naive and might be taken advantage of by her."
Judging from the tone of Wen's father, he doesn't seem to like Lin Nianxi very much?
Before Wen's mother could press for more information, she heard him say that Wen Qingling had been back for some time now, so it would be better to let her go back.
"But she cried so much today, how can I comfort her?"
"The situation in the capital is tense; Madam must consider the bigger picture," said Father Wen, leaving Madam Wen speechless.
“Then…” she hesitated.
Mr. Wen's tone was authoritative: "Madam must do her best to handle this matter."
Wen's mother could only nod, "I understand."
Wen Qingling tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Somehow, around four in the morning, she had a hazy dream, a dream filled with mist.
She heard someone crying and screaming. The crying was extremely shrill, and the screams almost pierced the sky. It made her, who was originally indifferent, shiver slightly.
She heard herself speak, saying that Ji Wanyuan seemed to be dying?
Ji Wanyuan?
How could Ji Wanyuan be dead? Was she crying and screaming?
The mist within the dream suddenly dissipated, and she saw herself standing in a secluded corner of the courtyard.
This is her home, so why is she standing in the corner? Although this place is her brother's and Ji Wanyuan's courtyard, it's hard to explain.
Beside her was... Lin Nianxi. They hid in a secluded spot, watching as the outer courtyard, not far away, was filled with old women and maids carrying basins of blood in and out.
It was indeed Ji Wanyuan crying and screaming; she was giving birth.
In her dream, she looked extremely nervous, wondering if Ji Wanyuan would really have a difficult childbirth.
Why did Ji Wanyuan give birth in the capital, and why was it a difficult childbirth?
In the dream, Lin Nianxi said, "Then it's hard to say. After all, we're not doctors. We can only pray for the young mistress."
"She screamed so pitifully, she must be in a lot of pain."
Having also experienced a miscarriage, hearing the piercing screams of a woman in labor, she felt a pang of unease. Lin Nianxi, on the other hand, remained calm, even though she too was closing her eyes and praying fervently. But judging from her expression…
Soon, someone came to deliver a message. It seemed to be someone close to her father. They said something, but all that could be heard was Ji Wanyuan's personal maid, the one named Emerald, screaming something about protecting the little one but not the big one.
Immediately, a thunderclap ripped through the sky, followed by the woman's shrill screams and the baby's cries.
A maidservant rushed out, shouting, "She's given birth! But the young mistress is hemorrhaging!!!"
A short while later, a servant from the Ji family came out crying and said that Ji Wanyuan was dead.
Dead?!
So shocked was she that she made a sound, and the servants came over.
Lin Nianxi seemed to have sneaked into the Wen family's place. In order to prevent her from being exposed, she could only step forward and pretend to ask how things were going.
The servants cried and said that a baby boy had been born, but the young mistress had died.
He died.
She looked inside, and before she even entered the inner room, she smelled a strong stench of blood. The cries of the Ji family's servants echoed in the inner courtyard. Through the screen, she saw Ji Wanyuan's unseeing eyes, which startled her so much that she froze on the spot, her eyes wide open.
For the next few days, she kept having nightmares within her dreams, repeatedly seeing Ji Wanyuan's unseeing eyes in death.
She was startled awake several times, screaming in terror. Her death caused unrest in the house. Although her elder brother was still far away in Youzhou and had not returned, the servants of the Ji family kept crying and complaining. Her second brother turned the house upside down.
Ji Wanyuan's newborn child also cried continuously, especially towards evening. When Ji Wanyuan died, his cries were so loud that even his mother was emotionally exhausted by the child's screams.
A few days after Ji Wanyuan's death, the Lin family came to visit. Madam Lin suggested to the family that Ji Wanyuan's spirit might still be restless, so it would be better to bury her as soon as possible.
The mother said that this was not good, and that the body should be kept in state for at least seven days, "It was originally our Wen family that wronged her."
When the Ji family was in trouble, Ji Wanyuan was trapped in the inner quarters and could not know the weather outside. She was also unable to see the Prime Minister and his wife when they were in trouble.
Madam Lin comforted her mother, saying that the Wen family could not be blamed. It was all because Ji Wanyuan was unlucky. Moreover, the Ji family's rebellion was their own doing. Now that Ji Wanyuan was dead, who could they blame?
Immediately, he urged his mother to bury her as soon as possible, since His Majesty dislikes the Ji family very much these days, and the funeral should not be too grand, just to protect the children Ji Wanyuan left behind.
