Chapter 84
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“By the way, we’re here, and as for the imperial tomb over there…”
“I’ve already made arrangements; nothing will happen. After we fell into the lake last night, the people above assumed we were dead, so we are temporarily safe. As for those who were chasing you, once you’re better, we’ll figure out a way to deal with them.”
“The people chasing me… fifty taels, it feels a bit petty.” Lin Qingyang complained, feeling that the two most likely culprits, Lin Qingxu and Pei Jin, wouldn’t do something so foolish. “But since they didn’t succeed, will they send more assassins?”
Chu Lishu’s eyes darkened slightly, “They have rules; if the hired assassin dies, they won’t take on similar tasks for a short period. We’re safe for now.”
“Should we return to the residence?” Lin Qingyang asked.
“Your wound is not suitable for travel. I’ll send someone back to the residence to inform them that we encountered bandits who attacked us, and we sustained injuries. It’s better to wait until your wound has healed before leaving,” Chu Lishu replied.
Lin Qingyang naturally agreed with Chu Lishu’s arrangement. After a while, a physician knocked on the door and signaled that it was time to change the bandages.
Chu Lishu stepped aside to watch. When the coarse cloth was removed, revealing the gruesome wound, he couldn’t help but feel a pang in his chest.
Chu Lishu looked at Lin Qingyang and, seeing him pale with pain, reached out to hold his hand.
Lin Qingyang looked up, feeling drained, and managed to force a faint smile.
After the dressing change, Lin Qingyang showed signs of fatigue between his brows. Chu Lishu advised him to rest and went out to handle some matters.
While Chu Lishu was away, Lin Qingyang quickly opened the system Exchange Shop. With sufficient resources now, there was no need to endure unnecessary discomfort. The pain from earlier was almost unbearable.
After searching for a while, Lin Qingyang finally found a suitable medicine. However, upon seeing the numerical values behind it, he hesitated.
The wound healing potion required 10 points, and he currently only had a total of 63 points. Although he could guess that the effect would be remarkable, should he endure it for now? After all, the physician said he was fine, and he could tough it out on his own. Points were a precious resource, so he decided to save them.
Feeling disheartened, Lin Qingyang gave up on taking the medicine and fell into a drowsy sleep.
It wasn’t known how long he slept, but suddenly someone nudged him and softly called his name.
Lin Qingyang felt uncomfortable and wanted to refuse to be awakened. The person seemed to hesitate for a moment but ultimately insisted on waking him up.
Lin Qingyang, a bit grumpy, looked at Chu Lishu in front of him. “Didn’t you ask me to rest?”
However, Chu Lishu’s expression was unusually serious. “Cousin, I need to tell you something. Be mentally prepared.”
“What’s wrong? Something happened?” Lin Qingyang’s heart skipped a beat.
Chu Lishu looked at Lin Qingyang’s worried expression, adjusted his tone, and then spoke, “Cousin, I just sent someone with a letter back to the Marquis’s residence, but I learned that County Princess Yawen suddenly fell seriously ill. She is now in a coma, and there’s a fear that…”
Lin Qingyang’s pupils instantly contracted, feeling thunderstruck. His feelings for County Princess Yawen were not deep, but she was the first person to make him feel the care of a mother. That feeling was something he had always longed for but couldn’t reach. He truly wanted to hold onto it.
However, in the original plot, County Princess Yawen died around this time. Lin Qingyang thought that by changing some of the plot, he could comfort County Princess Yawen psychologically and give her the motivation to live, thereby altering her death date. When he last saw her, her condition had improved significantly. How could things suddenly take a turn for the worse?
Could it be that illnesses like this were truly beyond recovery?
Inside the carriage, Lin Qingyang remained silent. His clear eyes gradually turned red as he stared into space, feeling lost and helpless.
Chu Lishu held Lin Qingyang tightly, avoiding any impact on his wound. He reached out and covered Lin Qingyang’s eyes. “Close your eyes, be good. We’ll be there soon.”
In the middle of the night, they finally returned to Marquis An Nan’s residence. Upon entering the courtyard, they could see people from other courtyards gathering, their expressions filled with sorrow and gloom, resembling a funeral scene.
Entering the main house, they saw several physicians discussing countermeasures on one side. Qiu Qing was completely focused, guarding beside the medicine jar as if it contained a life-saving elixir. On the other side, Lin Qingyao was pushing Lin Qingxu, who was sitting in a wheelchair, both looking at the room with unclear expressions. When they saw Lin Qingyang appear, both of them avoided eye contact.
