Chapter 379: I will make her wish she were dead

Nanny Qing didn't even bother to put on her clothes, scrambling and crawling to the next room, lighting the candlestick as fast as she could.

Then she turned to look at the bed.

Old Madam Zhao was still sleeping, her eyes covered with several layers of gauze, but her hands were held straight up in mid-air, her ten fingers, like tree bark, curled and spasming, as if trying desperately to grab something.

She cried out urgently and painfully, "Don't go, Qing'er… Qing'er, don't go! Qing'er, come back!!"

Clearly, she was having another nightmare.

Seeing this scene, Nanny Qing almost shed tears.

It had been over twenty years. Ever since the Second Miss, Su Qing Ci, went missing, the Old Madam had trapped herself in that cage and could never walk out.

Others only thought she had long accepted reality, but only she, the one who served her closely, knew what kind of torment the Old Madam suffered behind her forced smiles.

It was no exaggeration to say she lived in purgatory.

Nanny Qing wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and gently pushed her mistress, "Old Madam, wake up, it's dawn."

Old Madam Zhao's stiff body gradually softened, and her heart-wrenching cries calmed down. After a long while, she asked in a hoarse voice, "Is it… is it really dawn?"

"Yes, it's bright, it's almost dawn…"

Nanny Qing helped her up and tucked a pillow behind her back, smiling, "Rest for a moment, I'll go tell the small kitchen to brew some soothing soup for you, and call someone in to help you wash up."

She turned to leave.

But was held back by Old Madam Zhao, "No rush, keep me company and talk for a while."

Nanny Qing agreed, sat down by the bed, and waited quietly for her to speak.

Old Madam Zhao sighed, "I just dreamed of Qing'er."

Nanny Qing naturally knew about this.

"They say what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. You must miss the Second Miss too much, that's why you had such a dream."

"No, it's not like that." Old Madam Zhao shook her head, her expression solemn, "Qing'er has been away from me for so many years; I think of her every moment, and I've had countless nightmares. In my dreams, she was always in white, covered in blood, crying pitifully at me, crying until my heart broke."

"But this time it was different. Qing'er was standing under an osmanthus tree, wearing the pomegranate-colored dress I sewed for her with my own hands, smiling so, so sweetly."

"I shouted desperately, ran desperately, wanting to grab her and not let her go, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't touch her."

"Just when I was about to collapse, Qing'er suddenly knelt down, kowtowed to me four times, and then disappeared…"

At this point, Old Madam Zhao looked at Nanny Qing, "Do you think this dream could be some kind of omen?"

An omen? Nanny Qing couldn't say for sure.

After thinking, she asked, "Old Madam, you just said the Second Miss kowtowed to you four times?"

Old Madam Zhao nodded, "That's right, I remember very clearly, it was indeed four times."

"That's a bit strange then." Nanny Qing analyzed, "As the saying goes, 'three for gods, four for ghosts.' According to folk customs, whether paying respects to elders or praying to gods and Buddhas, three kowtows are enough; only when worshipping the dead do you need four. But Old Madam, you just saw the Divine Doctor yesterday, and your body is fine; there's no reason for the Second Miss to kowtow four times, right?"

Old Madam Zhao's heart sank, "Could it be that I won't be in this world for much longer…"

"No, no, no, that won't happen!" Nanny Qing hurriedly retorted, "The Second Miss has been sensible and well-behaved since she was a child, and she is even more filial to you, her mother. How could she curse you?"

Old Madam Zhao nodded.

That's right, Qing'er was the kindest and most filial child in the world; she couldn't do such a thing.

These four kowtows might have some other meaning.

Or perhaps she was overthinking it, and it had no meaning at all, just a dream.

Seeing Old Madam Zhao's listless expression, as if she couldn't lift her spirits, Nanny Qing's thoughts raced, and she changed the subject, "By the way, our mole planted in the Prince Ji's estate sent news last night. Would the Old Madam like to hear it?"

Speaking of Prince Ji's estate, Old Madam Zhao remembered, "Su Jin Xiu hasn't been here for a while, has she?"

Nanny Qing chuckled.

"She is currently overwhelmed and can't care about anything else; the house is almost turned upside down!"

"Oh? How so?"

Nanny Qing then spoke slowly.

Prince Ji's estate didn't know which deity they had offended recently, as several troublesome things had happened one after another.

First, Shen Jing Bin opened a gambling den and lost tens of thousands of taels of silver, plus an estate and two shops, losing almost half of his family's assets.

Not only did he lose money, but he also lost face, becoming the laughingstock of the entire Fengyang Prefecture after tea and dinner.

That was just the beginning; the worse part was yet to come.

That Shen Jing Bin must have been blinded by his losses and had something wrong with his brain, as he actually ran to Prince Yu to curry favor, saying he wanted to present a peerless beauty to him.

Presenting her was one thing; if it were consensual, it would have been a good move.

But the beauty he spoke of was actually a married woman, and the wife of a sixth-rank military official at that!

You tell me, isn't that malicious?

"Truly malicious, wicked to the core." Old Madam Zhao was very curious, "Which official's wife?"

Nanny Qing lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "It's none other than the wife of that Colonel Jiang Li."

Old Madam Zhao was shocked, "Divine Doctor Du??"