After discussing it, the mother and father decided to bury Ji Wanyuan and carried her body out.
Lin Nianxi brought her some tonics, and the two were talking in the inner room.
In her dream, she was very uneasy. Looking at the medicine Lin Sinian brought, she asked, "Sister Nianxi, the calming incense you asked me to give to Ji Wanyuan seems to have no effect. She still died."
"Could it be that drug?"
Lin Nianxi looked at her with hurt eyes, "Qingling, we've known each other for many years, how could something I gave you possibly have a problem?"
In her dream, she quickly apologized to Lin Nianxi, saying that she had misspoke and that she had been unable to find peace these days, constantly having nightmares in which Ji Wanyuan died a violent death and kept coming to her crying, which terrified her.
Lin Nianxi comforted her, saying that everything would pass.
But before he could leave, his brother returned. He seemed to have done nothing, moved out, but turned the house upside down.
The child still cries in the evening, and cries very hard.
Because of her elder brother's neglect and her second elder brother's departure, her mother eventually fell seriously ill and was bedridden.
In order to bring good luck to the family and to allow his brother to move back, the family arranged a marriage for him without his knowledge, and Lin Nianxi was married into the family. In the end, Lin Nianxi still became his sister-in-law.
But the elder brother only returned home when he questioned his parents about why they had kept this a secret from him. Otherwise, he never returned to the Wen family home, as if he had severed ties with his family. The family had welcomed a new sister-in-law, but it was terribly desolate.
She got married and couldn't stay at home for long, so she left.
Although her brother no longer returned to the Wen family and severed ties with his family, she, as the younger sister, still had a relatively good life because he had been promoted.
She would return to the capital from time to time. In her dreams, her mother's health was getting weaker and weaker, and even the imperial physicians were helpless. Her mother was bedridden and coughing up blood. Her elder brother was clearly in the capital, but he never came back to visit her or offer any greetings. Her second brother was far away beyond the Great Wall, but he did send someone to deliver medicine, but he never returned.
Mother seemed to have little time left. The servants in the house whispered that her prolonged illness was due to Ji Wanyuan's machinations in secret, and some even said they always heard Ji Wanyuan crying and screaming at night.
Speaking of that cry, she couldn't help but recall it. Unconsciously, she found herself in the lotus pond courtyard of her home, where she saw a very small child digging in the soil beside the lotus pond.
She was initially puzzled about who he was, but upon seeing his exquisitely handsome profile, she instantly knew who he was—the child of Ji Wanyuan and her brother.
She was about to step forward to warn him of the danger and carry him over when he suddenly became frightened and crawled backward, falling into the lotus pond. She was so scared that she quickly called for someone to pull him out.
Then the child developed a high fever, and she ordered her family to find a doctor for him.
When the doctor arrived and took the child's pulse, she was surprised to see many bruises on his body. When she asked what happened, the old woman couldn't explain it either.
They also said that the child was very strange, not letting anyone hold him or get close to him, and that the scars on his body were from bumping into things while crawling around.
It looked like that, but in reality, she felt it was more like pinch marks. In an instant, she felt that she was overthinking it. This was, after all, the eldest grandson of the family. Even if his mother was sick and no one cared for him, his sister-in-law Nianxi would take care of him for the sake of his brother. How could anyone pinch him or bully him?
Later, Nianxi's sister-in-law sent someone to call her away, saying that they would go to see their mother together, so she didn't have time to go.
Later, her in-laws had some business to attend to and couldn't take care of the child. She didn't see him when she got home and gradually forgot about him. But she never expected that the next news she heard about him would be his death. Some people even said that he died because of Ji Wanyuan's summons.
That day, she saw the child born to her brother and Ji Wanyuan. He lay quietly in the small coffin, no longer breathing, his face extremely pale, his long eyelashes drooping, looking both adorable and pitiful, making her feel uneasy. Perhaps because she had seen the child crawling around vividly, she felt extremely distressed.
The dream continued until the end, when she was on her way back to Linxia. The weather was terrible, with torrential rain and the wheels of her carriage stuck in the mud. She was asking someone to help her when, while waiting, she suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves outside.
She lifted the curtain and looked through the rain and mist; it was her brother, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
He is indeed my elder brother.
She was about to get off when, unexpectedly, the black horse stopped in front of the carriage. Before the joy on her face could fully show, the word "brother" choked in her throat.