However, Lin Qingyang couldn’t concern himself with them now. He turned and walked straight into the room.
As soon as he entered, he heard the restrained cries of Lin Qinglan and Lin Qingwei. The two sisters embraced each other at the foot of the bed.
And Marquis An Nan was sitting by the bedside, attempting to feed County Princess Yawen more life-prolonging ginseng soup with a serious expression.
On the side, Nanny Ding, though still standing, had a pale face, obviously enduring a significant blow.
As soon as everyone saw Lin Qingyang arrive, the clamor immediately filled his ears. Lin Qingyang staggered, thankfully supported by Chu Lishu.
Chu Lishu knew that Lin Qingyang probably didn’t want to say or deal with anything right now. He managed the others while helping Lin Qingyang to the bedside.
Marquis An Nan, seeing Lin Qingyang’s sickly white complexion, made room and said, “Come, talk to your mother. The physicians can’t do anything now; it’s just a matter of time.”
Lin Qingyang looked at County Princess Yawen on the bed with a numb expression. Her illness was evident, giving a sense of melancholy, like a candle about to burn out. For a moment, he didn’t know how to face it, only murmuring, “Mother, Mother, I’m back.”
County Princess Yawen, though unconscious, instinctively tightened her grip on Lin Qingyang’s hand, murmuring Lin Qingyang’s name. After all, before completely losing consciousness, Lin Qingyang was the only one she hadn’t seen.
Lin Qingyang felt like he couldn’t catch his breath, and the hand held by County Princess Yawen felt incredibly heavy. When he noticed a cloak prepared for him to wear next to the pillow, he remembered that his mother had said he could wear it the next time he came back.
Suppressing the tears that were about to burst out, Lin Qingyang frantically searched the system Exchange Shop for suitable medicine. The medicines in the system were mostly emergency remedies, not body-strengthening. He had checked before, and the options were still the same. In the face of such a deteriorating situation, even the system seemed powerless.
A sense of desperate helplessness overwhelmed him, making him almost oblivious to the pain in his body.
Suddenly, the hand he was holding tightened, and County Princess Yawen woke up.
Lin Qingyang immediately looked over, expecting to see a pair of helpless eyes facing the illness. However, what he saw was a gaze filled with love.
“You’re back? Yang’er. Why are you crying?”
Lin Qingyang burst into even heavier sobs. “Mother… your son came back late, I’m sorry.”
County Princess Yawen weakly reached out and touched Lin Qingyang’s cheek, slowly saying, “I might… not be able to hold on much longer. There are a few things I want to explain.”
County Princess Yawen’s current condition seemed like a brief rally to onlookers.
Marquis An Nan stepped forward and said, “It’s my fault. If you have any requests, feel free to say.”
For a moment, Lin Qingyang didn’t understand the meaning of these words, then he listened to County Princess Yawen’s intermittent instructions about the aftermath.
She knew very well that once she died, the little friendship she had with the emperor would be gone, and her children would have no protection. The days ahead would undoubtedly be difficult. She wished she could hold on a little longer until her children could stand on their own, but she couldn’t hold on any longer. Now, all she could do was arrange things as best as possible for her children, ensuring they wouldn’t be bullied.
Marquis An Nan agreed to all of County Princess Yawen’s requests, his eyes slightly red. “Rest assured, they are my children too.”
County Princess Yawen held Lin Qingyang’s hand and said, “Yang’er, after I’m gone, you must take care of your sisters. Mother has watched you grow during this time, and she’s very happy. I know Yang’er has grown up and become sensible. Unfortunately, Mother won’t be able to see the day when you marry and have children.”
Lin Qingyang’s tears flowed down as he said, “Mother, don’t say that. You will see it, you’ll definitely see.”
County Princess Yawen smiled, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start.
Just then, Qiu Qing entered with ginseng soup.
Nanny Ding quickly took the ginseng soup and excitedly said, “County Princess Niangniang, please have some more. You can overcome this. You have always been fearless since you were a child; how could you be afraid of this?”
However, no matter how much she drank, it wouldn’t change the inevitable outcome. How long could regular ginseng soup really prolong life?
Lin Qingyang numbly stepped aside, assisted by Chu Lishu, standing there with a tangled mess in his mind.
At this moment, Chu Lishu muttered to himself beside them, “If only we could have a few more days…”
Suddenly, a thought struck Lin Qingyang’s mind like lightning.
He took a step forward, saying, “Let me feed Mother.”
