The eldest son of the Zhenguo Duke's mansion had passed away suddenly, and an atmosphere of sorrow permeated the mansion. Cries of grief echoed from every corner, and the maids hurried back and forth with tears in their eyes, and the faces of the old women were also filled with sorrow.
The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo was heartbroken, she collapsed to the ground, her skirt soaked with tears, and she kept repeating her grandson's name. The Duke of Zhenguo held himself together, his eyes empty, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Second bedroom
Jin Linlin and Jiang Zhixu helped the maids change into coarse linen clothes. Jin Linlin turned around to untie his hair and combed it into a bun with a white ribbon, saying:
"Oh, my grandmother is so sad. She has always loved this grandson so much, but she never expected him to die so young. I'm afraid her body can't bear it."
Jiang Zhixu frowned:
"I will keep a close eye on Grandma. I'm sure she'll be very busy these past few days. You also need to take good care of yourself. There are many people coming to pay their respects, so you and your third brother and sister-in-law should help look after the guests."
"Well, don't worry."
Jiang Zhixu sat on the Arhat bed, put his arm around her waist, and said in a low voice:
"How could he pass away? Although we haven't gotten along since childhood, he is still my elder brother. Although he was a little weak and dull, he never bullied us. At most, he just took advantage of us verbally. I went to visit him this morning, and everything was fine. How could he just die like that?"
Jin Linlin gently stroked Jiang Zhixu's hair, feeling distressed. No matter how mature and steady he usually was, he was only a twenty-year-old boy after all. In modern times, he was just a college student, but here he held a high position and supported the family.
After the two changed into mourning clothes, they walked straight to the mourning hall. The mansion was already dressed in white. The eldest young master's coffin was placed in the mourning hall. The white elegiac couplets swayed in the wind, and the atmosphere was solemn and depressing.
As Jiang Zhixu and Jin Linlin entered the mourning hall, they saw several of their elder brother's friends coming to pay their respects. One of them whispered to the person next to him:
"The eldest young master of the Zhenguo Mansion died in strange circumstances. I heard that he fell ill suddenly, but I hadn't heard of any serious illness before."
When Jiang Zhixu heard this, he was shocked. He already had doubts about the cause of his elder brother's death, and now he felt that the matter was even more confusing.
Jin Linlin keenly noticed Jiang Zhixu's abnormality and comforted him softly, "Don't think too much. The most urgent thing is to focus on the funeral." Jiang Zhixu nodded, suppressing the confusion in his heart, and bowed to the guests with Jin Linlin to express his gratitude.
At this moment, the third brother's wife came rushing over and whispered a few words in Jin Linlin's ear. Jin Linlin's face instantly became solemn, and she said to Jiang Zhixu:
"Grandmother suddenly fainted. Let's go and check on her." Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhixu immediately stood up and rushed towards the lady's yard with Jin Linlin like a gust of wind. The uneasiness in his heart surged like a tide.
When everyone arrived at Ci'an Hall, my grandmother was already unconscious. After the doctor took her pulse, he said solemnly:
"The Madam is suffering from internal blood stasis, her brain meridians are blocked, phlegm and fire are disturbing her heart, and her mind is in disarray. She hasn't recovered from her last stroke yet, and now she's been overstimulated. I'm afraid she'll be forgetful, dull, and confused when she wakes up."
The doctor explained all this, leaving everyone bewildered. Only Jin Linlin understood. Could this be Alzheimer's? There was no cure for this disease, and while it didn't affect lifespan, it could cause mental confusion.
What should we do? When the old lady was still alive, she could still keep Zhuang in check.
Now that the old lady has fallen, and Zhuang is Dong Jinguo's spy, how can there be peace in this mansion? If Zhuang hides Dong Jinguo's people in the Duke's mansion, once someone reports that the Duke's mansion is secretly communicating with another country, it will be a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of the family!
After the old lady woke up, she really became demented, like a child, and remembered nothing.
This was fine. She forgot everything, even the death of her beloved grandson. She no longer needed to grieve and feel sorry for herself. However, this disease required care, and if she wasn't careful, she could easily get lost.
Today is the day of the funeral of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang after his body has been kept for seven days. Citizens from all over the city will come to see him off. However, since they also have funerals at home, they did not go, for fear of disturbing the deceased.
On the fifth day of the funeral, Jiang Zhixu led the dazed Duke Zhenguo to climb onto the roof of the Zhuang family's house, gently lifted a tile, and looked down.
In Zhuang's room, she was flirting with a man. The two of them were lying on the bed. Zhuang was hugging the man, her fingers stroking his chest:
"Min Lang, why are you here today?"
"I missed you. How are you? Are you happy? Now your mother-in-law is also stupid. Isn't this Zhenguo Mansion your world?" The man kissed her hand contentedly.
Zhuang also said happily:
"That's right! Why did the Duke of Zhenguo have so many sons? I want my son to be the Duke's eldest son, but he has three older brothers. These three bastards are the blood of Princess Helan. They are of noble status and have great abilities. Even poisoning them is not enough to kill them. How annoying!"
"There's an order from above, asking you to place more people in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. After the funeral, use the excuse of recruiting servants to bring them into the mansion."
…
The Duke of Zhenguo, who was lying on the roof, had his eyes as big as copper bells as he looked at Jiang Zhixu with a raised gaze, as if asking what was going on.
Jiang Zhixu took the Duke of Zhenguo and jumped several times to the study in the front yard.
The Duke of Zhenguo seemed to be frightened out of his wits. He picked up the kettle and poured water in it: "Zhuang is having an affair?"
"Well, I only found out after I came back. I'm also confused as to how long they have been together." Jiang Zhixu looked as steady as a rock.
"What happened just now?" The Duke of Zhenguo's mind was like a mess, completely confused and unable to figure out what was going on.
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