Her neck was gripped by a cold, large hand, and she struggled to breathe, her face turning a deep purplish-red. She flailed her arms and legs, trying to speak and ask why.
But her brother's handsome face was filled with a cold and fierce expression, as if he were a vengeful ghost crawling out of the underworld. She was so frightened that her pupils widened.
The elder brother said, "You killed her."
Is it him or her? Who is it?
She has never harmed anyone?
"In that case, you might as well be buried with her."
"Brother..."
Before she could finish speaking, her brother snapped her neck. The maids and attendants beside her screamed in the pouring rain; in the instant she died, fireworks exploded in her mind.
The image of the night Ji Wanyuan died flashed through her mind. She stood by the screen, watching Ji Wanyuan die with her eyes wide open, covered in blood. Now it was her turn.
"Ah!!!" Wen Qingling opened her eyes instantly.
Her scream attracted the maid who was holding the lantern.
The room was lit again, and she realized where she was. She was drenched in cold sweat. She touched her neck and found it hadn't been snapped by her brother as in her dream. She could even feel a pulse.
So, it's not true!
But if it weren't true, why would she have such a dream?
What a vivid dream.
"Miss, what's wrong?" the maidservant beside her asked worriedly, but Wen Qingling couldn't utter a word.
"..."
The next day, upon hearing the news of Wen Qingling's nightmare, Madam Wen ordered someone to prepare a calming soup for her.
Seeing her daughter's listless appearance, Madam Wen really didn't know how to bring it up and ask her to leave the capital.
After much deliberation, Madam Wen decided to delay for a few days until the girl recovered before sending her away.
When asked why she was like this, Wen Qingling only said it was a nightmare, but refused to say what she dreamed about. When pressed further, she said that she dreamed that her husband was having an affair, which made her very sad.
Madam Wen found a doctor to treat her, and the doctor prescribed some medicine.
Mr. Wen strongly disapproved of Mrs. Wen's indecisiveness, but he had to admit that Wen Qingling was, after all, his child. Given her illness, he couldn't send her away from the capital. So he agreed to Mrs. Wen's suggestion to let her recover in the capital before sending her back.
During this time, Wen's father repeatedly instructed Wen's mother to keep an eye on Wen Qingling and not to cause any trouble.
On this day, Wen's mother was summoned to the palace by the Empress. Thinking that Wen Qingling was resting at home and that Madam Ji's situation was more important, she went instead.
Little did anyone know that this trip would lead Lin Nianxi to the Wen family's doorstep.
When Wen Qingling saw Lin Nianxi, she was still a little dazed.
After resting for a few days, the scenes from her dream kept replaying in her mind, especially the scene where her brother twisted her neck in the rain.
"Qingling, what's wrong?"
Lin Nianxi was telling her about the recent events at home, saying that Lin Sinian and Lou Qingru were in love, and that Lou Qingru's child was actually...
After she finished speaking, Wen Qingling didn't react at all, as if she had fallen into a daze.
She had to shake it, but to her surprise, Wen Qingling reacted so strongly to the touch that she actually pushed her hand away.
"Qing...Qingling?" Lin Nianxi was startled.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Wen Qingling snapped back to reality, "N-nothing, I was just scared by a nightmare."
What did you just say?
Wen Qingling didn't hear it. Since it was a family matter, Lin Nianxi didn't want to repeat herself.
"Oh, right, I got you some tranquilizers. They're very effective, and pregnant women can use them too. You... you can give some to your sister-in-law. I've heard that pregnant women often have trouble sleeping in the last two or three months."
Sedatives? I've even had them in my dreams.
Wen Qingling stared at the medicine in front of her.
"If you're really worried, you can ask someone to check if this medicine is safe for pregnant women," Lin Nianxi said with a smile.
Wen Qingling looked at her, "..."
When Ji Wanyuan woke up groggily, she noticed that the bed seemed to be moving.
Moving? How could the bed move?
Could this be a dream?
But the baby in her belly turned over and kicked her. She felt the vibration and realized that this was not a dream. She was actually in the carriage.
He struggled to his feet, lifted the carriage curtain, and saw Ji Lingyue's trusted entourage.
"Stop! Where are you taking me?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Here it is! This chapter will randomly drop lucky red envelopes! [rainbow fart]
I'll try to write the story chapters as quickly as possible! Thank you everyone for the nutrient solution you've given me, so happy! [milk tea emoji] (gulps down the milk)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