This action startled Chu Lishu, who quickly moved to support Lin Qingyang.
Wiping away her tears, Nanny Ding handed the bowl to Lin Qingyang.
Despite his stiffening movements, indicating the pain from his wounds, Lin Qingyang approached the bedside again to feed the soup to County Princess Yawen.
County Princess Yawen didn’t want to drink, but Lin Qingyang, in a sudden display of determination, forcefully fed her spoonful by spoonful.
Everyone thought Lin Qingyang was overwhelmed by grief, trying to hold onto life.
Strangely, after County Princess Yawen finished the bowl of soup, her complexion improved.
Having finished her last words, County Princess Yawen felt a bit sleepy. She thought she would pass away peacefully in her sleep and accepted it with equanimity.
However, others, watching County Princess Yawen sleep, dared not blink, occasionally allowing the physician to come in and check her pulse.
On the other side, even sitting became too much for Lin Qingyang, and almost all his strength leaned on Chu Lishu, who was supporting him.
Chu Lishu frowned deeply. Finally, when Lin Qingyang fainted, he arranged for someone to take him to the adjacent room and called a physician to tend to his injuries.
Witnessing Lin Qingyang’s wounds, everyone realized the tremendous physical strain he endured to come and see his mother one last time and how he persisted in that room.
In the early morning, Lin Qingyang had not yet awakened, but good news spread from the main house. People were overjoyed, tears streaming down their faces. It was almost unbelievable. Some knelt in the courtyard, thanking the gods and Buddhas. The physicians were trembling as they called it a miracle. After all, for someone on the verge of death, with almost undetectable pulses and relying on ginseng soup to sustain life, sleeping through the night and waking up the next day with such stability was nothing short of a miracle.
Everyone said it was a case of narrowly escaping death, a brush with the gates of the afterlife. Yet, no one knew that all of this was due to the efforts of the person in the room next door who had been in a deep sleep.
The system Exchange Shop indeed did not have medicine to cure this kind of illness, but there were lifesaving ginseng pills. The effectiveness varied depending on individual health conditions. Relying solely on this was insufficient to save a life, but Chu Lishu’s words reminded Lin Qingyang.
If there were more time, wouldn’t Chu Lishu’s master appear? If he could keep his mother alive until then, maybe there would be a chance of salvation.
Lin Qingyang didn’t know if ginseng pills could extend the life of someone who had already stepped into the gates of the afterlife. He also didn’t know if the male lead’s divine healer master could cure such a stubborn ailment. However, if he didn’t try his best, Lin Qingyang would regret it for the rest of his life.
So he tried.
When Lin Qingyang woke up, listening to the cheerful voices outside, he knew he had succeeded.
Looking at the system interface again:
Points: 13
Lin Qingyang twitched the corners of his mouth. It seemed that attempting to challenge the natural order and vie with fate for someone’s life came at a hefty cost. A single lifesaving ginseng pill took away 50 points.
Lin Qingyang was grateful that he had completed the mission and glad that he hadn’t been reluctant to use his points before. Otherwise, the situation would be even more embarrassing now.
System: 【Friendly reminder to the host: Points are used for the host’s benefit or to favor the male lead in order to facilitate the host’s mission. Everyone in this world has their own destiny; there’s no need to force it.】
Even the system couldn’t bear to watch and had to step in to advise him.
Lin Qingyang smiled bitterly and said, “If it were someone else, I definitely wouldn’t take the risk.”
“Cousin.” Chu Lishu came in with a bowl of medicine, seeing Lin Qingyang lying on the bed with a bitter smile. He walked up and said, “Cousin, I have good news for you. Your mother has made it through.”
“Yes, I heard. Everyone outside is celebrating, but I don’t know how long this can last. I really hope we can find a divine physician to treat my mother soon.”
Chu Lishu’s eyes flickered. “Yes, we will find one.”
Just as they were talking, Marquis An Nan also came in to visit Lin Qingyang. He was more concerned about how Lin Qingyang got injured. Now they weren’t talking about bandits anymore; they directly mentioned that someone went to Blood Abyss Pavilion, wanting to kill him.
Marquis An Nan’s expression changed. “Have you offended someone?”
“I don’t know who I offended, but I know someone who would love to see me dead.”
Marquis An Nan naturally understood what he was talking about and said directly, “Since the last incident, the flow of money in their hands has been monitored thoroughly. So, this impromptu assassination attempt can’t be the work of the person you suspect.”
Lin Qingyang didn’t really suspect Lin Qingxu. Marquis An Nan’s words further confirmed his speculation: there was someone else involved.