"That's her." Nanny Qing sneered, "Do you think Prince Yu would be happy? He is a dignified prince; what kind of woman can't he have? Why would he bother snatching a married woman? Moreover, Prince Yu has been in the limelight recently, and I don't know how many eyes are watching him for mistakes. Once this spreads, wouldn't he be riddled with holes by his rivals?"

Old Madam Zhao agreed deeply.

There has never been family affection in the royal family; for the sake of power, brothers killing each other and fighting in the same house happened all the time.

"So, Prince Yu must have scolded that idiot?"

Nanny Qing shook her head.

Old Madam Zhao was stunned.

No?

Prince Yu was so easygoing that he couldn't bear to scold him?

"Prince Yu had someone break both of Shen Jing Bin's legs and cut off half of his tongue, saying it was for his own good, so he wouldn't run around wagging his tongue and cause some catastrophic disaster."

Old Madam Zhao: "..."

He had guts; he was ruthless enough.

That idiot Shen Jing Bin was the same as his father, and spoiled rotten by his mother, causing A-Yao to wipe his butt countless times.

Now it was good; he was finally quiet.

With such a big thing happening to her son, Su Jin Xiu must be feeling terrible, which was why she hadn't come over during this time.

It also gave her some peace and quiet for a few days.

"Continue to have the mole keep an eye on the movements there, especially Su Jin Xiu; remember to report any unusual behavior," Old Madam Zhao said.

Nanny Qing nodded to show she understood, "Does the Old Madam still suspect that the Second Miss's disappearance has something to do with the Eldest Miss?"

Old Madam Zhao was silent for a moment, "I also hope I'm overthinking it. After all, I promised her father back then that I would treat her like my own and ensure her a lifetime of peace and prosperity."

As she spoke, her tone turned cold, "But if she really touched my heart and soul, I will make her wish she were dead!"

The morning light was just beginning to show, and the east was turning white.

There had been a few claps of thunder last night, but today it had cleared up, warm and sunny.

Such weather was perfect for traveling.

In order not to delay the plan to return to their hometown, Du Ruo and Jiang Li got up early, called Su Qingyao and Madam Ao, and the group headed straight to Chunhui Hall.

Old Madam Zhao, supported by Nanny Qing, sat in the middle of the room.

Su Qingyao rubbed his hands, excited beyond measure.

Madam Ao also watched eagerly, asking Du Ruo quietly, "A-Ruo, can she really see?"

Du Ruo smiled, "Don't worry, no problem."

After speaking, she stepped forward and unwrapped the gauze from Old Madam Zhao's eyes layer by layer.

Everyone watched with anticipation.

Having been blurry for so many years, suddenly becoming clear, Old Madam Zhao was still a bit unaccustomed to it and blinked several times.

Su Qingyao reached out and waved in front of her, "How is it, Mother? Can you see?"

Old Madam Zhao swatted her son's paw away, looking at him with disdain, "Are you a pig? Eating until you're so fat."

Su Qingyao: "..."

That hurt, Mother.

He suddenly realized something and widened his squinty eyes, "Mother, you can see?!"

Old Madam Zhao couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him.

Her gaze swept over the others one by one, finally landing on Du Ruo.

No wonder Shen Jing Bin had crooked thoughts and wanted to use her to curry favor with Prince Yu; she really was a beauty who could topple cities.

Colonel Jiang, you have good fortune.

She turned to look at Jiang Li and suddenly paused.

Huh?

This young man… why does he have a sense of familiarity? Especially those very unique phoenix eyes; it seems like she has seen them somewhere before.

Old Madam Zhao searched her mind but couldn't find a corresponding person, so she let it go.

"Divine Doctor Du's medical skills are indeed brilliant; my eyes have recovered. Thank you." She said gratefully.

Du Ruo naturally went through the pleasantries.

Seeing that it was getting late, Du Ruo didn't delay any longer, wrote a prescription for consolidation, left medical instructions, and then bid farewell.

Before leaving, Madam Ao insisted on stuffing five hundred taels of silver notes into her hand, "Money is money, sentiment is sentiment; even brothers should settle accounts clearly. You are a Divine Doctor now, so you naturally have the status of a Divine Doctor. This five hundred taels, you deserve it!"

Du Ruo couldn't refuse and had to accept it.

After thinking, she reminded her again, "Within a month after surgery, avoid oily smoke and strong light. It's best to stay indoors to recuperate; you must remember this."

Madam Ao agreed repeatedly.

The couple personally sent Du Ruo and Jiang Li to the main gate. The Su family's carriage had been waiting for a long time; despite rushing, they were still two quarters of an hour late.

At the gate of the county hostel, Master Yan and a group of students were craning their necks in anticipation.

There was no help for it; if Jiang Li and Du Ruo didn't come, they couldn't leave either.

There were water bandits on the waterway, and the land route wasn't peaceful either. Don't look at how many people they had; in reality, most were scholars who couldn't even truss a chicken and were useless.

Only with Jiang Li and Lao Tietou there would they have a sense of security.

The luggage had been packed yesterday, and Jiang Zhan and Lao Tietou had already helped bring it down, so Du Ruo didn't bother going up again.

Everyone began to assign carriages.

There were over thirty people in total and twelve carriages, which was quite spacious.

Du Ruo was the only female relative, so she naturally sat with Jiang Li; Jiang Zhan, Third Uncle Jiang, and Lao Tietou sat in one.

After a flurry of activity, everyone was finally settled.

Master Yan waved his hand, "Let's go!"