Since there were no leads, the conversation returned to County Princess Yawen. Although she had escaped this time, Marquis An Nan was not optimistic.
Marquis An Nan sighed and comforted Lin Qingyang, telling him to relax. After all, County Princess Yawen had been bedridden for a long time. With the lack of effective medicine, it was just a matter of time.
Marquis An Nan’s words made sense, but hearing them made Lin Qingyang extremely uncomfortable. He was about to retort when a servant came to report that Lishi had awakened and requested Marquis An Nan’s presence.
It was only at this moment that Lin Qingyang realized what had been bothering him. Throughout the previous night, his mother was in such a condition, yet his grandmother, Lishi, had been conspicuously absent. This seemed strange.
Lin Qingyang looked at Chu Lishu, who immediately understood. He summoned Shuncai and Nanny Ding. After hearing their accounts, Lin Qingyang was so infuriated that he nearly stormed off to find Lishi. Fortunately, Chu Lishu restrained him; otherwise, his wounds might have suffered another setback.
It turned out that his mother’s sudden deterioration was entirely provoked by Lishi.
Previously, after Lin Qingxu returned with a leg injury, Lishi vented her anger, considering him as the apple of her eye. She falsely accused Lin Qingyang of being unkind to his brother, causing trouble for Lin Qingxu. She also brought up the matter of the expelled former madam, even though Marquis An Nan ignored it. However, Lishi continued to make a fuss near County Princess Yawen, despite often being driven away by servants. After all, she was the mother-in-law, and County Princess Yawen couldn’t avoid her.
With such back-and-forths, County Princess Yawen’s health deteriorated again. If that were the only issue, it would be bearable.
However, yesterday, Lishi suddenly mentioned introducing Lin Qinglan to her in-laws. She claimed to have heard that Ying Wenlong was preparing to remarry, suggesting that Lin Qinglan could remarry as well. Lin Qinglan, however, couldn’t accept a new engagement so quickly. Upon her refusal, Lishi was furious and went straight to County Princess Yawen to complain.
Upon inquiring, County Princess Yawen learned that Lishi wanted to marry Lin Qinglan to a man from Lishi’s maternal family, who happened to be the cousin of Madam Ru, and Lin Qingxu’s cousin.
The man from the Li family is thirty years old, widowed, and his original wife was driven to death by him. He is lazy, frequents brothels every day, lacks ambition, and is notorious for being unruly. Despite having a pile of children to support, he relies on relatives for help and often visits the Marquis’s residence, where he is protected by Lishi and Madam Ru. This man has been unable to find a wife because no one dares to marry him.
County Princess Yawen never expected her mother-in-law to suggest such a match. It seemed like a deliberate attempt to torment Lin Qinglan to the extreme. For Lishi, it was a matter of pride that her children could be married into the family of County Princess Yawen, even if they had remarried. Moreover, they were all relatives, making the match even more favorable.
The man had no money, but Lin Qinglan did. Lishi saw this as an opportunity for Lin Qinglan to support their family. Additionally, since Lin Qinglan couldn’t have children, taking care of the children from the man’s previous marriage would be beneficial. It was like sharing the prosperity within the family.
Mrs. Li had grand illusions. If this marriage happened, it could not only provide support to their Li family but might also bring back Lady Ru. After all, they would be connected on both sides of the family.
However, the news of this proposal made County Princess Yawen so furious that she immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. Her health deteriorated rapidly, and Lishi, ever the actress, quickly seized the opportunity to play her part. She pretended to be on the verge of being fatally upset by her daughter-in-law, lying on the ground and feigning unconsciousness. Only now, upon hearing that County Princess Yawen was fine, did she instruct someone to call the Marquis away, likely to report the situation.
His substantial wealth of 50 points turned out to be so easily squandered!
Lin Qingyang was infuriated, feeling his extremities turning cold. Just then, he heard that the Marquis, accompanied by Lishi, was approaching. It seemed that the Marquis intended to have Lishi, the mother-in-law, come and care for her daughter-in-law to ease the tensions.
Lin Qingyang felt that Marquis An Nan must have some serious mental issues. Was he handing over a death warrant for his mother? As expected, as soon as Lishi arrived at the door, she was intercepted by Qiu Qing, and standing behind her with an icy demeanor was Lin Qinglan.
“Lishu, let’s move out,” Lin Qingyang suddenly said seriously. “Take Mother and Eldest Sister with us. We’ll find a quieter place to live.”
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